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Opinion: Robotic end-of-arm tools are shaping the manufacturing industry

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By Thomas Knudsen, general manager Northern Europe, OnRobot

Within a diverse and innovative sector like the manufacturing industry, flexibility is key.

Robotics, a key enabler of this, has already taken this industry by storm, allowing factories worldwide to automate more and more tasks, cutting costs and increasing productivity.

However, simple automation is no longer enough. Manufacturers now require unique automation solutions for each specific production environment, to tackle the talent shortage they are facing, but can’t redesign facilities for every different process and application.  [Read more…] about Opinion: Robotic end-of-arm tools are shaping the manufacturing industry

Nidec to buy Omron’s automotive business for $890 million

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Industrial components giant Nidec has agreed to acquire Omron’s automotive business, formally called “Omron Automotive Electronics”.

The two companies do not appear to have released the financial details of the agreement, but Nikkei is reporting that Nidec will pay $890 million for the company.

The share transfer will be executed after obtaining necessary approval and satisfying other conditions. It is projected to occur by the end of October.  [Read more…] about Nidec to buy Omron’s automotive business for $890 million

Foxconn boss Terry Gou considers automating the entire population of Taiwan

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Foxconn boss Terry Gou has confirmed that he is considering running for president in Taiwan’s general election next year, according to the South China Morning Post.

“I will decide in the next two days whether to run for president,” Gou told reporters at a seminar in Taipei earlier today. “I hardly slept last night thinking of the future of Taiwan and its security issues.”

He added that the 2020 presidential election will be “extremely critical in determining Taiwan’s future in the next 20 years in the political, defense and economic sectors”.  [Read more…] about Foxconn boss Terry Gou considers automating the entire population of Taiwan

Doosan Robotics signs up RG Group as first US distributor and integrator

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RG Group has become the first US company to agree on a distribution and integration partnership for Doosan’s collaborative robots.

Doosan Robotics says its collaborative robots can be useful in different industries and processes ranging from assembly and inspection to gluing and packaging.

The company claims to have “the world’s most diversified lineup of collaborative robots” which boast high-performance torque sensors and the industry-leading collision detection technology.  [Read more…] about Doosan Robotics signs up RG Group as first US distributor and integrator

NextShift Robotics receives patent for vertical lift capability in robotic picking

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NextShift Robotics, a provider of autonomous mobile robot solutions for automated order fulfilment and warehouse materials management, has been granted a second patent, US10214354B2, “Method and System for Automated Transport of Items”.

The patent pertains to operating a robotic picking system in which the containers to be picked are positioned on the shelves and within picking stations.

The patent covers the ability of the robot to raise itself vertically to access shelving of different heights in order to pick the appropriate container from a range of shelf heights and storage system configurations.

[Read more…] about NextShift Robotics receives patent for vertical lift capability in robotic picking

Top 10 product lifecycle management applications by install base

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Product lifecycle management software is mainly used to manage the design and manufacturing process. 

Actually it can help with other aspects of the process such as research and development and supply chain logistics. And if it’s connected to administration tools, such as customer relations management, usually referred to as CRM, and enterprise resource planning software, which is often called ERP, PLM systems can become even more powerful.

The PLM system originated in the 1980s in the auto-making business but is now used across a wide range of industries, but still mostly traditional manufacturing sectors.

The usage of PLM is growing, with several reports predicting the market for the software reaching approximately $65 billion to $75 billion by 2022.  [Read more…] about Top 10 product lifecycle management applications by install base

Baidu opens up its software to accelerate development of self-driving technology with 50 other companies in ‘autonomous driving ecosystem’

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Baidu self-driving car
Baidu self-driving car being showcased at a recent company conference

Baidu, which is China’s equivalent of Google, has accelerated the development of its self-driving technology by opening up its software to outside companies. 

The Chinese internet search giant has been building its autonomous vehicle operating system for quite some time, testing it on a variety of vehicles in China.

Now it will give away that software for free, probably in an effort to steal a march on global competitors such as Google, Apple and a growing number of other tech companies which are developing artificial intelligence systems which can drive cars all by themselves.  [Read more…] about Baidu opens up its software to accelerate development of self-driving technology with 50 other companies in ‘autonomous driving ecosystem’

North American robotics market growing and creating new types of work, says A3

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fanuc at hm 1

The fast-growing North American robotics and automation market is creating new kinds of jobs, according to the Association for Advancing Automation, or A3. 

The association says new technologies, such as collaborative robots and advanced vision systems are driving growth and diversity of employment in the sector.

Jeff Burnstein, who has a number of roles in the association including A3 president, says: “Automation technologies are fueling entirely new categories of jobs – really creating the jobs of the future – in addition to enabling companies to become more productive and create higher-quality products in safer environments.”  [Read more…] about North American robotics market growing and creating new types of work, says A3

World’s largest automotive companies and an intro to their autonomous and electric vehicle tech moves

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In the first of a series of articles about large industrial companies, we list 20 of the leading automakers in the world in order of their last reported annual revenue amount, and highlight some of their more interesting developments in autonomous technologies. 

Automakers are have long been the largest market for industrial robotics and automation systems, but also, more recently, the vehicles they produce have become more robotic.

The design and development of road vehicles are becoming increasingly an exercise in developing computing technology – both hardware and software. Add to that the growing importance of artificial intelligence to run the advanced driver assistance systems that many new cars already have. [Read more…] about World’s largest automotive companies and an intro to their autonomous and electric vehicle tech moves

Interview: Big data suggests there’s a trade war looming

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One of the wonders of the modern, computerised world is the emergence of data science. Data science is, arguably, at the heart of most successful businesses today, and its favourite food is big data. 

For Panjiva, data science and big data enables it to keep track of virtually all goods moving from one country to another, with a particular emphasis on the US market.

But while it might sound straightforward to some, the actual collation and preparation of the data, and then the presentation of it, is not a simple process.  [Read more…] about Interview: Big data suggests there’s a trade war looming