June 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com 6 SIEMENS HAS APPOINTED Brian Holliday as CEO for the UK and Ireland, following the retirement of Carl Ennis after more than 25 years with the company. Holliday will lead Siemens’ strategy across the region, where the company employs 12,000 people and generated £4.6bn in 2025. Holliday has been with Siemens for more than 32 years. He will continue as managing director of Siemens Digital Industries, and build on more than 10 years as a member of the UK and Ireland leadership team. “Brian brings a deep understanding of our strategic priorities and our customers, as well as strong insight into the challenges facing industry as it digitalises,” says Matthias Rebellius, Siemens’ board member responsible for the UK and Ireland. “His experience with the Catapults and Made Smarter will also be a real asset.” “I’m honoured to take up this position at a time of significant change, where technology and talent can make a real difference,” says Holliday. “I've always been proud of our people and struck by the commitment and sense of purpose evident across our UK and Ireland organisation – thus I'm genuinely excited to lead this strong team.” Holliday has contributed to the UK’s innovation, skills and industrial policies through non-executive and committee roles, including the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Make UK and as co-chair of the Made Smarter Commission. Holliday’s predecessor, Carl Ennis, was with Siemens for more than two decades. He was CEO of UK&I for more than six years. p ABB is buying Specialtrasfo, the Italian manufacturer of medium-voltage transformers, which it plans to integrate into its Motion High Power division, adding specialised transformers to its existing motors and drives. Specialtrasfo’s products include custom-engineered converter and rectifier transformers. ABB says the acquisition will allow it to offer optimised powertrains and to respond quickly to customer needs. Details of the transaction have not been revealed. p The Industrial Automation group of the Swedish industrial conglomerate, Axel Johnson International, has bought the Cheshire automation company, Denca Controls, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition marks Industrial Automation’s entry into the automation sector and strengthens its Axel Johnson’s position in the UK market, where it already owns Acorn Industrial Services, AxFlow, FIN Maintenance and Flowfit, among others. Widnes-based Denca, founded by Alan Brennan and John Talbot in 1995, employs more than 100 people serving sectors including pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and automotive. p US-based Esco Technologies is buying the UK test and measurement manufacturer, the Megger Group, from its Swiss owner, the investment group TBG, for $2.35bn. Esco plans to combine Megger with its US electrical diagnostics business, Doble Engineering. The combined organisation’s products and services will include test equipment for motors, batteries, cables, circuit breakers, relays and transformers, as well as on-line monitoring systems, and data analytics for electrical utilities. The deal is expected to close in 6–9 months. p The Taiwanese electronics and wiring harness producer Pan-International Industrial – part of the Foxconn group – is investing €35.5m in the Belgian axial-flux motor developer, Magnax, giving it a controlling 52% stake. For Magnax, the deal marks a transition from being an engineering developer to an industrial-scale supplier capable of volume production. For Pan-International, it will launch a transformation aimed at making it a leader in the humanoid robot component market, with the aim of winning a 5% market share by 2030. p The world’s largest ballscrew-maker and third-largest bearings manufacturer, Japan’s NSK, has teamed up with the management consultancy Accenture to “re-invent” itself through AI and digital technology, with the aim of boosting growth and enhancing its value. NSK will use digital capabilities to optimise its operations and expand its investment capacity. It will undertake a “fundamental overhaul” of its operations, expanding automation and reallocating resources to areas that will drive growth and strengthen competitiveness. NEWS BRIEFS n NEWS Siemens appoints Holliday as CEO for UK and Ireland Holliday: technology and talent can make a real difference STEWART MILLER HAS RESIGNED AS CEO of The National Robotarium in Scotland following a row with leaders at Heriot-Watt University (HWU) who he accused of “turning their back on an opportunity to bring £7.5m of investment into the Scottish robotic economy”. The row centres on the University’s decision not to apply for Innovate UK grant funding for the Robotarium to become one of the network of government-funded Robotic Adoption Hubs which are due to start operating across the UK later this year. The deadline to apply for the funding was 15 April. In a LinkedIn post, Miller said that failing to apply for the funding, the Heriot-Watt leaders had “undermined all of my efforts over five years to establish and grow The National Robotarium to the position of respect and prominence it now has in the UK and in Europe. “I had been instrumental in gaining support from UK government for the robotics hub initiative and had positioned The National Robotarium to lead an extremely strong bid on behalf of Scotland, with support from Scottish stakeholders and industry partners,” he added. “For this to be discarded at the eleventh hour was the final straw in a sequence of events over the past six months that have made it clear that HWU no longer respected or valued my contribution as CEO of The National Robotarium.” The robotics hubs, expected to cost around £52m over four years, were first announced in June 2025 by the government in its Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan – part of its Modern Industrial Strategy. The hubs will be run by universities, businesses, or public sector organisations, and each hub will receive at least £2m per year for four years. Innovate UK has been running a competition to decide who will run the hubs. Miller was CEO of the £22.4m Robotarium since it opened in 2022. The 40,000ft2 facility is the UK’s largest and most advanced r&d facility for robotics and AI. In a statement, Heriot-Watt University said that it did not agree with Miller’s “characterisation” of recent events. “Decisions regarding funding applications and strategic priorities are taken following careful consideration to ensure alignment with requirements and compliance with funding regulations,” it added. Robotarium CEO quits in row over grant
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