MA E-newsletter February 2006

"Canada's leading publication providing industrial automation news and technology information aimed at the discrete and process industries."

In this issue

From the editor

Canada left behind?

I recently attended the RFID in Manufacturing breakfast meeting at Lucent Technologies Canada in Markham, Ont. Attendees learned about RFID and what it can do for the manufacturing industry, particularly in the pharmaceutical and food industries, which have been slow to adopt the technology due to cost.

In her presentation, Katherine van Nes, president of Cougar Automation Technologies Inc. in Woodbridge, Ont., said that there are many opportunities for RFID in the manufacturing industry. As a data enabler, RFID can provide a link between the manufacturing execution system and the production floor. It can be used in safety and security applications, production execution and quality control, product tracking and geneology, inventory tracking and visibility, and asset management.

Van Nes went on to discuss RFID implementation in harsh and challenging environments, and provided actual case study examples. I noticed, though, that many of the examples were European companies. It left me wondering why Canadian companies are slower when it comes to adopting the technology in food and pharmaceutical manufacturing applications. Are we missing the boat? Clearly, we have Canadian companies with the capability and expertise to implement the technology, but are manufacturers willing to take the plunge?

I wonder how many of our readers are seriously considering implementing the technology into their manufacturing environments, whether it is in the food and pharmaceutical industries, or the discrete manufacturing industries. Judging from the number of attendees at the meeting, there are quite a few who are looking into the technology. But how long can you wait before you lose business to your American and European competitors who are able to gather data on their manufacturing environment faster, thus getting information to the customer faster?

RFID holds a lot of promise for the manufacturing industry. There's no time like the present to look into the technology and whether or not the cost outweighs the benefits that you will achieve. It may not make sense for everyone, but it is worth seriously considering.

On that note, RFID expert Bob Matson has offered to answer any technical RFID questions that industry executives would like to ask via e-mail, without any charge or obligation. Matson is a veteran RFID engineer and a holder of a string of U.S. patents.

Send your questions to questions@softmatch.com. Each question will receive a personal e-mail response. Questions and answers are posted on www.softmatch.com under "RFID Q&A."

Cover story: Virtual Manufacturing
What will the factory of the future look like? We take a look inside the National Research Council’s Integrated Manufacturing Technologies Institute and find out about the cutting-edge research and development taking place. We’ll share what this research and technology can do for manufacturers.

Feature: Machine Vision
We take a look at machine vision trends in the automation industry, and discuss incentives and obstacles of applying machine vision technologies, new machine vision developments that will enable manufacturers to drive industry growth, how to get started with machine vision projects, and how to avoid failure when deploying machine vision technologies.

Feature: Sensors
Trends in the sensors market. An analysis of what’s hot and where the market is headed.

Plus: News, appointment announcements and trends, as well as a selection of the latest enclosures/workstations, machine vision products, electronic components, programmable control offerings and sensors.

KEYENCE, as the leading supplier of sensors and measuring instruments, is developing and manufacturing innovative and reliable products that meet customer requirements in every manufacturing industry in the world.

KEYENCE also offers a full range of services provided by its technically trained sales force; from application problem solving and technical sales support to immediate response to customer requests.

For more details or information on our most recent technologies and Direct! service, please click here.
www.keyence.com

In the news

Toyota to expand Ontario plant
WOODSTOCK, Ont. - Toyota will increase its annual production capacity at its Woodstock, Ont. plant to 150,000 RAV4 sport utility vehicles, the company said last week. As a result, total employment at the plant, which is now under construction, will reach about 2,000, and the total investment will grow to about $1.1 billion.
Production is set to begin in 2008.
www.tmmc.ca

Samuel Manu-Tech opens U.S. office
TORONTO, Ont. - Samuel Manu-Tech Inc. (SMT) will open a 130,000-sq.ft. facility in Mississippi, the first U.S. location for the Roll Form Group of SMT, which is based in Toronto.
The plant will be located in Iuka, Miss., with easy access to barge, rail and truck transportation. The $22-million US project will create up to 70 new jobs and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2007.
Included in the project is a heavy cold roll forming mill and a new state-of-the art very wide roll forming line. The facility will supply ready-to-use, high-quality custom-formed components to serve customers in the transportation, construction and marine industries in the United States and Mexico.
Samuel Manu-Tech Inc. produces and distributes steel, plastic and related industrial products and services from locations in Canada and the United States.
www.samuelmanutech.com

Innova Holdings to acquire CoroWare
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Innova Holdings, Inc., a provider of hardware and software systems-based solutions to the military, service and industrial robotic markets, recently announced that it will acquire all of the assets of CoroWare, including the newly formed CoroWare Test Labs subsidiary.
The transaction will close in the coming months.
CoroWare is a systems integration firm with expertise in the area of mobile service robotics. Its current management, engineers and developers will be part of the Coroware subsidiaries of Innova Holdings, Inc.
www.innovaholdings.com
www.coroware.com

Robotics awards accepting nominations
The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) is accepting nominations for the 2006 Engelberger Robotics Awards, which will be presented at the 37th International Symposium on Robotics/AUTOMATICA on May 15-19 in Munich, Germany. The award, being presented for the 30th consecutive year, is named after Joseph Engelberger, the founding force behind industrial robotics. Engelberger was founder and president of Unimation, Inc., the world's first industrial robot manufacturer.
The Engelberger Robotics Award is presented annually to outstanding individuals with significant achievements in the areas of application, education, leadership and technology development. Since its inception in 1977, the awards have been presented to 97 robotics leaders from 15 countries. Each winner receives a $4,000 US honorarium and a commemorative medallion.
To submit a nomination, contact Saroj Motwani at smotwani@robotics.org or 734-994-6088, or visit www.roboticsonline.com and select "Events" for an online nomination form. A full description of the award criteria for each of the four areas and a fact sheet with frequently asked questions are also posted on the site. The nomination deadline is March 17, 2006.

People watching

ViTechnology promotes Wyllie
ANAHEIM, Calif. - ViTechnology, a supplier of equipment and services dedicated to the electronics industry, recently named Glenn Wyllie its eastern region manager. Wyllie, a 20-year veteran of the electronics field, will be responsible for sales and service in a territory that runs from Canada to Puerto Rico, and stretches as far as Wisconsin, Nebraska and Kansas. He moves into the newly created position after serving the company as a technical sales engineer since 1999.
www.vitechnology.com

Exact Software appoints directors
ANDOVER, Mass. - Exact Software has appointed Steve Massey to the position of director of product line management, and Christopher Lenzo to the role of director of product strategy.
Massey was previously general manager for Exact's JobBOSS division, a role that will be combined with his new responsibilities. He joined the company in October 1999 as a professional service consultant, and has more than 10 years of manufacturing experience and 12 years of experience in information technology.
Lenzo was the previous director of operations for Exact's Macola division. He has been with the company since 2004, and has more than 15 years of experience in the design, development and delivery of commercial information systems.
Exact's solutions encompass executive control, accounting, manufacturing, distribution, online commerce, CRM, HRM, document management, Web portals, workflow and business intelligence.
www.exactamerica.com

A driving force in Canada since 1974, SEW-Eurodrive is the world leader in drive technology. SEW offers the industry's
broadest range of Integrated Drive Solutions -- more gearing types, more sizes and a vast array of made-to-match
electronic speed control technology.

Product focus

USB controller
The ArtistaUSB controller from Apollo Display Technologies allows control of video graphics array (VGA) and super video graphics array (SVGA) thin film transistor (TFT) displays via a standard USB interface, with no graphics card required. More than 100 displays with different content can be controlled from a single PC, single board computer or micro-controller.
The controller is integrated with 6.4-, 6.5-, 8.4-, 10.4-, 12.1- and 20.1-inch TFT LCDs. Special graphics drivers embedded in the controller run displays as a virtual graphics card. The drivers can also be used to run a second, third or fourth monitor, each with unique content. The controller can be installed as a frame buffer device running under Linux.
Each unit can be run 16 ft. (4.87 m) or more from the source, with data transfer rates up to 60 Hz/60 images per second via USB 2.0 (high speed) for VGA resolutions, and 30 Hz/30 images per second for SVGA resolutions. USB 1.1 (full speed) can run VGA resolutions at two images per second and 1.25 images per second for SVGA resolution displays. The controllers can operate in temperatures from zero to 70 C, and can be stored in temperatures from -25 to 70 C.
Apollo Display Technologies
www.apollodisplays.com

Mark your calendars

Scientific Technologies, Inc. (STI) introduces their free 2006 Machine and Process Safeguarding Guide. This 850+ page guide is the most comprehensive machine and process safety product and technical reference guide available today. It includes 100+ pages of educational resource material, and features nearly 30 new products across a broad spectrum of safety technologies. The guide also comes in a CD-ROM version that contains the complete STI catalog, as well as Product Certificates and Declarations of Conformity, and downloadable CAD drawings.

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