The 777 zinc-copper mine in Flin Flon, Manitoba is on the wane. After 15 years in production, the underground operation is expected to close in 2022 unless Hudbay Minerals discovers more ore. In order to keep the doors open as long as possible, the Toronto-based company is trying to find efficiencies to enhance the viability of the operation.
According to the market researchers at IDC (International Data Corporation), humans and machines could already be generating 175 zettabytes of data by 2025.
What do you do when you hear directly from installers that they’re frustrated with Ethernet cable connectors available in the marketplace?
Nowadays, software development accounts for a significant part of the engineering work in mechanical engineering. Software tools from the world of IT are playing an ever greater role too. For machine manufacturers, software is valuable intellectual property. After all, it is a product of their know-how which helps to maximize the productivity of machines and systems. Through software, they stand out from the competition and can offer individual customer variants in a cost-effective manner.
“We are experiencing a fundamental change in industrial production towards smart, intelligent processes – from initial planning and configuration, including commissioning and as ongoing operation and maintenance,” Henrik A. Schunk, Managing Partner and CEO of gripping system and clamping technology specialist SCHUNK stressed at the end of the SPS 2019.
Once upon a time, plant floors were isolated from the public network. But, today, all sorts of manufacturing technologies get connected to the internet, largely due to globalization and the resulting need to transfer more and more data via the web.
The rise of connectivity and connected devices has been a major focus and the driving factor behind advancing automation and control products and solutions. And while connectivity is a shining star in terms of creating efficiencies and growth, we are all aware of the darker side of connecting devices, namely the threat posed by nefarious individuals.
Jenny Ng is a Business Development Manager for the Power Solutions Division of Schneider Electric. Thus far, she has spent the whole of her career in the energy sector in various roles.
An automotive supply company with manufacturing facilities across Ontario faced a common but often overlooked problem with their approach to asset management. Due to the lack of a unified tool and centralized system, their current assets were not held to the level of security or organization required for such high value and sensitive materials.
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers are under increasing pressure to add more product variety – more sizes, more flavors, more combo options, you name it. To retain the loyalty of customers, it’s essential for CPG companies to remain highly adaptable to the whims of the market while successfully managing the complexity of SKU proliferation.
In times past, farmers were at the mercy of the elements to determine a successful yield of crops. As the global population grows and consumer preferences evolve, today’s modern farmer must also consider the scarcity of natural resources, the threat of climate change and the growing problem of food waste. Here, Darcy Simonis, Industry Network Leader for food and beverage at ABB, explores the rise of the smart farm and the electrical considerations that accompany bringing farming into the digital age.
As plant floors become more connected – from the equipment to the systems – the way manufacturers manage internal and external access to that technology is evolving. Digitization has myriad benefits, but it also comes with inherent risks, and IT/OT convergence doesn’t make it any easier. Every manufacturer should be concerned about the rise in ransomware and cyber attacks that have taken advantage of the vulnerabilities specific to the OT environment.
Anyone working in the electrical industry knows the importance of labelling for both safety and organization. But at times it can also be an additional step that can take time and possibly different products, or labelers need for various jobs or applications. However, Brother’s PT-E300VP Industrial labeller is a versatile label printer that provides all the necessary labelling needs to anyone industrial electrician. Read a review of the product from fellow electricians today.
On November 19, 2019 The German Technology Day hosted by Rittal, Eplan, Wago and Pilz was held in Mississauga. The event showcased a unique conversion of 4 companies in an effort that strongly resembles the collaborative efforts that German companies have largely embraced and is often showcased in European shows but has yet to be fully embraced in North America.
To keep up with the demands of today’s consumer-driven economy, manufacturers are increasingly adopting flexible production strategies. This can help companies be much more responsive to the whims of the market, but it creates some new challenges in its own right. Such challenges include reduced throughput, extra complexity and high installation costs.
Sometimes, when we’re presented with disruptive change – like we are today with the industrial IoT – we can learn a lot by looking to the past. For decades, industrial producers have built their production systems by turning to a mix of vendors – distributors, machine builders, system integrators and many others.
This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.
