Despite an increasing number of alternatives, the UK PLC market continues to thrive according to trade organisation Gambica, despite competition from IPCs. Just why this is, and the direction of the market is considered…
BPX Industry News & Insights
Why Production Robots are worth a second look
If you are not using production robots, or not planning to, you are not alone according to a report from ifr.org. Whilst worldwide manufacturing is seeing a massive increase…
European Engine Plant adopts Gigabit open Ethernet
In seeking to increase productivity at their engine and power transmission manufacturing plant in Poland, the management had several priorities. Firstly, to increase production line availability, secondly to improve the data transparency. Finally they…
Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Factory Automation
In their white paper Business Models for Smart Machines, Schneider Electric argues for machine builders to think about creating sustainable competitive advantage for their organisations. They need…
Cybersecurity is Critical for Schneider Electric
Ensuring its customers and partners are secure in today’s digital economy is critical for Schneider Electric. Cybersecurity and data privacy are integral to their business strategy. To help customers understand how they mitigate Cybersecurity…
Linear Transfer System to Speed-up Robot Integration
Mitsubishi Electric is promoting a new Linear Transfer System to speed-up robot integration. This intelligent conveying system combines productivity advantages with a unique safety concept. Operator safety is addressed without compromising productivity.
This new…
Collaborative Robots Complementing Humans to the Full
The development of Human-Robotic cooperation (HRC) in manufacturing is at an early stage. Collaborative robot (cobot) design allows them to work alongside people in a production cell. It is no longer necessary to install…
Collaborative Robots in UK Manufacturing
New generations of collaborative robots (cobots) are changing the face of manufacturing in the UK. From a low starting point, in 2016 the UK increased robot installations for the first time in four years….
CC-Link IE | Enabling Industry 4.0 Open Gigabit Ethernet
UK manufacturing is recognising that low productivity is a problem. The time has gone when producers were prepared to accept new products based on low introduction costs, but higher unit costs.
The growing recognition of…
Industry 4 -automated heaven or an engineers’ hell?
Whether Industry 4 represents automated heaven or an engineers’ hell rather depends on your viewpoint. From a management perspective, the challenge for manufacturers is knowing how best to improve productivity. This is important for…
What does IIoT mean for Automation?
To begin with, it is hardly surprising that engineers are confused about what IIoT means for the automation of their industry. A recent study by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers showed only 8% of…