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Additive manufacturing startups MakerBot and Ultimaker agree to merge

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MakerBot and Ultimaker, two of the best-known startups in desktop 3D printing, have come to a “business combination agreement” – or a merger.

The company says the move will accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing by providing a comprehensive desktop 3D printing ecosystem of hardware, software, and materials.

The new entity will be backed by existing investors, NPM Capital and Stratasys, and will benefit from a planned cash investment of $62.4 million to fuel innovation and expansion into new markets. [Read more…] about Additive manufacturing startups MakerBot and Ultimaker agree to merge

RightHand Robotics raises $66 million in Series C funding

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RightHand Robotics, a startup developing autonomous robotic picking solutions for order fulfillment, has secured $66 million in a Series C financing.

The funding round was led by investors Safar Partners, a technology venture fund; Thomas H. Lee Partners, an investor in automation and supply chain; and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, which is part of the SoftBank Group.

Zebra Technologies, Epson and Global Brain also join this round, along with previous investors GV, F-Prime Capital, Menlo Ventures, Matrix Partners and Tony Fadell’s Future Shape. Previous rounds were led by Menlo Ventures and Playground Global. [Read more…] about RightHand Robotics raises $66 million in Series C funding

TotalEnergies and Amada Europe strengthen their partnership

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TotalEnergies, a global multi-energy production and supply company, and Amada Europe, a manufacturer of machine tools for the sheet metal industry, have signed a partnership for the supply of original equipment lubricants to Amada Europe’s plants as well as a range of Amada branded lubricants.

The partnership will last for five years and will cover 14 countries in Europe.

Since 2016, TotalEnergies’ Lubricants Department in France has already been supplying part of the original equipment oils to Amada’s main plant in Europe in Château-du-Loir. [Read more…] about TotalEnergies and Amada Europe strengthen their partnership

On the way to a climate-neutral company: IDS introduces holistic climate protection

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Energy and resource efficiency are the focus of the industrial camera manufacturer IDS Imaging Development Systems.

As a globally active technology company, sustainability is an essential part of the corporate strategy.

Jan Hartmann, managing director of the Obersulm-based camera manufacturer, says: “Technological progress and responsible entrepreneurship go hand in hand for us. [Read more…] about On the way to a climate-neutral company: IDS introduces holistic climate protection

Beep secures $20 million Series-A investment from Intel and Blue Lagoon

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Beep, a provider of multi-passenger, electric, autonomous mobility solutions, has closed the company’s Series A investment round with Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital, raising $20 million.

The funding will enable Beep to continue the expansion of its autonomous fleet deployments across North America and leverage its learnings to advance passenger mobility service for cities, business districts and campuses at scale.

Beep utilizes a combination of machine learning, contextual traffic data and the company’s existing centralized command center data to provide vital oversight in managing high-risk scenarios for autonomous vehicles in complex geo-fenced environments. [Read more…] about Beep secures $20 million Series-A investment from Intel and Blue Lagoon

Automation 2020: Manufacturers Adopt Overall Pricing Effectiveness

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By Gabriel Smith, chief evangelist at Pricefx

Eliminating pricing waste: Overall Pricing Effectiveness (OPE)

There is an even more effective means to improve profitability than variable cost reduction.

In fact, according to many studies, improving variable cost typically results in a <8 per cent improvement in profitability whereas improving price results in an >11 per cent improvement in operating profit.  [Read more…] about Automation 2020: Manufacturers Adopt Overall Pricing Effectiveness

Groupe PSA tests vehicle-to-infrastructure tech in Spanish city

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Groupe PSA is testing vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) technology for the first time in the Spanish city of Vigo.

The company has been partnering with the Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia on the testing, and the results are intended to help the development of automated vehicle functions.

The aim is to see how well vehicles can communicate with the surrounding infrastructure in a complex urban environment. [Read more…] about Groupe PSA tests vehicle-to-infrastructure tech in Spanish city

Baumüller and Lemo to partner on building brand new bag machine

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Baumüller, a drive and automation systems manufacturer, has received an order from Lemo Maschinenbau to design a cost-optimized, efficient and sustainable foil bag machine that also affords the manufacturer maximum flexibility and quick commissioning in the production process due to its modular structure.

Baumüller says its engineering specialists were able to meet Lemo’s requirement for modularity and a work cycle increase with the help of a new automation concept.

Among other things, a modern and streamlined drive and control architecture was used for this purpose. This means an integrated fieldbus system, minimum number of devices and a reduced control structure.  [Read more…] about Baumüller and Lemo to partner on building brand new bag machine