Predictive maintenance solutions for GB & Ireland.

The launch of Megger Industrial Reliability in Britain and Ireland has been announced. This marks a significant milestone in the company’s evolution, driven by the strategic acquisitions of Diagnostic Solutions and Distance. The new division is dedicated to advancing reliability solutions within the industrial sector.

“Megger Industrial Reliability is about more than technology – it’s about partnership. We work side by side with our customers to understand their specific challenges and deliver solutions that guarantee results. By focusing on trust, collaboration, and measurable outcomes, we help businesses achieve lasting improvements in reliability and operational efficiency,” said Stephan Sommer, Industry Director at Megger Industrial Reliability

Megger Industrial Reliability is designed to reduce unplanned downtime and extend the lifespan of critical industrial assets. Using techniques such as vibration analysis and advanced monitoring tools, the division provides organisations with actionable data to improve decision-making and streamline maintenance processes.

The approach goes beyond providing technology, focusing on building strong relationships and ensuring success at every step. From commissioning systems on-site to delivering ongoing support, Megger partners with customers to develop tailored reliability plans that address unique challenges and deliver measurable results.

Three tailored packages are available to meet diverse industrial needs. Each package is designed to simplify maintenance workflows while providing expert insights and a clear path to optimising reliability. Whether customers are beginning their reliability journey or seeking to enhance an existing strategy, Megger offers a solution that aligns with their goals.

---

#Megger #TandM #Ireland #Britain

Hyperspectral imaging training.

Stemmer Imaging’s new dedicated British Customer Centre at its Tongham offices is devoted to customer activities and will host a free hyperspectral imaging training day on July 5th 2016. The completely refurbished 2-storey building not only houses a dedicated training room and a break-out area but also has a state of the art customer evaluation laboratory.

The new training room provides a comfortable learning environment, while the dedicated break-out area is ideal for networking during training sessions and any group activities that may form part of the courses. The brand new customer evaluation laboratory is equipped with the latest vision technology and will allow technical experts to work with customers on their own samples to find the best solution for their needs. The new centre will also be home to an expanded technical laboratory to accommodate the increasing levels of extended projects being handled on behalf of customers.

Mark Williamson, Director - Corporate Market Development, said: "It is great to have a completely separate building (our 3rd on the Tongham site) that we can devote to customer activities. Training is an important part of the added value that Stemmer Imaging offers its customers and the European Imaging Academy runs regular, practical hands-on training in a variety of different imaging topics. We are delighted that they will be running our inaugural 1-day free training for hyperspectral imaging."

“Hyperspectral imaging opens up new innovative inspection possibilities for machine vision users,” he continued. “The absorption behaviour of organic objects in the near infrared wavelength range can provide information on their chemical structure for identification and separation. Hyperspectral imaging is especially suited for the pharmaceutical and medical industry, for food processing, recycling, mining, wood processing and for document inspection, wherever ingredients and substances, which cannot be detected by conventional colour or monochrome images, need to be identified and separated reliably. The new ‘Perception Studio’ software from our supplier, Perception Park, means that specialist know-how in spectroscopy and time-consuming programming is no longer required. Based on this innovative software technology, Stemmer Imaging has offered complete hyperspectral systems since January 2016.”

• The 1-day training course is based on practical application examples and live demonstrations. This will cover not only the use of the Perception Studio software, but also the specific hardware components needed for hyperspectral imaging, such as spectrographs, cameras with different interfaces, special IR lenses and optimised illumination for the relevant range of wavelengths and much more.  Registration for this free training.

@stemmerimaging #PAuto #Training

Positions available in supplier to environment & occupational health sectors.

Leading designer and manufacturer of gas detection equipment for the environment and occupational health, Ion Science has announced a recruitment drive across a number of departments at its facility in Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire (GB) as a result of recent growth.

Ion Science has a number of key position vacancies including: Trainee Production Assistant, Company Buyer, Quality Control Technician, Trainee Marketing Assistant, Trainee Accounts Assistant, Customer Services Administrator  Building & Maintenance Person.

Although relevant experience will be required for some of the vacancies, full training and guidance will be given for the trainee roles especially and those with a ‘can-do’ attitude will be given every opportunity for career progression.

Madeleine Reynolds, Buyer & HR Administrator at Ion Science comments: “We are thrilled that the on-going success of Ion Science has meant we are able to recruit further and offer a number of positions across virtually all departments.

“It is an exciting time for the business with work recently starting on our new 1500 square metre facility in Fowlmere and we would encourage those looking for a new career path to apply immediately.

“We’re looking to attract candidates from a range of backgrounds and sectors who can demonstrate the relevant passion, skills and commitment to succeed in an extremely friendly, courteous and progressive environment.

While industry knowledge is valuable, Managing Director Duncan Johns, believes that a cultural fit is more essential. “We are looking for people who actively demonstrate our core values so that they will fit in with the Ion Science family. Along with a helpful, friendly and positive attitude, the right mindset is vital. We are looking forward to welcoming new members to the team as we move the business forward and by doing so, continue to contribute to the local economy.”

Ion Science offers a number of employee benefits including private healthcare, pension scheme, life assurance, bike purchase scheme, share options and bonus based on profitability and performance. The company also prides itself on an active social calendar including an annual UK or overseas short break for all staff.

Crane performs electronic acrobatics!

A crane control refurbishment project at Clydeport’s Hunterston terminal (GB) relies on Parker SSD AC890 series system drives to deliver pinpoint control in the unloading of coal from vessels. The massive crane can lift up to 36 tonnes of coal in a single grab, allowing loads to be deposited reliably and accurately into the dockside hopper, even in inclement Scottish weather and winds of 40mph or more.

Clydeport operates Scotland’s main west coast ports, with Hunterston located on the Clyde Estuary in North Ayrshire providing a world class bulk coal facility. Hunterston has the natural advantage of having one of the deepest sea entrance channels in northern Europe; does not have to be dredged on an annual basis, and is flexible enough to cope with even the largest vessels afloat – up to 350,000 tonnes.

Formerly known as the Hunterston Ore Terminal, the facility was built on reclaimed land in the late 1970s by the former British Steel Corporation to land iron ore and coal, the raw materials for the Ravenscraig Steel Plant (Motherwell). Ravenscraig closed in 1992 and the terminal was bought by the Glasgow-based Clydeport port management company to handle coal.

The long travel dockside crane at Hunterston is one of the largest in Britain, but at over 30 years old its control system was beginning to show its age. Relying on mechanical brakes and thruster brakes, operation could be a nerve wracking business in the typically challenging weather conditions. In addition, mechanical wear and damage were ongoing problems, with the squaring of wheels and worn out tracks. Modern ports demand absolute efficiency, and demurrage – the compensation paid to the owner of a vessel which has been delayed in port beyond the agreed time – can be considerable.

To inject a new lease of life into the crane, Clydeport decided on a major refurbishment of the control system, and put the project out to tender. Among the keys to success would be the ability to integrate seamlessly with the existing Ward Leonard field control system, and to provide regenerative braking with an active front end (AFE) tied to the dock power supply. The former would maintain Clydeport’s own engineering personnel’s familiarity with the system, giving them increased confidence, while the latter would be key to increased control and energy efficiency.

The tender was won by Stockport based system integrator T&M Machine Tools, with owner Tom Yates developing a control system built around Parker SSD AC890 series drives with AFE technology for regenerative braking. Yates comments: “AC drives normally dissipate braking energy by using dynamic braking resistors. However, crane applications can operate much more efficiently with an active front end. Here the drives are on a common DC bus where the overall system shares the line’s energy, with the active front end providing a clean, efficient method to regenerate the drive’s braking energy directly back into the line as required.”
Each of the crane’s legs has four 37kW motors. The control solution developed by Yates divides these into eight paired sets, each under the control of an AC890 drive.

The control panel itself was built for Yates by the systems department at Parker SSD’s Littlehampton facility, which also provided full engineering support for the wider upgrade project. Yates worked closely with Parker SSD to develop the AFE regenerative braking system, with the full regenerative operation giving the crane drivers pinpoint joystick control of the traverse movement of this massive crane. “The AFE regenerative braking allows a lot of energy to be dissipated very quickly, giving very accurate control even in heavy winds,” says Yates.

The crane can lift up to 36 tonnes of coal in a single grab, raising it 100ft or more out of the vessel and into a dockside hopper, which feeds the coal onto a conveyor system away from the dockside. In a business where speed is critical if demurrage is to be avoided, the Hunterston terminal boats unload at speeds of over 2000 tonnes per hour, ensuring a quick turnaround for carriers. “The operators find the refurbished crane much easier to drive, which gives them a lot more confidence, and so helps to boost unloading efficiency. They can drive the crane faster, confident that they have pinpoint accuracy of traverse movement. Even in high winds, the crane can perform electronic acrobatics,” says Yates. “Also, mechanical wear is significantly reduced, so maintenance requirements are simplified, and further potential for demurrage is eliminated.”

Testament to the success of the upgrade is the fact that T&M Machine Tools has been awarded the contract for a second crane. “This is another job where I shall definitely be working with Parker SSD,” says Yates. “The products are extremely capable, and the engineering support from Littlehampton is excellent.”

Quality standard award upgrade

Intepro Systems has been awarded ISO9001-2008 quality standard approval for its British and Irish facilities. Building on their well established ISO9001-2001 quality procedures meeting the additional requirements of the latest version of ISO9001-2008 further demonstrates Intepro’s continuing commitment to quality and total customer satisfaction.

Colin Sycamore, Global Support Manager for Intepro comments,"We are very pleased to have improved our quality standards to ISO9001-2008 levels as proof of our commitment to ensure our customer service is of the highest standard. We are committed to continuous ongoing improvements in quality management in every aspect of our business to ensure our customers get the best possible service and support from Intepro globally."

Having achieved the same quality standard in both its European facilities ensures a constant delivery of products and services to Intepro’s customers worldwide. Meeting the requirements of ISO9001-2008 and other industry specific quality standards is a global aim for Intepro Systems.

Pic: Intepro’s Global Support Manager Colin Sycamore and Nicky Charles, UK and Europe Support Manager, with their ISO9001-2008 certificate.

Dedicated sensors exhibition announced

In response to industry demand, Datateam Business Media, publishers of the Connecting Industry portfolio of publications, including the market leading Instrumentation magazine, is to launch a dedicated sensors exhibition. ‘Sensing Technology 2010’ will be held at the NEC, Birmingham, on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th September.

The event will include a variety of exhibitors showcasing the very latest sensor technologies, and informative seminars which will be presented in conjunction the Electronics, Sensors & Photonics KTN in the two Knowledge Transfer Suites. In addition, a networking lounge will be situated at the centre of the show for use by both exhibitors and visitors and is designed to aid business discussion and interaction.

This dedicated event will not only provide industry with access to what is new and available now, helping to resolve current needs and application challenges, but also a real insight into the exciting developments and technical innovations that are currently being undertaken - a look into the future so to speak! This approach will have tremendous benefit to visitors and delegates alike, who can use the information gained to consider, prepare and develop their own product or manufacturing innovations, helping to keep UK industry at the forefront of engineering excellence.

How to save energy: fieldbus conference topic

Starting from an initiative proposed by AIDA, the group of automotive manufacturing companies in Germany, that sought to improve the energy efficiency of their automated manufacturing plants, PROFIBUS International (PI) has developed and introduced PROFIenergy. This is a solution for the energy management of production equipment, which uses existing factory PROFINET communications to switch off selected equipment components or even entire systems during normal idle times, such as weekends and holidays, and also during other brief intervals and unscheduled pauses.

PROFIenergy is a vendor-neutral energy savings profile that has been developed in co-operation with a working group comprising many of the major equipment suppliers to the automobile automation and production industries. It allows the power consumption of automation equipment in manufacturing (such as robot assembly cells, laser cutters and sub-systems such as paint lines) to be managed over a PROFINET network. It offers an open and standardized means of controlling energy usage during planned and unplanned breaks in production. No external hard-wired systems are required, the profile can be integrated into individual components by means of a firmware update, and implementation into the first products is expected in 2010.

PROFIenergy technology will be described and explained further at the annual PROFIBUS and PROFINET User Conference, scheduled for 29-30 June 2010 at Stratford-on-Avon (GB), alongside several other papers that discuss how PROFIBUS and PROFINET systems can be integrated into energy management programmes, particularly in relation to energy efficient drives.

This major convention for users and potential users of modern automation systems offers the choice of three parallel styles of presentation, for each delegate to create the most effective and relevant learning experience in relation to his plant and experience. These three streams offer technical and user experience presentations; hands-on practical training and demonstrations of the hardware, fault finding techniques and remote diagnostics; and thirdly an exhibition of equipment from relevant suppliers, where experts and presenters will be on hand to explain how to apply their solutions on your plant application.

The Conference is an ideal venue for plant managers, engineers, instrument technicians and automation professionals to meet PROFIBUS and PROFINET users from different companies or industries, to discuss the benefits and techniques that have been applied in different situations: it is also an ideal way to introduce colleagues to the technology, and for them to learn about the practical aspects of applying and using PROFIBUS on a typical plant, in advance of their own automation or energy saving projects.

See also User Conference 2010!

High performance comms

Network cabling system provides high-performance communications at new data centre

An advanced network cabling system from the AMP NETCONNECT forms the heart of the internal communications system at a new data centre for Fidessa group plc, a major international supplier of financial markets trading solutions.

The system, designed and installed by Maxima, an approved Amp Netconnect partner, includes both Category 6 UTP (unshielded twisted pair) copper and OM3 multimode 50/125 fibre-optic cabling, and is housed in a new purpose-built facility known as Sentrum IV on the outskirts of Woking, Surrey (GB).

Fidessa is a leading supplier of multi-asset trading, portfolio analysis, decision support, compliance, market data and connectivity solutions for firms involved in trading the world’s financial markets. Headquartered in London and with regional operations across Europe, North
America, Asia and the Middle East, Fidessa supports over 24,000 users across 730 clients, serving a broad spectrum of customers from major investment banks and asset managers through to specialist niche brokers and hedge funds.

The nature of the company’s business means that its data-centre capabilities and the associated communications infrastructure are of vital importance, and the Sentrum IV facility is the latest and most advanced of these centres. In selecting the main contractor for the new centre, it was natural that Fidessa should turn to Maxima, who have worked with Fidessa over a number of years – most recently on the company’s GS2 data centre in London.

“The Maxima team has detailed knowledge of our requirements and the design and installation practices that we expect from our suppliers”, comments Mark Brewer, Production Services Manager at Fidessa: “Not only do they ensure that project installations always run smoothly: they are also willing and able to offer innovative solutions that relate specifically to the needs of our industry.”

One of the specific requirements for the Sentrum IV data centre relates to the fact that Fidessa will use it as a showcase facility for existing and potential clients. This meant that the ‘public’ areas needed to be as clean and tidy as possible, with any cabling hidden away beneath floors or in purpose-designed cabinets. Maxima designed the sub-floor cable support system to ensure that cable capacity was not compromised.

The installation proposed and implemented by Maxima includes a total of 125 APC server, communications and switch cabinets incorporating 250 intelligent power units, along with sixteen AMP NETCONNECT cross-connect central patch frames. The fully ISO/IEC 11801 compliant Category 6 copper and OM3 fibre cabling system includes over 9500 Category 6 AMP SL connections and over 6300 OM3 LC AMP connections.

The system carries Tyco Electronics’ 25-year warranty, which will allow Fidessa to accommodate the growing bandwidth needs of IP convergence, reduce expenses associated with download, upload and backup time, and reduce costs associated with future upgrades.

An important feature of the installation is the use of the recently introduced AMP NETCONNECT Hi-D (high-density) network cabling system to provide a centralised high-density cross-connect patching system. The Hi-D network cabling system is positioned at the heart of the data-centre facility to allow for all the server, communications and switch cabinets to connect with the copper and fibre cabling through a centrally located cross-connect facility.

The Class E/Category 6 UTP copper cabling system uses low-smoke zero-halogen sheathing, along with 24-port Hi-D angled patch panels with SL jacks to provide full RJ45 connectivity. To provide a degree of resilience, copper cabling is routed from each panel in groups of 12 cables and follows diverse cable routes. The copper cabling is housed in a containment system under a
false floor. The use of pre-manufactured Tyco Electronics harness assemblies between the network switch cabinets and the Hi-D angled patch panels is an important factor in ensuring warranty compliance.

The OM3 fibre cabling system also uses low-smoke zero-halogen sheathing, and takes the form of individual 12- or 24-core cables linking 24- or 12-way duplex panels. As with the copper cabling, the fibre cables are diversely routed between cabinets.

Commenting on the successful completion of the Fidessa project, Barry Silverman, Maxima’s Cabling Business Unit Manager within Support & Enablement Services, said: “At Maxima, we pride ourselves on being an approved, experienced and responsive network integrator, and we are always seeking to achieve the most resilient and cost-effective solutions for our clients. By partnering with the AMP NETCONNECT business unit of Tyco Electronics, we have been able to offer Fidessa the optimum combination of a high-quality infrastructure backed by Tyco Electronics’ powerful warranty and our own high level of support.”