February 2019

GLOBAL SALES OF low-voltage motors to the process sector have been growing faster than those to the discrete industries, according to a new report from IHS Markit. It says that LV motor revenues from the process sector grew by 4% between 2016 and 2017, generating $3.7bn in sales, and will reach $4.4bn by 2022. In terms of global growth, the process industries outpaced discrete industries by around 1%, with the oil and gas, and water and wastewater, industries accounting for almost half of all LV motor sales to the process sector during 2017. In 2016, the global LV motor market contracted. The process industries were hit the hardest, due largely to depressed oil prices and an oversupply in the projects business. In 2017, the market recovered, especially in the oil and gas sector, with the process industries growing faster than the discrete industries. This trend continued in 2018, with LV motor sales to the process sector thought to have expanded by 9.1% – compared to 6.1% in 2017. Rising oil prices led to a strong rebound in the oil and gas industry, and large projects that had previously been put on hold have been given the go-ahead to capitalise on the growth. Most of the purchasing was for projects in the Middle East and the US. LV motor sales to the water and wastewater industry have also experienced modest growth, with revenues expanding by an estimated 3.7% during 2017. Half of the sales of LV motors to the process sector are by four vendors – ABB, Wolong, Siemens and WEG. Other players with a smaller, but “considerable”, presence include Regal Beloit and Nidec. https://technology.ihs.com NEWS 4 February 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com Senseye , the Southampton- based developer of predictive maintenance software has formed an alliance with the Telford manufacturing systems integrator, Iconsys , to offer a digital maintenance service that will provide everything that manufacturers need for automated condition monitoring and predictive maintenance across their plants, including the collection, storing and automatic analysis of data. Senseye says that some users of its technology have halved unplanned downtime and cut maintenance costs by up to 40%. www.senseye.io www.iconsys.co.uk The global factory automation market was worth $190bn in 2017 and will reach $368bn by 2025 – a CAGR of 8.8% – according to a new study from Allied Market Research . It says that Europe was the largest regional market in 2017, with 35.5% of the global business, and that Scada was the best-selling technology, accounting for 22% of revenues and forecast to grow with a CAGR of 9.1% from 2018–2025. www.alliedmarketresearch.com The German switchgear and sensor manufacturer steute Schaltgeräte has renamed itself steute Technologies to mark it evolution into a supplier of sensor networks and intelligent MMI systems for complex applications in the industrial and medical fields. Bonfiglioli , the Italianmanufacturer of gearboxes, gearmotors and drive systems, has inaugurated a 10,000m 2 production line in Forlì, based on Industry 4.0 principles, to produce electric axles and drives for vehicles. The line, which can produce up to 25,000 items per year, each weighing 70–1,200kg, has been designed for flexibility and incorporates technologies such as collaborative robots, AGVs andmachine vision systems. Energy- efficient measures such as LED lighting and a rooftop solar electric plant are expected to save 1MW a year. The giant US-based materials-handling organisation The Crosby Group has acquired the Hampshire-based load cell and force measurement equipment manufacturer, Straightpoint UK (SP) , for an undisclosed sum. SP’s plant and headquarters will become Coby’s centre of excellence for load monitoring and measurement, and SP’s former CEO, David Ayling, will oversee sales, marketing and product development for the load- monitoring equipment. The global market for industrial control and factory automation equipment was worth $160bn last year, and will reach almost £270bn by 20124 – a CAGR of 9% – according to a new report from MarketsandMarkets . www.marketsandmarkets.com The global market for industrial gearboxes was worth $11.5bn in 2017 and will expand to around $29.2bn by 2024 – a CAGR of 14.25% – according to a new report from Zion Market Research . One factor driving the market is manufacturers seeking precision with the help of automation. One factor holding it back is the high cost of maintenance. www.zionmarketresearch.com Revenues and growth rates for the global low-voltage motors market (Source: IHS Markit) LV motor sales to process sector outstrip those to discrete industries DANFOSS IS BUYING the US electric drivetrain specialist UQM Technologies in a cash transaction worth around $100m, including the assumption of UQM’s debts. Danfoss says that UQM’s expertise in motors and inverters up to 250kW for electric, hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric propulsion systems, “adds an important and complementary technology to our current product range”. UQM, whose headquarters are in Colorado, has more than 50 years of experience in electric propulsion systems and fuel cell compressor drives. It will become part of the Danfoss Power Solutions. Explaining the reasons for the purchase, Danfoss’ president and CEO, Kim Fausing, said: “We see a fast-growing demand for electric solutions within buses and trucks, off-highway vehicles and the marine market in response to the more stringent emissions regulations being imposed in these markets, as well as efficiency and productivity gains that these solutions bring.” UQM’s president and CEO, Joe Mitchell, says that his company’s products, business model, strategy and focus are “closely aligned”with those of Danfoss. “Being part of a larger global enterprise will greatly improve our position to compete with other international players, open doors to new markets, and provide critical resources for UQM to continue developing the highly- engineered electric propulsion products we’re known for today.” UQM offers matched packages of motor/generators, inverters and proprietary control software that it claims optimise performance and offer “the highest torque, power density and efficiency in the industry”. Smart switching and adaptive software result in high efficiencies, lower-cost hardware and compact dimensions. Peak motor-and-inverter efficiencies exceed 95% and are said to be higher than 90% for most of the efficiency map. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019. Danfoss buys US electric drivetrain developer UQM in $100m deal