News Industry Time to cast the net


THE ECONOMIC CLIMATE of the last few years has shown that UK manufacturers cannot rely on the domestic market alone, and must make every effort to maximise exports. Tony Ingham of Sensor Technology claims manufacturers must export, but they have to hedge all bets to mitigate the risks. Ingham said, “In business it is all too easy to close your eyes to difficult truths and hope they will resolve themselves before they affect you. Many UK manu- facturers fell into this trap last year over the Euro.


“As it turned out catastrophe was averted. We can speculate whether its recovery was luck or judgement - but that is not really relevant. What should be under- stood is that the Euro may have fur- ther troubles ahead and they may be worse the next time around. “In fact this is the application of the simple prudent business prin- ciple of always at least considering the worst case scenario. However, I can think of no manufacturer who


New safety training course


is in a position to say, ‘we are going to pull out of Europe and concen- trate on other markets’. It has prob- ably taken years to establish some European customers and they probably want to continue the relationship - which is great if there is a viable currency. “The conclusion is that UK man- ufacturers must put every effort into export, and find as many sup- port mechanisms as possible, including local distributors, export guarantees/insurance, exploration visits, help from trade associations, trade councils etc. Exporting isn’t easy and it won’t make you rich, but it is quite simply a necessity.” To view Ingham’s analysis on the various export regions, visit www.connectingindustry.com/exports. www.sensors.co.uk


PILZ HAS LAUNCHED a new safety training course which aims to give an understanding of the legal and best practice require- ments for the use and supply of packaging machinery and contin- uous handling equipment. The course firstly gives a gen- eral overview of the European Directive affecting supply of equipment; the UK National Regulations affecting the use of equipment; risk assessment, reduction and guarding, and safety related control system requirements. It then goes deeper into the specific C-standards for Packaging Machinery (EN 415 series) and Continuous Handling Equipment (EN 617-20 series).


The course is aimed at users of machinery and anyone responsible for redesigning/modifying or inte- grating these types of machines within factory lines. It would also be beneficial to those responsible for purchasing machines looking to become better informed about the safety requirements of the machines they purchase prior to taking delivery and thereby responsi- bility for compliance - particu- larly if sourcing machinery from outside of the EU. The course will be delivered at Pilz Corby HQ by in-house machinery safety experts. www.pilz.co.uk


Refinery meets latest European fuel specifications


EMERSON PROCESS MANAGEMENT has com- pleted a project to install integrated automation and safety systems on three units at a new hydrocracking complex at the INA Rijeka refinery in Croatia. The plant upgrade included a new hydrocracking / hydrodesulphurisation unit, hydrogen generation unit, sulphur recovery unit and a new centralised control facility for all three units. The upgrade was required to enable the INA Rijeka refinery to produce Euro V quality fuels in compliance with EU environmental standards. The full case study can be viewed at


www.connectingindustry.com/rijeka. www.emersonprocess.com


Membership boom for the CLPA


THE CC-LINK PARTNERS Association (CLPA) is reporting a boom in membership, with strong growth continuing throughout 2013. Total membership is approach- ing the 2,000 mark and the net- work’s installed base is now close to ten million devices. CC-Link boasts over 1,200 products from more than 260 manufacturers, meaning that there is a wide choice of devices for all applications. John Browett, general manager of CC-Link, said, “Our member- ship has always been on an upward trajectory since our founding in 2000. This year how-


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ever, we have seen membership accelerate - 2013 started well and there is every sign that growth will be sustained into the future. “One of our big drivers is CC-


Link’s Asian pedigree, which we capitalise upon in Europe by run- ning a members’ program called Gateway to China to provide in- depth assistance for developing business in that vibrant economy. European companies are starting to realise that if they want to do business in the rest of the world, then they need to support the local technologies. “Within western Europe we have built firm foundations and


Automation of Finnish brewery


FINNISH-BASED BEVERAGE manufacturer, Olvi, has invested in new warehouse technology from Cimcorp.


are increasingly extending into the emerging economies of cen- tral and eastern Europe. Similarly, from North America we’re reaching into South America. We also just opened an office in India to serve the huge automation market that is rapidly developing in this ‘BRIC’ nation.” www.clpa-europe.com


Cimcorp will supply high bay warehouse conveyor systems and order picking systems. Cimcorp’s MultiPick robots will automati- cally pick all drinks shipped on trays, while the manual picking operations will be voice controlled. The dispatch area - warehous- ing, material flow and order pick- ing - will be managed by Cimcorp’s WCS (Warehouse Control Software), which will supervise goods from the production lines to the loading bays. The site’s existing order picking robots, installed by Cimcorp some years ago, will be integrated into the system and con- trolled by the same software. Marjatta Rissanen of Olvi Oyj, commented, “Our target is to increase warehouse capacity and boost picking efficiency. We are so delighted with the robotic order picking system previously supplied by Cimcorp that we want to continue our co-opera- tion with them.” www.cimcorp.com


SEPTEMBER 2013 Automation


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