March 2020

THE SWEDISH INDUSTRIAL group Atlas Copco has launched a €1.09bn (£930m) cash bid for the German machine vision manufacturer Isra Vision, with the approval of Isra’s founder and CEO, Enis Ersü. Isra will keep its brand name and its headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, and will become the nucleus for a new machine vision division within Atlas Copco’s Industrial Technique business, which focuses on industrial automation systems, quality assurance products and industrial software. The acquisition is part of Atlas Copco’s strategy to strengthen its focus on technologies that enable digital manufacturing, and to satisfy the growing demands for quality inspection and flexible automation. It sees machine vision as a key technology that will allow its customers to digitalise their production activities. Isra specialises in machine vision systems with technologies for surface inspection, and 3D vision for robot guidance, quality inspection and metrology. It has two business lines – industrial automation and surface vision. The company has more than 800 employees working at 25 locations around the world. In 2018/19, Isra generated revenues of €154m and an Ebit of around €34m. Over the past ten years, the company has delivered a CAGR of 9% in terms of revenues. “Surface inspection and 3D machine vision are part of Atlas Copco’s long-term strategy,” says Henrik Elmin, president of its Industrial Technique business. “Isra Vision has a strong brand and market position, a highly regarded technological expertise, as well as a solid financial track record. Isra’s founder and CEO Enis Ersü, describes Atlas Copco as “the committed and long-term owner I have been looking for to give Isra Vision a platform for further growth.” He has agreed to stay on as CEO to facilitate the integration. March 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 Industry 4.0 Summit & Expo 31 March – 1 April, 2020 Manchester Central Convention Complex The Summit brings together business leaders to share knowledge and discuss the digital transformation of manufacturing.The previous event attractedmore than 400 delegates from 40 countries. Running in parallel, the Industry 4.0 Expo showcases products and services for Industry 4.0, IIoT, smart factories and the future of manufacturing. www.industry40summit.com 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 andmotion 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 Practical Aspects of Profinet, Profibus and IO-Link 28 April, 2020 National Conference Centre, Solihull This free-to-attend seminar will address practical issues arising from the use of digital technologies in automated manufacturing and process applications, with particular attention being paid to Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). http://bit.ly/PUK28April 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 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 Atlas Copco bids €1.09bn for Isra to create vision division Isra Vision's technologies include 3D vision systems designed to be mounted on robot arms UNIVERSAL ROBOTS (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) have acquired a 50,000m 2 site in Odense, Denmark, where – with the financial backing of their joint US parent company, Teradyne – they are planning to invest $36m to build “the world’s largest hub for collaborative robots (cobots)”. The new hub – announced by Denmark’s minister of industry, business and financial affairs, Simon Kollerup – will support Teradyne’s mission to further strengthen the leads that UR and MiR have already established worldwide. The two companies are the flagships in the thriving Danish robotics industry. They will share 32,000m 2 (334,000ft 2 ) of space in Odense’s industrial district, close to UR’s current headquarters, which will also become part of the new hub. “MiR and UR are leading the world in the collaborative robot revolution that’s making automation solutions available to companies of all sizes,” says Teradyne’s president and CEO, Mark Jagiela. “Teradyne continues to invest aggressively in the development of new products, solutions, and sales channels and this new facility is a key part of our growth strategy. To date, Teradyne has invested more than $500m in the two Danish robotic companies, both of which are growing rapidly. Over the past year, MiR has taken on 100 new employees, while UR has added 280 new members of staff over the past two years. Today, the companies have 160 and 450employees in Denmark. Worldwide, UR employs almost 700 people and MiR around 220. The companies will continue as separate entities. They aim to create an environment that will help to attract new employees to facilitate their growth, which is expected to continue in the coming years. Some 8,500 people now work in the Danish robotics industry, 3,900 of them in Odense. Danish robotics companies’ revenues rose by 18% in 2018 to reach $995m, with exports soaring by 26%. Just 15 years ago Denmark did not have a significant robotics industry. The analyst, ABI Research, predicts that the global cobot market will be worth almost $12bn by 2030. $36mDanish investment will create ‘world’s largest cobot hub’