Manufacturers face the ongoing challenge of delivering goods in greater volumes and speeds while keeping prices competitive in an overcrowded market. Automation that features software integrated solutions are helping manufacturers meet these challenges by providing precision and versatility through intelligent systems that increase order fulfilment and improve quality control. Steffen Thierfelder, managing director, Northern Europe of Dematic UK and Ireland, explains more.

Offshore Electronics has announced it will provide design for manufacture support and PCB assembly services to Fireco, a supplier and manufacturer of fire door compliance devices and solutions. The move consolidates much of Fireco’s PCBA procurement, with the company having used several suppliers prior to signing its new contract with the Guernsey-based CEM.

ABB has announced it has enhanced its industry-leading RobotStudio robot programming and simulation software with cloud-enabled functionality.

ABB has acquired a minority stake in Swedish start-up Viking Analytics via its venture capital unit, ABB Technology Ventures (ATV). The strategic partnership to develop the next generation of predictive asset health analytics for electrical equipment, will allow customers to predict anomalies before they become a risk to their operations. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.

In February next year at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2023 will host nearly 600 firms exhibiting a vast array of components, equipment, software and services

Prashanth Mysore, Strategic Business Development and Industry Marketing Director at DELMIA, part of the Dassault Systèmes Group, looks at what is Digital Twin technology and why is it important for manufacturers?

The future of safety engineering and manufacturing and processing now focuses around the digital and this creates new opportunities and challenges for plants operators, and enables them to enhance efficiency, increase flexibility, while making their plants more safe and secure. Andy Pye, Talking Industry Chair looks at some of the discussion points.

While an increasing number of enterprise companies and some SMEs are adopting digitally transformative technology, the UK continues to fall behind other nations, including the US and Germany. Andy Pye chaired an international panel to explore the trends

Talking Industry’s latest panel discussion looked at the future of Plant & Asset Management. Andy Pye highlights the discussion

The manufacturing and engineering sectors made a strong display of its innovation and confidence at the recent co-located events; Drives & Control, Smart Industry Expo, Plant and Asset Management, Fluid Power & Systems, and Air-Tech Exhibitions – held at Birmingham’s NEC from 5 to 7 April. PWE reports.

On 15 February, Talking Industry covered a range of topics around the general umbrella of IIOT, Communications & 5G. Talking Industry’s Andy Pye reports.

Talking Industry’s Andy Pye reports on another successful Talking Industry discussion on robotics and automation in the UK. Are we seeing the first signs that the lag in investment is finally beginning to turn?

The biennial co-located events: Plant & Asset Management, Drives & Controls, Smart Industry Expo, Fluid Power & Systems, Plant & Asset Management, and Air-Tech Exhibitions – are once again set to return to Birmingham’s NEC between the 5-7 April 2022, alongside MACH. PWE takes a closer look.

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the iconic 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, but was also the setting for a classic Hollywood computer cameo from Siemens involving an overconfident engineer who fails to demonstrate “the greatest miracle of the machine age” by using a supercomputer to reveal the locations of the final golden tickets. PWE reports

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics makes its return to Farnborough from 8 -10 February. PWE looks at the forthcoming event.

Advanced Engineering returns for its 12th year, reuniting the supply chain to learn, network, discover and innovate, forging the future across multiple sectors. PWE reports.

The seventh Talking Industry discussion attempted to explore what could be done to further evangelise the benefits of digitally transformative concepts to improve efficiency and competitive perspective and to define more clearly concepts such as IIoT, Industry 4.0 Smart Factory, Digital Twins, Machine Learning, Analytics and AI. Andy Pye provides this summary review.

Fourth generation power transmissionPowerGrip GT4 ™ is Gates' synchronous elastomer belt  reported to have the highest power transmission capacity on the market in its class. But this is not the only feature of this new belt from Gates, a world leader in the supply of specific hydraulic and power transmission solutions. Using new advanced materials, Gates has designed a belt with higher chemical resistance and resistance to a wider temperature range. The new GT4 ™ belt offers improved performance for a wide range of industrial applications.

The theme of the third in the series of Talking Industry online panel discussions organised by DFA Media, the publisher of PWE, was Industrial Networks, IIoT and Communications. The session chairman Andy Pye reports on the event