October 2019

ABB HAS launched a condition-basedmaintenance service for drives that gives early warnings of abnormal conditions that might cause a premature failure. The service covers its ACS800 or ACS880 air- cooled drives used in critical applications in the oil and gas, metals, water and paper industries, where it is vital to avoid costly, unplanned shutdowns. The service will monitor key VSD components – such as fans, semiconductors and capacitors. Sensors will collect data on ambient temperatures and load variations on the components and assess their impact on the components’lifetimes. Cloud-based algorithms and statistical analyses will estimate stress levels on components and predict their remaining lives. If failure is likely before the next planned maintenance, users can take action to prevent a shutdown. The service could also reveal if the drive components are under less stress than normal and will last longer than expected, allowing maintenance intervals to be extended, thus cutting costs. The failure of a drive component can often be predicted one, or even two, years in advance, according to ABB. The accuracy of the remaining life prediction will vary according to the application. In an early trial of the new service in the steel industry, an IGBT in a drive a rolling mill was found to be working at a high stress level. Calculations showed that the component had reached the end of its useful life, but it was not replaced. Four months later it failed. www.abb.com October 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 The Future of Technology 19 November, 2019 MTC, Coventry A free event at which experts from the ManufacturingTechnology Centre will offer SMEs practical advice on how to improve their productivity. It will consist of a series of interactive workshops covering topics such as additive manufacturing, robotics and automation, and skills and training. Places are limited so prior registration is required. www.the-mtc.org/event-items/ future-of-manufacturing 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 smart roadmap. It will highligh the stages in the 4IR journey, covering all aspects of digital transformation across all UK manufacturing sectors. 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 Supporting UK high-value manufacturing 12 December, 2019 London, UK A half-day conference covering topics including innovation and investment, skills and partnerships, and the future for international trade. The speakers will include Stephen Phipson, CEO of Make UK, and Clare Porter, Head of Manufacturing at BEIS. www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2020 11–13 February, 2020 Farnborough, UK Around 800 exhibitors and 9,000 visitors are expected to attend the annual event which now takes place in the new 20,000m 2 Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, which offers easy access and free onsite parking. www.industrysouth.co.uk 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 a comprehensive 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 exhibitions. www.drives-expo.com n NEWS New service predicts when a drive is likely to fail ABB’s condition-based maintenance service could help to avoid unplanned downtime BSI has issued a free guide to help businesses to plan for digital transformation. Called PAS 1040:2019 Digital readiness – Adopting digital technologies in manufacturing – Guide , it will help them to assess and improve their readiness to adopt technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence), robotics, and the Internet of Things. The guide supports the UK’s Industrial Strategy and the Made Smarter Review by helping businesses of any size to understand the areas they need to develop to increase value from adopting industrial digital technologies. It has been estimated that the wider use of digital technologies could be worth £455bn to UK manufacturing over the coming decade, as well as delivering productivity improvements of up to 25%. The BSI PAS (Publicly Available Specification) offers guidance on identifying and understanding the factors to consider when planning and implementing the digital journey. It includes a standardised methodology for assessing the readiness of a business to adopt digital technologies. www.bsigroup.com Free BSI guide helps manufacturers to go digital Siemens CEO Maier retires early SIEMENS UK CEO, Juergen Maier, is taking early retirement at the age of 55 after 33 years with the company. He will be succeeded on 1 January, 2020, by Carl Ennis, currently UK & Ireland head of Products & Systems Sales for Siemens Smart Infrastructure. Maier says that the decision to retire was “very tough” but was “a matter of life balance. Whilst I have always thrived on the hard work and adrenaline that comes with my job, I also know that the body needs a little rest at times. So, early retirement feels right at this point, to re-charge my energy to then take on some exciting new opportunities to support UK industry. I suspect that won’t take me too long!” Maier has been a champion of British manufacturing and led the Government’s Made Smarter review. He says he remains “incredibly passionate” about supporting industry, and intends to continue to drive the Made Smarter initiative and serve as chairman of the Digital Catapult. “Whilst we know that the current political climate is incredibly challenging, that just makes me even more determined to ght for our industry’s future,” he said in a blog post. Maier has been CEO of Siemens UK since 2014. He was previosuly MD of Siemens industrial activities and manufacturing director of its drives factory in Congleton.