This video presentation from The Automation Conference 2013 explores the issue of centralized versus decentralized drive strategies for mechatronic system design. This discussion is critical because once the number of axes are dictated by the machine design, the question arises whether a stand-alone drive is a better option than a multi-axis control system. The presenter is Tom Jensen, manager of the OEM business development team at Lenze Americas. Tom has more than 20 years of experience in machine development, motion control and robotics.