NEWS n WEG has appointed Gustavo da Silva as its UK managing director, succeeding Patrick O’Neill, who is retiring after 28 years with the company. Da Silva, a mechanical engineer, began his career as a trainee at WEG’s headquarters in Brazil more than 20 years ago. He previously served as sales manager for High Voltage Solutions (HVS) in Europe and the Middle East. Jane Robinson has been appointed vice-president for business development at IntelliAM, the Yorkshire software company that specialises in AI for manufacturing. Ian Wild has been appointed as VP of product and Owain Lewis has been appointed as VP of data engineering. IntelliAM, founded in 2023, counts six of the world’s top 12 food and drink producers among its customers. ABB ANNOUNCED PLANS to spin o its robotics division as a separate company that is due to start trading during the second quarter of 2026. ABB Robotics has around 7,000 employees. Its 2024 revenues of $2.3bn represented about 7% of ABB’s group revenues and it had an operational EBITA margin of 12.1%. It has delivered double-digit margins in most quarters since 2019. “ABB Robotics is a leader in its industry and there are limited business and technology synergies between the ABB Robotics business and the remainder of ABB divisions, with di erent demand and market characteristics,” explains ABB CEO, Morten Wierod. “We believe this change will support value creation in both the ABB Group and in the separately listed pure-play robotics business.” ABB’s board will propose the 100% spin-o of the robotics division to its AGM in 2026. If shareholders vote in favour, the spin-o will be done through a share distribution, with ABB shareholders receiving shares in the company to be listed as a dividend in-kind in proportion to their existing shareholding. “The board believes listing ABB Robotics as a separate company will optimise both companies’ ability to create customer value, grow and attract talent,” says ABB chairman, Peter Voser. “Both companies will benet from a more focused governance and capital allocation. ABB will continue to focus on its long-term strategy, building on its leading positions in electrication and automation.” From the rst quarter of 2026, the ABB’s Machine Automation division, which together with ABB Robotics currently forms ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business, will become a part of the Process Automation business. The Machine Automation business holds a leading position in the high-end segment for systems based on PLCs, industrial PCs, servo motion, industrial transport systems, vision and software. ABB Robotics has manufacturing hubs in Europe (Sweden), Asia (China) and the US. Its portfolio includes industrial robots, collaborative robots and AMRs (autonomous mobile robots). More than 80% of the o ering is software/AI enabled. ABB plans to spin off its robot division because of ‘limited synergies’ ABB Robotics has a strong presence in automotive manufacturing 9 www.drivesncontrols.com May 2025 EVENTSSensor+Test 2025 Nuremberg, Germany 6–8 May, 2025 The show describes itself as “the leading international trade fair for sensor, measuring and testing technology”. Its organisers say it is “in demand like never before because we oer exhibitors a platform where they are not only seen, but also appreciated.” In 2024, 383 companies from 29 countries took part. There will be areas focusing on condition monitoring and calibration. www.sensor-test.de/en AutomationUK 2025 CBS Arena, Coventry 7–8 May, 2025 The automation, robotics and vision show is organised by Automate UK, formerly the PPMA Group of Associations, which encompasses Bara and Ukiva. The two-day event incorporates the previously separate Vision UK show, raising the prole of the machine vision and automation sectors in an integrated event. Jake Hall, “the manufacturing millennial”, will make a keynote presentation in his rst UK speaking engagement. www.automation-uk.co.uk CWIEME Berlin 2025 Berlin, Germany 3-5 June, 2025 The exhibition for the coil winding, electric motor, transformer and generator industries, returns to its Berlin venue and is expected to attract more than 550 exhibitors and around 6,500 visitors. Last year’s Start-Up Zone brought together ¤edgling companies and their latest technologies. This year’s Innovation Zone will expand on this and provide a platform for cuttingedge technologies, including AI and machine learning, predictive maintenance and monitoring, IoTenabled tools, smart sensors and data analytics. https://berlin.cwiemeevents.com/home Smart Manufacturing Week 4–5 June, 2025 NEC, Birmingham More than 450 exhibitors and 13,500 visitors are expected at the two-day event that includes the Drives & Controls show, Smart Factory Expo, Maintec, the Air-Tech exhibition, Fluid Power & Systems and the Design+Engineering Expo. Running concurrently are the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit, the Industrial Data and AI Summit, and the Automation & Robotics Accelerator Symposium. www.smartmanufacturingweek.com 2025 OT Cybersecurity Summit 17-19 June, 2025 Brussels, Belgium This event, organised by ISA, will focus on strategic OT (operational technology) cybersecurity based on the ISA/IEC 63443 standards. It will include various technical tracks, training courses as well as a cyberescape room. https://otcs.isa.org
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