AutomationDirect Spotlight

What do severe weather, industrial fire, hazard warnings, airport safety, and illuminating the Eiffel Tower have in common? They are all important ways that signaling technologies for machines and buildings made by Pfannenberg are being used to protect people, machines and the environment. When Otto Pfannenberg established his electrical equipment company in Hamburg, Germany in…

Open, close. Lock, unlock. On, off. Within industrial operations, the seemingly simple action of a switch has the power to keep a production line humming, prevent a potentially disastrous equipment accident or failure, or even save a life. With automated systems continuing to grow in scope and sophistication, so does awareness of the importance of…

What do manufacturers in the packaging, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries have in common? How would you answer this question if it was asked during a restaurant trivia game? If you bet all your hard-earned trivia points on “E,” then you would be collecting your prize! Balluff is a fourth-generation, family-owned sensor and…

Nidec Corporation prides itself on being an international conglomerate that handles “everything that spins and moves.” Similar to an NBA star who can spin a basketball with expertise, skill, and passion, Nidec continues to thrive with expertise, skill, and passion in the industrial motor industry. Nidec is the world’s number one comprehensive motor manufacturer. Nidec’s…

What makes the ‘swoosh’ noise happen when a soda can opens? What powers the gates, brakes, and passenger restraint systems on a roller coaster? What makes animatronics work at an amusement park? Compressed air is the magic that makes all these things happen – and much more. Compressed air consists of the same mix of…

Toshiba International Corporation (TIC) is a Toshiba America Inc. (TAI) Group Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, and comprised of various business units including – Motors & Adjustable Frequency Drives, Power Electronics, Automotive Systems, Transportation, and Transmission & Distribution Systems. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, TIC provides application solutions to a wide range of…