Continuing growth
While South African consumer confidence is down, the same thing cannot be said about the confidence of the SA fluid power industry, or that of its international counterparts. In my conversations with executives at local industry leaders it is hard to image them reporting anything less than 20% growth in turnover and profits this fiscal year.
Business is still booming in the sector and this is reflected in this biggest-ever issue of Motion Control. A big ‘Thank you’ to all our advertisers and to those who have submitted so much quality editorial that this issue is bursting at the seams with reader value.
Motion control manufacturers around the world are continuing to report remarkable results: at the end of April Parker reported third quarter sales up 14,4% vs. the same quarter last year. The company expects 2008 to be its fifth record year in a row. Mitsubishi reported net consolidated income up 28% for fiscal 2008. ABB has just reported that their 2nd quarter EBIT is up 42% and net income up 34%.
This growth and the consequent cash piles that it is creating are also resulting in acquisitions. Bosch Rexroth has just announced plans to acquire Hügglunds Drives, and Gardner Denver to acquire CompAir.
Conferences
Technews’ is not just a publisher of high quality technically oriented business-to-business publications, but a fully-fledged media partner offering print publications like Motion Control, ezines, on-line archives, print and on-line buyers’ guides, and more.
As part of an expanded business-to-business offering the group has also been making forays into technical conferences. In November this year we will be hosting Mining, Manufacturing & Process 2008 in conjunction with international partners ARC Advisory Group. A full 2-day agenda will bring delegates up to date on the theme: ‘Winning strategies and best practices in automation and IT’ in these industries. Internationally recognised analysts and industry leaders including Jim Pinto and John MgGagh, Rio Tinto’s global head of innovation and project leader on the company’s ‘Mine of the Future’ project, will be sharing their insights at the event.
Rio Tinto’s mine of the future will implement remote control intelligent trains, drills and trucks and chief executive Tom Albanese says that these will be operational within Rio Tinto Iron Ore during 2008. Humans will no longer need to be hands-on as all these items of equipment will be autonomous – basing their actions on their environment and interaction with other machines. Operators will oversee the equipment from a remote operations centre hundreds of kilometres from the mine.
There is no doubt that delegates will receive deep value for money from these vendor-neutral presentations. So diarise 12 and 13 November now as space is limited.
Innovation in education
Hats off to all those organisations and businesses that are working towards improving education and training in the field of motion control and fluid power.
I encourage readers to take the opportunity to visit the INSITE exhibition this year where robotics initiatives, supported by government, will be taking centre stage. It is particularly exciting to see the introduction of educational robotics becoming a driver for bringing more applicants to engineering and science faculties.
Look for our article in this issue on the Tshwane University of Technology’s project for developing learners’ interest in science and technology as early as school grade 6.
It is through initiatives like this that South Africa can ensure sufficient engineers and scientists enter, and ultimately graduate from, our tertiary educational institutions and I encourage readers to support or emulate this programme.
Andrew Ashton
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