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RS and Banner Engineering deliver plug-and-play Industry 4.0 sensors engineered for problem-solving

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Banner Engineering’s extensive selection of flexible and feature-rich sensors natively optimized for Industry 4.0 solve common challenges — ranging from space constraints, complex wiring, and difficult target detection to skilled labor shortages — in cross-market discrete and process manufacturing and logistics applications.

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RS, a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, offers Banner Engineering’s extensive portfolio of sensor solutions, including its broad and growing line of advanced non-contact sensors natively optimized for Industry 4.0.

Solve common challenges ranging from space constraints, complex wiring, & difficult target detection to labor shortages.

Industry 4.0 technologies, like industrial automation systems and IIoT networks, are proven to enhance personnel and equipment safety, improve process efficiency, consistency, reliability, and profitability improvements, and minimize downtime and maintenance costs. As such, industrial organizations continue to accelerate their deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies and scale existing industrial automation systems and IIoT networks in their discrete and process manufacturing and material handling and packaging applications. This is especially true for those with tighter profit margins — like food and beverage, automotive, EV, and battery manufacturers and logistics companies — and is driving surging growth in the global industrial sensors market, which is projected to more than double in size over the next eight years — rocketing to a value of $69.95 billion by 2034.

Banner Engineering’s range of advanced non-contact sensors natively optimized for Industry 4.0 applications is engineered with these customers in mind. These sensors are:

Cost effective. They minimize downstream expenses ranging from material waste to unplanned downtime to maximize total cost of ownership (TCO).Easy to integrate. They’re compatible with both modern and legacy infrastructure and employ standard hardware connectivity, pushbutton calibration, and plug-and play network adapters to simplify and expedite commissioning and eliminate wiring errors, which is especially beneficial for organizations suffering from the impacts of persistent skilled labor shortages. Highly scalable. They allow industrial customers to start small and evaluate ROI before scaling and achieve non-linear revenue growth without a proportional, linear spike in overhead.

They also support IO-Link communication, which eliminates EMI/RFI and the cost of associated solutions, like shielded cable, and enables:

In-depth, real-time self-diagnostics key to identifying and resolving issues before they result in downtimeAutomated device replacement (ADR) essential for no-skill-required sensor replacement and quickly getting back up and running with the same configuration and parameter settingsDynamic remote configuration crucial for seamless, rapid product changeoversPredictive maintenance indispensable for optimizing maintenance schedules and reducing unplanned downtime

Each of Banner Engineering’s advanced non-contact sensors optimized for Industry 4.0 applications is also designed to help industrial customers solve common challenges ranging from space constraints, complex wiring, and difficult target detection to skilled labor shortages. For example:

Banner Engineering’s Q20-2 Series compact photoelectric sensors deliver powerful sensing performance in a compact rectangular package that helps avoid major machine redesigns and features standard 3mm mounting holes on 25.4mm spacing to simplify mounting in both new-build and retrofit applications.

Polarized retroreflective variants accurately and reliably detect targets of any color at distances up to 5m and are ideally suited for detecting dark and shiny objects. They also feature best-in-class optical-to-mechanical alignment for consistent lock-and-load mounting and visible red LEDs to simplify precision alignment and are available with single-turn gain potentiometers and/or light/dark operating switches for on-sensor adjustmentsInfrared laser measurement variants utilize time-of-flight technology to accurately and reliably detect targets up to 3m away. They also feature IO-Link communication, which simplifies wiring, visible red alignment LEDs that further simplify and expedite setup, and PulsePro outputs that enable direct integration with Banner Pro lighting for real-time visual feedback without a PLC.
 

Banner Engineering’s QS18 Series all-purpose photoelectric sensors deliver maximum mounting and application flexibility in a universal IP67/NEMA 6 housing available with an 18mm threaded lens or side mounts. This diverse, tiered product line offers an industry-leading selection of different sensing technologies (laser, ultrasonic, and fiber optic) and sensing modes (opposed, polarized and non-polarized retroreflective, convergent, regular and wide-angle diffuse, small-spot diffuse, fixed field, and mechanical or electronic adjustable field), as well as AC and DC voltage models. This extreme flexibility allows them to accurately and reliably detect an expansive range of target materials — including clear and dark targets — and makes them ideally suited for replacing hundreds of other sensor styles — and solving myriad challenges — in applications across industries. They have bright, 360° LED indicators designed to clearly convey operating status at a glance and help prevent costly downtime, and they support maximum detection ranges extending from 15mm to 30m and maximum operating temperatures spanning 50–70°C. QS18 Series sensors are also available in models that support easy, pushbutton TEACH-mode setup, potentiometer setup, and mechanical screw adjustments and offer integrated IO-Link capabilities that simplify complex wiring, installation, preventative maintenance, and sensor backup.

Banner Engineering’s Q4X Series rugged, all-purpose laser distance measurement sensors deliver rugged durability, versatility, superior performance, and exceptional precision in heavy-duty, FDA-grade, IP69K stainless steel housings built to survive overtightening, high impact forces, and extreme machine vibration and equipped with a bright, angled, four-digit distance display that gives real-time feedback and helps dramatically reduce installation costs and troubleshooting time. They’re available in 30 different models with discrete, 0–10V or 4–20mA analog, and IO-Link outputs, maximum sensing distances extending from 25–610mm, clear object and high-resolution capabilities, and a dual-teach mode function that combines light intensity and distance tracking to reliably detect clear objects without a retroreflector and error-proof challenging applications. They also support easy setup with responsive buttons and use laser triangulation to accurately measure variations in distance and reliably detect even challenging target colors and surfaces — including very dark and uneven colors and highly reflective surfaces — which makes them ideally suited for a wide range of industries and applications.

For more information about the extensive selection of Banner Engineering sensor solutions available at RS — including advanced non-contact sensors natively optimized for Industry 4.0 applications, such as the Q20-2 Series compact photoelectric sensors, QS18 Series all-purpose photoelectric sensors, and Q4X Series rugged, all-purpose laser distance measurement sensors — please visit the links embedded here and check out “Industrial sensors enable accurate, reliable automation,” the new RS Expert Advice interview with Mitch Andrejka, the Global Sensor Product Manager at Banner Engineering.

For more expert insights from Banner Engineering, click to explore their other contributions to the RS Expert Advice Series. For assistance identifying, procuring, or integrating Banner sensors into your industrial applications, please contact your local RS representative at 1.866.433.5722 or reach out to the RS technical support team.

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About RS
RS is a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, enabling them to operate efficiently and sustainably. We operate in 33 markets, stock over 875,000 industrial and specialist products, and list an additional five million relevant for our industrial customers, sourced from over 2,500 suppliers. This extensive range supports our customers across the industrial lifecycle of designing, building, and maintaining equipment and operations. We enhance their experience through a tailored service model, leveraging our efficient physical, digital, and process infrastructure sustainably. We combine a technically led and digitally enabled approach with an exceptional team of experts; ultimately, it’s our people that make the difference. Our purpose, making amazing happen for a better world, reflects our focus on delivering results for people, planet, and profit. 

RS Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange with stock ticker RS1, and in the year ended March 31, 2026, reported revenue of $3,871.07 million. For more information, please visit https://www.rsgroup.com/ or connect with us on LinkedIn or X (Twitter).

About RS in the Americas
In the Americas region, RS stocks more than 250,000 industrial and electronic products from more than 700 trusted suppliers. These solutions cover categories extending from automation and control equipment to interconnect, passive, active, and electromechanical components and include more than 90,000 high-quality, competitively priced RS PRO products. For more information, please visit https://us.rs-online.com or connect with us via social media on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Editorial Contact & Media Inquiries:
Laurie Tortorello, Director of People & Culture Communications, RS Americas
Laurie.Tortorello@rsgroup.com

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Triskell Software unveils new AI capabilities in its 2026 SP2 Release

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MADRID, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Triskell Software, a leading provider of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) and Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) solutions, announces an expansion of its artificial intelligence capabilities with the release of Triskell 2026 SP2.

Building on previous innovations, Triskell Software integrates enhanced AI capabilities into everyday workflows, enabling organizations to analyze portfolio information, automate routine operations, optimize resource allocation, and interact with project data using natural language.

The update also introduces the Triskell MCP Server, enabling organizations to connect compatible external AI assistants to their Triskell environment.

AI-Powered Project and Portfolio Management
Through the Triskell AI Assistant, users can analyze project data, generate summaries and charts, identify resource constraints, and support portfolio decision-making using natural-language instructions.

The assistant also simplifies everyday operations, including creating project objects, updating timesheets, generating SQL queries, configuring business rules, and translating or summarizing content.

“One of our main objectives with AI is to make portfolio management more intuitive and accessible. We want users to spend less time navigating data and performing repetitive tasks, and more time making decisions that create business value,” explains Angel Garcia, CEO of Triskell Software.

Triskell MCP Server: Connecting PPM with external AI Assistants
One of the most significant innovations is the Triskell MCP Server, built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard connecting AI applications with external systems.

It enables compatible AI assistants to retrieve project information, analyze portfolio data, and execute supported actions directly through conversational interfaces, without constantly switching applications.

For example, users can ask an external AI assistant to retrieve project information, review attributes, create project objects, or record timesheet entries.

“The introduction of the Triskell MCP Server is an important step in our AI strategy. By extending Triskell beyond its traditional interface, we are making portfolio information more accessible through the AI tools and workflows organizations increasingly use,” adds Angel Garcia.

AI tailored to business needs
This new release also introduces an AI Knowledge Base, enabling organizations to upload corporate documentation and obtain contextualized responses using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology.

Additionally, Custom AI Skills allow administrators to configure specific AI instructions for different business contexts, adapting how the assistant interprets project and portfolio information.

To strengthen data governance, the new Data Security module allows administrators to exclude sensitive attributes from information shared with external AI providers.

Organizations can also choose between Triskell’s built-in OpenAI provider and other supported providers, including Anthropic, Google Gemini, and Mistral.

These enhancements reinforce Triskell Software’s commitment to making portfolio management more intelligent, connected, and efficient while helping organizations improve decision-making and align strategic objectives with execution.

About Triskell Software
Triskell is an enterprise solution focusing on Strategy Execution Management with advanced Project Portfolio Management features, helping to fill the gap between planning and proper execution. Triskell allows companies to plan, prioritize, manage and monitor their organization’s initiatives from one centralized platform.

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Pudu Robotics Opens European Headquarters in Germany to Support Continued Growth Across the Region

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NEUSS, Germany, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pudu Robotics, a global leader in commercial robotics, today announced the opening of its European headquarters in Neuss, Germany, strengthening its local operating capabilities as its business continues to expand across the region.

The new headquarters brings together sales, product demonstrations, training, warehousing and after-sales services, reinforcing Pudu Robotics’ investment in the local infrastructure and customer support needed to scale robotic deployments across European markets.

Strong Growth and Scaled Deployments Across Europe

Pudu Robotics’ business spans more than 20 countries across Europe, reflecting its expanding presence throughout the region. Over the past two years, markets including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic and Poland have each recorded annual business growth of more than 60%.

The company serves customers across 16 industries, including retail, food and beverage, hospitality, healthcare, transportation, education, and more. Its European customers include leading retailers and hospitality groups such as EDEKA, Albert Heijn, Carrefour, Marriott, Van der Valk, Pizza Hut, Intermarché and Denner, as well as major transportation hubs such as Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

A notable example is Denner, a leading Swiss supermarket chain, which has deployed more than 200 PUDU CC1 Series cleaning robots across its store network. The deployment illustrates how autonomous cleaning can scale in demanding retail environments, where reliability, store-specific workflows and consistent service support are essential.

Supporting deployments of this scale requires more than supplying robotic equipment. Pudu works with customers to adapt deployment plans to store layouts and operating patterns, while providing technical assistance and ongoing operational support. This combination helps customers integrate robotic cleaning into daily operations and expand its use across their businesses.

Building Local Capabilities to Support Customers

Pudu Robotics’ European growth is supported by an operating model built around local teams, regional partners and service infrastructure. The company continues to invest in local capabilities to strengthen collaboration with customers and partners and provide support throughout the deployment lifecycle.

Across Europe, Pudu has nearly 50 sales professionals supporting channel partners and customer projects, alongside nearly 40 technical support personnel serving different markets and deployments. Its local infrastructure includes a service center in Germany and warehousing facilities in the Netherlands and Germany for whole-robot inventory and spare parts, helping support delivery coordination and service responsiveness.

The company also works closely with local distributors, system integrators and service providers to support market development, deployment and ongoing maintenance. Within its European subsidiaries, Pudu has established local organizational structures and operational objectives, with continued investment in sales and service teams, warehousing and local service networks.

By combining local market knowledge and service capabilities with its global technical resources, Pudu aims to help customers deploy robotic solutions more effectively across diverse operating environments. Multilingual support in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and other languages further facilitates collaboration across the region.

A Regional Hub for the Next Phase of Growth

Located in Neuss, Germany, the new European headquarters brings together office operations, a product showroom, warehousing, training, sales, after-sales service and repair capabilities, all of which are now operational. The facility supports product demonstrations, customer engagement, distributor training and local service delivery, while providing a hub for coordinating regional business activities.

The headquarters complements Pudu Robotics’ existing European offices, partner network and warehousing infrastructure in the Netherlands and Germany. Together, these resources strengthen coordination across sales, deployment and after-sales support, providing a foundation for continued growth across the region.

Looking ahead, Pudu Robotics will continue to develop its local operating capabilities, deepen collaboration with regional partners and expand the application of its robotic solutions across industries, supporting customers as robotics becomes increasingly integrated into everyday operations.

“Europe is an important growth market for Pudu Robotics. As adoption expands, customers need more than reliable robotic solutions—they need local teams and service capabilities that can support deployment and ongoing operations over the long term. Our European headquarters in Neuss strengthens our ability to work closely with partners and customers across the region and support the next phase of our growth,” said Bella Sun, Vice President and General Manager for Europe at Pudu Robotics.

About Pudu Robotics

Pudu Robotics is a global commercial robotics leader dedicated to empowering easier work and better lives through AI and robotics, with a vision of building a global intelligent robotics infrastructure serving 10 billion people worldwide.

Pudu has pioneered a “One Brain, Multiple Embodiments” architecture spanning specialized, semi-humanoid, and humanoid robots. Pudu develops robotic solutions across commercial and home robotics, with a portfolio spanning service delivery, commercial cleaning, industrial delivery, general embodied AI, commercial grounds care, and consumer lawn care.

With over 130,000 robots shipped and a presence in more than 85 countries and regions, Pudu serves customers across diverse industries, including retail, hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, real estate and property services, education, entertainment and sport, and public services.

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As AI Gets Smarter, Healthcare Education Must Get More Human

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WHITTIER, Calif., Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into healthcare, the next generation of healthcare professionals will need more than technological proficiency. They will need stronger critical thinking, clinical judgment, and interpersonal skills to ensure that advances in technology translate into better care for patients, according to Tamara Rozhon, EdD, Provost of Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU).

AI is already helping healthcare professionals analyze medical images, support clinical decisions, and advance research. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains a list of AI-enabled medical devices authorized for marketing, while the World Health Organization identifies applications across clinical care, drug development, and health systems management.

As access to information expands, Rozhon says that educators must place greater emphasis on how students evaluate and apply it. Future healthcare professionals need to assess the evidence, recognize potential bias and error, consider ethical concerns, and determine whether an AI-generated finding makes sense for an individual patient.

“The best healthcare requires not just understanding patient data, but understanding patients: their individual circumstances, preferences, goals, aspirations, and all the factors that may be supporting or hindering their health and well-being,” Rozhon says.

For educators, this means designing learning experiences and assessments that require students to question and defend an answer and make sound decisions in the context of a real person. Clinical experiences must also strengthen listening, empathy, communication, judgment, and connection. These abilities become increasingly important as technology takes on more of the work of generating and synthesizing information.

“Perhaps the greatest challenge for health sciences education, then, is not keeping pace with artificial intelligence. It is developing the human intelligence required to use it well,” says Rozhon.

Read Rozhon’s full perspective: “As AI Gets Smarter, Healthcare Education Must Get More Human.”

About Southern California University of Health Sciences

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is one of the world’s only Integrative, Whole Health universities—teaching students to blend the best of conventional medicine with proven complementary approaches, and to treat the whole person (body, mind, and spirit). Founded in 1911, SCU has been challenging convention and pushing healthcare forward for more than 100 years. Today, the institution offers graduate, undergraduate, and certificate programs in a wide range of disciplines, including Chiropractic, Sports Medicine, Physical & Occupational Therapy, Genetic Counseling, Genetics & Genomics, Medical Science, Physician Assistant, Ayurveda, Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Whole Health Leadership, and beyond. Learn more at scuhs.edu.

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SOURCE Southern California University of Health Sciences

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