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Enterprise Asset Management software company Ultimo and Internet of Things (IoT) system integrator Axians have announced a technology partnership that will meet the increased data needs of their customers and the needs of the next generation coming into asset management.

According to Head of Solution Partners at Ultimo, Patrick Beekman, “Organisations are looking for new technologies and techniques to meet the needs of the ‘digital thinking’ approach that the new generation of asset managers are bringing into the sector. We are in the middle of a digital transformation which means that more and more data is being produced by machines, data that can be used to optimise the asset management process. We see that data is becoming the most important asset, the only challenge is how to get that the data into Ultimo, so we needed a partner to help our customers convert data from their machines to trigger actions in Ultimo. Axians, conversely, needed a partner who could use their data to trigger actions and align responsibility. Together we complete the circle from data to action.”

Nokia have announced the completion of a narrowband ‘Internet of Things’ (NB-IoT) network deployment in L 800 band as part of its strategic partnership with Mobily.

As a result of this deployment, Mobily and Nokia have connected more than 4,000 sites and facilitated NB-IoT cell radius coverage averaging 20 km per cell, which is much wider than normal LTE cells. The completion of the project increases Mobily’s digitalization by offering new NB-IoT services to better serve its enterprise customers.

As part of the project, Mobily’s existing LTE base stations have been upgraded to enable NB-IoT in all Nokia footprints - Central, North and East of Saudi Arabia without additional hardware but with a simple software update. Nokia’s LTE solution will help Mobily enterprise customers to enhance their operational efficiency and deliver improved customer experience through IoT connectivity for enterprises in verticals such as energy, transport, and health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the single biggest driver behind the digitalisation of almost every industry. The engineering and maintenance sector has been no different, with digitalisation enabling growth in remote management capabilities. So just how much change did 2020 bring to the engineering profession? 

Moving to Remote Work

Early in the pandemic, it was clear that work patterns and operations would have to adapt to a new, socially distant reality. Remote work restrictions meant that businesses swiftly applied a strict ‘essential works only’ rule, meaning the engineering sector had to adapt to severity management protocols and prioritise essential requirements. However, with the various national lockdowns, it soon became evident that in order to address requirements deemed non-essential, the sector had to pursue remote alternatives to asset fault diagnostics and maintenance works.

Rail locomotives provide a vital transportation service for both passengers and freight across the world.

Working round-the-clock, they are expected to deliver unrivalled reliability, which is made possible through regular maintenance and provision of modernisation programmes delivered by the train manufacturers. These are delivered in partnership with trusted equipment manufacturers that have the expertise and knowledge to meet the exacting standards of the industry.

Ralph Breuer, Director of Engineering & Product Management and Mustafa Metin, Product Specialist for Elastic Couplings at Stromag, examine the challenges of developing new components for existing rolling stock.

A new USA material handling equipment store has gone live at fadequipmentstore.com, offering free shipping on all products.

Headquartered in South Carolina, fadequipmentstore.com puts lifting, material handling, safety and load monitoring products a click away from end users in warehouses, manufacturing, construction, oil and gas, renewables, commercial and other markets. Solutions that can be used by anybody but feature cutting-edge design and state-of-the-art technology are drop-shipped to customers.

The new business, powered by online equipment directory findadistributor.com, is led by Jeff Miller, general manager, while serial industry entrepreneur David Ayling is president. A consortium of ecommerce, finance and marketing professionals complete the team.

Despite the Covid-19 health crisis impacting significantly on the Lifting Industry, Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) Sector Benchmark Research reveals optimism for the post-pandemic future, and a move towards new and possibly more productive ways of working. 

Indeed, 72% of firms reported being optimistic for the next 6 months, with this increasing to 80% for the next 12 months. However, the breadth of specialisms and the number of supply chains in the sector have produced a varied picture in the research. 

LEEA does not expect the sector to return to pre-pandemic patterns of work as there are now clearly different expectations around training, travel and work patterns, according to the research. The majority of firms (over two thirds) reported their attitude towards e-training had changed in the past 12 months, with it being seen much more as an option. Training by Zoom specifically has its supporters, with nearly three quarters of firms reporting that they now see it as a more likely option. However, there is clearly a view that face-to-face training remains the preference, regardless of company size or specialism.

The Government have just announced their new guidelines of “hands, face, space, fresh air” to reduce the risk of COVID transmission. The emphasis for business is the provision of good ventilation for workers. 

EcoCooling manufacture a fresh air solution that provides ventilation and supplementary cooling in both an effective and environmentally friendly way. EcoCooling evaporative cooling technology complies with the new ventilation guidelines and can maintain temperatures below 25C all year round, keeping staff safe as well as cool.

Mark Donoghue, Products and Services Director, DHD Cooling

It is now more common to read about cases of Legionnaires’ Disease in the media than ever before, with outbreaks regularly being reported in cities around the world all the time. Many of these cases are attributed to contamination of domestic systems, showers and spas, but some are the result of operating cooling towers. 

Whilst this problem is not new, with the first reported case in Philadelphia in 1976, the UK has been at the forefront in leading the battle with Legionnaires’ Disease, which has a mortality rate of approximately 10%.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) worked with manufacturers and industry experts to issue the Approved Code of Practice L8 in 1991 which advised manufacturers, owners, operators and service providers on the use of cooling systems (and domestic water systems) and their safe operation with regards to legionella bacteria.

With a customized long-term hire, ICS Cool Energy equipped a leading multinational brewery in Burton-on-Trent with portable Cold Store solutions and replaced ammonia-based refrigeration system with high efficiency, low GWP chillers.

ICS Cool Energy, an international market leader specializing in complete temperature control solutions for manufacturing process and facilities applications, announced today it has helped a leading multinational brewery in Burton-on-Trent to fulfil their cold storage and process cooling needs. 

The brewery was looking for a partner that could answer their unique needs for cold storage within their Burton-on-Trent plant and replace the aging, ammonia-based process cooling system. ICS Cool Energy team was able to deliver a bespoke, long-term hire solution that met all their requirements. 

There is an adage that time is money, this is particularly true when it comes to production downtime.  Hold ups in production could result in lost money- a lot of lost money! 

Losses of upto £480,000 have been suggested that one of the UK’s largest automotive manufacturers could lose EACH HOUR; when they experience downtime on their paint plant.  Your overheads may not be as substantial as the above example, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the old adage you hear in every corner of business and production is true: 

Regardless of your industry and the product you manufacture, production downtime is a crucial performance indicator to monitor because of the direct impact it can have on your bottom line. More downtime equals increased spares/maintenance costs, taken directly from your profit. This could have been invested to meet more pertinent business objectives, purchasing new machinery etc..