There are so many trends driving the development of fluid power systems, it’s hard to keep track of them all. To get a sense of those impacting the hydraulics used in mobile equipment applications, I recently spoke with industry experts from Faster, HydraForce and Poclain Hydraulics to learn what trends they’re seeing in the industry.
Not surprisingly, automation and AI were among the top trends they noted. The need to increase productivity and overcome the skilled labor shortage in construction and other industries is a key driver for creation of automated functions which is prompting the need for hydraulics capable of providing more precise and repeatable movements. AI is seen as a tool that can be used as part of an automated system by enabling machines to learn how to take over some of the repetitive tasks typically done by a skilled operator.
What trends are you seeing impact the fluid power industry? Is automation a key development area for you? How do you potentially see AI being employed in the fluid power industry?
Reach out to me at [email protected] to let me know your thoughts.
We’re also still running our poll, included at the end of the Fluid Power Pulse piece in today’s newsletter, to learn how the year is shaping up so far and what expectations you have for it, including the development trends of focus. Prefer to offer your thoughts more directly? You can email me with those thoughts as well.
Sara Jensen, Editor, Power & Motion
