News » World News Siemens’ €2bn plan includes motion control R&D centre
Siemens has announced plans to invest €2bn, mainly in new manufacturing capacity, as well as in innovation labs and education centres aimed at keeping it at the forefront of digitalisation, automation and sustainability. The plans include a €200m high-tech factory in Singapore, which “will set a new standard for connectivity to showcase the possibilities of digitalisation”, as well as a new R&D innovation centre in Shenzen, China, which will accelerate the development of motion control systems using digitalisation and power electronics technologies.
Industrialists embrace metaverse, with UK as a leader
The world’s technological companies are embracing the industrial metaverse with more than half (58%) of them saying they have already deployed or piloted at least one metaverse-related application, and nearly all (94%) of those who have yet to begin a metaverse journey planning to do so within the coming two years.
Safety boss warns of ‘far-reaching’ effects of EU legislation on industry
Thomas Pilz, joint managing partner of the German safety technology company, has warned that recent and impending European safety and security legislation could have “far-reaching effects” for the whole of industry – and not just in the EU.
Car-makers use automation to transform businesses
Almost half (44%) of the world’s car-makers are relying on automation to help transform their businesses over the coming five years. Some 41% are planning to improve their use of data analytics, but this will be a challenge with 35% of the data being generated in the automotive industry currently being unused.
ABB reveals it has been victim of ransomware attack
ABB, the Swiss-headquartered automation and electrification giant, has released a statement revealing that an unauthorised third-party recently accessed some of its systems, “deployed a type of ransomware that is not self-propagating, and exfiltrated certain data”.
Rockwell and autonox marry controls with robot mechanics
Rockwell Automation has formed a strategic partnership with German-based autonox Robotics, which specialises in manufacturing control-independent robot mechanics. They are combining Rockwell’s Kinetix motors and drives with autonox’s robot mechanics to offer complete systems with a single catalogue number.
Cobots will capture 20% of industrial robot market by 2032
Collaborative robots (cobots) will account for more than 20% of all industrial robot sales by 2032, according to a new study from Interact Analysis. The cobot market is expected to expand at around 20% a year until then, driven partly by new applications and the growing importance of the logistics market.
Mitsubishi takes stake in motion software developer Movensys
Mitsubishi Electric has formed a partnership with the Korean company, Movensys, which develops motion control software for AC servomotors and sells it mainly in Asia. The partnership, which includes Mitsubishi taking an equity stake in Movensys, will strengthen collaboration between the two companies’ AC servo and motion control businesses.
Google’s robot software arm unveils easy-to-use platform
Intrinsic, the robotics software company launched by Google’s parent Alphabet in 2021, has announced a robotics development platform that it believes will speed up access to industrial robotics for many more developers. Intrinsic has also announced that the Italian robot manufacturer and systems integrator Comau is its first industrial partner.
Industrial Ethernet exceeds two thirds of comms market
Profinet and EtherNet/IP have reinforced their position as joint leaders of the industrial communications market, with each accounting for 18% of new factory automation nodes installed in the past year, according to HMS Networks’ annual survey of the industrial communications market. Their market shares have increased slightly from 17% each last year, while EtherCat has also added 1% to its share, taking it to 12% of the global market.
AMRs and AGVs will push ULV drives sales to $3.1bn by 2027
Global sales of ultra-low voltage (under 60V) drives are set to soar from $753m in 2021 to $3.1bn by 2027 – a CAGR of 25.9% – according to Interact Analysis. The growth is being driven by the rapid take-up of battery-powered AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) and AGVs (automated guided vehicles).
Siemens links up with Microsoft and IBM to deliver its vision
At the recent Hannover Messe, Siemens announced partnerships with several key players in the OT/IT world, including IBM and Microsoft, aimed at promoting its vision of the future of manufacturing.
Rexroth wins Hermes award for giving robots a human touch
The winner of this year’s Hermes technology award at the Hannover Messe is Bosch Rexroth for its Smart Flex effector compensation module that gives industrial robots a sense of touch similar to that of the human hand. The 2023 Hermes award for start-ups has gone to a Dutch company, MantiSpectra, for its ChipSense product – a near-infrared sensor-on-a-chip, claimed to be the smallest on the market, which can spot production-line defects as soon as they occur, allowing savings to be made through immediate quality control.
Industrial AI and IT portfolio includes ‘first virtual PLC’
At this month’s Hannover Messe, Siemens is unveiling an open portfolio for automating and operating industrial production. Called Industrial Operations X, the interoperable portfolio brings cutting-edge IT and AI technologies to industrial automation. It is part of Siemens’ Xcelerator digital business platform, which brings together software, hardware, an ecosystem of partners, as well as a marketplace.
Global manufacturing turndown will arrive two years early
Updated research by Interact Analysis indicates that the current economic turbulence will continue to have a dampening effect on the global manufacturing industry. Just three months ago, the analyst had been predicting a global slowdown in manufacturing in 2026, but now thinks that this will occur in 2024, two years sooner than originally expected.
