In 1969 when forklift manufacturer BT developed a stacker crane, they had no idea what the future might hold for their new product. The original concept was a manual crane with hydraulic drives and lift that could reach to 10 meters. The first production model was used by the company to support its own forklift production line. Eight of the original models were sold.
It’s no secret. Machine builders today are under significant pressure to deliver equipment that can meet the demands of flexible manufacturing. Those who supply consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are especially challenged to deliver future-proof designs that optimize changeover today – and ramp up rapidly for new SKUs not yet imagined.
Do you know the first question you should ask before opening an electrical enclosure? Plant managers, building maintenance staff and electrical repair personnel repeat the question “Is it safe?” so often that it’s practically a mantra. And rightfully so. The people in these professions are constantly at risk of experiencing a life-threatening current while on the job. They regularly take precautions such as removing their wedding bands and must be vigilant in checking and rechecking for telltale signs such as alerting lights and sounds—all in the hope of returning home safe and sound at the end of their shifts.
Earlier this year, while attending Hannover Messe 2019, I had the privilege to partake in a private tour of Rexroth’s booth. As I have noted in previous writings on Hannover it is difficult to truly relate the size and scale of the booths at this show if you have not attended, but many easily reach into the 10-15,000 square foot range, and Rexroth’s booth was right there among the largest. Not only that but their booth was the only one that featured hosted 5G outside of the special 5G pavilion and was also toured by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
What if your control system could do the job of a data scientist? It might help your HR department breathe easier, given the demand for the data science skill set. It could also give you faster access to information needed to make production improvements.
Globally recognized certification standards for connectors offer peace of mind, and are an important tool for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and designers.
Digital transformation is top of mind for business leaders, solutions providers and consultants these days. The multi-trillion-dollar predictions on everything from IOT to AI/Machine Learning are indeed staggering to think about. That said, when it comes to manufacturing systems our recent experience suggests that organizations are still cautious when it comes to investment and taking their first steps into the digital world.
Choosing an integrator for your project can be a confusing task, but don’t worry… JMP is here to help. Below are a few tips on what any company should be looking for when they choose a Systems Integrator.
The United Nations estimates that world population will climb from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050. This means higher demand for food for the growing population, and more work for the farmers to produce more food. And they will need fertilizers to do it, which is where potash comes in, as 96% of the world’s production of potash is used in fertilizers.
Mobile robots are one of the fastest-growing industrial automation technologies, and Omron is proud to offer one of the most advanced solutions for autonomous materials transport. Known as “autonomous intelligent vehicles” (AMRs), Omron’s LD Series robots are capable of self-navigating through dynamic and peopled environments using onboard lasers and mapping software.
Flexibility and rapid production are two of the main demands placed on panel building and switchgear manufacturing today. The Spanish company “Vidal Automatización y Control” had also been facing up to these challenges and was looking for ways to increase the efficiency of the processes along its value chain.
In this issue of Industry Insights with Owen we discuss factory automation solutions and concerns with Richard Krawczyk, Account Manager of Factory Automation in Canada for Pepperl+Fuchs. Earlier this summer I met with Richard in Southern Ontario to tour the Pepperl+Fuchs mobile exhibit, and after some interesting discussion we wanted to be sure we shared some of the interesting points of conversation and the depth of knowledge Richard has acquired with our readers.
Foundational to The Connected Enterprise are the “connections”, that is, the data cable wiring, or the physical network infrastructure. More than obvious, right? Yet why do we oftentimes see that it is handled and managed separately from the balance of the project as to be out-of-scope? Or bolted on at the end as after-thought. Perhaps some consider it to be either unimportant, simplistic, or menial.
Harting Canada held their annual trade media luncheon in Toronto this past month to provide insight into the company’s direction moving into the next fiscal year. The event provided Panel Builder & Systems Integrator a fantastic opportunity to sit down with Carl Maalouf, the Canadian Director of Sales for Harting Canada, as well as Territory Sales Manager, Peter Hanna.
Omar Abdelzaher is Systems Integration Project Manager with an impressive resume thus far in the industry. Currently, he leads the Robotics & Automation – Systems Integration team, a new venture for Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.
In cooperation with the OPC Foundation, AIM-D launched a new communication standard for AutoID devices in 2016. At the last SPC IPC Drives in Nuremberg, it became clear that this standard is being embraced by many device manufacturers across the entire AutoID spectrum. What’s more, customer demand for OPC UA as the communication standard in the industry is also consistently rising.
This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.
