New Creo 8.0 enhancements empower engineers
PTC has released the eighth edition of its award-winning Creo computer-aided design (CAD) software. Creo 8.0 empowers increases in user productivity through expansions to Creo’s Model Based Definition (MBD), Generative Design, and Ansys-powered simulation capabilities. Purpose-built to solve for key design pitfalls experienced by engineering executives, end users, and managers, the features and functionalities of […]
Speeding digital transformation through increased adoption of low-code
Siemens Digital Industries Software has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire TimeSeries, a leading Independent Software Vendor (ISV) and Mendix partner. TimeSeries has significant expertise in the development of vertical apps built on the Mendix low-code platform, which will help Siemens accelerate digital transformation by increasing adoption of low-code and offering new […]
Industrial IoT partnership to provide customers with mission-critical insight into their high-value assets
Eurotech has announced it’s collaboration with Exosite to enable and simplify industrial IoT adoption from edge to cloud. The collaboration aims to combine Eurotech’s industrial IoT Edge capabilities with Exosite’s ExoSense condition monitoring application. Eurotech provides a flexible and modular range of IoT components: rugged, certified Industrial IoT Gateways and edge computers enhanced with Everyware […]
Securely visualise enterprise-wide real time operations
Global IT integrator Getronics has announced a strategic alliance with SolutionsPT, the leading industrial IT solutions partner and distributor of AVEVA software in the UK and Ireland. The collaboration will enable both organisations to better address industry needs for increased automation, efficiency, and digital transformation. In an increasingly competitive business world, digital transformation holds the […]
WLAN the retrofit revolution
Gareth Chamberlain, product manager- cyber security and it automation, Phoenix Contact explains that over the last year, there have a lot of retrofit projects asking for help to bring older technology up to date. Most commonly, the requests are to replace serial systems with an ethernet based topology. When it comes to legacy projects the most common […]
Expanding SaaS offerings
PTC has announced that it has expanded its robust Software as a Service (SaaS) capabilities with two new products shipping on the PTC Atlas SaaS platform. Atlas, announced at the LiveWorx 2020 Digital Transformation Conference, now supports an expanding portfolio of SaaS applications and production-ready solutions. With the Vuforia Expert Capture and Creo Generative Design […]
New braking distance simulator improves safety and reduces robotic cell footprint
ABB’s RobotStudio offline programming and simulation software has been upgraded with a new virtual robot braking distance function designed to create an exact simulation of the real-world stopping distance of a robot. Enabling the robot’s braking distance to be accurately calculated, the function overcomes the need to add safety margins into cell designs, enabling space […]
Helping the steel industry protect vital skills and move towards net zero
PTC, one of the world’s leading authorities on Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), has joined forces with the Materials Processing Institute, a research and innovation centre serving global steel and materials organisations, to explore the potential of AR at its Normanton Plant in Teesside. The project will initially use Vuforia Studio technology to overlay live […]
AWS to support the global expansion of Disney+
Amazon Web Services has unveiled that The Walt Disney Company is leveraging AWS for the global rollout of Disney+, one of the largest online streaming video services in the world. The Walt Disney Company relies on AWS as its preferred public cloud infrastructure provider to support the explosive growth of Disney+, which quickly surpassed 100 […]
Poor collaboration holding back digital transformation projects in Europe
Netskope, the leading security cloud, has revealed startling new research showing a major breakdown in collaboration between two of the central components of the IT team – networking and security. While 45 per cent of European security and networking teams sit within the same larger group and report to the same boss, 43 per cent […]
First open end-to-end software solution for additive manufacturing
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and Authentise have partnered to extend the Additive Manufacturing (AM) control loop from the machine level to connect the end-to-end value chain from design, manufacturing operations and quality assurance to make additive manufacturing more predictable, repeatable and traceable. Data from shopfloor manufacturing operations, engineering data from the design phase, materials properties […]
Enhancing enterprise AI applications
C3 AI and Yokogawa Electric Corporation have announced that Yokogawa has selected the C3 AI Suite as a platform to enhance enterprise AI applications and complement its digital transformation solutions and services for industrial customers. Yokogawa signed a multi-year agreement enabling the company and its wholly owned subsidiary, KBC, to deploy the C3 AI Suite with […]
Integration of digital twin platform announced
Bentley Systems, the infrastructure engineering software company, has announced that it is developing applications using the NVIDIA Omniverse platform for photorealistic, real-time visualization and simulation of digital twins of massive-scale industrial and civil infrastructure projects. Bentley Systems has extended the Bentley iTwin platform to integrate with NVIDIA Omniverse to provide a graphics pipeline for AI-enhanced, […]
Cobot wins prestigious Best of the Best Red Dot award
ABB’s GoFa cobot was awarded the prestigious Red Dot Best of the Best design award in recognition of its unique design concept to make the new robot appealing and accessible to users. The global Red Dot Design Awards recognize achievements in product design, with the jury assessing thousands of entries every year. Red Dot’s “Best […]
Metals and mining accelerates on digital strategy but still trailing in execution
Research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has revealed that digital investments made by metals and mining companies fall far short of their potential, with companies up to 40 per cent less digitally mature than comparable industries, such as automotive or chemicals. The same findings uncovered to what extent digital boosts performance across metals and mining […]
Expanding spatial computing capabilities
PTC has announced the newest addition to its Vuforia augmented reality (AR) enterprise platform, the Vuforia Engine Area Targets offering – the first offering in the market to support the creations of immersive AR experiences for spaces up to 300,000 square feet. Through the use of Area Targets, industrial organisations can create AR interfaces within […]
New smart condition monitoring solution with IIoT sensors for industrial plants
Siemens is presenting Sitrans SCM IQ, a new Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solution for Smart Condition Monitoring, at the Hannover Messe 2021. It enables potential incidents to be detected and prevented at an early stage, thus reducing maintenance costs and downtimes, and increasing plant performance by up to ten per cent. The wireless, robust […]
Cooperation on digital transformation for die casting
To support their goal of manufacturing quality parts, Toyota Industries Corporation and Siemens have cooperated to develop artificial intelligence (AI) that can predict product abnormalities in aluminium die casting, a key process in automotive air conditioning compressor production. The development is one of the world’s first to use defect prediction AI for die casting. It […]
Insights and automated explanations to help democratize data science
Tableau, the world’s leading analytics platform, has introduced Business Science, a new class of AI-powered analytics that lowers the barrier to data science techniques, enabling business users and analysts to make smarter decisions faster. In a market where agility is the ultimate competitive advantage, Business Science empowers more people with data, with simplified model creation, predictions, […]
Collaboration to support Internet of Things data management service announced
Percona, a leader in open source database software and services, has announced that Mi-C3, a specialist in digital transformation solutions and real-time data management, has signed with Percona for Support and Consulting Services around its critical PostgreSQL databases in their flagship product, Affectli. Mi-C3 implements and manages a powerful Business Operating System and digital transformation […]
Facilitating Change: The smart benefits of going green
Matthew Margetts, director of sales and marketing at Smarter Technologies explains why now is the time to act towards the goal of zero carbon and go green. The UN Paris Agreement in 2015 aimed to limit the average rise in global temperatures to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, trying to keep the increase below 1.5°C. Since […]
Sector Report: Food and beverage – Farming on the up and up
Vertical Future is a high-growth technology company, headquartered in London, that specialises in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) – a sub-sector of vertical farming. The company’s holistic approach to engineering, technology, plant science, and automation create a set of technology value propositions in a sector that is experiencing tremendous growth, currently worth as much as $80 […]
The growing imperative of sourcing sustainable data centre capacity
Most people in an organisation think about their data centre very infrequently, if at all. It is like water in the sink or electricity behind the light switch; it is there, serving a critical purpose that gets taken for granted when all is going well. However, CEOs ignore data centres at their peril: data centres […]
Autonomous Operations – Humans need not apply
Autonomous manufacturing has been spoken about for some time. With the maturation of technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning and the advent of dynamic, real-time digital twins, the pieces would all seem to be in place. But is the sector ready to take that step and cut humans entirely out of the process? […]
Sector Report: Food and beverage – A connected approach to food safety
Food safety has been high on the global agenda for some time, with the UN estimating in 2019 that a staggering 600 million people fall ill after eating contaminated food each year, leading to around 420,000 deaths. Research published earlier this year by the Food Standards Agency revealed that around 2.4 million cases of foodborne […]
Taking baby steps on the path to autonomous operations
It seems that autonomous operations are finally within our grasp with the maturation of the various component technologies. But does that mean we are about to enter the autonomous age? Connected Technology Solutions spoke to Grant Coffin, technology consultant team lead of Rockwell Automation, for his views. Is autonomous operation still an ambition? I probably […]
Sector Report: Food and beverage – A circular ambition for post-consumer waste
SAP and Topolytics are working on the COP26 Waste Insights Project, which will unify and analyse data from consumer goods, retailers, waste managers, investors, NGOs and local government. According to a SAP Qualtrics WEF Survey at DAVOS 2020, 61 per cent of people globally do not have access to or know how to use recycling infrastructure. […]
Sector Report: Food and Beverage – A tale of five challenges
Enterprise software company, Infors, outline the top five issues that food and beverage manufacturers currently face. The high-level issues facing food and beverage manufacturers today might feel like the same challenges the industry has been dealing with for years, but the context in which these challenges exist has changed dramatically. Consumer demand for greater product […]
Roundtable – Digital Twins
The popularity of digital twin technology has grown exponentially over the past few years, with its manufacturing and supply chain role continuing to expand at scale. Connected Technology Solutions gathered three of the sector’s leading experts of the technology – John J Roffel, global solution architect, Honeywell Connected Industrial, Mark Coates, strategic industry engagements director, […]
The new digital normal sales paradigm
Although the food industry experienced a massive surge in e-commerce because of COVID-19, it is still unfortunately behind the curve when it comes to digital transformation of the customer experience at the increasingly multiple points of sale. Planning in the current climate is consuming management teams across the whole food supply chain, just as the […]
When smart meets legacy
One of the challenges that manufacturers face when starting their digitisation journey is how to deal with legacy machines. Much of this equipment predates the digital evolution and lack the sensors and network capability required to integrate into a smart factory. But a tactic of rip and replace is not the only option, as Connected […]
Digitally transforming businesses with robotic process automation
Dr Paul Rivers, managing director of Guidance Automation highlights how robotic process automation (RPA) is an area of technology that will continue to drive business transformation, but only if implemented correctly. Robotic process automation (RPA) is an IT solution which brings both humans and software together to find ways of streamlining mundane processes, in turn, […]
Magnetic levitation shuttle system drives transition to adaptive manufacturing
ABB is partnering with Canada’s PMI to expand its machine automation offering: The integration of PMI’s magnetic levitation technology into the company’s Machine Automation Division’s (B&R) portfolio will accelerate industry’s transition from strictly linear production to an open, adaptive manufacturing space. This will support B&R customers in the transition to highly flexible and precise manufacturing […]
The increasing importance of alternative data
Or Lenchner, CEO of online data collection platform Bright Data, talks about why transparency and ethical data collection are mission-critical elements to organisations, the increasing importance of alternative data, and why he credits surfing to helping him guide his decision-making through the Covid-19 pandemic. Tell us about your journey in the tech sector and […]
The Interconnectivity of 5G and cloud: Unlocking the door to enterprise VR
Lucas San Pedro, CTO, Immerse explains how 5G and cloud computing can herald a new era of virtual reality. The workplace has changed beyond recognition in the last year, and business leaders are recognising the need to revolutionise their training methods to equip their teams for an uncertain future. As traditional classroom-based training models become […]
Driving value engineering with targeted technology
Digital transformation is important for smaller engineering firms – but a one-size-fits-all approach is not the answer. Chris Joy, Operations Director at Tadcaster-based engineering firm Tadweld, outlines what digital transformation means in the real world. It is vital in every industry to make the most of technology and innovation, and few more so than engineering. […]
Close to the Edge
Gartner defines edge computing as a part of a distributed computing topology in which information processing is located close to the edge – where things and people produce or consume that information. For manufacturing, which deals in huge amounts of data that ability to collect, analyse and act upon data close to the process can […]
A step into the unknown
Richard Farrell, chief innovation officer at Netcall explains why automation is the key to accelerating change in an increasingly uncertain marketplace. Whilst businesses continue to battle the ongoing ramifications of the pandemic, many are moving away from firefighting mode and thoughts have now turned to future planning. However, with further uncertainty ahead for UK businesses – […]
Building antifragility into manufacturing
Bill Murray, senior researcher and advisor, Leading Edge Forum, looks at how manufacturers can adapt to deal with future shocks. 2020 has tested the metal of manufacturers across the world and the global pandemic, without doubt, has been the biggest catalyst for digital transformation in the last five years. It has tested the agility of […]
Removing the pause button on digital transformation
Ben Barry, Director, Coeus Consulting explains why the last 12 months highlighted the urgency of prioritising and accelerating programmes that focus directly on increasing revenues, improving customer experience, improving operational continuity, or optimising the current cost base – while pausing or stopping others. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations were already under immense pressure to increase the […]
Grounds for optimism after a turbulent two years
Maya Xiao, research analyst, Interact Analysis China gives an insight to their Collaborative Robot Market 2021–28 report In its latest report on the collaborative robot market, Interact Analysis has revised downwards the growth predictions made in our 2019 report. The main factor behind this downward revision is, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are other […]
Greater adoption urged of high-efficiency motors to combat climate change
In a new whitepaper, ABB has revealed potential for significant energy efficiency improvements in industry and infrastructure enabled by the latest and most high-efficiency motors and variable speed drives. ABB calls on governments and industry to accelerate adoption of the technology to help combat climate change. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), industry accounts […]
Global 2020 contraction lower than expected
The latest quarterly update to the Manufacturing Industry Output (MIO) Tracker from Interact Analysis reveals unexpectedly strong overall global manufacturing performance. This is an upward revision on the previous MIO updates. At the most pessimistic point, we forecast a -4 per cent contraction in industrial output for China. But the country’s rigorous suppression of the […]
Next generation cobots unlocks automation for new sectors
ABB is expanding its collaborative robot (cobots) portfolio with the new GoFa and SWIFTI cobot families, offering higher payloads and speeds, to complement YuMi and Single Arm YuMi in ABB’s cobot line-up. These stronger, faster and more capable cobots will accelerate the company’s expansion in high-growth segments including electronics, healthcare, consumer goods, logistics and food […]
5G solution providers sign up to a new joint programme
Eight 5G solution providers have joined the SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre (SONIC), a joint programme between Digital Catapult and Ofcom to test interoperability and integration of open networking solutions. SONIC begins with Open RAN and focuses on open software-centric networking. SONIC will be operational from May 2021, coupling laboratory capabilities with real world indoor […]
Condition-based maintenance service for fleet and individual robot assessments
ABB‘s new Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) service enables robot users to create a preventive maintenance schedule for individual or robot fleets based on real-time operational data, to optimize productivity and minimize downtime. CBM uses real-time data on robot operations to help identify any potential issues that could affect performance, including duty, speed, acceleration, and gearbox wear. […]
Firms could realise significant business benefits by shifting their real-time decision making
New research from KX reveals that a majority of firms (90 per cent) plan to increase investment in real-time analytics solutions over the next three to five years. Additionally, nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of organizations believe having access to real-time data is critical to making smarter business decisions, while over three-quarters (78 per cent) […]
Partnership platform to deliver virtual reality training solutions
Two of the UK’s recognised leaders in enterprise virtual reality, technology platform provider Immerse and learning content studio, Make Real Ltd, have formed a partnership to enable enterprise organisations to access a library of virtual reality training content that will be available through the Immerse Platform. Only 14 per cent of the world’s major companies […]
PTC technology accelerates Watson-Marlow’s digital transformation plans
One of the world’s leading manufacturers of peristaltic pumps, and associated fluid path technologies is accelerating its digital transformation by signing a major new deal with PTC. Watson Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG), with multiple sites in the UK and more than 1700 employees globally, has invested in Augmented Reality (AR) technology to combat the restraints […]
Comms365 announces winning bid for Geospatial Commission transport innovation competition
Comms365, the innovative network services and IoT infrastructure company, announces it has been selected as a winner of the Geospatial Commission’s transport innovation competition. In partnership with Innovate UK, the Geospatial Commission is funding winners of the £2 million transport location data competition, which looks at how location data can inspire innovation and support the future […]
Speedy robotics makes magnet placement 60 times faster
A labour-intensive process to position powerful permanent magnets onto large generators for offshore wind has been made 60 times faster by automation experts at the University of Sheffield AMRC, cutting down the cycle time from one hour to just 55 seconds for each magnet. Magnetic gear technology company Magnomatics wants to explore how robotic technologies […]
Data shifts that are steering business strategy
Felix Marx, CEO at Truata, gives us insight to data-driven organizations grappling with the complexities of data legislation and how the dynamics of the workplace have been jolted into a new era. The proliferation of data that organizations have at their disposal renders meaningless unless they can acclimatize to the new, privacy-focused world that consumers […]
2021 set to be a golden age for data
2021 will undoubtedly bring a new set of organisational challenges but for now business leaders are taking solace in the fact that, as vaccine rollouts begin to gather pace, there is light at the end of the tunnel, from the past 12 months of turmoil. In doing so, operational planning is increasingly moving out of […]
MIT researchers and engineers launch Butlr
San Francisco based designers and engineers have launched Butlr, a technology company that captures and analyzes human dynamics. A spin-off from the MIT Media Lab, Butlr uses a mix of wireless, battery-powered hardware and artificial intelligence to provide real time data on an individual’s movement and motion trajectory, body temperature and behavior without violating privacy. […]
PTC delivers home schooling boost for pupils
Thousands of school pupils studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have been given a welcome boost with their online learning through PTC’s Onshape Education plan. With its UK base in Farnborough, the digital technology specialist has been using its expertise to help support children during the ongoing pandemic and has equipped them with the latest CAD software so […]
New rugged technology aimed at manufacturing and automotive industries
Getac has announced the launch of its next-generation S410, a highly configurable, semi-rugged laptop aimed at manufacturing and automotive professionals working in challenging environments. The new S410 offers upgraded all-day performance, a brilliant new display and enhanced memory and processing power, all in Getac’s market-proven form factor. Key features include the 11th Generation Intel Core […]
Three tips for effective business messaging during the pandemic
Almost half of UK businesses have increased their customer communication efforts in response to COVID-19 according to new research, as firms look to respond to the array of challenges presented across industries over the past ten months. With less face to face communication compared to pre-pandemic levels, and other unprecedented shifts such as the rise […]
Cost-effective monitoring and protection for smaller plant
Sensonics have been working with industry for nearly 40 years, developing effective and affordable monitoring and protection devices including those for smaller items of plant where the need for low-cost sensors which offer direct connection via 4-20mA current loop, is more important than ever. However, matching this type of product to the application is not […]
H2O.ai launches H2O AI Hybrid Cloud
An innovative new platform, H2O AI Hybrid Cloud, empowers anyone to innovate and use AI to make better forecasts, streamline operations, reduce risk, and personalize customer experiences. It contains capabilities and automation across the entire data science lifecycle, including connecting to and preparing data, building and explaining models, deploying and operating models, and building and […]
Managing data privacy in the post pandemic business landscape
Pedro Martins, IT expert at Totality Services, looks at how the pandemic will impact data privacy throughout 2021. Thursday 28th January marks Data Privacy Day, an international effort to empower individuals and encourage businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust. With 2021 set to present us with new challenges and ways of working, […]