Around the Industry

Distributors from across Europe converged at Electrolube’s headquarters in the UK to get a roadmap on the forthcoming year and learn about innovative new products launching for the first time at Productronica this month. Leading global electro-chemical manufacturer, Electrolube welcomed 29 delegates from countries including Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Finland, Germany and France to find out about the exciting developments the company has in the pipeline and learn more about the products through technical discussions and presentations.

Edbro Poland has continued to grow its presence in the market with the opening of a new warehouse located in the centre of the country. Following on from the successful launch last year of a national service centre network, this is the next step for the company in developing its delivery and service capabilities in country and throughout Eastern Europe.

LPRS announces the appointment of Sandie Sharples to the board of directors to take on the role of Client Services Director. This new position reflects the great importance LPRS puts on customer service, from design to delivery and beyond. Sandie comments: “Our customer surveys show that it is our service that really sets us apart from our competitors. We can assist our customers with design, implementation and manufacturing and like to be full partners in every project we undertake.” Sandie will manage key accounts and oversee the recruitment of additional distributors worldwide to further grow sales of their UK designed and manufactured market leading eRA wireless communication modules.

Amaechi Oduah has joined Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems Division to head up its marketing and communications activities. He has over a decade’s experience in the telecommunications, electrical and electronic manufacturing sector and gained his education at the University of Greenwich. He explains that moving into automation was a strategic decision, as manufacturing is set to be one of the best growth sectors in the medium and long term.

As a part of its strategy to drive organic growth through geographical expansion and to offer customers local support, globally, Beijer Electronics now opens a subsidiary in São Paulo, Brazil. The new subsidiary will sell and market the complete range of Beijer Electronics products including operator panels, industrial PCs as well as industrial networking products. Furthermore, the subsidiary which opens today will take full responsibility for the Brazilian market handling sales and customer support locally.

Kingfisher Industrial is helping process companies across all industry sectors to get more life from their plants, reduce maintenance and improve productivity. The company has published a series of industry- specific brochures that highlight the benefits of employing wear protection to new or existing plant, giving users 10- year or even 20- year life from their installations.

Manufacturing is re-emerging as a leading economic growth engine after a rather quiet summer. However this sector alone is not big enough to pull the whole of the UK back into good times. So says Mark Ingham, sales manager at Sensor Technology Ltd in Banbury, one of the innovating yet commercially aware companies identified by politicians as vital for ‘rebalancing the economy’.

Eaton is delighted to announce that it was awarded Innovative Residential/Domestic Product of the Year at this year’s Electrical Industry Awards. Eaton’s Trading Standards and Policy Manager, Kevin Harris, also won the award for Outstanding Contribution to Electrical Excellence. Additionally, Eaton was highly commended in the Innovative Power Product of the Year category. The awards were presented at a ceremony held in London on 20th October, which coincidentally, was also the eve of Eaton Corporation’s 100 year anniversary.

The Kerk RGS/RGW linear rail platform by Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions now includes a 180o folded-over motorized design. This design allows for a small footprint linear actuator system perfect for precision motion applications where space is at a premium.

A newly announced scheme to provide government funding for the automation of industrial processes needs to be carefully managed so that a nationwide strategy of continuous reinvestment develops. This is essential if the UK is to rebuild its manufacturing sector into a cornerstone of the economy. So says Barry Weller, a specialist robot engineer with Mitsubishi Electric, who thinks there is already evidence of a positive trend.