Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

copa-data

Recharging the energy industry: Managing demand and constraint

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city at night overview

Partners in industrial automation, Martyn Williams, managing director of industrial software expert, Copa-Data UK and Mark Hardy, CEO of Capula, reveal how new technologies, such as smart grids, big data and business intelligence enable a more efficient use of resources in the industry

Humans have always searched for ways to harness energy, whether it be to complete laborious tasks or just improve their livelihood.

Propelled by the discoveries and inventions of the industrial revolution, this thirst for innovation has led to humanity’s quest for more powerful, smarter and more efficient energy sources.

Recent years have seen a new wave of technology and opportunities hit the energy sector, several of which have been presented by the onset of big data and Internet of Things (IoT) technology.

Ensuring that supply meets the customers’ demand is a key responsibility of the energy industry, however, these smart technologies are changing the way the grid generates, manages, distributes and stores energy.  [Read more…] about Recharging the energy industry: Managing demand and constraint

Energy expert Idec joins Copa-Data partner community

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wind turbines

Idec Technical Services, a specialist in the design and installation of high voltage protection and control systems integration, has joined the Copa-Data Partner Community, a worldwide network of certified specialists in Copa-Data’s software, zenon.

As a new member of the Copa-Data Partner Community, Idec will have access to a range of knowledge exchange initiatives provided by Copa-Data with the aim of improving the ergonomics and productivity of partners’ automation projects.  [Read more…] about Energy expert Idec joins Copa-Data partner community

Software for smart beverage production

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Software maker Copa-Data has demonstrated new solutions for smart breweries, comprehensive energy data management, flexible batch production and efficient filling lines.

Copa-Data also says the system has interoperability with the Weihenstephan and OMAC PackML standards, as a result of which machines and equipment can be more quickly integrated into existing manufacturing infrastructures.

Emilian Axinia, industry manager for food and beverage at Copa-Data, says: “Our software innovations for the smart production of beer and other drinks… demonstrate flexible batch production using an equipment model controlled by zenon. These are smart and field-tested software solutions from soft PLC, through ISA-88 Batch Control to mobile technologies.”  [Read more…] about Software for smart beverage production

Copa-Data to showcase software for smarter grids at Cigre

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Copa-Data has launched its new zenon software and will be presenting it at Hannover Messe

Copa-Data, the international developer of the zenon software, is presenting its newest solutions for substation automation and substation HMI at the Cigre Session in Paris, from August 21-26, 2016.

JS automation and Copa-Data will jointly demonstrate the numerous possibilities of the software system for developing individual and ergonomic solutions within modern Smart Grids.

The Cigre Session 2016 is bringing experts from the energy industry together in Paris, with participants coming in from over 90 countries. Copa-Data has been offering its HMI/SCADA software in this environment for many years and continues to bring new innovative concepts for improved overview, safety and ergonomics in power plant and substation monitoring.  [Read more…] about Copa-Data to showcase software for smarter grids at Cigre

Flexible manufacturing in the modern age: Three steps to automated engineering

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copa-data

Martyn Williams, managing director at Copa-Data UK explains how implementing custom machinery and combining industrial equipment with intelligent automation software can help companies implement fully flexible manufacturing. 

Increased demand for customised products and shrinking time-to-market expectations have contributed to the fundamental shift in how products are designed and created.

To fulfil today’s demand for smart products and customised design, manufacturers must break away from their outdated, mass manufacturing habits and explore the world of automated engineering.  [Read more…] about Flexible manufacturing in the modern age: Three steps to automated engineering

The great migration: cloud computing for smart manufacturing

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smart factory illustration

Martyn Williams, managing director at Copa-Data UK, discusses “unlocking the value of cross-facility data sets” through cloud computing for smart manufacturing

According to an industry survey by IBM, two thirds of mid-sized companies have already implemented – or are currently considering – a cloud based storage model for their organisation.

The analytic advantages of cloud computing in industry are no secret, in fact, 70 per cent of these cloud-using respondents said they were actively pursuing cloud-based analytics to gleam greater insights and efficiency in order to achieve business goals.  [Read more…] about The great migration: cloud computing for smart manufacturing

The potential of predictive analytics for machine builders

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Martyn Williams, managing director of Copa-Data UK
Martyn Williams, managing director of Copa-Data UK

Martyn Williams, managing director of industrial automation software expert Copa-Data UK, discusses how machine builders can use predictive analytics to minimise the maintenance and downtime costs of their products

The cost of production downtime varies significantly from one industry sector to another, but without a doubt, when it occurs, downtime is a troublesome and expensive inconvenience for all manufacturers.

More often than not, halts in production could be avoided, so imagine just how much manufacturers could save if machine data was available to anticipate breakdowns.

The good news for industry is that the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) is allowing machine builders to design and manufacture intelligent machines with predictive analytics capabilities. [Read more…] about The potential of predictive analytics for machine builders

Solving the PLC problem: Copa-Data provides automation expert with independent software solution

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Case study: COPA-DATA and DBIS

Historically, manufacturing was a predominantly manual industry, but today, industrial automation has transformed the way manufacturers operate.

As of 2015, the booming industrial automation industry is worth more than $200 billion globally.

Enabling organisations to mass produce commodities and complete tasks with increased speed and quality, industrial automation has become an unbeatable ally in manufacturing environments. Although automation may reign supreme when it comes to choosing machinery, identifying the right automation software can cause headaches.

Based in the United Kingdom, DBIS provides cargo, asset, automation and resource control to enhance performance and profitability for bulk and break bulk terminals. Serving the automation, rail, marine and conveyor industries, DBIS, a leading terminal operating system (TOS) provider, has perfected a solution for smoother integration of SCADA software for all of its models of programmable logic controllers (PLCs).   [Read more…] about Solving the PLC problem: Copa-Data provides automation expert with independent software solution

Copa-Data launches new versions of zenon HMI/SCADA software

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COPA-DATA has launched zenon 7.50, zenon Analyzer 3 and zenon Logic 9
COPA-DATA has launched zenon 7.50, zenon Analyzer 3 and zenon Logic 9

COPA-DATA has presented new versions of its HMI/SCADA software – zenon 7.50, zenon Analyzer 3 and zenon Logic 9. 

COPA-DATA says the new range is bringing to the market a “comprehensive update of its family of software products”.

Numerous new features and improvements ensure simple project configuration, as well as robust runtimes and support users with ergonomic implementation of their automation projects, says COPA-DATA.

The most recent software release from COPA-DATA is not just limited to the zenon Operator (HMI) and zenon Supervisor (SCADA) products, but also includes new versions of its reporting software, zenon Analyzer, as well as the integrated PLC programming environment zenon Logic.

Reinhard Mayr, product manager at COPA-DATA, says: “Our objective in software development was always having a flexible, modular, but at the same time fully-integrated, networked system, the strengths of which bear fruit when interacting with one another.  [Read more…] about Copa-Data launches new versions of zenon HMI/SCADA software

Norway’s railroad network replaces 40-year-old technology with new automation software

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norway national rail system, copa-data
Norway has integrated an automation solution from COPA-DATA into the national rail network

The rail travel network in Norway has taken its very own “great leap forward” in technological terms with the introduction of new automation software.

The Norwegian National Rail Administration (NNRA, also known as Jernbaneverket) decided to perform a major upgrade to its infrastructure in order to modernize rail service delivery and optimize maintenance and performance.

The technology for controlling the power transformer stations throughout its nationwide operations was more than forty years old in some areas, so a modern solution for controlling and monitoring these stations was required. The decision was made in favor of zenon, the HMI/SCADA software from COPA-DATA. [Read more…] about Norway’s railroad network replaces 40-year-old technology with new automation software