Drives & Controls May 2022

n NEWS May 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com 6 SKF AND AMAZONWEB SERVICES (AWS) have announced a collaboration to “re-invent” the field of industrial machine reliability and predictive maintenance. They plan to deliver an easy-to-use and easy-to-scale condition-monitoring and analysis package that will make the ability to collect and analyse data using ML (machine learning) technologies available to more applications and users. As a first step, SKF is combining its knowledge of rotating machinery and predictive maintenance with AWS’s industrial AI services that bring together industrial expertise, AI and ML technologies . They will offer sensors, gateways and a ML service that is easy to install, commission and scale. The companies also plan to collaborate on the next generation of SKF’s data analysis platform. SKF says the partnership will add several thousand large manufacturing sites where rotating assets are monitored to its predictive maintenance programs. It will equip these sites with machine alerts and alarms, enabling smarter, better decision- making, and more efficient maintenance planning and scheduling. The same approach can also be used by entry-level users and small-to-mid-sized manufacturers, making the ability to use AI-driven analysis available to more of the industrial market. “The key to maximising the business value of machine data lies in scale,” says John Schmidt, president of SKF’s industrial activities in the Americas. “With more condition-monitoring tools available for a wider variety of their assets, end- users will gain more insights, leading them to improved machine performance.” “AWS's engagement with SKF spotlights how machine-learning technologies, combined with scalability of the AWS cloud and condition- monitoring expertise, can come together to improve operational efficiencies for industrial customers,” adds Vasi Philomin, vice-president of AI services at AWS. • Amazon is creating a $1bn venture investment programme called the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund to back innovation in fulfilment, logistics and supply chain technologies. The fund will invest in companies that come up with ways to boost delivery speeds and improve the experience of employees in warehousing and logistics. Beneficiaries of the first round of investments include four US companies: Modjoul , which is developing a wearable safety technology that provides real-time, personalised alerts aimed at reducing injuries; Vimaan , which is developing computer vision and AI systems designed to improve inventory management; Agility Robotics , which is developing a bipedal walking robot that addresses mobility limitations of traditional robots; and Mantis Robotics , which is developing a tactile robotic arm that uses sensors to work alongside people. A fifth beneficiary is an Israeli company called BionicHive , which is developing an autonomous robot that can stack existing shelves and boxes in warehouses. SKF and Amazon join forces to ‘re-invent’ machine reliability p Work has started on a $46m joint headquarters in Odense, Denmark, for Universal Robots (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) , both owned by US-based Teradyne . The 20,000m 2 building, accommodating up to 600 people, will be the world’s largest cobot and AMR hub when it is completed in early 2024. Both companies grew by more than 40% in 2021 and are expected to take on at least 200 new employees this year. Production will continue at UR’s and MiR’s existing sites. p Merger and acquisition (M&A) deals involving UK manufacturers jumped by almost a third in 2021, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to accounting and business advisory firm BDO . Some 779 UK manufacturing deals were completed in 2021, compared with 595 in 2020 and 686 in 2019. Private equity (PE) buyouts accounted for around 20% of the deals in 2021 – similar to 2020 – but the number of buy-out transactions rose by almost 40%. PE interest was particularly strong in the industrial automation sector, with buyouts accounting for 24% of deals. BDO expects high demand to invest in this sector to continue to fuel M&A activity this year. https://drivesncontrols.news/ bczwgu p The US company Red Lion Controls , owned by UK-based Spectris , has acquired MB connect line , a German supplier of secure connections for machines and plants for remote access, data collection and M2M communications. The acquisition supports Red Lion’s strategy to offer secure, easy-to-use edge connection systems. The addition of MB builds on a strategic collaboration between the two companies started in 2019. p The venture capital firm CVC Capital Partners has invested an undisclosed amount in the automation component distributor, Radwell International . CVC has acquired an interest from founder and CEO Brian Radwell and Greenbriar Equity Group , both of which will remain significant shareholders. The investment will help Radwell to expand and possibly make acquisitions. The company, which sells new and refurbished automation components, has operations in the US, the UK, Canada and Germany. NEWS BRIEFS LAST MONTH, a window display in Selfridges department store in London was taken over by an industrial robot that 3D-printed objects using plastic recovered from the sea. A Nagami plastic extruder attached to an ABB IRB 6700 robot created furniture and other objects chosen by customers via a screen. The demonstration used marine plastic debris collected by an environmental organisation, Parley for the Oceans, which converts it into a product called Parley Ocean Plastic. The organisation’s founder and CEO, Cyrill Gutsch, says:“We can now print on demand anywhere in the world to turn a problem into a solution. Beyond the huge potential for reducing waste by printing directly inside retail locations like Selfridges, we want to use this technology to empower local communities across the globe – giving them the tools to turn local plastic pollution into business opportunities and useful objects.” “Robots are increasingly used to help draw customers back to the high street,” adds ABB Robotics president, Marc Segura. “Future adoption will be influenced by three trends: n micro-fulfilment , where robots are used to fulfil and deliver orders; n personalisation , where a robot makes a product to a customer’s requirements; and n ‘ retailtainment ’, where the robot is used as part of an interactive display.” Selfridges robot 3D-prints items to order using plastics recovered from the sea SKF’s John Schmidt: end-users will gain more insights