News » World News Automatica show will become a 'compact' event in mid-2021
Automatica, the German robotics and automation exhibition, originally due to take place in June this year, before being rescheduled to December, will now become “a compact in-person event” taking place in mid-2021. The next full-scale Automatica will be held in June 2022. The show’s organiser, Messe München, is also planning to expand its digital activities.
Motion controls firm is awarded ISO 4001 certification
The motion controls manufacturer Elmo Motion Control has been certified to the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems, providing assurance that it complies with regulations and laws relating to environmental protection and emergency preparedness.
Cyber-attacks on manufacturers rise ‘dramatically’
Cyber-attacks on manufacturers increased dramatically during the first half of this year, making manufacturing the second most frequently targeted sector, according to a new report from the cyber-security analyst, CrowdStrike.
EU investigates $3.3bn sale of Eaton Hydraulics to Danfoss
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into Eaton’s planned $3.3bn sale of its hydraulics business to Danfoss. The Commission is concerned that the proposed sale, announced earlier this year, may reduce competition in the supply of hydraulic components for mobile machinery.
Mitsubishi wins court case against Chinese counterfeiters
A court in China has upheld an earlier ruling that a group of Chinese companies infringed Mitsubishi Electric trademarks by manufacturing and selling “a large quantity” of factory automation equipment including PLCs, AC servodrives and inverters, that carried counterfeit Mitsubishi markings.
Benshaw-AuCom soft-start business will offer more choice
Following the acquisition of the New Zealand soft-start pioneer Aucom by the US motor control specialist Benshaw earlier this year, more details have emerged about how the merged business – described as “the world's largest owner-managed supplier of soft-starters” – will operate.
Phoenix licences PLCnext to Yaskawa for next-gen controls
UPDATED: The drives, robotics and mechatronics manufacturer Yaskawa has announced that it plans to use Phoenix Contact’s PLCnext runtime control environment as the basis for its next-generation machine controller and PLC platform. The two companies say they have a shared goal moving away from proprietary systems to offer an open and future-proof ecosystem for industrial automation.
ABB invests $43.5m to upgrade motion and automation r&d
ABB is investing about CHF40m ($43.5m) in new research and development facilities and office space for its Motion and Industrial Automation Business in Turgi, Switzerland. The investment will enable ABB to strengthen its position several high-growth areas and to expand its innovation capabilities.
Manufacturing recovery will vary by sector and region
A new analysis of how long it will take for global manufacturing to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, suggests that there will be big variations in recovery rates in different sectors of industry and in different regional markets. The study, by Interact Analysis, shows, for example, that the commercial vehicle market and the electrical and electronic equipment sector will both recover much faster than previously thought, while other sectors will suffer longer-term effects.
SPS automation show will be a virtual event this year
The organisers of the huge German automation show SPS have announced that it will become an virtual, online-only event this year “due to the ongoing travel restrictions and other fundamental changes caused by the coronavirus pandemic”. The show had been due to take place in Nuremberg in the last week of November.
UK industrial software giant Aveva buys OSIsoft for $5bn
The UK industrial software supplier Aveva is buying OSIsoft, the US-based real-time industrial data software and services developer, for $5bn. The two companies will combine their products, bringing together industrial software and data management to help customers accelerate their digital transformation. The merged business will have revenues of around £1.2bn.
'Robotic integrated controller’ eliminates the need for humans
The Japanese automation manufacturer Omron has announced what it describes as “the world’s first robotics integrated controller”, which synchronises various technologies to provide highly automated manufacturing operations that do not rely on humans. It says that the controller will: improve the speed and accuracy of production; simulate production lines without needing to deploy physical equipment; simplify maintenance; and save time in design, planning, commissioning and changeover processes.
AC drives sales will fall by 10% in 2020 and rebound in 2021
The global market for low-voltage AC drives market will fall by more than 10% this year, according to a new report from Interact Analysis. It points out that the drop is not as severe as it was in 2009, adding that there is “light at the end of the tunnel” with strong prospects for a return to growth in 2021.
Cybersecurity firm warns of new automation dangers
The cybersecurity research firm Trend Micro has issued a pair of reports highlighting potential dangers to industrial automation systems posed by vulnerabilities in protocol gateways and programming languages. It says that these flaws could expose automation system to critical attacks that could enable attackers to hijack industrial robots and automation systems to disrupt production or steal intellectual property.
SPE sparks initiative to link OT networking expertise
The Ethernet Alliance, a global consortium dedicated to advancing Ethernet technologies, has launched an initiative to bring together people involved in OT (operational technology) networks used in industrial and building automation. The initiative is a response to the development of the Single-Pair Ethernet (SPE) cabling technology.
