Ask the Expert!

This week we are starting a new series of "Ask the Expert" questions. For the next two months, we'll be asking Mike Drolet, Industry Development Manager, some questions about vision installations. This week we're asking... The word “decentralization” seems like a Murrelektronik buzzword. Can you make it more tangible for the rest of the world?

Unless you have idle installers in the field, time on site is at a premium. Unless you have spare capacity in your panel shop, output growth will come at a premium too. Equipment, especially for material handling, is generally modular. The automation components on that equipment should be modular too. 

Decentralization is a strategy to move relevant components out of cabinets and onto equipment, closer to the input and output devices that they connect to. You’d be surprised how much can be moved out onto equipment. In return, you’ll be able to increase the output from your panel shop and decrease installation time on site.

As an example, you’ll have far fewer individual conductors to land on terminals, when you can plug and tighten M12 connectors into an IP67 IO module or an IP67 Ethernet switch.