EXHIBITOR PROFILE ATLAS COPCO
The HiLight Z3+ will be promoted at the Show.
STAND G12
“Never a better time”
Having celebrated a century of operations in the UK last year, Atlas Copco has identified several developments and technological advances that could shape future demand for its products. Alan Guthrie reports.
At a celebratory event held at the Shard in London to mark 100 years since establishing a UK presence, Atlas Copco outlined several major milestones over the last century. The operation began with a single sales office selling diesel engines at the end of World War I, and now has more than 2,500 employees at six production centres and multiple sales offices throughout the country.
During that time, the manufacturer’s achievements have included the launch of the world’s first oil-free, rotary screw, stationery compressor in 1967; the first compressor with integrated variable speed drive in 1994; and the launch of the VSD+ compressor in 2013.
Today, the business focuses on four key product areas: Industrial Technique, Compressor Technique, Vacuum Technique and Power Technique. These serve manufacturers, contractors, hirers and other professionals operating across diverse sectors ranging from mobile phone and automotive production, to construction sites and utilities, in 180 countries.
Alex Bongaerts, Atlas Copco’s UK Holdings Manager said that ‘megatrends’ such as digitalisation, electrification and artificial intelligence could radically change modern industry. “In our opinion, there has never been a better time to be operating in the industrial sector. Digitally enabled technologies are transforming the way we design, build and operate equipment such as compressors.
Drive towards sustainability
“One of the major areas of emphasis going forward will be the continued drive towards sustainability, particularly in terms of the electrification of equipment such as mobile compressors and generators, lighting towers and pumps. Traditionally, much of this type of equipment has been driven by diesel engines, but in urban environments or events such as music festivals, there is a desire
19 Atlas Copco staff celebrate at the UK headquarters in Hemel Hempstead.
The company also described how connected technologies such as virtual and augmented reality would transform the way that maintenance workers repaired industrial equipment, both in factories and out in the field.
Using telemetry, compressors and other equipment connected to mobile devices, tablets and smartphones can deliver more than 150 data measurements per second, enabling engineers to analyse performance patterns over time. Operators can track critical parameters and make any necessary adjustments via a manual interface.
The roll-out of 5G networks would also deliver a massive increase in data rates with lower latency (lag), which is an important
for cleaner and quieter performance. That is resulting in the development of a wide range of battery-powered and hybrid products, which deliver reductions in carbon emissions. The future will require all of our products to be designed with a great deal of environmental consideration in mind.”
He described how technologies such as the Internet of Things - driven by the application of sensors, software and connectivity - would give industrial organisations much better visibility of their assets, delivering significant advances in areas such as remote monitoring and predictive maintenance.
Meanwhile, the use of artificial intelligence would allow equipment such as compressors to track and make process improvements autonomously as independent cyber-physical systems. This could ultimately lead to a situation where compressed air systems operate independently in their own right, making adjustments to pressure and flow to facilitate process improvements.
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