Austrian automation firm Bernecker & Rainer (B&R) has appointed DAANET as its exclusive Australian group of distributors, following supplier Rockwell Automation’s decision earlier this year to terminate business with the group.
Though previously unknown by the majority of local industry companies, B&R expects its new deal with the DAANET group will allow the two firms to take on the likes of Rockwell Automation in the industrial control and safety sector.
“We have been considered the absolute leader in automation technology for the last 30 years,” said B&R international sales manager Australia, New Zealand, Stefan Zeintl, at a press event held by the two companies in Sydney in October. “We are not a ‘me too’ company; we offer outstanding services for our customers.”
B&R tripled the size of its production facility in Austria over the past year, allowing the premises to cater for future expected growth which B&R expects to be spearheaded through its new Australian distribution deal.
B&R’s automation technology offerings include a range of PLC, open PC-based control, I/O, HMI, and safety and motion products. The company employs 330 engineers in its Austrian research and development department alone and earned 300 million Euros revenue in 2008.
According to Zeintl, B&R’s products are extremely advanced and lower the amount of time engineers are required to spend on maintenance. The product portfolio can offer cycles times down to 200 microseconds. Scalability is also a benefit of B&R’s automation products, with systems offering the same functionality for low- and high-end applications.
B&R manufactures 100 per cent of its products at its manufacturing facility and headquarters in Austria, and employs more than 1,700 people worldwide. According to Zeintl, B&R automation solutions offer industrial firms very high capability, scalable, powerful products and good price points.
According to Excell Control manager and member of DAANET, Sean Smith, the distributor expects “steep growth” to result for the company off the back of its deal with B&R.
“We are hoping for quantum growth [as a result of this deal]. Not many customers know about B&R yet; it is a quiet achiever, but it should make a huge splash on the Australian market.”
According to Smith, DAANET was “courted” by a variety of large industrial automation vendors after Rockwell Automation streamlined its distribution channels earlier this year and broke professional ties with DAANET representatives.
This opened-up an opportunity for a multinational automation vendor to leverage the powerful DAANET coverage, which includes 17 distributors in 21 locations throughout Australia and New Zealand.
DAANET expects its new partnership with B&R to become a “significant force in the local automation market.”
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