Amn november 2013

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

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SUCCESS THROUGH INNOVATION www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

Jimmy Koh, Rockwell Automation. The Interview, Page 5

November 2013 • $8 per copy • $40.00 digital per annum

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

EDITORIAL

Editorial

NOVEMBER 2013

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Where will 2014 take us?

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s we come to the end of another year it’s worth reflecting on what’s coming next. 2013 was a consistent one for business and there were lots of positive moving

ahead.

China is the largest manufacturing nation in the world.

Favourable policy actions under the country’s 12th Five-Year Plan likely also helped maintain China’s top ranking for future competitiveness.

Chinese executives felt their government was establishing policies in infrastructure, science and technology innovation, workforce development, safety, health and sustainability that would further enable future competitiveness advantages versus other nations.

These favourable policy actions, coupled with investments in key strategic industries such as biotechnology, new energy, high-end equipment manufacturing, clean-energy vehicles and others position China well for continued strength in the manufacturing industry — provided the country can maintain low labour costs, which have been on the rise with the emergence of a strong middle class. As a result, China is losing ground to nearby lower cost countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and India.

It appears India’s appeal as a global manufacturing destination is not yet solidified. However, the decline may be short-lived as executives felt the country would regain its former position and once again become the world’s second most competitive manufacturing nation in the next five years, behind China.

South Korea Executives is seen as the fifth most competitive nation in the world in terms of current manufacturing competitiveness. Perhaps more troubling, South Korea will continue to become less competitive over the next five years.

Singapore is ranked as the ninth most competitive nation in the world in terms of current manufacturing capabilities. A favourable tax policy, significant R&D incentives, high-quality infrastructure, strong intellectual property protection laws, an investment-friendly environment driven by efficient and transparent government, and access to a highly educated work force make this possible.

One of the world’s most competitive manufacturing nations is Japan. Although Japan is one of the largest economies in the world and is recognised for its advanced R&D and manufacturing capabilities, a number of disadvantages negatively contributed to Japan’s overall competitive ranking.

Most notable was the high cost of labour and materials in Japan, when compared to Germany the U.S., Brazil, India and China. Other challenges include high corporate tax rates and scarcity of natural resources.

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JIMMY KOH TALKS THE POWERFLEX 523 AC DRIVE

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he PowerFlex 523 AC drive, with flexible features that help users be more competitive. PowerFlex 523 AC drives are ideal for builders of simple, standalone machines and balance user needs for “just enough” control with a design that lowers the total cost to design, develop and deliver machines.

NEWS❒❒❒❒❒❒ 12 WHAT’S MISSING FROM YOUR LEAN INITIATIVE?

14 NASA SENDING 3D PRINTER INTO SPACE

16 REVERSE ENGINEERING WITH 3D MEASUREMENT

20 UC: SAVVY MANUFACTURERS’

INDISPENSABLE COMPETITIVE TOOL

22 ADVANCED HYDRAULICS LIBRARY FOR MAPLESIM

22 DATAMAX-O’NEIL ACQUIRES

THERMAL PRINTER BUSINESS

23 NEW LASER SCANNER FOR 3D DOCUMENTATION

24 BWIR TO OFFER ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

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CONTENTS

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DELCAM IN THAILAND

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or the world’s largest supplier of CAM software, the two day Summit was a platform to inform and educate its growing customer base in Asia on its products and solutions, with a strong theme on intelligent manufacturing and automation.

Improvements to its various products and solutions were announced throughout the event.

18 CROWN OPENS NEW BEVERAGE CAN FACILITIES

C

rown Holdings, a leading supplier of metal packaging products worldwide, has announced the official opening and commercialisation of three of its Chinese facilities in Heshan (Guangdong province), Ziyang (Sichuan province) and Putian (Fujian province).

NEWS❒❒❒❒❒❒

NEWS❒❒❒❒❒❒

25 UK AND US DRIVE ‘U-TURN’

33 OMNISCAN SX LAUNCHED WITH

26 ROCKWELL LAUNCHES ELECTRONIC OVERLOAD RELAY

NATIONWIDE ROADSHOW

34 EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2014

27 ONLINE COMMUNITY EASES NETWORK CONVERGENCE

28 TEI RECORDS TRANSACTIONS OF USD 1.82 BILLION

29 RISE IN INVESTMENT TO

CONTINUE IN ASIA PACIFIC

30 SHRINKING EMERGING WAGE GAP WILL RE-SHAPE BUSINESSES

31 AUTODESK ANNOUNCES

INTENTION TO ACQUIRE DELCAM

32 PRODUCT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

THE INTERVIEW

Manufacturing Technology

J

immy Koh, Global Marketing Manager, Component Class Drives. Rockwell Automation talks to Asia Manufacturing News about the PowerFlex 523 drive.

customers clearly indicated two distinct needs. Stand-alone machine builders wanted ‘just enough’ motor control and emphatically shared the need for features that ease configuration and speed installation. This is where their profitability is most affected, and we designed the PowerFlex 523 drive to meet those needs.

Secondly, we have another segment of drive users around the world telling us that they want drives that deliver more flexible control, offer better communication, and help them simplify startup. This is where our PowerFlex 525 AC drives play an important role catering to this group of users.

As such, our new drive portfolio is designed to give customers the performance they need, whilst helping to lower their total cost to design, develop and deliver machines.

Describe the PowerFlex 523 drive. Tell us about the design elements. What are the key features? What is the unique selling proposition for this drive? What is Rockwell Automation’s positioning strategy? Where does it fit into the PowerFlex family of drives?

JK: The PowerFlex 523 is part of our new PowerFlex 520 series of Compact AC drives.

In March 2013, we launched the PowerFlex 525 AC drive which was very well accepted by the market. In October this year, we launched the new economical www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

PowerFlex 523 AC drive, with flexible features that help users be more competitive. PowerFlex 523 AC drives are ideal for builders of simple, stand-alone machines and balance user needs for “just enough” control with a design that lowers the total cost to design, develop and deliver machines. On the other hand, the PowerFlex 525 AC drives are ideal for networked machines requiring more motor control options, standard safety and EtherNet/IP communications.

The PowerFlex 520 series of AC drives is truly dedicated to global drive users. Whilst performing our voice of customer activities,

What is the value proposition to customers who buy this drive? What are the key benefits that users will enjoy most? How can the PowerFlex 523 increase productivity, save money and energy, maximize system performance and reduce time to design and deliver machines?

JK: For the PowerFlex 520 series of AC drives, we have common core values including an innovative modular design, ease of configuration and installation flexibility to help customers lower their total cost to design, develop and deliver machines.

One distinct feature of the PowerFlex 520 Series of drives is the modular design that has a removable control module and power module. Customers can separate the PowerFlex 523 modules and simultaneously

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

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THE INTERVIEW install and wire the power module, whilst configuring the control module. This capability can help reduce the time to get their machines up and running.

Whilst the power module is being wired into a machine, engineers can connect the control module to a computer and with a standard USB cable, download drive-configuration files and flash firmware using a transfer application onboard the control module. The control module does not require power other than that provided via the USB; we call this MainsFree™ programming.

Besides using a standard USB connection for uploading and downloading drive-configuration files, users can have an easier configuration where they can programme the drive through its built-in human interface module (HIM), which displays data on the drive’s LCD with scrolling QuickView text and detailed

explanations of parameters and other codes. The HIM also has multiple language options to address global needs.

Knowing that users can spend quite a bit of time on programming to suit different applications, the PowerFlex 520-Series of AC drives comes with a unique AppView and CustomView tools to help speed configuration by providing groups of parameters for common applications and by allowing users to save their settings to new parameter groups. These tools can be easily accessed via the HIM, as well as configuration software tools.

PowerFlex 523 AC drives offer just enough motor control for applications that need simple motor control. Using Connected

Components Workbench software from Rockwell Automation also helps speed drive configuration and further reduces development time with online and offline configuration, AppView and CustomView groups, and startup wizards. Consequently, Machine builders gain more time to focus on designing and improving a machine’s competitiveness.

For more sophisticated networked machines, builders can take advantage of an optional dualport EtherNet/IP adapter for the PowerFlex 523 AC drive. This module supports ring topologies and provides device-level ring (DLR) functionality, which can help provide network resiliency and drive machine availability.

Its ring topologies can remove

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Community Planning, Sustainable Business and Waste Minimisation Strategies www.envision-nz.com

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

THE INTERVIEW

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the need for an external switch and reduce necessary cabling.

Adding a dual-port EtherNet/IP adapter to a PowerFlex 523 AC drive provides automatic device configuration, which saves time by automatically downloading configuration files when a drive is replaced.

There is a lot of installation flexibility with the PowerFlex 523 AC drive. These drives only require 50 mm (2 inches) of clearance on the top and bottom when installing into a cabinet and this smaller clearance can help customers reduce the panel space.

Drives can also be installed in horizontal or vertical side-by-side orientations that also help with panel space.

Which industry sectors will benefit most from the PowerFlex 523? Who are your key target customers?

JK: The PowerFlex 523 is suitable for a wide range of applications, including conveyors, material handling, compressors, fans and pumps from the Food and Beverage, Tire, Material Handling, Waste and Waste Water, Automotive, Textile and Fiber, Industrial Pump, and Fan industries.

Who are the competitors to the PowerFlex 525? What are the key advantages of the PowerFlex 525 compared to its competitors?

JK: Rather than naming our competitors, we can only say that within today’s global compact drive market space, there is no

www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

other drive available that has all of the functionality and capabilities that the PowerFlex 520-Series provides.

For example, the innovative modular design that provides greater installation flexibility, the use of standard USB for upload/ download drive configuration, the eased configuration with HIM and software tools simplify the next level of configuration for the users applications. Coupled with the wide range of motor control and many standard features standard, such as safety and EtherNet/IP communications, seamless integration into Logix control architectures, the PowerFlex 525 AC drives can help users save money, maximise system performance and reduce time to design and deliver their machines. This value proposition differentiates the PowerFlex 520 series of AC drives from our competitors.

Where is Rockwell Automation Asia Pacific’s market growth coming from?

JK: Specific to the compact drive market, we expect to do well in Asia Pacific, especially in China and India. All in all, with the launch of our PowerFlex 520 series of AC drives, we also expect it to do well globally beyond Asia Pacific.

About Jimmy Koh is the Global Marketing Manager, for compact AC drives at Rockwell Automation, where he is responsible for the product management and playing a key role in driving growth.

Jimmy has been with the company for seven years and holds several U.S. patents on drive programming and tools. His first major product launch was the PowerFlex4M in 2007 which was very successful and helping the company in gaining market share in the entry level compact drive segment. Before joining the company, he held numerous roles in business management and in sales from various multi-national companies covering the Asia Pacific region. With more than 17 years of experiences and a diverse background in automation and process industry, Jimmy brings a wealth of expertise to his current role.

He is also an active volunteer in charitable causes and is currently the Chairman of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative in the Rockwell Automation Singapore office.

Jimmy holds a master’s degree in business management from Nottingham University, United Kingdom and is a mechanical engineer in his early day. Jimmy is based in Singapore. u

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Delcam in Thailand

Delcam, the UK CADCAM company with an increasingly global presence, selected Thailand as the location for its 13th Asian Technical Summit.

AUGUSTINE QUEK reports from Bangkok.

Honda Motor of Indonesia. A plaque marking this landmark sale was presented by Mark Kent, British Ambassador to Thailand, to Bambang Nugroho, general manager of Delcam Indonesia.

Along with headline sponsor HP, the 2013 event was supported

by ABB Robots, Castrol, Mazak, Renishaw and Sandvik.

B

angkok in Thailand is a contrast of Buddhist temples and go-go bars.

And on August 21-22, away from the traffic jams, efficiency and productivity were the order of the day as, at the Dusit Princess Hotel, just outside the hustle and bustle of central Bangkok, Delcam hosted its Asian Technical Summit 2013.

For the world’s largest supplier of CAM software, the two day Summit was a platform to inform and educate its growing customer base in Asia on its products and solutions, with a strong theme on intelligent manufacturing and automation. Improvements to its various products and solutions were announced throughout the event.

This is the 13th consecutive year Delcam is rated the world’s leading CAM specialist by CIMdata’s NC Software Market Analysis Report. Indeed, the company has grown from strength to strength since its founding in 1977, with record sales of £25 million for a six-month period during the first half of 2013, an increase of nine percent over the same period of last year.

Business: views & trends ”At the moment, Asia and North America each contributes about a quarter of Delcam’s revenue, with Europe contributing 40 percent, while Russia and the rest of the world account the other 10 percent. Asia is already a very important part of our business; a rapidly developing region with fast growing economies,” said Peter Dickin, marketing manager, Delcam.

Vineet Seth, managing director for India and Middle East, sees opportunities for Delcam as countries in the Middle East begin to focus on manufacturing to build their economies.

As for Delcam Thailand, it has seen sales increase this year by more than one third over 2012.

The subsidiary now has more than 450 customers, mainly in the toolmaking industry but also in the automotive, footwear and dental sectors. It has had particular success with PowerINSPECT with customers including the local manufacturing operations of Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi Motors, Suzuki and Electrolux.

During the Summit, Delcam announced that it had added its 45,000th customer – PT Astra

“Manufacturing in Europe is highly concentrated in Germany, which is still going very strong.

Even in the US where growth is not very strong, there is still a lot of manufacturing and it is still the world’s largest market for CADCAM,” he added.

Sandy Moffatt, marketing, Asia Pacific:”If you look at Delcam’s history, we are a European company that started with European markets. Although we have worked in Asia a long time, the real push came only 12 years ago, to go global. Before that, we worked in individual cities, not as a region.

“Now we are more focused into the Asian region, rather

a

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY looking at them as discrete athan cities. We have a higher level of cooperation within the region, such as transferring resources from one city to another within Asia. It makes it easier in terms of marketing strategy.”

According to Vineet Seth, Delcam’s managing director for India and Middle East, although there are numerous significant differences, Asian countries are all trying to excel and improve from current levels. “If you look at a mature economy like Singapore, together with the other countries like Malaysia and Thailand, they were all Tiger economies of the 1990s.

“For India, a tremendously diverse country, it has a lot more room to grow with a lot of potential. As for the Middle East, it is almost a brand new economy. With dependence on oil, there was not much emphasis on manufacturing 20 years ago. But now, all these countries they were very big in the oil drilling industry. Today, many Middle East countries, such as UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, realise that manufacturing is the way forward.

“Initially, CAM was more for woodwork, furniture and artwork, but now it is more for white goods, electrical and customized automotive parts. For example, we have an ambulance manufacturer in the Middle East who likes to customized their parts and build ambulances for the region.

“For me, the spectrum of countries is a diverse array of economies, and each is different in development and needs, but all accept the fact that if you’re well-versed in technology and hard-working, you will be wellaccepted,” says Seth.

“And when you look at a developed economy like Singapore, they’re trying to upscale, doing things in a different way. They’re thinking of how to change the games, how to bring the timelines down, and excel on an existing process. www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

Delcam’s new Vortex toolpath strategy, incorporated in the latest version of PowerMILL, reduced the machining time for this titanium demonstration component by 63 percent.

“For India, there are a few challenges. There are areas in India that are very good at the way they deploy technology, and there are areas that don’t. Their challenge is to improve those less developed areas and bring those areas up to the same level as the rest of the country,” he notes.

Commenting on the situation in Southeast Asia, Sandy Moffatt said: “There are distinctly different countries, yet as a whole, it is a very strong region. Thailand has seen immense growth and is enjoying an industrial boom that is the highest in this region at the moment. As a consequence, there has been an immense boost to sales of our products.”

“Indonesia, the fifth largest country in the world (by population), has seen steady growth in the last four to five years. So Indonesia is also very strong, with a lot of potential that could become a much more important industrial market later.

Large market size, well-educated, hardworking and enterprising, that’s a formula for success that we see in Indonesia.

“Vietnam is an interesting market where a lot of the red tape is gone, where we might see huge growth in another three to four years. Cambodia and Laos, beside Vietnam, are also catching up, although they are smaller markets.

The Philippines is not growing at the same degree as the countries I just mentioned, but still growing nonetheless.

“Singapore has a lot of large MNCs headquartered there, with which we have some business with. There are also quite a few smaller manufacturing plants which we also do business with.

“So on the whole, the Southeast Asia region has been a good place to grow our products, with about 10-20 percent growth year-on-year on average in the region.“ ”For all markets in Asia, we have our targets that we need to meet,” adds K H Chai, Delcam business development manager for South East Asian Division. “But within the region there are different markets with different targets.

For example, tool making, the mould and die manufacturing for automotive is still very strong in

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY Thailand, probably due to a move of these manufacturing activities from Japan.

“Thus, there are different business activities for different countries in the pipeline. Every market in this region contributes to our overall bottom line.”

Joe Zhou, who heads up Delcam China, gave another perspective. ”With the slowdown in the economy in China, it is expected that some SMEs will exit the market, but for the higher end products made by the larger companies, there should be a negligible effect. These bigger companies typically invest in technologies regardless of economic conditions. It also improves their competitiveness, which is crucial to their business.

“For example, some technologies actually reduce work time and increase productivity, like the ShoeCloud software demonstrated here at this event, which enables more efficient management of design and manufacturing data for the footwear industry.

“Delcam’s products now in use in robotic manufacturing are mainly in the value-added processes, such as mould making, including

very large moulds. Coating application by robots also uses Delcam products in the aerospace and maritime industry,” informs Zhou.

Sandy Moffat also reflected on the situation in Japan. “The country received two shocks in the last five years, once in 2008 banking crisis from America, and then the 2011 tsunami.

“But last year things improved dramatically, with the government sustaining growth in the economy through its monetary policies.

And despite its struggles, it is still the third largest economy in the world. That’s why all CADCAM companies are present in the Japanese market.”

NEW RELEASES An important part of every Delcam Asian Technical Summit is the announcement and explanation of new product releases, and the delegates this year certainly got to hear about quite a number of those.

A major enhancement for the 2014 release of Delcam’s flagship PowerMILL CAM system is the Vortex strategy for high-speed area clearance. Vortex, for which Delcam has a patent pending,

has been developed to gain the maximum benefit from solid carbide tooling, in particular those designs that can give deeper cuts by using the full flute length as the cutting surface.

A series of trials run by Delcam on different machine tools within its Advanced Manufacturing Facility has shown a time saving of at least 40 percent.

Other developments in the area of computer-aided manufacturing include the 2014 version of Delcam’s FeatureCAM featurebased CAM software being released with a number of new options for turning, four-axis rotary machining and turn-mill operations, along with more strategies for two-axis finishing and easier programming of probing sequences.

Meanwhile, ShoeCloud, software for 3D footwear and design, was introduced at the event.

ShoeCloud data can be stored in any format and can be accessed through standard web browsers.

Also targeted at the footwear industry – an enhanced version of OrthoMODEL design software for EVA custom orthotic insoles now include options for the

a

The 2014 version of Delcam’s FeatureCAM software includes a number of new options for turning, four-axis rotary machining and turn-mill operations. www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY of corrective orthotics, adesign accommodative orthotics and comfort insoles.

“Delcam offers a complete set of software for footwear design and manufacture, covering all the stages in the development and manufacturing process in the footwear industry. The addition of a range of solutions for orthopaedic footwear allows the company to service both the massproduction side of the business and suppliers of custom-made footwear,” explained Joe Zhou.

The 2013 release of Delcam’s PowerINSPECT software offers dual-device inspection options that allow measurement with two portable devices at the same time.

Enhancements to Delcam Electrode include support for burn-vector electrodes, automated machining of electrode frames, batch processing of multiple machining projects and faster generation of electrode drawings.

CAM TRENDS IN ASIA According to Vineet Seth, the role of CAM is increasingly important in any company’s portfolio of strategies. “They will invest in good CAM, with good support and experienced people on the ground. That is what will make CAM successful, as people continuously upgrade themselves.

“We want to be able to offer comprehensive support, as the value of CAM is only as good as the support behind it. CAM will play a more important role going forward, with an increasing footprint.

Seth also believes that there will be more demands for manufacturing consultancy.

“Customers today realize that it is important not to have just any CAM or manufacturing software.

They are now thinking of ways to improve their processes.

“Consulting is going to be important in helping customers in areas such as process improvement, optimisation, and www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

As machine tools become more complex, computer-aided manufacturing becomes more important, which bodes well for Delcam and the CAM market, said marketing manager Peter Dickin.

investment in strategic software. It may not be a big profit generator now, but as people realise the value, this will change.

“At the moment, Delcam is consulting aerospace companies to improve their processes. In the next five years, we may expand our consulting business, albeit on a very selective basis,” reveal Seth.

Marketing manager Peter Dickin offers another dimension. “One major trend that can be expected is the increasing capability and complexity of machines.

Machines with multiple spindles, turrets, more sophisticated 5- axis machines.

“For example, you saw Mazak’s Integrex, which can machine the entire part from the raw material.

As the product becomes more complex, so would the machines, which, for us, is a really welcome trend.

“Because as the machines become more complex, they become more difficult to program manually, so more CAM is needed. The prevalence of machine complexity will be a positive trend for the CAM market.”

Vineet Seth offered one specific example. “CAM has been playing a more ‘offline’ role, with not much interaction between the software program and the processing machine. Inevitably, CAM will have to become more interactive, whereby parameters that changed on the machine can feed directly back to the software, and the software itself will change and adapt, and parts get made with the corrected program.

“This is also a marriage between inspection and CAM, which we already have at Delcam.”

“In the near future, Southeast Asia may become more important for CAM,” says K H Chai. “It depends on the shift in the business. All manufacturers have some CAM, whether it’s something that they bought many years ago, or something that is quite recent.

“What we try to do is to support our customers with their CAM, both old and new. Many of our customers are long term prospects, which we take the time to cultivate and build up over the years. You can see we have the entire suite of product range, from CAM to reverse engineering.

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LOOKING TO THE FUTURE “In the near future, the markets will not change dramatically,” believes Peter Dickin, “but certainly in the next five to 10 years, our business in Asia will increase. The China market is one obvious example, where revenue growth from consumption growth can be expected.

“They all want cars, refrigerators, tablets and all the stuff. The internal market is huge. It’s the same in India. Then you have the new, emerging countries like Vietnam, where you start having more and more manufacturing.”

Continuing with the activities of Delcam in the near future, Joe Zhou added, “Although the economy (in China) is slowing, we

are already seeing maturation in the footwear industry. So we are positioning ourselves to get ready for that.

“Delcam has always been a CADCAM company, but we had been stronger on the CAM side. So we are now trying to strengthen our CAD, for example with PowerSHAPE, which now combines modelling and reverse engineering functionality.

“In our forecasts, we also hope that the automotive sector will continue to pick up, especially on the machinery and production of parts. For example, PowerSHAPE software can help in design to fix errors in surfacing, wireframe and triangles, and prepare the part for machining,” explained Zhou.u – Control Engineering Asia

“We are trying to penetrate into specific markets with our CAD, such as for the dental industry that you saw just now. In addition to software, we are also branching into professional services such as consulting for other companies.

Right now we are focused on the aerospace industry.

Thai Summit Mold Manufacturing uses Delcam’s PowerMILL in the manufacture of moulds for vehicle parts.

Inside Thai Manufacturing

T

he two-day Delcam Asian Technical Summit programme included a visit to the Thai Summit Group, an automotive parts manufacturing group which comprises over 40 subsidiary companies covering manufacturing activities for all important industries of Thailand.

visits were made to three of the Group’s companies: Thai Summit Mold Manufacturing (TSMM); Thai Summit R&D Next Technology; and T S Intertech.

Using Delcam’s PowerMILL, TSMM manufactures moulds for vehicle parts, while the latter two companies manufacture metal dies. The Thai Summit Group is Delcam’s largest customer in Thailand.

In the short span of two hours,

A visit to the Japanese machine

tool maker Mazak then revealed how Delcam software, namely PartMaker, FeatureCAM, PowerMILL, and PowerINSPECT, is used in the cost-effective production of parts.

The Integrex IV series, a recent line of machines, was showcased. Notably, it can cut a part from raw material to finish within a single machine and without any interruptions such as changeovers or transfers. www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

What’s missing From M ost business owners and general managers recognise just how critically important proper equipment maintenance is, particularly in an asset-oriented work environment. Simply put, poorly maintained equipment leads to production downtime, lost revenue, dissatisfied customers, and low morale.

Yet, in the context of lean initiatives, debates crop up regarding the role of preventive and predictive maintenance versus Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). Are preventive and predictive maintenance tactics sufficient? Isn’t TPM a separate initiative, a secondary consideration, or just plain extraneous to a primary lean implementation? Or, should lean and TPM be interconnected?

In too many companies, equipment initiatives stop with preventive and predictive maintenance. TPM is a capability built on total asset reliability‚ and total employee involvement.

More than traditional preventive maintenance, it is a systematic, data-driven process that fosters an efficient partnership between production, maintenance, and engineering, and that engages those closest to the work. It results in an organization’s ability to transition from reactive to proactive maintenance and to create low cost, even free capacity.

More importantly, TPM has a dramatic impact on your organisational culture, overall operations‚ and your bottom line.

It frees up valuable production capacity without the drain of capital investment.

The direct and measureable results are better performance, increased capacity, improved quality, decreased scrap and waste, and increased reliability and efficiency.

Without TPM, achieving lean flow is not possible; therefore TPM should be an integral part of any lean transformation. www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

TPM in a Nutshell In essence, TPM is a strategy that empowers employees by enlisting equipment operators to participate actively in the design, selection, correction, and maintenance of equipment. The objective: to ensure that every machine or production process is always able to perform its required tasks without interrupting or slowing down defect-free production.

Operators share. ‘Ownership’ for the equipment with which they work.

TPM is viewed as ‚’beginning-toend maintenance’ that is critically important to business success.

Downtime for maintenance is scheduled as a part of the manufacturing day and, in some cases, as an integral part of the manufacturing process.

It is no longer simply squeezed in whenever there is a break in material flow. The goal is to hold emergency and unscheduled maintenance to a minimum.

A fair analogy would go something like this: • changing your car’s oil regularly is ‘preventive maintenance’

and enables continuous machine reliability. Like lean, TPM is not a ‘program’.

Rather, it is a step-by-step, systematic, strategic process that aims to achieve at least 90% equipment availability and 95% equipment performance. It involves the entire organization and is the foundation upon which lean is built.

Many managers find this counterintuitive, because they’ve been taught to believe that the production schedule drives the maintenance schedule. In fact, the opposite is true.

Equipment is the bloodline of production. It needs to be kept in a constant state of order rather than being repaired only when needed.

Planned downtime costs a company a mere 10% of what it costs for an unplanned breakdown. That can add up to sizeable savings in every plant over the course of a year.

Unfortunately, in many companies TPM is viewed as a separate initiative that is optional in a lean environment. In others, managers haven’t yet recognised the symbiotic relationship between lean and TPM, and think they need to choose between the two.

• analysing the oil would be

But the true objective of the lean/TPM partnership is the implementation of a total process

• knowing the engine and

that impacts virtually every aspect of operations and daily work.

‘predictive maintenance’

understanding what keeps it running smoothly would be ‘autonomous maintenance’

• performing all of the above is TPM.

Why TPM? You cannot truly become lean or sustain lean gains without adopting a lean equipment management strategy that fosters

It’s Not Just for the Maintenance Department Lean and TPM, and the transformation they can achieve together, require a vision that is shared by the entire employee community, one that can be turned into concrete and measurable objectives and that connects to all improvement

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Your Lean Initiative? activities throughout the entire organization.

For Example • Human Resources plays its

part by recognising the need for more extensive training of employees on equipment monitoring and autonomous maintenance.

• Accounting must appreciate the importance of allocating additional funds for the purchase of the proper equipment and parts.

• Quality department staff must connect directly with the maintenance manager so that both sides grasp the relationship between reliable equipment and a quality product.

• And, production personnel learn to take ownership of their equipment, perform autonomous maintenance routines, and participate in the design processes for new equipment.

More on the ‘Total’ in TPM Traditional maintenance puts responsibility to react to problems primarily on the shoulders of the maintenance department. TPM, on the other hand, creates a shared and proactive responsibility for equipment, encouraging greater involvement by plant floor workers.

In the right environment this approach can be extremely effective in improving productivity (increasing uptime, reducing cycle times, and eliminating defects).

TPM trains your people - not just your maintenance people but also machine operators and others – to play an active role with equipment.

Effective TPM comprises a wide range of elements that take an organisation way beyond simple preventive or predictive maintenance:

The 8 Pillars of TPM • Through Early Equipment

Management, team members develop an important understanding of how the design and manufacture of equipment can help make it easier to operate, simpler to maintain, and right-sized for its purpose. The people who operate the equipment are involved in helping to reduce the complexity of real-time operation.

• By understanding the concept

of Maintenance Improvement, team members evolve from a reactive to a proactive position.

They analyse breakdowns to better reveal machine weaknesses. They learn to modify equipment and manage replacement parts to improve operator maintainability.

And, they map out a planned maintenance schedules for longer service life.

• The long-term value of

committing to a Comprehensive Training program ensures that people at all levels have the skills, and just as importantly the awareness, to support TPM effectively.

• The adoption of an

Autonomous Maintenance program instills an ‘operatorbased care’ philosophy, transferring basic equipment care responsibilities from maintenance staff to equipment operators. This frees up key maintenance employees to handle more specialized activities such as major overhauls, machine upgrades, predictive maintenance, and new equipment planning.

At the same time, autonomous maintenance encourages a strong relationship between TPM and the efficiencies of 5S programs.

• A Quality Maintenance strategy

commits your organization to efforts that ensure equipment is maintained effectively throughout the entire production process. The objective is to eliminate defects - beginning with basic materials and continuing right on through to the finished product. This might include monitoring very specific machine features such as temperature, pressure, flow, and equipment flexibility.

• Finally, TPM enables you to get the most out of your machines by accurately measuring Overall Equipment Effectiveness. You’ll have the ability to determine the actual contribution of each piece of equipment as a percentage of its potential to add value to your overall operations. There may be no better example of implementing true ‘productive maintenance.’

Next Steps for Initiating or Reviving a TPM Rollout Developing a strategy to establish TPM - and integrate it as part of a lean transformation -begins with analyzing and understanding the key areas that need to be improved throughout your operations.

That involves establishing revenue goals, performing value stream analysis, creating key lean initiatives, identifying and sharing responsibilities for action items, and laying down milestones and rollout plans.

You may want to begin by asking yourself these fundamental business questions: • How does your organisation make money?

• How does it spend money?

• What drives profits, revenues, and margins?

• Where is the improvement focus?

• How do I get all my employees more actively involved.u www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

NASA sending 3D printer into space

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ASA is set to launch world’s first zeroG-ready 3D printer into space next year, during its resupply mission to the International Space Station, so that parts can be built on-demand in space.

Space manufacturing company Made in Space’s customised 3D printer will be the first device to manufacture parts away from planet Earth, researchers said.

The 3D Printing in Zero-G Experiment will validate the capability of additive manufacturing in zero-gravity.

“Imagine an astronaut needing to make a life-or-death repair on the International Space Station,” said Aaron Kemmer, CEO of Made in Space on the company’s website.

“Rather than hoping that the necessary parts and tools are on the station already, what if the parts could be 3D printed when they needed them?” said Kemmer.

All space missions today are completely dependent on Earth and the launch vehicles that send equipment to space.

The greater the distance from Earth and the longer the duration, the more difficult it will be to resupply materials.

“As NASA ventures further into space, whether redirecting an asteroid or sending humans to Mars, we will need transformative technology to reduce cargo weight and volume,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said during a recent tour of the agency’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field.

self-sufficient and manufacture most of what they need in space.

This includes such things as consumables, common tools, and replacements for lost or broken parts and eventually even such things as CubeSats (small, deployable satellites).

“The 3D printing experiment with NASA is a step towards the future.

The ability to 3D print parts and tools on-demand greatly increases the reliability and safety of space missions while also dropping the cost by orders of magnitude,” said Kemmer.

“In the future, perhaps astronauts will be able to print the tools or components they need while in space,” he said.

“The first printers will start by building test coupons, and will then build a broad range of parts, such as tools and science equipment,” Kemmer said.

The Made in Space and NASA team envisions a future where space missions can be virtually

Both Made in Space and NASA view the space station as the place to initiate the journey of in-space

www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

manufacturing.

“We’re taking additive manufacturing technology to new heights, by working with Made in Space to test 3D printing aboard the space station,” said Michael Gazarik, NASA’s associate administrator for space technology in Washington.

In preparation for the 2014 launch, Made in Space tested a diverse array of 3D printing technologies in zero-gravity in 2011 and is conducting additional tests this year. These micro-gravity tests provide the initial research that fed into the developments for the 3D Print experiment.

The 3D Printer is built specifically to handle the environmental challenges of space and uses extrusion additive manufacturing, which builds objects layer by layer out of polymers and other materials. u

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Reverse Engineering w R everse engineering is the process of duplicating an existing product without the aid of drawings, documentation, or computer models.

• Substituting an original part

In ordinary engineering, the product designer creates a drawing showing how an object is to be built, and then the object is manufactured by following the design drawing.

• Analysing competitor products.

• Supporting new modifications

In reverse engineering, the steps are inverted. First, engineers identify the system components and their interrelationships. The object is taken apart to discover its structure, function, and operation.

Duplication of the part is enabled by capturing physical dimensions, features, and material properties.

• Updating or creating as-built

Next, a CAD drawing or other representation of the system is created. Then a reproduction of the original system is accurately created based on that drawing.

Why reverse engineering is needed A common scenario in which reverse engineering is needed is as follows: a company has a machine. A part fails and a replacement part is needed. But the manufacturer has discontinued the machine and no longer makes parts for it. The machine owner can reverse engineer a replacement part from the failed part, preventing the machine from going out of service.

Reverse engineering can shortcut product development time. It quickly captures a product in 3D digital form and exports the data for rapid prototyping, tooling, or manufacturing.

There are many other situations in which reverse engineering can be used: www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

design that has inadequate or no documentation available.

• Redesigning a part to eliminate a bad feature or to reinforce good features.

where original CAD models cannot.

• Updating obsolete products with current technology. documentation.

• Supplying a part with little downtime that is missioncritical to a system, reproduced in large quantities, or reflects a big investment.

• Performing fine element analysis or computational fluid dynamics on parts for which no design information is available.

How objects are measured for reverse engineering To reverse engineer an object, you need to know its physical dimensions. Unless the dimensions are extremely precise, the reverse engineered product will not be an accurate reproduction of the original and may not function.

Parts may be measured carefully by hand using callipers, micrometers, and other similar tools. In modern reverse engineering, a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) can measure the geometry of an object faster and more accurately than these traditional hand tools.

A typical CMM measures three orthogonal axes, X, Y, and Z, operating in a 3D coordinate system. Each axis has a scale that indicates the position of a point on that axis.

CMMs use touch probes to record points as the probe contacts the surface of the part being measured.

Points are measured one at a time until the CMM collects enough data for the software to determine lengths, diameters, angles, and other geometric elements. The machine reads input from the touch probe as directed by the operator or software. Then the XYZ coordinates of each point are used to determine size and position.

A CMM can measure dimensions either through contact with the object or with a laser scanner. The point cloud collected is converted into surfaces. This measurement data is then exported to a CAD package for refinement, analysis, and generation of cut tool paths for CAM.

Portable CMMs 3D measurement arms are portable CMMs that operate much in same manner as traditional CMMs in that they determine and record the location of a probe in 3D space and report the results through software. One of the main benefits of a portable CMM over a traditional, or fixed, CMM is portability. Portable CMMs are considerably smaller and lighter and can therefore be taken to the part needing inspection. This removes the need to take the part to the CMM and minimizes machine downtime and quality bottlenecks.

Furthermore, portable CMMs do not require the controlled temperature conditions that traditional CMMs demand.

Portable CMMs are also easier to use and substantially less expensive than traditional CMMs. A laser line scanner can be attached to a measurement arm to allow for non-contact measurement. A laser scanner can quickly capture data to create a point cloud of millions of points of data that can be used to create a CAD file.

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

with 3D Measurement produce high-density point clouds capable of detecting finer details.

A major advantage of the FARO ScanArm is that it is a portable solution. They system can easily be carried to the part or machine to be measured. Operating temperature range is 50 to 140o F. Fixed CMMs, by comparison, are large machines that require their own specialised air conditioned rooms to strictly control temperature and conditions.

Because the fixed CMM is immobile, objects to be measured must be transported to and from the inspection area, which can present a challenge depending on weight and size.

The benefits of adding a laser scanning probe to a measurement arm include not only the speed in collecting large amounts of data, but also the ease-of-use and lower risk of impacting a part during measurement.

The FARO ScanArm is a portable CMM ideally suited for reverse engineering applications. Noncontact measurement is usually a faster way to inspect and measure parts, and industry as a whole is moving away from hard probing toward laser scanning. One key advantage of laser scanning is that soft, deformable, and complex shapes can be easily inspected without coming into contact with the part.

The core of the system is the FaroArm, an articulating measurement arm that captures dimensional data by hard probing the surface being measured. With contact measurement repeatability up to .024mm and accuracy up to ±.034mm, the FaroArm weighs 11.3kg or less.

A FARO Laser Line Probe (LLP) can be combined with the FaroArm

to add laser scanning capability to the ScanArm. The advantage of the LLP is that the laser probe is small enough to remain attached to the ScanArm so the system can operate as a contact (hard probing) or non-contact (scanning) device without any alterations to the machine itself.

The FARO LLP is the smallest and lightest laser probe on the market today, weighing less than half a pound.

Measurements are accurate up to 35µm (+0.0014 inch). That accuracy, combined with light weight, means the user can perform reverse engineering functions without fatigue.

A triangulation process is used to find the position of objects in 3D space. A laser stripe emitted by a diode is projected onto the surface being measured. A camera looks at the laser stripe from a known angle and determines the location for each point on the line. High frame rates and high resolution image sensors improve scanning speed and

Reverse engineering success stories The Andretti Autosport team has the most wins of any Indy car team. To make sure each race car leaves the shop with the same design set-up specifications, the Andretti team reverse engineers sanctioned parts and carbon fibre components for their cars. They use the FARO ScanArm to scan incoming parts and the entire race car assembly for proper set-up.

Having FARO in-house enables Andretti technicians to measure and inspect parts, scan models, and verify set-ups. It also eliminates the time and expense of paying outside service providers to do their reverse engineering measurements.

Trinity Forge is a closed-die forging plant that specialises in complex shapes in a wide variety of sizes.

To meet the stringent specifications of their customers, Trinity uses the FARO ScanArm daily to inspect to reverse engineer products that may not have prints or legacy data available. The speed at which they can now operate is a great value to the company. u www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

DEVELOPMENTS

Crown opens new beverage can facilities

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rown Holdings, a leading supplier of metal packaging products worldwide, has announced the official opening and commercialisation of three of its Chinese facilities in Heshan (Guangdong province), Ziyang (Sichuan province) and Putian (Fujian province).

“These new plants will primarily supply local customers, although they may also be called upon to serve other parts of the country,” said Jozef Salaerts, President of Crown Asia Pacific. “As brand owners and consumers continue to recognise the many benefits aluminium beverage cans bring, demand for the package continues to increase.

“Crown is committed to supporting our customers’ growth, and we are pleased that we are working together to meet both new and existing demand.”

The Heshan facility currently operates one can line and

The Putian facility

one end line, with an initial annual production capacity of approximately 725 million twopiece 330ml and 355ml beverage cans and 1.4 billion 202-diameter ends. Production of ends began in June 2012, while beverage can production started in October 2012. The facility will also have the ability to produce 500ml beverage cans.

The Ziyang facility began producing beverage cans at the end of July 2012. One can line is currently in operation, giving the plant an annual production

capacity of approximately 650 million two-piece 330ml and 355ml beverage cans.

The Putian facility operates two lines and is able to produce 150ml, 330ml and 500ml twopiece cans. The first line began production in April 2012 while the second line started operations this year in February. The plant has an initial annual production capacity of 1.4 billion 330ml beverage cans.

The three plants bring the total number of Crown beverage can plants in China to seven. u

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

OPINION

UC: Savvy Manufacturers’ Ind

I

n recent years, the global manufacturing industry has faced a slew of significant challenges. Shifting customer demands, globalisation driving increasingly aggressive pricing and greater competition, as well as stricter government regulations, are confronting manufacturers around the world.

Having barely survived the last economic downturn, many manufacturers today are undergoing pressures to revise their business strategies – seeking innovative ways to streamline supply chains and reduce costs.

More are turning to unified communications (UC) as a solution to increase collaboration amongst employees and optimise production processes, in order to gain a fundamental competitive edge in this tough market.

UC Drives Collaboration and Profitability on the Plant Floor One way UC is fostering productivity is by facilitating teamwork amongst plant-floor personnel, design engineers and production staff. For instance, phone conferencing is an excellent communications tool to bridge distance amongst employees operating in different locations, whilst curbing travel expenses and lowering operating costs at a time when saving money can be crucial to a business’s survival.

To further incorporate collaboration into the manufacturing process, mobility is becoming an increasingly vital asset. In this regard, being able to connect with colleagues anytime and anywhere via mobile, IM, voice messaging and presence allows workers to locate coworkers and determine the most suitable time to contact them – empowering manufacturers to serve customers more responsively. www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

This heightened level of collaboration further contributes to accelerated decision making and sharpened problem solving.

Excellent communication also drives revenue opportunities by fostering stronger partner relationships and customer satisfaction.

Finally, UC solutions help facilitate supply-chain management – by expediting access to designers and other specialists throughout the supply chain, and minimising time to market for new products.

Industry Success Stories One clear example of a manufacturing company benefitting from UC is Liberty Hardware Manufacturing Corporation, based in North Carolina, with distribution facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom and China.

Liberty wanted to improve internal communications between its dispersed offices and enhance its call-centre operations.

The company’s legacy telephone system, built on solutions from a variety of vendors, was cumbersome and costly. Liberty decided to switch to a ShoreTel voice over IP (VoIP) solution to ease administration, lower costs and promote architecture flexibility.

As a result, Liberty saves over US$211,000 annually in maintenance, management and call charges. Furthermore, heightened employee productivity and seamless callcentre operations have yielded exceptional levels of customer service.

Another example is JT Packard, a leading provider of networkcritical power equipment. Their outdated PBX-based system was costing US$3,000-4,000 a month on conference calls and was nearing end of life. By deploying a ShoreTel IP-based UC system with a conference bridge, the company can now connect its 150 field offices throughout the United States, resulting in savings of thousands of dollars each month.

Home and mobile workers, as well as contractors, also get to work more closely together – thus, presenting a unified front to the outside world.

Choosing the Right UC Solution for Optimal Results Like any business investment, selecting the most suitable UC system is imperative for achieving the best outcome. Following are some key attributes that decision makers should include in their purchase criteria:

1) End-to-end functionality A powerful, all-in-one IP phone system with tightly integrated UC and contact-centre capabilities provides businesses with a onestop solution – preserving valuable time and manpower resources.

2) Scalability A unique, distributed architecture based on reliable voice-switch appliances, rather than servers, delivers availability that meets today’s 24/7 requirements. With interchangeable plug-and-play devices, companies can quickly expand capacity as needed, ensuring maximum flexibility. This yields a refreshing, cost-effective upgrade, versus an expensive overhaul.

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

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OPINION

dispensable Competitive Tool 3) Ease of Management Administrators greatly value a system that consolidates access to all administrative functions through a single browser-based interface – sparing them the hassle of juggling multiple tools and giving them the freedom to manage people, not devices. The result requires fewer dedicated technicians, which dramatically lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO).

4) User Friendliness An intuitive user interface eliminates the need for training, whilst encouraging employees to actually take advantage of the system’s productivity-boosting functionality. As a result, higher adoption rates enable workers to connect spontaneously with colleagues, partners and customers anytime and anywhere, on whichever device they choose.

Conclusion In summary, UC promotes innovation and collaboration, lowers overhead costs and maximises profits. Players in the highly competitive manufacturing industry can, thus, realise significant advantages with a robust system that is easy to deploy, use, maintain and scale – all at the lowest TCO in the market. By advancing production processes and freeing manpower and financial resources,

manufacturers can appreciate greater efficiencies for competing globally. u

– Bruce Downing, ShoreTel Managing Director, Asia and South Africa.

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

DEVELOPMENTS

Advanced hydraulics library for MapleSim

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ith the MapleSim Hydraulics Library, engineers can seamlessly incorporate industry-tested hydraulics components while continuing to take full advantage of all the modelling, analysis, and simulation abilities of MapleSim.

MapleSim offers a modern approach to physical modelling and simulation, dramatically reducing model development and analysis time while producing fast, high-fidelity simulations.

MapleSim enables modelling at the system level, so engineers can combine hydraulic subsystems with other domains and analyse their interactions.

The MapleSim Hydraulics Library includes over 200 components for modelling pumps, motors, cylinders, restrictions, valves, hydraulic lines, lumped volumes, and sensors. www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

It enables engineers to produce very high-fidelity models by accounting for compressible oil and cavitation effects, resulting in an extremely accurate view of system dynamics.

Hydraulics systems are notoriously difficult to model with

high accuracy, but so important to understanding system-level behaviour.

The Hydraulics Library demonstrates the power of the Modelica standard platform for the systems engineering community. u

Datamax-O’Neil acquires thermal printer business

D

atamax-O’Neil, a global provider of label and receipt printing solutions, has acquired the thermal printer assets of Source Technologies, which is a world leading provider in specialised printing solutions. The company is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Established in 1986, Source Technologies has specialised in secure MICR printing solutions, and will remain a strong entity in this market under new ownership.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“The addition of these new products into our already strong stationary printer portfolio positions us and our channel partners around the world to be

a

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DEVELOPMENTS

New laser scanner for 3D documentation

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ARO Technologies has released the new Laser Scanner Focus3D X 330.

Building on the success of the Laser Scanner Focus3D, the new Focus3D X 330 surpasses previous models in functionality and performance.

With a range almost three times greater than previous models, the Focus3D X 330 can scan objects up to 330 meters away and in direct sunlight.

With its integrated GPS receiver, the laser scanner is able to correlate individual scans in postprocessing making it ideal for surveying based applications.

In addition, the Focus3D X 330 measurement accuracy has been increased and noise has been reduced, providing precise three dimensional models in a photorealistic style. These advances in performance did not come at the expense of safety as the Focus3D X 330 includes a Class 1 “eye safe” laser.

“Its minimal weight, small size, touch-screen, SD-card and a battery life of 4.5 hours make the Focus3D X 330 unbeatable and easy-to-use,” said Dr. Bernd more competitive and achieve a greater market share,” said Paul Sindoni, president of DatamaxO’Neil. “This acquisition represents another step in our strategy to position ourselves as a global market and technology leader and clearly reflects our continued commitment to grow our strength within the industry and our partner community.”

Source Technologies thermal printer assets will be fully integrated into Datamax-O’Neil over a two-month period, and the printers will be marketed under the Datamax-O’Neil brand.

Source Technologies’ Florida-

based engineering team will be transferred to Datamax-O’Neil’s Orlando, FL operations.

Becker, Chief Technology Strategist for the new Focus3D X 330. “No other provider can offer such a technical achievement.”

The state-of-the-art printers represent over three years of intense research and development with considerable company investment and resulted in 12 provisional patents. All ST Performance series printers are designed to use PCL5e, an industry standard printer language, which alleviates integration difficulties often caused by proprietary languages. The printers are easy to use, and offer reliability and performance at an affordable price. u

With its increased range and scan accuracy, the Focus3D X 330 considerably reduces the effort involved in measuring and postprocessing. The 3D scan data can easily be imported into all commonly used software solutions for accident reconstruction, architecture, civil engineering, construction, forensics, industrial manufacturing and land surveying. Distance dimensions, area and volume calculations, analysis and inspection tasks and documentation can thus be carried out quickly, precisely and reliably.u www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

BUSINESS NEWS

BWIR to offer engineering solutions

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arry-Wehmiller International Resources (BWIR) has announced a strategic partnership with Amran Establishment LLC. BWIR will leverage this partnership to offer Process Systems Engineering (PSE) solutions in the GCC countries.

Speaking of the development, Senthil Kumar, Vice-President and Senior Partner of BWIR says, “The PSE practice is one of the fastest growing practices in BWIR and I am confident about our growth in the GCC. I am delighted to have Prasad join us, whose rich experience and vast network we would leverage. Our partnership with Amran combines credibility, market understanding and depth of our engineering offerings.”

BWIR has brought on Prasad Kalathil as head of its PSE practice. Prasad, a 29-year veteran in the oil & gas and water business, has experience in senior roles with firms like BP, Cameron, KCC, Degremont and Shanfari.

According to BWIR’s Director of Engineering Services, Sridharan Balaiyan, “the goal of PSE practice aligns with our engineering services mission to reduce engineering costs, timely project execution, extending engineering capacity” Amran Establishment LLC, in business since 1978, is one of the leading business houses in Oman, having core businesses in oil & gas, process industry, power. Amran is headquartered in the Sultanate with a sales office in Muscat, and has business associations with some of the world’s leaders in relevant sectors.

Mr. Said Amran Al Harthy, Chairman and CEO of Amran Group of companies, said of the budding partnership: “I am certain that the people-centric approach of Amran and BWIR will be a game changer in the engineering services industry of the Sultanate, especially at a time when Oman is making huge investments in www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

expanding its energy and allied industries”.

About BWIR’s growth path in the Middle East, Prasad says, “I am thrilled about this opportunity to drive the PSE practice. Our synergies with Amran only strengthen a common vision to deliver value to clients and employees”.

The PSE practice offers engineering expertise and capabilities to the upstream oil & gas, power, water & waste water treatment, downstream refineries and petrochemical industries in areas such as Process Design, Pressure Vessel and Heat Exchanger Design & Detailing, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), CFD Analysis, Rotary Equipment Studies and Analysis, Piping Design and Detailing, Pipe Stress Analysis, Process Plant and Skid Layouts, Plant and Equipment 3D Modeling, Structural Analysis, Design and Detailed Drawings, Electrical, & Instrumentation Engineering, SCADA, DCS, PLC Systems Design and Engineering.

BWIR can also augment a client’s design team through contract staffing.

Barry-Wehmiller International Resources Barry-Wehmiller International Resources (BWIR) is a global provider of business and technology solutions to the mid-market manufacturing domain. With headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., and global delivery operations strategically located to meet customer needs throughout the U.S., Europe, Southeast Asia and South America, BWIR offers world-class engineering services and enterprise consulting

solutions that enable its clients to achieve a competitive edge in their marketplace

About Barry- Wehmiller Barry-Wehmiller’s balanced approach to the market is made possible through nine interactive divisions: Accraply, Inc., a leading manufacturer of automatic labeling and label converting and finishing systems; BarryWehmiller Design Group, Inc., a premier supplier of manufacturing automation, facility design, and other engineering consulting services.

Barry-Wehmiller International Resources (BWIR), is a global provider of business and technology solutions to the midmarket manufacturing domain; FleetwoodGoldcoWyard, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of automated can end and product handling equipment, advanced conveyance technology, palletisers, depalletisers, and process equipment.

Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC), provides high-performance converting machinery for the global tissue, nonwovens, package printing, and envelope manufacturing industries; PneumaticScaleAngelus, a global provider for filling, capping, can seaming, labeling, centrifugation, orienter and wet case detectors; and Thiele Technologies, Inc., a leading producer of placing, feeding, bagging, cartoning, case packing, robotic, premade bag and pouch, and palletizing equipment.

In fiscal year 2012, BarryWehmiller leveraged a strategic combination of organic and acquisition growth to achieve revenues surpassing $1.5 billion.

Barry-Wehmiller now employs nearly 6,000 team members in over 65 locations worldwide. u

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BUSINESS NEWS

UK and US drive ‘U-turn’

N

ew Zealand has soared to sixth in the world for business optimism, its highest ranking since 2010 with the mature economies of the United Kingdom and the United States starting to drive global business growth, according to new research from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR).

The gap between New Zealand and Australian business confidence remains wide with only a net 23% (26th in the survey) of Australian businesses feeling upbeat compared with 64% of New Zealand businesses.

Of the 45 countries surveyed New Zealand ranks sixth in confidence at 64%, behind Philippines 96%, United Arab Emirates 84%, Denmark 76%, United Kingdom 76% and Peru 74%.

Simon Carey, partner at Grant Thornton, said that New Zealand is now reaping the benefits of some sensible government management of the economy as a result of the Global Financial Crisis.

“The economy has remained pretty steady over the last couple of years but we are now building a solid foundation for fruitful economic gains in the years ahead, with some economists picking a 4% growth for the New Zealand economy next year,” he said.

The ‘U-turn’ in sentiment by the United Kingdom and the United States suggests a shift in the global dynamic, with business growth opportunities set to increase in mature economies while emerging nations adjust to the prospect of slower growth than in recent years.

However, Carey warns that further partisanship in the United States over the budget and debt ceiling could yet derail the global economy over the next few months.

The IBR reveals United Kingdom business optimism has shot up from net 34% in Q2 this year to 76% in Q3. That is the highest figure ever recorded for the United Kingdom in 22 years of IBR research, and makes its business community the third most optimistic in the 45-economy survey. Business optimism in the United States remains high too, at 52% in Q3 although marginally down from 55% in Q2.

By comparison, businesses in emerging economies are markedly less confident.

Brazilian optimism fell from 43% to 31% in the last quarter, a record low, while across Latin America as a whole optimism fell from 48% to 38% - its lowest since 2009. Elsewhere, Indian optimism (57%) fell to its lowest since 2003; Russia slid from 28% to 19%; Turkey (6%) dropped to its lowest since the financial crisis; and South Africa hit an all-time low of 18%. Despite a record low of 4% in Q2 China seems to be one step ahead of the other major emerging nations with business optimism improving to 31% in Q3.

Carey said that the results highlight a subtle but significant shift in global economic growth patterns, with some rebalancing towards developed markets like the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Together these two economies account for a quarter of global output so any recovery should have positive repercussions around the world. u

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

DEVELOPMENTS

Rockwell launches electronic overload relay

SINGAPORE:

I

nspired by input from panel builders, system integrators and end users around the world, Rockwell Automation engineers have developed the new Allen-Bradley E300 electronic overload relay. The E300 overload relay integrates communications, including EtherNet/IP, patented currentmeasurement technology, and time-saving I/O options, all in a modular design.

Standardised communications ease installation and use The E300 overload relay’s native dual-port EtherNet/IP option simplifies network wiring, by allowing E300 overload relays to be daisy-chained and by eliminating the need for an Ethernet switch. The E300 overload relay also provides an embedded web server, which allows maintenance personnel to use a simple Web browser to integrate the E300 overload relay from any Internet-enabled device without the need for special software. To maintain uptime in the event of a network node interruption, the E300 overload relay supports a device-level ring (DLR) network topology.

Intelligent integration and operation The modularity provides users with the flexibility to tailor the device to meet their exact needs; thereby, enabling their motordriven processes to perform more efficiently and profitably.

“As adoption of electronicoverload-relay technology has risen over the past decade, so have practical expectations,” said Bill Martin, Global Product Manager, Rockwell Automation.

“Customers told us they value the technology’s remote monitoring and predictive trip alerts, but they also want designs that simplify programming, preserve network nodes, save wiring time, ease maintenance and minimise catalogue numbers.” www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

The E300 overload relay easily integrates into the Rockwell Software Studio 5000 control environment from Rockwell Automation via an addon profile. This integration brings users five mouse clicks away from communicating data between the device and a Logix controller.

The E300 overload relay contains an embedded Allen-Bradley DeviceLogix logic engine with pre-programmed motor-control logic for local and remote motor operation – simplifying device integration into an automation system. One cable connects the E300 overload relay to the operator station for local motor operation, eliminating the traditional hard-wiring time and costs, and consumption of discrete

input points on the device. To ease swapping of E300 overload relays, the operator stations also support a copycat feature, which enables users to download pre-stored relay configurations at the push of a button.

Expansion I/O reduces wiring time and network node count The E300 overload relay offers a variety of digital and analog expansion I/O modules, enabling users to maximise the relay’s capability, all within a single network node. The E300 digital expansion I/O modules provide four inputs and two relay outputs, making it ideal for complex starter scenarios where users require more inputs and outputs than provided in the base overload.

Additionally, the relay’s analog expansion I/O modules allow users to select between traditional analog signals and a range of specific resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) embedded in the motor. Combining the ability to receive both traditional analog signals and RTD sensor signals in one device is an industry first.

Patented currentmeasurement technology expands versatility The E300 overload relay contains a patented current-sensing solution, which leverages Rogowski technology. This technology enables the E300 overload relay to remain the most compact architecture-class overload relay on the market, whilst still offering a wide 10:1 FLA range. This wide FLA range translates to fewer SKUs, which simplifies selection and reduces inventory.

The E300 modularity – consisting of sensing, control and communication modules – provides users the flexibility to tailor the relay to meet their sensing, control and u communication needs.

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DEVELOPMENTS

Online community eases network convergence

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SINGAPORE:

isco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation, in cooperation with ODVA, are sponsoring a new online community that extends the Industrial IP Advantage website. The community helps IT, engineering, maintenance and operations professionals transform industries by taking advantage of the future-proof interoperability delivered by Internet Protocol (IP).

The Industrial IP

Advantage discusses emergingtechnology trends in industrial plants and IT networking – like the Internet of Things, convergence, big data and EtherNet/IP. The website offers guides, case studies, technical white papers, and online discussions on how these technologies can be applied to automation, industrial computing, remote assets and services, video, energy management, mobility, and security and compliance.

In support of this community, Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation led a round table on the adoption of standard IP-based Ethernet at the Internet of Things (IoT) World Forum, a global event that united thought leaders, business leaders and practitioners in business, industry, government and academia, on 31 October in Barcelona, Spain.

On 13 and 14 November, at the annual Automation Fair event, the Industrial IP Advantage booth showcased key technology trends and a working demo of an IPcentric infrastructure. The booth’s “Ask the Expert” area encouraged attendees to seek technology, design and deployment advice on-site and from the online community.

Many manufacturers use multiple networks with proprietary protocols to manage devices, which create breakdowns in communication within an organisation, increase threats to network security, and complicate IT management.

This approach does not scale and creates inefficiency across manufacturing and business operations. To stay competitive, companies are looking to integrate the entire manufacturing value chain and leverage IP to seamlessly connect devices, processes, systems and people.

“A common IP network seamlessly manages communication between digital devices – such as video cameras, RFID readers, controllers, instruments and digital tablets – with processes, systems and people from the plant floor to the corner office. IP extends innovative networking and management services for optimum levels of security, performance and ease of integration,” said Chet Namboodri, Director of Global Manufacturing Solutions, Cisco.

“IP integration is a critical factor for the evolution of industrial networks to assist in maximising plant uptime and ensuring longtime reliability,” said Steve Timian, Director of Industrial Automation Solutions, Panduit Corp. “This new online resource provides valuable

education and knowledge-based experiences to assist in the implementation of sophisticated network architectures that provide connectivity from plant to enterprise.”

“The overwhelming majority of digital things will naturally depend on IP because of its overarching interoperability,” said Kevin Zaba, Vice President, Rockwell Automation. “Instead of overriding the power of IP, solutions such as EtherNet/IP put the software protocol to work, allowing industrial producers to easily extend collaboration to the plant along with other higher-level services that IP supports.”

Industrial IP Advantage is an idea – that manufacturing and industrial companies can build more successful businesses by deploying a secure, holistic digital-communications fabric based on standard, unmodified use of the Internet Protocol. Using Industrial IP, companies can turn this vision into reality through connectivity that drives better business intelligence, increased profitability and reduced costs.

Industrial IP Advantage was established by Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation – three like-minded organizations joining together to educate the market on the benefits of Ethernet, Internet Protocol and EtherNet/ IP. Industrial IP Advantage was formed in cooperation with ODVA, the organisation that manages and commercialises the EtherNet/IP. To learn more, visit http://www.industrial-ip.org. u

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EVENTS

TEI records transactions of USD 1.82 Billion

JAKARTA:

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rade Expo Indonesia (TEI), which ended on October 20, 2013 at JIExpo, Kemayoran, Jakarta, saw total transactions amounting to USD 1.82 billion, consisting of USD $692.2 million in products, USD 65.9 million in services and USD 1.068 billion in investment. This number increased 82% compared to the transaction results of TEI 2012, which stood at USD 1.0 billion. The total transaction results were announced by Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan in a press conference Thursday at the Ministry of Trade.

The Trade Minister said many transactions conducted outside the TEI have not yet been recorded, as many buyers visited a number of Indonesian producers to see production processes first hand. “If total trade contacts included those still under negotiation, we believe the target of USD 2 billion is very likely to be reached,” he said.

Of the total transactions, transactions of goods stood at 37.91%, services 3.61% and 58.49% investment. The investment will come from 14 countries, including Japan, the UK, Taiwan, Australia, Russia, India, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Thailand, Brazil, South Korea, Hungary, and South Africa. Investments were made in mining, manufacturing (tires and glassware), water management, agriculture, commerce, textiles, and medical devices.

The ten product sectors most popular with buyers during TEI 2013 were agricultural products, furniture, autos and parts, coffee, food and beverages, textiles and textile products, electrical and electronic products, goods household, spices, and paper and paper products. www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan

In the services sector, employment in construction and manufacturing, hospitality, oil and gas, spa therapists, information technology, and nurses and caregivers were the most sought.

Demand for these sectors was mostly from South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Suriname, Lesotho, PRC, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Iraq, and Chile.

This year’s TEI exhibitors included 1,511 participants from large, medium and small companies, not only from Jakarta and its surroundings, but also from other regions in Indonesia. The exhibition was visited by 9,343 buyers from 118 countries .

The largest buyers by country were the PRC, amounting to 11.84% of total transactions.

This was followed by Japan with 6.20%, Australia 5.38%, South Africa 4.78%, India 4.68%, South Korea 4.57%, U.S. 4.18%, Zimbabwe 3.81%, Malaysia 3.66%, and Saudi Arabia 2.93%.

“The composition of buyers at TEI 2013 was highlighted by nontraditional countries with as much as 77.54% of the transactions. TEI newcomer buyers from Suriname, Papua New Guinea, Yemen, Algeria, Bulgaria, and Cameroon also recorded significant transactions, which suggests that the market diversification policy

by the government is developing,” said the Minister.

TEI 2013 achievements are inseparable from the active role of RI Representatives abroad, as Embassies, Commercial Attaches, and the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) were all active in promoting TEI 2013. In addition, TEI’s success owes to the support of the Ministry and other related Institutions.

Indonesian exporters and foreign importers (buyers) from South Africa, Australia, and Japan signed Memorandums of Understanding for cooperation in the fields of construction, paper products, tea, and natural honey. The Minister affirmed that cooperation in trade, especially for high quality and value-added products, will be encouraged continuously.

Various events were also conducted during TEI 2013, including the ‘Trade & Investment Forum’, which was attended by more than 700 businessmen from home and abroad. Additionally, a ‘Business & Investment Forum’ organized by BKPM (Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board) / BKPMD (Indonesian Regional Investment Coordination Board) with foreign business representatives premiered, bringing buyers from 26 countries u together with TEI participants.

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DEVELOPMENTS

Rise in Investment to Continue in Asia Pacific

F BALI:

orty two percent of chief executive officers (CEOs) in Asia Pacific are ‘very confident’ of revenue growth over the next 12 months and close to 70% intend to increase their investments in the region, according to a study by PwC.

The study, ‘Towards resilience and growth: Asia Pacific business in transition’, surveyed nearly 500 business leaders on their attitudes towards doing business in the region. It was released today at a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Bali, Indonesia.

The survey found confidence among Asia Pacific-based executives on the rise. Some 42% of executives say they are ‘very confident’ of revenue growth in the coming year, up from 36% last year. Longer term, 52% say they are confident of growth over the next three to five years, about the same as in 2012.

According to the survey, the trend towards urbanisation in many Asia Pacific economies, the emergence of the local middle-class and the need for infrastructure development are the main reasons for driving the increase in confidence.

“Executives in the Asia Pacific region are in the midst of a major transformation taking place within the region driven by a gradual but steady rise in income and economic opportunity for millions of people,” says Dennis M. Nally, Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd. “While overall confidence in growth in Asia Pacific remains undiminished,

China, Indonesia and US ranked as top investment destinations.

Urbanisation, rising middle class, infrastructure - potential sources of Growth.Opportunities exist to overcome regulatory, legal, trade barriers

APEC economies now also face many of the uncertainties of slower growth, previously limited to the more developed markets.”

In the survey, executives were also asked to identify their ‘dark horse’ pick -- an Asia Pacific economy that could surprise with more business opportunity than is currently expected. Indonesia was the top pick, followed by Myanmar, China, The Philippines, and Viet Nam. Among the most cited attractive qualities were expanding middle classes, ample natural resources, increasing transparency, infrastructure improvement plans and political stability.

In other findings: -- Nearly 90% of Asia Pacific CEOs say their growth strategies are influenced by the growing market of middle-income consumers. And nearly half of investment increases are focused on new products, services and distribution - growth areas for serving the growing middle class.

-- About one in five CEOs is pursuing mobile-enabled products and services such as transactions.

-- Developing broadband network and urban transport will bolster economic growth, as will changes in regulatory and legal barriers and trade infrastructure.

-- Regulatory consistency across the region could unleash additional investment. A fifth of CEOs say that if rules concerning intellectual property, corporate

governance and services are harmonised they are ‘highly likely’ to invest more.

-- The multiple trade discussions among APEC economies is welcomed by about 70% of regional CEOs, but 22% also see them leading to more uncertainty and administrative costs.

“Investment prospects are looking positive across Asia Pacific,” says Mr. Nally. “However, if governments use the APEC meeting in Bali to effectively tackle CEOs’ concerns about regulatory and legal barriers, and to speed up progress on trade negotiations, this could unleash an even greater wave of new investment and help secure CEO confidence in the region.”

About APEC The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is the premier economic organisation in the Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1989 by 12 economies, APEC fosters growth and prosperity by facilitating economic cooperation and expanding trade and investment throughout the region. APEC’s 21 member economies today account for 55% of global GDP. The APEC CEO Summit is the Asia-Pacific’s premier business event, drawing thousands of economic and business leaders from around the region and beyond. The 2013 CEO Summit will be held from 5th to 7th October in Bali, Indonesia.

Carried out by PwC International Survey Unit, the APEC CEO Survey 2013 was conducted between June and August 2013 covering 478 CEOs and industry leaders in all 21 APEC economies.

The full survey report can be found here www.pwc.com/us/ u apec/2013.

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

DEVELOPMENTS

Shrinking emerging wage gap will re-shape businesses

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LONDON: he wage gap between advanced economies and emerging economies, such as China, India and the Philippines will shrink significantly by 2030 according to new analysis published by PwC (see table).

India and the Philippines remain at the lower end of wage projection in relative terms, but average wages in India could more than quadruple over the period in real dollar terms and more than triple in the Philippines.

Real wages in the UK and US are projected to rise by only around a third over the same period, remaining at similar levels to each other.

More striking is how substantially the wage gap could close by 2030.

India’s current average monthly wage is around 25 times smaller than that of the UK. By 2030, it’s likely it be only 7.5 times smaller.

Average wages in US are currently 7.5 times greater than in Mexico, but the gap could close to a factor of less than 4 times by 2030. Over the same time period, the average monthly Chinese wage could rise to around half that of Spain.

John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC, said “While any such projections are subject to significant uncertainties, the direction of change is clear.

The large wage advantages enjoyed today by many emerging economies will shrink as their productivity levels catch up with those in advanced economies and their real exchange rates rise as a consequence.

“Places like Turkey, Poland, China and Mexico will therefore become more valuable as consumer markets, while low cost production could shift to other locations such as the Philippines.

India could also gain from this shift, but only if it improves its infrastructure and female education levels and cuts red tape.” www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

Projected average monthly wage levels relative to US index = 100 -------------------------------------Country 2011 2020 2030 ----------- ------- ------- ------US 100 100 100 ----------- ------- ------- ------UK 99 99 102 ----------- ------- ------- ------Spain 74 83 92 ----------- ------- ------- ------Turkey 43 63 86 ----------- ------- ------- ------South Africa 42 57 77 ----------- ------- ------- ------Poland 33 51 69 ----------- ------- ------- ------China 15 29 45 ----------- ------- ------- ------Mexico 13 19 26 ----------- ------- ------- ------India 4 8 13 ----------- ------- ------- ------Philippines 5 8 13 ----------- ------- ------- ------Source: PwC projections based on ILO data for 2011; real wages index relative in each year to US = 100

These trends have a number of potential implications for business strategy as: 1. Companies re-shore their manufacturing or service operations, as some US companies have already started to

do, or else move them to cheaper locations.

2. As current large cost advantages decline, companies move to locations that are initially more expensive but closer to home, gaining more control over supply chains to respond to customers’ changing needs.

3. Middle income economies Turkey, Poland and China begin offshoring to relatively cheaper economies like Vietnam, India and the Philippines.

4. Current ‘Western’ offshorers (to India and China, for instance) reorient their operations to sell their goods and services to increasingly affluent local populations.

Michael Rendell, PwC partner and Global Human Resource Services leader, said: “Change is continuous and there will be even more movement in the coming years. Companies planning for this today will find themselves with significant advantages, particularly in terms of people costs.

It’s inevitable that the manufacturing and services industries in countries will transform as the cost base evolves, and also that there will be winners and losers. Governments, regulators and business communities u need to be ready for that shift.”

Asia Manufacturing News Keeping Asia and the World in touch with the Latest Technology and Manufacturing Developments

www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Autodesk announces intention to acquire Delcam

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LONDON:

utodesk has announced its intention to acquire Delcam, one of the world’s leading suppliers of advanced software for manufacturing industry. The companies offer complementary ranges of software, with Autodesk’s programs for design, engineering and entertainment able to be combined with Delcam strengths in manufacturing.

Autodesk invest around a quarter of their turnover in product development, a reflection of the importance the companies place on ensuring that their programs represent the industry-leading solutions for their customers.

Headquartered in Birmingham, UK, Delcam has more than 30 offices worldwide and approximately 700 employees.

The company’s range of design, manufacturing and inspection software provides automated CADCAM solutions for a variety of industries, ranging from automotive and aerospace to footwear and sports equipment.

Commenting on the planned acquisition, Carl Bass, President and Chief Executive Officer of Autodesk, said: “We are taking an important step on our path towards delivering a better manufacturing experience.

Together Autodesk and Delcam will help further the development and implementation of technology for digital manufacturing.”

On completion of the acquisition, Delcam will become a subsidiary of Autodesk. It will maintain its focus on accelerating the growth of its market share in the manufacturing sector, with the added strength that will come from being part of a larger organisation. Delcam customers will continue to be supported by the skilled and experienced engineers for which the company is renowned through its global

network of Subsidiaries, Joint Ventures and Sales Partners.

Delcam’s status in the CAM industry was confirmed in the latest NC Software Market Analysis Report from leading US analysts CIMdata. The Report showed that, in 2012, Delcam again had the highest vendor revenues and received the highest end-user payments of all the CAMcentric companies. This meant that the company had completed thirteen years as the world’s leading specialist supplier of CAM software and services.

The CIMdata report also confirmed that Delcam continues to employ the largest development team in the CAM industry, with over 200 people working on the company’s manufacturing software. Both Delcam and

Clive Martell, Chief Executive Officer of Delcam, added: “I am very excited by the opportunities from combining Delcam with Autodesk to create a compelling platform from which to service both companies’ manufacturing clients. The added strength and status that we will gain from being part of the Autodesk Group will benefit our customers, our u staff and our sales channel.”

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PRODUCT NEWS

Product Lifecycle Management

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ooking at the amount of machine tools that are metalcutting worldwide, future oriented service solutions are almost inevitably gaining importance. The provision of spare parts and assignment of service personnel alone doesn’t do the job anymore.

manner’. Users who configure their tools on the machine waste rationalisation effects that could be freed up easily and reasonably by using external devices.

This is why modern manufacturers started to look at the whole lifecycle of a machine tool.

DMG / MORI SEIKI has set-out to provide 360 degrees solutions helping users to create the best possible environment for their machine tool to run precisely and productive throughout its entire lifetime.

Taking a closer look at software solutions

Service for commissioning machine tools as well as fast-onsite support in case of a specific damage through skilled personnel and the availability of spares are still the backbone of a long machine tool life. In those classic areas constant improvements have been made. Now modern spare parts logistic networks spread globally serving users fast with the spares they need, service engineer localisation enables fast local language on-site service and remote diagnostics through hotlines or software solutions help to further minimize expensive downtime on the shopfloor.

However, around those more and more additional products have proven their stance. There is the operation of the machine, which achieves best results when operated by experienced well-trained staff. Training has thus become a cornerstone for successful manufacturing.

Service training for the correct maintenance of machine tools is another important component.

Manufacturers have more and more realised that purchasing a high-end machine is like owning a brand car: the better cared for, the smoother and longer it runs ensuring a high return on investment. Prevention is the www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

Productivity: Getting the best out of a machine tool’s life span Periphery products are a crucial component of the product lifecycle increasing machine and tool life span, precision and thus productivity: the higher the productivity, the better the return over the whole lifecycle.

True lifecycle management starts even before the machine is purchased, when it comes to choosing the right machine configuration and continues with training operators to ensuring reliability in the production processes through round-theclock local support or remote diagnostics. Regularly planned inspections of safety functions, main spindle, hydraulics, cooling units, software status etc. helps minimising unexpected service assignments.

Looking at systems around the machine tool, customer specific solutions in automation such as robot and handling systems, engineering and tool pre-setting devices significantly increase a machine tool’s productivity and help to get the best out of the machine tool’s life span. The use of tool presetting equipment in manufacturing frees expensive machine tools from unproductive setup times and thus increases their availability ‘in a calculable

Intelligent software solutions increase efficiency and ensure reliability in production. One focus is prevention of failure.

Another angle is the optimisation of performance of the machine tool.

Software products involve the complete process chain from drawing, simulation and programming to the final machining of the work piece.

They add to fast and efficient manufacturing avoiding unnecessary machine stop or failure through preventive simulation.

Remote diagnostic and support software kicks in when technical problems occur, as the operator can setup a secure internet connection right from the machine to the manufacturer’s service department by for example simply pressing a button on the machine tool. The best suited service employee to tackle the issue will be assigned to undertake an immediate and detailed problem analysis and also to rectify a multitude of machine problems directly – as if being right there on site.

Another approach is monitoring.

The capacity of metal-cutting machine tools continuously increases and production processes become more and more efficient. Efficient handling, prompt provision of manufacturing resources and avoidance of downtimes is an ever increasing demand to reduce costs.

This particularly applies to production processes running over

a

Longer machine tool life

keyword. Check-up systems in the control help to plan maintenance intervals and service work, maintenance kits facilitate the process. Software for remote troubleshooting or remote monitoring on smartphone or tablet devices prevents longer machine failure.

ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

33

PRODUCT NEWS

OmniScan SX launched with nationwide roadshow

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he newest member of the renowned OmniScan family of phased array (PA) flaw detectors, the OmniScan SX, has been introduced to the Australian market by Olympus, a pioneer in industrial PA instrumentation. To coincide with the launch, Olympus presented a series of seminars and workshops at centres around Australia that allowed both existing customers and new users to learn about the model’s features.

The presentations were supported by displays of phased array technology and hands-on demonstrations. Olympus PA instruments produce high speed, detailed cross-sectional pictures of internal structures with a high degree of accuracy.PA technology uses multiple ultrasonic elements and electronic time delays to create beams that can be steered, scanned, swept, and focused electronically for fast multiple angle inspections. They also provide full data storage for further analysis.

a

According to Graham Maxwell, National Technical and Key Account Manager with Olympus, the seminars were designed long periods. In this environment, the most up-to-date information about operating states of the machines plays a decisive role.

Software solutions allow users to check the current state of their machine at any time, independent of their location, and to respond to an error instantly if needed.

Immediate text or email messages are one option; other more comprehensive functions collate information to be transferred.

Machine tools reborn with overhauling and reconditioning The provision of reasonably priced machines with comprehensive manufacturer’s guarantees or the repurchase of older machines within the scope of new investment have opened the doors to used machines trading, retrofitting and upgrading.

Machine tool users nowadays

to highlight the hardware and software features of the OmniScan SX. Software demonstrations of the OmniPC and Setup Builder packages featured in the program.

OmniPC is the latest analysis suite and The SetupBuilder software is used to quickly and easily create inspection setups based on the configuration of the component or part to be inspected. This can be programmed offline on a computer and then downloaded to the OmniScan SX unit.

“Phased array has a wide range of applications so we changed the focus of the seminars to fit our audiences,” said Maxwell. “In the Latrobe Valley we concentrated on the power generation industry can retrofit their existing machine park and increase productivity to the latest standards without purchasing new models.

Overhauling of complete machines or components as well as giving them in part payment for a new machine (including dismantling and transport), is another way of providing solutions for productive operations using products which reach the end of their lifespan. At DMG / MORI SEIKI professional reconditioning includes thorough incoming inspection and complete cleaning of all components.

Defective parts and wear parts are replaced with original components. Once re-assembled, the machine goes through a longer time operating test and outgoing inspection. Reconditioned in such a way, the quality and efficiency of a machine tool do not depend on the year of its manufacture.

whereas in Perth the target was the mineral exploration sector.”

In South Australia, Queensland and Perth, one of the main areas of interest was inspection of welds for HDPE gas pipelines. “HDPE weld testing is challenging as it imposes specific limitations on the time-of-flight diffraction ultrasonic testing,” Maxwell said.

In New South Wales,one seminar dealt with the inspection of composite materials. Engineers perform these tests to look for delaminations, voids and inclusions. “We had a great variety of engineers at the seminars representing companies in a range of industries,” said Maxwell. “They asked high calibre questions indicating that they had thought about things and wanted to make the most effective use of the technology.”

At most venues, Olympus ran multiple seminars throughout the day and into the evening in order to maximise opportunities for people to attend. Several of the seminars were co-hosted by the Australian Institute of NonDestructive Testing. Attendees included boiler and turbine inspectors, non-destructive testing (NDT) inspectors, pipeline engineers, plant maintenance engineers and manufacturers of high-specification composite materials.

OmniScan features The OmniScan SX features an easy-to-read 21cm touch screen for displaying the user-friendly and streamlined software interface.

The touch screen can be set to full-screen mode that maximizes visibility, essentially converting many menu functions into simple touch-screen operations. The intuitive interface provides smooth menu selection, zooming, gate adjustments, cursor movements, u and text and value input. www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

CALENDAR

EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2014

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CALENDAR

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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • NOVEMBER 2013

Better Business Throughout Asia www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com

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