KEY INDUSTRY EVENT IS ON THE HORIZON A
key focus for us in our July/August issue will be a
look ahead to the PPMA Show, the Sensors & Instrumentation Show and the Machine Building Show - taking place at the Birmingham NEC at the end of September. See right for details, with full previews on pages 13, 20 and 22 respectively. Staying with the exhibition
theme, I attended a very busy AUTOMATICA in Munich during June. With increasingly shorter product lifecycles, smaller batch sizes and many variants, there is no question that assembly automation is undergoing a change. The suppliers of systems and components are having to react to these changes, and the event provided some vital advice and guidance on how to do this as cost effectively and efficiently as possible. The show, which welcomed
34,500 visitors from more than 100 countries, also provided a platform for automation and production process innovations as well as the world’s largest range of robotics, assembly lines and machine vision systems. As for the rest of our
July/August issue, one of our features this month will look at communications & networking where Pacepacker will discuss the benefits of remote diagnostics. Tying in with the Sensors & Instrumentation Show, we’ll also be running a sensing feature which will include two interesting case studies from Variohm EuroSensor and Sensor Technology, looking at applications in the agricultural and aerospace sectors respectively. Our industry focus this month is
on the oil and gas sector where we highlight the increasingly sophisticated and intelligent products and control technologies in offshore oil and gas production. We will also look at an application for Schaeffler where the company’s maintenance-free spherical bearings have been installed on a newly constructed process module extension column fixed to an offshore platform in the North Sea.
Joe Bush - Editor 4 JULY/AUGUST 2014 | AUTOMATION /AUTOMATION T
he countdown is now well and truly underway for the much anticipated Sensors & Instrumentation show
and Machine Building Show, taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 30th September -1st October. The event promises to be a busy affair as, taking place
at the same time, will also be the PPMA Show, Interplas, TCT Live and Micro Nano Mems. There will also be an extensive seminar programme with a variety of knowledgable speakers covering a range of topics. For 2014 floor space has been increased in response
to unprecedented exhibitor demand, and visitors attending the event will get the chance to see companies that have successfully exhibited in previous years - some with larger stands than before - alongside a number of brand new exhibitors.
Show organiser Kathy Ambrose said, “Sensors &
Instrumentation has gone from strength to strength and this year promises to be a great show. Not only do we have more exhibitors than ever before, but the co- location will appeal to exhibitors and visitors alike.” Commenting on the Machine Building Show, Ambrose
added, “The co-location will encourage more visitors through our doors. The ability to visit six shows in one place will mean visitors get the chance to see a huge range of products and technologies all in the one place.” A full Sensors & Instrumentation show preview can be
found on page 20, while a Machine Building Show preview can be found on page 22.
www.sensorsandinstrumentation.co.uk www.machinebuildingshow.co.uk
CREATING NEW MANUFACTURING JOBS
Business and energy minister, Michael Fallon MP, has recently visited a new £8m manufacturing facility at precision fabrication firm Darchem Engineering. The investment, which has been supported by a £1m grant from the government’s
Regional Growth Fund, has seen Darchem Engineering’s parent company, the Esterline Corporation, invest the remaining £7m in the plant. Darchem Engineering, part of Esterline’s Engineered Materials Platform, has completed work on the £8m investment in its North East manufacturing facility - a major project which will create 86 permanent jobs. Fallon commented, “The government is backing British manufacturing - boosting
jobs and growth in the North East. Through the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) we have invested £320m in the region to help companies expand and create long term, highly skilled employment. Darchem Engineering’s dynamic new factory is an example of the impact RGF can make through supporting businesses to deliver their plans for growth, win new contracts and create jobs.”
Fallon joined Darchem managing director Billy Meijer to officially commission the 75,000ft2
situated on a brownfield site next to the firm’s main factory in Stillington, Stockton-On-Tees.
www.darchem.co.uk
SUCCESSFUL UK VISION TECHNOLOGY FORUM
The first large scale STEMMER IMAGING Vision Technology Forum in the UK, which took place on May 22nd at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, proved to be a success with around 350 participants. The event was the latest in a series of Europe-wide
Vision Technology Forums organised by STEMMER IMAGING and the European Imaging Academy. It featured over 40 technical presentations held in five parallel sessions covering a range of vision technologies, as well as hands-on workshops for 2D and 3D vision systems and a mini-trade show with over 30 exhibitors. Mark Williamson, director, corporate market
development at STEMMER IMAGING, said, “This proved to be a popular event and we have not only had positive feedback from many attendees but have even received some orders as a direct consequence. We believe that it is the largest event of its kind dedicated to machine vision in the UK this year. Indeed some of the sessions on camera technology, illumination and optics were so heavily subscribed that they were run for a second time later in the day. The hands-on workshops were also hugely popular.” The mini-trade show attracted exhibitors from
factory, which is
Europe, US and the Far East, and provided an opportunity for visitors to see the latest products and technologies for the first time in the UK. Visitors were also able to meet system integrators and gain contacts in the growing area of automation as well as networking with experts in the field of machine vision. “By structuring the event to provide free
refreshments and lunch in the main exhibition hall, we were able to maximise the time visitors had available for networking and looking at exhibits in between attending presentations,” concluded Williamson.
www.stemmer-imaging.co.uk
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