Emerson today introduced the new PACSystems™ IPC 2010 compact industrial computer (IPC), a rugged industrial computer designed to handle a wide range of machine and discrete part manufacturing automation applications. The new solution serves manufacturing sites and OEM machine builders that require rugged, compact, durable IPC to cost-effectively support their Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and other digital transformation initiatives. To this end, IPC 2010 comes pre-installed with the PACEdge™ Industrial Edge Platform and Movicon.NExT™ SCADA software elements to help users run applications quickly through browser-based configuration. The configuration included will maintain software updates and reactive maintenance, allowing for an optimal balance of user productivity and reliability. IPC 2010 runs industrial-grade Linux with serial and Ethernet connectivity and can be used as a communications gateway in a variety of topologies and as an edge computing device simultaneously or alone. IPC 2010 can be used as a flexible protocol converter (and has many other computing capabilities) for IIoT, edge, OT/IT convergence, HMI visualization, SCADA connectivity, digital transformation and other tasks. Its hardware and software are designed to be adaptable, versatile and scalable, delivering a standard and consistent user experience that is easy to use, powerful and backed by Emerson Lifecycle Services. The IPC 2010 has a compact form factor, a wider operating temperature range than other passively cooled IPCs, power consumption as low as 4 watts, and a rugged package that allows it to be mounted in almost any location. This product is cost-effective with no annual license fees and no basic update and cybersecurity update costs. Features such as Movicon Connext©, WebHMI and more can be activated or added at any time. “Many customers undergoing digital transformation want to test the waters first, discover value from edge-enabled applications, and slowly build trust.” William Paczkowski, IPC 2010 product manager for Emerson’s Discrete Automation business, revealed, “IPC 2010 is designed specifically as an economical solution with pre-installed software to provide customers with fast, cost-effective operation.” Emerson has incorporated IPC 2010 into a wide range of products including leak detection, compressed air monitoring, dosing systems, cloud-enabled services and other packaged solutions. This flexible industrial technology product will benefit customers with its advanced functionality.

A reporter from China Securities News learned that on January 25, the "Intelligent Manufacturing Manufacturing Solution Innovation Competition Launching Meeting" was held in Beijing. Guests attending the meeting witnessed and launched the Manufacturing Intelligent Solution Innovation Competition. This competition is jointly sponsored by the Central Enterprise Intelligent Manufacturing Collaborative Innovation Platform, the Chinese Expert Committee of the IEC Intelligent Manufacturing System Committee, the Institute of Comprehensive Technology and Economics of Mechanical Industry Instrumentation, and the China Economic Information Service of Xinhua News Agency. The kick-off meeting of the Manufacturing Intelligent Solution Innovation Competition. Photo source: Xinhua News Agency China Economic Information Service Intelligent manufacturing is becoming a key force in promoting the optimization and upgrading of the industrial system. In recent years, our country has accelerated the technological transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and increased the promotion of intelligent manufacturing. It has built 62 "lighthouse factories", accounting for 40% of the total number of "lighthouse factories" in the world, and cultivated 421 national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories, There are more than 10,000 provincial-level digital workshops and smart factories. According to reports, the first manufacturing intelligent solution innovation competition has the theme of "exploiting new productive forces and promoting new industrialization-innovation-driven and empowering intelligent manufacturing". It covers the upgrading of basic manufacturing capabilities, the optimization of key production links, the guarantee of core elements and resources, Intelligent testing equipment innovates 4 tracks. Each track has a first prize bonus of 100,000 yuan, a second prize bonus of 60,000 yuan, and a third prize bonus of 30,000 yuan. Among them, the basic manufacturing capacity upgrade track focuses on digital design simulation, equipment digitization, intelligent production lines, digital twin factories, high-performance industrial networks, etc. The key production link optimization track focuses on dynamic optimization of planning and scheduling, comprehensive quality control, in-factory intelligent logistics, equipment predictive operation and maintenance, intelligent operation decision-making, etc. The core element resource guarantee track focuses on smart supply chain collaboration, energy and carbon lean management and control, data resource management and application, industrial safety integrated management and control, artificial intelligence industrial application, etc. The intelligent testing equipment innovation track focuses on manufacturing process online testing equipment, product quality testing and traceability equipment, equipment operation testing equipment, production safety and environment monitoring equipment, etc.

ABB’s latest investment will accelerate research and development capabilities in software engineering and artificial intelligence-based applications, including machine learning and vision. The acquired company will serve as a new R&D center to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence solutions for ABB's Machinery Automation Business Unit (B&R), focusing on industries such as logistics and manufacturing. ABB announced on January 18 that it had agreed to acquire a majority stake in software service provider Meshmind to expand its research and development capabilities in the fields of artificial intelligence, industrial Internet of Things and machine vision. Through this acquisition, ABB will integrate engineering talent, artificial intelligence and software knowledge to form a new global R&D center to further accelerate the development of innovative automation solutions for its Machinery Automation Business Unit (B&R). An Shiming, President of ABB Group's Robotics and Discrete Automation Division, said: "Artificial intelligence-driven robots and automation can drive industry change and provide enterprises with greater flexibility and intelligence amid key global trends and workforce challenges. Through this acquisition , we will further accelerate the development of software and artificial intelligence solutions to make automation more adaptive and accessible, helping businesses of all sizes become more agile." About 50 employees of Meshmind will be integrated into B&R to expand the B&R team's R&D project boundaries through collaboration, including machine vision deep learning, AI-enabled engineering tools, and IoT application development. The projects will be conducted out of its offices in Sarajevo, Bosnia, which will also serve as B&R’s new global center for artificial intelligence and software development. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, and its financial details have not been disclosed. Joerg Theis, President of ABB's Machinery Automation business, said: "This acquisition builds on our successful collaboration with Meshmind and creates a new global R&D center for B&R. As our team includes universities, partners and start-ups, Part of a wider ecosystem, this latest investment will strengthen our capabilities and expertise to create solutions that make it easier and more convenient for customers, helping them shape the future of their industry." The investment coincides with ABB’s recent acquisition of Sevensense, a leading provider of artificial intelligence 3D vision navigation technology for autonomous mobile robots. The two acquisitions jointly highlight ABB and B&R's strategic investment focus on innovative artificial intelligence and software solutions to provide value to customers through the most efficient technology.

ABB's Xinhui plant is fully committed to accelerating decarbonization and energy transition, and promoting net-zero emissions of direct and indirect greenhouse gases. ABB AbilityTM energy management system helps ABB Xinhui factory increase energy efficiency by 16.5% As one of ABB's "Mission to Zero™" projects, ABB Xinhui Low-Voltage Switchgear Co., Ltd. ("ABB Xinhui Factory") has improved its energy efficiency compared to the 2019 base year by using 100% renewable energy. 16.5%. Since 2019, ABB's Xinhui factory has successfully reduced 4,300 tons of direct emissions (Scope 1) and indirect emissions (Scope 2) of greenhouse gases, accelerating the promotion of green and sustainable development. Located in Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, the hometown of overseas Chinese, ABB Xinhui Factory is one of ABB's global low-voltage product manufacturing bases. The factory mainly produces intelligent circuit breakers for power distribution protection and control and provides advanced electrification technology solutions. It takes innovative technology development as its core competitiveness to help China transform into a more sustainable energy system. ABB’s “Mission to Zero™” is an expansion project that aims to use ABB’s various product technologies to realize the application of new energy power generation and energy storage, and building automation in ABB’s own facilities and factories. Clean energy drives production. At the same time, these pilot solutions will be replicated or expanded to user sites with low-carbon transformation needs to empower zero-emission business operations. The project covers energy production, energy management and automation in industrial and commercial operations. Cao Jinrui, general manager of ABB Xinhui Low Voltage Switchgear Co., Ltd., said, "Under the Mission to Zero™ project, ABB Xinhui factory integrates the concept of sustainable development into all aspects of daily operations. Our employees are fully empowered They have the courage to change and contribute their wisdom and strength to promote sustainable development. ABB AbilityTM energy management system provides us with the tools to measure and improve energy efficiency. In addition, we have also implemented green energy procurement strategies and achieved electrification of vehicles." ABB AbilityTM energy management system provides a dynamic digital platform for effective energy management in complex and ever-changing industrial and commercial environments. The cloud digital platform has data capture and analysis functions, allowing ABB's Xinhui factory to understand its energy consumption in real time, helping it save 932 MWh of energy, achieving a 16.5% improvement in energy efficiency compared to the 2019 base year. In line with its commitment to a low-carbon society, 82% of ABB's Xinhui factory's electricity consumption comes from local hydropower plants, and the remaining 18% comes from rooftop solar power generation on the factory site. In addition, by swi...

With the optimization and upgrading of the market environment and favorable national policies, the demand for integrated circuits in downstream industries such as new energy vehicles, smart driving, smart terminals and 5G has surged. As a typical high-precision industry, the manufacturing of integrated circuits has extremely strict requirements on the production environment and process. Among them, the construction of clean rooms is a key link in integrated circuit manufacturing and has a vital impact on the performance of the final product. As one of the earliest engineering companies in my country specializing in the installation of electromechanical equipment in clean rooms, China Electronics System Engineering No. 4 Construction Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China Electronics System Engineering No. 4") can provide design, procurement, project management, and construction for integrated circuit manufacturing companies. , facility management, clean room supporting product manufacturing and other integrated "turnkey" engineering services. In 2021, in the project to build an integrated circuit workshop clean room for Beijing Jiedian Holdings Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Beijing Jiedian"), China Electronics No. 4 Company chose to work with the company in order to meet the customer's high-precision and high-stability requirements for environmental monitoring. In cooperation with Vaisala, the industrial temperature and humidity transmitter HMT330, the intrinsically safe temperature and humidity transmitter HMT370EX, and the temperature and humidity transmitter HMT120 have been successfully applied in the clean room of the Beijing power plant. Since its application, the relevant instruments and transmitters have operated stably and measured accurately. Every detail will show up to create a high-standard clean workshop Operators must wear tightly sealed special protective clothing and shoe covers, go through a strict workshop disinfection process, and then pass through several independent and isolated workshop gates before they can enter the clean room of the integrated circuit factory with strict standards. Different from general industrial products, the important steps of integrated circuits from monocrystalline silicon wafer manufacturing to IC manufacturing to IC packaging must be completed in a clean room. Whether it is tiny dust and debris, or invisible ambient temperature and humidity, etc., they will have a significant impact on the manufacturing process. "The manufacturing of integrated circuits has very high requirements on the production environment. It requires extremely accurate and stable measurement of parameters such as temperature and humidity to ensure a stable and reliable production environment." Zhang Qi, general manager of the Market Management Center of China Electronics No. 4 Company, said, "In 2020, as early as the bidding stage of the Beijing Jiedian Clean Room Project, we knew that Vaisala's related produc...

HMS Networks AB, a global provider of industrial information and communication technology, has entered into a binding agreement with Spectris Group Holdings Limited to acquire the Red Lion Controls business, a well-established US-based provider of industrial automation solutions, through the acquisition of 100% of the shares in Red Lion Controls Inc. and Red Lion Europe GmbH as well as certain assets in other jurisdictions (“Red Lion”), significantly expanding HMS’ presence in the North American market and complementing HMS’ offering. Red Lion is a well-established US-based provider of industrial automation solutions with an innovative product portfolio with premium brands. The acquisition will significantly strengthen HMS’ presence in North America and enable cross-selling of both HMS’ and Red Lion’s products through their respective market channels. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to HMS' earnings per share from completion of the acquisition (excluding any non-cash amortization impacts from the transaction). The combination of HMS and Red Lion had annual sales exceeding SEK 4.4 billion, during the twelve-month period ending on September 30, 2023, with an adjusted EBIT margin of approximately 24%. The acquisition is expected to close during the first half of 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. “We are very happy to welcome Red Lion into the HMS Networks family; the companies are a great match both when it comes to products, geographic presence and cultural aspects," said Staffan Dahlström, CEO of HMS. "The combination of Red Lion’s product portfolio, which is complementary to HMS’ offering and has limited overlap, and the geographic match with Red Lion having a strong position in the attractive North American market, and HMS with its core markets in Europe, will generate good cross-selling opportunities. "We are eager to start working together and to realize the synergies between the companies and to enable each other to take the next steps on our common future journey once the transaction closes.”