Jun. 21, 2018 - Advantech’s IIoT iAutomation Group announces the launch of WebAccess/SCADA 8.3 with improved performance and user satisfaction with the introduction of the new WebAccess Dashboard 2.0, a new mobile app, and other added features including improved MQTT protocol and driver support.

Jun. 21, 2018 - Rittal explains hygienic design enclosures are engineered to prevent water damage and promise to deliver ultimate protection against contamination. “Hygienic design is crucial in the food and beverage industry. Enclosures that house electrical components and processing equipment need to be cleaned quickly and easily,” says the company.

Jun. 21, 2018 - OnRobot, the new company formed through the merger of the three international companies On Robot, OptoForce and Perception Robotics, will present its first new products at automatica 2018. The Gecko Gripper, Polyskin Tactile Gripper, RG2-FT gripper and a technical upgrade of the HEX force-torque sensor product line based on OptoForce technology is described as opening up new applications for collaborative robotics.

Jun. 21, 2018 - The new Allen-Bradley FLEX 5000 I/O platform from Rockwell Automation is designed to create smarter, more productive and more flexible industrial control systems.

Jun. 21, 2018 - Binder USA is offering LED lights constructed with stainless steel for a durable shell that is IP69K rated when mated to a binder molded connector. A 120-degree angle of illumination is provided and 50,000 hours of lighting is designed to provide dependable results from the binder LED light bar.

Jun. 21, 2018 - Omron Corporation will introduce a new line of SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm or Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm) robots, boasting sleek design and enhanced performance, at automatica 2018.

Jun. 21, 2018 - Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) has announced Safety Manager SC, the next generation of its flagship Safety Manager platform. Its modular, scalable design enables it to function as a single platform for all enterprise safety applications, allowing customers to consolidate and reduce their training and engineering costs, and spare parts inventories, the company explains.

Jun. 21, 2018 - AutomationDirect’s NITRA brand of pneumatic products now includes new 22-mm pushbutton and switch pilot devices intended for use with pneumatic valve bodies. These pneumatic pushbuttons can also combine valve bodies and electrical contact blocks.

Jun. 21, 2018 - With its new PODIS LED lamps, Wieland Electric says it offers pluggable, maintenance-free lighting solutions for construction, industrial and machine applications.

Jun. 19, 2018 - Epson Robots will showcase high precision robotics solutions designed for maximum efficiency and productivity for a range of applications in factory automation at the Automation Technology show, ATX East. One of its key robots, the Flexion N2, will be shown at the ATC Automation partner booth.

Jun. 12, 2018 - Balluff continues the expansion of its safety product line with the release of its new non-contact, RFID safety guard locking switch. The safety guard locking switch combines non-contact, coded-transponder safety technology with a mechanical solenoid locking function to create a high-capability solution.

May 26, 2018 - Spartan Controls has renewed its partnership with The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), announcing a $4.3-million donation to support the Instrumentation Technology, Alternative Energy Technology, Power Engineering, Water and Wastewater Technology and Millwright programs.

May 23, 2018 - Humber College and Cisco Canada are launching a five-year initiative to engage students, faculty and companies in maximizing the opportunities presented by cyber, network communication and collaborative digital technologies.

May 10, 2018 - Independent consulting firm Wohlers Associates has entered into a partnership with Québec Industrial Research Centre (CRIQ) to offer three days of intensive training on design for additive manufacturing (DfAM).The course is targeted at designers, engineers and managers wanting to learn how to design parts that fully benefit from additive manufacturing.

May 7, 2018 - Ontario Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell visited the Xerox Research Centre of Canada’s innovation hub in Mississauga, Ont., which aims to help foster Canadian innovation and advanced materials manufacturing breakthroughs.

May 4, 2018 - Matrox Imaging is offering onsite classroom training on the Matrox Imaging Library (MIL) 10 software development kit (SDK) and the Matrox Design Assistant integrated development environment (IDE) at its Montreal, Que., headquarters. Students can choose to register for either one or both classes.

May 2, 2018 - Skills Ontario will receive a $125,000 investment from Magna International in support of the 2018 Skills Ontario Competition, Skills Ontario Young Women’s Initiatives, and Skills Ontario Summer Camps.

Apr. 30, 2018 - Toronto, Ontario-based Additive Metal Manufacturing (AMM) is offering Mohawk College’s Mechanical Engineering Technology and Non-Destructive Testing students an opportunity to work directly with industry on research and development projects aimed at helping manufacturers adopt additive manufacturing technology.

Apr. 18, 2018 - Omron Automation Americas is making a significant investment in the engineering technology classrooms and labs at Georgian College.

Apr. 17, 2018 - The Government of Saskatchewan has announced new coding and robotics opportunities for middle years and high school students in the province. These elective courses will be available to all Saskatchewan high schools, while Grades 7-9 teachers can also introduce students to coding and robotics.

Mar. 27, 2018 - The British Columbia government is investing more than $5.4 million to help 15 public post-secondary institutions replace obsolete trades and technology equipment. The funds will help secure a range of new equipment, including 3D printers.

Feb. 24, 2018 - GE Additive is now accepting applications from schools and colleges for the 2018 cycle of its Additive Education Program (AEP).

Jun. 18, 2018 - One of three people injured during a flash fire at the main propellant-manufacturing facility for the U.S. Department of Defence has died.

Jun. 14, 2018 - One of three patients being treated for injuries sustained during a fire at the main propellant manufacturing facility for the U.S. Department of Defence has been discharged from a North Carolina hospital.

May 25, 2018 - At least one person is dead after an equipment explosion occurred at the Proctor and Gamble plant in central Louisiana that produces detergent Tide Pods.

May 17, 2018 - New Flyer of America Inc. and New Flyer Industries Canada ULC, subsidiaries of NFI Group Inc., formerly called New Flyer Industries Inc., a transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, is celebrating the completion of the 3M Customer Project. 

May 15, 2018 - Following a guilty plea, Janco Steel Ltd. was fined $150,000 after a worker was fatally injured after being crushed by a steel coil that fell off  a production line.

May 5, 2018 - A fire has broken out at a Louisiana chemical plant, sending massive smoke plumes in the air and prompting an evacuation for a mile (1.6 kilometres) all around.

May 2, 2018 - Following a guilty plea, Quebec-based Saputo Dairy Products Canada GP has been fined $150,000 after a worker was killed by a cheese-cutter machine at the company’s production facility in Trenton, Ont.

May 2, 2018 - Authorities say explosions and a large fire at an auto parts plant in Michigan injured two people and forced the evacuation of workers.

May 1, 2018 - On behalf of the provincial government, British Columbia Minister of Labour Harry Bains issued the following statement today, recognizing May 1, 2018, as International Workers’ Day:

Apr. 24, 2018 - Have you ever had a loved one killed or maimed on the job? What about a co-worker or someone you knew? It happened to me in the mid-1970s, when one of my bosses at a smelter where I worked in northern Ontario was killed on the job. Six months from retirement and a careless mistake cost him his life.

Apr. 16, 2018 - Tapematic USA is preparing for the installation of two additional PST Lines at an independent cosmetic decoration facility in the North East of the United States, which is expected to help the company offer larger quantities and reduced turnaround times to their customers.

Apr. 13, 2018 - One man is dead and another is injured after what police described as an industrial accident in southwestern Ontario.

Jun. 11, 2018 - PTC and Rockwell Automation today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for a strategic partnership that is expected to accelerate growth for both companies. As part of the partnership, Rockwell Automation will make a $1 billion equity investment in PTC, and Rockwell Automation chairman and CEO Blake Moret will join PTC’s board of directors effective with the closing of the equity transaction.

Jun. 10, 2018 - Siemens AG and Covestro Deutschland AG have concluded a Joint Business Development Plan to provide further strategic reinforcement of their partnership, particularly in the field of digitalization. The variety of topics extends from the continuous development of production technologies, to piloting new ideas designed to contribute to the digital landscape.

Couldn’t make it to Hannover Messe 2018? Check out these robotics highlights!

May 28, 2018 - With real-time machine data on the one hand and strict transactional business information on the other, manufacturers are beginning to see the value in integrating business software, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) with control systems, such as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA). However, sitting in between these are specialist manufacturing execution systems (MES), which often do the same job as these supporting solutions, acting as an unnecessary middleman.

May 26, 2018 - The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) has announced it will present the 2018 Engelberger Robotics Awards to Gudrun Litzenberger, the General Secretary of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and Esben Østergaard, CTO and Cofounder of Universal Robots.

May 16, 2018 - When UTC Aerospace required a solution to manage assembly line workers with no previous manufacturing experience, it decided to try something new that set a precedent for its future manufacturing operations management (MOM) strategy.

May 15, 2018 - Stäubli Robotics and Schneider Electric have further developed their partnership by signing a long-term agreement to integrate customized Stäubli TS series, four-axis SCARA robots into EcoStruxure Machine, Schneider’s IoT-enabled, open and interoperable system architecture and platform. Named Lexium STS series, the robots are described as being fully integrated into the architecture of Schneider Electric’s PacDrive motion control solution.

May 15, 2018 - Teradyne and the shareholders of Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) have announced the acquisition of privately held MiR of Odense, Denmark, for €121 million (roughly US$148 million) net of cash acquired plus €101 million (US$124 million) if certain performance targets are met extending through 2020.

May 10, 2018 - OPS Solutions, maker of Light Guide Systems, an augmented reality tool for manual assembly and manufacturing processes, is expanding its presence internationally with a new European headquarters in the Czech Republic.

May 8, 2018 - The approach to Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) as introduced by the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has gained additional support from four TSN technology providers and switch manufacturers: Moxa, Hirschmann, Hilscher and Xilinx. 

May 8, 2018 - Javelin Technologies and Cimetrix Solutions have announced plans to merge, forming what they describe as an additive manufacturing powerhouse that will provide a “new level of service and support” for Canadian engineers and manufacturers.

May 3, 2018 - Half a dozen teenage girls from Canada know exactly how to narrow the skills gap.

Jun. 10, 2018 - When used to its fullest potential, laser scanning enhances the speed of a project, reduces costs, improves safety, and helps the project run more smoothly. One challenge to laser scanning is tailoring the approach to the specific project. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, so it is important to understand the project’s goals. Explaining the process and making sure all the key stakeholders are aligned and educated will ensure that laser scanning will achieve the desired outcomes. This is no small task. Here are insights and key benefits.

May 26, 2018 - While manufacturers around the world have reached new heights in technology adoption and equipment innovation, there are still many pain points that hinder optimization, efficiency and even safety on the plant floor.

May 15, 2018 - Every year the cybersecurity experts at Cisco release the Cisco Annual Cybersecurity Report, an industry tome that discusses security trends and emerging threats. In the 2018 report, the role of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its effect on cybersecurity was analyzed, particularly as it pertained to operational technology and networks.

May 10, 2018 - Results from a Statistics Canada health study, the Hearing loss of Canadians, 2012 and 2013, offer disturbing findings regarding adult hearing loss. Could you or your co-workers be among the one in five adults aged 19 to 79 who have mild hearing loss or more in at least one ear?

May 10, 2018 - As I write this column, I sit quietly in my favourite chair, expecting the phone to ring and announce the arrival of my fifth grandchild. And as I wait and write, I reflect on how life has changed since my first grandchild arrived in my life, somewhat unexpectedly, 12 years ago.

May 4, 2018 - Susan Wilson made history this year when Canadian conglomerate J.D. Irving Ltd. made her its first director of immigration.

May 3, 2018 - In a quest to measure business and government readiness for Industry 4.0, the Deloitte Global survey polled roughly 1,600 C-level executives across 19 countries in the second half of last year. One of its most notable findings is the strong correlation between how executives approach technology and how well prepared they believe they are for Industry 4.0, and as such, the business case they make for new technologies.

Mar. 27, 2018 - There’s no doubt about it — industrial automation is on the rise around the world. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), 74 robot units per 10,000 employees is the 2016 average of global robot density in manufacturing industries, up from 66 units in 2015.

Mar. 12, 2018 - Five years ago, I started a new company with a couple of colleagues. We put a big whiteboard in the office, and across the top of it, we wrote: In a start-up company, everyone has to make things happen or get things done.

Mar. 8, 2018 - According to Statistics Canada, women in STEM are also underpaid compared to their male counterparts. What’s more, more women than men enrol in university, but men with lower academic marks are more likely to choose STEM careers than women with higher marks. Bigger studies on large populations are unable to fully explain this phenomenon and point to other possible factors and influences.

Mar. 8, 2018 - Many manufacturers are operating on increasingly tight margins, with increasing global competition and the need to source raw materials and components from all corners of the globe. As a result, making and receiving cross-border payments in a number of currencies has become an ongoing necessity. And while global currencies have always moved, the fact that we are now so closely linked to the global marketplace, has heightened our exposure to their movements.

Mar. 2, 2018 - Do you know the IT person who is certain they can perform better than automation? They might just be right. But one point we should keep in mind is that skeptics of automation often want to be in control and will try to ensure that they maintain it.

Jun. 20, 2018 - Volvo Cars opened its first plant in the U.S. on Wednesday in a much different trade environment than when it announced its expansion across the Atlantic three years ago.

Jun. 18, 2018 - General Motors is getting rid of three Cadillac sedans and replacing them with two new ones over the next 3 1/2 years.

Jun. 17, 2018 - British manufacturer Rolls-Royce said Thursday that it plans to cut 4,600 jobs over the next 2 years as part of a major restructuring effort.

Jun. 14, 2018 - Auto parts supplier Magna International Inc. is partnering with a Michigan startup to retrofit self-driving shuttles for service in the United States.

Jun. 14, 2018 - Electric car maker Tesla Inc. is laying off about 3,600 workers mainly from its salaried ranks as it slashes costs in an effort to deliver on CEO Elon Musk’s promise to turn a profit in the second half of the year.

Jun. 11, 2018 - Jaguar Land Rover is shifting all production of its Discovery model to Slovakia amid falling diesel sales, vehicle taxes and uncertainty about Britain’s departure from the European Union.

Jun. 11, 2018 - U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on auto imports from Canada would devastate the integrated supply chain that has taken decades to build and cause job losses on both sides of the border, industry experts warn.

Jun. 10, 2018 - Canadian dealer Electro Mechanical Services has joined material handling company Crown Equipment’s global service and distribution network.

Jun. 10, 2018 - IKEA and A&W are the latest big chains to join the war against single-use plastics, with each promising to limit waste production amid a growing public outcry over pollution.

Jun. 7, 2018 - Honda Motor Co. of Japan and U.S. automaker General Motors Co. agreed Thursday to work together in developing batteries for electric vehicles, mainly for the North American market.

Jun. 3, 2018 - In his last big presentation as CEO of Fiat Chrysler before retiring, Sergio Marchionne announced a big investment push to make more electrified cars, while acknowledging that traditional engines will continue to dominate production for some time.

Jun. 1, 2018 - Canada has quietly paid another $54 million toward development of the F-35 stealth fighter, bringing its total investment in the controversial project to roughly a half a billion dollars over the last 20 years.

Jun. 14, 2018 - Samuel, Son & Co., a metals distributor and industrial products manufacturer, announced an $18-million investment in its Brantford, Ont., automotive metal processing centre. The expansion is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2018, ramping to full production in early 2019.

Jun. 8, 2018 - Saskatchewan’s premier says the recently imposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum have caused some projects in the States to grind to a halt.

Jun. 1, 2018 - The Vermont coffee company known for its K-cup machines is laying off 35 employees in the state, mostly in manufacturing.

May 22, 2018 - Two businesses in the agri-food sector, Boucherie Charcuterie Perron Inc. and Charcuterie L. Fortin Ltée., have been granted a total of $1,850,000 in financial assistance from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED). The support will generate an estimated $6,569,768 in total investments in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

May 14, 2018 - Moore Industries is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

May 14, 2018 - A North Carolina-based steel company is furthering its expansion in northeast Arkansas with a planned $240-million sheet metal production line.

May 10, 2018 - The federal and Quebec governments are teaming up with a trio of corporate giants from the metals and tech industries to commercialize the world’s first carbon-free aluminum smelting process.

May 2, 2018 - Saputo Inc. says it has completed a deal to acquire Australia-based Murray Goulburn Co-Operative Co. Ltd., for $1.29 billion.

Apr. 30, 2018 - Food and food services business Dr. Oetker Canada says it is investing in a new, high-speed frozen pizza manufacturing line that will help create 103 jobs and retain 115 positions in London, Ont.

Apr. 29, 2018 - The federal government is announcing $30 million in new money to crack down on companies that try to ship cheap foreign steel and aluminum through the Canadian market.

Apr. 26, 2018 10:29:00 - State and local governments in Louisiana have offered an estimated $1.5 billion in incentives to persuade a Taiwanese company to locate a $9.4 billion plastics complex along the Mississippi River upstream from New Orleans, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson said.

Apr. 20, 2018 - Campbell Soup Company says its new Canadian headquarters will open in Mississauga, Ont.