Posted to News on 6th Nov 2008, 18:42
Barr & Paatz appointed as Festo System Integrator
Festo has appointed Barr & Paatz as a System Integrator for its electrical drives business. The company has a 19-year track record of automating production processes and an in-depth understanding of high-technology systems, so is well equipped for identifying fresh applications for Festo's comprehensive product range. This partnership agreement, one of only four across the UK, marks the latest move by Festo to expand its presence in the electrical drives and controls market.
Under the arrangement, Festo will provide Barr & Paatz with pre-sales support and technical backing across a fast-expanding range of servo, stepper and linear drives, motor controllers, electro-mechanical axes, gantry and tripod robots, vacuum and mechanical grippers, handling modules and vision systems. Barr & Paatz will target applications for Festo's modular electrical drive technology in such markets as food and packaging, process industries, the transport sector, electronic handling and the life sciences, as well as education and research.
Festo's Drive Manager, Nigel Dawson, says: "Barr & Paatz have extensive experience of the automation marketplace and a longstanding relationship with Festo, typically working innovatively with pilot products not previously used in the UK. They are perfect partners for us, able to work with complicated technology like our soon-to-be-released tripod robots and exploit the position that, thanks to our modular motors, drives, controllers and mechanical axes, we can provide a complete, integrated automation solution."
New electromechanical axes
With an annual turnover in excess of EUR1.4billion and facilities in 178 countries across the world, Festo operates an aggressive R&D programme, holds over 2800 worldwide patents and introduced around 100 new products to the marketplace this year. In the Electric Drives division alone, Festo has recently launched a new family of electromechanical axes, offering exceptional feed force, speed, acceleration and torque resistance characteristics, an improved range of high-performance servo motors and controllers, which are said to set new standards for ease and speed of set-up, and announced an upcoming delta robot that will cut costs and handle heavier payloads.
Stirling Paatz comments: "I understand that Festo invests around 7.5 per cent of turnover on R&D, so it is always introducing plenty of innovative ideas and technology. A significant proportion of these new products are electrical, including some very fast and accurate linear motors, as well as energy-saving electrical drives and axes, and they are pushing further into robotics, with a delta configuration that offers very good payloads at competitive prices.
"We have lots of applications experience and they have got some great products, so there is tremendous synergy between us. Having direct access to thousands of automation components also means we can support the most complex application requirements and achieve shorter system build times, to the obvious benefit of customers."
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