Market trends and business perspectives
Apple has become the first US company to have a market capitalization of $1 trillion, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The gigantic sum was reached earlier today and was reported worldwide.
The company, which makes iPhones, iPads, iMacs and other technology products, has seen its stock rise more than 21 percent so far this year, reports WSJ.
by Sam Francis
The industrial sector is going through a time of rapid digitalization, with everything in the real world being recreated in the digital realm.
Everything from a component to a complete, complex system – even an entire factory with all the machinery inside – can now be designed, prototyped and built through a computer.
What’s more, you don’t even need the design software to be installed on your machine as there are cloud-based applications available on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Vention is an example of a relatively new online design-to-build service where users can design industrial equipment and have the company ship the parts to them – all within a day or two.
by Sam Francis
Siemens has agreed to buy application developer Mendix for $697 million.
The engineering giant says Mendix will continue as a distinct company and provide the “low-code” cloud software on which it has built its reputation.
The closing of transaction is expected in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. [Read more…] about Siemens to buy Mendix for $700 million to ‘strengthen digital leadership’
by Sam Francis
A startup company called TerraClear has raised $5.5 million to develop a rock-picking robot for agricultural applications.
The funding has been raised from friends and family, according to GeekWire.com.
Co-founder Brent Frei says the money will be used to develop prototypes of the machine and build the team. [Read more…] about TerraClear raises $5.5 million to develop rock-picking robot for agriculture
by Sam Francis
D&W Fine Pack, a leader in foodservice packaging, is investing in excess of $8 million to further modernize its straw, cutlery and kitting operations, located in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.
The improvements are part of an ongoing commitment to producing “the most innovative, cost-effective product offerings to support stock and custom applications in the marketplace”, says the company.
D&W claims to be the country’s largest straw manufacturer, and is modifying its 650,000-square-foot plant to meet growing demand for utensils and straws within the foodservice industry. [Read more…] about D&W Fine Pack invests $8 million into expanding facility and adding more automation technology
by Anna
The BMW Group has introduced computer tomography into prototype development, production and analysis – a first in the automotive industry.
The full range of vehicles, from Mini to Rolls-Royce, can now be quality-controlled from the early stages of development.
Scans are performed by four robots which move around the outside of the prototype to produce several thousand cross-sectional images. These are then used for detailed examinations of innovations, new materials and bonding technologies.
[Read more…] about BMW introduces robotic X-ray measurement for prototype vehicle analysis
by Mai Tao
The Techman Robot company is planning to double production capacity, according to a report on DigiTimes.com.
The company shipped approximately 2,000 units in 2017 and expects that figure to “expand exponentially” to 4,000 this year, reports DigiTimes.
Techman, which is part of the Quanta Group, says it is expanding to meet anticipated demand for its robotic arm. [Read more…] about Techman Robot to double production capacity
Plex Systems, a provider of cloud enterprise resource planning and manufacturing execution systems software, has acquired Dattus, a supplier of industrial internet of things connectivity technologies.
Dattus solutions connect manufacturing equipment and sensors to the cloud, manage high-volume data streams, and analyze in-motion equipment data to optimize performance, reduce costs, and ensure uptime.
The acquisition is expected to accelerate Plex’s IIoT strategy, extending the Plex Manufacturing Cloud to new streams of machine data and the underlying intelligence. The acquisition was completed last month. [Read more…] about Plex Systems acquires factory data company Dattus
by Anna
Fanuc America Corporation, major supplier of robotics, CNC systems, robomachines and industrial IoT solutions, has announced plans to construct a new facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, US, that will be used for engineering, product development, manufacturing and warehousing.
Fanuc’s products are applied in a wide range of industries including automotive, aerospace, consumer products, food and pharmaceuticals to name a few.
Since 1982, the company’s line of painting robots, and a variety of automation software products have been designed and built in Michigan.
[Read more…] about Fanuc America to expand headquarters with new facility in Michigan
by Mai Tao
Huawei has surpassed Apple in smartphone sales in the second quarter of this year, according to figures collated by the International Data Corporation.
The preliminary data from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, smartphone vendors shipped a total of 342.0 million units during the second quarter of 2018 (2Q18), resulting in a 1.8 percent decline when compared to the 348.2 million units shipped in the second quarter of 2017.
The drop marks the third consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines for the global smartphone market and only the fourth quarter of decline in history. [Read more…] about Huawei surpasses Apple in smartphone sales
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