Accredited in-house value-added solutions for critical industries.

Specialist connector distributor Lane Electronics, a franchised distributor and stockist of electrical connectors and accessories, is reinforcing supply-chain resilience for customers across aerospace, medical, industrial, and other high-reliability sectors.

Against a backdrop of geopolitical instability, global conflict, tariffs, and the growing impact of environmental change, Lane Electronics delivers exceptional service and reliability by combining extensive stockholding, in-house assembly, and value-added engineering expertise. A key member of the privately owned Lodge Group, Lane Electronics provides customers with seamless access to one of the industry’s most comprehensive interconnection portfolios, while sister company and connector manufacturer Weald Electronics adds design, assembly, and manufacturing capabilities that ensure continuity of supply and technical excellence as one of Lane Electronics’ key supply partners.

“In today’s uncertain global landscape, component availability and agility are paramount,” said Nick Wheeler, Sales Director of Lane Electronics. “Our focus on supply-chain resilience, supported by strategic stock management and in-house assembly, allows us to respond rapidly to customer needs while maintaining exceptional quality and performance standards through our industry-leading suppliers.”

Lane Electronics offers an extensive stockholding of connectors, accessories, and component piece-parts, supported by automated and strategic replenishment systems. Stock can be ring-fenced to meet specific customer or project requirements, helping OEMs and system integrators mitigate the risks of extended lead times, rapidly escalating prices or obsolescence.

The company’s in-house assembly services further enhance availability, with more than 90% of standard product ranges available for next-day shipment through stock or rapid assembly. As a specialist assembling distributor for leading connector manufacturers, Lane Electronics delivers tailored interconnect solutions across industries including aerospace, defence, mining, test and measurement, medical equipment, entertainment systems, and general industrial applications.

Complementing these capabilities, the company’s partnership with Weald Electronics provides accredited UK-made optical and RF cable assemblies and other value-added solutions, ensuring customers benefit from certified, high-performance interconnect products built to meet exact specifications.

Other key service advantages include:

• No minimum order quantity or order value on stocked items
• Next-day delivery on most standard connectors and accessories
• Online access to stock, specifications, and ordering
• Rapid engineering support for custom or obsolete designs

“Our customers value having a trusted partner who can combine technical knowledge, stock security, and responsive service.” continues Wheeler “We understand that connector availability can make or break a project timeline — so our goal is to remove that uncertainty.”

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@FC_Lane @proactivefleet  #PAuto #Electrical

Automating fraud detection.

Datalogic S.p.A. has announced the expansion of its long-standing partnership with Digimarc through the implementation of Digimarc’s new end-to-end digital security layer for gift card protection across the Datalogic retail scanner portfolio, beginning in early 2026. Together, Datalogic and Digimarc are supporting retailers’ efforts to improve the checkout experience while reducing gift card fraud and helping brands protect consumer trust at the point of sale. The partnership further reinforces Datalogic’s position as a leading provider of loss prevention solutions at checkout, helping retailers to combat gift card fraud and reduce shrink at the point of sale without disrupting existing workflows.

Industry data shows that retailers are projected to lose over $132 billion to shrink in 2025, up 18% compared to 2022, while shoplifting has increased by 50% following the adoption of self-checkout terminals*. In parallel, gift card fraud continues to erode consumer confidence, with 23% of consumers in the U.S. reporting having given or received gift cards with no funds available*, underscoring the scale of gift card-related fraud and its impact on consumer trust.

Unlike traditional, cumbersome gift card security layers focused on packaging, Digimarc’s innovative technology embeds covert, tamper-evident digital watermarks directly into gift card designs, enabling automated, secure, and reliable detection of compromised cards during scanning at checkout. Authentic cards scan and activate normally at the point of sale, while tampered cards fail activation, stopping fraud before it impacts customers or brand trust. This approach allows gift cards to be authenticated at the point of sale with no disruption to existing checkout processes.

“We’re leveraging nearly 30 years of experience helping the world’s central banks protect global currencies to help today’s retailers and brands secure their gift cards,” explained Ken Sickles, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Digimarc. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Datalogic to enable their scanners to instantly detect tampered cards as part of Digimarc’s end-to-end digital security solution. Together, we’re driving greater automation in tamper detection, which prevents the sale of fraudulent gift cards to consumers—all while accelerating scanning speeds for faster checkouts and better customer experiences. This is a win-win for consumers, retailers, and brands.”

Datalogic plans to configure its retail scanners to work with Digimarc’s end-to-end digital security layer for gift cards, ensuring tampered cards won’t activate for retailers at the point of sale. Digimarc’s solution is over three times more secure than “card-only” security features and removes the need for cashiers to manually inspect or otherwise prepare cards prior to scanning.

“At Datalogic, our commitment is to provide best-in-class solutions that help retailers address one of their most pressing challenges: loss prevention at checkout,” said Rosario Casillo, Executive Vice President Product and Solutions at Datalogic. “By integrating Digimarc’s newest software across our retail scanners in early 2026, we are delivering an additional layer of security without compromising speed or customer experience. I am pleased that our renewed partnership with Digimarc unites us in the mission to protect retailers and customers against fraud.”

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@DatalogicGroup @digimarc @mepaxIntPR #PAuto #Fraud

Diaphragm pump leadership.

Diaphragm pump manufacturer KNF is beginning a new chapter in its leadership as Alexander Heizler takes over as CEO, following Martin Becker’s move to focus on his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He has been with the company since 2009 and served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) since 2021. His appointment ensures continuity and reflects KNF’s commitment to long-term stability as a family-owned business.

Alexander Heizler

“I am honored to take on the role of CEO,” says Heizler. “KNF stands for technological excellence, strong values, and a dedicated global team. I look forward to continuing this successful journey.”

After more than 40 years at KNF, including 26 as CEO, Martin Becker is stepping down from operational leadership. He will now fully focus on his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors, where he looks forward to continuing his close and trusted collaboration with Alexander Heizler in a new capacity. This marks the completion of a carefully planned transition. Martin Becker will also remain connected to the company as a shareholder.

“Passing on the operational leadership of KNF is a deeply personal step for me,” Becker explains. “I am proud of what we have built together and fully trust Alexander Heizler to lead the company with passion and responsibility.”

"This leadership change underscores KNF’s enduring values and its clear vision for the future as a global technology leader. With over 900 employees worldwide, KNF remains committed to innovation, sustainability, and customer-focused diaphragm pump solutions.""

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#KNF #PAuto @mepaxIntPR

 

Space power conversion applications.

A new Smart Integrated Magnetics solution designed for advanced power conditioning and distribution units (PCDUs) operating in constrained and demanding environments such as space systems has been developed by Exxelia. This solution is not a standard catalog product; it is the result of a custom development. It has been engineered to meet specific electrical, thermal and mechanical requirements defined at system level and can be adapted to meet any set of customer specifications.

This new Smart Integrated Magnetics solution combines the transformer and the inductor of a Dual Active Bridge (DAB) within a single, compact magnetic assembly. This integrated approach aims to reduce volume, mass and interconnection complexity while maintaining electrical performance at high switching frequencies. The targeted application is isolated DC-DC power conversion in space-grade PCDUs, where efficiency, reliability, and mechanical robustness are key design drivers.

From a technical standpoint, the Smart Integrated Magnetic is designed for a power level of 1 to 2kW at a switching frequency of 100 to 200kHz (example). The associated inductor provides an inductance of few µH. The overall assembly reaches an efficiency level close to 99% under nominal operating conditions, reflecting careful optimization of core materials, winding architecture and magnetic coupling. Particular attention has been paid to losses and thermal behavior, which are critical in low-convection environments.

Mechanical integration was a central aspect of the development. The complete magnetic solution fits into a low-profile / planar package measuring approximately 75 × 65 × 20 mm, with a total mass of around 250 g. This compact form factor is intended to facilitate integration into densely populated power electronics modules, while also supporting resistance to mechanical stresses typically encountered during launch and operation.

The design was carried out to address severe environmental constraints, including thermal cycling and mechanical loads, which are characteristic of space applications. Material selection, impregnation processes and structural design were adapted accordingly to ensure long-term stability and compatibility with qualification requirements.

While the solution presented here is specific to a given program and set of constraints, it reflects a broader approach that can be adapted to other high-reliability applications requiring compact, efficient and integrated magnetic designs.

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@Exxelia #Aerospace #PAuto

Controlling complex, multi-axes robots with ease.

In 2008 PLCopen released Part 4 of the Motion Control suite of specifications, dealing with coordinated motion, for example robotics. Basically, with this specification one can control a robot in the PLC or one can see it as an interface to a robotic controller, which will do the calculations and movements. Especially for this last option feedback was received from robotics companies with specific requirements, which resulted in a Corrigendum and is the basis for version 2.0 of this specification.

The PLCopen Motion Control Part 4, version 2.0 - Release for Comments can be downloaded from their website. They look forward to receiving feedback and comments on this document by February 18, 2026 latest.

Also, with the release of the Standard Robot Command Interface, SRCI (within Profinet International), which is based on this document, a merger of both specifications was proposed. The current update of PLCopen Motion Control Part 4 reflects this merger. As such, the original PLCopen document is extended with new function blocks, as well as information on position, trajectories, changes in transition and buffer modes. The updated Part 4 retains the key functionalities from the SRCI but presents them in the well-known PLCopen look & feel. Retaining about 10% of the original size, while preserving 80% of the essential features.

Profinet International (PI) released version 1.3 of the Standard Robot Command Interface (SRCI) in November 2022, supported by many robot vendors. This specification is based on PLCopen Motion Control Part 4 and provides an interface to remote robot controllers. For this, our Part 4 was extended with the knowledge from the community of robot vendors, as many of them were involved.

The SRCI specification adds configuration functionalities and defines an interface to the different robot vendors. The essence of PLCopen is to incorporate these missing functionalities in the PLCopen Motion Control standard while maintaining the same Look & Feel by providing backward compatibility. Also, these functionalities need to be mapped to the defined interface and network. As such it is not restricted to Profinet as network.

The objective of the update of Part 4 is to define a set of extensions to “Part 1 - PLCopen Function Blocks for Motion Control”, focused to the coordinated multi-axes motion in 3D space, to serve most user’s application needs in this area. A key addition in this part is the kinematic model, linking the different axes to a mechanical construct and as such defining the movement of the relevant endpoint.

Implementations can include architectures with integrated solutions or remote connections to an intelligent controller like a dedicated robot-controller, which includes the kinematic model and specifics for the application like welding or moving parts. The goal is to provide a programming interface to the user that hides as much as possible these different implementations, making the development of the application software as independent as possible from the underlying architecture.

The PLCopen Motion Control Function Blocks are specified at such a level that the user quickly recognizes the functionality and that the effect of the activation and of sequencing with other function blocks is clear. Path oriented movements are programmed either with specific robot-oriented programming languages, or “G-code” (for instance cf. DIN 66025) as used in the CNC world. But without a doubt, the movements which can be described in these languages are applicable to a broader area of use. This PLCopen initiative transforms the functionalities known in the CNC and Robotic world to the PLC world. With this, an additional part is added to the range of PLCopen Motion Control specifications. 

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@PLCopen #PAuto #PLC #Robotics