Mitsubishi Electric and Ashdale Engineering celebrate 35 years of partnership

Mitsubishi Electric and its Automation Solution Partner, Ashdale Engineering, are celebrating 35 years of partnership, focused on bringing highly customised, effective automation solutions to a variety of industries in Northern Ireland.

Spanning over three decades that featured significant technical innovations, the anniversary marks an occasion to look back at key achievements reached by the two companies and how their relationship has grown.

During this 35-year period, Mitsubishi Electric has assisted the electrical engineering and system integration specialist with state-of-the art equipment technical support. This dedication to helping Ashdale Engineering deliver value-adding solutions to the market has been driving the company’s competitiveness as well as that of its customers.

Ashdale Engineering, in turn, has continued to grow and become an integral Automation Solution Partner. From investing in talent to training members of its team to become Mitsubishi Electric Certified Engineers, the company has ensured that it can help end users and OEMs benefit from the latest advances in automation.

Over time, Ashdale Engineering has also become one of the largest stockists of Mitsubishi Electric equipment in the region and has had its facility recognised as a Centre of Technical Excellence. Also, thanks to the close relationship with the automation vendor, it has been shedding a unique light on the needs of different industries to help the development of new products.

In addition to offering new, cutting-edge solutions to companies across industry, the longstanding partners have been upgrading machines and existing setups, extending equipment service life while ensuring high reliability. In particular, one of the first Mitsubishi Electric PLCs installed by Ashdale Engineering in a mill approximately 35 years ago is still running today.

Paul Ford, general manager at Ashdale Engineering, comments: “We’re confident and proud to offer Mitsubishi Electric products as part of our solutions and it’s an honour and privilege to work with a partner that values the business relationship so highly. We were first drawn to the company for the reliability and broad range of its products, which we still recognise to this day, but we quickly came to release that there was so much more that we could benefit from.

“The high level of technical support, mutual trust, collaborative approach and shared vision have helped us to deliver best-in-class projects for our customers. Northern Ireland is a melting pot of different industries, all with highly specific needs, and we strive to deliver the best solution possible for every project with great effort and tenacity.”

Adrian Gubbins, factory automation business unit manager at Mitsubishi Electric, concludes: “Nurturing our Automation Solution Partner base is extremely important for us, and we couldn’t be prouder to have such a remarkable and longstanding relationship with Ashdale Engineering. The company is a true solution provider, as it goes above and beyond to understand customer requirements and help them benefit from the exact system that they need to succeed.

“One project I remember fondly is how we worked hard with our partner to develop a highly customised interface that would address the very specific needs of a local water treatment facility. Over the years, this same approach has helped us push the boundaries of what is possible, helping to create highly innovative and ambitious setups. Even more, we truly appreciate their unique insights, as they help shape our development activities based on real industry needs. We look forward to working together for another 35 years and beyond.”