A fruitful development partnership as well as a trusting and reliable relationship such as the one that has existed between Canadian machine manufacturer Husky Injection Molding Systems and control system supplier Beckhoff for roughly 20 years now is a rarity these days. Husky recently underscored this by honouring Beckhoff with its EMEA Supplier Award at the K 2019 trade show held in Germany.
John Galt (right), president of Husky Injection Molding Systems, presents the award to Hans Beckhoff.
When Husky chose Beckhoff as its control systems supplier in 1999, the renowned company was ready to step off the beaten path and work with a pioneer in the area of PC-based control technology. Beckhoff was still a relatively young and small company at the time, so Husky’s decision was not without risk. That the company decided to move forward with the relationship was based on its trust in the trailblazing potential of the PC-based control philosophy of Hans Beckhoff. The openness of the industrial PC platform, based on Windows standards, opened up a new world of competitive benefits for Husky. It replaced the legacy control concept, which was based on a multitude of dedicated controllers and PLC hardware, with a single industrial PC and TwinCAT as an integrated software platform.
During the development phase, it quickly became apparent that Beckhoff, with a strong innovative spirit, was the perfect match for Husky as the technology leader in high-performance injection moulding machines. After a successful trial phase, Husky went into series production with Beckhoff control systems and declared them the standard for its entire machine portfolio. It was also one of the first companies to rely on the fast EtherCAT standard introduced to the market by Beckhoff in 2003. With EtherCAT, Husky’s machines not only became faster, but also more accurate, which in turn increased performance and quality, while making them more resource-efficient. The technical and economic success of both companies went hand in hand with these developments.
In Beckhoff, Husky has found a supplier with great flexibility and a global distribution network that ensures quick response times, service and support. As an owner-managed company, Beckhoff also stands for dependable cooperation without sudden strategy changes, for continuity in support from long-term contract persons, and for quick decision-making infrastructures when solving technical challenges.
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