MEET
Panel Builder & System Integrator
Equipment and Solutions for Control and Automation
Published by Kerrwil Publications Limited
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Message From The Editor

Its an exciting time, trade shows, handbooks and case studies abound!

As you receive this issue I will be in attendance at the Hannover Messe trade fair, witnessing the new developments and products that will be making their way to market. With a strong emphasis on industrie 4.0 the fair will be packed with new developments and research on the future of automation and control systems. Be sure to watch for our next issue for all the information Panel Builder & Systems InTegrator will acquire while attending. And make sure to scroll down for a new handbook on data centres by Rittal, a case study by Panduit and Grantek and a look at the durability of HARTING connectors.

Owen Hurst
Managing Editor
owenhurst@kerrwil.com
   


Panduit

Changing Scene

  • Techspan Industries Inc. of Mississauga Ontario has Signed a Letter of Intent to Acquire Fusetek of Kingston Ontario
    Malcolm Bird, General Manager of Fusetek, and Frank Dunnigan, CEO of Techspan Industries, are pleased to announce the proposed sale of shares of Fusetek to Techspan Industries Inc. The expected closing date is June 12, 2018. "After 45 years in business, we had to look at a succession plan" said Mr. Bird. "We looked for the right fit - not just for ourselves, but also for our customers, suppliers and employees. Founded in 1989, Techspan is a family owned Canadian company with a similar business philosophy and a set of corporate values that closely matched those of Fusetek...

  • Brock Solutions Establishes New Women in Technology Group
    Brock Solutions is proud to have established our very own Women in Technology group. Fostering and empowering the women who work for our rapidly growing organization speaks directly to our core values and has a direct impact on our culture. The Women in Technology group gathers to discuss our highs and lows, and creates an open space where we can come together to seek mentorship and share knowledge and ideas about the latest and greatest developments in our industry...

  • OMRON Receives 2017 Top 100 Global Innovators Award
    OMRON named Among World's Most Innovative Corporations for Second Consecutive Year. Clarivate Analytics selects its Top 100 Global Innovators based on their proprietary intellectual property and patent data. This global information service firm analyzes intellectual property trends using an independent index in order to identify the world's most innovative corporations and research institutions and then recognize them...

  • PEER Group Named to 2018 List of Best Workplaces for Women
    The PEER Group Inc. is proud to announce that our organization has been named to the 2018 LIST OF BEST WORKPLACES FOR WOMEN. We received this honour after a thorough and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work. The list of the 50 Best Workplaces™ for Women is based on direct feedback from employees of the hundreds of organizations that were surveyed by Great Place to Work...

  • Pneumatic Scale Angelus Introduces CB100 Canning Line for Craft Brewers
    More and more, canning is becoming the way craft breweries are getting their beer in the hands of customers. When it comes to canning technology, Pneumatic Scale Angelus (PSA)—one of the companies represented in Barry-Wehmiller Packaging Systems—has been a world leader for 100-plus years, with more than 16,000 installations in 132 countries...

  • Rockwell Automation: New Controllers Can Simplify Machines, Improve Safety Performance
    Engineers can simplify their machine safety systems and improve safety performance using new controllers from Rockwell Automation. The Allen-Bradley GuardLogix 5580 and Compact GuardLogix 5380 controllers can be scaled from safety system levels SIL 2/PLd to SIL 3/PLe. This scalability can help engineers optimize a safety system design and potentially reduce its costs, while adhering to the latest machine safety regulations...

  • Rittal Webinar: Enclosure Specification Best Practices for Lower Costs and Greater Utility
    Not all enclosures are created equal. Rittal understands that it can be overwhelming to sift through the information to make the right purchasing recommendations and decisions. Attend Rittal's upcoming webinar that will guide you through the key considerations when specifying a new industrial enclosure. The webinar will be presented by Training Supervisor Steve Sullivan of Rittal, and will detail the differences between truly modular and unibody welded enclosures and address the considerations that should be made when specifying an enclosure in order to achieve better utility and lower overall cost of ownership. REGISTER HERE

  • Siemens: Increased Productivity for Machine Tools and Motion Control Drive Systems with MindApps
    Siemens is launching a new app for drive systems in the field of Motion Control called Analyze MyDrives, and has also introduced Manage MyMachines/Remote, a new plug-in to upgrade its tried and tested Manage MyMachines MindApp for machine tools with the addition of a smart remote feature. Analyze MyDrives and Manage MyMachines/Remote are special MindApps designed specifically for MindSphere, the open IoT operating system from Siemens...

Don't sweat it! Keep enclosures cool and save big on energy & costs!
RITTAL This summer, there's a perfect way to decrease enclosure energy costs while enhancing efficiency! Grab the special promo prices on Rittal's CSA-approved air conditioners and fans, and save up to 75% in enclosure cooling costs and energy, with Rittal's industry-leading technology and innovation! Reduce down-time due to critical equipment over-heating and enhance your ROI!

Don't miss Rittal and Kerrwil's Webinar on Why Modular Enclosures Rock, on May 17. Read More


Looking Forward to Hannover Messe 2018

  • Pilz at Hannover Messe 2018: Innovations for the factory of the future
    Realise your individual safety gate solution with the modular and Industrie-4.0-compatible safety gate system from Pilz! Flexibly combine the safety gate sensors PSENslock and PSENmlock - now optionally available with escape release or series connection - with additional Pilz components. Also using the Safety Device Diagnostics (SDD) will save you expensive separate wiring in the control cabinet. With the SDD, you can individually actuate your switches and safety gates - completely in the spirit of Industrie 4.0!

  • ANDRITZ Presents its Innovative Digitalization Solutions at the Hannover Fair
    The digital ANDRITZ technologies offered under the Metris umbrella brand feature the latest state of the art in the area of IIoT/Industry 4.0 and provide crucial support for customers in achieving their production and business targets: increasing efficiency and profitability of plants, optimizing the use of resources, preventing production downtimes and obtaining maximum product quality. The innovative digitalization solutions provided by ANDRITZ are highly user-friendly, e.g. through their ease of control via smart phone or tablet.

  • Phoenix Contact: Purdue University team takes its "T.R.A.S.H." to Germany
    A team of engineering technology students from Purdue University's Polytechnic Institute will take its "T.R.A.S.H." to Germany for the second month in a row. During a trip in March, the team won first place in an international automation competition for designing and building an automated trash collection system. The grand prize for their victory: a trip to Hannover Messe, the world's largest industrial trade show

  • Digitization as the Key to Optimal Energy Efficiency
    Whether in the energy sector or manufacturing, digitization is the key to maximum energy efficiency. The challenge is to save on energy - be it in the form of heat, power, steam, or compressed air - without compromising work and production processes. Mastering that challenge requires highly sensitive measurement equipment and digital energy management systems that can work together and communicate to make split-second, precision-coordinated adjustments. In other words, to achieve optimal efficiency, each energy flow needs a corresponding, real-time digital data flow.

  • In the Factories of the Future, the Focus is Squarely on Humans
    Robots that fit in with their human counterparts (and not the other way round); AR glasses that feed their wearer vital information overlays; self-learning machines that continuously self-optimize…and at the heart of it all stands one thing: people power. That's the core message of HANNOVER MESSE 2018. Or, as Deutsche Messe's Managing Board Chairman Dr. Jochen Köckler puts it: "The factory of the future is a factory that can think for itself and is human-centric."

6 FAQs about HARTING Connectors on UL 508A Panels
Harting Using connectors on UL 508A cabinets used to be a huge hassle for the panel-builder. As a result, they often chose the older hardwiring solution in the past. Now, HARTING, in partnership with UL, has made it possible to easily connectorize UL 508A panels with existing HARTING products. The following six FAQs explain this new standard and the benefits it offers. DOWNLOAD THE FAQ


Market Featue

Rittal: The Data Center is Moving to the Edge…Are You Ready?

RITTAL
The world of data management is getting smaller, faster, closer. Edge computing is extending the network into challenging locations where security, cooling and environmental protection become critical to success. Rittal has created the ultimate handbook to highlight turnkey solutions for micro-data centers that are taking information technology to the edge of possibility. The Handbook is complete with one-to-one comparisons of competitive products, making your informed decision easier. Read More

Case Study

Modernizing a Network Infrastructure to Achieve Better Visibility and Improved Device Management

By Panduit and Grantek
A coal generation power plant, at a major utility company, was looking to achieve better network visibility and security for its material handling buildings and upgrade their legacy PLC systems that were technologically outdated. Their industrial automation team was short staffed and did not have the bandwidth, expertise, or time to manage the project. Read the Power Plant Case Study to see how Panduit and Grantek were able to help this utility company modernize their network infrastructure to achieve better visibility and improved device management. Read More

Whitepaper

HARTING Connectors Prove Their Mettle

HARTING
The family-owned HARTING Technology Group is a global leader in the connector industry and has been throughout its history. Founder Wilhelm Harting invented the rectangular connector in the 1950s. Since then, developing a steady flow of exceptional innovations has established HARTING as the global market share leader in heavy duty industrial connectors. Over the years, HARTING has adapted the robust electrical connector to support the ever-more-demanding requirements of factory automation. HARTING created the user-configurable modular connector in the early 1990s, and it continues to be their signature product and fastest-growing business segment, a game changer for modular machine and plant layout. Read More

Maintenance

Eclipse Automation: The Importance of Preventive Maintenance

Eclipse Automation
Advanced technology is constantly evolving within the manufacturing ecosystem by embedding smart devices within the manufacturing process. Collecting and analyzing data from these smart devices can then be used to determine which equipment is not running at optimal performance and what maintenance needs to be performed. Defined as preventive maintenance, this strategy allows companies to perform maintenance efforts on a regular basis to avoid future and costly unexpected downtime. It is crucial to understand the importance of preventive maintenance best practices when using software to monitor performance patterns and scheduling maintenance. Read More

Peers & Profiles

JAE Automation: Growing Success in Kemptville, Ontario

Ontario East Economic Development
JAE Automation is proof positive that a cutting-edge, high-tech company can work with some of the biggest, most innovative manufacturers in North America but still enjoy the camaraderie and enviably balanced lifestyle of living in a small, close-knit community. That's exactly what has transpired with the Kemptville company - a thriving automation systems integration design and implementation firm which services big clients throughout Eastern Ontario and beyond. Read More

Industry Input Poll

Insights for Your Industry

Survey results in the next issue along with a new question.
Panel Builder & Systems Integrator is seeking your input on the state of the Canadian automation and control market, each week we ask a new question about the industry and the companies working within it. Over the next two years does your company plan to?

1) Expand operations
2) Consolidate operations
3) Underake acquisitions
4) No extended plans

Industry Input Poll Results

Results from Last Issue

With consideration toward the development of our Navigator 2018 research report on the current state of the control and automation industry within Canada we asked our readers if they would share their estimated annual revenues and you did not disappoint. Respondents revealed a fairly even split among companies in the four under the $100 million + annual estimates with those companies estimating $5 - 10 million coming in last at 13%. The highest number of respondents by far were those companies estimating earnings over $100 million annually. This is certainly promising for the growth of the industry as 38% of respondents identified an estimated annual income over $100 million. Read More

Product News

Rittal SE 8 Double Door Configurations Have Gained UL Type 3R Compliance

The SE 8 line of standalone enclosures have garnered international praise for their durability, cost and customization options. Now, Rittal has added UL Type 3R compliance for all of its double door SE 8 enclosures, including carbon and stainless steel versions. Read More

Turck Compact Ultrasonic Sensors with IO-Link Technology

To further diversify our ultrasonic sensor portfolio, Turck has released a compact ultrasonic sensor with IO-Link technology. The cost-effective design of this sensor still offers the advantages of a standard ultrasonic sensor as well as communication and advanced functions via IO-Link (Version 1.1). The new device can be taught as a standard sensor via teach-by-wire or programmed and used via IO-Link. Advanced functions such as synchronization allows multiple sensors to be synchronized together without the risk of interfering with each other. Read More

New Economical Festo ELGC/EGSC Drive Series Ideal for Lightweight Applications

Festo is further augmenting its extensive portfolio of electric handling systems with the new ELGC/EGSC drive series, an economical solution for customers requiring high precision in large-volume, lightweight applications. This low-cost series includes ELGC spindle axes and toothed belt axes, EGSC mini-slides as well as axial and parallel kits of ideally paired servo and stepper motors. Read More

Banner LE Series Laser Measurement Sensor

The LE series' linear array technology provides great performance and resolution regardless of detection object's color or sheen. Banner's laser diode sensors combine the alignment advantages of a visible sensing beam with the increased sensing range of a laser. Read More

The Electrical Stock Market

Track the stock market performance of 25 publicly traded electrical equipment suppliers and electrical wholesalers. Updated weekly.

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Published by Kerrwil Publications Limited
Kerrwil Publications Limited, 538 Elizabeth Street Midland Ontario, L4R 2A3