MVTec Software is expanding its presence in the Netherlands, the Flemish part of Belgium, and Luxembourg. The company is opening a sales office in the Dutch city of Utrecht on 1 March, 2025, to provide even more direct support to its customers in the Benelux region.

The adoption of artificial intelligence is an increasingly critical factor for the viability of industrial production. European companies run a particular risk of getting left behind with regard to this cutting-edge technology - even though all kinds of industrial AI solutions are readily available and implementing them is now easier than ever. The leading exhibition automatica will demonstrate this in June 2025.

SICK has brought a new safety solution to the market with its End of Arm Safeguard (EOAS) for collaborative robots (cobots). The first of its kind, the EOAS enables closer collaboration between robots and humans.

The Engineering Network is excited to announce Joachim Hanke, global head of industry sales at Lenze, as a speaker at Machine Building North, at the Concorde Centre in Manchester, 10 April. He will discuss the key technology trends for the next few years.

Renishaw and research centre IDEKO have inaugurated a new Renishaw Solutions Centre in Elgoibar (Gipuzkoa), Spain. The new Research and Development (R&D) facility aims to develop innovative solutions in advanced manufacturing.

Kistler now also offers traceable calibrations for piezoelectric force sensors and measuring chains for small forces (1 to 50 N). This means that accredited calibrations in accordance with ISO 17025 are now available in the low-force range - increasingly indispensable for quality assurance in industries such as medical technology and semiconductor production.

RARUK Automation is a leading provider of advanced robotic solutions, helping businesses across a range of industries in the UK enhance efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs. At Automation UK (Stand B52), RARUK Automation will be showcasing a range of Universal Robots applications, demonstrating the latest in automation technology.

Schneider Electric has announced its patent to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to help reduce the likelihood process safety hazards. The innovation automatically, or semi-automatically, analyses potential process hazards and validates protection mechanisms in an industrial process.

With cabinet real estate a key consideration in many automation projects, decentralised and control cabinet-free automation offers huge benefits, so it is particularly exciting for Machine Building North to welcome Beckhoff product specialist Neil March to present a workshop on the topic at the event.

Rockwell Automation is working with Toronto, Ontario-based silicon anode active materials company, NEO Battery Materials. The collaboration aims to deliver solutions to aid the battery material manufacturer on its first North American facility, a 240-ton facility with the capacity to grow up to 5,000 tons of silicon anode material per year in Windsor, Ontario.