Asia claims almost half of Industrial automation solutions sales

A recent report by IHS has shown that in 2012, capital expenditure on industrial automation equipment in Asia reached a total of $76.6bn, representing 46% of global investments in the sector.

Despite this established and rising trend, selling industrial automation equipment in Asia remains a clear business opportunity and one where many European providers are lagging behind.

Despite the first half of 2012 seeing an Asian market slowdown, with only a 3.7% growth in overall revenue from industrial automation equipment, the second half of the year showed definite improvement. The positive trend has continued in 2013, with the industrial automation sector set to grow by 6.2%. In such a dynamic market, getting new business can be both a business and technical challenge.

One of the key areas of opportunity is the power industry, where the booming consumer and industrial power markets in developing economies such as China and India have created rocketing demand. In China the per capita energy use is still a long way behind most of Western Europe, meaning the potential for growth is still huge. Without question, Asia represents a perfect storm of opportunities for European automation suppliers.

In order to help businesses better understand how to take advantage of the current climate and increase their industrial automation sales in Asia, particularly China, the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) is hosting a seminar entitled ‘Gateway to China’. The event will take place on 24th September at the Mitsubishi Electric Europe Tokyo Conference Suite in Hatfield.

In light of the sensitive current economic climate, many Asian companies are taking a more careful approach to investment – they are becoming more demanding towards their suppliers and making more enquiries before purchasing. Furthermore, according to IHS’ research, several Chinese manufacturers are currently developing products which are in direct competition with the ones provided by Western suppliers of industrial automation solutions. These are only a few of the obstacles facing European vendors who want to penetrate the Asian market to change the way they do business.

Flexibility and the ability to respond to very specific demands are becoming essential factors when dealing with the Asian market. Being able to offer technologies and products which are compatible with the needs of Asian clients is no longer an option, it’s a must.

refer to:http://www.connectingindustry.com/automation/asia-claims-almost-half-of-automation-sales.aspx

DIY is back to the market

Resurgence of the Do It Yourself (DIY) community has driven a range of open hardware platforms, giving aspiring technologists cheap and easy access to embedded development. Outside of hobbyist toys and embedded computer  educational devices, however, "hacker" boards are increasing performance and I/O flexibility, and have become viable industrial  options for professional product development.

The “networking appliance” movements of the past few years quickly gained traction in the education and networking appliance market,  as organizations began producing open hardware boards with a “less-is-more” architecture at a price to match. DIY boards like the Arduino, BeagleBoard, and Raspberry Pi provide “known state” programming platforms that allow easy exploring for novice developers, and enough flexibility for advanced industrial  hackers to create some pretty remarkable things – which they have.

refer to:
http://embedded-computing.com/articles/diy-pushes-open-hardware-kindergarten-kickstarter/

Diverse actuator applications in power plant

ABB actuators avoid this effect by defining a small area in front of the end position.
As soon as the actuator reaches this area, single board computer behaves as if it were set to 'Drive to end position'. The three-phase asynchronous motor with cage rotor guarantees safe and reliable operation. The use of a frequency converter allows the torque and stroke time of the intelligent actuator to be varied. This means that both single board computers can be adapted to the actuating element or process independently of each other. The motor is constantly under voltage, and increases or reduces the torque gently and in proportion to the control deviation. The actuator is always switched on, meaning that no technology restrictions are placed on the control loop, even at the maximum permissible ambient temperature.

refer to: http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-117/issue-8/features/opportunities-to-improve-efficiency.html

Partnered business relationship heats up automation industry competition

JR Automation Technologies in Holland, MI, and AWL-Techniek, based in the Netherlands, announce a partnership. JR Automation,  in business since 1980, is a rapidly expanding embedded system automation company with experience in creating a wide range of solutions, from stand-alone operator assist stations to highly automated assembly lines.

With the advancement of customer success at the helm, the strategies of JR Automation and AWL-Techniek have aligned, creating a partnership that will allow global customer bases to benefit from an equally global system integrator presence. JR will service and support customers in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and AWL will support customers in Europe and China.

refer to: http://www.automation.com/jr-automation-and-awl-techniek-join-forces

Methods for embedded software debug

Much of the ways will be based around the embedded computers development and validation of Autosar compliant code and the development of code for specific devices such as the BOSCH GTM, the AURIX and Freescale's Nexus based Qorivva solutions. Some of the presentations will also touch on the debugging of code on multicore systems. Delegates will also have the opportunity to discuss their specific challenges and requirements. “Developing reliable software for safety critical automotive applications can be very challenging,” said Barry Lock. “We have recently developed several important new techniques, such as ‘long-term trace’. It is this kind of innovation that is enabling faster and more effective code development. I think engineers will greatly benefit from this Forum.”

refer to: http://embedded-computing.com/news/lauterbach-software-debugging-workshops/

Different approach to manage your embedded system data

Different approach allows designers to reduce the total power in embedded computer systems that use multiple memory modules and those that must run above +85 °C, which is a typical design challenge in a wide range of AdvancedTCA-based telecom and Ethernet blade switch networking applications.

Designers of telecom and networking blade systems typically face strict limitations on system height. In addition, these systems require spacing on top of the memory module to enable airflow for effective thermal management. Incorporating a reduced height DDR3L VLP memory module helps improve airflow and provides a low profile, allowing OEMs to offer higher-reliability products that reduce total cost of ownership. Specific DDR3L VLP modules also offer single refresh rates, which are now essential to maximize performance in high-temperature embedded systems.


refer to: http://embedded-computing.com/articles/ruggedization-memory-module-design/

Moving toward a brighter in-vehicle picture

Have you ever thought of moving toward a brighter, easier, smoother mobile way? The Bluetooth SIG has specified a standard mechanism for streaming high-quality mono or stereo audio from a Bluetooth master such as a smartphone to a slave device like an IVI system. The Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) encodes 2-channel audio in a Bluetooth-friendly format, which is sent wirelessly and decoded at the Bluetooth receiver. The SBC audio codec is a mandatory component of the A2DP profile, but other industry standards and proprietary codecs can also be accommodated. Today, several proprietary radios enable keyless entry and proximity sensor capabilities to unlock car doors or start the ignition. But because these links are not based on standards, each accessory must be compatible with the specific proprietary technology or it will not work. Wireless SoCs that include Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) capabilities, however, enable interoperability with all in-vehicle wireless systems, allowing consumers to use any of their mobile accessories to open car doors or start the ignition. The dashboard so they can answer calls and check text messages.

refer to: http://embedded-computing.com/articles/wireless-accelerate-next-wave-in-vehicle-innovation/