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Industrial Internet could boost global GDP by $10–15 trillion

The industrial Internet, predictive analytics and machine-human collaboration in the workplace, could save up to $20bn a year and create new jobs, and skills, according to a new report released by GE. The Industrial Internet at Work suggests that these developments could boost productivity, minimise unplanned downtime, and reduce the time taken to service complex machines by more than 300 million man-hours a year, saving industries around the world up to $20bn.

Yaskawa forms strategic cooperation with The Switch

The Japanese motion control and robotics supplier Yaskawa has entered a strategic cooperation with The Switch, a Finnish-based supplier of megawatt-scale permanent magnet generator and converter packages for wind power and other applications.

ABB sells Baldor generator-set business to Generac

ABB is selling Baldor’s generator-set business to the US-based generator manufacturer, Generac Holdings, because of “limited synergies with ABB’s core portfolio and because Generac is in a better position to create additional value from the business”. ABB acquired the Wisconsin-based business, which accounts for about 3% of Baldor’s total sales, when it bought Baldor Electric in 2011. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Bosch Rexroth sells its pneumatics business to Triton

Bosch Rexroth is selling its global pneumatics business, Rexroth Pneumatics, to the German-Scandinavian investor Triton, subject to approval by the antitrust authorities. The purchase price has not been disclosed.

EU manufacturing can be strong, but jobs won’t return

The decline in European manufacturing has slowed down, but the European Commission’s goal of raising manufacturing’s share of EU GDP from 16% to 20% is unlikely to be met, according to a new analysis of the future of manufacturing in Europe, published by the Bruegel economic think tank.

September growth ends Eurozone manufacturing recession

The Eurozone manufacturing sector expanded for the third straight month in September, maintaining its third-quarter growth and lifting the sector out of its long-running recession.

Siemens and Kuka join forces on machine tool robotics

Siemens Drive Technologies and Kuka Robots have announced a cooperation agreement centred on the integration of Kuka robots with Siemens CNC systems for machine tool applications.

Exports sustain European machine tool growth

Sales by Europe’s machine tool manufacturers grew by 8% in 2012 to reach a total of €22.6bn, according to figures released by Cecimo, the European Association of Machine Tool Industries. This growth was driven by a 14% surge in exports (which were worth €18.8bn), masking a stagnant domestic market.

Joint project aims to develop cyber-security certification

A group of almost 20 automation suppliers and users, including ABB, BP, Emerson, Phoenix Contact, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric and Yokogawa, have joined forces to develop a vendor-neutral cyber-security certification system for workers in critical industries.

The Fieldbus and Hart foundations get the urge to merge

The Fieldbus Foundation and the Hart Communication Foundation are discussing a possible merger to form a single body dedicated to intelligent device communications in process automation.

Invensys buys InduSoft to offer ‘largest range of automation software’

Invensy has acquired InduSoft, the Texas-based supplier of HMI and embedded intelligent device software for the automation market. The companies say that, together, they will be able to offer the largest range of industrial automation software products on the market, from HMI and embedded software, to high-end Scada and ERP and MES integration. The financial details of the transaction have not been revealed.

Integrated motor sales set to soar by 40% by 2017

Sales of motors with built-in electronic controls will increase by 40% by 2017, according to a new report from IMS Research, now part of IHS. The study suggests that revenues from these “integrated motors” will reach $553m by 2017, up from less than $400m in 2012.

Robot sales slide in Germany, Japan and the UK

Sales of industrial robots will fall in Germany, Japan and the UK during 2013, according to the latest analysis by the International Federation of Robotics. However, worldwide sales will rise by 2% to reach 162,000, and the IFR expects global sales to climb by an average of around 6% per year between 2014 and 2016, creating a market for more than 190,000 robots by 2016.

Swiss group buys German automation firm Jetter in €23m deal

The Swiss mechanical and vehicle engineering group Bucher Industries is buying the German automation specialist Jetter AG in a deal that values Jetter at about €23m. Bucher already has a stake of nearly 30% in Jetter which, in the past two years, has generated about half of its income from sales to Bucher group companies, with most of this coming from Bucher’s Emhart Glass subsidiary, which produces equipment for the glass container industry.

Colfax buys Fläkt Woods’ industrial fans business

The US-based Colfax Corporation is buying the Global Infrastructure and Industry (GII) business of the Fläkt Woods Group, subject to certain conditions. The deal values GII at €193m, including the assumption of debt.