Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

David Edwards

BP to migrate all its data to Amazon Web Services

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Energy major BP is to to go “all-in” on Amazon Web Services and migrate its data to the online retail and cloud computing giant.

BP is closing its European mega data centers and migrating all data and 900 key applications currently hosted there to AWS, as part of a company-wide program to accelerate the digitization of its infrastructure and operations.

The two European mega data centers, the largest that BP operates globally, host data from across all BP’s businesses. [Read more…] about BP to migrate all its data to Amazon Web Services

ASTI Mobile Robotics wins European Technology Award for automation

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ASTI Mobile Robotics has won the “European Technology Award” in the category of “Automation”.

The European Awards are organised by the Professional and Business Excellence Institute and were presented in a ceremony at the Ritz Hotel in Paris recently.

The CEO of the company, Verónica Pascual, together with Jean-Michel Beghin, president of Keensight Capital, and Jean-Louis Menu, ASTI MR France country manager, collected the award which consolidates ASTI as a leader in mobile robotics and automation within the European market. [Read more…] about ASTI Mobile Robotics wins European Technology Award for automation

Porsche selects DB Schenker to operate Canada distribution centre

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Porsche Cars Canada has selected DB Schenker to operate its new Mississauga, Ontario parts distribution centre.

Expected to ship about 282,000 orders during its first year in operation, the new facility joins two other DB Schenker-Porsche parts distribution centres that are already operating in China and Korea.

Known for making some of the world’s best-known sports cars, sedans, and SUVs, Porsche Cars Canada, has selected DB Schenker Canada to operate its new parts distribution centre in Mississauga, Ontario. [Read more…] about Porsche selects DB Schenker to operate Canada distribution centre

Surgical robots market driven by technological advancements and increase in purchasing power of hospitals

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The global market for surgical robots market is being driven by ongoing technological advancements in the sector as well as the increasing purchasing power of hospitals.

This is according to the latest market intelligence study by Transparency Market Research, entitled Surgical Robots Market.

The global surgical robots market was valued at approximately $4.2 billion in 2018 and is projected to expand at an annual growth of 13 per cent from 2019 to 2027. [Read more…] about Surgical robots market driven by technological advancements and increase in purchasing power of hospitals

Danfoss supplies automation drives to limestone quarry

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Fearless of the difficult applications – dust and bad weather – the Danfoss VLT AutomationDrive FC 302 was chosen to ensure efficient production of 800,000 tons of hard limestone at the Roussas quarry (main picture).

With an annual cement production capacity of 60 million tons and 42 cement plants across four continents, Italcementi Group is a leading global supplier of construction materials.

The group is a major player in the French building-material market; in the cement business through Ciments Calsia, in the ready-mix concrete sector through Unibéton and in aggregates production and supply with GSM. [Read more…] about Danfoss supplies automation drives to limestone quarry

North American semiconductor equipment industry posts high earnings

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North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.49 billion in billings worldwide in December 2019.

This is according to the December Equipment Market Data Subscription Billings Report published today by SEMI.

The billings figure is 17.5 percent higher than the final November 2019 level of $2.12 billion. [Read more…] about North American semiconductor equipment industry posts high earnings

Opinion: ‘Scale’ is the magic word for digital transformation in 2020

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By Keith Higgins, vice president of digital transformation for Rockwell Automation

In 2019, we saw a 400 percent growth in digital transformation projects moving through the post-implementation stage, according to a recent study by Rockwell Automation.

The maturation of digitization projects will continue throughout 2020, and with this trend, the industry will evolve from exploring the primary benefits of data-driven solutions to understanding how these projects can be used as a resource to help scale smart factory initiatives.

Digital transformation has reached its inflection point. As organizations move their initiatives from project roll-out to continuous process improvement in 2020, scaling becomes a key topic of conversation. [Read more…] about Opinion: ‘Scale’ is the magic word for digital transformation in 2020

When it comes to wireless transmission, power must catch up with data in Industry 4.0

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By Paul Wiener, VP strategic marketing, GaN Systems

With the proliferation of robotics, artificial intelligence, and sensors – the increasingly intelligent industrial environments of today are barely recognizable when compared to the assembly lines introduced 100 years ago.

This is true – with one important exception. In some of the most advanced factory and warehouse spaces, power-reliant hardware devices are still plugged into a fixed electrical outlet to operate or charge.

So while data transmission has successfully evolved from wired to wireless, this is only beginning to be true for power. [Read more…] about When it comes to wireless transmission, power must catch up with data in Industry 4.0

Opinion: Radical rethink of automotive R&D investment required in 2020

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Continued disruption, restructuring and re-shaping of the automotive industry will be required to make increasing levels of R&D affordable whilst simultaneously representing a major growth opportunity in the year ahead, according to engineering consultancy Horiba Mira.

The proliferation of electrification and connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies will continue to be amongst the top automotive trends in 2020 which will continue to push up the already soaring costs of research and development.

Indeed, latest figures show European auto manufacturers spent a record £33.3 billion on R&D – 35 per cent more than the £24.6 billion spent in 2014/15. [Read more…] about Opinion: Radical rethink of automotive R&D investment required in 2020

Opinion: New EC boss calls for ‘unleashing of Europe’s entrepreneurial talent’

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By Martin Kern, director of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology

The new president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for the unleashing of Europe’s entrepreneurial talent in a speech to highlight the EC’s Green Deal at this year’s Davos. 

Von der Leyen said: “We will need to invest in innovation and research, redesign our economy and update our industrial policy.

“Those who act first and fastest will also be the ones who grasp the opportunities from the ecological transition.” [Read more…] about Opinion: New EC boss calls for ‘unleashing of Europe’s entrepreneurial talent’