RS Added Dozens of New Industry 4.0 and Electrical Solutions Suppliers in 2023
January 9, 2024
RS has added dozens of new Industry 4.0 and electrical solutions suppliers to its line card over the course of the last year, making it even more of a one‑stop shop for industrial customers across a range of industries and application areas.
The 39 new suppliers RS added in 2023 include some of the fastest‑growing and most innovative companies in the industrial marketplace. Thanks to this growing list of suppliers and an expansive warehouse, RS currently stocks more than 250,000 industrial, electrical, and electronic products from more than 700 trusted suppliers and has access to even more, including more than 73,000 industrial control products and more than 464,000 electrical products.
These new supplier partnerships provide RS customers with advanced solutions to common challenges that extend throughout the machine building, industrial manufacturing, food and beverage, medical and pharmaceutical, material handling and packaging, energy and utilities, and EV and alternative energy industries. They also provide customers with solutions to new and evolving challenges and demands elicited by the continued evolution and adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies.
RS added 16 new suppliers that can help customers revolutionize their facilities and processes with intelligent Industry 4.0 solutions, such as industrial control systems (ICS), which are used to electronically operate or automate industrial processes and can range in size from a small number of modular controllers to enormous control systems with thousands of field connections. Industry 4.0 and ICS solutions available at RS include contactors, control stations, controllers, disconnect switches, electronic and mechanical counters, inductive signal couplers, machine guarding and machine safety equipment, panel meters, power outlets, power transfer switches, robots, signal conditioning and converter devices, slip rings, solenoids, and timers. New Industry 4.0 suppliers at RS include:
- 80/20 Inc., which produces light‑ and heavy‑duty modular T‑slot aluminum framing system components ideal for building modular automation solutions, robotic arms, machine frames, guarding, enclosures, displays, and workstations.
- ABB Robotics, which offers a comprehensive and integrated portfolio of robotics, autonomous mobile robots, and machine automation solutions engineered to enable the future of flexible manufacturing and smart machines, including the GoFa CRB 15000 cobot.
- Beijer Electronics, which provides innovative, secure, and reliable hardware and software solutions designed to connect people and technologies and optimize essential processes across a range of industries. Solutions available at RS include intuitive industrial HMI solutions that support digitalization efforts and accelerate automation.
- Bosch Rexroth Assembly Technology, which delivers a versatile range of future‑proof production solutions extending from flow racks and frames made of aluminum profiles to ergonomic assembly workstations and conveyor systems for fully automated manufacturing lines.
- Bosch Rexroth Linear Motion Technology, which develops a wide range of safe, efficient, intelligent, and high‑performance drive and control solutions for automation applications.
- Endress+Hauser, which produces solutions for measuring, analyzing, and transmitting information about flow, level, pressure, and temperature processes and optimizing those processes in terms of economic efficiency, safety, and environmental impact. Solutions available at RS include panel meters, PC data acquisition tools, sensors, and thermometers.
- EXAIR, which offers compressed‑air‑operated products designed to solve common problems and improve overall efficiency in industrial facilities.
- HMS Industrial Networks, which creates secure, reliable, and intelligent industrial information and communication technologies — including connectors, antennas, wire and cable, power products, and test and measurement devices — that support wireless, cloud, and IIoT connectivity and enable valuable data collection and analytics that can help users increase productivity and sustainability.
- Lutronic, which develops connectors, wiring solutions, and sensors optimized for industrial automation applications. Solutions available at RS include a variety of sensor and actuator wires and high̽quality M8 and M12 connectors engineered for robust performance in power, signal, and data applications.
- LUTZE, which produces industrial automation products extending from connectors and wire and cable to power products, relays, and industrial control and communications solutions.
- Madison Company, which designs sensor and control technologies engineered for applications in the demanding chemical, food and beverage, oil and gas, HVAC‑R, marine, medical, off‑highway vehicle, and transportation industries. Solutions available at RS include sensors, reed switches, float switches, and liquid level switches.
- Niryo, which specializes in affordable, easily deployable, and user‑friendly cobots designed to democratize access to Industry 4.0 technologies.
- Phoenix Mecano, which offers an extensive selection of standard and specialized electrical and electronic enclosures, mechanical components, connection technology, keypads, and HMI solutions.
- ProSoft Technology, which develops industrial connectivity solutions that facilitate wired and wireless communication between dissimilar automation control equipment to allow legacy equipment users to leverage critical production data for better decision‑making.
- SKF USA Inc., which offers a wide range of reliable and energy‑efficient motion control technologies, including rolling bearings, linear motion products, actuation systems, and mechatronics, as well as bearing accessories and maintenance solutions, such as sealing products and lubrication systems, and condition monitoring devices including sensors.
- Testo, which produces electronic thermometers, data loggers, air velocity meters, humidity and dew point meters, refrigeration service analyzers, multifunction instruments, stack gas analyzers, air emission monitors, water analyzers, tachometers, thermal imagers, and sound, pressure, and light meters manufactured to ISO 9001 quality standards.
RS also expanded its selection of electrical products designed to make it easier and more economical for customers to get the most out of their new equipment and upgrade their legacy equipment; improve operator and equipment safety, production efficiency, output, and sustainability; and reduce energy consumption, operating costs, and unplanned downtime. The RS portfolio of electrical solutions includes wire, cable, and connector products, disconnect switches, motors, and motor controls, and circuit protection, power conditioning, and lighting products. New electrical solutions suppliers at RS include:
- Adam Tech, which offers a wide range of electromechanical components, cable assemblies, and custom component solutions.
- Astrodyne TDI, which develops highly reliable and durable EMI, EMC, and RF filters optimized to meet the demands of the industrial, aerospace, medical, military, and semiconductor manufacturing markets.
- Columbia Lighting, which provides a wide variety of specification‑ and commercial‑grade luminaries, including LED strip lights, wraparound lights, troffers, and flange kits.
- Compass, which offers economical and energy‑saving life‑safety lighting fixtures, including exit signs and emergency lights.
- Delta Electronics, which delivers energy‑efficient power and thermal management solutions, including AC drives and accessories.
- Dual‑Lite, which makes the industry’s broadest selection of commercial and industrial life‑safety lighting products.
- EXO Outdoor Lighting, which develops lighting solutions tailored to outdoor applications, including floodlights, wall‑mount lights, and Sling Series dusk‑to‑dawn LED luminaires.
- Goodyear Belts, which produces belts engineered to satisfy the rigorous power transmission demands of industrial motion control applications. Solutions available at RS include classic and narrow cogged and wrapped belts featuring highly engineered synthetic rubber compounds and proprietary adhesion layers for superior tensile strength and long‑lasting performance.
- HELUKABEL, which offers innovative, high‑quality, and reliable cable, wire, and accessories engineered for industrial, infrastructure, renewable energy, transportation, traffic, media, building, and event applications.
- ILME, which makes high‑quality and heavy‑duty configurable industrial connectivity products — including hoods, inserts, housings, and contacts — engineered for applications in the industrial automation, railway, marine equipment, robotics, and energy industries.
- Keystone Technologies, which manufactures a variety of lighting and lighting components engineered for simplicity, reliability, ease of use, efficacy, and enjoyment.
- Leeson and Marathon Motors, which offer a wide selection of the AC and DC motors essential for motion control applications.
- Meltric, which produces a full line of safe and reliable industrial plugs and receptacles, including multipin, high‑amperage, single‑pole, and hazardous location devices and its proprietary UL‑listed, switch‑rated devices, which combine the safety and functionality of a disconnect switch with the convenience of a plug and receptacle and can be safely connected and disconnected under full load.
- Mencom, which delivers high‑quality and cost‑effective custom and off‑the‑shelf electrical connectivity solutions engineered for a variety of demanding industrial electronics applications.
- MGM Transformer Company, which develops energy‑efficient transformers for sophisticated electrical infrastructure, drive isolation, traction duty, grounding, mining, and high‑rise building applications.
- NOSHOK, which creates innovative measurement solutions optimized for use in oil and gas, fluid power, general industrial, industrial automation, chemical processing, manufacturing, water and wastewater, and food and beverage applications.
- NX Lighting Controls, which offers wired, wireless, and hybrid connectivity solutions that operate on one platform.
- OptiFuse, which manufactures reliable overcurrent and over‑voltage protection products that safeguard circuitry in consumer and industrial electronics applications and emergency, heavy‑duty, recreational, and marine vehicles. Solutions available at RS include fuses, circuit breakers, fuse holders, and terminal covers.
- Remke, which provides an exceptional selection of metallic and non‑metallic cable grips and cord connectors in sizes extending from 3/8″ to 4″.
- Signify, which offers innovative, high‑quality, and high‑efficiency lighting solutions from brands including Philips, Day‑Brite CFI, Lightolier, Advance, Chloride, Hadco, and Stonco. Solutions available at RS include ballasts, drivers, recessed lighting, strip lighting, high‑bay lighting, outdoor lighting, LED bulbs, exit signs, emergency lighting, cables, brackets, and pendant hangers.
- Southwire, which produces roughly half of the cable used to transmit and distribute electricity in the United States, including heavy‑duty power supply cords and extension cords rated for a wide range of applications and operating temperatures and equipped with features including high‑visibility jackets, power indicator lights, and locking mechanisms.
- Switch Components, Inc., which offers innovative illuminated and non‑illuminated switches as well as a wide range of high‑quality AC and DC switch products engineered to serve the electrical, electronic, and transportation industries.
- Techflex, which develops a wide range of technologically advanced braided sleeving products used to bundle and protect cables, wires, and hoses in industrial, biomedical, aerospace, and automotive applications.
Several of these new Industry 4.0 and electrical suppliers also offer maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) solutions. To provide customers with an even more comprehensive slate of essential MRO solutions, RS added Kimberly‑Clark Professional, which offers a world‑class portfolio of trusted brands and innovative facility MRO products designed to make working environments healthier, safer, and more productive, including wipes, gloves, shop towels, and PPE, such as shoe covers, safety glasses, and gloves.