Drives & Controls September 2022

NEWS n www.drivesncontrols.com September 2022 11 THE US ENERGY technology company Baker Hughes is buying the Power Generation division of the UK-based Brush Group from its private equity owner, One Equity Partners, for an undisclosed sum. Baker Hughes says that the division – which manufactures synchronous motors as well as generators, condensers and control systems – will enhance its turbomachinery portfolio, as well as optimising its supply chain using Brush Power Generation’s manufacturing base and expanding its capacity for projects in both the industrial and energy sectors. Brush, whose headquarters are in Ashby de la Zouch, operates four plants in the UK, the Czech Republic and The Netherlands, with aftermarket service centres in the UK and the US. It specialises in specialises in power generation as well as management systems for the industrial and energy sectors. “We are delighted to bring the Brush Power Generation division, already a long-established and trusted supplier, into the Baker Hughes family,” says Rod Christie, executive vice-president of turbomachinery and process solutions at Baker Hughes. “The need for electrification in the hard-to-abate and natural gas sectors plays an increasingly critical role in accelerating the path to net-zero. Through this acquisition, we will expand our core electrification capabilities and scope, further enhance our supply chain, and reach new industrial customers who can benefit from our broader turbomachinery and climate technology solutions offerings.” Brush can trace its history back to 1876 when Charles Francis Brush invented an “electric dynamo” for powering arc lights. Three years later, the Anglo-American Brush Electric Light Corporation was founded in London. In 1889, the business moved 160km north to Loughborough, and was renamed Brush Electrical Engineering. In 1957, Hawker Siddeley bought the Brush group of companies, including Brush Electrical Machines and Brush Traction, which manufactured electromotive equipment and railway locomotives. In 1996, Hawker Siddeley and Brush became part of the publicly- owned British engineering group, FKI, which was taken private by Melrose Industries in 2008. Melrose, in turn, sold Brush group on to One Equity Partners in 2021. The Brush group offers a range of power-related products including generators, condensers, motors, transformers, switchgear and control and monitoring systems. The Power Generation business is its biggest operation and designs, builds and services large generators for the infrastructure, renewables, oil and gas and utilities sectors. The Brush group will now focus on its remaining power distribution and networks business, supporting a lower- cost, zero-carbon future for electrical networks. It will also accelerate its strategic business development. www.bakerhughes.com www.brush.eu A BELGIAN START-UP which calls itself the “Tripadvisor for industrial technology”has attracted €1m of capital from three investment funds to help roll out its online review site for industrial automation equipment. Called Qviro, the search platform helps industrial users to make informed purchasing decisions based on reviews from other users. “User reviews are already used a lot today on Web shops and consumer review platforms like Tripadvisor,”says co-founder Jorg Hendrikx,“but what makes Qviro so unique is that we use reviews in a professional context. We are the first company worldwide to collect reviews for the purchase and sale of industrial automation technology. Those reviews not only make it possible to make a good choice for a buyer, but they are also a source of market insights. We sell those insights to large industrial companies.” Qviro says that “thousands” of engineers are already using the platform to buy technology. It adds that it is working with industrial firms including ABB, Doosan and Kinova. Initially, Qviro is focusing on robots and accessories such as grippers, software, vision systems and safety scanners. There are separate categories for articulated arm, delta, Scara and collaborative robots. There are plans to expand the site to cover other technologies such as PLCs, HMIs, CNC machines, gateways and 3D printers. In each category, users will be able to filter their searches by manufacturer and other factors. The is also a blog section offering advice on technologies covered by the site. https://qviro.com Baker Hughes buys Brush Power Generation to extend its machinery portfolio For one gas compressor project in Norway, Brush supplied four 48MW, two-pole synchronous motors. SKF ANDABB have signed a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) to explore possibilities for collaborating on the automation of manufacturing processes. They plan to identify and evaluate ideas for improvingmanufacturing capabilities and production efficiencies, potentially leading to future strategic collaborations. As a first step, SKF’s existing investments in automation and cleanmanuafcturing will act as a testbed, focused on cutting CO 2 emissions in its own operations. In the longer term, ABB and SKF plan to explore new opportunities in both existing and newmarkets. TheMoU – whuch was signed by SKF CEO Rickard Gustafson and ABB CEO Bjorn Rosengren – follows several joint projects in the bearing-maker’s manufacturing network, including a factory in Gothenburg where a fleet of ABB robots has been installed. The companies have signed contracts for projects in the fields of advanced automation, random robotic bin-picking, and installing logistics automation to evaluate how robots can be used for quality assurance. SKF CEOGustafson says the company is enhancing the automation of its facilities“to stay ahead of our competition and improve our environmental performance. This also enables a more flexible and safer working environment. As two leading industrial companies, we will continue to develop innovative solutions to further increase the competitiveness of our customers.” ABB and SKF collaborate on automation ‘Tripadvisor for industry’ wins €1m funding