#Industry 4.0 / Digitalization

2022-04-28

Dr. Lutz Steiner is new Senior Vice President Innovation at Lenze

With the newly created position, the company is intensifying its growth and innovation course.

Dr. Lutz Steiner has been Senior Vice President Innovation at global automation specialist Lenze since April 1st, 2022. With Dr. Steiner, an experienced industry expert and innovation manager with international leadership experience joins the Group. In the newly created position, he will manage the entire innovation of the Lenze Group and will strategically drive the technological roadmap. With the creation of the new role of Senior Vice President Innovation, Lenze is underlining its position as a pacesetter in global factory automation.

"We want to continue to grow sustainably and must therefore think today about products and solutions that our customers will need tomorrow and the day after. We can only achieve a sustainable Industry 4.0 through digitization and innovation. To achieve this, we still need many new technologies that make it possible to use energy, materials, and working time more efficiently - or the other way around: we need innovations to curb the waste of resources further. In Dr. Lutz Steiner, we have been able to gain an experienced innovation manager who will drive these issues forward with his scientific and technical expertise and international industry experience," says Lenze CTO Frank Maier.

"Lenze is ideally positioned with 75 years of domain expertise, a large international partner network, and a corporate culture characterized by the courage to embrace change. With these building blocks, my ideas, and my experience, I want to continue to shape our technology roadmap and consistently focus on the sustainable digitalization of factory automation," says Dr. Steiner, describing his strategy. "As automation experts, our customers expect us to think far ahead so that they can produce more sustainably in the future and remain competitive. To achieve this, we at Lenze must create technological visions and concepts. I see that as my core task."

Dr. Lutz Steiner was most recently responsible for R&D Building Automation Solutions Asia Pacific at ABB China. In addition to extensive experience in the international automation industry and innovation management, he brings the necessary scientific and technical expertise to manage research and development activities in a targeted manner. He studied electrical engineering and information technology, majoring in automation technology, at Darmstadt Technical University, where he earned his doctorate in building automation and renewable energies.

Lenze at ITMA Asia 2025: Smart, Robust and Cost-Efficient Motor Drive System IE5/IE6 for the Textile Future

At the world's largest trade fair for textile and apparel technology, ITMA Asia (October 28-31, 2025 in Singapore), Lenze will be presenting innovative automation solutions for the textile value chain in Hall 7, Stand B201. The focus will be on energy-efficient drive packages, modular machine concepts and scalable software solutions - developed for mechanical engineers and end users who rely on sustainable technologies. Lenze has been a reliable partner to the textile industry for over 77 years.

New alliance for high-performance drive technology

The Lenze Group, international specialist for drive technology and automation solutions, and Sonepar in Germany, leading electrical wholesaler, have entered into a sales partnership with a focus on innovation and market penetration. Since 1 July 2025, Sonepar has been an official "Lenze Performance Partner Distribution" - with the aim of bringing innovative drive solutions to industry faster and more comprehensively.

Earning money with data? Lenze demonstrates how.

The “SPS – smart production solutions” in Nuremberg is THE trade fair for automation in Europe. At the Lenze booth 391 in Hall 7 it is all about the digitalization of mechanical engineering this year. In four steps - from data collection and analysis to the development of data-driven, scalable products and a platform that facilitates the implementation of application in the field - the automation experts from Hamelin will showcase how they collaborate with customers to generate additional revenue for them.

From spinning to finishing - Lenze makes textile machines more efficient

"Transforming the World of Textiles" - this is the motto of the world's largest trade fair for textile and apparel technology, ITMA 2023 in Milan (June 08 - 14). It shows: The textile industry is undergoing change. High demands on the sustainability and flexibility of machines, enormous cost pressure and a shortage of skilled workers pose major challenges for machine manufacturers and operators. Digitalization can provide a remedy here. At ITMA, automation specialist Lenze will therefore be presenting not only hardware and software, but also its digital services and platform offerings.

Reifenhäuser wins German Design Award for new user interface

At K 2025 in Düsseldorf, the Reifenhäuser Group unveiled its new company-wide machine user interface, which offers a uniform design language for blown film, flat film, and nonwoven lines – and stands out for its particularly simple operation. The overall concept impressed not only customers, but also the jury of the German Design Awards, who honored the system with the prestigious design prize during the trade fair.

Reifenhäuser NEXT: Tackling the skills shortage and achieving operational excellence with industrial AI

At K 2025, the Reifenhäuser Group will demonstrate Industrial AI's full potential for productivity in plastics processing. At the heart of the dedicated “Reifenhäuser NEXT” brand is a powerful AI chatbot that enables even inexperienced line operators to quickly solve complex tasks in their daily work, thereby maximizing availability, productivity, and quality.

RE&UP debuts at Ecomondo 2025 to showcase circular fashion innovation

RE&UP makes its first appearance at Ecomondo – The Green Technology Expo, Europe’s leading event for ecological transition and circular economy. Specializing in textile-to-textile recycling, RE&UP transforms end-of-life fabrics into Next-Gen recycled cotton fibers and polyester chips, giving new life to materials that would otherwise go to waste.

ICAC announces postponement of the 83rd Plenary Meeting in Tanzania

Due to unforeseen circumstances arising from the recent developments in Tanzania, the ICAC has announced that its upcoming 83rd Plenary Meeting has been postponed. Scheduled for Nov. 17-20 in Mwanza, the delay was recommended by Tanzania, and the decision was made out of an abundance of caution, prioritizing the safety and well-being of all participants.

TEXTILCOLOR AG launches strategic collaboration with Alpex, Majocchi, and Trans-Textil in the field of Pyroshell™ flame protection

TEXTILCOLOR AG, a leading provider of innovative solutions in textile chemistry, today announces the start of a strategic collaboration with Alpex Protection, Majocchi, and Trans-Textil. Starting November 1, 2025, the partners will jointly advance the flame-retardant finishing of textiles using the patented Pyroshell™ technology at production sites in Germany, France, and Italy.