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Fugro pioneers uncrewed subsea inspections in Brazil for Petrobras

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Petrobras, a Brazilian multinational petroleum industry giant, has signed a 175-day addendum to Fugro’s current inspection, repair and maintenance services contract, performed by the Fugro Aquarius, to include fully remote subsea inspection surveys of shallow-water infrastructure in Brazil.

Work will begin in January, leveraging Fugro’s advanced Blue Essence uncrewed surface vessel (USV) and Blue Volta electric remotely operated vehicle (eROV) technology to enhance inspection safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

The contract marks Fugro’s first use of these innovations in the Americas, following successful applications in Australia, the UK, and the Middle East. [Read more…] about Fugro pioneers uncrewed subsea inspections in Brazil for Petrobras

Comau designs and implements advanced automation solutions for global automaker’s Brazil factory

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Industrial automation specialist Comau says it has designed and implemented its advanced automation solutions at a Stellantis Automotive facility in Brazil. Stellantis owns auto brands such as Fiat, Vauxhall and Jeep, among many others.

Comau’s installation at Stellantis Automotive Plant at Betim, Minas Gerais is part of a comprehensive retooling project to produce both the Fiat Pulse, the brand’s first SUV model in Brazil and the Fiat Fastback, its first SUV Coupe and one of the company’s main launches for the local market.

As part of the comprehensive project, Comau has enhanced an existing manufacturing platform to provide high-speed body assembly solutions for the main body, the body sides and the respot operations such that the two distinctly different SUVs could be produced on the same line. [Read more…] about Comau designs and implements advanced automation solutions for global automaker’s Brazil factory

Nauticus to supply Aquanaut to Petrobras Brazil

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Nauticus Robotics, a developer of autonomous robots using artificial intelligence for data collection and intervention services for the ocean industries, has been awarded a contract with Petrobras, one of the world’s largest energy companies, to deploy Aquanaut, the company’s autonomous subsea robot, to support Petrobras’ offshore activities.

Petrobras has ramped up efforts recently in robotics and artificial intelligence and is pioneering their application to the offshore sectors.

Toward that end, this relevant contract was competitively awarded to Nauticus and will utilize Aquanaut in Petrobras’ Deepwater Production Field using supervised autonomy for infield inspection services. [Read more…] about Nauticus to supply Aquanaut to Petrobras Brazil

Fugro and Petrobras pioneer remote subsea inspection in Brazil

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Fugro and Petrobras have achieved a major milestone in Brazil’s offshore energy sector by successfully completing the country’s first-ever remote subsea inspection survey.

This technology trial was carried out by Fugro in collaboration with Petrobras under an existing multiyear contract with the aim of minimising risk and improving sustainability during inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) projects.

Fugro utilised a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) deployed from the Fugro Aquarius to conduct the survey. Office-based personnel piloted the ROV from an operations centre in Aberdeen, Scotland, instead of from the vessel itself. [Read more…] about Fugro and Petrobras pioneer remote subsea inspection in Brazil

Nokia and Flex to combine 5G SA private wireless and Industry 4.0 expertise for advanced manufacturing solutions in Brazil

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Networking giant Nokia has agreed a collaboration with Flex Brazil to deploy 5G SA private wireless networks in its manufacturing facilities in Brazil.

Initial use cases will focus at increasing wireless applications and exploring the potential of 5G for reliable connectivity, massive transfers of operational data and greater layout flexibility on the shopfloor.

Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (Nokia DAC) will provide the private wireless on-demand service as well as MX Industrial Edge computing and digital-enabling applications. [Read more…] about Nokia and Flex to combine 5G SA private wireless and Industry 4.0 expertise for advanced manufacturing solutions in Brazil

Unigel installs first industrial-scale green hydrogen production site in Brazil using ThyssenKrupp technology

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Unigel has built the first industrial-scale green hydrogen plant in Brazil.

The company, which is one of the largest chemical companies in Latin America and the largest manufacturer of nitrogen fertilizers in Brazil, has invested a total of $120 million in the development of the production site for green hydrogen.

In the first phase of the project, Unigel installed three 20 MW standard electrolyzers from ThyssenKrupp Nucera, adding up to a total capacity of 60 MW. The plant will feed one of the largest green ammonia plants by capacity when it starts its production. [Read more…] about Unigel installs first industrial-scale green hydrogen production site in Brazil using ThyssenKrupp technology

Comau expands Jeep manufacturing lines in Brazil

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Comau has expanded the end-to-end body manufacturing lines at one of the most modern car manufacturing plants in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco to produce the new 7-seat Jeep Commander SUV.

Comau has been tasked with increasing the flexibility of 14 complex lines to handle 4 different vehicle models in a completely random production flow.

The increased flexibility also extends to model-specific assembly, welding and quality inspection operations based on available inputs. [Read more…] about Comau expands Jeep manufacturing lines in Brazil

ABB says its robots have boosted productivity at Nestlé’s Brazilian plants by ‘over 50 percent’

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ABB says its robots have boosted productivity at Nestlé’s Brazilian plants by more than 50 percent. The company says its SafeMove collaborative robot technology “enhances employee safety while increasing efficiency at Nestle’s confectionary factories”. (See video below.)

ABB robots are supporting Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, to improve the productivity of pallet loading in its chocolate manufacturing facilities in Brazil “by 53 percent”, using a new ABB palletizing robot solution.

While the company currently uses ABB Robotics palletizing solutions, the latest requirement was for a more compact cell that could fit into a smaller area and easily be replicated at other sites. An important requirement was for the robot to safely interact with employees, who occasionally need to enter the palletizing area to speed up pallet changes. [Read more…] about ABB says its robots have boosted productivity at Nestlé’s Brazilian plants by ‘over 50 percent’

Columbia-Okura agrees strategic relationship with Integra Systems Brazil

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Columbia-Okura and Integra Systems have agreed a partnership that will allow Integra Systems to produce the complete line of Columbia-Okura robotic palletizers in Brazil.

This milestone achievement follows a similar agreement reached in 2020 between Integra Systems and Columbia Machine.

Columbia-Okura has been working with Integra since 2014. The execution of these recent license agreements reflects Columbia Machine’s and Columbia-Okura’s ongoing confidence and strategic relationship with Integra Systems. [Read more…] about Columbia-Okura agrees strategic relationship with Integra Systems Brazil

Visteon debuts new digital dashboard infotainment technology

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Visteon, the only global Tier 1 automotive supplier solely focused on the digital cockpit market, has contributed its technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities to provide the infotainment platform for Volkswagen’s new Nivus model for the Brazil market.

With its new coupe-style SUV, the automaker debuts VW Play – a pioneering infotainment system for enhanced in-car connectivity, streaming and other services – supported by Visteon.

Developed jointly by VW and Visteon in Brazil, VW Play was created with usability in mind. Delivering a premium user experience, the intuitive interface incorporates customizable control screens, offering a diverse range of connectivity elements, key vehicle information and application notifications. [Read more…] about Visteon debuts new digital dashboard infotainment technology