MHW Magazine News and stories from the Materials Handling Industry
ABB has signed an agreement with leading automation specialist and system integrator, RTS Flexible Systems to become one of ABB’s System Integrator partners. The Manchester-based company will add ABB drives to its automation offering.
ABB was keen to partner with RTS Flexible Systems because it offers service and support of its bespoke manufacturing and handling solutions, marking it out from similar system integrators and fitting with ABB’s philosophy of cradle to grave support for its products. The company also serves customers throughout the UK and Ireland, matching ABB’s wide geographical reach.
RTS Flexible Systems offers specially developed solutions to customers in four areas of expertise – machine building, control systems, development of advanced robotic solutions and service and support. Customers of its control systems expertise will benefit from the use of ABB drives in the motion control of industrial handling machinery, as well as potentially significant energy savings.
Customers of RTS Flexible Systems are offered innovative solutions for manufacturing or packaging. The company supplies everything from concept design, production line design, mechanical, electrical and software development and design, project management and installation. Service and support includes a 24/7 remote dial-up access to diagnose process faults. It has particular expertise in the FMCG, medical device, nuclear and defence industries and serves customers throughout the UK and Ireland.
Steve Ruddell, general manager, drives and motors, ABB, says: "RTS Flexible Systems is already an ABB robotics partner and becoming a SI partner will bring great benefits to our customers. With factory support through direct access to our design staff, RTS will be able to integrate our products within their equipment, offering a more capable solution to customers."
Ian Dickson sales manager, controls, vision and engineering for RTS, says: "Drives are figuring much more frequently in our projects, due to customers’ increasing awareness of their energy saving capabilities and we were looking for a partner that could supply high quality drive products. ABB will find projects that need our expertise and we will find others where we can use ABB’s knowledge of drives, giving customers a more complete offering."
Most drives used on RTS projects will be ABB high performance machinery drives for motion control applications. Says Dickson: "The ABB brand has great credibility and the range offers a good choice of drive products. They also offer good web tools for energy management that we are keen to use, as energy saving is an area of growing concern for our customers."
The agreement will ensure that RTS Flexible Systems staff improve their drives expertise still further by giving them access to training at the ABB University, as well as access to on-line training modules. "This will help us provide even better solutions for customers by using the drive software ABB offers for drive applications," says Dickson.
