Drives & Controls April 2022

52 n DRIVES AND CONTROLS SHOW April 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com Just a few days to go I t’s now just a matter of days before the Drives & Controls Show and its series of allied events open their doors to visitors at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre. In the final few weeks leading up to the show, there have been a flurry of last- minute bookings by exhibitors snapping up the last few available stands. One of them is Schneider Electric which will occupy one of the biggest stands at the show (M60). The company will be demonstrating how it is driving digital transformation by integrating automation and energy technologies to achieve high efficiencies and sustainability. The company offers end-point to cloud integration, connecting products, controls, software and services. Other new signings include: n Buckinghamshire-based Vikaso (D120) which specialises in cobot integration and aims to accelerate the adoption of robots in the UK. It uses modelling software to create digital twins of proposed projects. Instead of committing to a large upfront capital investment, customers only need to commit about 10% of the total project value for the prototyping phase. Despite having its roots in the automotive sector – its founder worked for BMWMini – Vikaso sees opportunities for medium-sized companies of 100-500 employees operating in any sector. n London-based Infor (M20), which develops cloud software for a variety of industries including manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, food and beverage, automotive, aerospace and defence. More than 65,000 organisations in more than 175 countries rely on Infor’s 17,000 employees and their expertise to help overcome market disruptions and achieve business goals. n Reading-based Orion Electrotech (N61) which, for more than 20 years, has been helping automation companies with their recruitment needs. It offers bespoke, tailored recruitment and works with large OEMs, SMEs and suppliers, covering the whole product lifecycle from shop floor to board-level positions. n Patlite (L46) has been selling visual and audible signalling devices since 1947. Headquartered in Japan, Patlite has more than 1,000 employees worldwide. As industry’s signalling requirements have shifted from simple lights and buzzers to smart, network- capable devices, Patlite has expanded its portfolio to include wireless data-acquisition systems, programmable signal towers, as well as IO-Link and PoE-enabled devices. n Heinzmann UK (H32) is the local subsidiary of the German manufacturer of motors and drives for industrial and e-mobility applications. Its product portfolio includes permanent magnet disc-type motors, brushed and brushless synchronous machines in ratings from 0.25-35kW, synchronous generators, and wheel hub and e-bike drives. A new arrival in the Smart Industry Expo section of the exhibition, Squawk Technologies (N60), specialises in condition- based monitoring (CBM) using the latest IoT technologies. The independent company helps customers to choose the best technology for their applications and to develop appropriate data interfaces. Squawk supports both wireless and hard-wired CBM technologies. As well as the recent signings of UK exhibitors, the cluster of shows at the NEC has also attracted interest from international exhibitors who will be travelling to Birmingham from as far away as India and the US. Among those that have agreed to exhibit in recent weeks are: n The French company Braincube (M50) offers a Smart IIoT platform enhanced by a suite of business intelligence apps dedicated to manufacturers. The user-friendly apps and digital twins help to extract value from real- time edge data and historical data analytics. Contextualised and structured data, on premises or in the cloud, puts the right information in users hands to optimise processes, reduce risks and increase margins. n sedApta (K66), whose headquarters are in Italy, is an international group formed by integrating technology companies in Italy, Germany, France, UK and Brazil. It specialises in developing IT systems for smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0, and offers an integrated suite for planning, executing and optimising supply chain functions. It employs more than 230 smart manufacturing consultants. More than 1,000 customers rely on sedApta products for their supply chains. n Asocs (N30) is an Israeli company that helps industrial enterprises to connect their production lines to edge applications using cloud-based private 5G networks and a scalable Software as a Service (SaaS) model. The company’s Cyrus 5G software allows enterprises to run their networks on their own terms using standard hardware, just as they do with their IT infrastructure. They can implement private 5G networks with ease and benefit from high network reliability and security, and low latency. n Fluro Engineering (E16) is an Indian company that specialises in linear motion, power transmission and control technologies. It has a quarter of a century of experience in these areas. In the Plant and Asset Management section The 2022 Drives & Controls Show and its collection of allied manufacturing events are almost upon us. Here we offer a round-up of the some of the last-minute exhibitors, and report on some of the technologies that will be on show. Beckhoff will give the first UK demonstrations of its XTS linear transport system with no cable technology, which can perform tests on items as they travel on the system’s movers Carlo Gavazzi’s“radical”starter uses a patent-pending algorithm to start single-phase motors without needing a start capacitor