Industrial Process News Issue 726

IPN INDUSTRIAL PROCESS NEWS

End of Year Recommendations December 2023 – Issue 726 Tel: 0121 550 2086 www.industrialprocessnews.co.uk Search for us on LinkedIn

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Unleashing Full Production Potential with AI-Powered Quality Control as a Service (QCaaS)

Pages 10-11

Pages 10-11

Thermal Vision Research Pages 14-15

Advance IT Group Page 16

Soyang Europe Page 24

Contents

Editors Notes

As we come to the end of 2023, we take a look back on all the greatest and most innovative products and services that have entered the UK’s industrial and process markets over the past 12 months.

From current trends and developments, to the latest new products and services launched into the marketplace this year, we have covered a vast range of topics for you that have contributed towards elevating the industry and creating a forward-thinking culture.

Gina Burton Editor

gina@industrialprocessnews.co.uk

MTM Products Ltd was a worthy winner of our Industry Excellence Award for its Industry Excellence in Label and Nameplate Innovation. As a leading UK manufacturer and supplier of aluminium and stainless-steel nameplates, graphic overlays, plastic labels & signs, and vinyl-cut decals to OEMs in UK and Europe, the company has been producing unrivalled printing results for the last forty years.

I also want to highlight and thank our 2023 Company of the Year Award winners: Sullair LLC; Apex Dynamics; C&C Fabrications; EEMUA; Nironit; Crescent Industrial; Thermal Vision Research Ltd; MacClancy & Sons Ltd; Zerdalab.

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Issue 726

And some more thank-you’s go to these companies specifically who we have also had the pleasure of working alongside: Metal Improvement Company/Curtiss Wright, Toptica, Adco, and Digital Edge Subsea.

On pages 21-23, we review SPE Offshore Europe 2023. Celebrating its 50th year anniversary, the expo addressed four key issues: energy security, energy transition, innovative technology and future talent, and bringing together the whole offshore energy community. We have also put together some of our Top Exhibitors from the show.

Other features include: Manufacturing & Engineering Week 2023 Expo review, the latest news in health & safety, a new commercial pump driver from Quantex, and recent developments in handling, storage & logistics.

We look forward to 2024 and what the New Year brings to the industry.

Have a great Christmas and Happy New Year.

DMN Westinghouse 6-7

Don’t forget to send us your latest Industrial news and updates and email us at: info@industrialprocessnews.co.uk.

Cover Story

Zetamotion

Zetamotion addresses several challenges faced by manufacturers in implementing quality control processes. Manual quality control is costly and prone to errors, while automating quality control is challenging due to the complexity of machine vision.

Contacts

Publication Management Fallon Waldron, Publication Manager T 0121 550 2086 fallonwaldron@industrialprocessnews.co.uk

Accounts Paul Whitaker, Accounts Manager T 0121 709 5534 accounts@businessandindustrytoday.co.uk

Production Robert Sharp, Production Manager production@businessandindustrytoday.co.uk

Editorial Gina Burton, Editor gina@industrialprocessnews.co.uk

The entire content of this publication is advertorial based. To place an advertorial or an advert, please call 0121 550 2086.

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Advance IT Group

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Bradshaw EV

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Industrial Process News is a multi-media digital magazine which circulates directly to 25,000 targeted businesses per issue, and is downloadable from multiple digital news stands and via social media.

Please contact 0121 550 2086 Email info@industrialprocessnews.co.uk www.industrialprocessnews.co.uk For more information on print or format requirements, please see our Media Pack and follow Find us on LinkedIn us on Twitter @ipn_uk

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Supply Chain Sustainability Management Solutions Company of the Month

: Real depth, sustainable growth I

n this issue of Industrial Process News, we are delighted to select Assent Inc as our Supply Chain Sustainability Management Solutions Company of the Month.

Across many complex manufacturers like aerospace, defense, and electronics, there is a myriad of processing and production sequences from multiple supplier partners, to intricate parts that collectively make up a product across the supply chain. Assent is a frontrunner in supply chain management solutions, with expertise spanning back more than a decade, providing a first-rate solution through the SaaS technology platform with managed services and a Regulatory Team of experts. The team keeps customers abreast of the latest local and regional compliance and legal requirements, both nationally and internationally. The solutions are commonly used across product compliance, ESG and trade compliance to firstly, encapsulate, monitor, calibrate and manage supply chain compliance and

secondly, sustainability performance of named suppliers.

Assent is confident that through this meticulous analysis of supply chain operations and sustainability, customers will make wiser, market-leading decisions.

Assent is a privately held supply chain regulatory management company, with over $500M USD in funding raised over the past 10 years. The company was founded by Jon Hughes and Matthew Whitteker

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with humble beginnings, from their shared garage in Ottawa, Canada and was officially established in 2010. Both founders had considerable prior expertise in the manufacturing industry, namely durable product testing labs and seized upon an opportunity to forge more cost-effective operations for large global manufacturers through supply chain engagement and education.

With its company roots squarely in Canada, the headquarters remain in Ottawa, with international offices now in London (UK,) Amsterdam (The Netherlands), El Doret (Kenya) Penang (Malaysia) and Columbus and Ohio (USA.) With exponential growth, the solutions company now works on a global scale, with 900 employees across the UK, USA, Canada, The Netherlands, Kenya and the Asian-Pacific (APAC.) We spoke to Sean Ward: Strategic Account Executive at Assent London for more insight, “Assent provides fully managed services and software related to all aspects of supply chain management.

We have a team of supplier support specialists, a team of program/project management professionals, and a team of global regulatory and sustainability experts, among others. We take on the tough job of understanding the requirements that complex manufacturers face, and implementing and fully managing programs to mitigate risk. We’re trusted by top global brands across industries such as Electronics, Medical Device, Industrial Equipment, Aerospace & Defense, and Automotive.”

“Over the past years, Assent has grown across the industry through the ever-growing interest in Environmental Social Governance (ESG), GHG data, PFAS restrictions (forever chemicals), and Forced Labor Enforcement across the globe. The regulatory landscape is in constant growth mode, with geographies such as the EU and North America really focusing on digitisation of product management and data. Manufacturers

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just aren’t able to manage such requirements all by themselves anymore – it requires the truly global force that Assent expertly provides.”

Assent are proud members of the UN Global Compact and hold B Corp Certification, symbolising significant performance in corporate sustainability and transparency. With a focus on sustainability, the company recently developed its 2025 Corporate Sustainability Roadmap: which lays out goals and KPIs against materials topics, for formal tracking and evaluation in the later annual report.

We asked Sean to share with us the projected future direction for Assent, “Assent looks to make the future of global manufacturing supply chains as sustainable as possible. Our five-year plan includes being able to grow our Environmental Social Governance (ESG) presence and solutions within this market and help companies to gain more transparency within their supply chains.”

“The world will be a very different place in five year’s time, with digitalisation of product data being key to global market access. Partnerships and outsourcing are evermore keys to growth, and so we hope to become the global name associated with all things supply chain management!”

Here at Industrial Process News, we are curious about diversity and inclusion in the workplace and found that Assent is working hard in diversity recruitment and retention, through to inclusive workplaces across all its global offices, as demonstrated through the following examples: ■ Assent’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Working Group this employee group serves as a steering committee and drives accountability for meeting goals and objectives. All DEI & ERG progress is reported to the Board of Directors on a focused slide including past & forward looking impacts.

■ The Certified B Corporation status helps identify more opportunities for growth and DEI growth is tracked in many ways, including engagement with the Inclusion Matters Slack channel, intranet subscribers, tracking the use of the new WellStyle program and Officevibe monthly surveys.

■ This year saw the launch of four Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) focused to further unite global Assentees on this earth and evolve company learning of diverse cultures, identities, and abilities together as one community.

Assent are certainly on a dual mission to look after its staff from a DEI perspective and make the supply chains of complex manufacturers deeply and durably good.

To find your nearest office or to find out more, please see the website below: https://www.assent.com

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Editor Recommends

Adhesives & glue guns

A

dCo UK is one of the largest manufactures of shaped hotmelt adhesives and water-based adhesives for use in packaging and product assembly markets for over 21 years, from its Head Office and manufacturing facility in Liphook Hampshire with additional distribution facilities based in Leeds UK and a network of approved distributors based throughout the UK. As well as supplying adhesives for all requirements, AdCo supplies a wide range of specialist applicators – from ProFlex industrial, heavy duty and professional glue guns to total melt, cartridge and bulk systems, we also manufacture and supply UF resins, PVA Adhesives, PU Adhesives, Tapes and much more As part of our commitment to

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offer our customers the correct solution for their needs AdCo are continually investing in research and development along with new state of the art manufacturing equipment to ensure we continue to meet the ever changing needs of all types of industry.

Thanks to our unrivalled knowledge of adhesives and application techniques, our highly skilled technicians can offer a ‘find and supply’ service to all our customers.

With a combined industry experience of over 120 years, our technicians can ensure that any bonding problem can be solved quickly and efficiently.

Contact 01428 751755 enquiries@adco.co.uk www.adco.co.uk

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Plastics & Rubber

Versatile plastics through reliable processes P

lastic is a crucial packaging material for food and drink producers and retailers worldwide. It is prized for its lightweight, strength, flexibility, and ease of printing. Plastics enhance the transport and use of products. A recent study revealed that over 8 million tonnes of plastic are used in European food packaging annually. This underscores the plastics industry’s pivotal role in supporting food and drink producers.

Explore DMN-WESTINGHOUSE’s future-proof solutions for the plastics industry, enhancing process reliability.

Whether you’re dealing with virgin plastic pellets, recycled regrind, or anything in between.

SPTD - SINGLE STRAIGHT PIPE PLUG DIVERTER A single-direction diverter for conveying a wide range of raw materials for plastics

Our custom-made solutions for the plastics industry No two factories processing plastics are identical. As such, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. This is why DMN-WESTINGHOUSE is dedicated to guiding customers through the system configuration process, offering tailor-made solutions for every unique situation.

Additionally, we provide training and consultation for staff to ensure smooth, trouble-free operations. Our most frequently utilised rotary and diverter valves for the plastics industry are:

GL – GRANULAR ROTARY VALVE A premium quality rotary valve that sets the standard for processing plastic pellets

AL – HIGH-DUTY ROTARY VALVE A rotary valve that offers ultimate flexibility for processing recycled ingredients

Trouble-free operation with our custom-made solutions for handling plastics DMN-WESTINGHOUSE offers solutions for both the production and recycling of plastics. Over the years, we’ve crafted specialised rotary valves and rotor models designed to manage virgin plastic powder, recycled regrind, flakes, and granulated plastics. Our rotary and diverter valves are fine-tuned to prevent powder clogging and to protect granular products from breaking. As we ensure uninterrupted operations, we also prioritise minimising product degradation, empowering plastics manufacturers to utilise recycled raw materials in the most sustainable manner.

Going for optimal conveying quality In plastics production, the quality of the product stands or falls with how the pellets are conveyed through the production process. The better the pellets stay in shape, the better they will melt into the proper consistency to create perfect plastic parts, like bottle caps or smooth foils for packing food products or lining the insides of drink cartons.

Pellets can degrade during conveying due to different causes, like inaccurate rotor speeds, incorrect filling volume, awkward filling angles, and inconsistent system pressure. Degraded pellets can clog the rotors and cause cross-threading of material, disrupting the flow and leading to blockages. Our focus is to prevent

GL rotary valve. Designed to maintain product quality

PTD-II – DUAL PIPE PLUG DIVERTER An all-round diverter valve for conveying and diverging plastic ingredients

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all this from happening. Our products and solutions are proof of this.

When opting for our GL rotary valve you’ll see a marked improvement in product quality output. A prevalent issue when feeding rotary valves with granular materials is the degradation of product quality. Pellets can shear when trapped between the rotary valve blade and its housing. We’ve analysed the flow of particles from the conveying pipes into the rotary valve. Consequently, we’ve designed a distinctive inlet to guide particles, preventing them from colliding with the rotary valve. This significantly reduces the number of broken or sheared products. Additionally, the inlet restrictor could be retrofitted to an AL rotary valve to achieve the same results.

Another example of a solution that truly stands out when recycling plastic bottles is our polyurethane end blades. We’ve developed these to guarantee that irregularly shaped materials are fed seamlessly into the grinders. Owing to these blades, material fragments won’t get stuck between the body of the rotary valve and the blades. We expect that our focus on facilitating the recycling of plastics will develop in the coming years, always anticipating the needs of our customers.

Handling abrasive materials Another challenge in conveying raw materials for plastics is the wear caused by abrasive materials.

Calcium carbonate, a widely used material in the plastics industry, is notably abrasive. This affects the lifespan of standard rotary valves. Our rotary valves have undergone treatments to withstand such abrasive materials. Some of our customers process up to seven tonnes of dry bulk material per hour. Beyond a guaranteed twelve-month trouble-free operation, our valves can typically remain operational for up to two years. This highlights how integral the quality of our valves is to our customers’ production processes.

Let us engineer your plastics production process to perfection It’s time to move past the issues of clogging, crossthreading, and blockages. Let us bring our extensive experience in plastics production to the table and engineer your plastics production process to perfection. Increase your output, improve quality, and implement solid solutions today that keep you one step ahead of future requirements and regulations.

Are you ready for true process reliability?

Contact +44 (0)1249 818400 dmn.uk@dmnwestinghouse.com www.dmnwestinghouse.com

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Plastics & Rubber

B&D Plastics: Supplying chemical pipework system solutions for 25 years B

&D Plastics play a pivotal role in connecting Clients, Installation Contractors, Engineers and OEMs with market-leading Chemical & Water Pipework systems. Successfully providing expertise, knowledge and first-class service; B&D is committed to providing the correct solutions for all your business needs whilst adding value and excellence simultaneously.

Established over 25 years ago in Colchester, B&D Plastics began as a pipework distributor specialising in plastics pipework systems to serve the Chemical Process, Water Treatment & Manufacturing process industries. 2018 welcomed the opening of its Midlands Office that was established to continue the ‘expertise, service & solutions’ ethos for process businesses based in the Midlands and the North.

B&D Plastics actively stock and distribute a vast range of market-leading products ranging from pipes, fittings & manual valves to actuation, flow & monitoring control, as well as a comprehensive range of ancillary items. These products are produced by some of the industry’s leading manufacturers such as Georg Fisher, Durapipe, Safi, GPS, Technoplastic, and many more.

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As an industry leader, B&D Plastics is renowned for its commitment to excellence, ensuring each client gets the correct service and product for their individual needs. Therefore, it takes an active role in guaranteeing the correct product is being selected for the applications involved.

For more information about B&D Plastics, please visit our website: www.bdplastics.co.uk, and also visit our new web shop: https://webshop.bdplastics.co.uk

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Pumps, Valves & Compressed Air

Quantex launches its first commercial pump driver: Q-Drive-Alpha to-use system to run our pumps. This device will help to speed up the adoption of Quantex technology into our customer’s flow-control processes, both in food and beverage, industrial and biopharma applications.”

Q

uantex is excited to announce the official launch of its brand-new pump driver device, the Q-Drive-Alpha. Until now, Quantex has offered driver device equipment for evaluation purposes only, and these kits require separate tablet software to control, but the Q-Drive Alpha is an easy-to-use, CE marked, plug-and-play system, providing a stand-alone dispenser that can be used both for pump evaluation as well as for commercial use in production or laboratories.

The Q-Drive-Alpha drives two of the Quantex pumps: the Microdosing QX2 pump and the Low Flow QX25-SD and QX25-HP pumps. With an integrated full-colour 7” touch screen, this plug and play driver is simple to programme (and re-programme), and, in a few intuitive taps, it is possible to run the pumps at a variety of speeds for different flow rates or set dose volumes, with reverse cycling and self-priming functions.

Jonathan Ford, Quantex’s Engineering Director adds, “The Q-Drive-Alpha design and development was realised very efficiently by the engineering team due to our long-standing expertise on the ideal motors, connection, and driver software for our pumps – and I’m proud that the finished result has a carefully considered and intuitive user interface to maximise the ease of use for our customers.”

Features and benefits ■ Plug and play, easy-to-use ■ Integrated driver and screen for direct control ■ Able to run both Microdosing and Low Flow Pumps (SD and HP models) ■ Select and change your flow rate as desired ■ Reverse cycle & self-prime functions If you are interested in purchasing the Q-DriveAlpha or would like to learn more, download the full Q-Drive-Alpha brochure here and contact us: https://www.quantex-arc.com/contact. We will be very happy to answer your questions.

Phil Medcalf, Product Manager at Quantex explains, “We are thrilled to be launching the Q-Drive-Alpha since it meets a key requirement for our customers who need a simple and easy-

Functions

Description

Speed/Flow Rate

Select flow rate either as motor rps/rpm or ml/min

Dose Volume

Select dose volume either in ml/L or pump revolutions

Loops

Program multiple loops for duty cycle running

Loop Pause

Select pause time for multiple cycle running

Calibration

Modify dispense volume calibration factor

Reverse Motor Drive

End of dose reversing, pressure venting

Pump Selector

Choose between two product families

Prime Mode

Direct control of motor for self-priming at multiple speeds

Programmable Memory

Save 8 programs per pump

Thorite announces price cuts across key product ranges C

ompressed air and fluid power specialist, Thorite has announced price cuts across 50 of its core product ranges in a drive to help customers weather the economic downturn.

Products including cylinders, tubing and couplings have been targeted for reductions and there are plans to expand the cost savings across other ranges.

Optimised pricing is the latest in a series of initiatives the Bradford-based family firm has introduced to help customers save money and combat the effects of engineering skills and staff shortages.

These include introducing bespoke service agreements offering fixed price and multiple payment options to meet individual needs and budgets. This year, Thorite also launched an Energy Saving Solutions Team to help customers reduce their energy costs.

Mark Yates, Sales Director of Thorite, said, “With price optimisation everybody wins.”

“Our customers have welcomed the cost savings and we have already seen a marked increase in sales of our reduced products, which will help us to achieve our sustainable growth targets.”

“We consider it a central part of our business to support customers working to reduce their outgoings and we’re proud that this strong customer focus approach earned us a shortlisting in the Institute of Customer Service’s prestigious UK Customer Satisfaction Awards.”

Contact 0800 034 5850 enquiries@thorite.co.uk www.thorite.co.uk

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Service (QCaaS) Provider Company of the Month

Are you ready for Industry 5.0? Meet Zetamotion

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n this issue of Industrial Process News, we are delighted to feature Zetamotion as our AI-driven Quality Control as a Service (QCaaS) Provider Company of the Month.

Industry 4.0 has been defined by the hallmarks of automated processes and the implementation of the fast-moving world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but for many inside-industry experts, Industry 5.0 is already here, not some hypothetical concept on the horizon.

But what exactly is Industry 5.0 and what does it mean for the manufacturing sector?

Industry 5.0 is primarily focused on sustainability, through a greater tailoring to production needs and therefore reducing unnecessary surpluses. There is some

erroneous thinking about Industry 5.0 and one myth is that AI is designed to replace human workers. The opposite is true: AI machinery doesn’t make people surplus to requirements but in fact enhances their skills, increasing their efficiency.

labels, countless verification, tweaking and at best that will leave you with only an 80% success rate and possibly the unavoidable hiring of additional Artificial Intelligence engineers.

Let me reiterate: Industry 5.0 is here to support our fragile ecosystem, biodiversity, through the latest advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT) through streamlined machine communication, data is exchanged in real-time, and defects are accurately detected in assembly lines/ production chains. This mitigates against unnecessary wastage and increases manufacturing tenfold.

The European Commission has backed the introduction of Industry 5.0 in its landmark report, ‘Industry 5.0: Towards a resilient people-centred and sustainable European industry,’ and highlights indeed that the premise that technology serves people, not the other way round.

But how do manufacturing companies get up-to-speed with Industry 5.0?

With everyone from Google to Amazon advertising downloadable Quality Control systems, it is difficult to navigate the myriad of technical support options.

One option is to download a remote QC system independently but it is often a complicated system of inputting data,

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But what if there’s a third way? Beyond manual control or downloadable QC systems?

We’ve featured Zetamotion before in Industrial Process News as a Top Exhibitor at the 2023 Manufacturing & Engineering Week 2023 and we’ve been keeping an eye on this innovative company ever since. Zetamotion is definitely a company to watch, what we would call in old money: a mover and shaker.

Zetamotion is a pioneering, AI-driven Quality Control as a Service (QCaaS) provider; supporting manufacturing companies across the globe automate their quality control processes at scale. The UK Manufacturing industry alone is ranked 8th globally by value of output (source: MakeUK), which equates to a £224 billion output annually (source: House of Commons Library.) Furthermore, UK manufacturers spend up to a staggering 40% of sales revenue on quality control (QC), with automated QC systems increasingly being adopted to help reduce these astronomical costs. Surprisingly, only 30% of manufacturers have made the shift to these cost-effective strategies, leaving the vast majority still grappling with archaic manual processes.

How can companies embrace Industry 5.0 through AI-driven Quality Control?

We spoke to Zetamotion CEO: Wilhelm Klein to find out more, “We have heard many customers discuss

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what we term, ‘burnt ground’ narratives. They described horror stories of trying to adopt QC systems but the computer vision couldn’t distinguish between existing and new products, if they were capable of adaptation it took considerable system retraining, resulting in lost production and shut down assembly lines on many occasions. Leading them to abandon QC systems and revert back to traditional, manual processes for an easy life. Therefore, what we have now is a digital divide between a successful adoption of QC systems and those who have been left in the dark with rudimentary manual systems. This is akin to being stuck with steam engines and dreaming of Industry 5.0 resembling science fiction.

However, even those using automated/digital QC systems are only averaging an 80% success rate on defect/anomaly detection and classification. That margin of error is money down the drain and a waste of resources.”

have been discussing our Spectron QCaaS Platform patented AI technology solutions with many new faces.”

“For many in the aerospace industry and across the whole manufacturing sector, there is an intrinsic fear around multiple downloadable tools, with faceless bots guiding you through the process. We pride ourselves on offering a highly, personalised partnership, who inherently understand and ultimately address your quality control pain points. We are all about relationship-building and helping companies navigate plain-sailing towards industry 5.0, for a more streamlined, sustainable QC landscape.”

“What we’re proposing with our system is a 99%+ success rate, offering higher ROI and more importantly, higher yield, greater volume of quality products to market, lowered raw material costs and less product waste in a circular economy.”

Right from the offset, the three founders of Zetamotion: Wilhelm Klein, Ha Nguyen and Huy Phan brought a collective, eclectic skillset of machine learning, international law and technology ethics to create a ‘market-driven’ AI platform. Founded in 2018, the three savvy entrepreneurs started work on the computer vision AI platform that would become the Quality Control as a Service (QCaaS) solution to solve the perennial problem of quality control manufacturing bottlenecks.

The team has now expanded to include experts from UK, Germany, China, Russia and Vietnam, with a strategic focus on cutting-edge R&D from its Vietnam engineering office and Hong Kong R&D facility.

“We will be opening a new, larger R&D facility in the wider London area next year. Though we are sectoragnostic, we have recently increased our visibility in the aerospace industry and it is handy that so many

aerospace companies will be close to our new stateof-the-art R&D facility. We are currently working on our second release cycle and perfecting 3D imagery capabilities.”

“Zetamotion works with international large blue-chip companies through to SMEs and have already worked with metal, glass, roofing (composite material) sectors,” explained Wilhelm.

Though still a relatively young company, Zetamotion has proved it is a major disrupter by being selected to join the Aerospace Xelerated team. This is a pioneering initiative run by Boeing and its partners to bolster startups in the industry, through investment and support.

With a notoriously stringent vetting process, from each 500-application cohort, only 10 are selected.

One of the benefits of being a member is expert recruitment support with attracting the brightest female commercial specialists and AI researchers from the STEM industry.

We spoke to Wilhelm from the seminal Dubai Air Show, where Zetamotion was exhibiting as part of the Boeing Aerospace Xelerated team, “Being a valued part of the Aerospace Xelerated team, means we are actively recruiting more talented, female staff to our already diverse staff. We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive team and helping to plug the gap in the under-representation of women in the AI sector.”

“At the Dubai Air Show, we have already met many industry experts across the aerospace sector and

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There are many unique benefits to partnering with Zetamotion, as outlined below: 1) Zetamotion aims to be part of a holistic production solution, through interfacing with pre-existing networks and IoT infrastructures.

2) Zetamotion offers evidence-based Proof of Concept to new customers at the early stages of partnership.

3) Within a week, the expert team at Zetamotion can deliver a demonstration of streamlined Quality Control for your company.

4) The QCaaS platform operates inspections onpremises, to mitigate against Intellectual Property rights concerns and cybersecurity.

5) New products can be on-boarded quickly, within 24 hours without cumbersome data/image uploading.

6) Flexibility to handle diverse materials/products, including non-uniform coded materials or low production volumes.

7) Offers much more than a traditional single-point end-of-line inspection.

8) Can successfully predict interval defective products/ predict analysis trends.

9) Reduces QC time by 95%+, achieving a 99%+ accuracy in defect identification from the start.

10) 50% improvement in product yield and operational cost reduction.

11) Reducing waste by over 50% – supporting sustainability targets.

12) Meet Industry 5.0 targets by increasing product yield, reducing waste and optimising skilled labour targets.

13) All Zetamotion labs are powered by AWS Ocean Energy, showing a corporate commitment to greener energy.

Zetamotion offers a future-proofed Al-driven QCaaS platform to enhance and streamline the QC process across the manufacturing sector, preparing companies for the holistic benefits of Industry 5.0, where technology serves people, not the other way around.

Zetamotion will be at Smart Industry Expo: 16th-18th April 2024 NEC, Birmingham. (Stand number: M93) For more information, please see the details below: contact@zetamotion.com https://www.zetamotion.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/zetamotion

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Test, Measurement & Laboratory

New frequency comb can identify molecules in 20-nanosecond snapshots Laser-based system now has the ability to capture moment-to-moment details of high-speed processes such as hypersonic propulsion and protein folding

chemical reactions between enzymes that regulate cell growth. The research team announced its results in a paper published in Nature Photonics.

Used with permission. National Institute of Standards and Technology, rights reserved.

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rom monitoring concentrations of greenhouse gases to detecting COVID in the breath, laser systems known as frequency combs can identify specific molecules as simple as carbon dioxide and as complex as monoclonal antibodies with unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity. Amazing as they are, however, frequency combs have been limited in how fast they can capture a high-speed process such as hypersonic propulsion or the folding of proteins into their final three-dimensional shapes.

In their demonstration, the researchers used the instrument to measure supersonic pulses of CO2 emerging from a small nozzle in an air-filled chamber.

They measured the CO2 mixing ratio, the proportion of carbon dioxide in the air.

A new frequency comb setup can capture the momentby-moment details of carbon dioxide gas escaping from a nozzle at supersonic speeds in an air-filled chamber, followed by rapid oscillations of gas due to complex aerodynamics within the chamber.

Credit: G. Mathews/University of Colorado Boulder

Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), TOPTICA Photonics and the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a frequency comb system that can detect the presence of specific molecules in a sample every 20 nanoseconds, or billionths of a second. With this new

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capability, researchers can potentially use frequency combs to better understand the split-second intermediate steps in fast-moving processes ranging from the workings of hypersonic jet engines to the

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“In a more complicated system like an aircraft engine we could use this approach to look at a particular species of interest, such as water or fuel or CO2, to observe the chemistry. We can also use this approach to measure things such as pressure, temperature, or velocity by looking at changes in the signal,” said NIST research chemist David Long. The information from these experiments could provide insights that could lead to design improvements in combustion engines, or a better understanding of how greenhouse gases interact with the atmosphere.

This work was supported in part by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. +49 89 85837-0 sales@toptica.com www.toptica.com

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Research & Development

TVR: Masters of thermal vision I

n this issue of Industrial Process News, we are honoured to select Thermal Vision Research for our End of Year Recommendation.

Thermal Vision Research (TVR) is the UK premier distributor for Teledyne FLIR’S IR thermography camera range, designed for specialist R&D applications. Established in 2017

by Director Matthew Clavey, TVR is based at Aztec West Business Park near Bristol, in South Gloucestershire.

The last time we featured TVR: Matthew, together with Teledyne FLIR Business Development Managers was about to feature at the Engineering Design Show (EDS): held at the Coventry Building Society Arena from 12th-13th October.

magnification capabilities of the Teledyne FLIR camera range.

monitoring, rocket launch monitoring through to wildlife research around the world!”

We caught up with Matthew post-EDS show to find out how things have progressed, “We are excited to be showcasing the all-new FLIR’s 80-

The R&D capabilities of FLIR thermal cameras are limitless, offering razor-sharp images and measurements, perfect for many applications

degree wide angled lens. It has full compatibility with A400/500/700 science range and is available now from our website.”

from defence, military, renewable energy monitoring, battery testing, research, through to cutting-edge wildlife conservation monitoring.

“That’s not all! We ran our first FLIR RS6780 advanced sensor showing during November. The RS6780 has a three-position motorised filter wheel, with premium quality thermal images across long-range and tracking. It is optimallydesigned for researchers as a radiometric camera system, due to the calibration for temperature and radiance measurements. Our demonstration showed the optional extender lens up to 750mm, allowing tracking up to 30km away in the distance: perfect for defence operations, wind turbine

We featured Thermal Vision Research previously for its outstanding research collaboration with The Aircraft Research Association (ARA): a dedicated UK aerodynamic research institute. The mission was to test the hybrid laminar flow control hypothesis. TVR loaned its Teledyne FLIR T1K to locate accurate temperature changes in the high-speed transonic wind tunnel, with speeds up to Mach 1.4 (1,000mph.) As a result of the air turbulence generated from the high speeds, the precise point of transition for airflow changes by less than 1.

The team showcased a state-of-the-art thermal lab, with a wide range of products including: ■ The RS Platform: Capable of seeing images in kilometres – perfect for military and defence operations ■ Microscope cameras: With images of two microns per pixel.

■ Premiere Uncooled A700 camera: 640x480 (60 Hertz) – with research studio – great sensitivity and perfect for university research and entry-level industrial applications.

■ The ‘King of Cameras’: The cooled HD 1280x1024 sensor, able to run at 180 Hertz, to 3kHz. Produces fine detail, down to 0.02 degrees.

The EDS show was a resounding hit, with stand fever pitch around the thermal selfies! Visitors were astounded by the high resolution and

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The Teledyne FLIR T1K provides an accurate visualisation of the airflow in-situ, without adversely affecting the aerodynamic variable.

These meticulous point of transition results allowed the Aircraft Research Association (ARA) to prove the hybrid laminar flow control hypothesis, within controlled test conditions.

– see them on page 26

That’s not all! We ran our first FLIR RS6780 advanced sensor showing during November The ARA are now at the incredible, early stages of marketing the pioneering FLIR T1K wind tunnel concept design to engineering companies, as a blueprint towards long-haul sustainable flights.

A second colloboration we reported on was with Northern Rail, through the ingenious trialling of an ‘intelligence train,’ installed with a FLIR A6750sc cooled thermal camera. The camera works with acoustic monitors, G-shock Bogie, AI camera, radar dome, LIDAR horizonscanning cameras and precision-driven 180° thermal imaging software, providing precisiondriven accuracy on railway track infrastructure problems. The camera captures clear, sharp images in transit, even at high-speeds: the pixels generated in sub-one milliseconds of track sections and full-frames of 125Hz. The cooled camera tracks up to 100 metres ahead on the tracks and automatically uploads detailed track date to a SMART-cloud platform, which can then be accessed by Northern Rail remotely.

With the recent surge towards battery-electric cars across the UK, especially with the planned 2035 petrol and diesel ban, many businesses and households are considering the shift towards electric vehicles. One ongoing concern though is the safety around EV Batteries, with some high-profile media attention on cargo ship fires recently.

The Teledyne FLIR high-speed thermal camera offers accurate EV test safety reassurance, with more accurate high-speed imaging results than previous thermocouples and general IR devices, pinpointing the exact location of short-circuits and heat spreading.

The high-speed camera gives slow, thermal imaging captures at high temperatures of over 3,000°C and provide details of the thermal management system, during the EV battery testing period.

TVR are happy visit businesses on-site, to demonstrate camera range capabilities and offer camera hiring, lease and purchasing options.

For more information on TVR, please see the website below: 0333 200 4667 info@thermalvisionresearch.co.uk www.thermalvisionresearch.co.uk https://www.linkedin.com/in/ matthew-clavey-b8ab082a

Matthew explained the advantages of using the FLIR A6750sc in this manner, “It allows the train company to keep the track open for regular train services, saving costly downtime and thermal imagining target precise areas for track maintenance, earmarking for strategic future engineering maintenance.”

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– see them on page 26

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Health & Safety

Safer lone working H

eadquartered in Birmingham, UK, Advance IT Group Ltd is a software development house comprised of business: Advance IT Solutions Ltd and brand: Team Work Smart. Using the latest technologies, the company partners with businesses; translating their objectives into workable, objective led, revenue generating and process improving software solutions.

Advance IT Solutions Ltd is driven by solving problems for the customer through a user centric approach to product innovation and software development. Advance IT Solutions Ltd offers LONEALERT, a BS8484 lone worker protection service that combines a range of panic buttons and fall detection devices that include GPS, an SaaS management portal to monitor lone workers, system utilisation, and a 24x7 monitoring Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).

LONEALERT is the most well-known innovation from Advance IT that provides high levels of customer support, is customer led and a offers wide range of options, configurations and flexibility to enable all customers’ needs to be met. “LONEALERT is well matched with manufacturing sites that have their own plants due to our connectivity and complex location solutions,” added Mathew. LONEALERT essentially helps manage lone workers working from varying locations ensuring staff feel connected no matter where they are in the world.

By providing quality lone working solutions that are accessible at all times, LONEALERT ensures that in the event of an accident or emergency the right response can be sent immediately.

Active in six continents around the world with over 30 million locations managed each month, LONEALERT is a ground-breaking piece of software that your business needs to monitor and protect all lone workers.

The app features NEW designs and features such as two-way communication; enabling real-time communication between lone workers and operatives, enhanced security with biometrics for quick login, a clear and clean user interface, and new emergency mode with real-time information and updates.

LONEALERT is accredited and certified to all relevant standards and will soon be launching a major upgrade of its lone worker app on the 2nd of October 2023. Mathew added, “Alongside the app launch, we have recently launched new devices that resolve connectivity issues for lone workers with Wi-Fi options for locations with poor mobile signal. We are also starting work on a major upgrade to our LONEALERT Portal, the OWL very shortly and have some exciting, but confidential international projects we are working on too.”

Using its customer focused approach, the Lone Worker App has been developed as a response to customer feedback to ensure lone workers can continue to do their job safely and hassle free.

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Team Work Smart – the second arm of the business, is a construction management software that allows you to manage site compliance and work quality; SOLAR and renewable energy, and Gas and Heating Installation and Maintenance to manage surveys, job booking and scheduling, job completion through to invoicing; as well as a separate product, a Print File converter for Mail Houses that allows conversion of unsupported label formats into formats supported by their machines. “Work smart is developed with low code flexibility so we can configure it to meet customer requirements rather than code it. Print File Converter is unique as clients have searched long and hard to find a solution, and even the manufacturer couldn’t offer a solution,” said Matthew.

If you would like more information of any of the above, please see below: 0121 501 2288 info@advanceltd.com www.advanceltd.com www.teamworksmart.co.uk www.lonealert.co.uk

– see them on page 26

Health & Safety

How to use and maintain a safety shower correctly A

safety shower, also known as an emergency shower, is an essential safety equipment in laboratories, industrial settings, and other environments where exposure to hazardous chemicals or materials is a possibility. It is used to rinse off hazardous substances from the body in case of accidental contact.

1) Assess the situation: ■ If you come into contact with a hazardous substance or chemical, immediately assess the situation to determine if using the safety shower is necessary. If you have any doubt about your safety, it’s better to use the shower as a precaution.

2) Activate the shower: ■ Locate the safety shower and either pull the handle or push the panic bar to activate the shower, or if fitted step onto the shower platform.

■ Quickly remove contaminated clothing and accessories, including shoes. Do this as rapidly as possible, as it can help prevent the chemical or substance from soaking through the clothing.

■ Position yourself directly under the flow of water from the safety shower. Ensure that the water is covering your entire body. Hold your arms away from your body to make sure water reaches all areas.

3) Activate the eye wash (if available): ■ If the safety shower also has an integrated eyewash station, use it to rinse your eyes. Lift the eyewash lid to activate the eyewash, and position your eyes in front of the flow of water.

4) Rinse for at least 15 minutes: ■ Flush the affected area with water for a minimum of 15 minutes. It’s important to rinse for this duration to thoroughly remove the hazardous substance from your skin or eyes. If you’re unsure of the chemical, continue rinsing until medical professionals arrive.

5) Seek medical assistance: ■ After rinsing, seek medical attention even if you feel fine. Hazardous chemicals may have soaked into your skin, and you could still experience delayed effects.

6) Report the incident: ■ After using the safety shower, report the incident to your supervisor or safety officer. This is crucial for documenting and investigating the incident, as well as improving safety measures.

Noise monitoring instruments from the noise experts S

ince 1970, Cirrus Research plc has pioneered and innovated solutions that have made monitoring and measuring noise and vibration easier and more accessible than ever before.

levels of accuracy while boasting an incredibly easy-to-use interface.

Designed by an in-house team of acoustic experts and manufactured in the UK, you can be sure of its technical excellence and reliability.

As one of the world’s leading designers, manufacturers and suppliers of noise measurement instruments, Cirrus Research plc is the name that you can trust to provide accurate, reliable and easy-to-use equipment that will stand up to scrutiny and allow you to reduce the devastating effects of excessive noise and vibration exposure in the workplace and out in the environment.

Whether you’re looking for a Class 2 Decibel Meter to conduct occupational noise investigations or a Class 1 Sound Level Meter for an environmental noise survey, you can be sure that Cirrus Research has an instrument to meet your needs and those of your organisation.

All Cirrus Research instruments can be trusted to provide the highest

Speak to our team of experts today: +44 (0)1723 891655 sales@cirrusresearch.com www.cirrusresearch.com

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7) Shower inspection and maintenance: ■ Weekly, inspect and operate the safety showers to ensure they are in a working condition and the water is flushed through the unit. This will also verify the correct operation. Report any malfunctions and repair promptly. These showers should also be maintained and sterilised every six months or sooner if required.

Remember, safety showers are designed for emergencies, so it’s crucial to know their location and how to use them properly before an incident occurs.

Proper training and awareness are key to effectively using safety showers and preventing injuries when working with hazardous materials.

For more help or advice, please contact Aqua Safety Showers at: www.aqua-safety.com or telephone: +44 (0)1942 318096.

Industry expert Casella launches enhanced High Flow Air Sampling Pump A

sbestos-related diseases take the lives of 20 tradespeople every week. Despite being banned in the UK, research has found that extensive asbestos remediation work is still needed on more than 100,000 UK buildings, posing a threat to anyone who disturbs the dangerous material.

Global occupational hygiene and workplace hazard monitoring expert Casella has launched an enhanced version of its Vortex3 high flow pump, designed to simplify asbestos and air sampling.

Continuing to fulfil its mission to improve health in the workplace and community with life-changing monitoring technology, the upgraded Vortex3 offers an 8-hour runtime at 8L/min and 4 hours at 12L/min with a typical filter, ensuring continuous performance. With a flow accuracy better than +/-5%, the Vortex3 ensures consultants, contractors and specialists have confidence in results.

Using Casella’s patent-pending, interlocking design, the Vortex3 has an ergonomically comfortable handle and weighs just 2.37kg, allowing users to carry multiple units in one hand with ease.

The Vortex3 has an IP65 rating, providing protection from dust and water ingress.

Casella’s ergonomic design has ensured the high flow pump’s smooth body finish is free from small crevices that could hold fine airborne asbestos fibres, allowing for safer decontamination and cleaning.

Available in two versions, the Vortex3 Pro model is compatible with Casella’s innovative Airwave App and Bluetooth connectivity, enabling users to remotely start, pause or stop a measurement run, monitor battery life and memory capacity and check measurement progress direct from a mobile device.

– see them on page 26

+44 (0)1234 844100 www.casellasolutions.com

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Oil, Gas & Offshore

Measurably better chemiluminescence analysers N

itrogen Oxides (NOx) are chief villains in the battle for climate control; belonging to a family of gases that are formed during the combustion of fossil fuels. When Nitric Oxide (NO) reacts with other gases, for example with Ozone, it forms Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), which is considered highly toxic to human health.

The reaction with Ozone is also an indicator for why Nitric Oxide (NO) is considered a climate active gas that interacts with Earth’s protective Ozone layer. Human exposure to high levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), but also Nitric Oxide (NO) can cause airway inflammation, susceptibility to allergens and exacerbate preexisting lung or heart conditions.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural affairs (DEFRA) has also reported soil chemistry and biodiversity changes across many UK habitats, through gas (dry deposition) and precipitation (wet deposition.) Anthropogenic Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) influence tropospheric chemistry, which directly cause photochemical smog and concentrated levels of urban ozone.

analytical solutions are unprecedented in speed and sensitivity, with a cutting-edge range of sensitivities from 1% down to 1 ppt (part per trillion.)

Chemiluminescence Analysers use a unique thermallystabilised semiconductor photodiode, to measure light intensity produced by reactions between Nitric Oxide (NO) with Ozone (O3). The light intensity correlates to the proportion of Nitric Oxide (NOx) converted to Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) by the reaction.

We caught up with Dr. Grischa Peter Feuersänger: Head of Sales & Marketing to find out more about ECO PHYSICS, “ECO PHYSICS offer innovative analytical solutions for measurement tasks in the fields of environment, health and process control. With our interdisciplinary research and development team, we are delivering customeroriented and tailor-made products and services. The initial know-how focus was centred on the principle of the chemiluminescence, thus developing and manufacturing analysers for the ambient pollution and emissions.”

“We have perfected analytical technique in speed and sensitivity. Today we are proud to claim world leadership in the fastest and most sensitive

ECO PHYSICS AG offer worldleading measurements of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), through trailblazing chemiluminescence analysers. These innovative

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chemiluminescence analysers and the broadest commercially available range.”

This Swiss-based innovative company has EN ISO 9001: 2015 quality management and EN ISO 13485: 2016 medical devices-compliance, offering quality assurance to customers across many industries.

There is a new range of gas analysers and boxed set gas analysers available: nCLD AL, nCLD AL2, nCLD AL3/8555, nCLD EL and nCLD EL2.

The nCLD AL3/8555 is a next-generational modular gas analyser, offering state-of-the-art simultaneous measurements of NO, NO2, NOx, NH3 and NOX-Amines. Even lower detection limits can be detected through the newly designed reaction chamber, enhanced gas flow paths, improved pressure and temperature stability.

This analyser is adaptable to non-standardised applications, with the unit calibration running smoothly on an automated basis. The digital sensitive graphic user interface allows for increased usability and adjustments can be made quickly and effortlessly.

To see the whole product range, please see the website below: +41 55 220 22 22 info@ecophysics.com www.ecophysics.com

– see them on page 26

Handling, Storage & Logistics

Cleaning up the streets with the Goupil G4 and Liverpool Streetscene

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iverpool Streetscene Services Ltd (LSSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Liverpool City Council, has recently taken delivery of a new Goupil G4 for the public services team in charge of Refuse and Recycling, Street Cleansing and Grounds Maintenance and Arboriculture across Liverpool.

LSSL required an alternative machine to supplement its current Street Washing operation, one that was manoeuvrable and could be used to wash street furniture, litter bins, seating areas, steps and hard to reach areas, and to assist with the removal of fly posting.

“It’s exciting to see the Goupil being used exactly as intended, its small size and fantastic manoeuvrability make it an obvious choice for tight city streets,” says Ramsy Labassi, Marketing Manager at Bradshaw EV. “As one of our flagship models, the Goupil G4 highlights Bradshaw’s dedication to driving industries forward towards their Net Zero goals as well as assisting them to eliminate their CO2 emissions as much as possible.”

The Goupil G4 has exceeded expectations as an electric vehicle, which can be safely used amongst pedestrians and can work at different times to the larger diesel street washing vehicles to wash street furniture.

The G4 has complimented LSSL’s existing resources and relieved pressure from the core street washing teams. It has also generated many positive observations because it is 100% electric.

“The G4 has been a fantastic addition to our fleet, we were very pleased with the service we received from Bradshaw, who were quick to answer any questions and alleviate any concerns we had, such as fitting a larger 500-litre water tank to the vehicle,” said James McCoy, Street Cleaning Supervisor at LSSL. “LSSL strives to be a greener company and reduce our emissions; where feasible, suitable and available, alternatively fuelled vehicles will take priority when replacing our fleet in the coming years.”

LSSL has been diligently working on developing its vehicle fleet, implementing a fleet replacement strategy that incorporates the inclusion of alternatives to diesel, provided that suitable infrastructure is available. In addition to electric vehicles, LSSL also operates compressed natural gas vehicles, reflecting its commitment to sustainable transportation.

The Goupil G4 is suitable for a number of road and site applications for both the public and private sectors. With an operational range of up to 101 miles (depending on battery size) and a maximum speed of 31mph, the G4 is equipped with a variety of body types to cater to the customer’s specific requirements and features a safe and secure cabin with both left and right-hand drive options.

“When looking for a fully electric vehicle that could safely manoeuvre around pedestrians and other road furniture, we were immediately drawn to the Goupil G4 as its small size and fantastic usability make it perfect for accessing smaller side streets which other larger vehicles can’t reach.”

“The G4 is used for reactive works throughout the day, acting as an additional resource to the core street washing programme which operates at early hours of the morning,” concluded McCoy. Contact +44 (0)1780 782621 https://www.bradshawev.com

Oil, Gas & Offshore

Digital Edge Subsea: Offshore Digital Video + Inspection systems

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igital Edge Subsea supplies subsea industries with digital video recording systems (DVR). The company was established more than 13 years ago, and has nurtured strong customer relationships that have allowed for honest customer feedback, and this has been incorporated into the development of the Version 5 Edge DVR. Digital Edge Subsea also offer further software that will help their customers better serve their clients. The Archive App offers a data storage and backup solution that uses an integral Edge architecture to avoid needing a 3rd party app. Edge Archive handles the transfer of data from the internal DVR drives to Client storage,

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either on a NAS, a Raid, or a phased delivery to multiple external hard drives. Archive can act as a Simple data mirror of the correct internal drive data folders, or can be used to create multiple simultaneous backups of Client Deliverables. This can be done in continuous backup or a phased approach, i.e., after each dive.

Our DVRs are available in 4u, laptop and workstation formats, providing a great range of potential solutions for many situations.

For more information or a demonstration of the system, contact: info@digitaledgesubsea.com or visit: www.digitaledgesubsea.com

– see them on page 26

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Industrial Process Technologies

Lasers for multi-wavelength digital holography Compact single-frequency lasers for easy OEM integration

T

OPTICA introduces new wavelengths at 445nm and 447nm in its TopMode single-frequency diode laser series, pushing the boundaries of highresolution Raman spectroscopy, microlithography, multi-wavelength digital holography and interferometry.

TOPTICA’s TopMode lasers operate as easily as a HeNe, but also offer higher power and the choice of wavelength.

The TopMode series sets records in terms of power, coherence and wavelength stability. The proprietary CoHerence-Advanced Regulation Method (CHARM) provides an active stabilisation of the lasers’ coherence and ensures continuous singlefrequency operation. TopMode and CHARM means nothing less than reliable 24/7 operation.

The short wavelengths provided by our TopMode 405 lasers are particularly well-suited to Raman spectroscopy of inorganic materials, for which no fluorescence obscures the Raman signal. Raman intensity depends on the

excitation wavelength by a factor 1/λ4.

TopMode lasers at 405nm allow strong Raman signals that remain detectable

by Si-based detectors.

More info at: www.toptica.com/ topmode Key features: ■ TopSeller: 100mW at 405nm ■ Customised wavelengths 375nm-515nm ■ Enables repeatable, high-resolution measurements ■ Easy OEM integration Applications: ■ High resolution Raman spectroscopy ■ Digital holography ■ Lithography ■ Precision metrology ■ Scatterometry ■ Interferometry and holography ■ Quantum cryptography +49 89 85837-0 sales@toptica.com https://www.toptica.com

Solar Power: A new focal point in Laser Cutting

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ow The Laser Cutting Co. is slashing energy usage, costs, and saving their customers money with their latest largescale solar panel installation project!

reputation for being the greenest city in the UK; consistently striving to improve their products and services for the benefit of both their customers and the environment.

Established in 1981, The Laser Cutting Co. has been proudly offering its bespoke laser cutting and metal profiling services to industries across the UK. Now over 4 decades later, The Laser Cutting Co. and its sister company Charles Day are thrilled to announce their latest green initiative – a large-scale solar panel installation across both sites.

This investment also involved maintaining practices and regulations that were consistent with their green ideology, and to make consistent strides towards attaining an official ISO14001; an environmental guidance system that indicates an organisation or business is adhering to environmentally friendly codes and practices, which the business hopes to attain this year.

Rooted deeply in the Sheffield community, The Laser Cutting Co. are committed to sustaining Sheffield’s

Due for its full installation in May, Operations Director, James Day, and Sales and Business Development Director, Charlie Day, made the decision to further improve The Laser Cutting Co.’s green credentials to gain better control over power costs and to pass these savings onto their customers.

James Day, The Laser Cutting Co.’s Operations Director, had this to say: “It makes perfect sense to put our roof to good use and harness solar power, not just from an environmental point of view, but a cost control one as well. By investing in solar panels, we gain better control of our operational costs whilst significantly reducing our environmental impact.”

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Due to cover both factory roofs with an impressive 496 solar panels, one solar panel alone is able to generate up to 203kWp of power! Covering approximately 20,000 square feet of roofing across The Laser Cutting Co. facility, this installation is a huge step forward for the company and its 4-decade-long legacy.

If you’re looking for expert laser cutting and metal profiling by one of the leading providers in the country, why not get in touch with The Laser Cutting Co. to help you achieve greater efficiencies and reduce your environmental impact.

Click here to learn more about their newest green initiative 0114 242 0101 sales@lasercutting.co.uk https://www.lasercutting.co.uk

– see them on page 26

Review – Top Exhibitors

SPE Offshore Europe 2023: 50th anniversary retrospective T he first (in person) SPE Offshore Europe conference and exhibition for four years was lauded a roaring success, with more than 800 exhibitors and nearly 30,000 attendees celebrating the 50th anniversary at P&J Live in Scotland. Held at P&J Live in Aberdeen: the heart of the UK’s oil and gas industry, from 5th-8th September, the mood was both celebratory and informative. SPE Offshore Europe is the leading energy event in Europe and this year covered all aspects of energy transition.

The conference theme was ‘securing sustainable and equitable energy for the next 50 years and beyond,’ with four key issues: energy security, energy transition, innovative technology and future talent, bringing together the whole offshore energy community.

High-profile key note speakers included Graham Stuart MP: the UK Government Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and Gillian Martin MSP: Minister for Energy and the Environment, with a joint emphasis on the path towards energy sustainability.

Moderated by Kirsten Gove: Head of Communications at Global Underwater Hub, the fireside chat sessions encompassed the 50th anniversary celebrations by focusing on hot topics like geothermal energy, how hydrogen can help decarbonise the heavy energy sector and supporting the oil & gas industry make the important energy transition.

provider exclusively showcased a virtual reality major accident hazard programme (MAH). The programme includes hypothetical every day scenarios such as opening valves or assembling scaffolding, which resulted in a simulated fire or explosion. Designed to help mitigate real-world hazards, it highlighted how safety is always paramount.

The Energy Transition Theatre offered nextgenerational insights, strategies and cutting-edge technologies in the move towards net-zero. Whereas the Energy Transition Zone was aimed at operators, service and technology companies looking to prepare the oil & gas sector for the forthcoming lower carbon era.

The SPE Technical programme offered the latest advanced innovations in the offshore energy sector such as: subsea deployment and remediation, CCS technology, hydrogen challenges, digital drilling and wells and reservoir characterisation.

One of the highlights was cutting-edge virtual reality technology, designed to improve safety standards across the energy sector. DNV: energy and assurance

Unlocking efficiency and precision with Berthold’s EmulsionSENS I

n the world of process vessels, monitoring separating layers amidst extreme conditions has always been a challenge. When conventional methods fall short, radiometric measurement emerges as the game-changer. We at Berthold are the experts in radiometry and with our EmulsionSENS have revolutionised the detection of interface layers through density profiling, thereby optimising critical processes.

The EmulsionSENS provides a real-time view of these intricate separation processes within vessels. This revolutionary system boasts highly sensitive scintillation detectors and low-activity gamma sources, ensuring accurate measurements even in the harshest environments.

EmulsionSENS stands out by tracking not only one but both emulsion interfaces within process vessels. This capability translates into substantial savings. Lowering temperature, reducing chemical usage, and mitigating downstream corrosion are just the beginning. It’s a multi-faceted solution that ensures grid shortcuts are minimised by preventing water reaching

these grids and stops crude from being carried off, leading to potential penalties. Furthermore, early detection of rag build-up and fewer desanding cycles underscore the efficiency of EmulsionSENS. Berthold’s level measurement devices, designed for easy external mounting, are not subject to wear and tear, as they don’t come into contact with the measured material.

In conclusion, Berthold’s EmulsionSENS radiometric measuring system is a pioneer in enhancing process efficiency and precision.

Contact Nick Adams, 07917 890012 nick.adams@berthold.com www.berthold.com

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There were many new exhibitors this year, bringing a dynamic feel to the expo, including heavyweight BP International. BP has been instrumental in the development of the North Sea oil and gas industry from the start and its latest strategy is to be net-zero by 2050 or sooner, making the exciting transition from international oil company to integrated energy company. In addition, there were many representatives from hydrogen, offshore wind, CCS and progressive oil and gas programmes.

This is our pick of the best exhibitors from this year’s event, listed here in alphabetical order: ABLE Instruments, Atlas Copco Rental, Berthold Technologies, SFC (Europe) & VEGA Controls. Further details can be found on the next 2 and a half pages.

Save the date!

2nd-5th September 2025: P&J Live, Aberdeen Contact https://www.offshore-europe.co.uk/en-gb.html

SFC (Europe) S

FC (Europe) is a customer focused manufacturer and stockholder of bolting for use in a variety of sectors covering the Defence, Oil & Gas, Petrochemical & Nuclear sectors.

All products are Fully Certified and Traceable, with all processes controlled under the auspices of our ISO-9001:2015 & PED 2014/68/EU, as well as Norsok M-630 accredited Quality Management & Manufacturing Systems.

Our client base covers a broad range of Global End User and Distribution networks, including Oil & Gas operators, OEM equipment, Fabrication, Pipework, and Installation Applications.

Our core stock range includes studding, Studbolts, Headed Product and Nuts in both finished and semi-finished forms in ASTM/ASME grades.

grades, which enables us to offer fast track delivery of non-standard items.

Our manufacturing division enables us to provide a comprehensive service to produce Special Engineered Fasteners and Precision CNC Machined Parts to customer drawings or specifications, supported by ancillary requirements for Non-Destructive, Mechanical and Impact Testing, all under 3rd Party Witness upon request.

Products can be supplied with a variety of coatings including Zinc, Zinc Nickel, PTFE, Hot Dip Spun Galvanised.

Our stock includes Duplex, Super Duplex, and the High Nickel Alloy range such as Monel, Inconel, Incoloy and DEF-STAN

– see them on page 26

+44 (0)1902 420287 sales@sfc-europe.com www.sfc-europe.com

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Review – Top Exhibitors

Atlas Copco Specialty Rental UK and Ireland: A trusted provider of efficient and reliable Rental Solutions A

tlas Copco Specialty Rental UK and Ireland is a leading provider of temporary, cost-effective and energy efficient rental solutions for long or short-term demands, planned maintenance or unexpected emergencies.

ensure optimum performance of your rental equipment at all times. In addition, we offer a breadth of services including contingency planning; freight and logistics; installation and commissioning; decommissioning; on-site operators and supervision; training; and fuel and energy management.

Our breadth of innovative and reliable rental assets includes 100% oil-free Class Zero compressed air and oilinjected compressed air at medium or high pressure; agile power generators offering 30-1,450kVA, 380 – 690V, and 50-60Hz; hyper-mobile and modular industrial steam boilers ranging from 1,300kg/h to 16,000kg/h, as well as

superheated steam solutions; and nitrogen generators which offer purity up to +99%.

With an Atlas Copco Specialty Rental total solution, you have access to 24/7 service and maintenance to

You can be confident in our quality of service, environmental care and personnel safety which are guaranteed by our triple ISO certification.

For highly engineered rental assets, call: 0191 456 4990, email: industrialrental.uk@atlascopco.com or visit: www.atlascopcorental.co.uk

Effective interface control in multiphase separators

V

arious measurement technologies have been used over the years to measure interface in a separation vessel. Interfaces vary from clean and well-defined, to a small rag layer or a large emulsion band, right through to multiple interfaces of oil, emulsion, water, solids and associated build-up. Different technologies have shown varying degrees of success, but rarely cope with all of the conditions that can occur. Doug Anderson of VEGA Controls Ltd asks how can this measurement be made more reliable?

‘Traditional’ technologies used for interface measurement have shown degrees of unreliability, especially with heavy emulsions and/or varying quality of crude inputs. There are three main reason: 1) They need consistent ‘measurement properties’ of the liquid phases they are measuring in order to function, e.g. electrical property or density/specific gravity. If it is not constant or stable, it introduces another (unwanted) ‘unknown’ into the measurement ‘equation.’

2) Measurement devices can also be affected by build-up or contamination from the process over a period of time.

3) As well the requirement for stability, most technologies for interface monitoring also require a minimum ‘measurement property’ differential between the upper and lower fluids to detect a difference (interface), otherwise they start to ‘guess’ or fail completely. The problem with emulsions is that they are not defined, they are diffuse in their nature and literally a ‘grey area’ to many interface detection technologies.

Often the end user may be unaware of the characteristics of the process/interface they are trying to measure, especially if there is no possibility for the use of externally mounted

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sight glasses on the vessel to try and ‘see inside’ the process. It therefore makes it doubly important to have a measurement technology that is proven and reliable in managing the throughput of any separation process.

Why consider an MDA type profiler system?

The benefits to the end user are as follows: ■ Density profile across the elevation span monitors changes in the separation process on a real-time basis, enabling automatic control and optimal throughput ■ Each of the density gauges independently transmits their signal to the control room.

No external algorithms on a separate computer are required. Easy for fault finding.

■ Safe withdrawal of sources using extremely simple and robust retractable mechanisms.

Relatively small vessel process connection.

■ Reliable, even with process build up inside, through higher energy output and longer measurement paths – better performance

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and reduces outages for cleaning or recalibration ■ System can also support extra independent units for total level and point level trips (SIL) ■ Externally mounted SMART detectors are reliable by design, withstand higher process temperatures for low operating costs ■ Fast calibration of sensors and system.

Monitoring each fixed point permits trending optimising inputs and throughput of the process ■ If it should happen, a single density detector outage does not compromise the system. If hardware exchange is needed, it is faster due to external mounting and back up of calibration.

■ When no clear interface exists, the system shows valuable data to regain process control in the quickest time using optimal inputs. +44 (0)1444 870055 info.uk@vega.com www.vega.com/uk

– see them on page 26

Review – Top Exhibitors

Offshore Europe 2023: A reflection by Dave Quelch, ABLE Instruments & Controls Ltd

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aving exhibited at Offshore Europe 2023, our inaugural appearance as an Employee-Owned Trust, we were delighted, and somewhat surprised at the substantial footfall we experienced on our stand. After the absence of the show for 4 years due to the COVID pandemic, there was always a concern that people, both exhibitors and attendees, had lost their appetite for such events. Whilst, with 30,000 attendees, the show failed to reach pre-pandemic levels, those who visited our stand were very positive, praising the show’s impact.

These advances in process measurement & control featured alongside those products that have been key to ABLE's success over the past 4 decades, such as the McCrometer V-Cone DP Meter, Rheonik’s Coriolis Mass Flow Meter and Ametek Brookfield’s AZI Jerome Mercury Vapour Analyser. Also featured was our extensive range of ATEX devices for asset management and field communications, available from 247able, our e-commerce platform.

It was good to be back!

It is interesting to look at how the event is evolving against the backdrop of a rapidly changing climate for the oil and gas industry.

The sector is not only consumed with matters of taxation, policy and the public’s perception of its actions but a demanding environmental challenge too. However, those of us that supply instrumentation to this industry understand that this major driver of regional economic growth has a strategic role to play in the energy transition.

For ABLE, it was a chance to display some of the new innovations from our portfolio of process control solutions alongside established, tried and tested instrumentation for level, flow, pressure, temperature and analytical measurements. For example, the cutting edge, radar-based resolution to multiphase detection, Magnetrol-AMETEK's GenesisTM attracted a great deal of attention and discussion. One of the major talking

Contact Dave Quelch, ABLE Instruments & Controls Ltd, dquelch@able.co.uk https://able.co.uk https://247able.com points was the ability of Genesis to measure multiple phases (vapour, total level, top and bottom of emulsion layer, sediment) using a patented ‘top down, bottom up’ TDR technology, with not a nucleonic gauge in sight.

Also making its exhibition debut was our new flare gas flow meter, the ABLE FlareMaster FT, the first SIL2 meter of its type and an inhouse development courtesy of our R&D department. The FT incorporates the DataFlow Data Analysis System and FlareMaster Flare Metering Enhancement Tool. The latter confers on the meter redundancy of flow measurement & automatic verification via a secondary measurement method.

Furthermore, it facilitates a significantly extended flow measurement range, providing the widest on the market, up to 1,000m/s.

Industrial Process Technologies

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ey Organics occupies a unique position by being able to offer fragment and screening libraries for very early-stage projects. We can follow this up by performing SAR by catalogue and custom synthesis of further analogues.

Additionally, we offer FTE support for accelerating project progress – process development and scale up when the project approaches candidate selection phase. And finally, Key Organics offers a deep well of experience in chemical procurement, which adds maximum value to all projects.

Key Organics has supported many drug discovery programs, from hit validation to preclinical studies.

We have particular expertise in the scale-up of synthetic routes to prepare multi-gram quantities of a lead compound for further

studies. As many of our customers work to tight deadlines, we seek to optimise the efficiency of a scale-up route by reducing the number of steps and finding alternatives to chromatographic purification. Our chemists work closely with our in-house analytical team to ensure that final compounds meet or exceed the purity specification required by the customer, we can also provide SDS, BSE/TSE, GMO statements as needed by the client.

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Print & Packaging

Unlocking success: 6 discount strategies for printing companies

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Written by Ella Faulkner, Internal Sales

hat’s the point in discounting? Which discounting strategy should your print shop choose? And which tactics should you adopt for your campaign? Here’s the Soyang guide.

Whatever your strategy, consider these tactics: FREE DOWNLOAD: Top Print Industry Pain Points And How To Resolve Them

help ensure customers feel that they’ll always get the best deal with you.

To discount or not to discount?

There are times when discounting can be a smart move to help nudge customers in your direction, remind a lapsed customer you’re there, increase the value of an order or say thank you.

6 discount strategies for print companies

FREE DOWNLOAD: Top Print Industry Pain Points And How To Resolve Them

Then there are times when discounting may not be helpful – or even harm your business over the long term.

1. The discount voucher Finding customers is the first major challenge for every print business. It’s a challenge made more difficult by the fact that many potential customers will be loyal to their existing print supplier.

They may have built up relationships and ways of working that span years.

So how do you know which is the right print discount strategy for you?

It’ll take more than 10% off a first order to prise those people away from their current supplier.

Which print discount strategy?

Think of your printing discount strategy as the ‘why’ of the exercise. After all, there’s no point in discounting for discounting’s sake. There are numerous potential strategies for your discounting. You might want to: ■ Make an impact (for example, when launching your business) ■ Increase your market share ■ Challenge the competition ■ Lock in customer loyalty

For others, however, the relationship will be far less solid. Whatever reason they choose to use their existing printer (convenience, cost, geography, habit etc.) a discount code could be enough to convince them to give you a try. And one opportunity may be all you need to create a loyal customer.

Of these, only the last strategy is largely risk-free and unconfrontational (that is, it doesn’t set you against any other print provider). Every discount has a cost to you, but the cost is easier to offset when you know the customer is going to keep spending with you.

Challenging the market, making an impact and challenging the competition – unlike discounting for loyalty – are confrontational strategies that can deliver big results, but they also present greater risk. Start a discounting war with a competitor who has deep pockets and a competitive spirit, for example, could cost you more than it earns.

You could offer the discount via social media. Better still (given you’re a printer), if you’re targeting a geographic area, drop a leaflet into local businesses. It may even give you a chance to strike up conversations.

2. The VIP card You know how frustrating it is to have been a longstanding customer of any organisation and feel taken for granted. When the best insurance/mobile phone/broadband packages keep going to the newbies, it’s easy to feel as though a company doesn’t care about keeping you. It’s the same for print.

Offering ongoing discounts to reward loyalty – perhaps as part of a trade customer scheme; perhaps with a loyalty or VIP card (of the sort you might get in a coffee shop) that rewards either volume order or spend – can

3. The products specific discount code Two of the challenges of launching a new service are that i) you need to let customers know what the service is and ii) you need to encourage them to give it a try.

A discount targeted specifically at the new product can help do that and has the advantage of ensuring that you tightly control the costs of the campaign.

4. Seasonal discounts You know when your peak season is, and you would probably never consider discounting during it because you simply don’t need to.

But you may also have a quieter period when you need to drum up additional business to keep your print shop team busy. Targeting discounts at those quieter periods can help support this.

If you have a quiet month or quarter, consider running a campaign throughout the period, increasing the discounts or benefits with each additional order.

5. Bulk buys A simple but effective way of driving volume business is to discount larger order quantities or values. Always be aware of your print shop’s capability to deliver. There’s no point offering discounts on volumes you’d struggle to service.

6. The ‘thank you’ discount Offer your customer a discount on their birthday, at Christmas, on the anniversary of them opening your account with you – or just because.

It’s a great loyalty builder (or loyalty retainer), but it’s also a good way to encourage lapsed customers, that is, those who haven’t shopped with you in a while, to give you another try.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Top Print Industry Pain Points And How To Resolve Them The most important print discount strategy of all?

Don’t discount if you don’t have to Money off isn’t always the answer. Too much discounting too regularly will give your print company a reputation as a discounter – and that can be a tough reputation to shake.

It’s good to use discounting as part of a range of measures to win and retain customers. Discover alternative strategies to discounting.

And if your discounting is having the desired effect and bringing lots more business your way, you’ll need, talk to us. +44 (0)161 765 3400 sales@soyang.co.uk https://soyang.co.uk

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Print & Packaging

The code mark of excellence

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s we approach the end of 2023, here at Industrial Process News, we have chosen Rotech for our End of Year Recommendation.

Rotech is a leading UK coding and marking solutions provider to the packaging industry.

The business offers easy-to-integrate printers for production lines: delivering clean, fuss-free printing of variable data such as date codes, batch numbers and barcodes. The in-house team also design, build and manufacture standalone feeding systems. These systems can be paired with a labeller and/or coder to offer a flexible and cost-effective solution for consistently handling and marking packaging in its flat form. They are ideal for companies currently coding or labelling by hand who are looking to automate the process. In addition, the systems also suit difficult to handle products (such as food sleeves) and applications where the manufacturer is looking to run something for a limited amount of time, for example a seasonal packaging variant.

We spoke to Kirsty Burrage: Marketing Executive to find out more, “This year, we have launched two new products.

The first is a variant of our entry-level feeding system – a solution for coding bags and pouches that utilises vacuum technology: The RF Lite Pouch Edition.”

“The second is the Integra pp Razr 34: a printer capable of producing large – up to 34mm – prints onto both porous and non-porous materials.”

“We maintain that the Razr is a complete gamechanger when it comes to printing large barcodes or chunks of text onto flexible packaging materials. At the moment, these kinds of applications are usually done with thermal transfer (TTO), a technology, which although high-quality and reliable, produces a lot in the way of waste and operates at much slower speeds than what is capable by the Razr.”

“We like to see our customers as partners, as we don’t just provide them with a product, we provide them with our expansive knowledge on the industry, related technologies and sustainable best practice.”

“We’re also unique in that our feeding systems are designed and built here.

This allows us to be quick to meet unique needs and create bespoke systems were needed.”

“Furthermore, we’ve recently introduced Rotech Care+, a range of maintenance plans which allow us to deliver proactive aftercare support to our customers, to ensure their uptime is kept at a maximum.”

After a strong twelve months’ trading, the team are positive about the future, “Rotech hopes to become even more widely recognisable as experts in the field in 2024. We want to continue to spread the word about the technologies that we offer and the benefits that they can bring to production lines all over the country,” concluded Kirsty. +44 (0)1707 393700 sales@rotechmachines.com https://rotechmachines.com

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– see them on page 26

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Cleaning & Hygiene

Christeyns Food Hygiene wins Training Company of the Year at the SOFHT Awards 2023

Warrington based Christeyns Food Hygiene, part of Christeyns UK, were proud to receive the SOFHT Training Company of the Year Award at the event in London last night

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OFHT is an independent consortium of food industry specialists set up to keep members advised of the current hygiene and technology issues through the provision of technical support, training and topical information as well as a vital forum for networking and sharing best practice across the entire food chain. The annual awards, now in their 19th year, recognise and celebrate excellence within the food industry and its associated industries.

As well as designing hygiene chemicals and equipment, Christeyns Food Hygiene run an educational platform for the training of hygiene professionals. The Christeyns Academy has evolved since its inception in 2013 to become a valuable resource for manufacturing companies in the food sector. What started as a requirement to provide chemical safety training has grown into a package of training materials to support all food sector requirements.

Commenting on the award win, Martin Mann,

Senior Customer Development Manager, states, “We are delighted to have been named SOFHT Training Company of the Year 2023. This recognition of our specialist knowledge and training programmes highlights the range of support we can provide to the wider industry to assist them in attaining manufacturing excellence.

“Food hygiene is paramount in safeguarding the public, a firm’s reputation and in managing a successful food production business. It underlines all we do, and we are passionate about ensuring food and drink safety across all sectors of our business.”

Christeyns Food Hygiene provides innovative hygiene solutions and specialised technical support for the food and beverage industry that ensure compliance with procedures, legislation and industry codes of practice.

Contact www.christeynsfoodhygiene.co.uk

Martin Mann with the award at The Brewery in London

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UK Metals Expo 2023: Unprecedented growth and unanimous resounding success

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he 2023 UK Metals Expo (www.ukmetalsexpo. com) concluded with resounding success, earning acclaim from professionals spanning diverse sectors of the metals, engineering, and manufacturing industry. Held for the second time on September 13th and 14th, the event showcased remarkable growth, doubling both exhibition space and visitor attendance since its inaugural year. The stellar lineup of speakers and engaging discussions underscored the Expo’s commitment to advancing the metals supply chain and fostering knowledge sharing.

As the only event that brings together the entire metals supply chain with the engineering and manufacturing sector, UK Metals Expo spans primary metal manufacturing, supply chain management, metal processing, fabrication, machinery, engineering, surface coatings, and recycling.

In a dedicated effort to further elevate the industry, UK Metals Expo is delighted to announce its return in 2024. Save the date for September 11th and 12th as the Expo moves to a larger hall at the NEC, promising an expansion of groundbreaking insights, networking opportunities, and innovations.

“Massive success on our side and a very well-organized and pleasant Expo! We can’t fault anything, and we have already booked ourselves for 2024 and are looking forward to it!” was also shared by the UK Sales Manager at Behringer Ltd.

Review – Top Exhibitors

Acknowledging the event’s success, the Managing Director of Taylor Forgings expressed gratitude, stating, “The UK Metals Expo is an excellent show, well-run and very productive. We’ll be here next year.”

The Director of Purchasing at Amari METALS added, “Thank you for a most inspiring and hugely educational event UK Metals Expo 23. I am already looking forward to next year’s event, which I am sure will be even bigger and better. Well done to all.”

Lord Redesdale, Chair of UK Metals Expo, concluded, “The event has become a cornerstone in the industry calendar, boasting over 200 exhibitors and drawing more than 4,700 industry professionals from 52 countries. With full endorsement and collaboration from the UK Metals Council, its member trade associations, and various industry bodies, the show has transformed into a premier platform. Here, significant initiatives,

Proud to be the Voice of the UK Aluminium Industry

challenges, and successes take center stage, extensively discussed and showcased within the exhibition and seminar theatres.”

This is our pick of the best exhibitors from this year’s event, listed here in alphabetical order: Aeramine, Aluminium Federation (ALFED), British Stainless Steel Association (BSSA), Electric Materials, Stainless Band Ltd & Vortex. Further details can be found on the next 2 and a half pages.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates and developments at: www.ukmetalsexpo.com as UK Metals Expo continues to grow, becoming a paramount platform for industry collaboration and progress.

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LFED, the Aluminium Federation represents businesses who process, trade, and work with aluminium. We foster innovation, promote best practice, develop skills and champion member interests.

From training and networking to research, advocacy, lobbying and research, we help our members solve problems, and capitalise on industry opportunities.

As an ALFED member, you have a unique opportunity to get your voice heard in the industry.

The aluminium sector remains a vital part of the UK manufacturing sector, and to the UK economy, particularly as we continue to drive towards a

more sustainable future. As the trade association for the sector, ALFED were delighted to exhibit at the 2023 UK Metals Expo, engaging with so many of our members in the process.

ALFED CEO, Tom Jones, commented, “Aluminium is an affordable, highly recyclable material that supports a global circular economy. The UK Metals Expo provides a unique platform to engage with key figures from across the entire metals supply chain with the engineering and manufacturing sector.”

Join us again at UK Metals Expo 2024 on Stand B30!

For more information about ALFED membership opportunities, please contact: alfed@alfed.org.uk or call on: 0333 240 9735.

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he British Stainless Steel Association is a member funded trade association, representing businesses in UK and Ireland involved in the stainless steel industry from raw material extraction, manufacture, distribution, fabrication, surface treatment, installation to recycling.

Stainless steels are a small but crucial part of the wider steel family. They are iron alloys with 10.5% minimum chromium and 1.2% maximum carbon. Chromium makes stainless steels special as this alloying element gives stainless steels their corrosion resistance. Corrosion resistance is the main reason for using stainless steels but other benefits can influence why stainless is selected. These include its aesthetic appearance, the ability to withstand cryogenic temperatures to service temperatures over 1,000oC, hygienic properties and the longevity

of correctly selected materials in many environments. Over 200 different stainless steels are obtainable in many different product forms that can assist engineers, designers and asset managers overcome problems in a sustainable and effective way.

Stainless steels are 100% recyclable.

Indeed their high value encourages recycling. This lessens the environmental impact of stainless steels by reducing the need for raw materials and the energy that their production uses.

For more information about stainless steels or training, please contact: https://bssa.org.uk Contact Rob Cooper, Managing Director +44 (0)114 551 8170 +44 (0)7593 561160 rob.cooper@bssa.org.uk

– see them on page 26

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Review – Top Exhibitors

Harnessing maintenance-free emissions monitoring for manufacturers

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n an era where environmental responsibility and operational efficiency are paramount, VTX Air emerges as a game-changer for manufacturing companies seeking to revolutionise their approach to air quality management.

Vortex, a UK manufacturing company based in South Wales, offers a cutting-edge emissions monitoring platform tailored to deliver real-time hyperlocal data on diverse sources of air pollutants. Vortex is committed to empowering manufacturing companies across various industries, with a strong foothold in major manufacturing hubs and a growing presence nationwide.

Their goal is to equip manufacturers with actionable insights derived from real-time data to drive sustainability initiatives and ensure the well-being of their workforce.

Their monitoring systems play a pivotal role in assisting manufacturers in pinpointing areas of concern regarding pollution. By offering precise and immediate data, companies can strategically direct resources and interventions to enhance air quality precisely where it matters most, optimising their operations and environmental impact.

The question often arises: why do manufacturing companies require a fresh approach to emissions monitoring?

Conventional monitoring methods often need to catch up in capturing the intricate dynamics of air quality within manufacturing settings. Existing systems and air quality filters are unsuitable for harsh environment operations and often need manual maintenance to replace new filters, leading to critical gaps in data for their compliance reporting.

Large manufacturers stand to gain significantly from adopting VTX Air as a comprehensive and cost-effective solution.

The platform allows for customised reports from real-time monitoring that aids in compliance with environmental standards, resource optimisation, employee well-being, and the development of effective pollution reduction strategies.

Vortex’s system boasts zero maintenance requirements, featuring remote

configurations and updates for seamless operation. What sets it apart is the integrated self-cleaning system, eliminating the necessity for filter replacements. This functionality not only ensures convenience but also extends the shelf-life of each monitor to approximately five years. As highlighted in the article, this longevity and ease of maintenance are pivotal for manufacturing companies, ensuring uninterrupted and cost-effective air quality monitoring throughout the subscription period.

By leveraging VTX Air, manufacturing companies can proactively predict risks, respond to unforeseen events affecting their emissions and greenhouse gases, and continuously track progress toward sustainability and decarbonisation goals.

VTX Air is a vital tool for manufacturing companies committed to achieving environmental compliance, ensuring employee welfare, and optimising operational efficiency. With advanced monitoring solutions, manufacturers can take proactive steps toward a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future. +44 (0)1792 732053 info@vortexiot.com https://vortexiot.com

Electric Materials: Manufacturer of premium copper products Electric Materials, copper specialist, manufacturer of commutators and bespoke copper busbar systems

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e thoroughly enjoyed our recent participation in the UK Metals EXPO, where we had the pleasure of connecting with industry professionals and showcasing our technical prowess.

At Electric Materials, we take pride in producing top-quality copper busbar products that stand out in the market.

Crafted in the U.S. from the finest copper materials and tailored to your specific needs, our busbars ensure the cleanest and most efficient electricity transfer possible. Whether you’re moving electricity across short or long distances, Electric Materials busbars excel in maintaining power integrity and minimizing noise in applications such as data centres, switchgear, and EV fleet charging operations.

Our busbars are more than just ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions; they can be customised to your exact specifications, ensuring a perfect fit for any job. Composed of 99.9% copper

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with silver-over-nickel plating, our busbars guarantee an exceptionally clean transfer of electricity. Need specific alloys for your project? No problem – we can provide any plating necessary to meet your requirements.

While typical busbars cap out at 3.5 metres, Electric Materials shatters the norm by crafting busbars that span up to an impressive 6 metres. Say farewell to the hassle of splicing shorter lengths together! With longer busbars, you gain the advantage of fewer joints and a hassle-free on-site assembly process.

Partner with Electric Materials for reliable and tailored solutions that preserve the integrity of your electric power.

Contact Selim Yetkin, Business Development Director, +44 (0)7387 140988 https://www.elecmat.com

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We are a copper specialist dedicated to crafting tailor-made commutators, profiles and busbar products that are dedicated to switchgear and control panels.

Our busbars are not mere ‘off-the-shelf’ stock options. We offer the flexibility to custom design and build busbars to your exact specifications, in any shape/alloy/plating and configuration you need.

Visit our website www.elecmat.com Contact +44 (0)7387 140988

– see them on page 26

Review – Top Exhibitors

Stainless Band: The Aeramine: Pure Copper power of stainless steel Conductor Company A

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tainless Band was at this year’s UK Metals Expo at the NEC, Birmingham from 13th-14th September: the calendar event for the whole metal supply chain.

Stainless Band is a globally leading stockholder and processor of stainless steel in coil, narrow strip, blanks and banding/strapping. Based in the UK, with a manufacturing and a multilingual sales centre in Bingley, West Yorkshire, the privately-owned business has been expertly supplying the automotive, petrochemical, electronic, packaging, HVAC and pharmaceutical industries for over ten years.

With a customer-centric focus, the company provides cutting-edge, on-site tensile, hardness and chemical analysis testing, as part of its ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 quality assurance. The products and processing portfolio includes: Bobbin wound, bespoke slitting and processing, oscillating wound, stainless steel and boxed banding (UK market),

strapping and boxed banding (USA/ Canada market), temper rolling, slitting blanks and polishing, aluminium strapping and boxed banding, with edge conditions available on-demand and many more.

The goods inwards bay holds over 800T of stainless-steel coil in stock, to supply customers all around the world from the UK, Europe, to North America.

All processing is completed in-house with slitting lines from 0.10mm to 4.00mm and the on-site rolling mill gives customers the required hardness and tensile strength. Furthermore, the oscillating winder produces coils up to 1,000kg and the bobbin winder is perfect for narrow materials from 0.1mm to 0.4mm thick.

For more information, please see below: 01274 566831 sales@stainlessband.co.uk https://www.stainlessband.co.uk

Exhibitors signed. New hall sealed. Subcon 2023 delivered The eagerly anticipated Subcon Show returned to Birmingham’s NEC for two exceptional days of industry celebration and innovation! footfall has been amazing, and we’ve had orders well in excess of £300,000 today alone.” Simon’s comments were echoed by an impressive on-site rebook rate of 60%, and the average stand size increasing by 28%.

he 46th edition of Subcon truly lived up to its reputation as the industry’s leading subcontract manufacturing supply chain show and continued to bring together an abundance of high-quality visitors with over 4,500 in attendance. This represented a 15% increase on 2022, 70% of whom had joint/sole responsibility in purchasing.

Even bigger and even better in 2024: Subcon returns to the NEC, Birmingham on the 5th-6th June 2024, this time in Hall 3A, making it even easier to access the events, via transport hubs, taking place across the same dates. Additionally, the Subcon floorplan has had an incredible 33% expansion on 2023, this along with the high rebook rate and the continued growth in visitors makes for a brilliant couple of days next year.

Feelings of success were mirrored by exhibitors. Simon Bluff, Managing Director at Taylor Forgings, commented, “It’s been a really good day so far, the

For more information on visitor and exhibitor opportunities, and to register your interest, please visit: www.subconshow.co.uk

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IPN is sponsored by

eramine is a manufacturing start-up founded in 2021 by Alex Lapis (a trained engineer and fabricator), Aleksey Seplyarsky (a metallurgist), and Raymond Lam (an accountant), with interest in copper refinement to 5N grade and beyond (99.999%+ pure).

When compared to the standard material currently being used, 5N copper is remarkably ductile and has superior thermal and electrical conductivity, especially at cryogenic temperatures. It has many applications from additive manufacturing, semi-conductors, EV, aerospace, nuclear and medical.

Aeramine has developed a proprietary and environmentally friendly process for copper refinement that makes large ultra-high purity copper production commercially viable.

In 2023, the company teamed up with The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC Limited) and Phoenix Scientific Industry (PSI) Ltd in project Pure CuRE to upcycle UK scrap copper

into high purity feedstock. The Project Pure CuRE has received supports from academic and wider scientific communities and was awarded an Innovate UK grant funding for its R&D. Aeramine aims to deliver a protype refiner by the end of the R&D stage and will be in a position to commercialise and scale up its operation from there on.

Securing the grant has been a milestone for the company and has opened up new opportunities during the 2 day exhibition at UK Metal Expo and FormNext 2023. +44 (0)333 444 4466 https://www.aeramine.com

Review

Cambridge Electronic Industries announces new range of M Series Circular Connectors C

ambridge Electronic Industries, longestablished at the forefront of precision coaxial connectors, are delighted to announce the introduction of a new range of M Series Circular Connectors set to launch in January 2024.

The range includes M5, M8, M12, M16 and M20 versions, catering to a wide range of applications and needs, from lower pin densities for power applications up to high-density signal pins offering speeds up to 10Gbps. The connectors come in both shielded and non-shielded variants allowing users to select the appropriate connector for their specific requirements. The connectors are high quality with gold plated pins ensuring good electrical conductivity and durability. Robust connector bodies mean the connectors can withstand harsh environments and with the

waterproof rating of IP67, your connections will be protected from ingress of moisture and dust. Panel mounting options are available in both front and rear options allowing versatile installation configurations. The M Series Connectors also come with the option for ready-made or bespoke cable assemblies, which can save time and effort when integrating these connectors into projects.

These features make the M series Circular connectors from Cambridge Electronic Industries a versatile and reliable solution for different electronic and electrical connectivity needs.

Please see the website at: www.cambridgeelectronics.com or contact sales by email at: sales@cambridgeelectronics.com.

– see them on page 26

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