Contacts Database
Your personal contact can be found in our Contacts Database
Behind the scenes of the PROFINET truck
About a year’s worth of planning and design work has gone into the PROFINET truck, and, as Madlen Junker, who is responsible for PROFINET communications at Siemens, explains on behalf of the many people involved in the making of the truck, it was no mean feat presenting the diverse uses and capabilities of PROFINET in such a small space.
“We wanted to be able to present PROFINET directly to our customers.” Madlen Junker
Ms. Junker, what exactly made you decide to take PROFINET on the road in a truck?
Madlen Junker: We came up with the idea of the truck in order to give our colleagues in the various regions the opportunity to present PROFINET directly to their customers. A further consideration was the time factor – it was a conscious decision to take PROFINET to our customers so that they did not have to make a special trip to Siemens.
So that’s why you opted for a mobile road show.
Madlen Junker: Exactly. And we wanted to present the subject in the most compact way possible so that the presentations would also work at small-scale events – hence the decision to use a truck. Of course, we wanted the truck to be suitable for use at larger-scale events as well, so our challenge was to pack as much information as possible into the truck, while also making the interior as spacious as possible. This required a great deal of creativity and, most of all, courage to scale down the presentation of the subject matter without losing key information.
How did you select the topics to be presented?
Madlen Junker: Our planning activities centered around the PROFINET system highlights. Together with the experts in the various Siemens divisions – particularly Automation Systems and Drive Technology – we focused on the core messages. The important thing for us was that these highlights be presented by means of live demonstrations in order to give visitors a tangible impression of the possibilities that PROFINET offers.
The truck is now touring Europe. How do you decide when and where the truck will stop?
Madlen Junker: The Siemens regions are, of course, responsible for the detailed planning of the local dates. After all, our colleagues in the regions are ideally placed to know the best ways to reach their customers. We plan the large country and regional stages centrally, taking the regions’ requests into account where possible. The regions were given the opportunity to submit their requested dates, and we then drew up a tour schedule based on those dates. The aim was to incorporate as many requests as possible using the shortest routes possible.
Is it possible to add any last-minute dates to the tour?
Madlen Junker: The truck is already fully booked until spring 2010, by which time it will have visited practically all the European regions. If you are interested in seeing PROFINET for yourself, simply contact your Siemens region. They will be able to tell you when the truck will be stopping in your region and which events are planned with the truck. Tour planning will continue in mid-2009, when the regions will have the chance to submit their requests for 2010 and 2011.