May 2019

LEADING EXPERTS on the food and beverage industry have been lined up for a one-day conference later this month that will examine the issues involved in bringing digitalisation to the sector. Called Demystifying the jargon: How to make the digitalisation transition , the conference will take place on 22 May at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham.  The aim is to provide a practical, jargon-free opportunity for those starting out on the digitalisation process to experience a complete smart roadmap, highlighting the stages on the 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) journey and covering all aspects of digital transformation. The speakers will discuss the practicalities, technologies and issues surrounding the transition to, and implementation of, digitalisation in the sector. For example, Matt Rayment, chief engineer for food and beverage at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, will focus on how producers can implement automation and digitalisation technologies that give them a competitive edge, and allow them to produce more efficiently. Other speakers will include: Victoria Montag, sector head for industrial automation at Gambica; Chris McComb, managing director of the Scottish systems integrator iTech; Keith Thornhill, head of food and beverage at Siemens Digital Factory for the UK and Ireland; and Steve Sands, Industry 4.0 spokesperson for Festo UK. A panel of experts will discuss the next steps in implementing digitalisation in the sector. All delegates will receive a certificate of attendance and gain CPD points through the CPD Certification Service. The event is being organised by DFA Media, which publishes Drives & Controls . The conference will run alongside the 2019 Motion & Control Industry Awards (MCIA). Two similar events for other sectors are planned for later in the year: the first, on 12 September in Coventry will focus on the automotive sector; the second, in Bristol on 6 November, will concentrate on the aerospace sector. https://www.smartconferences.org.uk May 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com 8 Smart Industry Conference: Food & Drink National Conference Centre, Birmingham, UK 22 May, 2019 The first in a series of one-day, sector- specific conferences with the shared theme: How tomake the digitalisation transition.The aim is to provide a practical, jargon-free introduction to digital transformation, especially for SMEs, many of whomneed guidance in this area. Speakers with practical experience of implementing digitalisation strategies will illustrate their talks with real-life case studies. www.smartmachinesandfactories.com 2019 UKIVA Machine Vision Conference and Exhibition Milton Keynes, UK 6 June, 2019 This will be the third year that the event has been run and it will follow a similar format to previous years, with a program of technical seminars supported by an exhibition featuring vision component manufacturers, vision component and system distributors and systems integrators. The 2019 conference will add a new theme, covering applications of vision in automation and robotics. www.machinevisionconference.co.uk Profinet, Profibus and IO-Link Seminar Manchester, UK 26 June, 2019 A free one-day training event organised by PI (Profibus and Profinet International) UK, with presentations and demonstrations by PI UK members. It will address practical issues arising from the use of digital communications in automated manufacturing, with particular attention to Industry 4.0 and the IIoT. It will focus on practical aspects from system design and safety, to fault-finding and maintenance. It is free to preregistered delegates. http://links.events/profibus5 Smart Industry Conference: Automotive Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, Coventry, UK 12 September, 2019 The second in a series of one-day, sector- specific conferences with the shared theme: How tomake the digitalisation transition.The aim is to provide a practical, jargon-free introduction to digital transformation, especially for SMEs, many of which need guidance in this area. Speakers with practical experience of implementing digitalisation strategies will illustrate their talks with real-life case studies. www.smartmachinesandfactories.com EEMODS ‘19 Tokyo, Japan 17-19 September, 2019 The biennial International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Motor Driven Systems will bring together policymakers and energy efficiency experts from industry, research labs, universities and standardisation organisations from around the world to discuss energy efficiency policies and technologies used inmotor-driven systems such as pumps, compressors and fans. https://eemods19.org n NEWS Peter Voser (left) has been named as interim CEO of ABB, following Ulrich Spiesshofer ’s sudden decision last month to step down from the role which he had held since 2013. Voser will continue in his role as ABB’s chairman. A search has begun to find a new full-time CEO. Kelly Becker is Schneider Electric’s new country president for Ireland. She has been with Schneider for seven years, most recently as vice-president of its Power Solutions division in the US. In her new role, she will deliver Schneider’s EcoStruxure portfolio to the Irish market. She will report to Mike Hughes , president of Schneider’s UK and Ireland operation. Eaton has named Tim Darkes as president of its Corporate and Electrical Sector for EMEA. He succeeds Frank Campbell , who has retired. Darkes joined Eaton in 2017 as senior vice-president and general manager of its EMEA Power Quality, Emerging Markets and Electronics Division. He previously held senior roles at Honeywell and Novar. Gambica has recruited Sally Edgington to be sector head of its Test & Measurement Sector, as well as director of Axrem, the association for suppliers of medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment in the UK, for which Gambica provides the secretariat. Edgington, who previously worked at the British Healthcare Trades Association, succeeds Alan Birks , who retired at the end of March. Dr Ulrich Nass has been appointed chief operating officer at NSK Europe. Before joining NSK, Nass held senior positions at Brose Group and Kiekert AG. He has a PhD on the wear of worm gears. The power resistor manufacturer Telema has appointed Andrew Keith , former engineering director at the group’s subsidiary company, Cressall Resistors, to be its new group product development director. In the newly created role, Keith will collaborate with companies across Telema, the world’s largest resistor manufacturing group, to develop a standardised range of load banks. He has been with Cressall since 2007. Event will examine digitalisation in the food & bev sector Leading experts on the food and beverage industry have been lined up for a one-day conference later this month