Timo Okkonen has been appointed managing director of Vacon UK, succeeding Stephen Takhar, who is stepping down after running the business for more than 15 years. Takhar will remain with the AC drives company, with responsibilities in sales and marketing and to help ensure a smooth transition.
A group of leading UK-based automation companies – including B&R Automation, igus, Kiesling, Omron, Phoenix Contact, Schneider Electric and Weidmuller – are joining forces to explain Industry 4.0 and its implications at an event at Leicester’s National Space Centre on 28 January. The event has been organised by Eplan, which will also be launching a knowledge-based programme for optimising engineering efficiency, called Eplan Experience, which made its debut at the recent SPS IPC Drives show in Germany.
Rockwell Automation has announced the appointment of Bill Dennison as its new sales director for UK and Ireland. He has previously held senior positions in Honeywell International (in both EMEA and global roles), as well working for several specialist software companies in the process, oil and gas markets.
The US bearing manufacturer Timken is buying the assets of the UK-based bearing manufacturer Revolvo from the Dutch group Eriks, which acquired the business when it bought Wyko in 2006. Revolvo, located in Dudley, West Midlands, specialises in manufacturing split roller bearings (SRBs) for applications in process and heavy industries. In 2013, it posted sales worth around $8.3m. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The UK-based linear motion specialist Hepcomotion has acquired the automation specialist, Severn Automation, located in Telford, Shropshire. The new business will trade as HepcoAutomation, and will keep Severn’s existing staff and premises. No details of the transaction have been revealed.
The fan technology manufacturer Torin-Sifan has opened a centre of excellence dedicated to designing, developing and producing high-efficiency EC (electronically commutated) motors and fans. The company has created 25 new jobs at the 2,320m2 (25,000ft2) facility, mainly in advanced and applications engineering for its EC products.
The product compliance specialist TÜV SÜD is warning machine-builders who use wireless modules in their products, that they may be selling non-compliant equipment.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has announced that Naomi Climer, president of Sony Media Cloud Services, will become its president on 1 October 2015. She will be the first female president in the Institution’s 143-year history.
The machine safety specialist Safety Systems Technology (SST) has divested itself from TÜV SÜD, which acquired the business in 2010, alongside Laidler Associates. SST will now operate again as an independent company, based in Halifax.
Siemens has formed a partnership with the qualifications body OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) to tackle the skills gap in UK engineering and manufacturing. They are developing joint education resources for 14-16 year olds and will deliver a curriculum for schools designed to increase the skills of prospective engineers.
Total manufacturing output from the UK is now slightly higher than it was in the late 1970s, despite a dramatic fall in the number of people working in the sector, according to a new analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But the figures also chart how manufacturing has declined in size relative to other sectors, from 36% of the economy in 1948 to around 10% in 2013.
The South Korean automation manufacturer LSIS has set up a UK operation to support its products, which include VSDs, motors, PLCs, HMIs, servodrives, smart I/O and Scada software. The Milton Keynes-based-business will be managed by Brian Mayne who previously ran IMO’s PLC and HMIs division.
A third of SME bosses in the UK manufacturing sector take less than two weeks of holiday a year, according to a new survey. And of those that do take holiday, almost a fifth are in constant contact with their offices while on holiday.
Six of the ten highest starting salaries for UK university graduates are for those with engineering degrees, according to the 2015 edition of The Times Good University Guide.
Britain’s manufacturers have set out their priorities for the next government to drive better balanced growth, boost trade and investment and, deliver long-term economic security.
