There is much going on in the world of hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motion systems, from technology introductions and industry advancements to new trends and industry leaders. Each week the Power & Motion team collects the latest industry news to help keep our readers up to date on what's happening in the fluid power and electric motion control sectors as well as the industries they serve.
Registration Open for NFPA Executive Leadership Program
Registration is now open for the National Fluid Power Association's (NFPA) Executive Leadership Program. Conducted in partnership with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the program provides participants the hard and soft skill requried for leadership roles in the fluid power industry.
The association is currently looking for participants for the program's third cohort which will participate in six deep-learning sessions over the next fiscal year. Topics covered during these sessions include:
- Executive Judgment & Coaching
- Strategy & Execution
- Strategic Negotiation
- Presentations & Executive Presence
- Cultivating Culture & Values
- Leading Under Pressure
Member companies with an emerging leader on their team who could benefit from the program are encouraged to contact NFPA President and CEO Eric Lanke to reserve a spot.
Siemens Acquires ebm-papst Industrial Drive Business
Siemens has agreed to acquire the industrial drive technology (IDT) business of ebm-papst which develops intelligent, integrated mechatronic systems in the protective extra-low voltage range and motion control systems.
The company said its acquisition of these technologies from ebm-papst will complement Siemens' Xcelerator portfolio while also helping to strengthen its offering of solutions for production automation. Many of ebm-papst's technologies support the automation and digitalization of production processes as well as driverless transport systems.
Both companies see the benefits of the merger — Siemens for the expanded market opportunities, including mobile robots, and ebm-papst the access to a global sales network as well as opportunities to continue advancing various technologies.
"The integration that has now been agreed upon will give our IDT business global market access. It will open up new horizons for innovation and further growth," said Dr. Klaus Geißdörfer, CEO of the ebm-papst Group. "We’ll use the proceeds from the sale of the IDT business to further expand our Air Technology and Heating Technology divisions, to further strengthen our three regions – Europe, Asia and the Americas – and to invest in future fields of our product portfolio, such as digitalization and sustainability."
READ MORE: How Company Mergers Bring Expanded Market Opportunities
Scania Expands Electric Truck Range
Heavy truck original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Scania has expanded its electrification offering to include more electric motors, axle configurations as well as several power take-off solutions. Many of these new technologies are geared toward trucks used within distribution- and construction-related operations.
Added to Scania's electric truck component line are two versions of the EM C1-2 electric motor, a 210 kW model and 240 kW option, which the company said are well suited for trucks working in construction-related applications. The electric motor is physically shorter than other models, freeing up space for batteries or other necessary components while still meeting the power needs of various operations.
The company noted power take-offs (PTO) have presented challenges for the transition to electric vehicles, as they remain important components for powering hydraulics and other neccesary vehicle systems. To overcome this, the company has developed several PTO options for its various electric trucks.
Development of ePTOs has grown for this reason, and could be found at many booths during Work Truck Week 2024 due to the continued importance of hydraulics in work trucks, even as they become electrified.
"The transition towards electrification is imminent," said Fredrik Allard, Senior Vice President, and Head of E-mobility at Scania. "The reasons not to transform are rapidly being ironed out while more reasons for switching to electric trucks appear before our eyes every day. Add to that the demands from legislators, transport buyers and the fact that BEVs are loved by the drivers and it becomes obvious why electric trucks is about to dominate our industry."
READ MORE: Revenue Potential Increasing for Electric Truck Powertrain Components
AMR Manufacturer Brings Technology to U.S.
LexxPluss Inc., a Japan-based manufacturer of robotics and automation solutions, is bringing its autonomous mobile robots (AMR) to the U.S. The company is making heavy investments in the region as it sees the U.S. a growth market.
In its press release announcing its investments in the region, LexxPluss cites data from Interact Analysis which forcasts the U.S. mobile robots market will achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37% between 2023 and 2027.
As part of its investment, the company has opened a demo space for its AMR located int the Indiana IoT Lab in Fishers, IN. LexxPluss has also established a U.S. subsidiary and sales office in Indiana.
LexxPluss plans to show three of its products at Automate 2024 as well, a large event focused on automation technologies — the Lexx500 AMR, LexxFleet fleet management solution, and LexxTug towing interface which will be officially launched for the U.S. market during the event.
The Lexx500 AMR featuring a range of sensors, a guidance system, easy-to-use interfaces and open architecture. It is designed to be scalable for various types of operations and has a payload capacity of up to 500 kg.
Oshkosh Invests in AI-Powered Battery Management Software Company
Oshkosh Corp. has announced an investment in Eatron Technologies which develops artificial intelligence (AI) powered battery management software (BMS). This will help the OEM to utilize advanced analytics and predictive modeling for management of lithium-ion batteries utilized in its various vehicles.
Eatron's technology adds an intelligent software layer on top of existing battery control platforms which can be hosted on the cloud or the edge. Models of a battery are paired with AI and advanced estimation methods to provide accurate predictions about a battery's state, health and operation.
"AI-enabled BMS aligns to our electrification and advanced analytics focus areas. It will bring enhanced safety and continuous performance optimization to our EV product line," said John Pfeifer, president and chief executive officer of Oshkosh Corp.
According to Eatron's founder and CEO Dr. Umut Genc, the funding from Oshkosh will aid in the development of more embedded and cloud-based features. "The world is increasingly moving towards software-defined vehicles and batteries, and we are at the forefront of offering intelligent software solutions to speed up this transformation."
READ MORE: How Connected and Software-Defined Vehicles are Reshaping System Architectures
