Celebrating over 50 years as a leader in motion control, Aerotech has grown from a three-man start-up to a high-tech company with over 500 employees. We speak to Aerotech CEO Mark Botos and president Bob Novotnak about the company’s development.

Industrial service provider Eriks has invested more than £500,000 in its specialist sealing and polymer technology centre in Barnsley, increasing capacity and creating jobs.

Autonetics, a specialist in custom measurement solutions, has chosen to use non-contact laser micrometers and non-contact laser triangulation sensors from Micro-Epsilon on its Vertical Gauging Unit (VGU), a measuring tool for the precise measurement of shafts and axes.

With Mitsubishi Electric having written a white paper looking at robotics in the pharmaceutical sector, solutions manager David Bean highlights how industrial automation can improve the environmental footprint of pharmaceutical manufacturing activities.

James Causebrook, managing director at Grunwald UK, has been appointed as the new chairman of the PPMA. With over 15 years of valuable experience in business, James is sure to hit the ground running, knowing what it takes to lead a team and exceed its targets.

BFPA has announced the appointment of Chris Butcher as managing director. He joins BFPA from Woodway Engineering, where he was managing director for the Coventry based company, and brings over 25 years of experience in the fluid power industry.

Igus says its RBTX online marketplace, which helps users looking for cost-effective automation solutions, brings over 100 cost-effective automation solutions to your fingertips, and includes new functions and automation feasibility demonstrations.

As design engineers look to improve the recyclability of their products or reduce weight, they are looking to make increased use of plastics, composites, lightweight metals. Adhesives can be a key enabler in the transition to these new materials, says Graham Crozier, managing director of Advanced Adhesives.

German pharmaceutical packaging company, Gerresheimer, has selected a special palletiser from IEF Werner for product assembly. These automation systems are available in the UK from RARUK Automation.

Dutch integrator RFA Rijlaarsdam Factory Automation has installed a Kawasaki Robotics EMEA RS020N robot with an Okuma Benelux Genos M460V-5AX milling machine at TMI Group Nederland in Hengelo.