Posted to News on 2nd May 2007, 19:56
New automation initiative for UK water industry
At IWEX 2007 Festo announced a major automation initiative for the UK water industry. Long regarded as one of the world's leading suppliers of factory automation, the company has substantially increased its R&D investment in process-specific components and sub-assemblies, with a view to establishing an equally commanding presence in the process sector.
Festo demonstrated the extensive breadth and depth of its process-specific product portfolio at IWEX by showing a large number of components that have been developed exclusively to help the water industry reduce operating costs and improve reliability. These range from pilot signal actuation with remote I/O and pneumatic pilot valve manifolds, through to complete quarter-turn valve assemblies and linear valve actuators.
Festo also demonstrated a new low-cost software package known as CPX Web Monitor, which provides designers, users and maintainers of automation and process management systems with exceptionally powerful monitoring and remote diagnostics capabilities. It is particularly cost-effective for installations that cover a wide physical area, making it an especially attractive proposition for the water and wastewater industries.
According to Martin Hunt, Festo's Process Industry Development Manager: "Festo already produces more than 24,000 products – many of which are suitable for water processing automation – and has extensive experience of international utility installations. We are now applying this expertise to address specific process sectors, starting with the UK water industry."
