Automation supply prioritises trust

Customers of the automation supply and maintenance firm, CP Automation, can now enjoy a whole host of new features and information at their fingertips thanks to the launch of its new website. The UK firm's new website, not only provides detailed product information but also allows the customer to buy there and then with a heavy emphasis on trustworthy supply. 

While it's not difficult to buy a motor, inverter or PLC online, trustworthy online purchasing is a rarity. A lot of products for sale on the internet seem to come from the grey market, without a safety certificate or any guarantee of reliability.

CP Automation specialises in the sale, repair and maintenance of industrial electronic boards, PLC's, AC drives, resistors, DC drives and inverters.


The product range extends from simple general purpose drives to mission critical systems requiring uncompromising control, enhanced intelligence, and high-speed communications capability.

The new site provides more detailed information on the products CP Automation integrates, with individual downloadable product spec sheets. The company's brochures are segregated into product types and are also downloadable from the site.

After the customer has found the information they need to make a buying decision, they then have the option of making a purchase from the online shop. CP Automation's online buying function stands out in the automation maintenance and supply industry, in which ecommerce is a rarity.  

"The new website provides an abundance of relevant information and allows customers to ask specific questions with our new feedback feature," explained Tony Young, a director of CP Automation.

"Our new products are highlighted on the home page and links to our blog keep visitors up to date with new developments. I think it's interesting that even though many automation components have almost become commodities, particularly in the replacement market, very few businesses have invested in e-commerce.

"The consumer  and more advanced B2B markets are already developing and using mCommerce (mobile commerce) solutions and yet few people in engineering are thinking on that level yet.

"It's ironic that the automation sector has countless mobile monitoring and bring-your-own-device apps, for everything from simple inverter or PLC communications all the way to SCADA and DCS management, and yet it's still difficult to buy a trustworthy motor online."

The new website comes just months after the company opened a branch in South Africa after receiving a record number of inquiries coming from the Sub Saharan continent. 

Active filter assures power quality

CP Automation has formed a new joint venture project with Swedish active filter manufacturer Comsys AB, a technology leader in power quality solutions. The new venture allows CP Automation to act as a complete one stop for both passive and active harmonic solutions.

Comsys AB’s products eliminate operational disturbances and promote efficient energy usage. The business is built around onsite measurements, power quality analysis and solutions based on ADF active filter core technology to optimise electrical equipment operation and minimise disturbances.

Comsys provides ADF for OEM use, helping manufacturers of industrial equipment to cut power consumption and guarantee their customers that the products will not disturb nearby equipment, complying with set standards like IEEE519, G5/4 and EN61000-2-2.

Conventional techniques for dealing with power quality problems use fixed filter banks configured to match a specific installation. At best these solutions only compensate for 60-80% of the losses due to their relatively slow response times. With the introduction of active conditioners, such as ADF, response times are brought down to microseconds.

“CP Automation is a well established partner in the automation and drives, sector, primarily in the UK but also internationally,” said Rickard Jacobson, account manager at Comsys AB.

“Our biggest market today is the provision of frequency converters to handle the problems that variable frequency drives create. This means that a player that is active and doing a good job of serving both manufacturers and systems integrators is a good match for our company.

“For the customer, benefits of working with our partnership include a reduction in production downtime, reduced overheating in attached equipment and energy savings from decreased electrical losses.

“Comsys is going to supply seven ADF P300 units for the new MAX IV science lab in Lund, Sweden. The installation is under construction and, when complete, it will be one of the most advanced facilities in the world, rivalling CERN for investigating new materials by using beamlines,” concluded Jacobson.

The ADF P300 is an advanced, computer-controlled current generator connected in parallel with the load requiring compensation. The flow of electrical current between the load and the network is measured and analysed to determine losses such as reactive displacement and/or the presence of harmonics.

Whenever necessary, ADF injects opposite phase current to cancel out harmonics and/or reactive displacement, correcting electrical behaviour. The resulting energy profile appears ideal to the rest of the grid network.


ADF functionality is achieved by using state-of-the-art signal processing and advanced control structures to direct the power flow to and from the machine. Energy can be temporarily stored in the ADF making it possible to also deliver energy back to the grid.

Automation expert acquires Midlands workspace

Tony Young and Simon Dean
outside the brand new offices in Stone.

Industrial Automation expert Euroserv Ltd has acquired an additional workshop facility in the Midlands and hired Simon Dean as workshop manager. Located near Stone, Staffordshire, the new premises will allow the company more room to grow as a business. Euroserv is the sister company of sales and service specialist CP Automation.  

Euroserv will be able to offer its services to large OEMs, including those with which the company already has business relationships in the Midlands, as well as new customers in the area. The company chose organic growth instead of acquisition.

“The original plan was to look at buying a business, but then it was decided with the team at Euroserv in Sunderland that we would strategically follow this route instead,” explained Tony Young Managing Director of CP Automation.

“In the last seven years, Euroserv has grown dramatically. We were looking at moving into an additional unit next door or to a new unit altogether because we have completely outgrown the current space in Sunderland.

“A new unit in Stone made perfect sense. After having discussions with the team in Sunderland, we decided that the long term aim is to generate more business here in the Midlands that we have not been able to service to our high standards before - due to locality.

“I'm sure we're going to be repeating the success we had when we started up in Sunderland and, in the longer term, increasing the size of the workshops in Stone,” concluded Young.

Simon Dean adds: “Having worked in the servo motor repair industry for many years, I plan to bring several customers on board. We've got good relationships with big OEMs in the country that have facilities in the Midlands.

“We want to make customers aware of what we do and to target the Midlands with our message about service and repair.”

Maintenance specialist launches bespoke inventory evaluation service

~ New offering helps manufacturers make use of their assets and reduce capital expenditure ~ 

Field service and maintenance specialist CP Automation has launched an inventory evaluation service for UK manufacturers. The system represents a solution to warehousing problems, providing engineering managers with a report on the condition and quantity of shelved spares. The system can help cut costs by reducing waste and giving manufacturers the option to manage their assets more efficiently. 

Inventory Evaluation Service can significantly reduce capital expenditure

Managing a warehouse, as well as keeping a firm grip on the associated manufacturing processes, isn’t an easy task. Furthermore, because they are rarely the top priority for most manufacturing directors, spare parts and standby equipment are usually forgotten on a dusty shelf until the next application failure.

Not knowing whether spares are fully functional can lead to costly additional downtime and increased maintenance expense. As a result, correctly testing and labelling working equipment as it goes into storage is crucial.

CP Automation’s new solution ensures that critical inventory is tested and returned to the shelf ready to go. “Our Inventory Evaluation Service gives maintenance teams confidence when replacing faulty gear and increases their ability to investigate equipment failures,” explained John Mitchell, business development manager at CP Automation. “Furthermore, new parts can also be sourced on request, while broken ones can be repaired.” 

The system has already been successfully tested by companies ranging from blue chip manufacturers to smaller, specialist businesses. In all instances, the evaluation service aims to help when budgets and engineer’s time are stretched to the limit. 

“Knowing that the part is ready to go into your application when needed is crucial for both maintenance and production teams,” continued Mitchell. “The savings made this way can be significant.  Furthermore, to compliment this, our workshops are fully equipped to rapidly identify faults and component failures”, he concluded.

The Inventory Evaluation Service can also be used to successfully scrap an entire line or large quantities of obsolete parts. The CP Automation evaluation team will assess the parts and, if required, dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way and in accordance with regulations such as WEEE (The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive).

Appointment set to help industry mitigate for maintenance knowledge and skills shortage

~ New CP Automation business development manager has a passion for sustainable growth ~

Business development specialist John Mitchell has joined electrical supply, repair and field service provider CP Automation from Rockwell’s customer support and maintenance division. Mitchell’s objective at CP Automation is to help companies mitigate for a skills gap and labour shortage that he believes is costing European industry millions every year.

European manufacturers are estimated to spend over €400 billion on maintenance activities per annum. However, approximately 30% of failed items can be repaired at half the cost of buying replacements, creating a potential 15% saving.

Furthermore, only five new appointments are made for every ten maintenance workers who retire. This leaves maintenance teams over burdened and creates an ever increasing skills gap, as knowledgeable and experienced workers leave industry.

The new business development manager says, “The average age of the maintenance workforce is 48 so the pace of retirement is likely to increase in the mid-term future.”

Thanks to his apprenticeship at Texas Instruments, Mitchell understands how vital it is to keep plant downtime to a minimum. “Manufacturers spend 40% of their time on reactive maintenance with little left to get to the root cause of the problem. The irony is that 60% of preventative maintenance activities are actually unnecessary, so getting the right plan in place is essential.”

Mitchell, who is expecting a baby girl in summer 2011, enjoys cycling and other sports. He spends much of his spare time on the family’s allotment where he grows vegetables and passionately believes that quality energy sources are crucial for a healthy lifestyle.

Mitchell believes that CP Automation is in a mode of growth and that his experience in engineering, marketing and sales, across all major industry sectors will bring additional
know-how to an already established team.

Ends: 312 words

Editor’s note: The statistics in this document are sourced from Maintenance Technology, Plant Services and ARC Advisory Group.

For further information contact:
Tony Young, CP Automation
Unit 8, Ashley Industrial Estate, Exmoor Avenue,
Scunthorpe, DN15 8NJ
Telephone: +44 (0)1724 851 515
Fax: +44 (0)1724 851516
www: http://www.cpaltd.net/ and http://www.euroservltd.net/
e-mail: tony.young@cpaltd.net

Press enquiries: Richard Stone or Oana Baetica
Business Innovation Centre, Staffordshire Technology Park,
Beaconside, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0AR
Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 225416
e-mail: richards@stonejunction.co.uk or oana@stonejunction.co.uk
www: http://www.stonejunction.co.uk/ 
Blog: http://www.stone-junction.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/richiestone
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/technicalPR
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/technicalpragency

About CP Automation: CP Automation is a specialist in the repair and replacement of automation equipment including electronic boards, PLCs and Ac and DC drives. It was established to provide an independent maintenance service, without exclusive ties to any manufacturer. However, it does have strong relationships with the principal inverter, encoder, resistors and motor manufacturers.

Ref: CPA048/05/11

About the authors

Tony Young is a director of CP Automation, the specialist in the repair and replacement of automation equipment including electronic boards, PLCs and Ac and DC drives. It was established to provide an independent maintenance service, without exclusive ties to any manufacturer. However, it does have strong relationships with the principal inverter, encoder, resistor and motor manufacturers. He can be contacted at tony.young@cpaltd.net.

Richard Stone is the managing director of technical PR and online marketing company Stone Junction. He provides services ranging from media relations and Blogging to e-mail marketing and Web site content provision. His past experience includes campaigns on behalf of companies such as Schneider Electric, WorldCom, SKF and Parker Hannifin. He is also the editor of daily marketing Blog Insights into PR and Marketing. Contact him at richards@stonejunction.co.uk.

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Address: CP Automation Ltd
Ashley Inustrial Estate
Unit 8
Exmoor Avenue
Scunthorpe
DN15 8NJ

Telephone: +44 (0) 1724 85 15 15
Fax: +44 (0) 1724 85 15 16

Email Addresses:

Chris Chu - Technical - Manager chris.chu@cpaltd.net
Peter Scott - Service Manager - peter.scott@cpaltd.net
Tony Young - Finance Director - tony.young@cpaltd.net
John Mitchell - Business Development Manager - john.mitchell@cpaltd.net