28 n SPS PREVIEW October 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com Where innovation meets industry T he eyes of the automation world will be on SPS – the Smart Production Solutions event – when it opens its doors in Nuremberg, Germany, in November. The exhibition brings together decision-makers, developers and visionaries from around the world. It has been a fixture in the industrial calendar for more than three decades – a barometer of the latest trends and technological developments in the automation industry. Across its 15 exhibition halls (one less than in 2024), the SPS 2025 will welcome around 1,150 companies to showcase smart production systems and their latest products. The show will be returning to its late November slot that it traditionally occupied before the Covid pandemic. AI (artificial intelligence) in production applications will be a central theme of this year’s SPS. Industrial AI is being adopted widely to support process engineering and control devices via various AI models, or as a component of smart tools for predictive maintenance, quality control, and adaptive production control. The show’s organisers say that these technologies are changing automation technology fundamentally and opening up new potential for efficiency, flexibility, and resource conservation. “In many production environments, industrial AI is no longer a topic for the future, it is already a reality,” explains SPS’ vice-president, Sylke Schulz-Metzner. “At the SPS 2025, our exhibitors will be showing how AI is already being used in practice today and its potential for future automation applications.” Twice-daily tours, guided by experts, will take The SPS automation mega-show returns to its Nuremberg venue next month. It is expected to attract more than 1,100 exhibitors across its 15 halls. There will also be four presentation stages and several shared stands focusing on specific topics, such as Automation Meets IT. The UK drives-maker Sprint Electric will be showing the long-awaited commercial version of its Generis regenerative AC drive at SPS. The drive, first announced in 2023, marks a new era for Sprint, which has traditionally been associated with DC drives. Developed in conjunction with the University of Nottingham, the four-quadrant AC drive has no intermediate DC links or rectifiers, and generates ultra-low harmonics with minimal mains distortion. It provides full torque and balanced loads at low and zero speeds. Noise and EMI levels are said to be low. The drive has a high efficiency and a power factor close to unity. It allows clean flows of current in both driving and generating modes, and has just six power connections, compared to AFE (active front-end) designs which typically have 14 and can have as many as 20. This, in turn, means fewer cables, and faster connecting times. A 22kW Generis drive will weigh 22kg and measure 264 x 576 x 280mm. This is up to 57% lighter than some conventional alternatives on the market. It can therefore be accommodated in smaller and less expensive cubicles. The small size is expected to be particularly attractive to manufacturers of equipment such as cranes and centrifuges. Other potential fields of application include lifts, escalators, low-harmonic fans and pumps, materialhandling systems, oil extraction systems, and pumped hydroelectric schemes. Beta field trials of the Generis drives have started this year prior to the commercial launch. Orders for the drives have already been received from the US and South Africa. The initial 22kW model will be followed by a second size in the first quarter of 2026. Sprint plans to expand the range eventually up to 400kW, with larger applications being handled by operating smaller drives in parallel. UK-developed regen drive makes its commercial debut at SPS Sprint Electric’s Generis regenerative AC drive marks a new direction for the company Image: Mesago Messe Frankfurt / Arturo Rivas Gonzalez
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