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The US’s no.1 expo will be back next June and is already 50% sold out – have you had a look at the Downstream USA 2024 Expo (June 26-27, Galveston) price list and booth availability yet?  

Next June 3,500+ petrochemical, refining, chemical and LNG decision makers and budget gate keepers will descend on Galveston for the 13^th year running to explore 160+ booths showcasing the latest in technology, equipment, components, and solutions to meet all their procurement needs and deadlines in 2024 and beyond!   
                                         

Click the link below for more infomation

https://bit.ly/3uJzKBS

Last year 74% of attendees stated they attended to learn from solution providers and 76% attended for networking! If you are looking to meet and network with major downstream producers and EPCs (50% attendee ratio), no other event attracts larger groups! Just look at our group sizes from 2023 -

• Dow 65+ 
• CP Chem 55+ 
• LyondellBasell 55+  
• BASF 50+  
• Shell 40+  
• Chevron 35+  
• ExxonMobil 25+ 
• Marathon 25+  
• Aramco 25+  
• INEOS 25+ 
• Ascend Materials 25+ 

                                   
Let us know if you have any questions! Contact our commercial team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to organise a call!

Established 60 years ago, Prosaw are one of the largest suppliers of Metal Sawing Machinery in the UK. Their customers range from Aerospace, Construction & Precision Engineering through to General Fabrication along with Oil & Gas companies. Part of Prosaw’s success over the past six decades has been its unrivalled After Sales Service. With a team of 9 dedicated engineers, Prosaw can install new equipment and carryout routine maintenance for customers throughout the UK and Europe.

Chris Burns Techical Director 

Robert O’Brien, Sales Director explains how some of this success has come about: “Organising a team of engineers take time and needs a certain amount of flexibility, especially when some customers desire an immediate response to their call out. Since Prosaw began using T Cards in 2015, the Service Department have been able give engineers real time work schedules that they can interact with themselves. This also allows the scheduling of work at Prosaw’s Kettering Workshop assigning the pre-delivery inspection of equipment. It has been a valuable tool that makes the work of organising engineers a lot easier.

T Cards Online is designed to be used like the tried and tested manual boards with all the tangible, visual benefits but with all the accessibility, features and analysis tools available digitally. Prosaw were quick to see the benefits this can provide both for planning and customer response times for their engineers. Chris Burns, Technical Director, commented; “I have used the system for nearly 10 years and been really happy with how simple and easy it is to adapt to our changing needs. Having the support team at T Cards has been a great help over the years when small chang

www.tcardsonline.co.uk

T Cards also have their 60th anniversary this year. Most will be familiar with the tried and tested physical T Boards. A lost cost solution of having a “Go to Board” is an essential tool. Simple to customize to your requirements, manual T Cards can actively help improve the efficiency of your operation, and now there is an even simpler way to digitalize your process.

An example of a successful business in a competitive market, Prosaw has shown how important it is to give the right tools to help staff with their daily tasks. Systems like T Cards Online can make a big difference in making efficiency and productivity savings by simply co-ordinating tasks and communicating updates in a clear simple way.

Having been in development for 10 years when Prowsaw first started looking for a solution, the foundations of the web based system were already in place. Most of the features and functionality had been developed via “customer lead” consultation and feedback. Having been specialists in planning for 60 years, T Cards Direct were able to lean on their vast experience and knowledge of visual planning systems. One of the prime requisites from those consultations was to have an intuitive and flexible system that clients can easily bespoke to their needs without exhaustive and costly software changes. For more information please contact us by telephone on 01732 871 417, visit our website tcardsonline.com or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 The most straightforward approach is often the most effective, and for many organizations, having a well-structured visual plan is essential.

Enter T Cards, a tried-and-tested method for planning and control. Now, the as a web-based system, T Cards Online serves as the perfect management tool for tracking, allocating, and improving efficiency. It’s easy setup and user-friendly interface provides clear and precise “information at a glance”.

www.tcardsonline.com

Production Health and EAM pioneers team up to spark a new era of manufacturing innovation

Itasca, IL, and New York, NY, November 15, 2023 – Augury, a leading provider of industrial AI solutions that improve machine health and process health, and IFS Ultimo, a pioneer in cloud-based enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions, today announced a new partnership that vastly improves the connection between machine health and asset management. The collaboration addresses the critical issue of disconnected workflows between machines and the people who manage and maintain them through a dynamic, real-time asset management process.

Faster Reactions, Better Decisions

Augury’s machine health technology enables companies to monitor and optimize rotating assets, eliminate costly downtime, and use prescriptive and predictive insights to make informed maintenance decisions. Yet, to achieve superior operational efficiency, industrial leaders must combine machine data with EAM processes. To streamline this integration, Augury and IFS Ultimo will help organizations take control of their assets, increase uptime, manage costs, and foster a safe, healthy, and sustainable work environment.

The Augury and IFS Ultimo integration will allow AI-based alerts and notifications from Augury's Machine Health platform to seamlessly flow into IFS Ultimo for maintenance scheduling and planning. This eliminates manual guesswork and empowers maintenance teams to respond proactively to machine needs, reducing wasted efforts and costs. The collaboration unlocks a wealth of information that goes beyond machine health insights, offering new ways to assess risk, manage inventories, and optimize maintenance schedules.

"Our collaboration with Augury marks a significant step toward a new era of asset management,” said Patrick Beekman, Partner Solution Manager at IFS Ultimo. “By integrating an easy-to-implement and extremely scalable machine health insights tool within our EAM platform, we empower organizations to make data-driven decisions, reduce downtime, and enhance overall efficiency."

For current Augury and IFS Ultimo customers, the integration promises a transformative journey toward a dynamic, proactive organization that drives higher uptime, productivity, and cost management. For those not yet using these solutions, embracing the Augury and IFS Ultimo collaboration will ensure that maintenance teams become more efficient and capable, allowing the entire business to thrive.

Building the Connected Manufacturing Future

In the face of ongoing challenges such as worker shortages, generational shifts, and supply chain disruptions, manufacturing companies are intensifying their efforts to empower a new generation of connected workers. These workers are poised to lead the industry into the future of manufacturing, and the partnership between IFS Ultimo and Augury will help them, and their companies meet these ambitious goals.

"The manufacturing landscape is evolving rapidly, and it demands a shift from manual, reactive approaches to one that embraces real-time data and digital connections. Augury provides a crucial element in this transformation, but to truly achieve operational excellence, organizations need to take better advantage of their machine health insights,” explains Chris Dobbrow, VP of Strategic Business Development at Augury. “Our partnership with IFS Ultimo bridges the gap between data and action, enabling organizations to proactively manage their assets, drive efficiency, and remain competitive.”

To learn more, or to start leveraging the integration, contact Augury or IFS Ultimo.

Institute for Machine Elements at the University of Stuttgart detects smallest fraction on gear flank surface with the help of a SONOTEC ultrasound sensor.

The intelligent networking of machines plays a crucial role in Industry 4.0. As a result, many machines are equipped with condition monitoring systems. Sensor data recorded on the machine is used to make statements about the condition of the machine or individual critical components. Condition monitoring detects damage at an early stage, so that unexpected machine failures can be prevented. For machine engineers, this results in added value in terms of operational safety as well as a financial advantage.

A gearbox malfunction can lead to an entire machine coming to a standstill. For this reason, gearboxes are particularly suitable for condition monitoring during operation. The main failure mechanisms of gearboxes show a gradual progression of damage. It is therefore possible to detect damage early before it reaches a critical stage. As soon as damage has been detected and the condition of the damage has been identified, the remaining service life of the gearbox can be estimated.

The focus of current research at the Institute for Machine Elements at the University of Stuttgart is on pitting damage. In cooperation with SONOTEC, a measurement technology manufacturer specializing in ultrasound, pitting damage on gears was investigated. In the process, damage could be detected well before the failure criterion standardized in DIN 3990-5 which is of an area fraction on a tooth flank surface of 4%. This is possible with suitable sensor technology. In a series of tests, synthetic pitting damage with area fractions between 0.4 % and 2 % of the area of a tooth flank was examined. In addition to the size of the pitting damage, the speed, torque, and lubricating oil viscosity were systematically varied in the tests. In this way, the detection capability of the pitting damage could be tested under different boundary conditions. Different accelerometers were used to collect data. Compared to the accelerometers, the pitting damage is clearly visible in data of the T20 structure-borne sound probe from SONOTEC, particularly in the ultrasonic frequency range above 16 kHz. Thus, it is possible to reliably detect even the smallest examined pitting damage with area fractions of 0.4% of the area of a tooth flank.

The T20 structure-borne sound transducer differs from classic accelerometers by its innovative transducer principle. At its heart is a piezocomposite material developed and manufactured in-house by SONOTEC, through the use of which an almost linear frequency response with excellent sensor sensitivity is achieved. Due to this principle, SONOTEC's structure-borne sound transducers are much better suited for the detection of smallest mechanical impulses than conventional accelerometers. In the case of slow-running rolling bearings or in gear drives, damage can thus be detected much earlier, which is of particular importance for successful condition monitoring.

The range of applications for condition monitoring with estimation of remaining service life is broad. One example is offshore wind turbines. Due to the difficult accessibility of the turbines on the open sea and the size of the gearboxes, maintenance is associated with high costs. Predicting the remaining service life as part of condition monitoring offers engineers the opportunity to continue operating the wind turbine until a predictable, economical maintenance date.

www.sonotec.eu

A leading oil and gas Company needed thermal insulation for a tank at one of its lubricant plants. The upper surface of the tank, which reaches a temperature of 110 °C (230 °F), serves as a walkway for operators. This creates a high risk of employees receiving contact burns from the hot substrate. Additionally, some pitting corrosion had occurred. Finding a solution that would lower the surface temperature to prevent burns and halt further corrosion was crucial. 

The fact that Hart Door Systems has built a reputation for quality and longevity of its wide range of industrial doors, the importance of door maintenance should not be understated says Keith Fisher, Hart’s National Operations Manager.

Servicing industrial doors not only improves their reliability and operational functionality but servicing is also a requirement under Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations  which protect people who come into contact with the doors. Indeed failure to maintain industrial doors could put the user in breach of Government legislation incurring liability in the case of an incident involving an industrial door which is non-compliant.

As essential support for our clients Hart has comprehensive Service & Maintenance assistance as a specialist department which delivers a range of repair and scheduled maintenance options for its customers to further extend the life of their doors.

Given the very wide variety of industrial classifications we supply doors and shutters to, the emphasis has to be on designing servicing and maintenance packages which are tailored to match the specific needs of our clients’ businesses and the arising usage patterns of the various doors/shutters.

A preventative Servicing and Maintenance Agreement ensures Hart’s servicing is carried out correctly and at the precise frequency thus complying with Regulations. Typically during a Hart servicing visit all mechanical and electrical elements are checked for missing parts, general wear and tear and Compliance issues.

Mechanical checks include inspecting parts such as drive chain tension, alignment and lubrication, bearing wear and tear, motor oil levels and fabric tension and electrical checks include limit settings, cable connections and safety devices.

Hart also has a legal responsibility to ensure doors are left in safe working order after servicing. Again the issues are wide ranging such as measuring the closing forces of automatic doors where safe contact is the main strategy to prevent hazards.

The closing force of a door ensures correct force limitation under EN 12978 which prevents injury and crushing. Testing should always be carried out with an annually calibrated instrument according to DIN 18650, EN 12453 or EN 12445.

On completion of a Hart service visit, a paperless electronic copy of the engineer’s report will be issued which may include additional recommendations necessary to ensure the doors are safe and compliant to relevant legislation due to changing ‘shop floor’ circumstances.

The sophistication of door systems such as Hart’s Speedor range or its Typhoon shutter range has changed significantly over the years to cater for changing needs by its customers across the globe and indeed by changing climate. To ensure hard working doors in busy industrial environments continue to make a significant daily contribution to efficiency and safety, planned maintenance is essential.

www.hartdoors.com