Automation + Control

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), celebrated annually on 23 June, is a global campaign to honour the achievements of women engineers and inspire the next generation. This year’s theme, #TogetherWeEngineer, highlights the power of collaboration and inclusion in building the future of engineering. One of the companies that supports women in engineering is Bühler Johannesburg and this year it shared the stories of three young women whose journeys with the company demonstrate resilience, excellence, and the spirit of unity.

Energy chain specialist, igus, has introduced its new ‘glide-chain’ which has been developed specifically for gliding applications with travels of up to 30 m, as is the case with indoor cranes, for example. Its slim design enables cost savings of 30 to 40%.

Neopak, a leading manufacturer of containerboard and paper products, has renewed its partnership with global technology company ABB, to upgrade the existing automation system at its Rosslyn Paper Mill in Pretoria, South Africa. At the mill, Neopak produces a variety of paper grades, including high-performance recycled liner and fluting, paper bags, core board, and plasterboard – essential materials for local industry applications such as building hardware, converters, and corrugators for packaging.

Near the end of last year, the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association International (MESA) worked with Tech-Clarity, Inc. to investigate and understand the maturity of artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing and best practices for manufacturers to achieve rapid business value.

Following over 25 years of successful in-house panel production and 12 years of expertise in multi-touch design, Beckhoff is introducing a new smart panel design: the Next multi-touch panel generation. With its revised electronics concept and standardised connection solution for electronics and mechanics, this device platform maintains Beckhoff’s established technological lead and builds on it. The consistently high quality of Beckhoff Control Panels and Panel PCs is combined with an optimised price/performance ratio.