News

Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation, has partnered with Next Gen Makers in order to help manufacturers to attract, recruit and inspire more young engineers, into the sector.

The move will see Make UK become the headline sponsor of the Birmingham region of the Next Gen Makers Engineering Careers Prospectus 2020, which aims to provide a comprehensive resource of Engineering careers information for High School and Sixth Form students from year 10 onwards.

In addition to including information promoting the benefits of Engineering Apprenticeships, career pathways and places to continue to study or train in Engineering, the Engineering Careers Prospectus 2020 will profile a variety of local manufacturing and engineering firms, raising awareness of the types of companies that make up the rich industrial supply chains within the region.

“We are delighted to be part of the Next Gen Makers prospectus, our role across the manufacturing sector is to help raise the profile of the diverse range of careers available and highlight that this is a vibrant and interesting sector to be a part of. By being part of this prospectus it gives us the springboard to achieve our role and working in partnership with likeminded organisations, we are encouraging as many of our members in the region to also be part of this fantastic resource” comments Stephen Mitchell, Director of Apprentices and Technical Training, Make UK.

Set to launch in March 2020 as an online resource supported by a printed counterpart the Next Gen Makers Engineering Careers Prospectus 2020 covers 6 regions in total: Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall/Cannock, Wolverhampton, Redditch/Bromsgrove as well as Birmingham and will be supported by promotional events in schools across these regions on a rolling 12 monthly basis.

Next Gen Makers Director Adam Tipper comments: “We are delighted to partner with Make UK in what is an extremely exciting project. Our schools and young people currently lack a comprehensive resource that gives a full picture of what a career in engineering might look like, where to find Apprenticeships or continue to learn and the types of companies at which they could start a career in the sector.

“Every year in the West Midlands we are around 20,000 young engineers short. By engaging with the Prospectus, manufacturers for whom Make UK recruit Apprentices can benefit from stronger employer brand awareness amongst young people locally to them, inspire more young people to pursue a career in the sector and hopefully contribute to boosting Apprenticeship applications for their opportunities, directly addressing the skills shortage”.

Formerly known as EEF, Make UK champions engineering & manufacturing in the UK, supporting businesses around the country. From its’ state-of-the-art Technology Hub in Birmingham, the organisation is also at the forefront of delivering world-class engineering apprenticeships and skills training.

Next Gen Makers is an innovative private sector initiative in the West Midlands, that makes it easier for Engineering and Manufacturing firms to recruit Engineering Apprentices and inspire the next generation of engineers in local High Schools, Sixth Forms and Colleges.

An increasing number of manufacturers are looking to mitigate their risk by choosing to use strategic outsourcing according to one industry boss.

Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation, believes recent uncertainty, Brexit and global trade wars are making firms reassess how they balance short-term term pain with the medium and longer-term picture and how they can best manage capacity and inventory whilst protecting their cash.

He warns that if companies react to the uncertainty by cutting too deep, too soon it can remove their ability to respond when things start to pick up, leaving them unable to meet existing or new customer demand.

“Placing this risk with a strategic outsourcing partner is a viable way of avoiding ‘Russian roulette’ when it comes to the future of your business,” explained Tony Hague.

“We currently work with over 25 world class companies on this basis, spanning over 12 different markets. Together, we have developed relationships that allow our clients to focus on their core competencies, leaving us us to take care of non-core manufacturing processes.”

He continued: “The customer benefits from reduced operating costs, the elimination of unnecessary stock and reduction in work in progress and, importantly, improved manufacturing lead times.

“This is massively important at the moment. Quite often in these volatile times, sales order lead time can be the difference between an order being won or lost for a machine builder.

“They also gain immediate ‘agility’ with the ability to reduce and increase volumes at the press of a button – ideal in this current economic climate.”

PP Control & Automation has seen demand for its strategic manufacturing outsourcing solutions rise significantly, with the West Midlands-based firm increasing annual sales to £26m in 2019 – a record year.

The company, which employs more than 220 people at its 5,500 sq metre facility, delivers added value design, engineering and complex assembly to clients involved in aerospace, food processing, machine tools, packaging, printing and advanced technologies.

With renewed financial backing from the Canadian-based investor, PP C&A has added £3m of turnover over the last twelve months and is now exploring the possibility of future acquisitions and a joint venture to establish a manufacturing footprint in North America.

“In our world, there are few costs for the customer to pick up when establishing a strategic outsourcing partnership. In fact, once an agreement is in place, we will take on the majority of the up-front costs, investing time and money into production engineering, setting-up test jigs/rigs and taking on supply-chain management,” added Tony.

“Now, imagine if they didn’t pursue an outsourcing partner? If sales increased rapidly they would have to invest in new machines/buildings or costly sub-contract labour to cope with the peaks. When times are tough and volumes drop, this could well turn into redundancies and capital equipment lying idle.”

He concluded: “Whilst strategic outsourcing is a great way of mitigating risk, it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative measure. In fact, it is actually the opposite.

“By managing your costs, production capability and retaining the skills you need, you will create a platform that allows you to immediately take advantage of increased sales and market share once confidence and demand returns.”

A highly sensitive, wearable gas sensor for environmental and human health monitoring may soon become commercially available, according to researchers at Penn State and Northeastern University.

The sensor device is an improvement on existing wearable sensors because it uses a self-heating mechanism that enhances sensitivity. It allows for quick recovery and reuse of the device. Other devices of this type require an external heater. In addition, other wearable sensors require an expensive and time-consuming lithography process under cleanroom conditions.

Hand and arm showing sensor applied to inner write with moble phone sized read beside it.

“People like to use nanomaterials for sensing because their large surface-to-volume ratio makes them highly sensitive,” said Huanyu Cheng, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics and materials science and engineering, Penn State. “The problem is the nanomaterial is not something we can easily hook up to with wires to receive the signal, necessitating the need for something called interdigitated electrodes, which are like the digits on your hand.”

Cheng and his team use a laser to pattern a highly porous single line of nanomaterial similar to graphene for sensors that detect gas, biomolecules, and in the future, chemicals. In the non-sensing portion of the device platform, the team creates a series of serpentine lines that they coat with silver. When they apply an electrical current to the silver, the gas sensing region will locally heat up due to significantly larger electrical resistance, eliminating the need for a separate heater. The serpentine lines allow the device to stretch, like springs, to adjust to the flexing of the body for wearable sensors.

The nanomaterials used in this work are reduced graphene oxide and molybdenum disulfide, or a combination of the two; or a metal oxide composite consisting of a core of zinc oxide and a shell of copper oxide, representing the two classes of widely used gas sensor materials — low-dimensional and metal oxide nanomaterials.

“Using a CO2 laser, often found in machine shops, we can easily make multiple sensors on our platform,” Cheng said. “We plan to have tens to a hundred sensors, each selective to a different molecule, like an electronic nose, to decode multiple components in a complex mixture.”

The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency is interested in this wearable sensor to detect chemical and biological agents that could damage the nerves or lungs, according to the researchers. A medical device company is also working with the team to scale up production for patient health monitoring, including gaseous biomarker detection from the human body and environmental detection of pollutants that can affect the lungs.

Ning Yi, a doctoral student in Chen’s lab and co-lead author of the paper posted online in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, said, “In this paper, we showed that we could detect nitrogen dioxide, which is produced by vehicle emissions. We can also detect sulfur dioxide, which, together with nitrogen dioxide, causes acid rain. All these gases can be an issue in industrial safety.”

The researchers said their next step is to create high-density arrays and try some ideas to improve the signal and make the sensors more selective. This may involve using machine learning to identify the distinct signals of individual molecules on the platform.

A plastics manufacturer tests batches of control knobs for in-car audio systems before shipment to automotive assembly plants. Each knob contains a small metal washer that can occasionally become dislodged and therefore a custom-built testing machine tests that they are present. Contrinex long-distance inductive sensors, positioned directly below a tray of 70 knobs, confirm the presence of a washer in each assembly, enabling fast and reliable testing.

Application

In operation, plastic control knobs for in-car audio systems are retained in position by small spring washers; during manufacture, a washer is fitted to each knob after moulding. The manufacturer transports batches of knobs to automotive assembly plants in transit trays, each containing 70 knobs. Occasionally, washers are omitted or become dislodged, resulting in rejection of entire batches of knobs by the customer. Manual inspection of each knob is neither practical nor cost-effective so a sensor system must test each knob in-situ in the transit tray. The size and position of the washers makes the task particularly demanding. Each 10mm-diameter washer is formed from 1mm-diameter steel wire and in a batch of knobs, these are located at 45mm centres in a transit tray, where washers lie more than 10 millimetres above the sensors. The sensors must operate reliably in close proximity to one another, sensing the presence of the washers through the plastic tray.

Solution

Contrinex Extra Distance inductive sensors are ideal for this application; M18-diameter units from the Basic range operate reliably at sensing distances up to 12mm. Quasi-embeddable with chrome-plated brass bodies and PBTP sensing faces, these devices allow a minimum clearance between sensors of only 44mm, comfortably accommodating the required spacing. A bank of 70 sensors, mounted in a custom-built testing fixture, aligns exactly with the positions of the knobs in the transit tray. Locating lugs position the tray correctly and clamps secure it during the testing cycle; checking the presence of a washer in each of the 70 knobs is accomplished in a few seconds and in the event that a washer is missing, the position of the faulty knob is immediately identified.

This Contrinex inductive sensor has an industry-standard PNP normally-open interface and an integral M12 connector, allowing easy removal and replacement of individual sensors for maintenance. Connection to the customer’s test equipment is via a flexible PVC-sheathed cable.

Australian environmental management technology firm Envirosuite Limited today announced it will acquire EMS Brüel & Kjær (EMS), a noise and vibration monitoring technology company, combining to create a global leader in environmental technology.

EVS and EMS are both innovators globally in their respective fields with complimentary capabilities across air, odour, wastewater, noise and vibration management.

By joining forces, EVS and EMS will put Australia on the global stage in developing and delivering world-leading environmental monitoring solutions and technology.

“We are pleased to announce EVS and EMS have signed an agreement that will bring our companies together. The connection of two of Australia’s most successful environmental technology companies, with a track-record of over 30 years each, is a powerful proposition for the market, both here at home and internationally,” said EVS CEO Peter White.

The acquisition will see accelerated growth opportunities for both organisations, providing access to capital, a deeper product offering, geographical footprint and customer base, with synergies across operations and markets. The acquisition will also provide increased R&D investment and focus in the environmental monitoring sector.

The companies will bring together 280 staff operating in over 40 countries with continued plans to expand strategically using new combined solutions, enhancing and developing opportunities in growth markets including Envirosuite’s recent entry into China.

Mr White said the environmental technology sector was accelerating globally, with the Global Continuous Environmental Monitoring market forecast to grow by 9.4% annually and reach a market size of US$7.7 bn annually by 2021.

“The increase of urbanisation and high-density living, public community consultation, rising regulatory concerns and adoption of industry best practice is driving demand for continuous environment monitoring around the world. This acquisition allows us to continue to drive innovation through R&D and new solutions in a growing market.

“Australia has been at the forefront of environmental monitoring technology and we will now have the people and footprint to be able to establish a world-leading offering.”

To fund the acquisition EVS undertook a successful capital raise of $75 million on Wednesday 15 Jan and intends to raise a further $10 million through a share purchase plan in February. The combined entity will have an estimated revenue of AUD$55–60 million.

Macquarie Capital, a current investor in EMS, will become a major shareholder in EVS and will be offered a seat on the Board, maintaining a strategic interest in the business and sector. Additionally, Macquarie Capital will assist the company’s growth through a referral agreement utilising its global businesses in areas such as renewable energy, infrastructure and real estate including airports, windfarms, construction sites and greenfield developments.

Macquarie Capitals’s investment in EVS is a specific example of Macquarie’s focus on technology applying to infrastructure and a recognition of its positive view of the global environmental monitoring sector.

BEKA are pleased to announce a new lower cost alternative to Ex d indicators. A field mounting indicator that can be installed in Zone 1, 2, 21 or 22 without a barrier or isolator.

An innovative design that employs multiple explosion protection concepts while maintaining the depth of features of existing BEKA indicators.

• No barrier or isolator required
• Less expensive than flameproof Ex d indicators
• Larger easier to read displays
• Ex eb and Ex tb certified for gas & dust
• 4 Digits 34mm high or 5 digits 29mm high plus bargraph
• Loop powered backlight option

For more information visit the BEKA website, contact sales@beka.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 1462 438301

Geo-environmental consultancy, IGE Consulting, is using a TigerLT handheld photoionisation detector (PID) from Ion Science to provide comprehensive risk assessments of on-site contamination. Supplied by UK-based distributor, Shawcity, the instrument was chosen for its flexible lamp design options that target different ranges and types of gases, and is monitoring potentially dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soils which may cause harm to human health or compromise safety.

Manchester-based IGE Consulting undertakes desk studies and intrusive site investigation works on sites to be developed into residential or commercial developments. The company operates across the UK and provides a tailored service to meet client requirements such as pre-acquisition / planning development, abnormal costing evaluations, site investigation works and construction efficiency savings.

Molly Brown, Geo-environmental Engineer at IGE Consulting comments: “We previously hired the Ion Science TigerLT for monitoring VOCs in soils so have used it numerous times with great success. To save costs in the long term, it made sense to purchase one of the instruments. It also adds value to our site investigations and reports as we are able to provide a more comprehensive risk assessment.”

Molly continues: “One of the most appealing features of the TigerLT for us is the different options for lamps which allow various VOC gases to be detected. For example, we can choose lamps that give us a wide range or target specific ranges if we need to look for a particular type of VOC gas.”

Ion Science’s TigerLT, which offers worldwide Intrinsic Safety (IS) certification for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, is a streamlined, low-cost version of Ion Science’s well proven Tiger PID model.

Like all Ion Science PID instruments, the TigerLT incorporates the company’s market-leading PID technology with advanced patented fence electrode system. This three-electrode format ensures increased resistance to humidity and contamination for ultimate reliability and accuracy in the field.

With a detection range of 0.1 – 5,000 ppm utilising a standard two-point calibration protocol, Ion Science’s robust TigerLT also offers an unrivalled industry response time of just two seconds and equally quick clear down.

Both simple to operate and service, the TigerLT offers easy access to the lamp and sensor with batteries that can be safely replaced in hazardous environments. The intrinsically safe instrument also meets ATEX, IECEx, North American and Canadian standards.

Molly continues: “The TigerLT instrument is working well and enables us to provide a more comprehensive risk assessment of on-site contamination and the associated human health risk.

“In fact, the TigerLT PID instrument has already reduced costs for one of our clients by locating a VOC hotspot and proving blanks elsewhere on site meaning they did not have to install a VOC barrier on proposed plots. This client now only has to install VOC barriers on four out of 54 locations.”

The key advantage of TigerLT over other similar, low-cost handheld PID instruments is its market-leading accuracy and run time due to its anti-contamination and humidity-resistant design. Another attribute is its global Intrinsic Safety certification. Although the accreditation process can differ from country to country, the TigerLT can be used in explosive hazardous areas such as within petrochemical plants that are located anywhere in the world.

The TigerLT six pin MiniPID detector cell with anti-contamination design dramatically extends run time in the field. Low cost filters and lamps can be easily changed in minutes, minimising downtime.

It features long life rechargeable Li-ion batteries which give up to 24 hours usage. Fast battery charging allows the instrument to be fully charged in 6.5 hours, while eight hours of use can be achieved from 1.5 hours of charging time.

TigerLT features a protective, removable boot for harsh environments while a large, clear back-lit display allows for easy viewing in any light condition. It is IP65 rated against water ingress. An integrated torch is designed for directing the instrument’s probe into dimly lit areas. Other features include a loud 95 dB audible alarm and multiple language support.

Ready to use, straight out of the box, the TigerLT does not require complicated set-up procedures via a PC to perform basic functions.

“The Tiger LT is performing well and as expected from our previous experience. The service provided by Shawcity was good with fast delivery. Overall, we are very happy and would recommend the instrument to other environmental and geotechnical consultancies,” Molly concludes.

The KROHNE Group has appointed a new Chairman of the Advisory Board and has changed Executive Board. The changes herald a generational change in the family-run company and ensure that the KROHNE Group will continue to be successfully positioned to meet the challenges of the market in the future.

After almost 40 years as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the KROHNE Group, Prof. Dr. Rolf Theenhaus retires. The Advisory Board and all employees thank Rolf Theenhaus for his commitment and creative capabilities, with which he has continuously introduced and promoted innovations and new business areas for KROHNE.

Michael Rademacher-Dubbick, who has successfully led the KROHNE Group for over 25 years as managing shareholder, is the new chairman of the advisory board. With this step, he underlines the constant and close connection of the owner family with the company and its activities.

Dr. Attila Bilgic is the new Chief Executive Officer and Speaker of KROHNE Group’s executive board. He has been on the Board since 2017 and has been Chief Technical Officer for KROHNE since 2009. Dr. Bilgic is responsible for the areas of research and development, intellectual property, production, quality management, marketing and product management. Stephan Neuburger, member of the Management Board since 1999, will drive growth in new business areas as Chief Business Development Officer.

Effective January 1st, 2020 Ingo Wald and Ansgar Hoffmann are newly appointed to the executive board. As Chief Financial Officer, Ingo Wald heads the finance and human resources departments. He has been Managing Director for KROHNE Messtechnik GmbH since 2006 and will continue to hold this position in parallel to his executive board activities for the KROHNE Group. As the fourth board member, Ansgar Hoffmann takes over responsibility for sales of the KROHNE Group as Chief Sales Officer and will also be responsible for IT. Ansgar Hoffmann changed from GEA Group to KROHNE and has many years of experience in leading positions, particularly in sales, most recently as Executive Vice President DACH Eastern Europe.

Rotork electric and pneumatic actuators have been installed to help deliver fresh drinking water to neighbourhoods in Germany.

Stadtwerke Lohr am Main has been supplied with 39 GT pneumatic piston actuators and 13 CK modular electric actuators to be used at two municipal water works which supply the town of Lohr am Main, in Bavaria, and surrounding areas. The GT actuators have been installed at a plant in Schwebberg while the CK electric actuators are at a site in Wombach.

At both sites water is extracted from six springs and two deep wells while the treatment takes place at seven waterworks. The actuators, which have been installed on butterfly and gate valves ranging from 2 to 12 inches, are being used to drive isolation valves on the water stream in these plants to allow filtering, storage and distribution to take place.

Underground containers with capacity for 5,500 m³ store the treated water before it is distributed through a pipeline network which is around 180 km long.

The GT and CK actuators were chosen by the customer because of Rotork’s open communication and expert consultancy service. The functionality, reliability and durability of the actuators, as well as the modular nature of the CK, were also key factors.

Rotork’s GT range of single and double-acting pneumatic piston actuators offer torques from 2.4 to 15,300 Nm and air pressure of 2 to 10 bar. They can provide stroke adjustment of -5° to +5° from a 90° position while single or double end stop options are provided.

The actuator is suitable for use in hazardous areas with ATEX 2014/34/EU certification and is suitable for use at Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3) as a single device in accordance with IEC 61508.

The watertight CK range actuators are suitable for all valves in non-hazardous locations and can operate under the stress of high temperatures and strong vibrations by using separately mounted controls. It offers a direct output torque range of  10 to 500 Nm (7 to 369 lbf.ft), with a maximum torque when combined with a multi-turn gearbox up to 10,800 Nm (8,000 lbf.ft) and a maximum torque with a quarter-turn gearbox as high as 205,600 Nm (151,6000 lbf.ft).

Sensing and instrumentation specialist Baumer has appointed MGA Controls as a Process Solutions Partner in the UK. As a well-established Control & Instrumentation specialist, Lancashire based MGA Controls is delighted to underline this commitment following the agreement with Baumer.

MGA Controls has been supplying high quality products, solutions and services to industry since 1986 with a philosophy which focuses on working in partnership with customers and suppliers to deliver the right solution and this agreement strengthens this philosophy.

Commenting on the agreement, Jon Sumner, Managing Director of Baumer UK said, “This closer alignment between MGA Controls and Baumer provides us with greater access to MGA customers ensuring a more targeted approach to promoting individual products and delivering the most appropriate application solutions”.

MGA Controls Sales Manager Chris Makin confirmed, “We represent a range of manufacturing partners and this agreement with Baumer means we can offer an even more comprehensive range of products which ultimately results in optimal control & automation systems for our customers. We now envisage being able to offer our customers a greater technical support presence in the UK and a ‘one stop shop’ for our process product and technical application needs.