Drives and Controls January 2023

NEWS n www.drivesncontrols.com January 2023 11 RS HAS LAUNCHED an online platform that will allow visitors to compare components and products from a choice of suppliers, to find the ideal products for their applications. The service, called RS Think Hub, also has an information area where visitors can watch tutorial videos and find answers to product-related questions. If they have a specific question, they can send it to an RS engineer and receive a reply within 48 week-day hours. RS has developed the service based on research it conducted into the difficulties encountered by its customers. Some of issues that the survey uncovered included: n the time-consuming nature of product selection, with the need to contact multiple vendors; n the poor usability of many online tools, with users either being overwhelmed, or frustrated by their complexity; and n inaccurate or absent component and product data. Another issue is that some suppliers focus their efforts and technical support on their larger customers. This is frustrating for engineers in SMEs, which may account for 30–50% of manufacturers’sales. “RS Think Hub has been designed to address all of these pain points that are regularly experienced by engineers working across a variety of industrial applications,”says Subhas Patel, senior R&D director for digital innovation at RS.“Our mission is to make their lives easier by providing an advanced digital tool that delivers fast and easy access to a huge amount of accurate information, all in one place.” The site’s comparison tool lets engineers search for and filter products, as well as giving them access to product details, CAD files, and datasheets. It allows quick, easy comparisons of products from multiple vendors, rather than limited brands, while highlighting differences in specifications between the products. For example, the site’s multi-supplier database contains thousands of proximity and photoelectric sensors. It displays the top 100 sensors best suited for an application. Other types of component that RS is planning to add to the site include contactors/breakers, relays, pushbuttons and switches, and test and measurement devices. https://rs-thinkhub.com Online tool allows users to compare products from different suppliers Unit 3B, Lythalls Lane Industrial Estate, Lythalls Lane, Coventry CV6 6FL UNITED KINGDOM T. +44 2476 30 7722 | E. sales@andantex.co.uk www.andantex.co.uk