Drives & Controls March 2022

n NEWS March 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com 6 VISITORS TO NEXT month’s Drives & Controls Show will be able to see Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot “dog” in action. The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) will be bringing one of the handful of Spots in the UK to the show and will have experts on hand to talk about the four-legged robot which has starred in many YouTube videos. The MTC is already employing Spot in a project that is investigating the potential of using the robots to inspect fruit growing in orchards for diseases and pests, as well as determining when the fruit is ripe. The Spot demonstration is part of the MTC’s significant presence at the show, including hosting a 100m 2 pavilion and participating in several Talking Industry Live forums at the event. The MTC’s group marketing director, Richard Watkins, says that one reason for the Centre’s presence at the Drives Show is to highlight the help it can offer manufacturers with the challenges they face as they emerge from the pandemic. A key focus will be on sustainable manufacturing and the drive towards a net-zero economy. “We will be showcasing some of the practical support available from organisations such as the MTC and our wider High Value Manufacturing Catapult network – from new processes and technologies to supporting skills, productivity and growth across the UK manufacturing industry,” says Watkins. “We will also have some of our technology demonstrators on show, and our team will be on hand to discuss how manufacturers can access support and Government funding to accelerate productivity and growth.” In one of the Talking Industry Live sessions, the MTC’s chief automation officer, Mike Wilson, will lead a discussion on robotics and advanced automation. In other sessions, speakers from the MTC will: n debate with BT the topic of industrial networks, IIoT, 5G and communications; and n take part in a discussion entitled: Bridging the Engineering Skills Gap for Factories of the Future. As part of the Knowledge Hub series of talks, Mike Wilson will also present a new perspective on robotics and automation in the UK. Spot the robot dog joins MTC delegation to the Drives Show p The Voith group has acquired the 30% of the Austrian motor and generator manufacturer Elin Motoren that it did not already own. Voith had held 70% of Elin since may 2020 and has now bought the remaining 30% from Elin’s MD, Franz Hrachowitz. Elin, has about 1,000 employees and sales of around €120m. Its portfolio includes LV, MV and HV motors and it targets the renewables and decentralised energy markets in particular. p The global market for electric motors was worth $106bn in 2020 and will almost double to reach $207bn by 2030 (a CAGR of 6.7%), according to a new report from Allied Market Research . It says the automotive sector accounted for almost 40% of motor sales in 2020, but medical equipment is the fastest-growing sector with a predicted CAGR of 8.2% from 2021- 2030. AC motors account for more than two-thirds of the market, but DC motors are growing faster with an expected CAGR of 7% from 2021-2030. www.alliedmarketresearch.com p Rubix has acquired the Devon- based West Country Tool Co (WCT) which distributes cutting tools and related products. WCT, which employs 23 people and had sales worth £7m in 2021, will join Rubix’s cutting and machining division. p The French industrial software developer IGE+XAO is merging with Schneider Electric which already owned 83.93% of the business. IGE+XAO, which produces CAD, PLM and simulation software, will join Schneider’s energy management software division. IGE+XAO employs 389 people and has more than 30 sites around the world. p Damo , the Italian manufacturer of linear axes and Cartesian gantries, has joined the Nadella group (also Italian), which specialises in rotational and linear motion technologies including linear guides, needle bearings and ballscrews. Nadella says that Damo will enhance its portfolio. In the UK, Nadella has appointed Acorn Industrial Services as its sole“master distributor” for linear products. Acorn will hold a large stock ready for dispatch within 24 hours. www.nadella.com www.acorn-ind.co.uk/nadella p The global market for variable- speed drives was worth $15bn in 2021 and will rise to $19bn by 2028, according to a new report from Global Market Insights . NEWS BRIEFS BRITISHMANUFACTURERS have called on the Government to adopt a special approach to how the manufacturing sector can spend left-over apprenticeship levy funds, which are currently expiring and going to waste. Make UK, the manufacturers’ body, wants to spend the funds – which amounted to almost £2bn last year – to pay the wages of new apprentices. It says this would result in a significant boost to the number of young recruits entering the sector. With many manufacturers located in the “Red Wall” areas of Britain, Make UK argues that manufacturing can create high-wage, high-value jobs to help the UK to “level up”. The sector already pays higher wages than the rest of the economy, and employs some 2.7 million people across the UK. Despite the pandemic, 47% of UK manufacturers recruited an engineering or manufacturing apprentice last year, and 45% say they plan to do so in 2022. But Make UK contends that there is “untapped potential” to take on even more apprentices. “With a bit of flex in the levy spending arrangements, manufacturers could do even more in terms of building the workforce of the future,” says Make UK’s senior policy manager, Jamie Cater. “Manufacturers are telling us they are keen to take on more apprentices to fill the skills gap which would, in turn, allow businesses to grow and help level up regions. “Currently an average four-year engineering apprenticeship can cost a business up to £120,000 to deliver, yet just £27,000 of that cost is currently claimable from levy funds,” he adds. “The system as it currently stands often leaves companies struggling to pay an apprentice, leaving their levy contribution unspent. “A special targeted approach to levy funds would go a long way to allowing manufacturers to deliver even more high-wage, high-value job opportunities across the UK.” Manufacturers want unused £2bn levy to be spent on apprentices The ManufacturingTechnology Centre has been using the four-legged Spot robot to inspect orchards for pests and disease