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Control Techniques celebrates 50 years and adopts a beehive

 In News

A day in the middle of nature, on the outskirts of Milan, to celebrate 50 years of Control Techniques.

During the event, held on 21 April at the Spazio Parco Milano in Buccinasco (MI), Biagio Scalone, Managing Director and Country Business Unit Leader of Control Techniques Italia, retraced the milestones of the company’s history and opened a perspective on the future. Monica Ponticelli, Head of Marketing & Communications at Control Techniques Italia, on the other hand, illustrated the ways in which technology and sustainability will find an effective synergy at the SPS Italia stand.

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CONTROL TECHNIQUES PROMOTES TECHNOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY BY JOINING 3BEE’S ‘ADOPT A BEEHIVE’ PROJECT

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary and in view of the next SPS Italia, which this year will focus particularly on the themes of sustainability and circularity, Control Techniques has developed an original initiative, combining technology, innovation and commitment to the environment. Alongside the unmistakable green drives, the colour that has always characterised its logo and the tranquillity of the Welsh countryside where it began its adventure 50 years ago, Control Techniques at the next edition of SPS Italia (Parma, 23-25 May 2023) will combine the colour yellow, typical of bees and honey. The reason? The company, part of the Nidec group and a global benchmark in the development, production and marketing of high-performance and efficient electrical drives, has decided to support 3Bee’s ‘Adopt a Beehive’ project.

3Bee is a young agri-tech company and start-up that develops intelligent monitoring and diagnostic systems for bee health and that, among other activities, also includes collaborations with the EU and the ESA (European Space Agency) on biodiversity-related topics.

The project developed by 3Bee aims to help beekeepers manage their hives efficiently and as sustainably as possible in order to optimise honey production and, at the same time, preserve the bees by preventing the occurrence of diseases or other problems related to pollution, pathogens and other factors. How? Through the use of the tools that technology offers us today, such as IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (artificial intelligence), which, together with the possibility of constantly monitoring the hives, allow the beekeeper to save time, waste fewer resources and intervene in a targeted manner when needed, i.e. more efficiently and effectively.

“For Control Techniques, 2023 is a very important year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its foundation. Our intention was to celebrate this milestone with an initiative capable of conveying our sustainability values, but at the same time able to generate a concrete benefit for the environment,’ says Biagio Scalone, Managing Director and Country Business Unit Leader of Control Techniques Italia. “3Bee’s ‘Adopt a Beehive’ project immediately excited us precisely because of its ability to combine these two aspects, the same ones that we with our products manage to combine on a daily basis in the most diverse industrial fields, guaranteeing customers efficiency, performance and greater sustainability.”

CONTROL TECHNIQUES, A 50-YEAR HISTORY OF DRIVE INNOVATION

This year Control Techniques celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding, half a century of activities conducted under the banner of research and technological innovation that have indelibly and often pioneeringly marked the evolution of drive technology. Control Techniques is a Nidec company, which has historically produced variable speed electric drives.

The Story

The year was 1973 and in the heart of Powys County, in Newtown, Ken Briggs, Trevor Wheatley and Kevin Curran, three engineers already working in the field of electrical engineering, decided to join forces to create, as we would say today, an innovative start-up company. The aim was to offer the rapidly growing market a technologically appropriate response to the great application opportunities that were emerging in many industrial sectors with regard to drives. This is how KTK was born, a company dedicated to the production of electric drives, for whose brand, as can be clearly guessed, the three founding partners chose to use their initials.

The idea of setting up the new business in the green heart of the Welsh countryside turned out to be not only a wise choice, but a determining factor that would mark the history of Control Techniques forever. The company, which has gone through various phases of expansion in its first 50 years, has always remained faithful to its roots and is still firmly rooted in the land where it was born 50 years ago. But let’s go back in time, exactly to that distant 1973.

From the beginnings to the first important developments

The intuition of the KTK trio was to produce an innovative drive that would meet the needs of an industrial market that was in full ferment at the time due to the great opportunities that electronics was beginning to offer. Success was not long in coming. In fact, just one year after it was founded, KTK introduced the KTK 415V thyristor DC drive to the market, capable of driving motors in a wide range of applications that were dramatically improved in terms of performance, reliability and energy efficiency.

This was only the beginning. Other successes were not long in coming, so much so that about 10 years later, in 1985 to be exact, KTK decided to take another decisive step forward by making some major investments. Growth necessitated a significant expansion of space, and not only that. It also opted for a change of company name: the original KTK name was replaced by a new, evocative brand name that, even today, is synonymous throughout the world with technical skill and innovation: Control Techniques.

As the company sustained growth in Newtown, the distribution and technical support network began to expand globally; the close relationships developed with customers around the world meant that the need to offer competent and fast local service became an important part of the company’s strategy.

Since its inception, Control Techniques has proudly maintained its headquarters, manufacturing and R&D facilities in Newtown, which have been joined by 23 Drive Centres across continents and a network of qualified partners in 70 countries to meet a wide range of customer needs.

In short, Control Techniques has built a solid reputation over the years, so much so that it is recognised worldwide as a pioneer in the drive industry. Having recognised and been able to take advantage of the various opportunities that have arisen, and having introduced a number of world firsts to the market, has played a key role in the company’s success and growth. Let us look back together at the most significant stages of this extraordinary journey.

A success story

Always being one step ahead with innovative products. This has always been the mission of Control Techniques, which launched the world’s smallest drive onto the market in 1982.

1986 marked the birth of what was the first fully digital DC drive: Mentor. The development of Mentor to the present day has probably made it the world’s most popular DC drive.

1989, however, was the year of the first true AC drive in flux vector control technology: Commander CD. Developed to regulate the speed of AC electric motors that were now used in numerous applications, the Commander CD soon found use in a wide range of applications, from pumping, mixing and belt conveyor to the control of small machine tools and fans.

1995 marks an unforgettable milestone in the technological evolution of drives: Control Techniques stunned the market with the launch of its celebrated Unidrive. With it was born the first truly universal AC drive, i.e. one that fully embodied the ‘one product for all applications’ philosophy. In fact, one compact product was able to fulfil all motor control requirements: sensorless vector control, open loop, closed loop flux vector control and high performance brushless AC servo motors.

The following years are punctuated by numerous other launches, culminating in 2022 with the introduction of the latest generation of Commander drive devices. In line with the evolution of the market, which is increasingly oriented towards full-digital services, the Commander S general purpose microdrive with its Marshal app is the first drive with a fully app-enabled interface, as well as integrated NFC (Near Field Communication) technology as standard. The Marshal app has revolutionised the way technicians and installers can interface with the drive and covers comprehensive functionality for commissioning, monitoring, diagnostics and technical support.

Champions of innovation with the valuable contribution of human capital

Control Techniques is particularly proud of its history that began 50 years ago, which continuous investment has allowed it to grow from three to an impressive 1,400 employees. None of this would be possible without one of the most important ingredients: the people, who have enabled the company to become a true champion of innovation.

The expression ‘drive enthusiasts’ was born from the combination of two aspects, namely the determination of Control Techniques’ many employees and their level of knowledge, innovation and technical excellence, which have contributed to the company’s steady growth and, consequently, its solidity.

On the other hand, 50 years of success would not have been possible without the valuable contribution of customers and the needs they have generated and satisfied with our products. The market has always proved to be one of the most valuable innovative stimuli that have enabled Control Techniques to grow and propose unique, sometimes even disruptive solutions, in line with its corporate philosophy of a continuous quest for excellence.

A glimpse into the future

Control Techniques wants to continue to grow, creating new job opportunities and strengthening its ability to meet the demand for electrical drives in an increasingly specific and comprehensive way worldwide. On the occasion of this important anniversary, the company management had this to say: “Reaching 50 is a historic milestone and it is an honour to be able to share this birthday with our holding company Nidec, also founded in 1973. Two companies that have grown a great deal on their own, simply through hard work and determination. Having become each other’s subsidiaries in 2017, the two companies have shared the last five years of growth, supporting each other through some difficult periods, but always managing to come out stronger precisely because of this mutual support. We certainly have no intention of stopping now, the role of great innovators in the service of the drive industry is one in which we are at our best, so we will continue to play it, always in our inimitable style. We would like to sincerely wish a happy 50th anniversary to everyone who has participated in this incredible journey, whether as a customer, supplier or employee. Three big cheers for you! We could not have done it without your valuable and decisive contribution.”

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