Installation Testers with free Digital Multimeter & Software. - Until 30th June 2020 and while stocks last, Fluke UK is offering two 1660 Series Multifunction Installation Testers with a free Digital Multimeter (DMM) plus data management software. The Fluke 1664 UK-DMM comprises a 1664 FC Multifunction Installation Tester with a free Fluke 115 DMM plus free Fluke DMS Data Management Software; the Fluke 1663 UK-DMM comprises a 1663 Multifunction Installation Tester with a free Fluke 114 DMM plus free Fluke DMS Data Management Software.

Strategic obsolescence management. - The rapid spread of the Corona virus (Covid-19) puts a massive strain on both the German and international economies. Long before the current crisis, STW has developed a service that reduces the default risks to a minimum and guarantees long-term availability of STW components through component and obsolescence management. This means STW remains able to deliver its products.

Industrial Gigabit PoE+ switch. - UBF hold a wide range of injectors (midspan) and switches (endspan) for Fast Ethernet PoE and Gigabit Ethernet PoE according to the standards IEEE 802.3af, IEEE 802.3at and IEEE 802.3bt, which are also available with extended temperature range.

The death has been announced of David Hearn, past MD of Stemmer Imaging UK. RIP

Reinforcing the Open Integration network. - The Endress+Hauser Open Integration partner program unites 13 manufacturers that want to ensure the streamlined interaction of their products. Softing Industrial Automation joined the partner network at the beginning of the year.

Automation Supplier Revenues Flatten in 2019 - Automation suppliers saw revenue intake slow slightly over the course of 2019, posting a drop of slightly under a third of a percentage point overall; Q4 revenues slipped by nearly 1 percent. Order activity in 2019 cooled, dropping by just over half a percent for both the year and Q4. Process-centric suppliers saw 3.4 percent growth throughout the year, while discrete supplier revenues dropped by nearly 5 percent. The investment climate for automation projects in many discrete industries in Asia remained subdued. (ARC Advisory Overview)

Coast with the rolls! - In Europe's biggest roller coaster, the Helix at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg (S), POG 10 HeavyDuty incremental encoders from Baumer monitor the speed of the carrriage's drive as it approaches the start ramp. The HeavyDuty technology guarantees high reliability and precision under extreme environmental conditions – serving up both thrills and reassuring safety for riders.

LED and Light Guide mounting. - Essentra Components have seen that for approximately the last three decades LEDs have taken over from incandescents in electronic equipment, then in higher power electrical applications and most recently of course in domestic/public decorative lighting and general illumination. Drawing on their many years of worldwide experience in this field, they have produced an "LED Light Guide for product and panel building"

Wireless accelerometer. - Scalable, reliable and more compact wireless sensors for remote condition monitoring help companies get the most from their assets by minimizing downtime, maximizing availability and reducing installation costs. Further, enhanced condition monitoring systems are key to improving the uptime of machinery. To provide this level of performance in critical machinery in industrial applications, TE Connectivity has designed the 8911 wireless accelerometer.

PIM analysis over fibre. - The IQ fibre Master™ MT2780A multi-port CPRI-based RF and PIM analyser just introduced by Anritsu, is the first instrument to perform true PIM analysis over fibre and present RF spectrum results derived from IQ data.

Applying data science to hazard analysis - The use of standardized data structures that are already revolutionizing PHA documentation. Extending these standardized data structures will allow the development of tools that can display a single set of data as a HAZOP worksheet, LOPA worksheet, or bow-tie diagram. (Edward M. Marszal, InTech Jan/Feb 2020)

Impact of COVID-19 on Industrial Markets - ARC Advisory have written many reports and completed several webcasts about the impact of the virus on industrial markets, we will be doing a lot more research and writing many reports over the coming weeks.

Tug-of-war: What does Brexit mean for EU and British chemical industry? - Brexit is sealed ... What’s next for the EU-British chemical industry? — Europe is the second largest chemicals producer in the world. With Britain now leaving the EU zone, what will this mean for chemical trade between the two sides? (PROCESS Worldwide)

Belfast seminar deferred to October 2020 - Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the planned Belfast Profibus seminar has been rescheduled to October. This event will address the key practical issues arising from the use of digital communications technologies in automated manufacturing and process industry applications, with particular attention to Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Picking apples for cider! - The SFM Samurai is a self-propelled apple harvester that harvests fallen fruit and is widely used in the cider production industry. With the capacity to harvest up to 100 tonnes of apples each day, the machine is designed for optimal navigation through the narrowest of orchard rows thanks to its SFM developed four-wheel steering system that uses Novotechnik RFC4800 series angle sensors, supplied by Variohm EuroSensor, to monitor each axle position to ensure complete front and rear wheel synchronisation.

Gas analyser manufacturer offers help! - The British Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has issued a call to manufacturers seeking support in the supply of ventilators and ventilator components as part of the response to Coronavirus. Despite a healthy order book for gas analysers, Signal Group has responded positively; formally expressing a willingness to help.

Seven Tips To Improve OT Cybersecurity - Extensive material has been published to advise operational leaders on cybersecurity issues and concerns. What is lacking, however, is a holistic view of the situation, as research suggests that technology alone cannot adequately manage cybersecurity risk. This white paper draws upon the insights of multiple ICS cybersecurity specialists from Honeywell, working in the industry for over 15 years. (Honeywell)

Precision sensor application development support. - TE Connectivity has announced today its integration with ADI MeasureWare, a plug and play suite of hardware measurement kits and software studio tools to help fulfill the growing need for precision measurement across multiple industries including precision agriculture, machine health monitoring, electrochemistry and other areas requiring precise measurement.

The latest in automation. - Marking the 20th anniversary of providing engineering, operations, maintenance, and business professionals with news, new product and technical information, the ISA subsidiary, Automation.com has launched a new website to provide easier access to essential content.

Designing connectors. - For the first time ever, users can now make customised adjustments to the housings of series-produced industrial interfaces by using the Han® Configurator, the Harting online tool for designing connectors. Cable entries can be modified and identifying letterings can be applied to hoods and housings.

Power analyser. - The WT5000, which is the flagship model of our power analyzer WT series, now offers greatly extended capabilities for companies measuring power consumption and efficiency as part of their development cycle.

Non-contact temperature measurement. - RS Components (RS) has introduced the new Fluke TiS20+ and TiS60+handheld infrared thermal imaging cameras. Offering easy one-handed fixed-focus image capture, these new Fluke infrared imagers are ideal for engineers and technicians new to thermal imaging, allowing accurate non-contact temperature measurement from a safe distance to reveal invisible thermal issues that cannot otherwise be detected.

Industrial Automation Jobs in the Making - Research by Salesleads, a company that tracks industrial companies that are planning construction, expansion, or relocation projects in North America, 435 new projects are in the works as of February 2020, an activity increase of 1% from the previous month.

ISM COVID-19 Survey: Impacts On Global Supply Chains - The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) revealed the first-round results of a survey focused on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) business and supply chain impacts. Notably, nearly 75 percent of companies report supply chain disruptions in some capacity due to coronavirus-related transportation restrictions, and more than 80 percent believe that their organization will experience some impact because of COVID-19 disruptions. Of those, one in six (16%) companies report adjusting revenue targets downward an average of 5.6 percent due to the coronavirus. (ARC Advisory)

Owen Bonner is Director of Sales and Operations for Werum, Ireland and UK.

Global provider of test and technology solutions consolodates. - Microlease, along with the Livingston brand and Electro Rent in Europe, have completed the consolidation of their European operations. The three companies will operate within the global Electro Rent Corporation as Electro Rent.

Rescheduled event: - The Emerson Users Exchange which was postponed due to the COFID-19 Pandemic, has been rescheduled to March 30th - April 1st, 2021. The venue will be the same: MiCo - Milano Convention Centre.

Probe for CO₂, Humidity, Temperature and Pressure - The EE872 from E+E Elektronik measures the CO₂ concentration up to 5 % (50 000 ppm) as well as relative humidity, temperature and ambient pressure. Additionally, the 4 in 1 probe also calculates the dew point temperature. It is perfectly suited for use in harsh and aggressive environment, such as agricultural applications.

Protecting customers and staff from COVID-19. - Anglia Components has put in place extensive measures to minimise the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on its customers and to protect its staff.

Space-saving and robust valves. - The new model IBM monoblock from WIKA is designed to be space-saving and robust. The compact instrumentation valve is optionally available with threaded connections angled at 90°, ball valves and/or needle valves.

Fibre optic fault locator. - For the localisation of fibre breaks, for continuity testing or for the identification of stressed fibre areas IMM Photonics offers different fibre test devices including adapters and fibre cleaners.

PSU with built-in redundancy. - The latest addition to the Puls Power Dimension CP Series is a ruggedised unit featuring an integrated high efficiency MOSFET based decoupling function for secure power N+1 redundant operation without the need for an external decoupling unit or use of inefficient "OR-ing" diodes.

Motion System. - The 2G Motion System is a servo solution from Kollmorgen, based on the latest thinking about single-source, systems-based design. The 2G Motion System was designed specifically to harness the performance capabilities of their AKD2G servo drive and AKM2G servo motor.

Panels and systems. - Moore Industries Instrument Panels and Systems engineering and design group is offering turnkey solutions for your process, automation or Safety Instrumented System (SIS) monitoring and control needs.

Network management enables greater security - A modern network management system is an important part of maintaining plant availability in threat situations, as part of defense-in-depth in conjunction with firewalls and other security components. Especially against increasing cyberattacks, a network management system can deliver a decisive advantage.

Switches ignition protection certified. - ZF Friedrichshafen AG has confirmed that approval has been received for the UL certificate for their NCKL2/8 applying to the D4 range of versatile miniature snap switches.

HMIs Open the OEM Machinery Aftermarket - New technology is making it possible for OEMs to re-engineer their processes and operations, better support their customers, and capture increasing aftermarket business.

Gas detector validated! - United Electric Controls has announced that its Vanguard WirelessHART Gas Detector is now HART Registered. This registration ensures that all WirelessHART users will be able to add Vanguard device drivers the next time they update their device descriptor (DD) libraries. It also assures users that they can add Vanguard systems to existing WirelessHART networks, seamlessly and securely.

Preparing for 5G in manufacturing. - Rittal is one of the first industrial players to receive a 5G frequency allocation. Before the end of the year, a private 5G mobile communications network will be installed in the new Haiger (D) plant. The first pilot projects, for example in production monitoring and analysis, have already been defined.

Coronavirus and automation - What is the coronavirus and why is it so scary? What can happen? A look at the impact of past disruptions on automation markets Global Market Development Where is the business cycle excluding the COVID-19 coronavirus? Process industries are doing well but flattening. Hybrid markets are up by low single digits. Discrete markets are in a downturn. Automotive-focused markets are at the mid of a downturn. We expect low point to be reached in Q2/Q3. Electronics and semiconductor are flattening and stabilizing. (ARC Special Report)

Coronavirus announcements. - As a result of the current situation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), Deutsche Messe is postponing HANNOVER MESSE, originally scheduled from April 20 to 24, 2020, to July 13 to 17 2020.

Leading-edge test and measurement kits. - RS Components (RS) is stocking a wide selection of products from Keysight Technologies, a world leading test and measurement equipment provider. These Keysight test and measurement devices are shipping now in the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions.

Sustainable Manufacturing Through Obsolescence - The amount of worldwide e-waste generation is expected to exceed 50 million tons by 2020. Americans specifically, throw away an estimated 55 billion USD in e-waste material each year. This article explains how manufacturers can achieve sustainable manufacturing through obsolescence management.

Temperature probes for food. - The B+B stainless steel, screw in probes are, due to their security, reliability and easy cleansing surfaces, excellently for applications at food industries. With their shockproof structure and the high tightness they are also suitable for negative and over pressure. All B+B screw in probes are spilled vapour proof and made of high quality stainless steel whose surcface satisfies the strict regulations of food industries.

Thumbs down on the digital revolution! - Is society collectively overdosing on the digital revolution? The lunacy in our industry, industrial automation, is ... maddening. We're collecting data by the bucketful (big, terabit bucketfuls). And mostly, it's going to waste. It's not normalized or scaled and the units are unknown – cloud companies are making fortunes managing these digital garbage dumps. Some 60-70% of IoT projects fail, but we're still being told that our choice is digital transformation or bankruptcy. (John S. Rinaldi - Real Time Automation).

Multi laser engine for biophotonics & microscopy. - Toptica's iChrome CLE is a compact laser engine that combines four laser lines in one box. All integrated colors are provided via one polarization-maintaining single-mode fiber. It is available with 405, 488, 561 and 640 nm and more than 50 mW guaranteed output power after the fiber each.

Electronic components live! - Anglia has made a significant upgrade to Anglia Live making it one of the fastest, most flexible e-commerce sites in the electronics industry. The new site offers a host of new and enhanced features including a completely configurable parametric search, allowing customers to compare devices and guiding them towards the best solution for their design.

Intelligent process valve. - Bürkert has advanced the intelligent control of process valves with the introduction of the Type 8694, the first valve positioner on the market that offers an IO-Link digital communication interface.

Electrical tester. - Until 30th May 2020, Fluke is offering its Fluke T6-600 Electrical Tester at an approx. 18% reduction on the recommended retail price when purchased at one of its authorised distributors. The T6-600 features FieldSense Technology, which makes troubleshooting safer and more efficient by allowing electricians to take voltage and current measurements, not just detection, without test leads.

Passive harmonic filters - Schaffner has announced the extension of their well-known and best-in-class ecosine evo line passive harmonic filter series. The product continues to evolve, combining superior technology to reliably mitigate excessive harmonics with an innovative modular concept, to meet customer requirements.

The Industrial Cybersecurity Imperative - Executive Summary Industrial cybersecurity has always been and remains a moving target. Awareness of the challenge that cyber-attacks represent for industry, infrastructure, and the public sector has increased significantly over the last several years, along with associated investments. However, both the sophistication of the attacks and the number of possible attack vectors have also increased. Certainly, the large number of legacy systems designed and installed before the term, "secure by design," entered the popular lexicon remain particularly vulnerable. (Paul Miller - ARC Advisory)