5 mins with… Brian Preston - CP Automation UK Ltd.

• Can you tell us about your business, when it was formed and what you do?

CP Automation specialise in delivering bespoke motor control, power quality and energy saving solutions for an increasingly broad spectrum of customers and industries providing niche products, services and solutions that eliminate problems for our Customers.

For the lift industry specifically, CPA had supplied braking resistors and regeneration solutions for over 20 years before taking the opportunity to acquire the Magnetek UK lift business in June 2020 to further expand our offering to the industry. We now supply and support Magnetek products throughout the EMEA Region and have also added Yaskawa and Nidec Control Techniques lift specific solutions to our inverter portfolio. In addition to inverters, we also supply regenerative and UPS solutions amongst others for a variety of different applications.

• How many times have you attended the Lift & Escalator Symposium?

I have enjoyed attending the Symposium since 2017 and first exhibited as Magnetek when an opportunity arose in 2018. As CPA, we have exhibited since the Symposium returned after the pandemic in 2022 and it is an event that is now firmly fixed in our marketing calendar every year.

• Why is it an important event for you to attend?

As a component and services provider, we tend to exist in our own small bubble of expertise and every year the Symposium delivers varied and thought-provoking presentations from industry experts that have really helped me develop a greater understanding of all aspects of a lift application. In addition, it is a great opportunity to meet and speak with Industry peers and hear about the challenges they are facing. These presentations and discussions often help define future paths for product development and services to ensure we can continue to meet the needs of our Customers.

• What will you be presenting/demonstrating?

This year we will be showcasing the services side of our business with a particular focus on the growing, but often mis-diagnosed, problem of poor power quality and it’s impact in causing unreliable lift operation and premature component failure.

• What would you say are the key themes you’re seeing with customers this year?

The release of BS9991:2024 and the imminent publication of EN81-76 have led to many conversations regarding the implications of the new standards. People are now further appreciating the importance of ongoing maintenance and testing of the UPS solutions that we supply and we are having more and more discussions with lift controller manufacturers about the implementation of serial interfaces to our UPS to automate some of that.

• What can delegates expect to see on your stand?

This year we will be showcasing the Services side of our business with a particular focus on the growing, but often mis-diagnosed, problem of poor power quality and it’s impact in causing unreliable lift operation and premature component failure. In addition, we will demonstrate some of the functionality available with serial/we based UPS connectivity and it’s benefits to both controller manufacturers and building owners.

• What would you say to anyone who hasn’t attended? Why should they visit?

I would recommend attending to anyone and to come with an open mind. The Symposium provides a great opportunity to learn more about some of the challenges the Industry is facing and also where the Industry is heading in future which is invaluable information for suppliers like us.

• Which sessions are you looking forward to the most?

I always enjoy the Keynote Speaker and look forward to hearing how ‘The Future Office’ will look this year. In addition, as a Company that supplies products to the relevant EMC standards, Rory Smith’s paper regarding EMC and it’s ineffectiveness should also be interesting to hear. However, this year in particular there are many diverse topics being covered and I am looking forward to hearing them being presented,.