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Camille Bauer says it’s strengthening Switzerland’s manufacturing base through digitisation

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People and digitisation work together in a new manufacturing environment, says industrial measurement technology provider Camille Bauer

Swiss industry contributes significantly to the country’s innovation, full employment and competitiveness, according to Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann.

The company says Switzerland’s manufacturing base is “indispensable”, but adds that industry must seize on the opportunities of digitisation.

Camille Bauer Metrawatt, based in Wohlen in the Swiss canton of Aargau, says it is following precisely this objective, by building on its strength, namely the competence of company’s internal workforce.  [Read more…] about Camille Bauer says it’s strengthening Switzerland’s manufacturing base through digitisation

Taiwan credits ‘Smart Machinery 4.0’ campaign for success of growth in plastics products

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Taiwanese industrial associations are crediting their “Smart Manufacturing 4.0” campaign with bringing success for the plastics sector in the country.

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (Taitra) claims that the country is now one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plastics products.

Last year, the country generated more than $1.9 billion in revenue, positioning the country as the world’s sixth largest exporter of the plastics and rubber processing.  [Read more…] about Taiwan credits ‘Smart Machinery 4.0’ campaign for success of growth in plastics products

Country Insight: Taiwan gets smart about manufacturing

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Taiwan is a relatively large island nation a couple of hundred kilometres off the coast of China. 

It has a population of less than 25 million and its economy is one of the largest in Asia, and many people around the world associate Taiwan with advanced electronics manufacturing.

Some of the largest and most well-known Taiwanese companies include:

  • Hon Hai Precision, better known as Foxconn, the contract manufacturer which makes iPhones and iPads for Apple;
  • Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, another Apple partner which makes chips;
  • Quanta Computer, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of notebook computers;
  • Acer, another computer and computer peripherals manufacturer;
  • HTC, the communications technology giant which recently sold its smartphone-making division to Google; and
  • Delta Electronics, which specialises in industrial and infrastructure technologies.

Just around 50 years ago, the agriculture sector accounted for around half of Taiwan’s economy.  [Read more…] about Country Insight: Taiwan gets smart about manufacturing

Hannover Messe and CeMAT review: Raving with the machines

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The machines are not out to get us, claims Deutsche Messe boss

German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto set the tone on day one of the Hannover Messe/CeMAT double-header. Asked to shake hands with a robot, they both went for the more casual fist bump – a symbol for the relaxed, natural interaction of humans with digitization, robots and machine learning. (See main picture.)

Dr Jochen Köckler, chairman of the managing board at Deutsche Messe, at the close of Hannover Messe/CeMAT, said: “Technology is not about competing with us humans – it’s about assisting us. That is the core message conveyed by this trade fair, which has again underscored Hannover’s reputation as a global hotspot for the digital transformation of industry.

“The focus here has clearly been on the human element: We’re the ones making the decisions and setting the course. The interaction of humans with machines and IT adds up to a huge competitive gain across manufacturing, logistics and the energy industry.” [Read more…] about Hannover Messe and CeMAT review: Raving with the machines

Hannover Messe: Bosch takes lead with 5G connectivity for industry and invests $100 million in new ‘smart factory’ in Mexico

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Industrial giant Bosch is taking the lead in 5G connectivity in partnership with Nokia.

The two companies have been demonstrating a number of 5G projects at Hannover Messe, probably among the first of their kind in the industrial sector.

One of the experts working on the project explained that “most of the industry is cabled”, meaning that robots and other machines, whether they are mobile or stationary, tend to be connected via cables, such as Ethernet, for example. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: Bosch takes lead with 5G connectivity for industry and invests $100 million in new ‘smart factory’ in Mexico

Hannover Messe: Siemens showcases its digital enterprise portfolio

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Siemens has been showcasing its digital enterprise portfolio at Hannover Messe. The company says it has been continuously enhancing its digital services for Industrie 4.0, also referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, wherein all machines are connected to the internet and everything is digitised, right down to individual components, which have what are called “digital twins”.

It’s a process also known as “digital transformation”.

Klaus Helmrich, member of the managing board of Siemens, at the press conference for Hannover Messe, said: “We created the technical prerequisites for this transformation with our range of consistent solutions. By implementing Digital Enterprise solutions, users and customers can now tap into the full potential of Industrie 4.0.” [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: Siemens showcases its digital enterprise portfolio

Hannover Messe: An überwhelming experience

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This is the second time I have been to Hannover Messe and I thought I was better prepared for what is probably the largest industrial technology show in the world.

But even though I had a lot of ideas of what to cover, it turns out that Hannover Messe has many more ideas than I brought with me and has overwhelmed me again.

The basic numbers about the show are impressive enough — close to a quarter of a million visitors over the five days the show lasts in the German city of Hannover. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: An überwhelming experience

Delta demonstrates smart manufacturing capabilities at Hannover

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Delta, a provider of industrial automation solutions, unveiled its integrated smart factory and energy management solutions at Hannover Messe 2018.

Delta’s High-Flexibility Multi-Tasking Smart Production Line features integration of our digital manufacturing monitoring platforms, IIoT technologies, three robot workstations and a smart conveyor to let visitors perform on-site order processing and real-time monitoring of the customized production process.

In addition, the new 3D Vision Inspection System enhances logistics efficiency through precise package shape and dimension identification.

[Read more…] about Delta demonstrates smart manufacturing capabilities at Hannover

Robots boost profitability at machining company

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A multi-axis machining firm is leveraging the benefits of Universal Robots supplied by Raruk Automation to load and unload its machine tools.

A mix of seven UR5 and UR10 robots have helped Rousant Sherwood maximise the productivity of its workforce by automating repetitive tasks and allowed the company to bid for contracts which would have otherwise been unprofitable.

Rousant Sherwood Manufacturing (RSM) is a family-owned company based at Henley-on-Thames, UK, which has been specialising in the subcontract manufacture of complex machined components for over 40 years. [Read more…] about Robots boost profitability at machining company

Universal Robots brings cobots to NPE2018 plastics show

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Universal Robots (UR) will make its debut at the NPE2018 in Orlando, USA, May 7-11, showing the new Kanga Poucher from RND Automation & Engineering.

Kanga is a vertical form/fill/seal pouching system that forms four-sided pouches for the medical device, pharmaceutical, and durable goods industries.

The system integrates with a UR cobot loading products into the pouches before the fourth, “top” seal is made after the product is indexed through the sealing gasket.

[Read more…] about Universal Robots brings cobots to NPE2018 plastics show