n NEWS October 2023 www.drivesncontrols.com 6 THE OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE open-source software specialist Red Hat has teamed up with the semiconductor giant Intel to develop an industrial edge platform that, they say, will provide a modern approach to building and operating industrial controls. They targeting a market for softwaredefined smart factories which McKinsey estimates could be worth up to $3.7 trillion by 2025. The developers argue that “for decades” manufacturing innovation has been hampered by the limitations of legacy industrial controls and siloed organisational structures. With the new platform, users will benefit from an open edge platform that allows simplified integration of components in an easy-to-use, reliable approach to industrial automation. One of the first applications is a distributed control system developed with Schneider Electric which was demonstrated at a recent exhibition. The developers say that their new platform will transform the way that manufacturers operate, scale and innovate, using standard IT technologies to deliver real-time data insights on shopfloors. It will allow ICS (industrial control system) vendors, systems integrators and manufacturers to automate previously manual tasks such as: developing, deploying and managing automation systems; reducing cybersecurity risks; improving maintenance; and cutting turnaround times. The industrial edge platform will span functions from real-time shopfloor control and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) to full IT management. “Red Hat has a proven history in driving not just modernisation across industries, but innovation,” says the company’s vice-president and general manager of In-Vehicle Operating System and Edge,” Francis Chow. “Now, Red Hat has set our sights on bringing that same level of transformation to manufacturing plants across the globe with a new edge platform with Intel. We believe that by helping converge both IT and OT, the next industrial revolution can arrive sooner, built on a backbone of open-source software.” According to the developers, user benefits of the new system will include: n Integrated real-time capabilities for predictable performance; n Advanced management and network automation, simplifying industrial network creation and management; n Scalability and flexibility through a softwaredefined platform that facilitates portable, scalable control and maximises adaptability; n Uninterrupted operations supported by high availability and built-in redundancy; n Simplified AI integration using AI to improve product quality, uptime, maintenance and more; n Enhanced cybersecurity by removing human error using automated patching and updates, and a hardened platform. To underpin the platform, Red Hat is collaborating with Intel to deliver a real-time kernel that provides low latency and jitter, helping applications to run repeatedly with greater reliability. The new edge platform will use open standards, helping to simplify integration with other hardware and software. Red Hat/Intel platform will ‘transform manufacturing’ p The UK robot-maker and laboratory automation specialist Automata Technologies has raised $40m to accelerate its growth and expand its presence in the US, UK and EMEA. This follows $50m that it raised in 2022 which enabled it to achieve its initial commercialisation and expansion plans. Since then, Automata has seen 150% revenue growth, and a 12-fold increase in live hours in customer systems. p The industrial communications giant Belden has bought the German IIoT start-up CloudRail for an undisclosed sum. CloudRail, founded in 2019, has technologies that connect factory assets to cloud platforms such as AWS or Microsoft Azure. It claims it can do this five times faster than traditional technologies. Belden says the acquisition moves it beyond connectivity. p The market for smart linear conveyor technologies will expand from $397m in 2022 to more than $1.2bn by 2027 – a CAGR of 26.3% – according to a new study from Interact Analysis. It reports increasing adoption rates from new industries and for replacing traditional conveyors. The market for the newer planar conveyors is much smaller and will expand from $18.2m now (mainly for pilot trials) to $100m by 2027. p Allient (formerly Allied Motion Technologies) has acquired Sierramotion, a US company specialising in customised motion components and mechatronic systems for robotic, industrial, medical and other precision applications. The financial details have not been disclosed. p Global revenues from industrial cloud platforms for manufacturing applications will exceed $300bn by 2033, with a CAGR of 22.57%, according to ABI Research. It expects the market to grow rapidly over the coming decade due to the adoption of new architectural frameworks that enhance data extraction and operability for manufacturers looking to maximise the use of their data. NEWS BRIEFS EMERSON HAS BOUGHT Afag, the Swiss specialist in electric linear motion, feeding and handling automation, for an undisclosed sum. Emerson says the acquisition will enhance its factory automation capabilities and create a motion portfolio that combines Afag’s linear motion systems with its own pneumatic technologies. The electric linear motion sector expands the markets that Emerson addresses by more than $9bn and is expected to grow annually at midsingle digit rates. Afag, headquartered in Zell, has been producing components for assembly automation for more than 65 years. It employs more than 300 people in Switzerland, Germany, China and the US. Earlier this year, Afag sold its Transport Systems business, including linear transfer and linear transport products, to the German company ID (Industrial Dynamics). “Afag brings exciting technology that will enable Emerson to accelerate growth in our existing $900m factory automation business,” says Emerson’s COO, Ram Krishnan. “We look forward to combining Afag’s motion capabilities with our existing pneumatic leadership.” Distributed control nodes used to run controls in a demo of the new edge computing platform in a collaboration with Schneider Electric Emerson buys Swiss firm to expand into electric linear motion
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