ADLINK LAUNCHES IOT DIGITAL EXPERIMENTS-AS-A-SERVICE A
DLINK Technology has announced the launch of its
DXS IoT digital experiments as-a- service offering. The service is for the testing of potential IoT-based endeavours to determine the viability of possible solutions with none of the upfront costs and risk associated with a full solution commitment. Full IoT solutions conventionally
require significant upfront investment, despite, according to industry studies, success rates for such projects only reaching 26 per cent. In response, the convergence of IT best practices and OT (operations) has given rise to the concept of digital experimentation. ADLINK’s own DXS provides
operators with all the benefits of digital experimentation, is vendor agnostic, and enables timely implementation of experiments without associated upfront costs. ADLINK DXS provides all the
resources required to get digital experiments up and running, including pre-validated hardware, client asset connection, data movement consolidation to bridge the IT/OT gap, enterprise sharing, endpoint management, and field and professional services. The DXS approach is built on the
experience of building military grade solutions – optimised for real-world limitations such as security, latency and power. Solutions are designed to take
maximum advantage of cloud, data centre and edge processing. “ADLINK DXS IoT digital
experiments as-a-service allows organisations to think big, start small and work fast when integrating IoT-based functionality within new business models or processes,” said Andy Penfold, director of offering management, ADLINK IoT Solutions and Technology. “Digital experiments combine existing elements in new ways, and the more experiments that are implemented, the more innovations are created. We believe strongly that digital experiments will form the basis of the next generation of business models.”
www.adlinktech.com
APEX CELEBRATES FUTURE OF INDUSTRIAL VENDING AFTER 25 YEARS I
ndustrial vending goes into its 25th year with a promising industry outlook, according to a leading
industry spokesperson. Industrial vending began 25 years ago with a single
patent issued to Kent Savage, founder and CEO of Apex Supply Chain Technologies, on 27 April 1993. U.S. Patent 5,205,436 was for Savage’s ‘Machine Tool Dispensing Device and System’ which was created to automatically dispense cutting tools and other items at a Ford Motor Company manufacturing plant. The pre-Internet solution included a dispensing device hardwired to a controller physically located on site. A DOS-based computer controlled device access, operated the system’s controls and processed data to track inventory levels and to help ensure items would be refilled in a timely manner. Industrial vending, otherwise referred to as ‘self-serve
automation’, helps to improve productivity and profitability by monitoring and controlling the dispensing of critical assets and components in the supply chain. Since the 1990s though, industrial vending technology has advanced significantly and today uses the internet, cloud computing, and IoT sensors. The technology is always expanding into new
applications and industries, whether it is industrial distributors using smart bins to ensure there is always
sufficient stock of important components, to smart lockers being used in the supply chain to manage mobile devices such as handheld scanners. The technology also has great benefits for consumer-facing applications within retail and food service. Despite being established for 25 years, the industrial vending sector has significant growth potential with many businesses relying on industrial vending to keep operations moving and costs down. Today, there are nearly 250,000 self-serve, automated devices deployed globally. Kent Savage, founder and CEO at Apex Supply Chain Technologies, sees parallels in the long-term growth of self-serve automation technology and the evolution of the PC. “With billions of PCs sold, it’s a ubiquitous consumer technology,” said Savage. “But initial demand for the PC was vastly underestimated. Similarly, self-serve automation’s ongoing evolution makes the technology easier to use, to implement and to afford. “Reducing the friction in the consumer’s busy, time- starved life is critical. The urgency created by their increasing expectations and the rapid pace of change inspires our ongoing research and development. Apex is already looking at how the data we collect for our customers can help us anticipate customer need and shape our offerings.”
www.apexsupplychain.com/gb
APPLIED AUTOMATION TO DISTRIBUTE THREE NEW PRODUCT LINES P
lymouth engineering company, Applied Automation, has
announced that it is now an official UK distributor of products from OptoForce, On Robot and EasyRobotics. These companies produce products that work with the Universal Robots collaborative robot arms, for which Applied Automation is already an existing UK ‘preferred partner’. The sale of collaborative robots has seen tremendous growth in the last few years. A number of products have come to market that integrate with the robot arms which has further increased the number of
applications they can be used for. OptoForce is a Hungarian company
that produces a force torque sensor that brings the sense of touch to industrial robots that otherwise require the dexterity of the human hand. Easy-to-install, lightweight and robust, the OptoForce six-axis sensor offers greater opportunities to perform high-precision work such as polishing, box insertion, and other finer assembly tasks. On Robot is a Danish company
that makes plug and produce grippers that help manufacturers take full advantage of the benefits of collaborative robots. Certified by
/ FACTORYEQUIPMENT
Universal Robots, the grippers are simple to program and install, with no external cables.
EasyRobotics is also a Danish
company that produces a series of modular robot platforms that the Universal Robots robotic arms can be mounted onto and used for a variety of applications. The ProFeeder unit is a modular robot cell that can be expanded in three steps, from small to large, where the expansion and investment is made in accordance with production needs. It also produces the ER5, which is a portable unit with a mobile platform that one person can easily move.
Forklift manufacturer and material handling solutions provider, Combilift has officially opened its new global headquarters and manufacturing facility in Monaghan, Ireland. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the company also announced that it will be significantly expanding its workforce with the creation of 200 new jobs in the next three years. See Materials Handling & Logistics in this issue for the full story.
www.combilift.com
The Hannover Fair has acted as a gateway not only to Germany, but to the whole world for British specialist sensor manufacturer, Sensor Technology of Banbury. At this year’s event visitors from every continent stopped by the company’s stand, resulting in over 100 new leads, including a dozen immediate quotes.
www.sensors.co.uk
Gardner Denver will be showcasing its new OneAir offering at ACHEMA 2018, delivering single source industrial air solutions for the chemical engineering and process industry. Taking place 11 – 15 June at Messe Frankfurt, visitors to stand J39 in hall 8 will be able to view Gardner Denver’s latest technologies, from leading brands including CompAir, Robuschi, Gieffe Systems, Elmo Rietschle and NASH.
www.gardnerdenver.com/industrials
Columbus, the global digital business services provider, has announced it has achieved ISO 27001 certification for information security and management, covering all Columbus employees and offices in the UK.
www.columbusglobal.com
Bosch Rexroth is taking its Technology Showcase on the road this summer, helping visitors get to grips with the latest innovations in connected engineering solutions and ensure their facilities are fully equipped for Industry 4.0. Kicking off at Coventry’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC) on 12 June, visitors will be able to experience the world of connected engineering – from Connected Hydraulics and Smart Machines through to Smart Services and Connected Factories – as part of the event.
www.boschrexroth.com/en
A highly respected businessman and electrical engineer, Malcolm Crofts of DH Crofts Limited, has become president of the ECA (Electrical Contractors’ Association). Crofts has held a variety of roles at DH Crofts Ltd and has been managing director since 2000.
www.eca.co.uk FACTORY EQUIPMENT | MAY 2018 5
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