HAP 0921

NEWS Rockwell Automation, Inc. has completed the acquisition of Plex Systems, the cloud-native smart manufacturing platform. Plex offers what is claimed to be the only single-instance, multi- tenant Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) manufacturing platform operating at scale, including advanced manufacturing execution systems, quality, and supply chain management capabilities. It has over 700 customers and manages more than 8 billion transactions per day. Plex will be reported as part of Rockwell’s Software and Control operating segment which provides hardware and software offerings for the design, operation and maintenance of production automation and management systems. “Plex Systems joins Rockwell at the perfect time, as more customers are starting to move their industrial applications to the cloud,” says Blake Moret, chairman and CEO of Rockwell Automation. “Plex’s software capabilities will be further differentiated by Rockwell’s global market access, complementary industry expertise and ability to turn real-time data into actionable insights. This will allow us to better serve our customers with cloud-native solutions that are easy to implement, use, and maintain. We are excited to complete this acquisition and welcome Plex and its employees into Rockwell.” Bringing smart manufacturing to life “Rockwell’s industrial and digital transformation leadership along with its geographic and industry scale make it the ideal home for the entire Plex Systems community of customers, partners and employees,” says Bill Berutti, CEO of Plex Systems. “We are eager to integrate our Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform with Rockwell’s FactoryTalk suite to deliver on our commitment to optimise our customers’ operations and bring smart manufacturing to life.” Plex delivers value to customers in high-volume, highly repetitive discrete and process manufacturing sectors such as automotive parts, metal fabrication, electronics, food & beverage and aerospace. Together with the advanced, cloud-native asset maintenance and management capabilities provided by Rockwell’s earlier acquisiton of Fiix, the combined offering is a good fit for customers in industries such as life sciences and consumer packaged goods that are focused on complying with regulatory requirements and meeting consumer expectations in areas including product quality, safety and sustainability. Rockwell Automation completes acquisition of Plex Systems 6 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS September 2021 www.hpmag.co.uk Brammer Buck & Hickman, a Rubix company and the UK supplier of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products and services, has opened a new East Midlands Hub, formed from the merger of its Nottingham and Leicester branches in to a larger, single, more accessible location. The East Midlands Hub, adjacent to East Midlands Airport, is considerably larger than either of the previous branches, enabling a wider range of stock to be held on site for instant customer access and choice. The location of the new premises - Unit 440 Air Cargo Centre, Argosy Road, East Midlands Airport, DE74 25A - is also beneficial, with easy access straight on to the M1, M42, A6 and A42 for maximum customer convenience. Customer service All staff – including all the sales teams and delivery and vending drivers from both the Nottingham and Leicester branches – will continue to serve customers as before. Customers can continue to use all the same contact details as before, although a new telephone number, 01332 300825, is in operation, along with a new email address eastmidlands@bbh-rubix.com . Existing numbers and emails will be redirected and will continue to work. “We are delighted to be able to better serve customers across the East Midlands, including the busy Nottingham and Leicester branches, with this new hub,” comments Geoff Cox, area director, Rubix UK. “It enables us to provide our customers across the East Midlands region with an improved single source service. I’d like to thank all our colleagues who have worked so hard to make this move happen. We are open for business now and, when it’s safe to do so, we will be celebrating with an open day for customers to get a tour of the new site and facilities. We are very much looking forward to seeing them.” For information on Rubix in the UK visit https://uk.rubix.com/ Brammer Buck & Hickman opens new East Midlands hub