Features

A paperless state of affairs

The idea of ‘going paperless’ is not a new one; offices, businesses, hospitals, shops and most other organisations you can think of have made strides towards digitalisation and away from paper documentation. But by and large, industry has been slow to follow. Now though, many have also pledged to go paperless, but they face the daunting challenge of finding new and efficient systems to replace the traditional ones.

Transport system revolutionises motion in food and beverage manufacturing

According the latest United Nations (UN) data, two thirds of the world’s countries expect 50% increase in population between 2019 and 2050. Manufacturers in the food and beverage industry are under pressure to satisfy increasing demand and ensure that products are safe and comply with numerous regulatory guidelines. For food manufacturers that are willing to innovate, Stephen Hayes, Managing Director of Beckhoff Automation UK, explains how a revolutionary new transport system can help.

Add a secure element to build edge-to-cloud security into an IoT design

Cybersecurity remains a universal problem in the design and deployment of any system connected to the public Internet. Semiconductor vendors are helping to strike a balance by providing easier to deploy security solutions. This article will discuss the problem of security before introducing one such solution from NXP Semiconductors, namely the EdgeLock SE050 secure element (SE).

In the age of the short attention span, emotion trumps reason

In a guest column, exclusive to Connectivity, Richard Stone, Founder and Managing Director of Stone Junction – the first ever PR agency for the Fourth Industrial Revolution – asks if it’s even true for engineers that, in the age of the short attention span, emotion trumps reason?

More Features

Building a business case for Industry 4.0 – Convincing your stakeholders(19/11/2019)

Here, Andrew Minturn, Strategic Product Manager at Bosch Rexroth, explores the first – and critical – phase of transitioning towards a connected facility: stakeholder engagement.
Specifying enclosures for environmental management systems in a ‘smart’ world(19/11/2019)

Industry 4.0 is the buzzword of choice for engineers and marketing professionals across many market sectors. Industry 4.0 describes the integration of digital communication with the industrial process to create a network of 'smart' tools and components that can improve efficiency, quality, productivity and safety. The development of smart technology has also influenced environmental management processes – from simple home thermostats through to the largest industrial processes.
Invertek Drives boosts product testing by integrating cobots into production(18/11/2019)

Universal Robots (UR) announced that Invertek Drives has incorporated two UR5 cobots into the testing phase of its production line. By automating this aspect of its operations, the company has successfully improved workflow consistency.
What digital automation means for panel building(14/11/2019)

Automated processes in panel building allow error sources to be reduced, procedures to be speeded up and costs to be cut. However, these things can only be achieved if the components, digitalisation technology and automation technology fit perfectly together. Therefore, Klippon Connect terminal blocks from Weidmüller’s A-Series were designed from the very outset to be “ready-to-robot”.
Networking technology connects smart traffic systems throughout Amsterdam(14/11/2019)

Amsterdam has one of the world's most challenging traffic management environments, which the office for Traffic and Public Space (Verkeer en Openbare Ruimte) meets through vision, action and modern technology. This is typified by the new intelligent data communications network being installed to support the city’s traffic control system, for which they have selected advanced Ethernet switching and routing technology from Westermo.