September 2019

CONTROL TECHNIQUES HAS introduced a free five-year warranty on its Commander range of general-purpose drives. Anyone who buys one of these drives will be able to register to extend its warranty from two years to five, at no extra cost. The offer relates to the C200 and C300 general- purpose drives that CT launched last year when it reintroduced the Commander name. CT says that the move is testimony to the products’ reliability and durability. “To increase the warranty period for our Commander range signals our confidence in the product and gives drive users added security,” says Control Techniques’ president, Tony Pickering. “We are particularly proud to be in a position where we can offer this.” He adds that the move will allow CT to differentiate its products in what has become a commodity market with tight margins: “It gives the customers extra value.” The move has other benefits for Control Techniques too. “We’re attracting new distributors off the back of this,” Pickering reports. He adds that the requirement for customers to register for the extended warranty will give Control Techniques more information on who is using its drives, and where. For warranty claims on VSDs up to 7.5kW, the drives will probably be replaced. Larger models will be repaired. Control Techniques previously offered five-year warranties in the early 2000s. This generated a lot of growth, Pickering reports, “but at a cost”. The five-year warranties were dropped during Emerson’s ownership of Control Techniques. Depending on how the well the five-year warranty scheme works for the Commander range, Control Techniques may extend it to other items in its portfolio. But Pickering points out that when problems are reported for more complex drives such its Unidrive range, “the high probability is that it is due to ‘finger trouble’ ”. Pickering doesn’t know how much the five-year warranty will cost the company: “It’s an investment.” Control Techniques reintroduced the Commander name at the end of 2018, with the new C200 and C300 drives replacing the earlier Unidrive M200 and M300 models. The VSDs, which have been designed for ease of set-up and installation, span ratings from 0.25–132kW and are claimed to have the smallest footprint in their class. On-board PLCs remove the need for external controllers. For more complex applications, the drives are compatible with Control Techniques’ plug-in option modules. www.controltechniques.com September 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 Sensors & Instrumentation Live 25–26 September, 2019 NEC, Birmingham This year marks the tenth anniversary of the event and it will include several new attractions, including an Enterprise Hub, where representatives from engineering institutions and organisations including the IET, Make UK, Gambica and the EPSRC, will give presentations on topics such as funding, training, apprenticeships and standards. www.sensorsandinstrumentationlive.co.uk PPMA Total Show 2019 1–3 October, 2019 NEC, Birmingham, UK The UK’s largest processing and packaging machinery exhibition returns to the NEC. With more than 400 exhibitors and 1,600 brands, the event will showcase the latest products and systems in processing and packaging machinery, robotics and industrial vision systems. The show’s Enterprise Zone will offer visitors a focal point for networking, discovery and live debate. www.ppmatotalshow.co.uk Northern Manufacturing & Electronics 2019 2–3 October, 2019 EventCity, Manchester More than 250 are expected to take part in this regional event, exhibiting a range of components, production hardware and engineering services. There will be demonstrations of machinery such as 3D printing and five-axis machining systems. www.industrynorth.co.uk Demystifying the jargon: How to make the digitalisation transition 20 November, 2019 MTC, Coventry The conference, organised by the publisher of Drives & Controls and Smart Machines and Factories , will provide a practical, jargon-free opportunity to those starting out on the digital transformation process, to experience a complete roadmap. It will highlight the stages in the 4IR journey. www.smartconferences.org.uk SPS 26–28 November, 2019 Nuremberg, Germany The former SPS IPC Drives exhibition has been renamed SPS (smart production solutions) for the 2019 event. The organisers stress that while the name may have changed, the show’s focus areas will remain the same: smart and digital automation, from simple sensors to intelligent systems. www.sps-exhibition.com Drives & Controls 2020 21–23 April, 2020 NEC, Birmingham The UK’s leading event for drives, power transmission and motion control returns to the NEC. As well as an exhibition, the event will include a full conference programme and a live robotic demonstration area. It will run alongside the Mach, Air-Tech, Fluid Power & Systems, Smart Industry Expo, and Plant & Asset Management shows. www.drives-expo.com n NEWS The Manufacturing Technology Centre has appointed Sir David Brown as chairman, with effect from 1 October, succeeding Alex Stephenson , who has guided the MTC through a period of growth, while helping to deliver productivity to UK manufacturers in several sectors. During Sir David’s career, he has been chairman of both Motorola and BSI. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a past president of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Dalip Sharma has been appointed president and regional head of Delta Electronics’EMEA region. He will be based at Delta’s EMEA headquarters in the Netherlands. He was previously managing director of Delta India. He joined Delta in 2003 when it acquired his previous employer, Asco Energy Systems. The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has appointed Andrew Hodgson , Siemens’strategic lead for digitalisation, as vice-president of the association. He has been a member of the MTA board for several years and chairs its technical committee which looks at activities in advanced manufacturing technologies, such as additive manufacturing, automation and industry standards. TDK has added two new members to its TDK-Lambda UK board. Jonathan Scott (top, left) has been promoted to sales director at the power supply manufacturer, while TimPuttick (below) is its new manufacturing director. Scott has been instrumental in developing TDK’s UK sales for 13 years, while Puttick has been with the company for almost 15 years. Control Techniques extends VSD warranties to five years Pickering: giving customers extra value