Omron targets safety top slot with new brand
Omron has set its sights on becoming the global leader in the machine safety market. Following its acquisition last September of the US safety specialist Scientific Technologies Incorporated (STI), it has adapted STI’s initials to create a new brand, also called STI – but now standing for Safety, Innovation and Technology. Omron says that the new brand reflects its desire "to prompt a revolution in the field of machine safeguarding".
The global machine safety market that Omron is targeting is worth around $940m, and is estimated to be growing at an annual rate of around 15%. The company hopes to grab pole position in this market through a combination of advanced sensing, control and networking technologies, and high-level product support. It says it is aiming to help customers to create safer workplaces, and thus to improve their productivity.
The first product to carry the new STI banner is an easy-to-use two-zone laser scanner (shown above). If a worker enters a warning zone surrounding a dangerous area, an alert signal is triggered. If they then carry on into a danger zone, the machine shuts down automatically.
