Volvo Cars’ new plant in Košice, Slovakia, has a maximum capacity of 250,000 cars per year, and production is planned to start in 2027. Volvo Cars aims to fully electrify its vehicle lineup and is adding this new European facility to expand its global production capacity.

Dürr provides turnkey planning and implementation of various final assembly technologies in the areas of conveyor, filling and testing systems. For Volvo Cars, this means less coordination effort, greater planning reliability and systems that are optimally coordinated throughout the final assembly process. This is enabled by NEXT.assembly, Dürr’s holistic concept for final assembly. It integrates consulting services, alongside components from conveyor, assembly, filling and testing technology, as modular components in a seamless total solution.

For the final assembly stage, the premium automotive manufacturer uses Dürr technology that has already proven successful at many other Volvo plants. One example is the filling systems, which feature special handling systems and five parallel consoles ensuring efficient production at Volvo Cars’ site in Torslanda, Sweden. In Košice, the filling equipment is designed to meet future requirements. This includes the ability to integrate new low conductivity coolants, as well as next-generation air conditioning refrigerants required by future European legislation.

“Volvo Cars has exceptionally high standards when it comes to measurement accuracy. We are very familiar with these standards, as Dürr equips all Volvo sites worldwide with vehicle geometry and headlight alignment technology,” says Jörg Neumann, director of End of Line (EOL) Product Line at Dürr in Germany.

Košice is no exception. At this site, Dürr’s x-wheel system will be used to ensure precise chassis measurement and adjustment. Featuring the x-3Dsurface non-contact sensor, it enables high-precision, area-based measurements and can be used with any tire and body shapes. The driving axis determined during this process specifies the alignment of the headlamps and the LED modules installed within them. As new headlamp generations have more and more LEDs in order to enable distinctive designs and a wide range of functions, the requirements for light measurement have also increased. Dürr has specifically developed the x-light measuring and setting system for headlamps specifically to meet these requirements. The camera-based measurement technology precisely inspects the low beam, high beam, and fog lamp and adjusts them semi-automatically in accordance with ECE and SAE standards.

As the central link between the individual process steps in final assembly, Dürr supplies the complete conveyor system for the plant. The car bodies and doors are transported through the various final assembly stations by more than 3 kilometers of conveyor technology, such as electric monorail systems, skillet platforms and modular chain conveyors. The design is based on robust, low-maintenance and durable components. The result is a conveying solution that combines high availability with cost-effectiveness and lays the foundation for a stable and efficiently synchronised final assembly process.

“Our fully automated final assembly system represents a significant advancement in automotive manufacturing, combining precision engineering with cutting-edge automation to deliver exceptional quality and efficiency,” concludes Andreas Hohmann, CEO at Dürr Italy and Vice President of NEXT.assembly.

www.durr.com

Physical AI models are only as good as the demonstration data they are trained on and most of that data is visual. Today, teams typically assemble their own rigs from individually sourced robot arms and consumer-grade USB cameras, relying on custom driver code to connect them. The result is datasets with low-resolution imagery, inconsistent calibration, motion blur, and timing drift across views and data streams.

The Trossen Workbench and Rivet are unified development platforms featuring dual WidowX Pro 6-DoF arms with reach from 700 mm to 1000 mm, payload capacities of 4 to 6 kg payload, and 1 mm repeatability. Each platform is powered by an onboard NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 64 GB compute and supports teleoperation over local networks and the internet. Each also includes a factory-calibrated three-camera vision system built entirely with .

The Stereolabs and Trossen joint vision architecture mirrors how state-of-the-art manipulation policies are trained. A center-mounted Stereolabs ZED X Mini provides the global scene view and stereo-depth context of the full workspace, while each wrist-mounted ZED X Nano delivers the close-range view of the gripper and object that imitation-learning policies rely on for fine manipulation.

The ZED X Nano was designed specifically for this application. Its dual 2.3 MP (1920×1200) global-shutter sensors capture at up to 60 fps without the motion blur of rolling-shutter USB cameras, and its neural depth engine resolves geometry from as close as 3 cm, the distances at which grasping actually happens. GMSL2 connectivity with locking, EMI-resistant cabling keeps all three cameras deterministically synchronised on the Jetson with a zero-copy pipeline, so teams can record, encode, and run inference simultaneously without frames silently dropping mid-episode. A vibration-resistant onboard IMU keeps the wrist views usable even as the arms move at speed.

Every teleoperated episode collected on the Workbench and Rivet is a clean, synchronised, multi-view, RGB-plus-depth training sample, ready for imitation learning, reinforcement learning, and sim-to-real workflows through native support for ROS 2 and NVIDIA Isaac Sim / Isaac Lab.

“The Physical AI community is migrating to GMSL2 because USB can't handle the long cable runs from the end effector to compute that real robots demand,” said Matt Trossen, CEO of Trossen Robotics. “Stereolabs ZED X Nano gives us the signal stability, image quality, and throughput to take Physical AI from the lab into hardened industrial deployments. Teams should spend their time collecting demonstrations and training policies, not integrating and calibrating camera rigs.”

“Trossen has done what few others have: put the camera at the heart of a complete, calibrated data-collection system,” said Cecile Schmollgruber, president of Stereolabs. “The Workbench with Stereolabs ZED X Mini and ZED X Nano turns every demonstration into training-grade data, and that's what will move Physical AI forward.”

The Workbench anchors Trossen's broader Physical AI hardware suite including the RIVET mobile manipulation platform, GLIDE passive leader arms, and COCKPIT operator station for scalable teleoperated data collection.

www.stereolabs.com/en-il

Here, Nathan Charles, head of customer experience at cyber resilience specialist OryxAlign, explains why engineering businesses should look beyond compliance to build genuine operational resilience.

Engineering businesses invest significant time and resource into meeting the requirements of ISO 19650-5 and the National Protective Security Authority’s ‘Built it Secure’ approach. However, while these frameworks provide valuable structure and demonstrate a credible baseline of security maturity, it is very possible for certified firms to still lose control of sensitive data.

Compliance frameworks like these set a recognised baseline, create accountability and give boards and customers a way to benchmark security maturity. The risk lies in what happens post-certification. 

For many organisations, passing an audit becomes the objective in itself, rather than a step towards genuine resilience. Certification and self-assessment exercises capture a snapshot of security controls at a single point in time, under conditions that are largely predictable. They rarely test what happens when those controls are placed under real pressure, such as a ransomware attack that spreads faster than the incident response plan anticipated, a misconfigured update that takes core systems offline, or a supplier outage with knock-on effects nobody had mapped.

When the paperwork doesn't match reality

The gap between documented compliance and operational reality is well evidenced. The UK Government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 found that 43 per cent of UK businesses reported experiencing a cyber security breach or attack in the past twelve months. This is despite most organisations already having basic technical measures, such as malware protection, firewalls and access controls, in place.

According to Howden’s cyber exposure report, the UK was the most-attacked country in Europe in 2026 and the two most targeted industries were construction and engineering. Notable cyber-attacks in the last year or so include those on engineering contractor Morrisroe, the Construction Industry Council and Bouygues UK.

Regulators are recognising the gap too

Encouragingly, this is not a case of compliance frameworks being wrong; it reflects how regulators and standard-setters are actively evolving what they expect organisations to demonstrate. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has developed its Principles Based Assurance approach specifically to move away from assessment against fixed, compliance-driven control sets, in favour of a risk-based approach.

Notably, the EU's Digital Operational Resilience Act requires financial entities to test their resilience through scenario-based exercises rather than rely on point-in-time compliance reviews. Across sectors and geographies, there is a consistent direction of travel where demonstrated resilience, not paperwork, is the real measure of readiness.

From checklist to stress test

For organisations that want to close this gap, the starting point is treating resilience as something that is tested and proven, not assumed because a framework has been satisfied. That means running scenario-based exercises that simulate severe but plausible disruption, such as the loss of a critical supplier, a ransomware incident or a major cloud outage, and observing how systems, teams and decision-making actually hold up under pressure.

Compliance frameworks and regulatory obligations remain an essential part of managing cyber risk, and organisations should not disregard them. But they represent a floor, not a ceiling. Genuine operational resilience is proven under pressure, not certified on paper. Organisations that build a culture of continuous testing, honest assumption-challenging and cross-functional ownership will be far better placed to keep critical services running when, not if, disruption occurs.

To learn how OryxAlign helps organisations map digital dependencies and strengthen operational resilience, visit:

www.oryxalign.com

Shortlisted in no less than three categories at the Automate UK Awards – which is being held on the evening of the second day of the PPMA Show – Tekpak is renowned for solving complex packaging line challenges with its proven, modular automation solutions which are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing lines, fit constrained spaces and enable tool-less changeovers. 

The centrepiece of the company’s stand this year will be the TD3/R Series – a dynamic 3-axis robotic pick-and-place cell suitable for loading or stacking products into trays, cases, cartons, a thermoformer or a flow-wrapper infeed. 

This compact automated system is flexible, offers rapid size change capability and features a quick-change gripper for multiple formats. Ideal in cleanroom environments or where space is limited, it’s also highly accurate thanks to robot positional accuracy of +/- 0.1mm and position tracking using vision control. In addition, the system is easy to use thanks to accessible touch-screen displays and boasts gentle handling and optimal safety functions. 

“The PPMA Show is the highlight of the UK’s processing and packaging calendar, showcasing the innovative and creative technologies on the market right now to help manufacturers address key challenges such as rising energy costs and staff shortages,” says Ian Marks, Tekpak Automation’s Head of UK Sales. 

“At Tekpak, we strive to support customers in reducing their operational costs while improving their OEE with our range of reliable, modular automation solutions. We can’t wait to demonstrate this to visitors to our stand, where they can see a live example of one of our most popular pick-and-place cells in action.”

In further evidence of Tekpak’s excellence in automation, the company has been shortlisted in three separate categories at the Automate UK Awards 2026. Taking place at The Vox, Birmingham on night two of the PPMA Show (23 Sept), Tekpak will compete to be named the best of the best in the following areas thanks to an impressive pick-and-place cell they recently installed for a manufacturer of transdermal patches:

• Innovative Packaging Machinery
• Innovative Robotics/Automation Solution
• Innovative Vision Solution

“To be nominated in not just one but three categories against such an impressive line-up of OEMs is an honour in itself,” states Marks. “We are very much looking forward to celebrating the best of British automation technology at this year’s Automate UK Awards.”

To find out more about how Tekpak Automation’s range of automated packaging solutions can help to futureproof your business, visit Stand G74 at PPMA Show 2026 (22-24 September 2026, NEC Birmingham), or go to:

www.tekpakautomation.com

The digital twin design framework is detailed in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society and is described as the first to adapt an international standard for digital twin design in manufacturing – ISO-23247 – to the transport sector.

Research lead author Dr Maryam Farsi is a TransiT co-investigator and a senior lecturer in engineering optimisation at Cranfield University’s Centre for Digital and Design Engineering. She said: “While digital twin technologies are increasingly being used in transport, it’s very fragmented, and most existing systems focus on specific areas or assets, like electric vehicle charging, traffic management or fleet operations. There’s limited interoperability between different modes of transport and few systems address decarbonisation.

“The framework we propose fills this gap by bringing together vehicles, personnel, transport infrastructure, processes, energy and data systems, climate factors, human decision-making and many other elements into a single, standardised digital environment.”

The researchers say the aim of their work is to help policymakers, industry and researchers by providing a common structure for organising the development of transport digital twins that are tailored to system-level decarbonisation across road, rail, maritime and air modes.

The work involved reviewing more than 100 academic studies and analysing over 10,000 records from literature and expert workshops. The research team then worked with a panel of specialists from three UK universities to refine and validate the design, adding more detail in areas including personnel, operational processes, alternative fuels, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, data exchange and cybersecurity.

The resulting framework combines five core elements: real-world observable assets such as vehicles, charging infrastructure and fuel systems; communication technologies that collect and exchange data; the digital twin itself; user-facing tools for planners and operators and cross-system functions covering interoperability, cybersecurity and governance.

“The framework is designed to incorporate emissions monitoring, energy efficiency analysis and carbon accounting as core capabilities rather than treating them as secondary features,” the authors explained. “This would allow organisations to test different decarbonisation strategies virtually before investing in real-world changes.”

To demonstrate their framework, the researchers present a use case involving the transfer of freight from air to road transport. This includes electric airport ground vehicles, electric heavy goods vehicles and planes using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – non-petroleum-based fuels that emit significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional fossil-based jet fuels.

In the scenario, a digital twin helps coordinate SAF supplies, electric ground support equipment, electric trucks and charging infrastructure, while monitoring emissions and operational performance across the system.

The authors say the framework is intended as a reference architecture rather than a finished product and will require further testing through pilot projects and real-world deployment.

Future research should include testing interoperability; developing user interfaces, security protocols and governance requirements and working with a wide range of stakeholders to further assess the tool and consider broader applications.

www.transit.ac.uk

The £1 million-plus package combines investment from British Design Fund (BDF), with support from Innovate UK Growth Catalyst – Investor Partnerships Round 2 and additional Defra Farming Innovation Programme grants.

The University of Essex spin-out’s pioneering agricultural robots combine artificial intelligence, machine vision, embedded intelligence and advanced robotic manipulation to automate labour intensive harvesting and crop-handling tasks. The technology has been validated through extensive field trials with leading UK growers including Wilkin & Sons of Tiptree and JEPCO.

The funding will support product development, manufacturing readiness, customer engagement and commercial expansion of the company's next generation of low-cost, field-ready robotic systems. Versatile RobotX was founded by Professor Klaus McDonald-Maier and Dr Vishwanathan Mohan.

Professor Klaus McDonald-Maier, chief executive officer of Versatile RobotX and head of the Robotics and Embedded Systems Research Group at the University of Essex, said: “Securing more than £1 million in combined investment and innovation support is a major milestone for Versatile RobotX. It reflects the confidence that investors, Innovate UK, Defra, Freeport East and the University of Essex have shown in our vision.

“Agriculture faces unprecedented challenges around labour availability, food security and sustainability. This funding will allow us to accelerate the transition from successful field trials to commercial deployment, as we aim to make advanced robotics affordable and accessible to growers worldwide.”

Dr Vishwanathan Mohan, chief technology officer of Versatile RobotX and head of the AgriRobotics Laboratory at the University of Essex, said: “Working closely with growers, we have demonstrated that advanced agricultural robotics can deliver real-world impact, helping tackle the challenges that matter most to farmers.

“Growers consistently tell us that affordability, reliability and ease of deployment are key barriers to automation. This funding package will help us scale manufacturing readiness, strengthen customer engagement and demonstrate how Robotics-as-a-Service can provide a practical route to adoption for farms of all sizes.

"It will also allow us to expand our portfolio of multifunctional robotic systems and accelerate deployment across a wider range of crops and agricultural settings.”

Versatile RobotX has been supported by University of Essex Enterprise which supports technology transfer by its academics with this funding building on a strong track record of support from Defra, Innovate UK, EPSRC and Freeport East, which has helped the company progress from research prototypes to commercially deployable robotic systems.

versatilerobotx.com

As robots are increasingly deployed for remote handling in hazardous environments – such as hot cells and gloveboxes – operators need training on how to use them safely and efficiently. Simulations of these environments are a popular way to train robot operators at scale, without risk, and without taking real systems out of operation. 

Building training programmes for these simulators tends to happen case-by-case. This is complex and time-consuming, and requires digital and software expertise. To make training development easier, RAICo has developed a software framework that enables operators to create customised simulator-based training programmes in hours, without any coding expertise. 

How the platform enables simulated training without coding

A typical simulated training module could involve the user learning to control a virtual robot arm to pick up a waste item, sort it by type, then place it in a posting tray for removal from the cell. 

The design of such training starts with loading up the simulated environment, for example the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) simulator that was developed to train Sellafield operators on a robot which sorts radioactive cladding, or the simulation used in the NRS Oldbury Fuel Element Debris (FED) sorting project. 

The operator then creates bespoke setups within that simulated environment to mirror real use cases, for example by adding a sample or a posting tray, by dragging and dropping these from a library of virtual objects. 

To establish a training task – such as correctly placing a sample in the posting tray – they select virtual objects (the robot arm, the sample, the posting tray) and set conditions for each using a simple interface.  

Once set up, the person being trained can work through these multiple practice tasks in the simulator, while the platform provides interactive guidance to support learning and familiarity. It also collects metrics to benchmark training success and support targeted improvements to the training.  

Faster virtual training for operators of robots

“Basic familiarisation training can be set up very quickly,” says James Boock, project lead at RAICo. “More complex task training like unscrewing a bolt may take additional time to create, depending on the amount of fine-tuning needed to reach the desired level of accuracy.” 

“That is far quicker than simulator training setups take today in the nuclear sector. Before this, software experts needed to build training programmes one by one, and be brought back in for development every time the training needs changing. Now end users can design training themselves, and upgrade iteratively as they learn more about training needs, all without any software expertise.”  

The software framework is being implemented into Sellafield’s MSSS simulator and UKAEA’s Materials Research Facility receipt cell simulator (both pictured). Early work has also begun on integrating it into NRS Oldbury’s FED sorting simulator and the Quadruped Familiarisation Tool , which is being used by several RAICo members.  

Idris Hussain, robotics equipment programme lead at Sellafield, said: “We’ve invested in the MSSS simulator because effective training is fundamental to safe operations. This is particularly important when using complex and costly remote handling robotics, where operator competence and confidence are critical. By developing our own training scenarios through the RAICo collaboration, we can respond quickly to emerging needs and maximise the value of the simulator.” 

“As retrieval operations ramp up across Sellafield, remote handling and robotic systems will play an increasingly important role in delivering our mission safely and at pace. We’re continually seeking innovative ways to improve performance, and the ability to rapidly develop high-quality training as our knowledge and experience grows is a huge advantage.” 

Simulators promise to play a key role in enabling the widespread use of robotics in decommissioning, by training operators at scale without taking real systems out of service. The ability to quickly set up and update simulator training programmes brings this promise closer. 

raico.org

AS AEROSPACE manufacturers accelerate production and MRO providers respond to unprecedented global demand, competitive advantage is increasingly being shaped by how quickly organisations can qualify, verify and release critical components – not simply how quickly they can manufacture them.

At the same time, attention continues to focus on digital transformation, artificial intelligence and connected manufacturing. And behind every successful AI initiative sits something far more fundamental: trusted engineering data. For manufacturers producing safety-critical components, every engineering decision depends upon confidence that a part has been measured correctly, validated against specification and supported by complete traceability.

Integrating data

Derby-based AddQual believes the industry's next phase of digital transformation will be built around digital qualification, where metrology, inspection, verification and engineering knowledge become connected into a single decision-making environment. Rather than inspection existing as a standalone quality function, manufacturers are increasingly integrating qualification data throughout the lifecycle of a component, from first article inspection and production approval through to repair development, reverse engineering, in-service support and future maintenance programmes.

This approach aligns directly with AddQual's expanding portfolio of qualification and inspection services, including FAIR and LAIR reporting, PPAP support, inspection planning, engineering investigations, re-engineering, turnkey plant support and increasingly sophisticated digital verification platforms.

"Manufacturers already collect enormous quantities of inspection data," says Ben Anderson, managing director of AddQual. "The real opportunity is transforming that information into engineering confidence. Qualification should accelerate decisions, support production and provide complete traceability throughout the life of a component."

That philosophy underpins AddQual's continued development of MiDAS, its digital manufacturing intelligence platform, and AtlasQual, the company's next-generation digital qualification environment. Together, the platforms are designed to create a connected digital thread that captures metrology data, inspection evidence, engineering knowledge and qualification records within a single managed environment. Instead of engineers navigating multiple systems and disconnected reports, qualification information becomes immediately accessible, searchable and reusable throughout manufacturing and MRO operations.

As aircraft fleets continue to grow and maintenance activity expands worldwide, the ability to qualify repaired or newly manufactured components efficiently is becoming an increasingly valuable capability. Modern aerospace programmes generate millions of measurement points, inspection images, dimensional records and compliance documents. While collecting this information is essential, manufacturers are increasingly recognising that the greatest value comes from connecting it into an intelligent qualification workflow that supports engineering decisions in real time.

Embracing digitalisation

This is particularly relevant as organisations embrace digital twins and data-driven manufacturing strategies. High-fidelity digital models are only as valuable as the engineering evidence that supports them. Accurate metrology, verified geometry and controlled inspection processes provide the trusted foundation upon which digital manufacturing is built. AddQual sees this as a natural evolution of quality engineering. Its roadmap extends beyond traditional inspection activities towards subscription-based digital qualification services through MiDAS, AtlasQual and future intelligent platforms capable of supporting digital twins, managed qualification services, repair scheme development and fully integrated engineering programmes.

As aerospace manufacturing enters its next phase of growth, qualification is evolving from a compliance activity into a strategic engineering capability. Organisations that can verify parts faster, capture engineering knowledge digitally and create trusted qualification records are placing themselves in a stronger position to accelerate new product introduction, streamline repair development and support increasingly connected manufacturing environments.

www.addqual.com

MANY FACTORIES today have automation tools and systems in place to help drive productivity across operations. Often these are laser-focused on improving uptime, quality, and increasing outputs and are only added to certain points in the process, usually to tackle a well-defined task and generate a fast payback with obvious gains. However, one critical piece of the puzzle is often overlooked: the flow between those points or stations.

If the material handling between stations isn’t automated with the same rigor as the stations themselves, the bottlenecks will simply move into the gaps instead. These delays can be hard to recognise because no single machine looks “broken”, but they can significantly contribute to the wider productivity losses within a business.

Intralogistics is often ‘taken for granted’ or seen as a secondary function surrounding the production line. Material transfer, workstation replenishment and pallet handling are all small parts, but when delays across all processes are added up, they can make a huge difference to line efficiency.

This is why many operations are starting to use collaborative robotics to manage their intralogistics - whether through collaborative industrial robot arms (cobots) or autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

For intralogistics, cobots handle the task itself while AMRs handle the flow, extending automation throughout an entire production ecosystem. This is how logistics becomes a competitive lever. The real question for companies is not whether to automate, but where collaborative automation can generate the most value.
In logistics and intralogistics, collaborative robotics work best when they are introduced not to “do robotics”, but as a practical response to the challenges companies already face, often with an aim to improve overall productivity.

How cobots and AMRs can be applied

There are three main areas for opportunity when it comes to collaborative robotics in logistics and intralogistics:

- End-of-Line Operations: Many repetitive and physically demanding tasks come together at the end of the operation line. Activities such as pick and place handling, case loading and palletising are often ideal candidates for collaborative automation.

Cobots can improve productivity while maintaining consistent levels of accuracy. This  becomes especially valuable when batch sizes vary, product formats change frequently and production schedules demand greater flexibility.

Plus, cobots’ ability to work flexibly within existing factory layouts without major disruption are key drivers behind their growing adoption.

- Line Feeding and Assembly Replenishment: Production lines depend on materials arriving at the right location at the right time. When this doesn’t happen, operators are forced to wait for materials or perform transportation tasks themselves instead of focusing on value-added activities.

As AMRs can work independently, they become valuable not as “forklift replacements”, but as tools for reducing repetitive missions, and stabilising flow.

- Flexible Manufacturing Environments: Cobots are known for versatility in environments that face growing pressure from volume, variability and limited space.

Often, SMEs struggle to embark on their own automation journey but by incorporating tools like cobots, they have a cost-effective, ready-to-go option that evolves with their needs over time.

In European manufacturing, this works incredibly well because factories tend to be made up of advanced but not always homogeneous plants, with high-mix production, and a constant need to adapt to varying operating scales.

Real world applications - meet Vibo

In practice, Vibo applied AMRs to its intralogistics operation, making processes smoother and directly driving productivity. The Italian manufacturer serves the furniture sector in more than 70 countries and has built its competitiveness on tightly integrated internal flows. Due to this, efficient intralogistics is not optional, but essential to maintaining service levels and operational continuity.

The company required an automation solution that could operate safely in an open environment, without fencing or layout changes, and could adapt to variable internal flows.

It introduced a MiR1200 Pallet Jack, an AMR that detects, picks up and delivers pallets weighing up to 1200kg, to automate pallet transport previously handled by electric forklifts, whose charging cycles left parts of the shift uncovered.

Beyond improving continuity, the AMR also freed employees from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-value activities.  The result was not a technology showcase, but a targeted automation project aligned with how the factory uniquely operates, fixing a real-world need.

Focus on ROI, not robotics

Enthusiasm for new technology is important, but manufacturers should avoid viewing cobots and AMRs as investments to simply tick the automation box. The most successful projects start with a business challenge, not a technology requirement, and work backwards to find the right solution.

Every organisation will have different use cases, shaped by different priorities, but no business can escape the reality that intralogistics and flow underpin the entire operation.

By focusing automation on the gaps, manufacturers can build continuity that allows them to manage more variants, reduce repetitive tasks, and improve ergonomics, safety and space utilisation.

The key is not where automation starts, but how closely it aligns with a company’s specific constraints, workflows, and performance goals.

Mark Gray is UK sales manager at Teradyne Robotics

www.teradyne.com

As well as navigating obsolescence, the upgrade will provide additional control functionality, improved motor performance and long-term technical support. Awarded in May 2026, the project is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2027.

EES will design, supply and perform the factory acceptance test (FAT) and site acceptance test (SAT) for a replacement excitation control panel and electrical protection relay panel. Both new panels will be retrofitted into the same space as the existing equipment. 

The replacement system will provide regulated closed-loop excitation control and will help ensure the motor is dispatched optimally to meet the site’s local load and reactive power demands.

The existing system requires operators to adjust excitation manually, which is not feasible in modern power control systems. The replacement will also provide the gases producer with a technical partner able to support the equipment beyond project delivery.

“The customer has previously struggled with OEM support and needed to know it could depend on its excitation supplier,” said Ryan Kavanagh, director at EES.  “Replacing obsolete controls is not just a panel swap. The new system must work safely with existing interfaces and meet the site’s operational requirements. We’ll run in-person design workshops to provide reassurance around the replacement equipment and minimise risk at the interfaces with the existing plant.” Kavanagh continued.

“This is an important milestone for EES as this is our first design contract secured directly with a mainland European customer.” said Tim Burchell, head of operations and projects at EES. “It builds on successful design and commissioning work we have delivered for the same customer in the Netherlands and in England.”

excitationengineering.co.uk