Hermes Awards 2025: Siemens Generative AI-Powered Assistant Goes for the Win
Siemens has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Hermes Award for its generative AI-powered assistant.
The announcement was made at Hannover Messe’s opening ceremony on March 30, 2025, following deliberations by an independent panel of jurors chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, president of the Fraunhofer Society.
Checking the Boxes on the Award Criteria
Siemens’ AI-driven “industrial copilots” are designed to enhance workforce efficiency by eliminating repetitive tasks and boosting productivity. In one application, the industrial copilot for Siemens' TIA Portal engineering framework—used by more 120,000 professionals worldwide—can enable engineers to write precise, reliable code significantly faster.
According to Siemens, the industrial copilot for Siemens' TIA Portal engineering framework is used by more than 120,000 professionals worldwide and enables engineers to write precise, reliable code significantly faster.
Siemens describes the technology as a generative AI-based chatbot that connects to a user’s local TIA Portal engineering system. Users communicate with the TIA Portal through natural language and supports. For example, the gen-AI assistant enables engineering teams to generate code for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) using their native language. This reduces the workload and engineers can offload repetitive tasks to the industrial copilot. By extension, the engineering of complex tasks becomes less susceptible to errors, the development time is reduced and productivity is enhanced over time.
Artificial intelligence applications were a highlight for countless exhibitors at Hannover Messe this year, which underscored both its impact and opportunities.
“Many companies recognize this and are eager to integrate AI into their processes, as it is a valuable tool for enhancing productivity when applied correctly,” said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hanselka. “The industrial copilots stand out with their integrative approach, innovatively combining AI-based assistance for management processes with production control.
Three Semifinalists, Three Possible Winners
The Hermes Award, which has honored companies for the past 20 years, acknowledges a product or solution that demonstrates a notably high level of technological innovation, according to the rules. In addition, jurors consider market maturity.
READ MORE: Hannover Messe 2025: Attend a Masterclass in Industrial Technology
All companies exhibiting at Hannover Messe are eligible for nomination. The winning product or solution, however, needs to demonstrate a particularly high degree of technological innovation.
Igus and Schaeffler were runners-up in the annual competition.
Igus Developed a Mobile Power Socket for Container Ships
Igus was nominated for its Mobile Shore Power Outlet (iMSPO). The innovation delivers a mobile and flexible solution in the shoreside power supply of ports.
The system is a self-propelled socket for shore power connection of container ships. The system is designed to be located at the berth and installed on the quay above the fender system. It includes a ready-to-connect chain assembly for shore power connection of ships.
“Think of it as a moving plug for ships,” Alexa Heinzelmann, head of international marketing at igus, said during a press tour of the igus booth at Hannover Messe.
The power cables are guided through a roller-supported energy conduit that was engineered for long distances and heavy loads, explained Dr. Thilo Schultes, CEO Fast Growing Business Units, igus, Cologne. It can reach distances of up to 400 meters, he said.
The invention’s ecological benefits include the absence of diesel generators (reducing harmful emissions at the port) and low maintenance (reducing operating costs).
Schaeffler’s XZU Rolling Bearings Increased Tilt Stiffness by 30%
Schaeffler’s nomination was for a double-row oblique roller bearing. The XZU needle roller bearing was developed with the same connection dimensions as standard cross-roller bearings, making it a seamless, one-to-one replacement.
READ MORE: Schaeffler’s XZU Conical Thrust Cage Needle Roller Bearing for Robotics
The company stated that the arrangement of very small, cylindrical roller-like rolling elements in a double-row configuration means that the bearing increases tilt stiffness by 30%, reduces friction resistance by 20% and improves raceway accuracy by 40%.
During a press conference at the trade fair, Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG, pointed out that many years of experience went into the bearing’s design. These XZU bearings are well-suited for articulated-arm applications, and are valuable in fields such as robotics, assembly automation and machine tools, he said.
