The production of safe food and drink products depends on maintaining hygienic – in some cases sterile - production equipment. In most cases this involves Cleaning-in-Place (CIP), where equipment is cleaned in situ without the need for time-consuming dismantling or opening, but there are better ways, as the experts at HRS Heat Exchangers explain.

Weighing and inspection technologies are becoming a crucial lever for production managers today, as the experts at Minebea Intec explain.

Fast, reliable scanning should be as simple as using a supermarket checkout or parcel dispatch point. The new sensingCam SEC200 image-based code reader from SICK brings that ease of use to logistics and industrial environments, helping customers identify 1D and 2D codes reliably, keep processes running smoothly and reduce avoidable delays.

ifm has introduced the PF15 series, a flush G1/2 pressure sensor with an integrated display, engineered to monitor processes with highly viscous or abrasive media directly on the system.

RAFI is expanding its easy-to-install RAMO product family with new emergency stop buttons. The newly introduced models in the RAMO E series include the RAMO 22 E and RAMO 30 E emergency stop buttons with pull release.

Southco has expanded its A4 Pin Latch portfolio with the launch of a new Push to Open / Push to Close stainless steel pin latch, engineered to deliver clean aesthetics, corrosion resistance, and reliable performance in demanding environments.

OEM Automatic and Anderson-Negele provide hygienic process instrumentation, backed by UK-based application support, to give manufacturers greater visibility of process transitions, helping them recover valuable product, optimise cleaning processes and improve overall production efficiency.

Each year, more than 1 million stand-alone motors leave the NORD DRIVESYSTEMS production halls worldwide. Originally planned as an addition to its gear unit portfolio, NORD now supplies electric motors in standard and special versions to users in more than 100 industries.

In an industry where every minute of uptime matters, the value of hygienic design becomes visible not only during audits, but every time the line is cleaned and prepared for the next production run, as Miriam Krechlok, Segment Marketing Manager, Mettler Toledo, explains.

Although the case for investment in industrial automation and robotics is strong, in the current climate of corporate belt-tightening, many automation projects don't make it off the drawing board because of the perceived high upfront investment. Oliver Selby, Head of Sales, FANUC UK, reframes the cost of robotics.