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.
New President of Motion Announced
Genuine Parts Company, of which Motion is a subsidiary, has named James F. Howe President of Motion effective April 1, 2024. Howe brings three decades of experience with the company to his new role.
He was most recently the company's Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial and Technology Officer where he helped shape the corporate trajectory of Motion.
Howe's appointment to the role after previous President Randy Breaux was promoted to the role of Group President, Genuine Parts Company North America in July 2023. In his role as President of Motion, Howe will report to Breaux and continue to help leading the future direction of the company.
"James has an impressive history, having served in numerous executive roles during his long career at Motion," said Paul Donahue, Chairman and CEO. "His extensive experience makes him an excellent choice to lead Motion. We feel confident that under James's leadership, our talented and experienced Motion team will continue to achieve great results."
AEM to Tour U.S. in Support of Equipment Manufacturing Industry
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), which respresents mobile off-highway equipment manufacturers and suppliers, is launching a bus tour to celebrate the U.S. equipment manufacturing industry.
Called the AEM Manufacturing Express, it will travel to over 80 manufacturers' sites over the course of 4 months. OEMs and suppliers are included on the route; the tour begins July 1 at Weilier Inc. in Knoxville, IA, and will culminate with an event at Komatsu's facility in Milwaukee, WI.
Companies the tour will visit include stops at Caterpillar Inc., John Deere, Volvo Group as well as Husco, Timken and Cummins Inc.
The aim of the tour is not only to celebrate the equipment manufacturing industry — one of the top customer markets for hydraulics and pneumatics — and those working in it but also help highlight the important role this manufacturing sector plays in the U.S. economy.
As part of the tour, there will be an interactive game which showcases the advanced technologies powering today's construction, agricultural and other heavy-duty equipment. Per AEM, each stop on the tour will feature the interactive game, thought leadership, giveaways, food, and entertainment to tell the story of equipment manufacturing in America, while also highlighting the policies that will strengthen the industry.
View the full tour schedule to see where the AEM Manufacturing Express is headed.
ABB Enhances Sensor Testing with Roll Force Load Cell Hydraulic Press
An ABB service center in Danbury, CT, has added a roll force load cell hydraulic press to its facility which will enable testing of force measurement sensors under demanding conditions. This will enable the center to support customers in North America with time- and cost-efficient testing which previously had to be done overseas.
The roll force load cell press weighs 70 tons and is more than 17 ft. high. It can exert a force of 4,000,000 lbs. on the tested sensors. As the force measurement sensors tested are used in are critical to many manufacturing processes, such as rolling mills, the testing capabilities of the new load cell hydraulic press can help to ensure they perform as desired.
Per ABB, the load cell press features fully automated capabilities which enables comprehensive condition reports to be sent to customers, helping to provide faster turnaround times.
READ MORE: Physical Testing is Alive and Well Throughout the Engineering World
NFPA Seeking Volunteers for Technology Task Force Collaborative Projects
The National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) is looking for volunteers to join project teams that will create resources for the fluid power industry based on technology needs laid out in the 2023 NFPA Technology Roadmap, a document outline target development areas for the industry.
Due to the technological advancements needed in the industry, NFPA created two Technology Task Forces, one focused on mobile applications and the other on industrial applications, to bring together industry members to discuss ways to achieve these advancements and help educate fluid power development teams on these trends.
The task forces have identified several collaborative projects to pursue in the coming year based on the advancements needed in the industry for which they are looking for industry members to help with; these projects include:
- Communication & Data Protocols for Mobile Equipment. Produce a white paper that summarizes the communication and data protocols most commonly used on mobile equipment. Collect and present case studies showing successful integrations with fluid power systems.
- Energy Efficiency Gains from Electrified Hydraulics. Produce a white paper that summarizes the ways in which hydraulic systems and/or components can return gains in energy efficiency to mobile equipment with electrified power sources. Collect and present case studies showing applications of these methods.
- Pace of Technology Adoption for Electrified Mobile Equipment. Create methods for tracking the pace of electrified technology adoption on mobile equipment. Assess periodically and produce on-going reports.
- Mobile Technology Conference. Review and select presentation proposals for NFPA’s “advanced hydraulics” conference at iVT EXPO USA.
- Communication & Data Protocols for Industrial Equipment. Produce a white paper that summarizes the communication and data protocols most commonly used on industrial equipment. Collect and present case studies showing successful integrations with fluid power systems.
- Functional Safety. Produce a white paper that: (1) Reviews existing safety standards and machine directives; (2) Assesses risks and hazards associated with fluid power’s use in upgrading older machines to automated functions, and identifies common functions to address; (3) Identifies best practices and emerging technologies that minimize risks and hazards in those functions; and (4) Provides a resource to members that helps them understand and address the safe use of their systems.
- Preventing Leaks. Produce a report that summarizes the current best practices for preventing leaks, assesses the prevalence of those practices in the marketplace, and estimates the potential for improvement.
