FMA was recently involved in the process design and control requirements for the filtration, beer supply and CIP systems to Can Lines 2 and 3 for the GBP35M Merlin project at Coors Burton brewery.

FMA has a long-standing relationship with Coors Brewers - their track record spans both complete turnkey operations as well as specific control systems. Indeed, the company was only recently involved in the process design and control requirements for the filtration, beer supply and CIP systems to Can Lines 2 and 3 for the GBP35M Merlin project at Coors Burton brewery. This involved the complete re-automation of the existing two KG filters and the horizontal leaf PVPP filter, plus the addition of a second horizontal PVPP filter to create two discrete filter lines - whilst ensuring maintained production throughput for existing packaging requirements.

FMA involvement in "Merlin" also focused upon the concurrent electrical installation and control system for the new beer supplies from the BBTs to can lines 2 and 3 via the use of an existing CIP unit.

A Rockwell Controllogix solution was used to upgrade the existing PLC control system for filtration and provide control over beer supply for the can lines.

Using their considerable process knowledge, FMA was then able to provide a detailed functional specification incorporating filtration, CIP and beer supply requirements as well as operation of all new and existing process plant.

Full liaison took place with OEM equipment suppliers and thorough software simulation procedures were embarked upon.

A considerable part of the success of this complex project was down to the thorough simulation testing and operator training carried out by FMA and Coors.

Hazardous area equipment specialist Hawke International has introduced cable gland selection software on the latest version of their electronic catalogue.

Hazardous area equipment specialist Hawke International has introduced cable gland selection software on the latest version of their electronic catalogue. Designers can drill down, using context relevant help, to find the right gland for their needs. Operators may either specify environmental requirements and cable characteristics or use cable manufacturer's codes and product descriptions to access the data sheet for the relevant product.

"Previously, selecting the correct cable gland was a time consuming exercise - our software has changed this," explained Mike Connelly.

The software not only leads the enquirer to the right product but also shows alternative and similar products that can be considered.

"Improving gland selection achieves greater safety with a possibility of substantial cost saving in some cases," added Mike.

The CD will save time for project designers and electrical engineers.

The interactive catalogue features the complete Hawke portfolio including glands for hazardous and industrial areas complying with either European or North American standards.

Full technical sheets are called up in PDF format for previewing.

The selection software can automatically generate enquiries for printing or faxing.

Enquiries can also be saved for easy recall in the future.

There is even a simple one-button operation to export enquiry data to Microsoft Excel.

In addition to accessing data sheets and generating enquiries, users can view product certificates and obtain useful installation advice from the training videos, which are also included on the CD.

The CD is part of a programme of ongoing product development and user support.

Mike Connelly commented, "The software is a first for our industry, but we are still moving forward.

Additional cable data is being added all the time.

We will also be making these tools accessible via the web and adding multi-language capability in the near future."

In any shift pattern, there is always a "Best Operator" at operating the plant: Startim from MTS is designed to integrate with existing plant control systems in the same way that a good operator would.

Imagine your best operator always on the job! In any shift pattern, there is always a "Best Operator" at operating the plant in normal and abnormal conditions. If only they could operate the plant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and never retire, profits would be up and the future a little more secure. The bad news is that they can't, the good news is that Startim can.

Startim is designed to integrate with existing plant control systems in the same way that a good operator would.

However it also automates the coordination, preparation and planning best practices appropriate to current plant operating conditions and constraints to deliver a total control solution.

Startim delivers most benefit in improving plant transitions between operating conditions.

These plant transitions may be as complex as site start-up or shutdown; or for a particular processing plant, may involve grade changing, product changeover, improved recipe management or emergency shutdown or recovery.

As a manager, using a total control solution such as Startim you will know that your plant is being operated within all plant safety guidelines, with an audit trail of automated actions and manual interventions.

Experience of using Startim on a number of processing units has demonstrated the practical benefit of defining current best practice for operating procedures and automating their complete implementation.

Repeatability and reliability then become the cornerstones of delivering and improving on current best practice with all its present day financial rewards.

Additionally, a system that takes best practice and retains it as 'Corporate Memory' can significantly reduce future risk.

Rittal's new 4 pole Maxi-PLS is a fully modular partially type tested system for numerous applications such as power distribution, variable speed drives, process and the utility industries.

Rittal's new 4 pole Maxi-PLS which utilises the popular TS8 enclosure range is a fully modular partially type tested system for numerous applications such as power distribution, variable speed drives, process and the utility industries. The components are supplied ready to install, allowing fast assembly without any form of drilling, sawing or bending. When considering a conventional ACB enclosure typically taking 24-36 hours to build, 4 pole Maxi outstrips this by taking an average of just 1 day.

With options of 2000amps or 3200amps the possibilities are endless and Maxi-PLS integrates with all commercially available Air Circuit Breakers to offer maximum investment return.

With a system so simple to purchase, install and later modify Maxi-PLS not only eliminates high labour costs but also takes away the worry of having to cope with a large power distribution system.

More information can be found in the new power distribution catalogue, available from Rittal, which also contains a full range of products to accessorise Maxi-PLS solutions.

Poeton Industries Limited, a world leader in surface coating technology, has won a substantial order from its Gloucestershire neighbour Spirax Sarco thanks to investment in a new coating process.

Poeton Industries Limited, a world leader in surface coating technology, has won a substantial order from its Gloucestershire neighbour Spirax Sarco thanks to a recent 90,000 GBP investment in EDEN - a special environmental dialysis system designed to reduce waste from the coating process. Cheltenham based Spirax Sarco, a supplier of products and services worldwide for the control of steam and other industrial fluids, adheres to a strict environmental policy when selecting its supplier partners. The company placed the order with Poeton after sample coatings proved that the combination of the new Poeton semi-automated electroless nickel line and the EDEN environmental system, provided consistently high standards of corrosion protection for a range of steam traps and control and metering products.

Explains Poeton managing director Colin John: "EDEN provides continuous and very precise control of the electroless nickel solution, which means we achieve much more consistent plating rates and finer tolerances".

A spokesman for Spirax Sarco agrees: "We were impressed with the Poeton ability to deliver such a high quality, 'right first time' corrosion resistant coating, and equally impressed with the more attractive finish it provided for our cast iron components".

The steam traps are coated with Apticote 400, a nickel composite coating that combines the protection of low friction polymers with the natural hardness and corrosion resistance of nickel to provide superior wear, abrasion and chemical resistance.

To ensure on-time delivery for the Spirax Sarco monthly production schedule, Poeton also provides a weekly collection and delivery service and has the flexibility to operate its electroless-nickel lines 24-hours a day to meet any increases in demand.

To discuss surface treatments, sample part processing or technical advice call Poeton Industries now.

EDEN - Electro Dialysis for Electroless Nickel - works by continuously cleaning the process solution in the two electroless nickel plating lines.

It has reduced monthly volumes of spent process solutions by 1500 litres and virtually eliminated the generation of hazardous heavy metal waste.

Poeton believes it is the first UK surface treatment specialist to install the EDEN environmental system.

The tube clamp system from Automation Supplies is a versatile approach to tube clamping, using one unit for multiple diameters of tube sizes from 20 to 50mm.

Automation Supplies is a new company offering a range of exciting new engineered products from one source, based on the popular and increasing use of established modular parts and assemblies to achieve cost effective solutions. The tube clamp system is a comprehensive range of round and square tube connection clamps and joints for making small or large frames from steel, stainless steel and aluminium. The two way connector clamp GN133 is a new addition to the range allowing a rigid 90 degree connection of two tubes which have different outside diameters.

The clamp is made from cast aluminium and is available in finishes of black plastic coated, natural aluminium, and to special order in any RAL colour.

The different combinations of tube diameters able to be used with this tube connection element are 20, 25, 30, 40, 42, 45, 48 and 50mm.

Tube clamping can be specified via the use of cap screws or adjusting handles in steel and stainless steel.

A full catalogue of the tube connection system is available for download or in print from the Automation Supplies website.

This component can also be adapted to be used with the linear adjustment system that forms part of the tube clamp system.

Invensys APV is delighted to announce its certification to the prestigious ISO 9001:2000 standard for its facility based in Crawley, West Sussex.

Invensys APV is delighted to announce its certification to the prestigious ISO 9001:2000 standard for its facility based in Crawley, West Sussex. Basing the management of all business activities on the principles of the new ISO standard is helping APV improve efficiency throughout the company in order to deliver improved customer satisfaction. According to Business Improvement Manager, Paul Morley, "We are delighted to have achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification.

However, this is certainly not the end of the process.

We are committed to continually monitoring and improving our business processes, as necessary, as we continue to strive to become the world-class supplier of choice to our chosen markets".

The program is fully supported by the APV management team.

"ISO 9001:2000 provided a set of values that ideally matched our business ambition", commented Managing Director, Steve Davies.

I am very grateful for the efforts of a large number of employees, who have contributed to improvement actions over the past few months".

Significant effort has been invested in communicating the principles of ISO 9001:2000 to all employees of APV in Crawley.

This was aimed at helping them understand what is required both individually and as a group, as they work together in support of a philosophy that focuses on the need to continuously improve the quality of service to customers.

Specialising in engineering consultancy and establishing rebuilding and optimising pharmaceutical production facilities, the company has a new Swedish subsidiary located in Huddinge south of Stockholm.

Specialising in engineering consultancy and establishing, rebuilding and optimising pharmaceutical production facilities, the company has set up a Swedish subsidiary located in Huddinge south of Stockholm. The decision to establish NNE Sweden AB was triggered by the increase in turnover in Sweden, where NNE has recorded sales running into double-digit millions (DDK). 'The new offices in Huddinge gives us an even better platform for serving existing and potential customers in Sweden,' said Kay Stendevad, managing director of NNE Sweden.

'We are both local and international players.

We aim to build an independent Swedish organisation focusing on local customers.

Coupled with our international experiences, our extensive network means we can meet all our clients' needs for consulting and engineering services.

Our skills cover a breadth and depth of disciplines'.

The NNE Swedish client base includes AstraZeneca, Pfizer/Pharmacia, Ferring, Novozymes Biopharma and Polypeptide.

The services most in demand are in the fields of automation, GMP and validation, process operations and clean room technology.

NNE Sweden AB has hired five engineers to date, all with experience from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Further recruitment is underway.

The Huddinge premises will be officially inaugurated at a reception on 9 October 2003.

NNE has more than 80 years' experience as a supplier of consultancy and engineering services and process plants for the international pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries.

With a staff of more than 1,000, NNE is the largest Nordic consultancy in this segment.

NNE A/S is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk A/S.

AMEC has been appointed to carry out the initial engineering design for the offsite and utility facilities on a USD1.5Bn coal-to-chemical production complex in north west China.

AMEC, the international project management and services company, has been appointed by the Shenhua Ningxia Coal Group (SNCG) to carry out the initial engineering design for the offsite and utility facilities on a USD1.5 billion coal-to-chemical production complex in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in north west China. AMEC has been working as the SNCG project management contractor for the overall facility since early 2006 and this latest award builds on the close and successful relationship developed with SNCG during that time. Working from their Shanghai offices, AMEC engineers will provide the basic engineering and design needed to define and integrate all the common, site-wide systems required to service the six individual process units within the facility.

These systems include power and steam distribution, water systems, flare and fire fighting, interconnecting pipework, air and gas, site-wide instrumentation, control, electrical systems, loading/unloading facilities and storage.

The new facility, which is designed to produce 540,000 tonnes of polypropylene per year and which will include a coal gasifier plant, a methanol and methanol-to-propylene unit and a polypropylene unit, is scheduled to be completed in early 2009.

Polypropylene is a chemical product usually derived from oil refining and ethylene processing but the project will use coal as the feedstock, which will come from large reserves in the Ningxia area.

'The award and successful execution of this contract will further strengthen the AMEC expertise as the leading contractor in coal based petrochemical facilities,' said Ross Gibson, president of the AMEC China operations covering Natural Resources.

'We have the skills and resources to respond to the challenge and look forward to contributing to the success of this important and prestigious project'.

Foster Wheeler has been awarded a FEED/PMC contract for a new petrochemicals complex in Saudi Arabia, to produce polybutylene terephthalate at Yanbu.

Foster Wheeler Energy, part of the F-W Global Engineering and Construction Group, has been awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) and project management consultancy (PMC) services contract by Osos Petrochemicals Company (in formation) for a planned new petrochemicals complex to produce polybutylene terephthalate at Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In executing the FEED, the Foster Wheeler role will also include the basic design for the utilities and offsites of the project. The Company will provide PMC services up to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) award and will be involved in the preparation of a project cost estimate, issuance of an invitation to bid for the EPC phase, evaluation of EPC bids and assistance with EPC award.

The new petrochemicals complex comprises four licensed technology process units plus associated utilities, offsites and common facilities.

The complex will produce 60,000 tonnes per annum of polybutylene terephthalate, a plastic used as an insulator in the electrical and electronics industries.

'We are pleased to assist Osos Petrochemicals in realizing its first petrochemicals complex, a key element of their strategic plan to build added-value petrochemical derivatives in the Kingdom,' said Steve Davies, chairman and chief executive officer, Foster Wheeler Energy.

'Foster Wheeler is playing a key role in the development of the petrochemicals sector in Saudi Arabia and is currently managing over USD20 billion of petrochemical project investments for Saudi Arabian clients'.

'Osos Petrochemicals has selected Foster Wheeler after proper evaluation and looks forward to building a relationship as we develop our petrochemicals investment in Saudi Arabia,' commented Mubarak A Al-Khater, managing director of the Osos Petrochemicals Complex.

A team from the Foster-Wheeler UK subsidiary Foster Wheeler Energy, part of the Global Engineering and Construction Group, has won the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board ACTIVE Cup.

Foster Wheeler announce that a team from its UK subsidiary Foster Wheeler Energy, part of its Global Engineering and Construction Group, has won the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) ACTIVE Cup. A record field of ten teams from the UK's leading engineering and project management companies took part in this year's competition. Foster Wheeler has participated in the competition since its inception ten years ago and this is the sixth time that the company has won the award.

The popular ACTIVE (Achieving Competitiveness Through Innovation and Value Enhancement) Cup is an annual competition-based learning event in project management.

The ACTIVE initiative was launched in 1996 with the aim of improving the performance of capital projects in the process industries and encouraging the sharing of good practice.

The ACTIVE Cup uses sophisticated technology to test teams from companies within the industry on their ability to put the ACTIVE principles to work when managing a substantial project.

The annual weekend event, sponsored by the ECITB, a UK organization, is based around a dynamic and interactive computer simulation managed by Cranfield University School of Management in the UK.

Teams are set the challenge of project managing the construction, from inception to client acceptance, of an 'environmental monitoring station' located in a remote area.

'The project is executed over a 20 to 25 'week' simulated schedule, with each week lasting 15 to 20 minutes,' said Matthew Morley, leader of the winning team, and proposal manager at Foster Wheeler Energy.

'The time pressures created by the simulation required rapid and accurate progress assessment and decision-making with respect to equipment and material procurement, workforce allocation and plant hire deployment.

The competition judges assessed team performance against actual project performance, namely achieving the highest profit against a fixed-price, lump-sum contract, the ability to meet both schedule and profit forecasts at key stages throughout the project and the continuous application of the ACTIVE principles'.

'Foster Wheeler is proud of its project management and project execution expertise and proven track record in 'real life',' said Steve Davies, chairman and chief executive officer, Foster Wheeler Energy: 'It is very pleasing to see a Foster Wheeler team demonstrate these same skills and apply the same commitment and professionalism in this prestigious competition'.

'The ECITB ACTIVE Cup allows us to simulate the life-cycle of a major project within a single weekend,' commented David Edwards, chief executive, ECITB: 'This, and the competition element, puts the pressure on and intensifies the learning experience.

The teams are tested across the spectrum of project management activity, including negotiating with clients, suppliers and bankers.

In winning, the Foster Wheeler team demonstrated a thorough understanding and application of the ACTIVE principles'.

The latest Flow of Fluids software is used by designers and operators to visualise their systems, calculate system operations, communicate the design with others and access supporting documents

The newest version of Flow of Fluids software has been released today. Flow of Fluids Premium version 2007 software simulates the operation of small piping systems, and is the companion software to the Crane Technical Paper 410. The newly released version contains significant improvements from its last release, Flow of Fluids Premium version 2005.

'If the Crane TP410 is the quintessential guide for understanding flow of fluids through pipes, valves and fittings, then Flow of Fluids Premium Software is your way of designing, simulating and visualising the whole system,' said Ray Hardee, PE and Chief Engineer at Engineered Software.

Flow of Fluids Premium calculates results for series, branching and looped systems, whether opened or closed, for up to 25 pipelines.

The programme boasts the ability to select pumps directly from more than 85 manufacturers' supplied electronic pump catalogs.

The newest features include key enhancements to new visual features such as, the option of creating piping system models as a 2-D or isometric drawing and a new Shape Editor where users can create custom shapes for pumps, tanks, components and control valves.

Other new capabilities include the ability to copy and paste between piping system models, size a flow meter or balancing orifice and insert it into the piping system in a single step, view results instantly using the new AutoCalc feature.

Users can also customize their results on the FLO-Sheet and fly-by viewer, or change the system's fluid properties in a lineup.

'When designing our software, we strive to provide users with customising opportunities so their systems can be as accurate as possible while making their jobs easier,' Hardee added: 'Flow of Fluids Premium is perfect for creating a professional looking presentation of your piping systems'.

Flow of Fluids software is used by designers and operators to gain a clear picture of their fluid piping systems.

The programme allows users to visualize their systems in a familiar format, calculate system operations, easily communicate the design with others and access supporting documents in electronic format.

"Time is of the essence" in establishing new biotech or pharma production: NNE has developed a "Modular" approach to plant construction, that has been shown to reduce overall construction timescales.

"Time is of the essence" in establishing new biotech or pharma production. Novo Nordisk Engineering (NNE) has developed a "Modular" approach to plant construction, that has been shown to reduce overall construction timescales. NNE uses multiple vendors to produce plant modules, effectively skid mounted equipment, and integrates these on site, to achieve an overall fast-track project.

Ole Abildgaard, a Batch Process Automation Specialist at NNE in Denmark will describe the success of these techniques, using contractors spread across five countries, to the Manufacturing Excellence Ireland conference on "Automation and Asset Management in the Pharmaceutical Industry", scheduled for October 22-23 in Cork, Ireland.

His presentation will give experience from completion of the NovoSeven production plant in Hillerod in Denmark, and will describe the NNE approach that meets the challenges of this approach, including the overall consolidation that integrates the modules into a validated production unit.

NNE describes this technology as "Unique Know-How", and is using the approach on several further commercial fast-track plant construction projects.

Ole Abildgaard, a Batch Process Automation Specialist with NNE A/S, is based in Denmark, and has an MS in electrical engineering plus a PhD in advanced control from the Technical University of Denmark.

He has worked for Novo Nordisk Engineering as project engineer on life science and biotech projects since 1997.

Before then he worked on process control and optimisation in the Danish steel industry.

Dust Extraction International has expanded its national sales force with the appointment of Gareth Hine as Sales Manager for the Midlands and South of England regions.

Dust Extraction International has expanded its national sales force with the appointment of Gareth Hine as Sales Manager for the Midlands and South of England regions. Gareth, 31, from Cannock in Staffordshire joins Dust Extraction from a national sales position within the industry and replaces Barry Sayers who retires from the company after 25 years service. Gareth will work from his home in Cannock and will cover a wide geographic area from Mid-Wales, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire right down to the south coast.

Around 30 per cent of the company turnover is generated from work with clients based in this part of the UK.

Gareth will work to enhance Dust Extraction International business with existing clients as well as to promote its services to new contacts.

Offering a bespoke service to meet the specific needs of each client, Dust Extraction International manufactures, supplies and manages dust control solutions for a range of businesses across many industry sectors.

Recent projects include work for Alstec Systems Technology to supply the Ho Ping Power Station in Taiwan with a complete dust control and centralised vacuum cleaning operation.

Arc Energy Resources, a specialist in corrosion and wear resistant weld overlay cladding for the oil and gas, petrochemical and process industries, has completed a refit of all their workstations.

Arc Energy Resources, a specialist in corrosion and wear resistant weld overlay cladding for the oil and gas, petrochemical and process industries, is completing a comprehensive refit of the workstations at its Gloucestershire factory. Managing Director Alan Robinson says new state-of-the-art control systems designed to suit the very specialised company requirements, will effectively increase capacity by 25 percent whilst providing the flexibility to handle a wider variety of projects. "The new Arc Energy designed control systems have significantly improved efficiency", he says, adding that "this will help to make weld overlay cladding economically viable for many industries outside the traditional oil and gas sector".

More precise control also allows weld deposits to be laid to much finer tolerances and positioned with greater accuracy.

"The smoother finish limits the amount of alloy used and reduces the post weld machining time - which means a double saving for customers", explains Robinson.

Arc Energy is able to clad components of up to twelve tonnes, even in areas of restricted access such as bores as small as 20mm diameter.

At the other extreme, units as large as four metres in diameter can be handled.

The factory is also equipped with a 15-tonne gantry crane and work is manipulated on positioners and rolls with capacities from 1-12 tonnes.

The Arc Energy weld overlay cladding service provides heavy-duty protection against corrosion and wear for a wide range of process plant and pipeline equipment, and offers significant savings when compared to manufacturing from solid corrosion resistant or wear resistant alloys.

It is specified in many industries to increase the life of new components, and refurbish and extend the life of worn parts.

Sensor Products introduces the Topaq Advanced Imaging System, providing a unique perspective of the distribution and actual magnitude of stress between any contacting or impacting surfaces


Sensor Products introduces the Topaq Advanced Imaging System. Used in conjunction with Pressurex stress indicating films, Topaq provides a unique perspective of the distribution and actual magnitude of stress between any contacting or impacting surfaces. In general, any application involving stress between two objects could benefit from Topaq capabilities.

"Measuring pressure distribution and magnitude in components, tools and machines as well as determining effective placement of strain gauges and drawing pressure in dies," said Jeffrey Stark, Senior Technical Manager, "are some of the common applications using Topaq.

Automotive components (such as gaskets), electronics packaging applications, heat sinks and PCBs lend themselves particularly well to interpretation with this unique system".

"Unlike FEA, Topaq is a post-process interpretative system that actually collects stress and force data at the interface surface," Stark commented further.

"In many instances, Topaq can be used to confirm the results of FEA analysis.

Topaq has extremely rapid response time usually requiring no more than five seconds to render an image".

Some of Topaq's features include histograms of pressure levels, enlargement and reduction, pseudo-color and 3-D viewing modes, extensive smoothing, filtering and thresholding enabling integration of total area and magnitude of force.

Surface contact area down to 3 mils as well as multiple and single regions of interest can be compared and analysed.

A line scan function allows the user to assess narrow bands of stress over unusual or intricate shapes.

Another feature called Grid-Maker applies a user designated mesh overlay to an image and quickly assimilates the statistical data for each cell into Excel format.

A bicubic interpolation algorithm allows Topaq to enlarge an image without the usual increase in graininess that normally accompanies such function.

Each image and its accompanying statistics can be saved, printed and exported for analysis in other software packages.

With new Solvent Regulations coming into force soon, Layton Technologies has developed a range of fixed-price budget cleaning options to fit virtually every parts cleaning and degreasing application.

With new Solvent Regulations coming into force later this year, UK-based component cleaning equipment manufacturer, Layton Technologies has developed a range of fixed-price budget cleaning options to fit virtually every parts cleaning and degreasing application. Many companies using trichloroethylene and similar solvents will be looking to invest in compliant enclosed technology. Layton can offer a high capacity system that includes an hermetically sealed chamber, on-board solvent reprocessing and vacuum drying for a fixed cost of GBP40k.

This system can safely use tric, perc or a range of hydrocarbon solvents in a near-zero emissions and environmentally compliant system.

For some specialised solvent applications such as Npb, which may not be fully suited to the distillation process in fully sealed systems, Layton has developed its enclosed Bluestone solvent system which incorporates internal handling for a budget cost of GBP35k.

Where companies can move to aqueous cleaning, Layton say that they can provide objective advice on the best process to consider and offer a multi-stage clean, rinse and drying system, complete with ultrasonics and an automated integral handling system for a budget price of GBP30k.

If aqueous cleaning is required for complex parts that need high performance drying, for GBP35k Layton has a compact aqueous system that offers ultrasonic, spray and immersion cleaning with highly efficient warm air and vacuum drying.

Layton Sales Manager Chris O'Rourke explained that they had brought together this budget range of component cleaning systems in response to the need for companies to up-date their parts cleaning processes to comply with impending regulations.

'We are trying to simplify things for customers who need to find a viable and affordable replacement system before SER becomes a requirement in October.

We also offer a range of affordable purchase options including lease-purchase'.

For companies who want to out-source their component cleaning, Layton have also opened a contract cleaning service offering an efficient alternative to in-house parts cleaning.

We all need to look forward not backwards - SED Compliance legislation is here and will apply very soon. How you respond could be critical for your company future: here Guyson review some alternatives.

There has certainly been plenty written recently about 'Solvent Emissions Directive (SED) Compliance' and rumours are rife that we are all going to be prosecuted for cleaning virtually anything, even down to our tea cups! Is it really going to be as bad as that? Of course not, but what many of the articles have failed to mention is the existence of alternatives. Everyone is keen to tell you what you can't do anymore - now Guyson would like to suggest to you a few of these alternatives.

Let's make it plain right from the start: there may have to be compromise and there certainly will be change.

However unpalatable, costly or time consuming the exercise, a line has been drawn in the sand and, with very few exceptions, from 31st October 2007 we will have to change to safer alternatives.

So why not go with it and draw as many positives out of this change as you can?

Such as safer working environments for your employees, less or no harmful emissions, cost savings through reduction of disposal costs, good PR for your company - replacing harmful solvents can be promoted as demonstrating 'best practice' manufacturing.

The solvents affected by the new EC Regulation are Trichloroethylene, Methylene Chloride, Perchloroethylene, n-Propyl Bromide and HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) solvents such as HCFC 141b.

And everyone has to have complied by the above date, the few temporary exceptions being for the precision cleaning of electrical and other components in aerospace, aeronautics and certain other military applications, for which the ban enters force on 31st December 2008.

CHANGE WORKING PRACTICE TO MINIMISE CLEANING.

There is no going back only forwards so we will start with a simple question: do your parts need to be cleaned?

Is there nothing upstream in the process that can be altered to prevent the parts from being contaminated or reduce that contamination?

Or downstream; can you reduce the number of inter-stage cleaning processes?

Either clean your products less or even clean just once, at the end of the manufacturing process?.

DO YOU HAVE TO USE SOLVENTS TO CLEAN?.

Have you looked at every alternative?

To start with, do your parts actually need to be cleaned with solvents?

If so, there are now SED-compliant cost-effective solvent processes, which we will come to later.

But the answer in some cases is no; you may have simply always done it that way or you may prefer the perceived quality of cleaning - but without actually needing to use solvents.

It is often the case that companies who have a 'trike' tank get into the habit of putting everything through it.

Let's look at the options.

AQUEOUS SPRAY WASH.

There are many safe aqueous alternatives that are perfectly suitable for cleaning a wide range of components.

So why not ring a reputable equipment supplier like Guyson, book some components in for free cleaning trials and take it from there?

You will then know for certain what cleanliness standard can be achieved, and it may surprise you.

The detergent and equipment manufacturers have been working together for many years to produce today's excellent ranges of cleaning products.

Through these cleaning trials, you will hopefully identify that there is at least one alternative technology you can adopt and pursue this further with specific equipment trials to ascertain what type of spray washer you need.

Below, the Allkajet is just one type of aqueous cleaning machine supplied by Guyson.

Model selection will only come about with a full audit of your cleaning requirements, cleanliness specification, throughput volume, total running costs, factory space, budget etc.

Allkajet.

The Guyson Allkajet 600 Rotary Washer delivers high quality cleaning and drying for a wide range of components and is typically used to great effect in batch manufacturing applications in the automotive, aerospace, and medical and defence sectors.

The washing process combines periods of both partial and total submersion with high volume spraying of special low temperature water based solution - pumped at a rate of up to 350 litres per minute at 15 bar pressure - through 14 high-pressure spray jets.

The deluge and turbulence produced completely saturates all component surfaces and penetrates deeply into all awkward recesses and areas normally difficult to reach.

The submerged phase of the operation provides the opportunity to use optional ultrasonic agitation when it is needed to achieve the highest cleaning standards.

At the end of the wash cycle, the cleaning chamber is emptied and flushed out to remove all traces of wash solution.

Rinsing is a repeat of the wash process using a heated rinse solution drawn from its own separate 450-litre tank.

Cycle time is usually shorter for the rinse.

After draining, heated air and blown compressed air are used to dry the components before the component holding baskets are manually removed from the chamber using the integral loading and unloading carriage.

This assists handling outside the machine via the flat folding door, en route to a roller conveyor.

The three-stage cleaning sequence of the Allkajet is PLC controlled and provides wash, rinse and dry options in any combination.

To agitate the components there is a choice between a left and right tilting movement or a continuously revolving tumble-basket at speeds between 0.7 and 1.5 rpm.

Where cleaning volumes are greater, multi module systems are available and a larger model, Allkajet 1200, can accommodate baskets up to 1200mm long in loads of up to 150kg.

Of course aqueous cleaning is not the answer for every component.

Some, such as electronics, PCBs, precision optics, medical and aerospace components may need engineered fluids to provide the high level of cleanliness associated with solvent cleaning.

SOLVENT CLEANING USING HFC OR 3M NOVEC HFE.

Not to be confused with HCFCs (general use of which was banned from 2002), HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) and 3M Novec HFE (hydrofluoroether) do not contain chlorine and do not deplete the ozone layer.

Microsolve ultrasonic cleaning systems.

The Guyson Kerry Microsolve ultrasonic cleaning systems attain the highest cleaning standards yet, crucially, keep running costs low.

Solvent retention features unique to the latest Microsolve machines, including triple coil reflux cooling, vapour break, 150% freeboard, auto top-up and solvent monitoring, ensure the systems are safe and comply fully with environmental and safety legislation.

And as so little solvent is lost, the equipment is extremely cost-effective in use.

Guyson Kerry Microsolve Co-Solvent systems generally provide two cleaning stages, both with ultrasonics and filtration, followed by vapour rinsing and freeboard dry.

In the first cleaning tank a mixture of 3M Novec HFE (Hydrofluoroether) and a hydrocarbon solvating agent, agitated by ultrasonics and the boiling action, removes gross contamination from the components.

Large quantities of soluble contamination can be taken up by the solvating agent, and this makes the process particularly suitable for heavy duty cleaning applications - heavy weight oils, greases, waxes, fluxes etc.

In the second stage, pure HFE distillate, also ultrasonically assisted, removes from the components any residues carried over from the primary cleaning tank.

Cleaning is followed by a rinse in the vapour zone above the tanks and then a dwell in the freeboard zone to dry the components.

Autotrans work transfer systems ensure consistent, repeatable quality whilst increasing throughput, and also contribute to cost reductions by controlling the speed of basket movement through the vapour zone, thus reducing solvent drag-out caused by disturbance of the vapour blanket.

All Autotrans transporters can integrate with feed and exit conveyors or load and unload tables for fully automatic operation.

An optional Primewave generator allows selection of 38, 70, 128 or 194 kHz in both ultrasonic stages, the higher frequency being preferred for certain sensitive component such as electronic components, optical lenses and computer disk drive components to provide effective submicron particle removal.

ULTRASONICS.

Guyson International manufactures a broad range of Kerry branded ultrasonic baths and tanks that cover applications from laboratory bench top to large industrial multi-tank installations.

KS and UCR ultrasonic cleaning tanks.

Typical applications for this range of tanks include production cleaning of machined, extruded, pressed and stamped parts, refurbishment of office equipment, aerospace and automotive engine and gearbox components and maintenance of mould tools, dies, printing components, electronics assembly system parts, food processing machines.

High-end quality cleaning includes printed circuit boards, surgical instruments, and laboratory, medical and dental applications.

These latest KS and UCR (ultrasonic clean and rinse) systems have been designed to achieve optimum cleaning results.

Ultrasonic transducers bonded to the tank base provide high performance and reliability together with uniform distribution of the ultrasonic energy.

The frequency is tuned to the individual tank/transducer combination and then optimised under normal usage conditions with frequency sweep and fully automatic tuning.

Pulsatron KS and UCR tanks allow the user to pre-set exact cleaning times and temperatures, ensuring consistent levels of cleanliness from batch to batch and providing an affordable way to improve cleaning quality.

All functions are controlled by a simple four-button membrane keypad.

An LCD panel displays the temperature and time set by the user, the time elapsed since the start of the cleaning process, and the status of the power supply, heater and ultrasonics.

Each unit works within operating temperatures from 20 to 80 degrees Centigrade which can be set in 1-degree increments, allowing the optimum temperature to be selected for a particular combination of component material, cleaning solution and contaminant.

Sonics time may be set in the range 0.1 up to 99.9 minutes in 0.1 min increments, or to constant when sonics may be switched on and off manually.

Automatic safety devices include non-operation of sonics if solution temperature is more than 10 degrees Centigrade above set temperature, and low-level protection to prevent heater burn-out if solution level drops.

IN CONCLUSION.

We all need to look forward not backwards - the legislation is here and will apply very soon.

How you respond could be critical for your company future.

Guyson has a range of solutions to suit your budgetary and production needs.

As a starting point, apply now for your jargon busting four page PDF leaflet on 'Achieving Compliance with the Solvent Emissions Directive' produced in conjunction with 3M.

Increased business volumes and surging demand have led Wheelabrator Group to create a new senior role in its specialist after-market team.

Increased business volumes have led Wheelabrator Group to create a new senior role in its specialist after-market team. The world market leader in manufacturing and supplying surface preparation and finishing machinery has appointed Lawson Pryke director, equipment modernisation programmes (EMP) within its Wheelabrator Plus service. Mr Pryke has been with the group for over 30 years and served as technical director for the last seven years: so was selected as the ideal candidate for this position.

Wheelabrator Group EMP activities have grown considerably over the last few years as customers continue to recognise the benefits of incorporating the latest technology into their exisiting equipment via EMP rather than spending on new: therefore they have gained considerable savings in time and money.

The EMP team begin the programme by inspecting customers' current equipment and assessing present and future needs before making the appropriate recommendations.

In his new role, Mr Pryke will lead the entire EMP initiative.

Mr Pryke said: 'Our group experience and technology is considerable, the EMP campaign has been hugely successful and become an increasingly important part of our business, which has led to this full time position.

I'm delighted to have been asked to take on this challenge and am very much looking forward to further developing our EMP opportunities'.

The EMPs are part of the wider Wheelabrator Plus offering, which comprises an extensive range of equipment support services.

These include training, maintenance, service and parts, consumables, polyurethane fixtures and masking, plus media supplies for blasting, vibratory equipment and washing.

Staffordshire-born Mr Pryke joined Wheelabrator Group in 1974, after attending North Cheshire Engineering College (now South Trafford College) in 1969, where he gained the full technical certificate of the Mechanical Institute of Technical Engineers.

He went on to hold technical and commercial posts, allied to project engineering and management, which included research and development responsibilities.

He also became an active member of the European Committee for CE Standards on Blast Equipment.

As technical director, Mr Pryke was responsible for the UK (Tilghman Wheelabrator) wheel and special airblast machine design.

He oversaw the development of UK-based EMP services and more recently focused on domestic wheelblast equipment sales, as part of the European heavy duty equipment specialist team.

Welcoming Mr Pryke to his new role, Clifford Parr, Wheelabrator Plus managing director in Europe, to whom he will report, said: 'Anyone who knows Lawson will be familiar with his wealth of knowledge about, and passion for, our technology.

They will also realise he is completely dedicated to our business.

Miller Brewing do not have to rely on outsourced scaffolding companies, their own maintenance personnel can assemble the Lobo System, quickly producing a safe working environment.

The Problem: Scaffolding services to the Miller brewery are provided by an outsource company which costs the plant management around USD10k + per year. The managers at Miller realize that these costs have to be reduced to ensure the overall plant efficiency. Safety cannot be compromised at any price.

The Solution: the Lobo Systems safe and secure platform product.

The unique and patented clamp allows the system to be quickly assembled without the use of tools into any size or shape.

Maintenance engineers can assemble, perform the task and dismantle the Lobo System before traditional scaffolding can be erected.

Miller have opted to spend approximately USD6500 from their maintenance budget and now own their own Lobo System.

The Benefits: Miller Brewery managers expect to save significant costs by using the innovative Lobo product.

This is because they do not have to rely on outsourced scaffolding companies, since their own maintenance personnel can assemble the Lobo System.

The unique versatility of the Lobo System brings labour cost reduction, enhanced efficiency and performance.

The Lobo System creates a safe working environment, which increases productivity and maximizes the return on investment.

Wheelabrator Group, world-leading designer and manufacturer of surface preparation equipment, has launched a blast cleaning supplies, spares and replacement parts supply service.

Wheelabrator Group, world-leading designer and manufacturer of surface preparation equipment, has launched a blast cleaning supplies, spares and replacement parts supply service. Details of this comprehensive, rapid reaction service are contained in the new open blast cleaning systems and replacement parts brochure, which covers the needs of factory based and onsite blast cleaning users, offering a wide range of parts, protective clothing and blast media. The service is supported by the Wheelabrator in-house technical team, which can provide advice and training, on areas such as media selection, correct parts usage and operator safety clothing.

Peter Longstaff, UK national sales manager at Wheelabrator, said: 'This service has been conceived in response to customer demand.

Businesses using open blast technology need quick and convenient access to an extensive range of support materials, to help maintain the performance and productivity of their equipment.

We have more than 100 years shot blasting experience, gained across a wide variety of sectors, in more than 20 countries worldwide.

This makes us ideally positioned to provide advice, and we can help engineers keep abreast of the latest technology available to them'.

The new service can provide equipment ranging from metering valves, nozzles, hoses and helmets, right up to complete blast rooms with automatic recovery systems.

There is also a range of multi-fit valves and guns designed for use in Wheelabrator Group machinery, as well as in other manufacturers' equipment.

Wheelabrator Group owns, designs, manufactures and provides wheelblast, airblast and vibratory mass finishing equipment for surface preparation and cleaning, and serves a variety of sectors, including the aerospace and automotive industries.

For product enquiries or to arrange a visit to the Wheelabrator Group Surface Technology Centre, please contact: Brian Rodgers, sales manager, Wheelabrator Group.

Braby, the UK's leading manufacturer of aluminium and stainless steel silos and storage tanks, have supplied a silo system for polypropylene, with load-cell contents weighing, to Craemer in Telford.

Bristol-based Braby, the UK's leading manufacturer of aluminium and stainless steel silos and storage tanks, have successfully completed a contract to supply the Craemer Group of Germany with a silo system for the storage of polypropylene. The Craemer Group recently announced that it was to start manufacturing injection moulded waste bins at its brand new factory in Telford this autumn. The company, which produces the Kliko range of two-wheeled and four-wheeled bins, called on Braby to install four new silos which have also been equipped with a specially designed load cell system for accurate weighing.

Dr Paul Corscadden of Craemer commented, 'This is the first time that we have used load cell technology in our factories and we are extremely impressed with the results.

The technology provides us with accurate figures that we feel we can rely on.

Braby supplied Craemer with four new 4.5 x 22m silos for storing polypropylene.

The silos all feature the Braby new style plastic skirt doors which are ABS moulded and 100 per cent weather-proof.

The doors also have twin hinges and twin locks making them much less susceptible to damage or being stolen than the more traditional metallic doors.

Paul Mayer, Sales and Marketing Director at Braby said, 'The move into injection moulding at its Telford facility is a significant development for the Craemer Group.

We were delighted to be awarded the contract and be able to use our expertise to assist the company expansion'.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) has awarded Foster Wheeler services contracts for the Paradip Refinery Project, expected to be one of the largest integrated refinery petrochemicals complexes in India.

Foster Wheeler Energy and Foster Wheeler India have been awarded services contracts by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) for the Paradip Refinery Project, which is expected to be one of the largest integrated refinery petrochemicals complexes in India. This world-scale facility, comprising a new export refinery and petrochemicals complex, will be built in Orissa State.The Foster Wheeler scope includes the front-end engineering design (FEED), preparation of cost estimates and the overall project strategy, and supervision of early works on site up to financial investment decision for the refinery, which is expected in mid-2008. The planned new refinery, with a crude processing capacity of 15 million tonnes per annum (TPA), will include a fluidised catalytic cracking unit, an aromatics complex and a polypropylene unit.

The new complex will ultimately produce 700,000 TPA of polypropylene, 1.2 million TPA of paraxylene, 600,000 TPA of styrene monomer, along with 10.5 million TPA of refined petroleum products.

This award also includes a detailed feasibility study for Phase 2 of the development, the Paradip Naphtha Cracker Project.

'Foster Wheeler is very pleased to be awarded this strategically important project,' said Steve Davies, chairman and chief executive officer, Foster Wheeler Energy: 'This award reflects our in-depth expertise in refining and petrochemicals and in the successful integration of refining and petrochemicals production.

We have been active in the Indian market for over seventy years and it remains a very important market for Foster Wheeler.

We look forward to working with IOCL to deliver a high quality FEED which meets or exceeds our client's expectations'.

Foster Wheeler has been awarded the basic design engineering package (BDEP) and the EPC contract for a debottlenecking/revamp project at the MRC PSR-2 Melaka Refinery in Malaysia.

Foster Wheeler has been awarded a contract by Malaysian Refining Company (MRC), a joint venture between Petronas and ConocoPhillips, for the basic design engineering package (BDEP) and the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPC) for a debottlenecking/revamp project at the MRC PSR-2 Melaka Refinery in Malaysia. 'This award reflects our in-depth technical expertise in refining, our revamp experience, and our reputation as one of the leading EPC contractors in the industry,' said Aziz Ali, director, Foster Wheeler E+C (Malaysia): 'In addition, we have an extensive knowledge of this refinery, having been the MRC front-end engineering design contractor and project management consultant for the original PSR-2 facility, which was completed in 1999. We look forward to building upon our close working relationship with MRC and are committed to delivering a successful project which fully satisfies our client's business objectives'.

The debottlenecking and revamp project is expected to permit MRC to increase the overall refinery throughput from 130,000 to 175,000 barrels per day.

This project includes the revamp of the hydrocracker unit, significant modifications to the internals of the vacuum distillation and crude distillation units, the installation of additional heat exchangers, and modifications to other process units and associated offsites and utilities.

A contract at one of the UK's leading fabricators involved weld overlay cladding four very large elbows: cladding specialist Arc Energy Resources was one of only a few UK companies able to handle this.

Part of a contract awarded to one of the UK's leading fabricators, involved cladding four very large elbows. Weld overlay cladding specialist Arc Energy Resources was one of only a few companies able to handle the project. Salford-based Langfields is one of the UK's leading fabricators of components in nickel alloy, titanium and reactive metals.

Its welding teams, which are qualified to international standards, specialise in the production of pressure vessels, heat exchangers, pipelines and other equipment that is required to resist corrosion and/or elevated temperatures.

Customers include blue-chip companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, offshore, marine, defence and nuclear industries.

When Langfields won a major contract from the Shell Stanlow Refinery, part of the project required overlaying four 36'' carbon steel elbows with stainless steel'.

As the company's senior welding engineer Wayne Griffiths explains, 'Finding a weld overlay cladding specialist that could meet the specification and delivery time wasn't easy.

The technical skills and knowledge of welding procedures required were so demanding that not many companies can, or even want to, handle this type of work.

Fortunately I had dealt previously with Arc Energy Resources and remembered that they had a lot of experience in the oil and gas industry, so we were able to ship the elbows to their factory in Gloucestershire for weld overlay cladding'.

Commenting for Arc Energy, sales director Alan Brown says: 'Elbows are always difficult to handle but to accommodate the unusually large diameters for this project we also needed to design and build two special jigs'.

To meet the tight delivery schedule both workstations operated 24 hours a day for the duration of the contract.

'In addition, Arc Energy was responsible for proving the quality of its cladding prior to delivery, by 100% non-destructive testing'.

Summing up for Langfields, Wayne Griffiths added: 'Arc Energy made an important contribution to the contract, meeting our quality and delivery expectations on a very difficult project'.

A contract at one of the UK's leading fabricators involved weld overlay cladding four very large elbows: cladding specialist Arc Energy Resources was one of only a few UK companies able to handle this.


Part of a contract awarded to one of the UK's leading fabricators, involved cladding four very large elbows. Weld overlay cladding specialist Arc Energy Resources was one of only a few companies able to handle the project. Salford-based Langfields is one of the UK's leading fabricators of components in nickel alloy, titanium and reactive metals.

Its welding teams, which are qualified to international standards, specialise in the production of pressure vessels, heat exchangers, pipelines and other equipment that is required to resist corrosion and/or elevated temperatures.

Customers include blue-chip companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, offshore, marine, defence and nuclear industries.

When Langfields won a major contract from the Shell Stanlow Refinery, part of the project required overlaying four 36'' carbon steel elbows with stainless steel'.

As the company's senior welding engineer Wayne Griffiths explains, 'Finding a weld overlay cladding specialist that could meet the specification and delivery time wasn't easy.

The technical skills and knowledge of welding procedures required were so demanding that not many companies can, or even want to, handle this type of work.

Fortunately I had dealt previously with Arc Energy Resources and remembered that they had a lot of experience in the oil and gas industry, so we were able to ship the elbows to their factory in Gloucestershire for weld overlay cladding'.

Commenting for Arc Energy, sales director Alan Brown says: 'Elbows are always difficult to handle but to accommodate the unusually large diameters for this project we also needed to design and build two special jigs'.

To meet the tight delivery schedule both workstations operated 24 hours a day for the duration of the contract.

'In addition, Arc Energy was responsible for proving the quality of its cladding prior to delivery, by 100% non-destructive testing'.

Summing up for Langfields, Wayne Griffiths added: 'Arc Energy made an important contribution to the contract, meeting our quality and delivery expectations on a very difficult project'.

A new methanol project at Qinghai Zhonghao Natural Gas Chemical Co will use Johnson Matthey Catalysts and Davy Process Technology to supply methanol technology, basic engineering design and catalysts.

Johnson Matthey Catalysts (JM) and Davy Process Technology (DPT) are pleased to announce they have entered into contracts for a methanol technology licence, basic engineering design and catalysts with Qinghai Zhonghao Natural Gas Chemical Co, for their new methanol project. The project will use JM/DPT advanced steam reforming technology, methanol synthesis technology and catalysts for the production of 2000 tons per day of methanol from natural gas. The methanol plant will be built at a new production facility at Geermu City in Qinghai Province, China.

The basic engineering of the plant is currently being performed by DPT and the detailed engineering of the plant will be performed by Chengda Engineering Corporation of China.

The methanol technology has been chosen from an extensive portfolio of syngas and methanol synthesis processes developed and marketed by JM and DPT for use in gas and coal to chemicals plants.

As a supplier of both precious and base metal catalysts, Johnson Matthey Catalysts offers products for a diverse range of industries: from fuel cells and environmental catalysts to petrochemicals, edible oils and specialist oil and gas purification.

In addition JM also supplies a full range of catalysts for synthesis gas (syngas) and methanol and is able to custom manufacture Fischer Tropsch catalysts.