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28 March, 2024

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SKF sells Kaydon velocity controls business for $339m

28 April, 2016

SKF is selling its Kaydon velocity control business to Stabilus for $339m. SKF acquired the business as part of the Kaydon Corporation, which it bought for $1.25bn in 2013.


Harting wins Hermes Award for smart factory technology

25 April, 2016

The German manufacturer Harting has won the prestigious Hermes Award for industrial innovation for its Mica (Modular Industry Computing Architecture) mini-industrial computer. This the second time that Harting has won the award, which is presented every year at the Hannover Fair. The presentation was made at the opening ceremony in the presence of US president Barak Obama and German chancellor Angela Merkel, who also visited the Harting stand the following day.


Moret succeeds Nosbuch as president and CEO of Rockwell

19 April, 2016

Rockwell Automation’s board of directors has elected Blake Moret, a 30-year veteran with the company, to succeed Keith Nosbusch as president and chief executive officer of the company, with effect from 1 July. Nosbusch, 65, who has been president and CEO since 2004, will continue to be chairman of the board. Moret, 53, is currently senior vice-president of Rockwell’s Control Products & Solutions business.


Global sales of industrial robots hit a new record in 2015

18 April, 2016

The number of industrial robots sold worldwide last year exceeded 240,000 for the first time – equivalent to a year-on-year growth rate of 8% – according to new figures released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).


PI invests €13m in a technology centre in Germany

08 April, 2016

The precision motion and nanopositioning specialist PI (Physik Instrumente) is investing €13m to build a new technology centre at its global headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany. After a year of planning, the cornerstone for the 9,600m² centre was laid recently.


Siemens and Airbus aim for an electric aircraft breakthrough

07 April, 2016

Siemens and Airbus have signed a long-term collaboration agreement aimed at demonstrating the technical feasibility of hybrid/electric propulsion systems for aircraft by 2020. They have set up a joint development team of around 200 people to drive innovation and the development of electrically powered aircraft in Europe.


WEG buys US motor producer, Bluffton Motor Works

01 April, 2016

The Brazilian motor-maker WEG is buying the US fractional horsepower motor manufacturer, Bluffton Motor Works, for an undisclosed sum. The Indiana-based business – formerly part of Franklin Electric – employs about 400 people and achieved revenues worth $64m in 2015.


Operator terminal sales are growing slower than expected

29 March, 2016

The global market for operator terminals was worth $2.4bn in 2014, and will expand to $2.9bn by 2019 – a CAGR of 3.5% – according to the latest analysis from IHS Technology. The figures represent a downward revision as a result of pressure from the slowing economy, weak commodity prices and low oil prices.


US government offers up to $25m for r&d on electric motors

14 March, 2016

The US Department of Energy is offering up to $25m in funding over the next five years to help develop advanced technologies for energy-efficient electric motors.


Variable-speed drive sales ‘will hit $25bn by 2020’

10 March, 2016

The global market for variable-speed drives (VSDs) will expand at a CAGR of almost 8% in the period to 2020, by when it will be worth $25.3bn, according to a new report from Technavio. The analyst attributes the growth to the need to optimise manufacturing processes and to cut operating costs by monitoring energy consumption.


Siemens to cut around 2,500 Drives and Process jobs

09 March, 2016

Siemens has announced plans to cut around 2,500 jobs from its Large Drives and Process Solutions businesses worldwide, in response to the downturn in the oil and gas, metals and mining sectors.


Industrial Internet and Industry 4.0 groups collaborate

03 March, 2016

Two groups working on future industrial architectures – the Industrial Internet Consortium and Germany’s Plattform Industrie 4.0 consortium – have agreed to work together to align their efforts more closely.


Global motion control shipments ‘fell by 3.9% in 2015’

02 March, 2016

Global shipments of motion control products fell by 3.9% last year to $2.9bn, according to statistics released by the US-based trade group, the Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA).


Global industrial robot sales ‘will reach 1.3 million by 2018’

29 February, 2016

By 2018, around 1.3 million industrial robots will be entering service in factories around the world, according to the latest forecast from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Revenues are soaring and the global market for robotic systems is already worth around $32bn. Between 2013 and 2014, sales to the high-revenue automotive sector grew by a record-breaking 43%, the IFR reports.


Sales of industrial Ethernet surge, but fieldbuses still lead

25 February, 2016

Sales of industrial Ethernet technologies are growing faster than ever before and now account for 38% of the global market for industrial networks, according to the latest annual analysis by the Swedish industrial networking specialist, HMS.


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