Mitsubishi Electric’s new MELSEC FX5S PLC is designed to support businesses on their digital transformation journey, offering a cost-effective, easy-to-use control solution. The latest addition to the MELSEC iQ-F series of compact, high-performance PLCs is ideal for simple, straightforward applications in the food and beverage, water and machining industries, for example. It offers Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) functions for effective entry-level industrial automation applications.

Companies in the Automotive industry have always been at the forefront of innovative manufacturing practices. To remain at the cutting-edge, they rapidly adapt and adopt the latest developments in technology. This approach equips them to face evolving market demands as well as supply chain challenges. The next step to driving the competitiveness and profitability of manufacturers even further is integrating real-time data generation and management within all aspects of car and part production. This is what Lucas Majewski, Global Director of Automotive/EV Industry, Factory Automation, at Mitsubishi Electric, outlines in the videocast “Trends in Automotive – Data means Energy”.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced on June 20, 2023, that it will invest an additional 42.5 billion yen, or approximately 275 million euros, to construct a second production building for the manufacture of factory automation (FA) control-system products at Owariasahi City, Aichi Prefecture part of its Nagoya Works campus. The initial investment, announced on March 28, 2022, was for a single production building due to start operations in April 2025. This plan is now being expanded to add a second production building with a planned start of operations slated for April 2027. Overall, this increases the total cumulative investment to 55.5 billion yen, or approximately 360 million euros.

The demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is continuing to skyrocket, driven by the growing market for more sustainable e-mobility solutions. For LIB cell manufacturers to get the most out of the current opportunities, they need to be able to quickly deliver high volumes of quality products while maintaining a low environmental impact. Klaus Petersen, Director – Automotive & Lithium Battery Industries, Factory Automation EMEA at Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V., explains how digital technologies can help LIB manufacturers in this pursuit in the videocast “Lithium-Ion Batteries: From data to competitive advantage”.

Companies in the food and beverage industry are grappling with a number of challenges that can prevent them from thriving in today’s marketplace. However, there are real opportunities for these manufacturers to optimise and improve their operations using data science. Malte Schlüter, Global Director for Food & Beverage and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) - Factory Automation at Mitsubishi Electric Europe, explores how during his exclusive videocast interview ‘Food and Beverage industry: Can cocoa be smart?’.