Asia claims almost half of Industrial automation computer 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.
For more information on the speakers and to book tickets for the event, visit the CLPA’s EventBrite page gateway-to-china.eventbrite.co.uk/.
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.

- See more at: http://www.connectingindustry.com/automation/asia-claims-almost-half-of-automation-sales.aspx#sthash.4z4uCkA2.dpuf

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

Technology Market in demand

GizmoSphere has also entered the maker market with x86 process technology, including an AMD Embedded computer G-Series APU capable of 52.8 GFLOPS at under 10 W on their Gizmo board. Part of the Gizmo Explorer Kit, the package “was designed to be flexible so that designers can customize the system according to their specific development goals,” says Kerry Brown, Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Sage Industrial Electronic Engineering.

“Gizmo was created to provide a flexible, multipurpose development board to serve the unique needs of embedded developers,” Brown says. “There is a wide range of interfaces on the Gizmo board, including PCIe, I2C, USB, and GPIO … to enable each developer’s unique design goals. The companion Explorer board provides a sea of holes for industrial prototyping and debugging. The kit can be used by hobbyist developers who want to tinker at home on the weekends, or by entrepreneurs and small businesses developing their next product.”

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

Keep it up with micro enhancement

To keep up with the increasing sophistication of factory equipment, Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) need to deliver sophisticated 2D and fanless embedded systems, video, and other media types that clearly communicate a machine’s status and intended operation. Advanced visuals are also important in central control rooms, where solutions management needs to understand increasingly complex and distributed Internet of Things-enabled systems at a glance. They work in harsh environments, and they get little or no recognition. But their impact on power plant efficiency can be significant. Valves and actuators are critical in almost every aspect of single board computer.

refer to:

http://embedded-computing.com/articles/transform-factory-the-intel-core-processor/

Actuator solutions in power plant

In the most frequently used duty, the Contrac actuator follows an technology analogue setpoint signal in continuous operation. As the torque or force increases or decreases smoothly, the mechanical components are not subjected to load peaks. This technology facilitates long service intervals and a long service life of the actuator and actuating element. In this material-friendly duty, Contrac systems can also be operated when control commands are received as embedded systems pulses from a step controller. In this way, the embedded systems user can benefit from these unique operating features even in older plants, which frequently still use step control or simple open-closed commands. Torques and forces can be set independently of each other as well as the direction of motion. This can either be set via single board computer or a torque/force characteristic curve. The speed settings are made in a similar manner.

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

JR and AWL merge for greater automation market

In addition to increasing available resources, JR and AWL will share knowledge and expertise on the latest technologies, keeping both companies on the cutting edge.

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. Similarly, AWL is a leader in production industrial computer and experienced in the automotive and general industries with proficiency in laser welding.  With JR and AWL’s standing as leading global system integrators, this strategic partnership will facilitate an environment rich with knowledge, ability, and possibility for our customers.

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

Reviews from the embedded system user

Much of the content 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.

Engineers working in the development of software for automotive embedded computers will have the opportunity to learn about the latest tools and techniques at Lauterbach's September Automotive Forum.

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

RapidIO provides extensive care to your embedded computer

RapidIO was also designed to support peer-to-peer embedded computer. It was assumed multiple host or master processors would be in the system and that those processors needed to communicate with each other through shared memory, interrupts, and messages. Multiple processors (up to 16K) can be configured in a RapidIO network, each with their own complete address space.

RapidIO also provides a clean dividing line between the functionality of embedded computers and endpoints. RapidIO switches only make switching decisions based on explicit source/destination address pairs and explicit priorities. This allows RapidIO endpoints to add new transaction types without requiring changes or enhancements to the switch devices.

refer to: http://embedded-computing.com/articles/rapidio-optimized-low-latency-processor-connectivity/#at_pco=cfd-1.0