VDMA is the largest network organization and an important voice for the mechanical engineering industry in Germany and Europe. 

FOREWORD

The Asia Miner, the industry’s only publication focused solely on the Asia Pacific region, is showcasing German Technology in this, the Bauma Mining 2022 & IMARC 2022 show issue. VDMA Mining are delighted to once again endorse this important project, which also coincides with the world’s leading platform for the international mining industry. 

COVID-19 has presented its own challenges but demand for mining machinery continues to be constant. Government investments in their infrastructures, especially in China and the USA are creating rapid demand for raw materials such as metals, plastics and coal. Decarbonisation is adding to this demand especially for critical raw materials such as lithium, nickel and rare earths elements for the renewable energy industries.

The mining industry is responding proactively, seeking further processing, automation, digitalisation and Mission Zero innovations. In the Asia-Pacific region there is a noticeable push in these areas of smart, sustainable and intelligent mining. This business environment has created massive opportunities for mining processing services and equipment suppliers to present new solutions for extraction and processing of raw materials.

Looking ahead to the energy transition, the demand for raw materials will continue to increase, especially for critical raw materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earths elements for the renewable energy industries. This is not only related to the interest in renewable forms of energy for example in Australia, Indonesia or China. Especially in Europe, public awareness of the connections between raw materials, mining and renewable energy production has increased. The dependence on energy raw materials is becoming abundantly clear as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine. In this context, the demand for mining machinery – for extraction and processing of raw materials – will grow further. 

The mining industry is responding proactively, seeking further processing, automation, digitalisation and Mission Zero innovations. In the Asia-Pacific region there is a noticeable push in these areas of smart, sustainable and intelligent mining. This business environment has created massive opportunities for mining processing services and equipment suppliers to present new solutions for extraction and processing of raw materials. 

At bauma 2022, mining technology will be addressed with the keywords sustainable, effective and reliable. These terms will be taken up in lectures at the bauma Forum and examined in more detail from various aspects.

– Klaus Stöckmann, deputy managing director, VDMA Mining, https://vdma.org.

 

BEUMER GROUP ACQUIRES FULL CONTROL OF THE FAM GROUP OF MAGDEBURG 

The FAM Group of Magdeburg, a supplier of conveyor systems and loading technology, is now wholly owned by the BEUMER Group, Beckum. BEUMER is an international leader in the manufacture of intralogistics systems for conveying, loading, palletizing, packaging, sorting and distribution. The purchase agreement was signed in early May and legally concluded on 9 June 2022. 

The BEUMER Group has held a stable position in the bulk materials technology market for decades – and with the acquisition of the FAM Group, the systems provider has significantly strengthened its market position in the minerals and mining sectors. 

The FAM Group is a manufacturer of conveyor systems. It is headquartered in Magdeburg, Germany, and is an internationally operating, medium-sized group with 750 employees. The company is one of the world’s leading full-range bulk handling and processing equipment suppliers. 

The FAM Group plans, designs and manufactures turnkey plants and systems for mining, extracting, loading and storing minerals, raw materials and goods. In addition to expanding the BEUMER Group’s portfolio, FAM’s know-how and global positioning also complement BEUMER’s competence in the project planning of plants. FAM brings not only planning and engineering, but the entire value chain to the BEUMER Group, including aftersales service. 

The BEUMER Group offers FAM a long-term perspective anchored on the highest possible quality, sustainability and innovation: For almost 90 years now, the BEUMER Group, a family-run and wholly self-financed company, has been developing customised system solutions for the mining industry, among others. 

 

LAYHER’S LAYPLAN SUITE DIGITAL MODELS

The most traditional businesses have the most to gain from digitisation. Scaffolding itself is so old that it has been tied to prehistoric cave paintings that predate the wheel. Perhaps this very fact makes some scaffolders resistant to change. After all, if traditionalists bristle at innovation with, “Why reinvent the wheel?” it stands to reason they would do the same with scaffolding.

However, this argument negates the fact that the wheel has been reinvented many times over with great effect. And while the scaffolding industry does continuously innovate in terms of materials and components, many scaffolders lag behind when it comes to rethinking processes inherent to the work.

Scaffold planning, design, ordering and coordination can all benefit from automated digital processes. Innovative scaffolders that have embraced digitization have already proven it is the single most effective way to optimise project planning while reducing operating costs. Furthermore, these processes have the added benefit of reducing risks that naturally occur when introducing duplicative steps – like copying a set of measurements or materials – thereby improving quality control.

To this end, Layher Scaffolding has introduced a set of tools to take advantage of the digital possibilities inherent in everyday scaffolding work. Using building information modeling (BIM) – a common civil engineering tool – as inspiration, Layher’s Scaffold Information Modeling (SIM) takes scaffolding construction digital with a suite of applications.

SIM is a process based on 3D modeling designed by Layher to meet the specific requirements of scaffolding construction. It allows users to plan, assemble and manage temporary scaffolding structures more efficiently, with access to BIM for users.

With the integrated Layher software solution LayPLAN Suite, users enjoy a powerful tool for SIM processes. LayPLAN Classic allows digital planning with predefined scaffolding plans, including temporary roof structures. For more complex scaffolding jobs, LayPLAN CAD accommodates large-scale engineering projects.

Benefits include dependable 3D planning, a realistic visualisation platform and facilitated coordination between stakeholders. Seamlessly transfer data to structural analysis programs and isolate materials lists and assembly plans with LayPLAN Material Manager to ensure transparency, reduce costs, and increase safety and profitability. Finally, view projects with spatial representation in LayPLAN VR Viewer, which makes virtual tours possible.

Contractors benefit from planning certainty, cost control and on-schedule materials delivery while reducing change orders and avoiding the added costs of inadequate planning.

 

VOITH GROUP SEES STRONG PERFORMANCE

In the first six months of the current fiscal year, the Voith Group saw strong performance in a market environment characterised by global crises. Voith was operating in the black in all three group divisions, Hydro, Paper and Turbo, of the core business and achieved a significant increase in both sales and EBIT across the group. 

Once again, orders received exceeded the high figure for the previous year. At €2.34 billion, group sales were noticeably higher (up by 14%) than the level achieved in the same period of the previous year (€2.06 billion). With an adjustment for currency effects, this equates to an increase of 11%. At €2.71 billion, the value for orders received was slightly higher than for the previous year (€2.63 billion). At €6.8 billion, the value for orders on hand recorded on the reporting date of March 31, 2022 increased compared to the already high level of the previous year (€6.25 billion), and thus reached an all-time high. 

Voith also achieved a significant increase in the operating result in the first six months. EBIT increased by 15% to €94 million, while annual surplus was at €16 million. The equity ratio increased to 22% and the liquidity situation remained stable.

“Against the background of the current global crises, which are already having a significant impact on our markets, we can be satisfied with the development we have seen in the first six months: Voith continues to remain in strong operational and financial shape. Our broad sectoral and geographic positioning has also played a role in this, as has our focus on sustainable technologies, which are becoming increasingly important,” explained Dr. Toralf Haag, CEO of the Voith Group.

In the past six months, Voith has made further gains in expanding its core business to accommodate the megatrends of decarbonisation and digitalisation, and in tapping into new growth fields, with focus areas including hydrogen technology, energy storage, electric drive systems and digital rail couplers.

“The current discussion on the rapid expansion of renewable energies and energy security clearly demonstrates the strong position we now find ourselves in. This was a direct result of our strategic focus on sustainable technologies in all three of our group divisions – with hydropower as a key renewable energy, resource-conserving paper production, and alternative drive technologies. We will continue to develop our portfolio in these areas and, in doing so, make our contribution to industrial sustainability,” said Haag. “This is also reflected positively in our figures.”

 

TTCONTROL INTRODUCES NEW ECU FAMILY 

At the bauma global construction machinery show in Munich, Germany, Oct. 24-30, TTControl will introduce another ECU family, the TTC 2030, as part of the TTC 2000 ECU series. The growing TTC 2000 series consists of compatible Electronic Control Unit (ECU) families of different sizes, but with the same modular building blocks. This ensures that the right number of interfaces and the right amount of processing power is available for each mobile machine application, while significantly reducing time-to-market and maintenance for the vehicle manufacturer.

The two now available members of the TTC 2000 ECU series, the new compact TTC 2030 family and the TTC 2300 family, enable machine manufacturers to future-proof their machines. Operators of construction machinery in rugged operating environments on construction sites around the globe can fully rely on the functionality of the control units. This is due to their robustness, high ingress protection rating and resistance to extreme temperatures (full output current from -40 to +85 °C).

Future automation and operator assistance systems are supported by the large internal memory and the transmission of smart sensor data via various communication interfaces such as CAN, Ethernet and SENT (Single Edge Nibble Transmission). This enables operators of construction machinery, for example, to define operating areas for excavators or limit the reach and load moment of cranes.

“The construction equipment industry is greatly increasing automation and efficiency for its customers,” said Arno Purkrabek, team leader product management at TTControl. “Only with the highest performance and a large set of interfaces, including high-speed Ethernet communication, can this transformation be successful. The software reuse, scalability and modularity supported by the TTC 2000 Series help machine builders meet these challenges in the most efficient way.”

 

TAIWAN KING STEEL MACHINERY, SIEMENS, RUHYIH JOIN FORCES

Taiwan King Steel Machinery Co. and German multinational conglomerate Siemens have joined forces, in collaboration with industrial equipment supplier Ruhyih Automation, to begin integrating digital twin technologies into injection molding machines. 

The agreement ensures energy and carbon reduction throughout the entire industry by incorporating energy efficiency from the very start of the production process. Through this agreement, the three parties will help launch Taiwan to the forefront of a global sustainable manufacturing push.

Representatives from the three companies met at the 20th Taiwan-Germany Joint Business Council Meeting, where high-level officials from both countries’ economic ministries attended to discuss economic and sustainability initiatives. The highlight of the event was the signing of a tri-party cooperation agreement between Siemens Taiwan, King Steel and Ruhyih Automation. 

This is not the first time the three manufacturing giants have worked together. Last year, they joined forces to promote Industry 4.0, each bringing its own unique expertise to the table.

It would be difficult to find a more compatible trio. Siemens Taiwan has been advocating Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, and automation solutions for some time. King Steel, a pioneer in the manufacture of elastic foam making machinery, is committed to innovation and bringing its vision to life of sustainable manufacturing across the shoe-making industry and beyond. Meanwhile, Ruhyih Automation, one of Siemens distributors, specialises in technical services and product development for the automatic control industry. 

The latest deal sees the three global players joining hands again to represent Taiwan and Germany by promoting energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and information security, in addition to continuing to support the advancement of ESG 4.0, combination of ESG & Industry 4.0.