Category Archives: Manufacturing Tech

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech, News

Nuvonic Celebrates 100 Years in Business

The company has been innovating in UV technology since the 1920s and pledges ongoing commitment to customer-focused innovation

Nuvonic, a global UV technology solutions provider, commemorates its 100th year of unwavering commitment to excellence. Formerly known as Hanovia, the company has been a stalwart in UV science since its inception in the 1920s, and its century-long journey is a testament to innovation and adaptability.

Founded in Slough, Berkshire, U.K., in 1924, Hanovia started manufacturing UV lamps for medical applications. Since then, the company has consistently been at the forefront of UV science. Over the years, Hanovia evolved into one of the world’s leading UV lamps and systems manufacturers, contributing to industries such as food and beverage processing, pharmaceuticals, brewing, electronics, and aquaculture.

 

Over the decades, Nuvonic has undergone a transformative journey marked by strategic milestones and industry leadership. In 1981, Nuvonic became part of Halma plc, laying the foundation for future growth. The subsequent years witnessed important developments, such as Berson’s integration into the Halma family in 1986 and Berson’s groundbreaking introduction of the InLine model of UV systems in 1995. In 2017, Hanovia, Berson, and Aquionics united under a single management team, fortifying their position in the UV technology landscape. The year 2021 saw Orca joining Halma, further strengthening the collective expertise. In 2022, these four entities converged under the innovative banner of Nuvonic, reflecting a unified commitment to excellence.

 

“Reaching our hundredth year is proof that Nuvonic has stayed strong, adapted, and kept delivering for our customers,” said Alex Langston, Managing Director of Nuvonic. “Our legacy, strong brand, and trust show we’ve been consistent. Thriving for a century means we’re always innovating and changing with the times. As industry leaders, we’ve shared our progress worldwide, weathered changes, and made a positive impact on our team, customers, and the business world.”

“As Nuvonic approaches its centennial milestone in 2024, we remain dedicated to being a reliable, seasoned, and customer-centric partner. With a century of expertise at the forefront of UV science, we understand what it takes to meet customer needs across diverse industries and we will continue to explore breakthroughs in UV technology to improve people’s health and safety,” added Alex.

 

Nuvonic’s Timeline Highlights

  • 1924 The British Hanovia Quartz Lamp Co Ltd is founded in Slough, holding various patents and manufacturing rights across the British Empire.
  • 1925 The company starts manufacturing UV lamps for medical and other applications.
  • 1927 Hanovia extends its operations overseas, appointing distributors in Australia, India, and New Zealand.
  • 1928 UV ‘artificial sunlight’ receives significant press coverage and front page news due to the work Hanovia was doing for medical applications.
  • 1931 Hanovia starts publishing The Quartz Lamp, a quarterly journal reproducing the best articles in the field of actinotherapy.
  • 1934 The company acquires land in Slough and begins building its own office and factory premises, which are opened in 1935.
  • 1935 The company is renamed Hanovia Limited.
  • 1936–1939 These years see the development of an entirely new range of therapeutic lamps and a series of laboratory models based on a new UV ‘arc tube.’
  • 1939 The company introduces ‘low pressure’ mercury discharge tubes for bactericidal irradiation.
  • 1939–1945 Hanovia manages to retain its unique team of specialists and continues operation as an ‘Essential Establishment.’
  • 1942 The company designs ‘high pressure’ UV arc tubes for use in high speed photo printing.
  • 1949 By now, food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers across Europe are using Hanovia’s UV technology for bacterial disinfection.
  • 1950 The ‘Biscayne’ domestic sunlamp is launched.
  • 1955 The company introduces a portable fluorescent UV lamp for actinotherapy.
  • 1960 A domestic room heater is launched.
  • 1981 Hanovia is acquired by Halma plc, a FTSE 250 company with subsidiaries around the world, focusing on hazard detection, life protection, personal and public health improvement and environmental protection.
  • 1983 Aquionics begins operation as Hanovia’s North American sales, marketing and service arm.
  • 1986 Berson becomes a Halma company and Aquionics incorporates the UV products from Berson.
  • 1995 Berson invents the InLine model of UV systems, the first of its kind.
  • 1998 Orca GmBH is founded in Cologne, Germany.
  • 2014 Orca GmBH begins production of UVpro systems.
  • 2017 Hanovia, Berson, and Aquionics combine to become a single operator under one management team.
  • 2021 Orca becomes a Halma company.
  • 2022 The four companies move under one innovative name: Nuvonic.

 

About Nuvonic: 

Nuvonic is a global UV technology solutions provider and part of the Halma Group. With a mission to support nature’s purity with science by protecting people and processes from harmful contamination while continuously innovating and improving, Nuvonic offers the most comprehensive range of UV-based solutions for water, surface, and air disinfection backed by a century of combined experience and expertise. Nuvonic’s four combined UV innovators offer chemical-free full-facility disinfection through the innovative application of UV technology, providing a unique value proposition for UV market professionals. For more information, visit www.nuvonicuv.com.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech

The Use of Technology in the Manufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry has come a long way since the industrial revolution. With advancements in technology, the industry has become more efficient, productive, and safer. One of the most significant technological advancements that have impacted the manufacturing industry is the integration of technology like AI/ML, AR/VR/MR, IoT/IIoT, chatbots, and blockchain. In this article, we will discuss the impact of these technologies on the manufacturing industry.

The Impact of AI and ML Technology on Manufacturing

The integration of AI and machine learning (ML) technology in the manufacturing industry has had a significant impact on operations. Machine Learning (ML) solutions development can help analyze data generated during the manufacturing process to detect anomalies and predict machine breakdowns, allowing for preventative maintenance to be performed before the machine fails. Additionally, the use of AI with ML technology enables predictive maintenance, quality control, and process optimization. These applications of AI and ML technology in manufacturing help manufacturers to reduce downtime, lower maintenance costs, and increase operational efficiency.

AI technology can also be used to analyze supply chain data to identify areas for improvement, such as reducing waste and optimizing inventory management. By identifying potential issues before they occur, manufacturers can improve their production processes and ensure that they have the necessary resources available when they need them. This can result in significant cost savings and increased efficiency.

Moreover, AI technology can also be used to enhance worker safety in the manufacturing industry. For example, machine learning algorithms can be used to analyze safety incidents and identify trends or patterns that can be used to prevent future accidents.

The Role of IIoT in Manufacturing

IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is another technology that has revolutionized the manufacturing industry. IIoT refers to the use of sensors and other connected devices to monitor and control industrial processes. By collecting and analyzing data from these devices, manufacturers can gain insight into their operations and make more informed decisions.

Industrial IoT solutions are used to monitor the condition of equipment in real-time, enabling predictive maintenance and reducing downtime. By analyzing data from sensors, manufacturers can detect anomalies and predict when a machine is likely to fail, allowing for maintenance to be performed before a breakdown occurs.

IIoT can also be used to optimize production processes by providing real-time data on machine performance and production output. By analyzing this data, manufacturers can identify bottlenecks in the production process and implement changes to improve efficiency and reduce waste.

The Popularity of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Manufacturing

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have become increasingly popular in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers are using augmented and virtual reality development services to simulate real-world manufacturing scenarios in a safe, controlled environment. This enables manufacturers to train their employees and test new equipment without the need for physical prototypes, reducing the risk of accidents and increasing employee productivity.

AR can be integrated with VR to create a mixed reality experience that allows manufacturers to visualize and manipulate digital models of their products in real-time, facilitating design and prototyping. This can significantly reduce the time and cost associated with creating physical prototypes.

Chatbots in Manufacturing

Another technology that has become increasingly popular in manufacturing are chatbots. Chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate human conversation through voice commands, text chats, or both. In manufacturing, chatbot development services are used to help with customer service, employee training, and even as virtual assistants to help workers with their daily tasks.

One major advantage of chatbots is their ability to provide 24/7 customer support without requiring human intervention. This means that customers can receive assistance at any time of the day or night, which can lead to higher customer satisfaction and increased sales. Chatbots can also be used to train employees, providing answers to common questions and helping workers learn new skills.

In addition, chatbots can be integrated with other technologies, such as IoT devices and AI/ML systems, to provide a more comprehensive solution for manufacturers. For example, a chatbot could be used to monitor an IoT system and alert employees when there is a problem. It could also be used to analyze data collected by an AI/ML system and provide recommendations based on the results.

The Future of Technology in Manufacturing

As we can see, technology has already had a significant impact on the manufacturing industry, and its influence is only going to continue to grow. As new technologies emerge and existing technologies become more advanced, manufacturers will have more opportunities to improve their processes and products.

In the future, we can expect to see even more widespread use of AI/ML solutions, industrial IoT systems, virtual and augmented reality, chatbots, and blockchain in manufacturing. These technologies will continue to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and create new opportunities for manufacturers.

Conclusion

Technology is transforming the manufacturing industry in profound ways, from improving processes and increasing efficiency to creating new opportunities for growth and innovation. The mentioned technologies are just a few examples of the tech that are already making a difference in manufacturing.

As the industry continues to evolve, manufacturers that embrace these technologies and use them to their full potential will be better positioned to succeed in a highly competitive global market. By investing in these technologies and taking a proactive approach to innovation, manufacturers can create more efficient, flexible, and resilient operations that can adapt to changing market conditions and customer demands.

AI, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech, News, Technology

Investing in tech helps manufacturing businesses stay competitive

AI technology is changing how we interact with the world. Free AI chatbots are now accessible to anyone with an internet connection and private businesses are rolling out their own AI systems. It seems that use of AI has skyrocketed past any previous technology innovation entering the public market. This advancement is a great reminder that technology is ever-changing – and changing fast.

The faster an organisation innovates, the stronger competitive advantage it gains, leading to cost savings and a higher return on investment. Nowhere is this more critical right now than in the manufacturing sector.

Addressing inefficient processes and adapting to more efficient systems in the manufacturing industry is critical to keep up with customer demands. Lack of modernisation can affect an organisation’s customer-facing business and slows teams down, preventing them from doing their best work.

At the same time, manufacturing companies that implemented their first SAP applications many years ago to optimise business operations are no longer on the front foot, as a wide range of new systems and technologies have been established simultaneously around the ERP system. This has resulted in hybrid IT landscapes with high complexity and decentralised data storage. Today, these problems make it difficult for manufacturers to deliver information in real-time and take advantage of innovative technologies.

In a competitive business market, and especially in a manufacturing environment, employees must be empowered with efficient internal systems that run smoothly no matter what. By investing in tech and modernising processes through SAP low-code/no-code app development, manufacturing businesses can, however, stay competitive, avoiding the pitfalls of failing to stay up to date.

Modernise operations to seamlessly manage complex systems

Manufacturing teams work hard to seamlessly manage supply chains across time zones and borders. Putting pen to paper to communicate immediate needs across the company is not only time consuming and reactive, but is also error prone. There’s a real risk of putting vendor relationships on the line by not having the most up-to-date information readily available to the correct teams. Replicated or mishandled inventory also wastes employee time, and is much harder to manage offline.

Similarly, when maintenance happens – unexpected or planned – it needs to occur as seamlessly as possible. The bigger the site, the more complex it can be for teams to manage workflows around stoppages. With the right tools, however, teams are empowered to get assistance efficiently and effectively. Technology like apps, built in-house with low-code/no-code platforms that support SAP or outsourced with a partner, can help organisations address equipment needing service immediately, saving time that would previously be spent waiting for specialist support.  

The same is true for internal administration and employee management. Time is money, and the less time spent following a paper trail, deciphering handwritten notes or filling out timecards, the more people can focus on their work. Modernising employee administration puts the power in the employees’ hands, giving them the power to request everyday needs without complication. In turn, their requests are connected to other systems within a business, allowing managers to adjust seamlessly as needed.

Digitising processes drives savings and growth

Beyond driving efficiency, implementing the right technology platforms can drive savings and growth. Lean, effective, and adaptable organisations in all industries are becoming more economically viable and sustainable too. With transformation boosted by low-code/no-code software like Neptune DXP that support platforms including SAP, the manufacturing process can be trimmed to leave room for innovation by automating manual tasks.

With the right support, manufacturing organisations can also count on a significant reduction in training costs and inventory investment, faster planning cycles, a boost in top-line revenue, improved on-time deliveries, and more accurate demand forecasts. With the correct planning and strategic investment, technology can strengthen businesses’ footing in an uncertain economic climate. Let’s start future-proofing a connected, digital manufacturing world.

 

Neptune Software is a rapid application development platform vendor with more than 730 enterprise customers and over 4 million licensed end users globally. Their mission is to empower IT departments to drive business results. Neptune Software is the leading low-code enterprise app development platform in the SAP market to digitises and optimises business processes and user interfaces – at scale and with ease. The platform gives IT professionals the right tools to rapidly build the apps they need, across IT landscapes.

 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech, News

4 Excellent User-Friendly Tips For Improving Product Usability 

User-centric product design and interface have been the rage for the past decade. With users taking the centre seat in product development, it only makes sense that product usability would gain traction. However, although a widely known concept, implementing product usability in development is still challenging. This is primarily because engineers tend to take a goal-oriented approach when it comes to hardware development. 

This takes away the attention from the end user and shifts the focus to process optimisation. While equally important, incorporating product usability in the development process is necessary to prevent added expenditure. This article provides simple, user-friendly tips engineers can adopt for improving product usability.  

Know Your Audience:

A significant contributor to product usability issues is the lack of knowledge engineers have towards their intended audience. Granted, knowing your target audience is not easy when the product is still in development. This could be particularly true for products intending to solve a relatively newer user problem. 

However, despite such ambiguity, understanding how engineers wish their users to interact with products can significantly help improve usability issues. Questionnaires and interviews are excellent tools for understanding user intention and motivation. This can help engineers streamline their efforts and develop a design that complements the user’s needs. 

Solve User Problems:

Even a one-of-its-kind innovative design is doomed if it fails to clearly define actions for the users. In other words, your product usability directly depends on the ease of function. Remember, at the end of the day, your product is supposed to be used by a set of end-users. That is why engineers must steer clear of solutions that make the development process easier. 

For instance, not labelling symbols like buttons, knobs and switches can save considerable development effort. However, symbols without descriptions make the entire interaction far more difficult and time-consuming for the users. When it comes to product usability, focusing on user problems and convenience is a foolproof way of designing user-friendly products. 

Testing:

Testing is the backbone of any product. You need critical feedback and insights to make improvements and understand failure points. As such, there are a variety of testing engineers must conduct to get a precise understanding. Unit and integration testing can help resolve the first level of errors in product development. 

Similarly, end-to-end test automation can be a real asset for ensuring the design operates as expected. It can also help maintain the data flow for all user tasks and processes. Since E2E testing provides verification from start to finish, it can help seamlessly implement user perspectives to real-world scenarios. 

Prototypes:

Product development is a time-consuming process. Not getting your programming and functions right the first time can prolong the development cycle and increase expenditure. On the contrary, launching a new product that effortlessly meets every objective the first time is unrealistic. This is where prototypes come into play. 

Low-fidelity prototyping can help engineers simulate their product’s functioning without throwing away precious hard work. As fast and affordable tools, low-fidelity prototypes make it easy to make changes and test new iterations. This can help engineers refine operation to lay the foundation for coding and programming. 

 

Final Thoughts:

Product usability is an essential element of product development. After all, user interaction and experience depend heavily on their capacity to complete tasks accurately. From an engineer’s standpoint, usability can influence the success of their product. That is why keeping the users at the forefront of product development is essential. By following these easy tips, engineers can ensure their products stay streamlined with user motivations and actions. 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech

The Industrial Applications of Water Jetting Cutting Technology

Water jet-cutting technology has impacted the manufacturing world tremendously in the past years. Who knew water could be made so lethal that it could cut through a vast number of strong materials? However, most industries are still unaware of this remarkable technology. There’s no denying the fact that the waterjet cutting machine is one of the most versatile pieces of types of technology available in the manufacturing world. The high-pressure pump is responsible for producing high-speed water that cuts through the materials. However, there are other materials mixed with water too. Here’s a list of industrial applications of water jetting cutting technology;

 

Metal Cutting

It may come as a surprise but water jet cutting can work for metals such as aluminum, titanium, copper, brass, and many other kinds of metal. However, the best part is that waterjet cutting does not cause any unwanted temperature rises that might cause disrupt the shape of the material. Metals are cut pretty finely. The integrity of the workpiece isn’t compromised. Yet, there are some limitations depending on the thickness of the metal piece. If you have aluminum, it can cut through 18 inches, and 10 inches for brass and copper.

Tiles and Stones

Ever imagined how all these tiles and stones are cut accurately without compromising on the desired shape? All thanks to innovations such as waterjet cutting. By including abrasives, the waterjet cutting machines can make cuts through marble, granite, neolith, tiles, and stones. The construction industry has surely benefited from this technology. Stones and tiles are considered some of the hardest materials on the planet, and efficient technology was always needed to make precise cuts. However, waterjet cutting has made it much easier and quicker for such industries.

 

Glass Cutting

It may seem pretty easy to put cuts on a glass as it is much more delicate, but the margin of error is huge as you can break the glass in no time. Conventional cutting processes aren’t usually fit for glass cutting now. Waterjet cutters such as the 5-axis are capable of cutting out complicated glass designs. You can use this cutter for holes in splashbacks, frameless showers, and much more. A waterjet cutter can support a thickness of 7 inches when it comes to glass. It is one of the smoothest options available for cutting glass.

 

Plastics

Understandably, plastic is a much easier material to cut from conventional methods. However, there are many drawbacks to them, such as the production of toxic fumes when exposed to high-temperature tools. As the world strives for sustainable development and practices, especially in the industrial world, waterjet cutting machines play a pivotal role in bringing change. It is considered one of the safest options to cut plastic. Let’s consider you are aiming to cut the hardest acrylics, waterjet cutting machines can penetrate about 4 inches of thickness, which is pretty remarkable at this time of the century.

Cardboard

Cutting cardboard is very important for some industries, but the process is often time taking. Yet, this method applies to carboards too. The use of waterjet cutting machines for cardboard has existed for decades and is becoming more efficient as time passes by. Moreover, this cutting method is also used to cut paper. Now, one might think that cutting paper with water can surely make it wet and useless. Well, that’s not true. The slitting method where the stream of waterjet is modified is used to cut paper, the stream of water is even thinner than human hair due to which paper doesn’t get wet.

 

Cement Boards

Like tiles and stones, cement boards are also very hard to penetrate. Conventional methods aren’t that worthy when talking about cement boards and that is why waterjet cutting is used as it can support a thickness of 4 inches for cement boards.

Food

It is worth mentioning that food is one of the industrial applications of water jet-cutting technology. Food processing industries can never compromise on cleanliness and excessive heat, as it can hamper the overall quality of the food. The cold-cutting method is eye-opening as it has no physical impact on the tool on the surface that is being cut. Due to this technology, food processing industries have benefited tremendously.

 

Conclusion

Waterjet cutting machines are highly versatile as they can cut through several hard materials such as metal, rocks, and cement. It has numerous applications due to which many big industries around the world are escalating in terms of production. Some of the main benefits of this technique are that it provides industries with low wastage of material and highly accurate cutting with minimum errors. It offers unnumbered benefits due to which waterjet cutting technology is gaining high popularity around the world, it is now being used by almost every industry.

 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech

Metrology In Manufacturing – Definition, Tools, Types And Importance

The science of precise measurement is known as metrology. It encompasses all methods of measuring, both theoretical and practical. All branches of research, including biology, medicine, engineering and physical and environmental sciences, depend on metrology. This is why metrology is in constant demand. We will discover the various types and significance of metrology in this article. Let us, however, begin with the basics- the definition of metrology.  

 

Definition

Correct measurement is crucial for any human achievement in science and technology. The science of measurement is known as metrology. The establishment, replication, conservation and transfer of units of measurement and associated standards are all topics covered by metrology. Business, manufacturing, trade, economic prosperity, scientific research and many more areas use metrology.

 

Types

Metrology is divided into three subfields, each focusing on a different aspect of the subject. There are three types of metrology: scientific, industrial and legal.

 

Scientific Metrology

Scientific metrology, which focuses on creating new measurement techniques and measurement standards and disseminating these standards to users, serves as the foundation for all other subfields. This branch of metrology is concerned with the organisation, creation and upkeep of measurement standards. Scientific metrology is heavily involved in research and new technologies for healthcare, government and research for commercial items, as one might anticipate.

 

Industrial Metrology

Industrial metrology has developed measurement science with an eye on manufacturing and other activities. In essence, industrial metrology aims to ensure that equipment utilised in numerous industries is operating correctly. 

This kind of metrology can be seen, for instance, in the fabrication of goods for the commercial sector, in the testing and design of aeroplanes, in the operation of heavy machinery, or even in the production of goods in factories that use rotating machinery.

 

Tools Used In Metrology

Calliper

The calliper is a simple-to-use metrology instrument. The use of callipers centres around measuring several things, including the inner diameter, length, and level variations of a particular object.

 

Micrometre

If you are looking to measure an object’s incredibly minuscule length, depth, or thickness parameters, then this metrology tool will come in handy. A micrometre can measure the minutes of things, including the thickness of a sheet of paper. 

 

Gauge

Guage is among the most used measuring equipment in metrology. The gauge measures particular dimensions like an object’s width, height, thickness, radius, and angle.

 

Universal Bevel Protractor

A universal bevel protractor would be the perfect fit when looking for a straightforward instrument for measuring or verifying angles. 

 

Importance Of Metrology

Since it offers quantitative data on the current status of physical variables and processes, metrology is crucial to many daily actions. The industrial revolution gave metrology its genuine engineering drive as a scientific and engineering discipline. The importance of metrology is established in all fields of science, commerce, industry and human life. 

The specific significance of metrology is-

  1. Product quality is ensured through precise measurement technologies. To ensure high-quality products, one needs to understand accurate measurements. Engineering drawings with precise dimensions and tolerances guarantee flawless product manufacturing without wasting time.

  2. The standardisation of industrial and manufacturing processes is driven by metrology.

  3. As the need for additional energy grows, measurement technology plays a bigger part in the petrochemical industry. The industry relies on metrology to keep machines working.

  4. Different organisations may calibrate common units of measurement. This eliminates technical obstacles that could obstruct technological advancement and scientific inquiry.

  5. Today’s automatic machines are tuned and programmed according to accurate specifications to create goods on production lines. Machines may measure various quantities, including length, weight, time and environmental factors. Metrology will help one achieve the precision required to achieve safety and quality standards for use or consumption by the general public.

  6. Metrology is used to assess the proper dosage of medications, radiation measurement, food safety and traffic safety. By defining methods and units of measurement for particular parameters, metrology safeguards the health of the environment and population. As a result, the readings remain within reasonable bounds.

  7. By using established measurement systems, metrology encourages fair trade at the global level. As a result of this globalisation of trade, the overall economy of the world benefits.

  8. Metrology aids in project budgeting by measuring each transaction.

Conclusion

The role of metrology experts who deliver is much more important than we realise. These direct and indirect uses of metrology have made science interesting and a necessity in today’s time.

 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech, News

Eden invests in new Bruderer high-precision press to advance innovation and sustainability

Taking advantage of new export opportunities has seen a Middlesex manufacturer invest more than £300,000 into a new high-speed precision stamping press line.

Eden Limited, a specialist in optical air-blown fibre and cables fittings for the global telecommunication industry, renewed a 35-year working relationship with Bruderer UK to place the order for the BSTA 180-36B press – fitted with the latest high speed precision servo feeder.

This latest addition is being utilised to drive innovation of new product ranges and to supply existing telecoms contracts, ensuring sustainability and development of the legacy network in the UK and abroad.

This machine is already delivering greater accuracies, with Bruderer UK’s quick lift-ram technology – that dynamically adjusts bottom dead centre position whilst in operation – meaning the business can guarantee process stability and part quality to their customers regardless of the volumes required.

“A pre-owned Bruderer BSTA 30 was one of the first machines I bought when I started the business back in 1993,” explained Dave Hawkins, Chairman of Eden.

“It has given us tremendous service and reliability, so when we were looking to advance our press shops technology to make parts 10x quicker to compete with Far East made products, there was only one investment I was going to make and the new Bruderer press is going to be fantastic for us.”

He continued: “We have built our reputation on innovative products that have become and continue to be the go-to industry standard for over 20 years and, as such, are frequently copied worldwide. Investments, like the Bruderer press, ensures we keep ahead of our competition and paves the way for future expansion.

“We have seen demand increase significantly since lockdown, as we are one of the very few companies worldwide that control all elements of the manufacture in-house. This gives us a unique position in the market to supply when others could not, so much so we have invested some £1.5m over the last 18 months, culminating in the acquisition of the high-speed precision press.”

The Bruderer UK technical team, headed by Scott Baker, worked with Eden to spec the BSTA 180-36B to its exact requirements, adding a state-of-the-art high-speed precision BSV75 Servo Feeder (including automatic material thickness adjustment) and other options to help speed up tool development, tool changeovers and the efficiency of the whole process.

Adrian Haller, Managing Director at Bruderer UK, picked up the story: “This machine will future-proof Eden’s press capability for decades and delivers the unrivalled performance and repeatable accuracy it needs when manufacturing precision components.

“What is really pleasing about this project is that Dave and his team first purchased a Bruderer back in 1993 and that press has given them unbelievable service and will continue to do so. When the time came to add even further capability, there was no hesitation in coming back to us – these strategic partnerships is what our company is all about.”

Pam Gill, Managing Director at Eden, concluded: “The entire project was seamless and Bruderer’s service and support remains second to none.

“Everything was project managed for us from start to finish, meaning we could concentrate on meeting the increases in production and putting in place the platform we needed to maximise several new product and export opportunities.”

Hyperconvergence, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech, News

Unipart Powertrain Applications Enhances Just-In-Time Manufacturing With Nutanix

Coventry-based Unipart Powertrain Applications (UPA) is part of the wider Unipart Manufacturing Group (UMG), a leading Tier 1 supplier of components to the global automotive industry. With just a few hours of finished stock held on-site and delivered on a just-in-time basis, even minor service interruptions can have huge knock-on effects across the entire Unipart supply chain.

Needing to eliminate database latency issues impacting the just-in-time delivery capabilities of its automotive parts division, Unipart Powertrain Applications chose the Nutanix Cloud Platform and AHV hypervisor. A combination able to provide, not only the necessary performance uplift but, at the same time, reducing complexity, simplifying management and making the business as a whole more agile and flexible.

The Unipart team turned to independent infrastructure specialist and Nutanix partner Softcat, which recommended migration to a Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI). It wasn’t long before a Nutanix Cloud was up and running in the UMG datacentre. Two clusters were installed, the first to support day-to-day production workloads followed later by a second for data replication, load balancing and disaster recovery, along with backup to NAS and long term archiving offsite. Beyond support for core manufacturing, ERP and database workloads, the ability to install graphics accelerator (GPU) cards in the Nutanix cluster and share them using the AHV hypervisor was seen as another major plus compared to other HCI platforms.

With AHV handling virtualisation, some 80+ VMs needed to be migrated, a process made straightforward using Nutanix Move with the IT team completing the project on schedule and with no major issues or downtime. Moreover, performance has been noticeably improved across the board while the database latency issues have disappeared entirely with measurable effects in terms of productivity.

In the short term, UPA is concentrating on automating day-to-day management tasks and supporting teams responsible for product development. Looking beyond that, the group’s Nutanix investment is expected to play a significant role in enabling rapid diversification away from automotive engineering into other areas such as battery manufacture and other low-carbon technologies requiring flexible production facilities, backed up by an agile and easy to manage IT infrastructure.

 

 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Tech, Marketing, News

MAN Commercial Vehicles in Romania Drives Reduction in Vehicle Downtime with RealWear Assisted Reality Wearables, Expects to Save 2700 Litres of Fuel per Month 

MHS Truck & Bus, sole distributor of MAN Truck & Bus in Romania, estimates the time to fix the commercial vehicles was slashed by 75% with a 50% travel reduction

Demand for commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and vans is high in south-eastern Europe, as there are many regionally based logistics companies responsible for transporting merchandise from Black Sea ports to central Europe. RealWear, the world’s leading provider of assisted reality solutions for frontline industrial workers, today announced that MHS Truck & Bus, the sole distributor of MAN Commercial Vehicles in Romania, has deployed RealWear assisted reality devices across its service network in the region to support the supply chain. Since the deployment, MHS Truck & Bus estimates that the diagnosis time of vehicle repairs has been reduced by 75% and with a 50% reduction of travel. The company estimates future savings of 2700 litres of fuel per month (based on 9 experts and 300 litres/worker).

MHS Truck & Bus has a commercial vehicle service network that comprises nine workshops and five service partners across Romania to service MAN commercial vehicles. It has 150 technicians throughout the region but only a few experts. In Romania, technician training is mandatory and required twice per year, driven in part by the broadening knowledge gap between the technician’s knowledge and the complexity of the vehicles being manufactured and serviced. Historically, this training was conducted in-person, requiring the expert trainers to travel up to 12 hours across Romania. In addition to the training, for complex vehicle repairs, experts are also required to travel again to assist the technician in resolving the issue. All of these requirements lead to fatigue for the expert and costly downtime for the customer, which grew to be a tricky problem for the company.

MHS Truck & Bus originally envisioned a remote training and remote diagnostics strategy using mobile devices and rugged laptops. However, after in-depth research, it saw that handheld devices and laptops did not allow the technician to use both hands and also forced the technician to look down at the screen rather than at the vehicle. RealWear’s partner SETH, who was consulting with MHS, recommended RealWear assisted reality solutions. The RealWear device was both rugged, voice-enabled for simple commands and for voice-optimised Android apps and functioned perfectly in noisy environments due to its noise cancellation technology. The expert can immediately see exactly what the technician sees through the device’s head-mounted camera, making the solution perfectly suited for remote training and diagnosis.

Using RealWear Beyond Training at MAN

Beyond training, MHS Truck & Bus Technicians are frequently required to perform work on the side of the road alongside an immobilised vehicle, sometimes in high traffic or low visibility areas, which is not ideal to safely make repairs. Its experts are also required to drive around 2,000 kilometres per month, which can equate to roughly 40 hours of travel time.

To solve both diagnostic and training challenges, the firm invested in a physical video conferencing and multimedia room, where experts can be stationed and connected with technicians across all of its service locations using Cisco Webex Expert on Demand on RealWear’s flagship HMT-1 model. During the diagnosis process, when technicians cannot resolve the issue, technicians initiate a call to an expert and use RealWear to undertake remote diagnostics. The RealWear devices are capable of providing high quality video recordings and photos during vehicle repairs, which facilitates rapid problem resolution. Experts who can be based at MHS’s headquarters or at any of the MAN locations in the region can use Webex annotations to mark items of interest.

Competitive Advantage 

“At the end of the day, the benefits of this technology are to our customers,” commented Marius Scutaru, Customer Service Director at MHS Truck & Bus. “Since our deployment of RealWear we can solve difficult problems far quicker and reduce the downtime of vehicles out on the road. As a result, customer satisfaction has increased.”

“This technology is also very much appreciated by our own technicians who can clearly see the advantages of it,” added Marius Scutaru, MHS Truck & Bus. “We’re using assisted reality as a communications system but also to display various documents, which the wearer has real-time access to via simple voice commands.”

Exploring new use cases for assisted reality wearables in automotive

Working with SETH, MHS Truck & Bus is actively looking to expand the use cases for RealWear’s technology. Potential use cases in the future may include extracting data directly from the vehicle computer onto the RealWear device and using the technology to assist in putting orders through for new parts.

“Assisted reality wearables enable MHS Truck & Bus to repair vehicles faster and ultimately get the customer on the road more quickly. It was an easy choice to recommend RealWear to MHS Truck & Bus as it’s a hands-free solution that is far superior to other wearables such as smart glasses or other headworn devices. Solutions that require the use of hands are also problematic when frontline workers are using protective equipment such as gloves, where it’s cumbersome to use a touchscreen,” said Mihai Danila, CEO at SETH.

“As pressure is mounting to increase efficiency across the automotive value chain, we’re seeing more and more automotive companies like MHS (MAN Distributor) seeing RealWear as the new worker productivity platform,” said Jon Arnold, Vice President of EMEA at RealWear. “We look forward to taking MHS’s vision of connecting the machine data to the wearables as the next logical step.”

 

 

Manufacturing Tech, News

BIXOLON Demonstrates Its Latest Range of Innovative Logistics Solutions at LogiMAT 2022

Showcasing the latest in RFID, mobile, desktop and industrial label printing

LogiMAT 2022 – (31.05-02.06.2022, Stuttgart, Germany) BIXOLON, the global manufacturer of advanced Receipt, Label and Mobile printers invites you to visit stand #6D11 at LogiMAT 2022, where it will be exhibiting its growing range of printing solutions dedicated to the intralogistics market.

Displaying a range of high tech labelling technologies to deliver superfast operations; BIXOLON will be exhibiting the XD5-40tR, a 4-inch (118mm) Thermal Transfer desktop label printer with UHF RFID encode and print capabilities. Alongside the XT5-40NR, a highly powerful, optimum performance 4-inch (114mm) Thermal Transfer Industrial RFID label printer. Plus, the NEW XM7-40R 4-inch (112mm) mobile label printer which form part of its RFID labelling range.

BIXOLON will also be exhibiting its portfolio of 2-inch and 4-inch desktop labelling solutions ideal for product and supply chain identification and mission critical applications. Including, the highly reliable XD5-40 4-inch (118mm) and XD3-40 4-inch (118mm) desktop Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer printer series which offer value added features to suit a range of budgets. Alongside the XL5-40 4-inch (114mm) dedicated linerless desktop label printer and the slim line SLP-DX220 2-inch (60mm) direct thermal label and barcode printer, capable of printing a variety of widths for label, tags and wristbanding.

While presenting its award winning range of mobile receipt and label solutions for a range of logistics, postal and manufacturing applications. BIXOLON will be demonstrating the XM7-40 4-inch (112mm) and XM7-20 2-inch (58mm) Liner and Linerless Mobile Label printers which provide premium-level performance produce quality printing outputs at high volumes, making it ideal for the most demanding of environments. Together with its award winning SPP-R200PLUSIII 2-inch (58mm) mobile receipt and linerless printer.

“We are excited to be joined on the stand by our long standing partner Mediaform, a supplier of data acquisition and identification labelling solutions, who are showcasing their logistics application printing in conjunction with our XL5-40 desktop printer,” cites Jay Kim, Managing Director, BIXOLON Europe GmbH. “Over the past two years there has been unprecedented pressure on the logistics industry and the need for effective technology hardware has become more important than ever. LogiMAT give BIXOLON the opportunity to showcase the latest in printing technology innovation with the support of our partner throughout the show.

To find out more, visit BIXOLON at www.BixolonEU.com or contact sales@Bixolon.de to make an appointment to meet the team.