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Integrated Global Services (IGS) today announced the acquisition of Flamsprutarna AB, a global provider of turbine maintenance and thermal spray services. The acquisition strengthens IGS’s ability to support power plant operators worldwide with integrated maintenance solutions across gas turbines, steam turbines, and nuclear assets.

Flamsprutarna brings more than 40 years of experience in turbine maintenance, thermal spray coatings, and nuclear power plant services, with an established track record of supporting customers globally. Its expertise complements IGS’s existing capabilities in large-frame gas turbine maintenance, enabling a more comprehensive, multi-technology service offering across combined-cycle and nuclear fleets.

The acquisition reflects growing global demand for reliable power generation, extended asset life, and reduced outage durations. By expanding its technical capabilities and service capacity, IGS is positioned to support operators in meeting increasing performance and reliability requirements across critical energy infrastructure.

Flamsprutarna AB will continue to operate from its headquarters in Sweden, maintaining its existing team, technical expertise, and customer relationships. As part of IGS, the company is expected to expand its delivery capacity and support a greater volume of projects worldwide.

Customers are expected to benefit from a more integrated, single-source service model, improved coordination across turbine technologies, and enhanced outage execution. The combined organization will leverage IGS’s global footprint alongside Flamsprutarna’s specialized capabilities to deliver responsive, high-quality support for mission-critical equipment.

Rich Crawford, Chief Executive Officer of IGS, commented: “Power generators are under increasing pressure to deliver higher output with fewer outages and greater reliability. The addition of Flamsprutarna strengthens IGS’s ability to support these requirements by expanding our capabilities in steam turbine and nuclear services, while increasing our capacity to serve customers globally.”

Victor Aaroe-Holm, Chief Executive Officer of Flamsprutarna, said: “Flamsprutarna has built a strong reputation for quality and safety in demanding operating environments. As part of IGS, we will be able to extend our reach and take on more projects globally, while continuing to deliver the high standards our customers expect.”

The combined organization will continue to operate in accordance with established quality and safety standards, with a shared focus on supporting reliable plant operations and long-term asset performance.

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When Iain McLean asked me to present the Keynote Address for Food+Beverage Engineering in 2025 it was a no brainer to support this important F&B and Sustainability event at Derby Arena. I’m looking forward to returning again on the 16th June. This year the co-located shows come closer together as Engineering and Sustainability in the Food and Beverage sector are so closely linked, many opportunities exist at the front line where Maintenance, Engineering, and Operators can help deliver on all of the Sustainability KPIs.

With this in mind my keynote in 2026 shares this opportunity along with a case study of the largest snack food site in the UK moving from a totally reactive state to one of a world class operational standard. In these uncertain times all inputs have extreme pressure on price and availability, every improvement in yield and reduction in power use have raised the importance of availability of production at the lowest possible pence per kilo.

Improved outcomes and sustainability of businesses is going to be difficult in F&B for the foreseeable future, by coming together at shows like Food+Beverage Engineering and Sustainable Food Factory it can often be the the first step towards achieving the operations in control we seek. One way to achieve these upticks in your performance is by coming together this June at Derby Arena in the centre of the Velodrome to start your journey towards a World Class Maintenance and Operational standard, delivering outstanding Sustainability metrics in your Food or Beverage Factory. Looking forward to meeting in Derby at my keynote address or afterwards on the UPTIME Consultant Ltd stand.

Andy Gailey Managing Director UPTIME Consultant Ltd

A Borger Multicrusher has solved a long-standing headache at a Wastewater Treatment Plant’s (WWTP) septage facility, which was experiencing all too frequent blockages in its grid system.

The WWTP, which receives large volumes of septage, brought in by tankers from areas that are not connected to the main sewer system, had seen maintenance costs rise dramatically for its grid separation system. Likewise, the final disposal cost for solids and fibres had also increased to an untenable point.

With the new Borger Multicrusher, the WWTP has been able to chop solids as soon as the wastewater enters the system. And by chopping the solids, a higher gas yield has been achieved in the site’s anaerobic digesters, as well as having an overall positive biological impact.

Due to space restrictions at the facility, the Multicrusher had to be very compact. It was deemed best for easy maintenance to run the Borger unit with a helical bevel geared motor (with direct coupling). The Multicrusher was also fitted with a stone trap, and to avoid any heavy solids from blocking the chopper, the Multicrusher has reversing control.

Börger UK Limited

Stadium Point Business Park

Oteley Road

Shrewsbury

England

SY2 6NE

01902 798 977

www.boerger.com

• Be the first to experience Ultimo’s new instant EAM maturity model assessment - identify your current stage and your next steps in under five minutes
• Hear from manufacturing industry leaders in a panel discussion and discover Ultimo’s latest innovations, including a new generation of AI-embedded digital workers automating key maintenance and safety workflows
• Stand J50, 3-4 June 2026, NEC, Birmingham

Ultimo will exhibit at Maintec 2026, the UK’s premier maintenance, reliability, and asset management event, held at the NEC Birmingham in June. Visitors can meet the team to explore how Ultimo is helping industrial organizations move faster and more confidently along the maintenance maturity curve – now with instant benchmarking, hands-on AI demonstrations, and a live panel debate.

At the heart of the Maintec 2026 stand is the debut of Ultimo’s new instant maturity model assessment – a streamlined tool that enables organizations to identify, in real time, exactly where they sit across Ultimo’s five recognized maturity stages: Reactive, In Control, Proactive, Smart, and Ultimate.

Mark Harris, Sales Director, UK & Ireland, Ultimo, explains: “Understanding your current position on the maintenance maturity model is the first step towards optimizing performance and maximizing asset value. The challenge is that perception very often differs from reality. Organizations typically believe they are further along the maturity curve than they are. Our instant assessment cuts through that ambiguity and gives people an honest, evidence-based picture of where they are today – and, critically, what it takes to move forward.”

Ultimo is also giving visitors the opportunity to explore how to benchmark their business against hundreds of peer implementations and help translate strategic ambition into a concrete, prioritized roadmap.

Maintec 2026 will also play host to a panel discussion bringing together prominent voices from across the asset management community for a candid conversation on the realities of EAM in industrial environments.

Ultimo is using Maintec 2026 to showcase its latest AI announcements – intelligent agents designed to autonomously carry out time-consuming maintenance and safety workflows, freeing teams to focus on higher-value work.

This wave of digital workers from Ultimo will target three high-impact use cases:

• Asset registration acceleration: automatically extracting equipment information from photographs to populate the asset register, eliminating manual data entry
• • Daily maintenance briefing: delivering an automated morning briefing via mobile and communication tools such as Microsoft Teams and Slack to key people, summarizing key priorities and outstanding actions
  • Maintenance Planner Agent: autonomously preparing work orders based on asset data and failure history, reducing planning time and improving consistency.

  The Company will also preview its plans to extend AI capabilities into planning and safety:

  • Maintenance Planner Agent (extended): searching equipment manuals to surface relevant maintenance guidance and support planners with more informed scheduling decisions
  • HSE Manager Agent: evaluating incoming work requests against Management of Change criteria to flag potential safety considerations before work begins
  • HSE Manager Agent (shift log review): scanning shift logs for safety-relevant content and automatically raising EHS incidents where required.

  Ultimo works with industrial organizations such as Bristol Port Company, London Gatwick Airport, Freiberger, Renewi, and Recticel in the UK. Maintec attendees will be able to see digital workers in action on the Ultimo stand and speak directly with its team about how agentic AI fits into their own maintenance strategy.

  To register interest in meeting the team at Maintec 2026, visit ultimo.com/contact.

Production of Food requires meticulous cleanliness. Due to the ongoing success of its brand, a leading food manufacturer required a 50% increase in production.

The result was an extended building within a new production line. In the maintenance of the required standards, Speedor Mini high speed automatic rolling doors were selected. The Mini is the ideal solution with features neat and tidy installation, automatic high speed reliable frequent operation controlled by state-of-the-art sensors and BSEN compliant safety devices. 

Speedor Mini is designed for openings up to four metres and frequent use in high traffic situations, constructed to sustain thousands of opening and closing cycles. The Mini is a proven reliable product, delivering minimal maintenance and low cost of ownership with many years of use.

Hart Door Systems’ chairman, Douglas Hart, says the Speedor range of high-speed doors has been in manufacture for 46 years, delivering many thousands of Speedors in operation, countless cycles and saving huge amounts of energy.

Speedors offer various models all designed to deliver the reliable long-term operation appropriate to the requirements where openings, from one metre wide internal openings to eight metres wide, are in exposed situations requiring wind resistance to class 5.

www.hartdoors.com

As a leader in innovative steam boiler technology, Fulton will be showcasing its advanced VSRT, VSRT-E, and Electric steam boilers, along with a comprehensive portfolio of aftercare services, advanced solutions designed to deliver exceptional energy efficiency while supporting the food manufacturing sector’s transition to low-carbon operations.

The VSRT boiler exemplifies Fulton’s long-standing commitment to sustainable engineering and performance excellence. With ultra-low NOx emissions and industry-leading thermal efficiency, the VSRT provides processing facilities with a compact, robust, and highly reliable solution that helps them meet even the most demanding carbon reduction and energy efficiency targets.

Expanding on this proven technology, the new VSRT-E hybrid boiler builds on the efficiency of the original design while offering greater operational flexibility. It joins Fulton’s well-established Europack and Electropack electric steam boilers in supporting the transition to greener, low-carbon energy sources across the manufacturing landscape.

Fulton’s dedication to sustainability extends beyond the equipment itself. The company recently completed a comprehensive steam trap survey at a major food production facility in South Wales. This proactive assessment identified inefficiencies in the system and helped reduce steam losses, energy waste, and emissions, demonstrating Fulton’s hands-on approach to helping customers achieve measurable, long-term sustainability outcomes.

This initiative reflects just one element of Fulton’s extensive aftercare service portfolio, designed to support the full lifecycle of its customers’ steam systems. From specialist repair and maintenance services to operator training, water treatment consultancy, Technical Boiler House Risk Assessments, and full steam system appraisals, Fulton ensures every client benefits from industry-leading reliability, safety, and ongoing performance improvements, all aligned with the latest environmental, compliance, and efficiency standards.

years of research, innovation and experience, Fulton is building on a tradition of success and is focused on improving life through heat transfer solutions. For additional information about Fulton, please visit www.fulton.co.uk.

This explosion-proof cordless impact driver is engineered specifically for use in ATEX Zone 2 hazardous environments, delivering reliability without limitations.

For More information click here

Certified to ATEX Zone 2 II 3G; Ex ec h ic IIC T4 Gc, this cordless driver combines increased safety concepts with intrinsically safe switching, ensuring full compliance while maintaining the power professionals expect.

Unlike traditional solutions, this battery-powered design eliminates the need for pneumatic tools and hoses, offering unmatched mobility and ease of use. Built on proven industrial platforms and expertly converted for hazardous locations, it preserves all original functionality—now safe for use in explosive gas and vapor environments.

With up to 215 Nm torque, a ¼” hex quick-release system, and a lightweight, compact design, this impact driver is ideal for drilling, fastening, and wrenching across demanding applications such as petrochemical plants, offshore installations, and construction in hazardous areas.

Engineered for productivity and durability, it features a modified non-sparking motor, intrinsically safe trigger system, and ATEX-compliant battery technology—ensuring safe operation without compromising performance.

Available as a complete set including body, battery, and charger (230V or 110V), with global delivery and support, this solution sets a new benchmark in explosion-safe cordless power tools.

Because in hazardous environments, safety should never come at the expense of performance.

www.atexxo.com

Whilst British manufacturers grapple with skills shortages and the promise of artificial intelligence, a quieter but potentially more consequential shift is taking place on the factory floor: experiential knowledge is walking out the door. The Baby Boomer generation is retiring en masse, whilst younger employees with markedly different expectations around work, communication, and skill development are stepping up to fill the gap. The convergence of demographic change, technological disruption and generational distance represents a structural challenge that traditional HR approaches simply aren't equipped to handle. BoomerZ, a practical cross-generational solution developed in response to this pressure, doesn't view this tension as a threat - rather, it's the starting point for a fundamentally new approach to workplace collaboration.

Recent research paints a picture of marked ambivalence amongst Generation Z workers in the British labour market. The PwC Global Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey 2025 reveals that Gen Z employees in the UK demonstrate above-average motivation and optimism about their professional futures, yet they're simultaneously more likely than older cohorts to be actively planning their next career move within twelve months, whilst setting considerably higher benchmarks for job quality and working conditions. This generation arrives digitally native but expects comprehensive employer support for career progression and continuous learning.

Running parallel to this, the AI Labour Market Survey 2025 from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology identifies stark deficits in AI-related competencies: nearly all surveyed companies acknowledge at least one gap in their AI skills spectrum, particularly around practical experience and technical understanding - precisely the capabilities needed to successfully embed AI into business operations. Meanwhile, research from the Open University's Business Barometer: Skills for Today and Tomorrow 2025 shows that over half of British businesses identify acute skills gaps when working with Generation Z employees, yet only a third are pursuing targeted measures to integrate, train, or retain this younger workforce. The result is a mismatch between Gen Z's expectations and employers' readiness to systematically support them.

The pattern is unmistakable: Britain's labour market isn't simply suffering from a headcount shortage, it's facing qualitative skills deficits, inter-generational friction, and a failure to strategically link experience with digital capability.

BoomerZ: Bridging Experience and Digital Competence

This structural challenge needn't be purely problematic: it's equally an opportunity to reframe generational difference not as a burden, but as a strategic resource. Against this backdrop, the BoomerZ initiative takes on particular significance. Developed by DE software & control GmbH, a software provider specialising in production and AI-supported shopfloor systems, the initiative creates a practical bridge between Baby Boomer experiential knowledge and Generation Z digital fluency, establishing a foundation for knowledge transfer, upskilling and AI-enabled productivity. "We cannot reverse demographic change, but we can absolutely prevent knowledge from simply evaporating and stop employees from losing touch with the digital tools that will define their future," explains Friedrich Steininger, Managing Director of DE software & control GmbH and architect of the initiative.

In practice, BoomerZ takes a deceptively simple but highly effective approach: younger employees shadow experienced colleagues during their day-to-day work, capturing processes using digital tools and converting them into editable, structured knowledge formats, with AI-based processing providing the backbone. Picture a trainee filming an experienced production foreman during a complex machine setup, whilst AI transforms that raw material into a structured document complete with video sequences, step-by-step instructions and contextual insights. Workflows, problem-solving strategies, and hard-won practical routines aren't simply archived - they're made immediately usable for training, process optimisation and the application of emerging technologies. Steininger underscores the importance of this fusion, particularly in an AI context: "Without the practical knowledge of experienced operators, AI remains abstract theory. Technology needs experience to be effective - and experience needs digital preservation to survive."

This principle distinguishes BoomerZ from purely technical fixes: knowledge transfer happens in real working environments, creating tangible value for all participants. Veteran professionals see their decades of experience genuinely valued and put to productive use. Simultaneously, younger employees gain responsibility and develop authentic understanding of the perspectives, working methods, and challenges faced by their older counterparts. The result is mutual learning that breaks down stereotypes, builds respect and creates the foundation for sustainable, cross-generational collaboration. For manufacturers, the benefits are substantial: more efficient onboarding of new employees, safeguarded expertise despite impending retirements, enhanced process reliability, and stronger innovative capacity through the fusion of experience and digital competence.

Relevance for the British Labour Market

In the British manufacturing landscape, where technological transformation and demographic change are hitting simultaneously, a cross-generational approach like BoomerZ offers considerable strategic advantage:

• Safeguarding experiential knowledge before veteran employees retire
• Reducing skills gaps between generation-specific expectations and employer requirements
• Providing a qualified foundation for digital transformation, including AI applications built on structured, context-rich data
• Improving talent retention by systematically engaging and developing younger workers

BoomerZ therefore occupies a pivotal position: it addresses the haemorrhaging of expertise whilst simultaneously creating a platform for collaboration, mutual understanding and sustainable skills development.

Conclusion

Today's British labour market is experiencing upheaval that extends well beyond a straightforward skills shortage. Structural capability gaps, a widening gulf between generational values, and the accelerating impact of technological transformation demand new, integrative responses. BoomerZ demonstrates how such integration can work in practice - not through purely technical interventions, but through cross-generational knowledge transfer, practical digitalisation, and the productive synthesis of experience with digital capability. It's an approach that directly tackles key challenges facing modern manufacturing - in the UK and beyond.

Author:                      Friedrich Steininger is the founder and driving force behind the BoomerZ initiative and serves as Managing Director of DE software & control GmbH, a company specializing in production systems and AI‑supported shopfloor solutions.

Further Information: https://www.de-group.net/en/

CAMTEC Power Supplies Expands Its Unique SIC-MOSFET DIN RAIL Power Supply Series to 2000W

With its new CPS-EC2000 AC/DC power supply series, CAMTEC Power Supplies once again sets a benchmark for high-precision industrial power supplies on the DIN rail. Equipped with SiC-MOSFET technology, the 2000W CAMTEC EC power supply offers everything the ambitious end-of-line test bench operator needs for his control cabinet: voltage and current can be precisely adjusted over a very wide range using precision potentiometers. The rapid response to load changes and the residual ripple reach quality levels, which usually can only be found in laboratory power supplies. The only feature intentionally omitted for cost reasons in the EC-series is the programming function. This is available in CAMTEC‘s flexibly programmable CPS-i series, also typical for the CAMTEC PS portfolio.

The extremely robust and durable DIN-rail power supplies from CAMTEC Power Supplies are used in factory automation as well as in the energy supply, infrastructure, and defense industries. The new 2000W EC2000 power package for control cabinets, along with the 480W, 1000W, and 1500W CPS-EC series, is now available from all CAMTEC distributors worldwide. (https://www.camtec powersupplies.com).

The new high-precision CPS-EC2000 tester and charger from the Black Forest is currently available with output voltages ranging from 48 VDC to 264 VDC. Additional models are being prepared. Features such as comprehensive Power Good monitoring of the AC and DC power supplies, Inhibit (Interlock), Remote Shutdown, Load Sensing, Current Monitoring, and Boost Charge Mode ensure precise control over the DC source. The well-known Camtec Active Inrush Current Limiting technology is also included, enabling the use of multiple devices on a shared AC power supply.

All CAMTEC PS devices, whether for automation or for use in infrastructure, adhere to an uncompromising quality policy. Thanks to their extremely robust topology, these all-metal devices can be switched on and off continously without sustaining damage. The CPS-EC2000 achieves 94% efficiency and is largely immune to external transients. The quality of the outputs is on par with laboratory power supplies. So are its dynamics during load changes. Thanks to analog circuitry, the power supplies respond very quickly and precisely. A no-load current is not required. The unit offers a controlled C/V characteristic curve down to 0V without foldback. The load capacity of the galvanically isolated converter is infinite, and even highly complex loads are handled effortlessly.

Cooling is provided by separately controlled fans. The dual-circuit output terminals each accommodate a conductor cross-section of 16 mm². The CPS EC2000 series complies with all relevant standards, from the most stringent industrial standards to machine standards and IT standards, such as EN61010 1, EN61010-2-201, EN62368-1, EN 60204-1, EN 55032, and EN 61000.

Oliver Walter, CEO of Camtec Power Supplies: “Our CPS-EC series fills a gap by offering non-programmable power supplies at the level of a laboratory power supply for simple yet demanding measurement and testing tasks. It can be used cost-effectively in end-of-line testers and as a DC charger in uninterruptible power supplies.” Those looking for a programmable solution instead of fixed power will continue to find what they need in the highly precise and robust, programmable CAMTEC CPS DIN-rail power supplies.

(https://www.camtec-powersupplies.com)

Effective energy isolation requires more than just hardware; it demands accurate record-keeping. The Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Logbook offers a quick and simple system for tracking and documenting the isolation of equipment and machinery. By centralising LOTO activities, facilities can ensure that every procedure is accounted for, reducing the risk of accidental re-energisation during maintenance.

Containing 112 pages, each logbook features detailed record sheets designed to support compliance with legal requirements and local technical standards. It is a practical solution for warehouses, manufacturing environments, and any industrial site looking to improve workplace accountability.

Why Use a Dedicated LOTO Logbook?

• Simplified Documentation: Streamlines the tracking of equipment isolation.
• Audit Readiness: Provides a clear paper trail to meet safety standards.
• Versatile Application: Suitable for all industrial sectors requiring LOTO protocols.
• Increased Accountability: Ensures clear responsibility for every lockout event.

Improve your site safety and documentation efficiency today.

Order your copy online >>

Brady Corporation Ltd.

www.brady.co.uk