The Drives & Controls Show which took place at the Birmingham NEC in early June, was one of the most successful ever. The event attracted 103 exhibitors – 16% more than the previous show held in April 2008, before the worst effects of the recession had been felt.

The US motor-maker Regal Beloit has acquired the Dutch motor supplier Rotor for an undisclosed sum. Rotor, with headquarters in Eibergen, the Netherlands, sells standard and special motors to customers in industries including the marine, ship-building and offshore oil and gas sectors. Rotor also sells throughout Europe and in Japan. Its current management team will continue to lead the company following the acquisition.

The German geared drives manufacturer Stober has joined forces with the rack specialist Atlanta to develop a compact, efficient rack-and-pinion drive system with a built-in output bearing housing – a stiff supporting assembly for the pinion which relieves the load on the flange-mounted planetary gear bearings.

At the recent Drives & Controls show in the UK, Schneider Electric unveiled a range of compact variable speed drives that can be programmed and controlled wirelessly via Bluetooth. There was also a new range of easy-to-use soft-starts.