Automation Technologies News

Finland-headquartered maritime tech company Groke Technologies (Groke) is working with BAR Technolgoes (BARTech) design and develop of situational awareness systems for the U.K. marine engineering consultancy’s WindWings wind propulsion technology.The companies have signed a partnership agreement following the debut installation of two 37.5 m (123 ft) tall WindWings sails on board MC Shipping-owned and Cargill-operated Kamsarmax bulker Pyxis Ocean. Groke’s camera and imaging solutions were also installed.Groke Technologies’ CEO Juha Rokka said…

The Suez Canal blockage laid bare many of the challenges being faced by the global shipping industry today. With 12% of global trade passing through the canal each day, the total revenue lost from delayed, damaged or lost goods due to its blockage is estimated to be up to $10 billion. Many of the organizations that faced a logistical nightmare in the face of the Ever Given blockage struggled to respond to things as they happened and make informed predictions about future occurrences…

DP World Antwerp Gateway has ordered a fleet of 34 Automated Stacking Cranes for its container terminal in Antwerp, Belgium. The Konecranes Gottwald ARMGs will be an expansion to the current fleet of 20 currently in operation. The first batch will be delivered in Q2 2022, the last batch by 2026. This order was booked in December 2020.DP World Antwerp Gateway was very motivated to continue their current operating concept, using their current ASC system delivered by Gottwald in 2006.

A captain claims victory at the end of a popular high-stakes fishing competition thanks to help from a new electronic boat control system.When the Summer to Fall bluefin tuna season ends in Gloucester, Mass., it’s only just beginning in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It’s in these rough waters that commercial fishermen compete on the TV show, “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks.” A spin-off of the original “Wicked Tuna,” this series has run on National Geographic since 2014 and recently completed its seventh season on air in September 2020.Fishing for bluefin tuna comes with unique challenges.

Kidde Fire Systems has launched a real-time, cloud-connected remote monitoring solution for gaseous fire suppression systems. The IntelliSite system allows users to monitor the status of a portfolio of fire control units in real time across multiple locations.“With 24/7 information access, the IntelliSite system enhances safety and service levels for system end-users and can help reduce service calls, maintenance and administration costs for our valued distribution channel partners…

A fisherman from a popular reality television series recently outfitted his vessel with a new electronic control system—giving him the edge in a high-stakes fishing competition.The waters of the North Atlantic Ocean can be treacherous—especially for fishermen pursuing the elusive bluefin tuna. This pursuit is the subject of the popular reality television series, “Wicked Tuna,” which chronicles the competition between commercial bluefin tuna fishermen in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat plc and the provider of electric, digital and connected solutions for the marine industry ABB Marine & Ports have signed a master supply agreement aimed at tackling an obstacle identified by ship owners which has stopped them using IoT (Internet of Things) technology.A recent 2018 Inmarsat survey of 125 owners found 51% identifying an inability to get data off ships in real-time as their obstacle to IoT adoption.The agreement recognises ABB as a certified application provider to work with Fleet Data, the IoT platform developed by Inmarsat and Danelec Marine which collects information from onboard sensors…

Danish international shipping and logistics company DFDS Logistics said that it is purchasing 50 Carrier Transicold NaturaLINE units, which claimed to be the industry’s only natural refrigerant-based container refrigeration system.Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.The NaturaLINE units use carbon dioxide, also known as R-744, a non-ozone depleting refrigerant with an ultra-low global warming potential (GWP) of 1. Its GWP ranks lowest among all current container system refrigerants…

The cargo handling solutions and services provider, Kalmar has concluded an agreement with Dublin Ferryport Terminals (DFT) to extend the Kalmar AutoRTG system at the terminal with two new AutoRTG cranes.The order was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q2 order intake, with delivery of the machines scheduled to be completed during Q2 of 2020, Kalmar, part of Cargotec, said. Part of the container and terminal division of Irish Continental Group, DFT operates the most modern container terminal at Dublin Port, with an annual throughput of approximately 380,000 TEU. The order forms part of DFT's ongoing investment programme focused on ensuring the terminal is equipped with the latest technologies to support future growth.

Singapore's port operator PSA Corporation Limited (PSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to develop a pipeline of talent for the future mega port in Tuas.The MoU is aimed at producing data science, info-communications and engineering professionals for the Tuas port, said a joint statement by PSA and SUTD.The new Tuas Port will harness big data, and leverage automation technologies and smart systems to raise terminal productivity and service quality, it said."To build the competencies required to manage the complex ecosystems in Tuas Port, PSA will contribute port related content to SUTD curriculum, giving students exposure and advancing their knowledge in smart technologies and systems used in port operations.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has officially inaugurated its new Innovation Centre in Ljungby, southern Sweden.Approximately 200 people will be based at the state of the art facility that has been designed to support new collaborative ways of working with modern architecture and cutting edge technology. The new site will act as a focal point for further strengthening Kalmar's digital offering, R&D capabilities, and prototype production and testing for the company's mobile equipment portfolio and related services. It will also serve as a key hub for developing Kalmar's digitalisation capabilities, zero-emission machine product portfolio and…

Wärtsilä has opened its purpose-built Acceleration Center in Singapore to promote innovation and collaboration with industry, academia and local partners to strengthen and develop Singapore’s maritime ecosystem. The opening follows an agreement signed between Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Wärtsilä in April 2018 to collaborate in areas of intelligent vessels, connected smart port operations, cyber-physical security, and digital acceleration with start-ups.

When it comes to shipbuilding, the numbers are staggering: hundreds of millions of parts in one aircraft carrier. Billions of dollars proposed for Naval fleet development in the latest NDAA. Hundreds of thousands of private sector jobs in the U.S. alone. A 2015 MARAD report, for example, pegged the total economic impact associate with the industry at 400,000 jobs, $25 billion in labor income, and 37 billion in GDP (based on data from 2013). When the financing, jobs, technological developments and supply chain trade dedicated to shipbuilding around the world are added in…

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has appointed Bazmi Husain as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective January 1, 2016. Husain, an expert in power and automation who has been with ABB for more than 30 years, will report to CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. Husain is currently Managing Director of ABB India Ltd. In his new role, he will be based in Bangalore, India, with an office in Switzerland. His successor will be announced in due course. As Chief Technology Officer, Husain will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of ABB’s global R&D, which serves the entire company, its scientists and engineers, and for the R&D activities within ABB’s divisions.

ABB announced today acquired Gomtec GmbH to expand its offering in the field of collaborative robots. The parties agreed not to disclose financial terms of the transaction. Gomtec, based near Munich, Germany, is a privately held company that develops mechatronic systems combining mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, control and computer engineering for customers in diverse industries. It has 25 employees. Gomtec’s technology platform will strengthen ABB’s development of a new generation of “safe-by-design” collaborative robots that can be operated outside of cages or protective fencing, expanding opportunities to deploy them in new applications. Gomtec’s acquisition is another step in ABB’s Next Level strategy aimed at accelerating sustainable value creation.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has successfully completed the project to supply the onboard navigation application for four automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to PSA Singapore. The initiative is part of PSA's strategic investment in automation technologies to enhance its premier status as the world's largest transhipment hub. The project included the design of the AGVs' onboard navigation system, the navigation infrastructure and the deployment of Kalmar SmartFleet remote diagnostic tools. The installation and integration to vehicle systems were started in the autumn of 2013, and the navigation application was fully integrated with PSA Singapore's in-house systems by the end of 2014.

Offshore construction vessel order is the first to include ABB’s integrated power and automation solution consisting of ABB’s advanced power, propulsion and 800xA control and safety system. ABB will deliver a cutting-edge solution which includes electrical propulsion, power, safety and automation systems. These systems will be integrated and run on a single control system platform for a 5000T heavy-lift pipelay construction vessel. By integrating power and automation on the vessel, overall efficiency, safety and reliability will be increased.

ABB has designed, manufactured, installed and commissioned a 1,200-kilovolt (kV) circuit breaker the highest AC voltage level in the world. Once the 1200 kV ultrahigh-voltage switchgear is fully operational, it will have a switching capacity of 10,400 megawatts -  a switch capable of turning ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’ the electricity generated by 10 large power plants or the combined average annual electrical load of Switzerland and Denmark, within milliseconds. The circuit breaker is deployed at the 1,200 kV national test station constructed by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL), India’s central transmission utility, at Bina in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth about $35 million from Hydro-Québec to upgrade the 350 megawatt (MW) Madawaska high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link, that connects the grids of New Brunswick and Hydro Québec in southeast Canada. The order was booked in the second quarter of 2014. The project scope includes installation of ABB’s MACH control and protection system and the upgrade of the valves and valve cooling system. The back-to-back converter station has been in operation for more than 25 years and the modernization is expected to significantly improve grid reliability and help reduce maintenance needs. The new station is scheduled to go into full operation in 2016.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth around $30 million from DONG Energy, a leading wind power development company, to supply a high-voltage export cable system that will transmit power from the Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farm in the UK. ABB’s project scope includes the design, engineering, supply and commissioning of the 25 kilometer (km) long 220 kilovolt (kV) AC (alternating current) submarine cable and the related offshore substation cable. ABB will also supply 32 km of AC underground cables and the associated substation cables as well as the cable joints, accessories and terminations related to the project. Mersey river, approximately 6.4 km from the Sefton coastline and 7.2 km from North Wirral.

Divestment fully in line with ABB’s commitment to continuous portfolio optimization. ABB has divested five businesses with limited synergies in the past 11 months raising about $1 billion. Zurich, Switzerland, August 20, 2014– ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, announced it has signed an agreement to divest the ABB Full Service business for an undisclosed amount. The sale is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2014, subject to regulatory approval. The ABB Full Service business provides fully outsourced industrial maintenance services. ABB Full Service was developed as an adjacent business to ABB’s life-cycle service business and has become a successful stand-alone business unit.

ABB is celebrating today its 125th anniversary in Finland. Founded in 1889 in Helsinki by entrepreneur and inventor Gottfrid Strömberg, ABB Finland is today an innovative automation and power technology company with more than 5,000 employees in 30 locations, with sales of 2.3 billion euros in 2013. “ABB Finland has been driving innovation in power and automation technologies for 125 years. Today, ABB Finland is one of our most dynamic and successful country organisations and we continue to invest substantially in innovation and production facilities” said ABB Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer. “I would like to thank our colleagues in ABB Finland for their long standing excellent results and confirm our strong commitment to grow together in the future,” Spiesshofer added.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has been awarded a $216 million contract to deliver a gas treatment plant to the South Tunisian Gas Project (STGP).The order was awarded by OMV Tunisie Production GmbH, a subsidiary of Austrian energy group OMV, and was booked in the third quarter. ABB will be responsible for the turnkey delivery of the Nawara gas treatment plant (GTP) including gas separation and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) extraction units. It will also provide key automation, communications and power components, including the control system and transformers and switchgear for the electrification of the plant.