Humans and machines distribute intelligence

A leading supplier identifies some trends in the drives business. Tom Shelley reports Cost reductions and ease of use are the developments which visitors can expect to notice at this year's show, according to Geoff Spear of Lenze UK. "I will be surprised if there is anything dramatically new at this year's show, but there are always improvements", he told Eureka. This year, visitors can expect to find better servo software, more modular units, decentralised intelligence, and improved I/Os and motion controllers. "The emphasis is on nice and simple to program and easy to use. Nobody today expects to have to spend hours poring over technical manuals." Many of the developments will have previously been unveiled at the Hannover Fair in April and then brought over to the UK. "One advantage of seeing new developments after their initial launch is that initial availability problems are usually over", added Mr Spear. The growing importance of distributors and resellers in CAD software, noted at this year's Solid Modelling show, also seems to be becoming true of the drives business. Lenze will be launching a new UK distributor network at the show, following a trend already set by others, such as ABB with its Drives Alliance. Mr Spear says that users should primarily "Look for convenience - somebody local who keeps a good stock of the products you need." Technical competence is important, although as he said, "It does vary from distributor to distributor." However, users should not expect distributors to give free on-site training. "Products are cheaper now, so nobody can afford to spend hours with users to teach them how to get started." Lenze, like others, considers training to be important, and offers courses in Bedford and Manchester, but margins are such that it feels obliged to charge for them. The company will be giving a more detailed account of its views on trends and developments in seminars at the show as well as, "Presenting two application case studies illustrating how easy it is nowadays to integrate drives with sensors and controls". Lenze UK