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Huawei links up with GE Digital to offer industrial cloud solution

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Huawei and GE Digital are partnering to jointly launch their industrial cloud-based predictive maintenance solution. 

In an interview with Robotics and Automation News, Catherine Du, Huawei’s director of marketing, said the company is looking to increase its share of the nascent but fast-growing sector of business.

“Huawei is one of the leading ICT vendors,” said Du. “We supply a wide range of technologies to the market, from Big Data to IoT, so we feel that now is the right time for us to reach out to the industrial space and build new partnerships.”

And although Huawei’s current focus is on the industrial market, the company is looking to promote its brand globally going forward, in the wider business-to-business market and in the consumer space, says Du.  [Read more…] about Huawei links up with GE Digital to offer industrial cloud solution

Kuka agrees deal with Beet on IoT

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beet analytics video still

Kuka has agreed a deal with Beet Analytics as part of robot maker’s Industrie 4.0 strategy.

Kuka will now be able to offer Beet’s industrial IoT technology as another tool in their Industrie 4.0 eco-system and to offer Beet technology on Kuka solutions.

Ronny Chiang, president Beet analytics technology, says: “We are excited to work with Kuka, whose global industrial leadership in automation systems will further strengthen Beet’s presence in the global market. This will allow OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] to access Beet IoT solutions with a respected and established leader standing behind it.”  [Read more…] about Kuka agrees deal with Beet on IoT

SAP and Kuka partner to design the ‘factory of the future’

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SAP and Kuka say they will work together around Industrial 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to develop more flexible and automated production processes.

Both companies want to collaborate, particularly in the areas of manufacturing, mechanical engineering and the automotive sector.

The integration of Kuka robots into SAP’s digital manufacturing is based on standard protocols such as OPC Unified Architecture.

In addition, Kuka and SAP plan to provide Kuka robot applications based on the SAP Leonardo IoT platform.  [Read more…] about SAP and Kuka partner to design the ‘factory of the future’

Designworks collaborates with Shell to improve hydrogen refuelling

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Ergonomic nozzle of Shell H2 Dispenser Concept_ by Designworks

BMW Group subsidiary Designworks and Shell have collaborated in the development of an innovative hydrogen dispenser that will improve the refuelling experience.

Designworks and Shell say that hydrogen vehicles have proved to be “increasingly suitable” for everyday use and offer the potential to become an important low carbon transport option for the future.

The new dispenser design will create a seamless experience for hydrogen drivers on the forecourt and help to encourage the adoption of hydrogen as a transport fuel of the future.  [Read more…] about Designworks collaborates with Shell to improve hydrogen refuelling

Tend claims launch of first ‘smart cloud’ to enable remote control of robots

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tend.ai in.control

Tend says its new in.control platform is the first smart cloud robotics platform for remote control, monitoring and analysis of production lines. 

Tend announced it has introduced the first hardware-agnostic, smart cloud robotics software platform that allows manufacturers to remotely control, monitor and analyze the performance of their robots and production equipment from their mobile devices.

Tend’s in.control – short for “intelligent control” – software has made smart manufacturing simple and accessible for companies of all sizes, allowing them to monitor and control any robot, tending any machine, from any location.  [Read more…] about Tend claims launch of first ‘smart cloud’ to enable remote control of robots

Groupe PSA and nuTonomy partner to test autonomous Peugeot cars in Singapore

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nutonomy peugeot

Driverless car software developer nuTonomy will integrate its self-driving software and sensor system into the new Peugeot 3008 for on-road testing later this year.

The ultimate goal of the partnership between the two companies is the deployment of thousands of fully autonomous cars in cities worldwide.

nuTonomy and Groupe PSA– which owns the Peugeot brand – say the system will initially use the Peugeot 3008s for on-road testing of fully autonomous cars in Singapore. The Peugeot 3008 was recently named 2017 European Car of the Year.

Under the initial phase of the partnership, nuTonomy will install its software, along with specialized sensors and computing platforms, into Peugeot 3008 vehicles that have been customized by PSA’s innovation teams.  [Read more…] about Groupe PSA and nuTonomy partner to test autonomous Peugeot cars in Singapore

Apple to invest $1 billion in advanced manufacturing companies in the US

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By Stephen Nellis, Reuters

Apple plans to create a $1 billion fund to invest in US companies that perform advanced manufacturing, chief executive officer Tim Cook said a few days ago, the iPhone maker’s latest effort to show how it is creating US jobs.

The Cupertino, California company will announce the fund’s first investment later in May, Cook said during an interview on CNBC.

Cook also said Apple plans to fund programs that could include teaching people how to write computer code to create apps, and will release more details about the effort this summer.

The announcements were the latest in a series of disclosures to highlight how Apple, the world’s largest company by market valuation, contributes to job creation in the United States. Apple came under fire from President Donald Trump during his campaign because it makes most of its products in China.  [Read more…] about Apple to invest $1 billion in advanced manufacturing companies in the US

China must take holistic approach to future of Hong Kong

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Hong-Kong_skyline

By Edward Tse, CEO of Gao Feng 

Hong Kong’s government has a reputation for being inward-looking when it comes to formulating policies.

Prior to the 1997 handover, such an approach was acceptable and made sense, as Hong Kong was separated from mainland China.

However, interactions between the city and mainland have significantly increased since the handover.

The government must now take a more holistic approach to understanding the overall developments on the mainland and their implications for the future of Hong Kong.

A case in point is Hong Kong’s land use planning.  [Read more…] about China must take holistic approach to future of Hong Kong

Emerson launches new control module for industrial machines

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emerson IO-Link valve

Company says new component provides Industry 4.0 diagnostics for pneumatics through direct digital control 

Emerson have expanded the ASCO Numatics 580 Series fieldbus electronics platform with the introduction of an IO-Link communication option.

The company says the new IO-Link module is for use with the ASCO Numatics 500 Series valve islands, and will allow machine automation designers a convenient, cost effective and reliable solution for solenoid valve control through direct digital data communication with the machine controller plus the ability for event-based and I/O mapped diagnostics – both important predictive maintenance requirements for Industry 4.0.

The 580 Series IO-Link is compatible with the full range of 501, 502 and 503 Series valve islands which offer from 400 to 1400 l/min flow rates in valve sizes of 11, 18 and 26 mm.  [Read more…] about Emerson launches new control module for industrial machines

Robotiq launches program templates for Universal Robots machines

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Robotiq says its new templates simplify the implementation of many common applications in robotics and automation.

Robotiq says its new tools to help collaborative robots beginners save a lot of time, especially in programming their robots.

Program templates are now available and ready to be downloaded on Robotiq’s online resource center. The templates simplify the robot’s programming so it can be put to task in a record time, says the company.  [Read more…] about Robotiq launches program templates for Universal Robots machines