energy

BA Systèmes to upgrade its AGV implementation for Hesbaye Frost

June 29, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

BA Systèmes is to upgrade its implementation of automated guided vehicles for its long-term client Hesbaye Frost.

Hesbaye Frost renews its confidence in BA Systèmes to replace its entire AGV installation in operation since 2000 in its site in Geer, in Belgium.

As part of the project, BA Systèmes will proceed to the equipment replacement and to the supervision software environment upgrading to achieve higher performance on this site operating in a deep-frozen environment. [Read more…] about BA Systèmes to upgrade its AGV implementation for Hesbaye Frost

Coronavirus expected to cut industrial robot revenue by more than 8 per cent this year

June 11, 2020 by Sam Francis Leave a Comment

By Maya Xiao of Interact Analysis

The coronavirus pandemic which has devastated economies worldwide is expected to reduce revenues in the industrial robot market by more than 8 per cent, according to a study by Interact Analysis.

“After a weak 2019, we originally expected the 2020 robot market to recover strongly, but Covid-19 changed the market revenue growth forecast from 4.8 percent to -3.6 percent,” writes Maya Xiao, automation market expert at Interact Analysis.

Global industrial robot shipments experienced negative growth for four consecutive quarters from mid-2018, she says. At the end of 2019, recovery signs appeared, and the mid-term growth rate turned positive. This turnaround happened in the context of a continued slowdown in general global manufacturing activity, which led to weak spending on machinery and automation equipment. [Read more…] about Coronavirus expected to cut industrial robot revenue by more than 8 per cent this year

SICK launches new sensor for ‘accurate leak detection with one device’

May 13, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

SICK has launched a new sensor that it says enables “accurate leak detection with one device”.

Energy efficiency and transparency are playing an increasingly important role in the manufacturing world.

To help improve energy management, SICK has developed the FTMg, a multifunctional thermal flowmeter sensor for the detection of gas flow, temperature, and process pressure. [Read more…] about SICK launches new sensor for ‘accurate leak detection with one device’

FedEx and Chanje to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure

April 24, 2020 by Mai Tao Leave a Comment

FedEx has now started on the “next phase” of its electric vehicle rollout after initially launching construction on electronic direct current charging stations back in January.

One of the biggest logistics companies in the US, Federal Express has been using all-electric vehicles as part of its pickup-and-delivery fleet for more than 10 years.

Through a new agreement with Chanje Energy, the company plans to electrify 42 FedEx stations in California, making it one of the largest deployments of integrated charging infrastructure by a single commercial fleet to date. [Read more…] about FedEx and Chanje to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure

InoBat Auto secures funding from Slovakian government to build €1 billion ‘Gigafactory’

March 9, 2020 by Sam Francis Leave a Comment

InoBat Auto, a battery production company providing new energy solutions for electric vehicles, has secured funding to build a research and development centre to support the construction of a 10 GWh Gigafactory in Slovakia – the world’s biggest car producer per capita.

The investment from the Slovakian Government has contributed to the €100 million first-phase fund raising to deliver the Gigafactory, which will deploy state-of-the-art battery technology with the potential to provide an estimated 240,000 electric vehicles with cutting edge batteries by 2024.

InoBat Auto says its planned Gigafactory will catapult Europe to become a leading global force in the electric vehicle battery industry. [Read more…] about InoBat Auto secures funding from Slovakian government to build €1 billion ‘Gigafactory’

Hyundai expands partnership with US government to support hydrogen fuel cell research

February 11, 2020 by Mai Tao Leave a Comment

Hyundai Motor Company has expanded its partnership with the US Department of Energy in relation to its support of the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program.

Hyundai’s commitment aims to increase technical collaboration to better understand challenges and to collect and publish independently validated data from demonstrating fuel cell technologies and hydrogen infrastructure under real world operating conditions.

This partnership, along with other collaborations with global industry partners, will help address technical barriers and enable progress in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies across applications and sectors. [Read more…] about Hyundai expands partnership with US government to support hydrogen fuel cell research

Toyota develops fuel cell system for maritime applications

February 6, 2020 by Mai Tao Leave a Comment

The former racing catamaran turned ship of the future, Energy Observer, has made waves as it has been navigating its six-year odyssey around the world as the first energy-autonomous hydrogen vessel.

Today, Toyota, official partner of Energy Observer and an avid supporter of their project from the start, announces that it has developed a fuel cell system for maritime applications, with its first delivery destined for Energy Observer.

Embarking in June 2017 from Saint Malo Port in France, Energy Observer is an electrically propelled vessel of the future that is operated using a mix of renewable energies and an on-board system that produces carbon-free hydrogen from seawater. [Read more…] about Toyota develops fuel cell system for maritime applications

BP to migrate all its data to Amazon Web Services

January 27, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

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

Danfoss supplies automation drives to limestone quarry

January 26, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

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

How Automating Your Household Chores Can Free Up More Time For You

January 22, 2020 by Liv Leave a Comment

If you think about it, there are many household chores we all wish we could automate to make our life easier for us.

Chores such as cleaning the carpet, mowing the lawn, doing the dishes and laundry, cleaning your gutters and even feeding your pets can turn out to be very boring, repetitive and time wasting really fast.

Automation is the solution.

Automating these chores will not only free up more time for you, but will also save you the energy which you would otherwise have spent carrying them out. [Read more…] about How Automating Your Household Chores Can Free Up More Time For You