Ben Lloyd, Product Manager at Festo, argues that invisible engineering effort is becoming an unsustainable cost in modern automation systems. So what can be done to avoid this hidden 'integration tax'?

Access hardware success is built around customer commitment, agility and product innovation. In this conversation with Alex Picarelli, Commercial Director at Southco Manufacturing, he reveals all.

In less than a year, the new EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 (MR) supersedes the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (MD) on 20th January 2027. Machine builders must be prepared, including manufacturers of series machines already in production. There is no transition period - the change will, in effect, be overnight. While some machine builders will only need to revise their paperwork, others may have to go much further, as Derek Coulson, compliance specialist at Hold Tech Files, explains.

Industry standards for interoperability give the option to selectively upgrade automation systems, providing efficiency and reliability benefits at lower cost and with less risk, as Darren Hodson (pictured), Managing Director at WAGO UK and Ireland, explains.

With more than 60% of UK manufacturers increasing investment in automation, end-of-line packaging systems are evolving far beyond traditional throughput-focused machinery as manufacturers look to improve productivity, operational resilience and flexibility within increasingly complex production environments. Andrew Yates, Managing Director at Endoline Automation, explains.

The latest advances in technologies such as sensing, actuation, and perception are enabling cobots to tackle more complex and delicate processes in manufacturing and logistics activities, as the experts at Yamaha Robotics explain.

Manufacturers continue to face pressure from rising costs, labour shortages and increasing demands on productivity and quality. For many SMEs, the question is no longer whether to invest in automation, but how to do so in a controlled and commercially viable way, say the experts at Innomech.

When you're dealing with hazardous locations in modern factory automation, the experts at Kollmorgen explain why proportionate specification matters.

In food and beverage, the stakes are especially high - a single point of delay can undo the efficiencies achieved everywhere else. Here, Beth Ragdale, software business manager at Beckhoff UK, explains why tackling bottlenecks requires a rethink of traditional production lines, moving beyond purely mechanical fixes to embrace flexible, software-driven solutions.

Fully autonomous production environments leave no room for unexpected downtime. In facilities designed to run with minimal human intervention, even a minor motor failure can halt output and undermine return on investment. Here, Dave Walsha, sales and marketing director at DC motor supplier Electro Mechanical Systems (EMS), explores why the success of lights-out manufacturing depends not only on advanced robotics and control software, but on the motion components at the heart of automated systems.