Industry Update: events, research and company news Moventas and NSK sign multiyear contract Moventas Oy and NSK Europe signed a multiyear contract for the procurement and delivery of NSK rolling bearings for the Moventas Wind Gears business. The term of the contract is initially 4 years, with the option of continued cooperation beyond this contract period. The value of the contract is several tens of million Euros. This new contractual agreement is the result of the positive working relationship that the two companies have enjoyed for several years and is the logical next step of the partnership. The contract is also to provide long-term security for supply, as both companies have planned extensive investments in new production capacity, to support the future potential growth in wind power stations. Both companies are continuously expanding their market share in this field. Moventas is one of the leading experts in mechanical power transmission. The company designs, manufactures and markets mechanical power transmission solutions and services for the process and energy industries. NSK - founded 1916 as Japan’s first bearings manufacturer - today is a global leading supplier of bearings, automotive components and steering systems, precision and mechatronic products. Robotics at Automatica The Automatica trade show will present an international product range covering assembly and handling technology, robotics, machine vision and associated technologies. Robotics sales have been buoyant in recent years, helping to bring in the money for new developments and innovations. The number of robots being used is therefore also on the rise. New products will attract public interest small, fast robots, as well as industry-specific welding and painting robots, plus power machines. Already the word in the sector is that systems will be a big focus of the company displays at the trade fair. And, in view of the high number of hands-on professionals among the audience, the emphasis with these robots will be on showing them in action performing practical applications, and in a suitable environment. Something that has been in demand for years, is now starting to be realised - more carrying capacity at less own weight, to produce more dynamic robots. New drive concepts are also facilitating even higher acceleration rates and axle speeds. One thing to look out for is the strongest robot in the world - the Titan from Kuka, with 1,000 kg carrying capacity. The Automatica trade show will take place from Tuesday, 10 June to Friday, 13 June 2008 in the new Munich Trade Fair Centre Saint-Gobain acquires Rencol Tolerance Rings Saint-Gobain, the a world leading manufacturer, processor and distributor of materials, has acquired Rencol Tolerance Rings, a UK based subsidiary of Eriks group NV, for a total of £12.5 million (?15.7million). The arrangement includes the company’s activities in Bristol and Japan, and the 51% controlling interest in Rencol MMI Technology pte in Singapore. Saint-Gobain has over 200,000 employees around the world. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, the company will be integrated into the Bearing Business Unit and change its name accordingly to Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol Ltd. Jim Smith, Managing Director, will report to Marc Aerts, General Manager Bearings. About the acquisition Mr Smith commented: "This announcement represents an exciting opportunity for this company as Saint-Gobain has established extensive global sales channels and the product families complement each other and will enable both companies to grow faster." Rencol tolerance rings solve many of the engineering problems associated with temperature, vibration and torque control between shafts and housings, and share a number of synergies with products and services currently available from Saint- Gobain’s Bearings business unit. Both companies share many common automotive customers, and are already involved in some of the same ongoing projects. Servo controls the growth of the motion market The global market for general purpose motion controls was estimated to have increased by over $480 million (?310 million) between 2006 and 2007, reaching an estimated value of $6,208 million (?4,010 miilion) according to the latest study by IMS Research. Whilst this growth is considerably less than the 13.4% experienced in 2006, it still remains significantly higher than that of general industry. This is mainly due to the rapidly increasing market for servo products, which currently accounts for 80% of the total motion control market. IMS Research analyst Rob Carter comments "The growth of the Asia Pacific market for servo products remains primarily dictated by the growth of industry, particularly in developing regions such as China and India. However, the Western markets of EMEA and Americas are also impacted by the spread of high functionality servo products into mid-range and lowend applications." Tell a friend about this article:
Copyright © 2008 Thomas Publishing Company