Siemens technology helped to ensure that the beer flowed in Munich at the 176th Oktoberfest. Millions of visitors once again enjoyed the numerous fairground rides turned and controlled by Siemens Technology. Whether freefalling back to earth after being catapulted 70 m into the air, hurtling five times head-over-heels on the giant roller coaster, shooting through raging waterfalls in a dugout canoe or just quietly admiring the fantastic view of the Oktoberfest grounds from 50 m up.
The giant Ferris wheel, the white water ride, the five-loop roller coaster, the power tower and the wave glider – these are just five of the largest Oktoberfest rides that are fully equipped with Siemens high-tech drives, controls, hydraulics, energy supplies and running-light systems. Requirements are tough at the world’s largest public festival: systems have to be reliable. On sunny weekends, the rides are in continuous operation since every idle minute means losses for the operators. “On such days, operation simply has to be trouble-free,” says Ewald Schneider, manager of Power Tower 2. “I am completely satisfied with Siemens’ products and service. That is why I also used them in my new freefall tower.” And whether on the freefall tower – with Formula-One-like acceleration driven by 1300-HP Siemens motors – or in complex carousel rotations or on gentle gliding rides, safety is always a top priority: all systems have been TÜV-tested.
For 30 years, Siemens has been supplying products for fairground rides around the world. Environmental aspects have become increasingly important in recent years. Today, the latest Osram LEDs on fairground rides are reducing the energy requirements of the lighting systems installed by up to 90% – the more lights, the greater the savings.
For example, the Distel Company has reduced the total energy consumption of its bumper cars 20% at one stroke by retrofitting the system’s lighting display – comprising 60 000 luminous points – with LEDs. On the wave glider, a further development of the wave swinger, the Siemens system automatically measures, for example, the total weight of the passengers entering the ride to ensure that the hydraulics are supplied with just the right amount of energy. And the latest generation of Siemens drives saves so much energy that procurement costs are already amortised within about a year. Consequently, many of the products and solutions implemented are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio, which generated sales of nearly ₭19 billion – or about one quarter of the company’s entire revenue.
Not only do Siemens products guarantee fun and safety; they also safeguard the environment. Siemens’ green solutions helped breweries to deliver copious amounts of top-quality beer for the festival while reducing the amount of water and energy consumed for production. Prost!
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