January 2022

January 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 Rockwell Automation has appointed Åsa Arvidsson as vice-president of its Emea North Region, which spans the UK, the Nordic countries, Ireland and Russia. She succeeds Mark Bottomley , who has a new role as Emea vice-president for strategic accounts and sales specialists. Christian Reuter has been named as Emea regional vice- president for market access, charged with expanding and enhancing its PartnerNetwork. Arvidsson and her team, based in Sweden, will build relationships with end-users, OEMs and partners in the region. David Phillips , managing director of binder UK since 2009, has been appointed international sales director as part of a restructuring of binder’s sales management team, which will see Graham Ellis taking on the role of sales director of the UK office. Phillips will be responsible for the nine international sales offices of the family-run German manufacturer of industrial circular connectors. The reorganisation is aimed at accelerating binder’s internationalisation. n NEWS A NEWNATIONAL robotics research centre is being set up to drive smart manufacturing in the UK by eliminating barriers and accelerating the widespread use of smart collaborative technologies. The aim of the Made Smarter Innovation Research Centre for Smart, Collaborative Industrial Robotics, is to unlock the potential of UK industry in terms of productivity, quality and adaptability. The centre, led by Loughborough University, will bring together experts from Cranfield University, as well as the Universities of Strathclyde, Warwick and Bristol. It will also involve organisations from UK industrial sectors including aerospace, automotive, agri-food, green energy and construction. The centre will receive a share of £25m of government funding aimed at improving collaborative technology and helping businesses to unlock the potential of automated manufacturing. It is one of five university-led research centres funded by UKRI and Made Smarter as part of a wider £300m partnership between government, industry, Catapults and academia, led by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The centre will create a multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral hub that aims to set the national research agenda for smart, collaborative industrial robotics, and to deliver the next generation of automated factories. It will perform fundamental research to seed breakthrough technologies to make automation more responsive, collaborative and safe. It will also carry out industry-initiated feasibility demonstration projects to raise awareness of emerging automation capabilities. “I am very excited that our centre has received the support from nearly 50 national and international organisations including SMEs, large end-users, technology providers, systems integrators, and research organisations,”says the project leader, Dr Niels Lohse of Loughborough’s Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering.“Even before the centre has been officially launched, more companies are looking to join.” The centre’s priority areas for research and innovation will include: n Collaboration Robotic systems need better models of how people interact to truly collaborate with them. n Autonomy Robots need to extend their sensory perception and autonomous cognition capabilities to carry out complex tasks, and to deal with variations and disruptive changes. n Responsiveness The process of designing, verifying, validating and operating automation systems needs to become more accessible to a wider range of people and organisations. n Acceptance The societal, cultural, and economic impact of automation needs to be explored better to inform future policy, regulations, and education requirements. “Automation increases productivity, safeguards manufacturing, creates and protects jobs,”says Lohse.“The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for greater responsiveness and resilience. With disruptions to supply chains and workforce availability, collaborative robot sales more than doubled – but the UK remains significantly behind other industrialised nations.” Research centre aims to advance smart manufacturing in the UK National Manufacturing Summit 8–9 February, 2022 Manufacturing Technology Centre, Coventry The second Summit (following the 2021 launch event which attracted 1,500 delegates in a virtual format) will be a hybrid event combining live presentations and an interactive virtual audience. It will focus on sustainable manufacturing in the UK as it moves towards a net-zero economy. https://nmsummit.co.uk Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 8–10 February, 2022 Farnborough International Exhibition Centre Farnborough will again be the venue for this showcase of new technology for machinery, production equipment, electronic production and assembly, tooling and components, as well as subcontract services. The organisers are expecting around 800 exhibitors and 9,000 visitors. https://www.industrysouth.co.uk Mach 2022 4–8 April 2022 NEC, Birmingham The exhibition, organised by the Manufacturing Technologies Association, will be part of part of the UK’s largest showcase for advanced engineering and manufacturing, which includes the Drives & Controls Show. New for 2022 are extended IT for Manufacturing Zone and 3D Printing Zones. www.machexhibition.com Drives & Controls 2022 05 - 07 April, 2022 NEC, Birmingham, UK The Drives & Controls exhibition and co- located events return to the NEC covering areas including automation, robotics, drives, machine safety, energy efficiency and motion control. A live robotic demonstration area will reflect this dynamic sector. Running alongside the Drives exhibition will be the Air-Tech, Fluid Power & Systems, Smart Industry Expo and Plant & Asset Management exhibitions, as well as the Mach show. www.drives-expo.com Hannover Messe 25–29 April, 2022 Hannover, Germany As the industrial mega-show returns as a face-to-face physical event in 2022, the key topics will be digitalisation and sustainability. Under the overarching theme of industrial transformation, leading global companies will show how to shift successfully to digitalised, resource-efficient and climate-neutral production. The partner country for 2022 is Portugal. https://www.hannovermesse.de/en Lohse: automation increases productivity, safeguards manufacturing, and creates and protects jobs