Safety used to be treated somewhat as an afterthought, in that it was added as a separate system once all the other production equipment was in place. Nowadays, many manufacturers are seeing the benefits of integrated safety systems, in which safety features are designed into equipment from the very beginning.
In the past, companies leaned towards moving their operations to developing markets where they could cut costs by finding inexpensive labour.
Over the last two and a half centuries, industry has embraced change and transformation. Analysts now say that we are in the beginning stages of a fourth industrial revolution – Industry 4.0. This latest advancement enhances existing technologies and computer frameworks to make them smarter, more efficient and better connected.
The market for automobiles today is placing greater demand on the experience inside the vehicle, rather than simply the ability to get from Point A to Point B. Manufacturers are responding by incorporating expensive technologies to connect cars to the internet, and this is creating a need to cut costs in other ways.
RBT Electrical & Automation, located in Brantford, Ontario, provides a full service of electrical contracting along with providing automation and control services in the commercial and industrial sectors.
You’re redesigning a piece of machinery or implementing a new manufacturing line, and you need to select a safety control system to monitor all of your safeguarding devices. How do you choose the right controller?
In this first edition of the column I spoke with Nathalie Pilon, President of ABB in Canada. Nathalie is a true industry professional with over 20 years of experience as a nationally recognized business leader and was previously named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network. As the Canadian President of ABB Nathalie has deep knowledge of the industry and she here grants some insight into her perspectives regarding the automation and control industry in Canada.
When I talk to our customers, I do so with that experience and mindset. If we don’t deliver – we lose. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. It’s as simple as that. I just lived through a great example of this. Every morning I use our blender. One of the parts broke, and the manufacturer made it quite difficult and cumbersome to get a replacement.
Imaginations are running wild to transform what’s possible in industrial operations. And it’s all thanks to the merging of operational technology (OT) systems with IT systems to create connected, information-driven operations.
Whether due to a bustling economy, reshoring, better technology or a skilled- labor shortage, manufacturers are automating more than ever before. According to ASSEMBLY magazine’s annual Capital Equipment Spending Survey, 89 percent of U.S. factories employed manual assembly processes in 2009, while only 17 percent used fixed automation. A decade later, those numbers are decidedly different. In 2018, 77 percent of factories employed manual assembly processes, but 31 percent used fixed automation.
The automotive industry is currently dealing with major changes, including a shift towards globalized platforms and standardized vehicle architectures. Although this helps streamline production, it also means that a single flawed part could have a much broader impact than ever before. Spurred by the high cost of recalls, automotive production currently faces a complex and evolving regulatory landscape.
The market for safety sensors and switches in ASEAN countries is likely to grow by more than 8%, yearly, in 2019.
Electrical enclosures serve to protect electrical devices from adverse environmental influences, such as dirt, other particulates, moisture, or chemicals that could damage components. Plus, by housing electrical devices inside a secure enclosure or box, personnel are protected from electrical hazards such as electric shock, arc flash, and burns. However, electrical devices generate heat as a byproduct of their operation. When the heat load of the electrical devices within an enclosure exceeds the heat dissipation achieved through natural convection, the temperature inside the enclosure will rise.
The threat posed by cyber-attacks is highly problematic in the face of old systems and their data connections which lack their own protection mechanisms. This is where HARTING comes in with its MICA Edge Computer.
For almost a half a century Canal Marine & Industrial of St Catharines, Ontario has provided electrical design, engineering and services around the clock to the merchant marine, naval and coastguard fleets in Canada and the rest of the World. In recent years, Canal has become a leader in the design and supply of marine hybrid power and propulsion systems.
When a professional hockey player chooses his equipment, he doesn’t usually buy all of the items from just one manufacturer. He may, for example, choose a hockey stick from one company, skates from another and a helmet from a third. This is because the player has looked at all of the options and chosen the best equipment to get his best results.
This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.
