Drives and Controls UK News

�40m logistics hub leads to UK move for Lenze

Lenze is moving its UK headquarters following the inauguration of a £40m logistics centre in northern France which will hold parts for the UK, France, the Netherlands and Spain. As a result, less warehouse space is needed in the UK and the company is downsizing and will be moving shortly to the new site near its existing HQ in Bedford. By the time of the move, the company’s UK headcount will have been reduced over the past year from around 100 to about 70.

Motion team doubles to serve UK`s expanding market

Siemens has doubled its motion control capability in the UK in anticipation of an expansion of the engineered drives and motion control market. It has formed a new partnership with Congleton-based HMK Technical Services to address the OEM and system integrator sectors, while a new team within Siemens will focus on market development and specification in end-user markets.

September News in Brief

♦ Renishaw has paid £2.3m for a 29% stake in the York-based laser time-of-flight measurement specialist, Measurement Devices Ltd (MDL). It also has an agreement to buy the remaining shares in the family-owned business over the next four years. No changes are expected at MDL, which has 50 staff.

Drives & Controls Show defies the downturn

The Drives & Controls Show which took place at the Birmingham NEC in early June, was one of the most successful ever. The event attracted 103 exhibitors – 16% more than the previous show held in April 2008, before the worst effects of the recession had been felt.

Machine Building show gets a successor

A new trade show called Midlands Design & Manufacturing (MDM) is replacing the former Machine Building and Automation and Advanced Manufacturing UK shows at the Birmingham NEC. The first appearance of the new event – which covers the manufacturing cycle from design and development, to packaging and despatch – will be alongside the Mtec (sensors and measurement) and Medtec (medical technology) shows at the NEC from 6–7 April, 2011.

The organiser, Canon Communications, says that MDM “will embrace all the technologies, products and services that 21st century manufacturers, sub-contractors and specifiers depend on to achieve effective and efficient production regimes and world-class products”.

According to James Meire, Canon Communications’ UK and Ireland sales manager, MDM has been launched as a result of the growing optimism evident at this year’s Medtec and co-located events.

“With a heavy focus on medical device technologies and advanced manufacturing, our events at the NEC clearly illustrated that industry’s thirst for the benefits of advanced technology extends right across the manufacturing spectrum,” he says. “As a result, Canon is determined to provide a one-stop showcase for the latest and greatest tools and technologies that suppliers have to offer.

“MDM will effectively break the mould in terms of providing suppliers of every size with a cost-effective, two-day showcase that will address the needs of specifiers and buyers from all manufacturing disciplines,” Meire adds.

There are plans for a series of education programmes to complement the MDM exhibits.

iPhone app calculates drive energy savings

ABB has produced a pair of tools to help users to estimate the energy and CO₂ savings that are possible by adopting efficient drive technologies. The first is an application for the Apple iPhone and iPad that calculates the energy and monetary savings that VSDs can deliver. The second is a slide rule (shown below) that calculates the energy savings possible when using drives instead of direct-on-line motors running at full speed with no damper or throttle.

Free guide shows how to choose efficient drives

Gambica, the UK trade association for automation and controls suppliers, has published a free guide to choosing high-efficiency motors and controls, aimed at managers and decision-makers looking to cut their organisations’ energy costs.

T�V acquires Laidler safety consultancy

TÜV Product Service, a UK subsidiary of the German TÜV Süd group, has acquired the machine safety compliance specilaist Laidler for an undisclosed sum. The Laidler group, based in Cleveland and Yorkshire, has 30 employees and consolidated sales of £2.6m and has been growing by more than 20% a year for the past two years.

IP rating confusion `leading to incorrect specifications`

Schneider Electric is warning that poor understanding of IP ratings is leading to enclosures being specified inappropriately. The company also points out that some IP ratings – notably IP69K – have no meaning internationally, and are irrelevant to their intended use.

Vibration legislation expands to cover old equipment

On 6 July, regulations came into force limiting the exposure of employees in the UK to hand-arm vibration caused by equipment such as hand-held power tools. The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations, published in 2005, places daily limits on the amount of exposure to vibration experienced by workers. Initially it applied only to new equipment, but it has now been extended to cover equipment bought before 6 July 2007.