Drives and Controls UK News

Drives Show attracts exhibitors from Estonia to China

One of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing motor-makers, Regal Beloit, is one of the latest companies to sign up to exhibit at the upcoming Drives & Controls Show in April. Other exhibitors are coming from as far afield as Estonia, India and China.

Applications for engineering degrees drop by 1.3%

The number of students applying for engineering degrees has fallen by 1.3%. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers describes the decline as “a worrying sign of the dangerous shortage of engineering skills set to hit the UK in coming years”.

Power transmission pavilion heads for Drives & Controls Show

A highlight of this year’s Drives & Controls Show being held at the Birmingham NEC in April will be a pavilion organised by the European Power Transmission Distributors Association (EPTDA) and featuring up to 15 of its members. The pavilion will be modelled on one that the EPTDA has run successfully at alternate Hannover Fairs for more than a decade.

Mechanical drives business aims to double within five years

Siemens is aiming to double the size of its mechanical drives business in the UK over the coming five years, following its move to new purpose-built premises in Leeds. At present, Siemens holds about 9% of the UK mechanical drives market and Simon Nadin, general manager of the business, expects the growth to come partly by taking market share from rivals and partly through expanding in growing areas such as renewable energy and servicing.

Machine safety group will offer advice to users

A group of six UK companies has joined forces to offer advice, expertise and services related to machine safety. Between them, the six – Festo, Fortress Interlocks, Pilz Automation Technology, Troax, UK Engineering and Werma – cover a broad spectrum of safety-related technologies from pneumatics, to electronic and physical guarding systems.

January News in Brief

♦ Siemens Industry Automation & Drive Technologies is extending its low-voltage motor scrappage scheme until 31 March 2012. Launched in August 2011, the scheme eases the costs of the EU MEPS (European Minimum Energy Performance Standard) legislation, which came into force in June 2011. It allows buyers to claim a fixed allowance against any LV motor from any manufacturer if they buy a new Siemens IE2 motor. A Siemens partner collects the scrap motor.

Gear-maker`s new premises are twice the size

Radicon Transmissions – formerly David Brown Radicon – has moved to new custom-designed premises in Elland, West Yorkshire, six miles from its previous site in Huddersfield. The company, which India’s Elecon Engineering Group acquired for £21.4m from Clyde Blowers in 2010, has also adopted a new branding (shown below), reflecting its move away from David Brown.

Phone monitoring pioneer expands into the UK

A German company which pioneered the use of mobile phones for remote monitoring and control, has set up a UK operation based in London – its first office outside Germany. James Hannay has been appointed managing director of Schad Automation’s UK operation and vice-president of global sales and marketing.

Carbon Trust launches blitz on VSD and motor efficiencies

The Carbon Trust has launched a campaign to promote the energy-saving capabilities of variable speed drives and high-efficiency motors which, it says, could save UK industry more than £630m a year. It has published a pair of downloadable guides to these technologies, and is running a free online seminar on 30 November.

Clyde Blowers buys Finnish gear firms for �100m to create a global leader

The Scottish engineering group Clyde Blowers, owned by the entrepreneur Jim McColl, is buying the Finnish industrial gear manufacturer Moventas Santasalo and the wind turbine gear manufacturer Moventas Wind, for €100m. Combined with Clyde Blowers’ existing David Brown Gear Systems subsidiary, these operations will create one of the world’s largest gear manufacturing groups.