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After two decades, Reiner Fries has decided to retire from his role as General Manager of Sales and Marketing at SW as well as his other SW-Group functions. His successor, Jörg Schmauder will bring his over 13 years of management experience in the machine tool industry. The handover is slated to take place by the end of the year. SW is a leading machine, automation and system solutions supplier, headquartered in Waldmössingen, Germany. The company has multiple worldwide subsidiaries with locations in the US, Mexico and Asia, as well as in several European countries.

Industrial customers require insights into the behavior of their assets to proactively plan maintenance across their production facilities. This is commonly referred to as 'condition monitoring' and achieved by measuring and trending operational parameters such as bearing unit temperature and vibration that give an indication of the asset's condition.

“British manufacturing is highly respected globally for a reason: since its inception, it’s always led the way when it comes to innovation and efficiency. As we look at the world post-COVID, now is a perfect time for the UK to rejuvenate the sector and act as a global springboard for sustainable innovation in one of the world’s oldest industries. The Government’s decision to invest in creative, productive solutions that will allow businesses to make their supply chains more effective and more sustainable in the future is a huge step in the right direction.

Leading up to the virtual conference and webinar series Asset Performance 4.0, BEMAS, the Belgian Maintenance Association, organized 3 virtual hackathons about hot topics in maintenance. The challenges were provided by Aquafin and Fluvius, who chose the winners on September 17th, 2020. Gemsotec, Kapernikov and the duo Yazzoom – Engie Laborelec were crowned the winners of these hackathons.

Predicting pump failures based on sensor data

The first hackathon by Aquafin asked the contestants to predict pump failures based on sensor data of pump stations. Out of 13 submissions, the 3 finalists Gemsotec-Danubius, Element61, and I-care-Yazzoom were chosen.

“When comparing the submissions, Danubius-Gemsotec received the highest overall score,” Kris De Gussem, at Aquafin, concludes. “Contributing to this are the clear representation of the results, the usage of the cloudstack Aquafin plans to use as well, and the insights given into the model accuracy and model execution time.” With these words, Aquafin crowned Geert Sergoyne and his team as the winner.

Create a reporting tool for field asset data collection

Fluvius announced the second hackathon, in which the company is looking for more flexibility: they want to unite different tools, working methods and structures into 1 useful app. The three finalists Brolz, Kapernikov and Tenforce presented their cases, each with their own view.

The final winner is Kapernikov, who used easy to use open source software to create a cost effective and user friendly tool. “It wasn’t an easy decision, due to the fact the 3 finalists brought very different angles,” says Andy Gouwy, at Fluvius. “Kapernikovs solution holds the middle between the other finalists’ solutions. As an open-source solution it is probably best suited to the current needs of Fluvius.”

Predicting failures based on temperature & humidity sensor data

Last year, Fluvius installed temperature and humidity sensors in their electrical substations. Now they opened the challenge on how to predict failures based on this sensor data. Out of several cases, I-care, Yazzoom-Engie Laborelec and CARL Software were chosen as the 3 finalists.

Re-watch the recordings and pitches

Next to the finalists, the other contestants also got a chance to pitch their solutions at Asset Performance 4.0. All recordings can be re-watched on the Asset Performance 4.0 platform on www.assetperformance.eu.

With its management team constantly reviewing the performance of the wider market and current economic climate – which are showing signs that capital expenditure has dropped by approximately 40% [Monetary Policy Report August 2020] – heat transfer specialist Fulton has taken the unprecedented decision to introduce an initiative to cut the gross margin on its VSRT steam boiler to ensure that customers from key sectors, including the NHS and food & beverage processing, will benefit from its scheme.

Commenting for Fulton, managing director Carl Knight says: “Given the exceptional nature of recent events and the struggle many businesses find themselves in, we have decided to launch an initiative designed to help the many key sectors that have themselves been assisting the wider population during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

Developed for professional welders and yet affordable for newcomers: The new SmartFil extraction unit from KEMPER sets a new standard in mobile welding fume extraction for regular welding. 

Even in the basic version, it is the price/performance winner in its device class. At comparable price level, the SmartFil offers twice the filter surface and thus a significantly longer service life compared with similar systems. An even larger replacement filter and other accessories enable welders to further upgrade the extraction unit. Equipped for the first time with a round filter insert in this device class, KEMPER has also optimised the design to create a more attractive, rounded appearance.

SOCOTEC, the UK’s leading provider of testing, inspection and compliance services, is introducing a more environmentally friendly method of taking oil samples. 

As part of our ongoing sustainability agenda, SOCOTEC is encouraging clients to consider switching to reusable sample pumps in place of single-use syringes. This change reduces the amount of contaminated plastic waste, along with the associated costs for safe disposal. These pumps are extremely durable and can last for several years when used correctly, preventing a build-up of hazardous waste on landfill sites.