Category Archives: General

Frank Stürenberg Speaks On Developments for Phoenix Contact in 2016 and into 2017

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CEO Chairman of the Board, Mr. Frank Stürenberg

CEO Chairman of the Board, Mr. Frank Stürenberg

“In 2016, Phoenix Contact could generate a sales growth of 3.2 percent. Compared to the industry surely not bad. However, our planned target of six percent could not be achieved also due to exchange rate effects,” CEO Chairman of the Executive Board, Frank Stührenberg, explained Phoenix Contact´s economic development in the last year at the press conference.

With it, the turnover of the Company Group increased to 1.977 billion euros.

“In Italy, Russia and India for example, we could achieve a very positive sales growth between 12-17 percent,” Stührenberg explained the diverse market development.

Thanks to the dynamic growth in the electromobility market, the subsidiary Phoenix Contact E-Mobility even achieved a sales growth of 70 percent”.

The manufacturer of industrial electronics invested 150 million euros in the development of the Company Group in 2016. 500 new employees joined the company last year.

“In Italy, Russia and India for example, we could achieve a very positive sales growth between 12-17 percent,”

For the current year, Phoenix Contact expects an increase in turnover of around 6.5 percent.

Stührenberg is confident: “In the first quarter of 2017, we have already recorded a very good increase in sales of more than 12 percent. In 2017, we will exceed the 2 billion euros threshold”.

Around 150 million euros will be invested in the national and international development by the company also this year.

At the site in Milan, Italy, for example, additional sales and training capacities with approx. 6,000 m2 will be established.

In India, the production and logistics capacities will be expanded with an investment of 5 million euros.

“In 2017, we will exceed the 2 billion euros threshold”

At the site in Blomberg, the size of the laboratory of Phoenix Testlab, the test lab and certification institute for technical products will be doubled to 4,000 m2.

Also, shares in companies are increasingly included in the investments. At the beginning of April, the company took over Mauell Netzleittechnik GmbH from Velbert to 100 percent. With the integration of the automation specialist in energy networks in the Company Group, Phoenix Contact continues its sustainable growth strategy in the energy market.

Just recently, Phoenix Contact has also taken over the Taiwanese company Etherwan System Inc., a manufacturer of Ethernet communication technology in automation.

Both companies have already successfully cooperated for 15 years.

With it, Phoenix Contact significantly strengthens its network technology, a key technology for digitalization.

In February, the Phoenix Contact Group took a share in SmartB Energy Management GmbH, a start-up company for energy management in commercial buildings from Berlin via Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures GmbH. Their software solution makes energy consumption transparent up to the device level.

On April 24, the Hannover Messe which is seen as a trend indicator of the economy will start. This year, the partner country will be Poland. “Our production site there has become the largest production site outside Germany and is the center for the production of modular terminal blocks and cabling solutions,” Stührenberg explained the importance. “Our site in Nowy Tomysl is the major employer in the region.”

This year, the partner country will be Poland. “Our production site there has become the largest production site outside Germany and is the center for the production of modular terminal blocks and cabling solutions,” Stührenberg explained the importance.

“Our production site there has become the largest production site outside Germany”

Phoenix Contact as the solution provider for electrical engineering, electronics, and automation will present its innovations and trend-setting technologies in Hannover on an exhibition area of approx. 2,500 m2.

At the heart of the exhibition appearance, there are solutions for the digitalization which focus on the task fields of Industrie 4.0 such as easy operation, secure communication, adjustability or a seamless digital description of the products.

With the open control platform PLCnext, which is the focus of the presentation in Hannover, Phoenix Contact initiates a paradigm shift towards open source-based control solutions for Industrie 4.0.

“Traditionally, the Hannover Messe is the most important trade fair for us,” Stührenberg confirms. “This year, we will present more than 100 innovations and welcome visiting delegations from 50 countries with more than 1,200 visitors”.

Finding Gems @ NTU Career Fair 2017

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Our First Career Fair

This is the first time ever that Phoenix Contact has participated in a career fair as part of Human Resource’s (HR) recruitment campaign. We were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming crowd and would like to share this exciting and fruitful experience with you.

The NTU Career Fair 2017 was a large scale event catering to the almost 8,000 graduating students. The fair spanned 3 days (9th, 14th and 17th of February), with each day catering to different faculties. Phoenix Contact participated in the Manufacturing & Engineering Industry category, together with organisations from various industries, such as Public Service, healthcare, banking, etc. Throughout the fair, hundreds, if not thousands, of current and graduating students massed the booths, hoping for a chance for both full time employment and internship opportunity.

NTU Career Fair 2017 Hall NTU Career Fair 2017 Hall

The enthusiasm of the visitors amazed us; undergraduate and graduate students alike. Even the first year undergraduates joined in the throng passionately looking for internship opportunity for their summer break this year. In our chats with some of these students, they shared that they were eager to learn new things so that they will be equipped and ready for their future employment.

NTU Career Fair crowd rear NTU Career Fair crowd front

Our Mission

One of our missions here at Phoenix Contact is “To create progress with innovative and inspiring solutions”. Therefore, we need to start training the young and energetic talent. Those who are willing to take up the challenge to drive the success of the company to another level.

Phoenix Contact Staff engaging graduates

Engaging the graduates

Despite being overwhelmed, we enjoyed the time spent connecting with these young gems and understanding their different perspectives of employment. Till next time!

If you are interested to find out more about a career with us, check this link out.

Career@PhoenixContact

HR Team

Reduce the Cost of Manufacturing A Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) with THR technology

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Pick and place machine

‘Pick and Place’ Machine with THR components.

Do not judge a connector’s cost-effectiveness just by its price. Its ability to improve the overall efficiency of the manufacturing process counts as well. This is where THR technology shines.

The most common method of manufacturing  a PCBA (Printed circuit board assembly) typically requires 2 process flows. Reflow soldering is used to mount the Integrated chip (IC) and passive components in the first process flow. This is then followed by a second flow utilizing wave soldering to mount the terminal blocks and connectors.

The process can be optimized but that usually comes at a cost, e.g. installing a new machine. Hence, that eventually translates into a higher manufacturing cost in the short term. Is there a way to achieve higher efficiency in PCBA manufacturing without the accompanying costs?

Higher efficiency at Lower Or No Cost?

Yes. It can be done.

This is achieved by introducing connectors that are suited for the existing process line yet reduce the process flows to just one.

This is made possible by the integration of Through Hole Reflow (THR) components in Surface-mount technology (SMT) installations, which dominate today’s assembly manufacturing process.

Through Hole Reflow (THR) – Assembly In Just One Process

The benefit of THR is to use the existing Surface-mount device (SMD) machines and remove the 2nd process, the wave soldering, thus reducing the manufacturing a complete PCBA into a single process.

While it is the ideal situation to switch to an all-THR component solution, some components will still require wave soldering. Even so, there can still be a significant cost savings to make the switch.

Through Hole reflow Connector (THR)

Through Hole Reflow Connector (THR)

While there will not be a need to make changes to the existing equipment, some modifications will be required. For example it may require a change in the PCB design, an adjustment in the reflow profile, etc.

These changes, however, will reduce the amount of man-hours required for wave soldering. Based on a typical PCBA consisting of 80% of ICs and 20% of terminal blocks & connectors, the switch could achieve up to 20% of cost savings as THR components fully supports ‘pick and place’ machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY8jEz2AiWo

If you would like to know more about Phoenix Contact’s THR connectors, get in touch with us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg.

Maximize Your Year End Performance Review

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Happy Staff at meetingAs the year of 2016 is ending very soon, it is also the time to review the year’s performance, there is a growing trend that many companies are abandoning the traditional performance reviews. However recent researchers found that formal performance reviews still hold an important aspect for both supervisor and subordinates to make sure that they are on the same page about each other expectation. Instead of ditching the performance appraisal process, more importantly, how do we make the process more purposeful? The guidelines as follows:

A self-evaluation

Employee must be honest with themselves about how they have performed in the role. Take for example, an employee must be able to take note of the accomplishments when they exceeded expectations or have gone below and beyond the job description, and also to look at areas where they need to improve in term of performance.

Review of job description

Job description can be changed over the time, especially if there are changes in the organization structure. It is a great time to discuss the addition of responsibilities that may help employees to grow and achieve more fulfillment in their work.

Focus on outcomes

Supervisors must be able to evaluate objectively by focusing on the subordinate’s performance result, in this case, KPI scores can be a good base to measure an employee’s achievement; it is more like a black and white result, whether he/she met the given objective or scores.

Do not get defensive

The reason of having a review in the first place is to give and receive the feedback that will help to improve job quality and productivity. Avoid going on the defensive mode or blaming others for the performance failures. In fact, do not discuss about other teammates at all and focus solely on individual performance.

Plan ahead

Performance review is a good opportunity to discuss the goals for next year and beyond. Before the review, employees should be encourage to write down their goals, or if he/she has any skills gaps where supervisor may be able to provide additional training, resources, or guidance to help him/her achieving the goals.

Keep in mind that your performance review, whether overwhelmingly positive or somewhat disappointing, is always a great opportunity to learn, grow, and move forward in your career.

Till next year, Happy New Year!

Monthly Exercise - Basketball

Is your company promoting a healthy workplace?

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In this day and age, it is not uncommon for people to spend most of the day sitting at a desk or inside the office, therefore implementing health programs at the workplace has become an important aspect every company should look into. The idea of health, happiness, and productivity at work are related with the concept of healthy workplace, a company has the opportunity to foster the three ideas to the employee’s benefit through corporate wellness programs.
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Relocated – Phoenix Contact (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd

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We Have Relocated

Our Malaysian office has recently relocated to the following address:

G-01-B(1),Ground Floor, Luxor Tech Centre
No. 1A Jalan Teknologi 3/4
Taman Sains Selangor 1
Kota Damansara PJU 5
47810 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel : +603 6150 3510
Fax : +603 6150 7663

Malaysia Office Relocated

You can save our location into your google map.

Hannover Messe 2016

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The World’s Premier Industrial Fair

IMG_1360My visit to Hannover Messe 2016 was by far the best trade fair I attended!  Given that I had only 2 days at the fair, my time was spent focusing on our very own Phoenix Contact’s booth.  This year under the slogan “Solutions for the Future”, Phoenix Contact presented state-of-the art technology and innovative products and solutions for different industries. Continue reading

Are you happy at work?

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Happiness at work is no longer a luxury, it is essential for life’s fulfillment. People are discovering that when they love their jobs, they are more productive, creative, motivated at work and happier in life. Alexander Kjerulf, an author, founder and the Chief Happiness Officer of Woohoo Inc, an organisation that provides training and workshop about Happiness at Work, has presented to hundreds of clients over 30 countries since 2003 about finding happiness at work.

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Phoenix Contact @ Hannover Messe 2016

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Discover the latest innovations and trends… all on a single platform!

This year, we will be leading a delegation of our esteemed customers from the Southeast Asia region to the world’s leading trade fair for industrial technology in Germany – Hannover Messe 2016 will be held from 25th – 29th April 2016.  The fair is expected to attract more than 220,000 attendees from more than 100 countries and more than 5,000 exhibitors, including the largest contingent of U.S. manufacturers ever at Hannover.

Under the theme “Solutions for the Future”, Phoenix Contact will be presenting innovation products and solutions based on the ’Industrie 4.0’ approach.

Visit our Phoenix Contact main exhibition stand in Hall 9, Stand F40 and discuss with our experts on a wide range of products, systems, and solutions that we have to offer to meet your application requirements.  We are not just situated in Hall 9; we have our presence at many other halls as listed below.

Hanover boothsDownload the map of our main exhibition stand in Hall 9 here.

See you at Hannover Messe 2016!

If you are not able to join us at Hannover… stay tuned for more updates upon our return from Germany.

Click here to find out more about our products to be featured at Hannover Messe 2016.

Four solutions for the PV market

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Four solutions from Phoenix Contact that can help you gain competitive advantage in the photovoltaic market

Solar-Farm

1. String Combiner Boxes (SCBs)

In various regions with diverse climatic conditions, achieving maximum availability and performance for a photovoltaic system presents a major challenge for planners and installers.

The important factors here are collecting and distributing string currents, protecting the individual modules againstString combiner boxes damage from lightning and surge voltages, and also monitoring the performance of the system.

Thanks to the use of optimally coordinated components and communication interfaces, the string combiner boxes can be connected to a higher-level park management system quickly and easily.

Phoenix Contact String Combiner Boxes, from 2 to 32 ways, offer:

  • Optimum performance
  • Fast installation and start up
  • Operator satisfaction due to high availability
  • Due and proper consideration of the ambient conditions
  • Optimum positioning of surge protection
  • Use of the best connection technologies and high quality components
  • New compact SCB ( string fusing is done externally with new encapsulated string fuses – this keeps the SCB cool and reduces its size considerably!).

2. Weather Stations

A solution for the evaluation of meteorological sensors for monitoring ambient conditions in weather stationsutility-scale solar power plants.

Fully engineered, boxed solution based on an ILC 171 2TX featuring:

  • all necessary I/O channels
  • surge protection for data and power lines
  • supply option for sensors
  • sensor heating option
  • Ethernet connectivity
  • Standardised MODBUS-Data mapping according to SUNSPEC
  • Simple parametrisation via WEB based management for adjusting sensor types and signal ranges

3. Array controllers

Each fully engineered, boxed solution is controlled by a PLC. PLC programming for all arrays can be identical.   Tasks on array level:Array controllers

  • Aquisition and preprocessing of all relevant data for monitoring (string monitoring, local ambient parameters, inverter data …)
  • Retransmission of monitored data to master PLC/IPC/SCADA in the central control room via a standardized data model (e.g. SUNSPEC/IEC 60870 …)
  • Evaluation of power control commands from master PLC and corresponding control of the inverters with respect to effective and reactive power.

Individual arrays are networked to central control room via appropriate  network infrastructure, e.g. fiber-optic ethernet/MODBUS TCP

4. SolarWorx solar library

The Application:

In recent years, the programming standard IEC 61131 has become established in automation Solarworxtechnology. This standardisation provides many advantages that can also be used for the solar industry. The Solarworx function block libraries are optimally tailored to our Inline and Axioline automation systems. For the user, this means less complex and more functions during planning and implementing solar projects. Training times and therefore costs can be kept low and system documentation becomes more transparent.

In order to keep risks during project planning and implementation as low as possible, EPCs require flexible and scalable concepts for photovoltaic systems as well as calculable software engineering options.

Customer requirements:

System integrators, however, set value on the compatibility of the individual park devices, such as string combiner boxes, inverters, energy meters and power managers. Often, system integrators are lacking the staff and know-how that they would need to implement programming for the automation of a solar park themselves. Setup and start up must be implemented quickly to enable prompt supply of the network with the generated current. Companies charged with the operation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems usually depend on fast error detection and troubleshooting.

The Solution:

The Solarworx function block libraries were created to make the creation and startup of photovoltaic projects with automation components easier and faster. This facilitates the planning and implementation of photovoltaic projects. The customer does not need to have in-depth programming knowledge as the pre-programmed blocks must only be connected with one another. Solarworx offers three different function block libraries for different tasks during the implementation of photovoltaic projects. The following figure gives an overview of the Solarworx structure. So far, there are three function block libraries: Solar Basic, Solar Advanced and Solar Add On.

Phoenix are currently working on additional function block libraries, which will be released soon.

 

*Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in Phoenix Contact Untied Kingdom’s Blog