Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Cutting-Edge Automation and Robotics

7th November 2014

Start date: 27 November 2014 Closing date: 27 November 2014 Venue: Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Owen building, floor 7, room 744 In partnership with the Food and Drink Federation, and the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, we have launched a National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering.

This innovative Centre supports the UK's food and drink sector to meet its manufacturing challenges by providing expertise in key areas, one of which is automation and robotics. Date - Thursday 27 November Time - 9:30am 12.30pm Venue - Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Owen building, floor 7, room 744 Join us to hear about the latest developments in automation and robotics and how they could improve the competitiveness and profitability of your business. You will hear directly from experts from within the University, along with specialists from industry. We'll share our experience with you and give you the opportunity to discuss some of your ideas and challenges with us. The event is free to attend. Lunch will be provided, along with networking opportunities. Pre-booking is required. Book your place online or contact our business development manager on 0114 225 5894 for more information. Programme 9:30am Welcome 9:40am The design and implementation of robotic and automated systems for industry 10:00am Advanced process control and condition monitoring using multivariate statistical process control 10:20am The development and application of innovative technology for food processing machinery 10:50am Driving operational efficiency through standardised automation philosophies now and in the future 11:20am Robotic systems for the food sector - technology that makes a difference 11:50am Questions and answers 12:00noon Networking lunch 12:30pm Close Speakers Dr Martin Howarth Dr Howarth is the Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University. Previously, Martin was Head of Department of Engineering and Mathematics at Sheffield Hallam University where he was responsible for leading the strategic development of Engineering and Mathematics in the Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences, as well as for overseeing the delivery of excellent education in these disciplines. He was responsible for managing 85 academic staff across a range of disciplines from Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Mathematics. Martin has a PhD in Robotics from Nottingham Trent University and is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and a Chartered Engineer. Over recent years, Martin has led and supported EU and EPSRC projects and has contributed to the Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme within Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University. Martin has authored technical and refereed publications in manufacturing, automation and robotics. Dr Hongwei Zhang Hongwei is a principal lecturer in control systems and the subject group leader for electronics and electrical engineering at Sheffield Hallam University. He is a keen researcher in the field of advanced control and condition monitoring of chemical and biological processes, multivariate statistical process control, model predictive control and artificial intelligence, and has published over thirty refereed papers. Andy Rawsthorne Andy is the course leader for the new MEng Food Engineering degree at Sheffield Hallam University. His research is focused on automation, robotics, control and food engineering and he delivers course modules specialising in the above areas, plus avionic systems, maintenance and manufacturing processes. Andrew Macpherson Andrew is the national team manager for the food and beverage industry at Festo, a leading world-wide supplier of automation technology and the performance leader in industrial training and education programs. Having worked for Festo for seventeen years, he has been involved with factory automation across many industry sectors. For the last two years he has been working with a team of eight food and beverage industry specialists who work with machine manufacturers and food manufacturers across the UK. Keith Thornhill Keith is the UK and Ireland food and beverage business manager for Siemens Industry. He started his career completing a five year apprenticeship with British Rail Engineering Ltd in Crewe and entered the automation industry in 1986 as an internal sales engineer with Electro Craft Ltd - one of the UK's Motion Control pioneering companies. After key account management and business manager roles with Rockwell Automation, Keith joined Siemens in 2001 as a business development manager in the Siemens Motion Control group. Keith's career has mainly been focused on encouraging innovation for UK packaging machinery manufactures and latterly identifying the operational efficiency and production flexibility benefits that automation technology can deliver to the food and beverage and the consumer packaged goods market. Bob Hinchliffe Bob is the director of engineering at Stelram Engineering. Stelram is one of the country's leading solutions provider; designing machinery and automation systems to suit a range of industries including food and drink. Bob has developed solutions for a wide range of automation challenges from baking to packaging, and he has been described as "one of the most creative and dedicated engineers working on automation for the food industry. He often develops original solutions and always strives to provide excellent service to his customers".