Compressed air and fluid power specialist Thorite has appointed Jim Allen as business development manager to support its £10 million growth plan, bringing the nationwide team to 13.

With Mitsubishi Electric having written a white paper looking at robotics in the pharmaceutical sector, solutions manager David Bean highlights how industrial automation can improve the environmental footprint of pharmaceutical manufacturing activities.

James Causebrook, managing director at Grunwald UK, has been appointed as the new chairman of the PPMA. With over 15 years of valuable experience in business, James is sure to hit the ground running, knowing what it takes to lead a team and exceed its targets.

BFPA has announced the appointment of Chris Butcher as managing director. He joins BFPA from Woodway Engineering, where he was managing director for the Coventry based company, and brings over 25 years of experience in the fluid power industry.

Igus says its RBTX online marketplace, which helps users looking for cost-effective automation solutions, brings over 100 cost-effective automation solutions to your fingertips, and includes new functions and automation feasibility demonstrations.

Dutch integrator RFA Rijlaarsdam Factory Automation has installed a Kawasaki Robotics EMEA RS020N robot with an Okuma Benelux Genos M460V-5AX milling machine at TMI Group Nederland in Hengelo.

Essentra Components is expanding the ranges of security seals that it will manufacture using a minimum of 45% recycled material, after a successful 100 million piece initial phase.

IMA Active, a division of IMA Group dedicated to the production of automated systems and machinery for the pharmaceutical industry, has upgraded its continuous tablet-coating solution with the installation of Omron’s vision system equipped with a high-speed colour camera and dome light.

With demand for RARUK Automation’s automation solutions continuing to grow, the company has expanded its team of robotics and systems sales engineers. The most recent appointment is Tony Bailes, the new robotics sales engineer for the North East of England.

The Kistler Group has presented its global climate strategy with facts and figures on its commitment to greater sustainability in its first sustainability report.