The concept of IoT (Internet of Things) starts to be applied to manufacturing, leading to the creation of the IIoT (industrial IoT). The Danish company Universal Robots sells its first collaborative robot (cobot), capable of operating safely alongside human workers, and eliminating the need for safety caging or fencing. 2008 Emerson Electric sells its Motors and Appliance Controls business to Nidec. 2010 Nidec buys Control Techniques and Leroy-Somer from Emerson for $1.2bn. 2016 Stuxnet virus targets Vacon inverters. Schneider Electric buys Invensys for £3.4bn. 2013 Synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM) combining traditional AC designs with advanced rotor geometries, deliver nearpermanent-magnet efficiencies. Early 2010s Factories start processing data directly at the machine level (edge computing) for faster response times and reduced cloud-bandwidth dependencies. Mid-2010s TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) is standardised, allowing deterministic, real-time control to run on standard Ethernet networks. Late 2010s Sensorless vector control is established, using digital signal processors rather than physical speed sensors to calculate motor rotor positions precisely in real time. 2010s WEG produces is 100 millionth motor. 2006 The European Union introduces the IE system for classifying electric motor efficiency. 2009 ABB acquires Baldor Electric Company for $4.2bn . 2011 Regal Beloit buys Emerson’s power transmission business for $1.4bn. 2015 The term Industry 4.0 is introduced in Germany to describe a new era of automation focused on cyber-physical systems, IoT and cloud computing. The release of ROS (the robot operating system) changes how robots are programmed, providing a flexible framework for software development across different robot hardware. 2005 Parker Hannifin buys SSD Drives (formerly Eurotherm Drives). 2006 The Drives & Controls show is opened at the NEC by Sir Bobby Charlton, seen here with sales director, Doug Devlin). Siemens buys Flender for €1.2bn 2004 Kamtech is acquired by DFA Media. DfAmedia group
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