A Strategic European Champion in industrial robotics.

Industrial robots support advanced manufacturing processes across strategic industries with their variety, speed and precision.

As European nations increase investments in security, the ability to manufacture strategically important systems within Europe has become a critical priority. From aerospace systems, communication equipment, batteries and advanced sensor technologies, modern defence manufacturing increasingly depends on highly automated and resilient production. In this environment, Stäubli offers significant strategic value as Europe's leading robotics manufacturer.

Supporting European industrial sovereignty.
Robotics is an industry in transition. In the past decade, ownership of Europe's largest industrial robot manufacturers has shifted outside the continent. German manufacturer KUKA has been fully owned by China's Midea Group since 2022. Comau, founded in Italy, came under majority ownership of a U.S. private equity firm, One Equity Partners, in 2025. Swedish-Swiss ABB Group agreed in 2025 to sell its robotics division to Japan’s SoftBank Group (see also "Robotics Divested!" 5/11/20267).

Industrial robots are essential to modern manufacturing and play a critical role not only in defence and security, but also in sectors ranging from semiconductors and pharmaceuticals to automotive and energy. As European companies across sectors seek to reduce dependencies and improve supply chain resilience, Stäubli—as the last major manufacturer of industrial robots to remain independently European-owned—offers a trusted source of advanced automation technology.

Stäubli’s European operations have been anchored in Faverges (F) for over a century. Today, the Robotics Division’s core development and manufacturing are centred there, combining engineering excellence with local production capabilities, ensuring direct customer support, secure supply chains, and long-term technological independence. Its presence helps ensure that critical industrial capabilities remain developed, produced and supported within Europe.

Driving innovation and delivering trusted technology.
For decades, Stäubli has been recognised for its expertise in highly demanding sectors such as life sciences, semiconductor manufacturing, electronics, aerospace, and clean energy. The company's high-performance industrial robots are known worldwide for their precision, reliability, cleanroom capabilities and long service life, which make them particularly well suited for mission-critical production environments. In strategically sensitive sectors, Stäubli's independent European ownership offers an additional layer of confidence: reduced exposure to shifting export controls and geopolitical risk, and a supply chain that remains accountable within Europe.

A strategic asset for Europe's future.
As Industry 4.0 and sustainable manufacturing continue to accelerate, robotics will play an increasingly important role in Europe's economic future. Stäubli represents far more than a successful industrial company. It reflects European engineering expertise, technological innovation, industrial capabilities, and a strong commitment to long-term competitiveness, all of which contribute to Europe's evolving industrial landscape.

At a time when strategic technologies are advancing rapidly across the globe, the continued development of a strong European robotics ecosystem remains an important factor in supporting industrial innovation and competitiveness. Stäubli's ongoing growth contributes to the expansion of advanced manufacturing capabilities, supports efforts to strengthen industrial value chains, and reinforces Europe's position as a leading participant in the global industrial sector for years to come.

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@StaubliRobots @EU_Growth @PresseBox @UnnGmbh #Robotics #PAuto #Robotics #Europe

New MD appointed for electronics group.

Nick Bartholomew has been appointed Managing Director of Lane Electronics and Weald Electronics, a long-established manufacturer of rugged circular connectors serving the aerospace, motorsport, industrial and transportation markets.

Nick Bartholomew 

Nick brings more than 26 years of senior leadership experience in defence, rail and aerospace prime contracting. He has led major business units and programme teams operating in complex, safety-critical environments. His career spans sales, contracts, purchasing, operations and major transformation programmes, giving him deep insight into customer expectations, supply-chain performance and the technical demands of mission-critical markets.

A Sussex native, Nick is passionate about strengthening UK manufacturing supply chain resilience, accelerating product innovation and driving growth in fast-paced, high-reliability markets. He is particularly excited to lead two organisations renowned for customer service, technical expertise, customisation and responsive delivery.

Outside work, Nick lives in Sussex with his wife, Sarah, and their three daughters. He is a long-standing Brighton & Hove Albion supporter and an enthusiastic padel player and paddleboarder.

Nick Bartholomew says: “I am energised by the opportunity to lead Lane Electronics and Weald Electronics into their next phase of growth, building on strong foundations and expanding their presence in existing and emerging markets. A key opportunity is to bring our motorsport experience to a wider range of sectors, helping customers meet demanding connectivity requirements where reliability, customisation and responsive delivery matter.”

Lane Electronics supplies LF, power, RF and fibre-optic connectors and cable assemblies that are widely used in defence and security applications. It is a franchised distributor for many of the industry’s leading electrical and electronic connector manufacturers, including Eaton Souriau, HUBER+SUHNER, Weald Electronics, HellermannTyton, IEH, Positronic, Axon’, Nicomatic and LEMO. The company has supplied connectivity solutions for more than 60 years. 

With design, manufacturing and test facilities at its Slinfold Lodge headquarters in Sussex, Weald Electronics can tailor connector solutions to meet customers’ specific requirements on short lead times. It also provides bespoke, value-added electrical and optical termination services for connector products.

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@FC_Lane @proactivefleet  #PAuto #Electrical

Automation and health partnership announced.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) and the Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) Society — a society supporting the international PHM community across all sectors and domains — have signed a technical partnership agreement to advance their shared goals.

The two organisations have agreed to plan for contributions to the other’s events and to collaborate on standards development. As an ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organization (SDO), ISA can identify existing ISA committees where PHM experts can participate and create new standards writing committees where both organisations agree that technical areas overlap.

Claire Fallon

"This partnership brings together two communities that depend on reliable, data-driven insight into industrial systems," said Claire Fallon, CEO of ISA. "By working with the PHM Society, we can connect our standards and certification expertise with their research and practitioner network, which benefits members on both sides."

The PHM Society holds conferences in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region bringing together original equipment manufacturers, technology companies, academic institutions, and public research and development organisations. The Society also carries out professional development programs that add value to the broader PHM community.

ISA hosts the ISA Automation Summit & Expo and the Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Summit each year, in addition to developing widely used global standards and conformity assessment programs, certifying professionals, providing education and training, and publishing books and technical articles. It also offers networking and career development programs for members and customers worldwide.

"The PHM Society seeks technical partnerships that create mutual value, and ISA's automation expertise is a strong match for our goals," said Andrew Hess, president of the PHM Society. “We look forward to collaborating on programs that serve engineers, researchers, and organisations working in prognostics and health management."

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@phmsociety @ISA_Automation @automation_com #Health #Automation

Robotics divested!

ABB has announced that it had signed an agreement to divest its Robotics division to SoftBank Group Corp. (SoftBank) for an enterprise value of $5.375 billion (€4.75b).

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. The process to obtain the regulatory approvals is managed by SoftBank. ABB confirms that it has been informed by SoftBank that the Office of the Working Mechanism for Foreign Investment Security Review in China has prohibited the acquisition of the ABB Robotics business in China. ABB and SoftBank are in close dialogue and are working constructively on the transaction.

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@ABBRobotics @SoftBank_Group @ABBgroupnews @abb_automation #PAuto #Robotics

Rugged tablet is tops in Ai.

The new Durabook R12 available from Bressner combines rugged tablet technology with up to 412 TOPS of Ai computing performance for demanding industrial and mobile field applications. Unveiled last month (Oct 2026) the new system combines high-performance Ai computing with an exceptionally rugged design, making it ideal for demanding applications in industrial environments, defense, public safety, and field service operations. The R12 is now available from Bressner.

Powerful Edge Ai for demanding applications.
Powered by an Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 3 processor (Panther Lake), the Durabook R12 delivers up to 180 TOPS of integrated Ai performance through its combined CPU, GPU, and NPU architecture. With the optional Nvidia® RTX™ 2000 Ada GPU, total Ai computing performance increases to an impressive 412 TOPS. This enables demanding Ai workloads, image and video analysis, and sensor data processing to be performed directly in the field, without relying on a continuous cloud connection.

The 12.2-inch WUXGA display (1920 × 1200) features DynaVue® technology and delivers up to 1,200 nits of brightness, ensuring excellent readability even in direct sunlight. Optional multi-touch functionality supports different operating modes, including glove, stylus, and wet-touch input. 

Rugged, versatile, and built for the field.
The R12 meets MIL-STD-810H requirements, withstands drops from heights of up to 1.83 meters, and features an IP66 rating for protection against dust and powerful water jets. With an operating temperature range of –29°C to +63°C, along with MIL-STD-461G and ANSI/UL Class I, Division 2 certifications, the tablet is well suited for extreme industrial and security-critical environments.

For seamless integration into existing infrastructures, the tablet offers two Thunderbolt™ 4 ports, USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and optional 5G/4G LTE connectivity. Modular expansion options allow additional interfaces and card readers to be integrated according to specific application requirements.

The dual-battery design with optional hot-swap functionality supports uninterrupted field operations and provides up to 20 hours of battery life when equipped with two high-capacity batteries. An optional detachable keyboard transforms the tablet into a versatile 2-in-1 computing solution.

Combining rugged hardware, powerful Ai capabilities, and flexible configuration options, the Durabook R12 is ideally suited for applications such as industrial condition monitoring, mobile maintenance operations, AI-powered image analysis, and tactical deployments in the defense sector.

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@BRESSNER_Tech @DURABOOK  @UnnGmbh @PresseBox #PAuto

Acquisition compliments analytical portfolio.

PCR-based molecular analyses complement process and laboratory applications.

Endress+Hauser has now acquired the remaining shares in Endress+Hauser BioSense from Hahn-Schickard GmbH.  As a result, the company has become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Endress+Hauser Group. Endress+Hauser BioSense develops PCR-based detection systems for rapid molecular analysis directly on site.

Dr Mirko Lehmann

Technology expands process analytics.
With this acquisition, Endress+Hauser is strengthening its portfolio for analytical and quality measurements. Endress+Hauser BioSense technology complements traditional process analysis techniques and enables rapid PCR analyses without the need for a fully equipped laboratory or specially trained personnel. In the beverage industry, for example, this technology allows beer to be tested for specific microorganisms directly on site to detect potential contamination at an early stage. Other applications in the food & beverage, water quality and life sciences sectors, as well as in data centers, cover industries and fields in which Endress+Hauser is already active.

“Solutions of Endress+Hauser BioSense bring molecular analysis closer to the process and open up additional opportunities for our customers to monitor quality and hygiene. With this full acquisition, we aim to further develop the technology in a targeted manner and integrate it even more closely with our existing portfolio for process and laboratory applications,” says Dr Mirko Lehmann, Chief Technology Officer at Endress+Hauser. Successful collaboration as the foundation for further development

Endress+Hauser BioSense was founded in 2021 as a joint venture between Endress+Hauser and Hahn-Schickard in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, and today employs 15 people. The goal of the partnership was to adapt technologies from molecular diagnostics for use in industrial process and laboratory automation. Endress+Hauser previously held a 75 percent stake, while Hahn-Schickard held 25 percent.

Professor Roland Zengerle

Hahn-Schickard contributed its expertise in microfluidic technology to the collaboration. Together, the two companies developed a solution for industrial process and laboratory automation. With the acquisition of the remaining shares, Endress+Hauser will now continue to develop PCR-based analysis systems of Endress+Hauser BioSense under its sole responsibility.

“Endress+Hauser BioSense is the result of a close and trusting collaboration. Together, we have succeeded in combining our expertise in microfluidics and molecular diagnostics with Endress+Hauser’s experience in industrial applications. We are pleased that the jointly developed technology will now be continued and further developed under the Endress+Hauser umbrella,” says Professor Roland Zengerle, director of the Hahn-Schickard Institute.

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@Endress_US @Endress_Hauser @Endress_UK #PAuto 

Static pressure and differential pressure simultaneously.

Highly accurate differential pressure measurement for calibration technology, pressure laboratories and aerospace.

The model CPT8900 differential pressure transducer from WIKA, introduces a high-precision sensor for the most demanding measuring requirements. It measures static pressure and differential pressure simultaneously, enabling it to compensate for common-mode effects, i.e. the influence of static pressure on differential pressure measurement, while measuring the actual differential pressure via a second measuring cell. The result is stable, reliable measured values for applications in calibration technology, pressure laboratories and aerospace, to name a few. With static accuracy down to 0.008 % IS-33 or 0.01 % FS and differential accuracy down to 0.03 % FS, the CPT8900 is unique in the market for highly accurate differential pressure sensors.

With many so-called differential pressure transducers, the difference is merely calculated from the values of two separate sensors. However, this reduces accuracy, as the uncertainties of the individual sensors are added together mathematically. The CPT8900, on the other hand, measures differential pressure directly by measuring the pressure on opposite sides of a single sensor.

The CPT8900 covers static pressure ranges from 0 … 340 mbar to 0 … 17 bar and differential ranges from ±12.5 mbar to -1 … 100 bar. Static line pressure ranges and differential ranges can be combined during configuration. Temperature compensation extends over 0 … 50 °C. With a resolution of eight significant digits and a calibration interval of 365 days, the CPT8900 offers excellent long-term stability. Communication is possible via USB, RS-232 or RS-485 interfaces. The RS-485 variant supports multidrop operation and enables simple wiring.

This instrument is ideal for OEM instruments that require a highly accurate pressure transducer, such as pressure controllers, flow or humidity calibrators. It also plays a central role in aerospace. Manufacturers of air data test sets (ADTS) use such sensors in test instruments that are used to test and calibrate aircraft cockpit instruments, for example. The model CPA8001 ADTS from WIKA also uses this sensor. Other fields of use include wind tunnel calibration, automotive sensor tests, filter monitoring in building services, as well as hydrology and oceanography.

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@WIKANews #PAuto #TandM