n NEWS The High Value Manufacturing Catapult has appointed the biotechnology and chemical manufacturing expert Steve Bagshaw as its new chair. Bagshaw has more than 35 years of industrial experience, most recently as a director at CPI, one of the seven HVM Catapult industrial innovation centres. He was an advisor to the UK Government’s Vaccine Task Force during the Covid-19 pandemic and was awarded a CBE for services to the manufacturing and biotechnology sector in 2020. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has appointed Dr Gopichand Katragadda as its 142nd president. The AI expert will be the first Indian in this role and succeeds Professor Bob Cryan, vice-chancellor and CEO of the University of Huddersfield. Dr Gopichand was the founder of the AI company Myelin Foundry, and was previously CTO and innovation head of Tata Sons, and chairman and managing director of the GE India Technology Centre. Magnomatics, the Sheffield-based developer of magnetic transmission systems and compact motors, has appointed Gary Rodgers as CEO, succeeding David Latimer who has become vice-chairman. Rodgers has more than 25 years of experience in sales and business management in manufacturing and engineering, including roles at Alstom Power, Cooper Cameron, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery and in Wabtec’s Napier Turbochargers business. ROCKWELL AUTOMATION is buying the Canadian autonomous robotics specialist Clearpath Robotics for an undisclosed sum. Rockwell believes that AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) are the next frontier in industrial automation, and predicts that the acquisition “will supercharge Rockwell’s lead in bringing the connected enterprise to life”. Clearpath’s Otto Motors division offers AMRs and fleet management and navigation software. AMRs can increase throughput and cut costs by ensuring that parts are in the right place when needed, and by transporting finished goods to trucks or warehouses. Rockwell argues that Otto Motors’AMR capabilities, combined with its existing partnerships in robot arms, and its strengths in PLCs and cart technologies, will create a portfolio of material-handling systems “unmatched in the industry”. Data from Rockwell systems and Otto’s AMRs will be harnessed in AI-powered Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) information management applications, such as those from Rockwell’s Plex and Fiix businesses. This will allow Rockwell to offer manufacturing packages that enable autonomous execution and optimisation. The combined technologies will also enhance the Kalypso production logistics consulting business that Rockwell bought in 2020. “Rockwell and Clearpath will together simplify the difficult and labour-intensive task of moving materials and product through an orchestrated and safe system to optimise operations throughout the entire manufacturing facility,” explains Rockwell’s chairman and CEO, Blake Moret. “The combination of autonomous robots and PLC-based line control has long been a dream of plant managers in industries as diverse as automotive and consumer packaged goods. “With Clearpath,”he adds, “Rockwell is uniquely positioned to make that dream a reality across virtually all discrete and hybrid verticals, optimising planning, operations, and the workforce.” Clearpath, founded in 2009, initially offered robot technologies for r&d applications. Based in Ontario, it launched its Otto Motors division in 2015. Otto’s AMRs are claimed to cut material-handling costs by up to 90%. Its customers include GE and Toyota Rockwell is not the first automation supplier to show an interest in Clearpath. In 2021, Siemens Canada formed a partnership with Otto Motors aimed at breaking new ground in Industry 4.0 technologies. And in May this year, Mitsubishi made a strategic investment in Clearpath. In 2021, ABB entered the AMR market by buying the Spanishheadquartered AMR manufacturer, Asti Mobile Robotics Group. Transporting parts and materials to assembly lines and between manufacturing cells is one of industry’s most complex and inefficient tasks, often resulting in bottlenecks. Rockwell believes that autonomous production logistics will transform the workflow through manufacturing plants, enabling substantial reductions in costs and higher efficiencies. Interact Analysis predicts that the market for AMRs in manufacturing will grow by about 30% per year over the next five years, reaching $6.2bn by 2027. “I fully expect to see most major industrial automation companies either acquire or organically develop mobile robot companies in the next few years,” says Interact research director, Ash Sharma. Rockwell buys AMR firm, saying it will ‘supercharge’ its business Otto recently launched this heavy-duty AMR for use in tight spaces. The 910mmwide Otto 1200 can move payloads of up to 1,200kg and incorporates a patented technology to prevent slowdowns around equipment and people, and at turns.
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