November/December 2019

THE JAPANESE drives-maker Fuji Electric has announced a pair of multi-purpose variable-speed drives as part of a concerted effort to boost its presence in the UK market. After being represented in the UK by distributors for many years, Fuji set up its own UK office three years ago, headed by industry veteran, Stuart Cardall, who was previously UK sales manager for B&R and earlier in his career worked for IMO. Initially, the Bedford-based UK operation (part of Fuji’s €111m turnover European business) focused on drives for lifts and cranes, but now it is promoting its general-purpose drives as well as taking on project work, particularly in environmental applications such as vertical farming, bio-digesters, solar pumping, and water purification and desalination. It is also supplying complete drives cabinets with high IP ratings, built in Europe. One factor that differentiates Fuji from most other drives-makers it that it develops and manufactures its own IGBT power semiconductor modules, which it also sells to rivals. This allows it to stay at the cutting edge of semiconductor technology. For example, it is developing silicon carbide (SiC) devices which, it says, will cut commutation losses by 28%. Fuji’s latest drives for the UK market are its : n the Frenic-Ace (FRN-E2), which spans ratings from 0.1–315kW and incorporates customisable logic of up to 200 steps; and n the Frenic-Mini drive, spanning ratings from 0.1– 15kW, and claimed to have the fastest CPU in its class. There is also a variant of the Frenic-Ace dedicated to HVAC and building automation applications. This version, called Frenic-Ace-H, includes PID and multi-pump controls, and a fire mode for extracting smoke in emergencies. In addition to its drives products, Fuji is also promoting its HMIs in the UK and has recently launched a new range of widescreen HMIs that can be monitored and controlled remotely (see page 58). November/December 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 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 Hannover Fair 2020 20-24 April 2020 Hannover, Germany The industrial mega-showwill host around 6,000 exhibitors fromaround the world, presenting a wide array of industrial technologies. Among themany themes and topics being highlighted at the 2020 Fair are robotics, artificial intelligence, logistics and data security. www.hannovermesse.de 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 UKIVA Machine Vision Conference and Exhibition 14 May, 2020 Milton Keynes The annual event which has grown year- on-year since its inception in 2017 will, for the first time, include a panel discussion session where a group of experts will answer questions on all aspects of machine vision. The event will otherwise follow a similar format to previous years, with a programme of technical seminars supported by an exhibition. www.machinevisionconference.co.uk Automatica 2020 and Sensor Show 16–19 June 2020 Munich, Germany For the first time, an application-oriented sensor technology exhibition and congress will be integrated into the Automatica automation and robotics event. The aim is to increase the focus on sensor, test and measurement technologies, and to cover areas that will attract new visitors. www.automatica-munich.com n NEWS Dr Ulrich Nass has been made CEO of NSK Europe, succeeding Masatada Fumoto . In February 2019, Nass was appointed NSK’s chief operating officer and began to transform the organisation for the future. NSK is the world’s third-largest bearings-maker. MichelleMoore has been appointed to the new role of head of sales at the Blackburn-based automation spare parts and repairs supplier, Northern Industrial. She brings 13 years of sales experience and will coordinate sales for customers in the 146 countries to which the company exports. The servo gearbox supplier, Apex Dynamics, has appointed Andrew Parsons as its national sales manager. This is the first of several key appointments aimed at boosting the company’s sales team as part of its strategy to establish itself as a major UK player and to expand its global sales network. Dave Hawley , ABB’s Northern European regional sales manager for Motors and Generators, is the new honorary president of the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT). He says that his aim during his term in office will be to make the AEMT a thought-leader for its industry. Japanese drive-maker sets its sights on the UK market Fuji Electric’s UK manager, Stuart Cardall, is hoping the raise the company’s profile in the UK THE GLOBAL MARKET for high-efficiency low-voltage aluminium motors is expanding by around 5% per year and will reach $5.8bn by 2027, when 14 million of these machines will be sold, according to a new report from Transparency Market Research. It says that Europe was the largest market for these motors in 2018, and predicts that it will hold this position over the forecast period from 2019-2027. Europe’s dominance of the market is attributed to growing demand for electronic products and for food and beverage applications. According to Transparency, motors with ratings up to 7.5kW account for more than a third of the European market. The most common aluminium motors, with more than a third of the global market, are induction types. The increasing use of these motors in LV electronic goods is boosting demand. • In a separate report, Transparency predicts that the global market for soft-starters will expand by an average of 7% per year over the period 2019-2017. The largest markets are North America and Europe, and three-phase soft-starters account for more than three quarters of the global market. The biggest application area is compressors, followed by escalators and lifts. Expanding aluminium LV motor sales will hit $5.8bn by 2017