Latest News

• Schaeffler honours 19 suppliers with the Schaeffler Supplier Award
• Close partnerships with suppliers are key to long-term corporate success
• Schaeffler Supplier Day: focus on sustainability and digitisation in the supply chain

Birmingham, UK | May 25, 2023 | The global automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler presented 19 of its suppliers with the Schaeffler Supplier Award at the Supplier Day in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in honour of their exceptional performance. Georg F.W. Schaeffler, Family Shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler AG, and Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG, presented the awards in the five categories of Innovation, Sustainability, Cost Efficiency, Quality, and Supply Chain before an audience of more than 450 guests.

Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer of Schaeffler AG, said: “A close, trusting relationship with our suppliers is crucial to Schaeffler. Given the enormous challenges we are currently facing in global supply chains, close partnerships are now more important than ever and are key to long-term corporate success.”

The key topics of digitisation and sustainability in the supply chain occupied centre stage at the Schaeffler Supplier Day. Andreas Schick: “Digitisation offers considerable potential for new products and solutions, and Schaeffler is actively driving the company’s transformation forward with digital solutions along the entire supply chain. In conjunction with our suppliers, we will make joint use of the opportunities that digitisation presents to make value creation more agile, efficient, and ultimately, even more sustainable.”

The strategic importance of digitisation to Schaeffler is also reflected in all of the supplier awards in the “Innovation” category. The award was presented to suppliers for digital solutions developed in areas such as Industry 4.0, or for the joint development of online service portals. With awards in the “Sustainability” category, Schaeffler honours suppliers who support the corporate goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2040 by focusing extensively on using raw materials efficiently, recycling production waste, or generating electricity from renewable energies. The Schaeffler Supplier Award in the “Supply Chain” category is presented to top suppliers for excellent delivery reliability and particularly resilient delivery chains, while the awards in the “Quality” category honour outstanding quality performance. The awards in the “Value” category are presented by Schaeffler to honour strong partnerships, which are particularly important for the company’s competitiveness worldwide.

The recipients of the 2023 Schaeffler Supplier Award:

• RPK S. Coop., Spain
• FAIST Mekatronic, Romania
• POSCO, South Korea
• Shandong Golden Empire Precision Machinery Tech., China
• Trafilspec ITS S.p.A., Italy
• Draxton, Spain
• Edmund G. Friedrich & Co. GmbH, Germany
• Imperial Logistics International B.V. & Co. KG, Germany
• Kentpar Otomotiv Yedek Parça AŞ, Turkey
• Delux Bearings Pvt. Ltd., India
• hmmh multimediahaus AG, Germany
• Ravi Technoforge Pvt. Ltd., India
• UMBRAGROUP S.p.A., Italy
• NHB BALL & ROLLER LTD, India
• Statkraft Markets GmbH, Germany
• Hwacheon Machine Tools Co., Ltd, South Korea
• Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Japan
• Tyrolit – Schleifmittelwerke Swarovski AG & Co K.G, Austria
• Siemens AG Digital Industries, Germany

www.schaeffler.com

The deadline is rapidly approachingto investin a team of fast-rising innovators, who have already completed over 100 installations worldwide of their energy-saving wastewateraeration solutions.

Via Crowdcube, but only until June 10th, shares can be purchased in Mapal; a thriving business (established 2008) that has seen a significant increase in demand for its aeration technologies, which do notrequire a levelled floor and, importantly, cause no unwanted downtimebecause they canbe installed and maintained while the plant is operating.

Ilan Diamond, Mapal’s Chairman/Director, said: “With our systemsproving up to 50-60%moreefficient than traditionalmechanicalsurfaceaeration– and with nomovingpartsinthewater, there is huge potentialgrowth for what we offer.”

He added: “This investment opportunity will provide general working capital, enabling us to accelerate our healthy growth by furtherdeveloping our sales and marketing teams. We will also be able to fund a pre-sale trial (rental) fleet and continueour research & development into ammonia removal in aerated lagoons with fixed bio-media combined into our Mapal FFBA(Floating Fine Bubble Aeration) system.”

Some recent aeration methods partly address the higherthan ever energy (and maintenance) costs of conventional surface treatment, but requiring specific conditions, can also prove expensive as a new-build, with problematicalprocess interruption for upgrades. But from Israel, the UK, Brazil, Australia and across Africa, Mapal’s custom-made systemshave successfully supersededthese drawbacksfor municipal and industrial wastewatertreatment plants of numerous types, shapes and sizes.

Mapal’s Ilan Diamond, continued: “Our innovative and proven technology, togetherwithour strong customersupport, should see our sales grow from US$ 0.65 millionlast year to US$ 2.1this year, then US$ 3.0 million in 2025. We are very excited about the future for delivering the benefits of our equipment to theglobal wastewater industry.”

More details about investing in Mapal via Crowdcube* can be found at:

www.mapal-ge.com

https://bit.ly/3Iqjp9l

Thorite has been awarded Pro-Partner status by Piab Group, consolidating its position as the leading UK distribution partner for the global brand’s vacuum automation products.

The enhanced partnership recognises Thorite’s expertise in the sales and servicing of vacuum pumps, ejectors and accessories. It will strengthen collaboration between the Bradford-based company and Piab, which is headquartered in Sweden, to stimulate growth for both companies.

Thorite is the only company in the UK to have achieved Tier B partnership status with Piab – the highest in its business category – which is based on success in sales revenue, growth ambition, marketing support and workforce education.

Thorite’s Sales Director, Mark Yates, said: “We place enormous value on this recognition from our key suppliers.

“Vacuum is a key area identified for growth as part of our future development and our investment in training and education on its market applications is delivering some great opportunities. 

“The award of Pro-Partner status cements our relationship with the Piab brand and will deliver benefits for both companies and, most importantly, for our customers.”

www.Thorite.co.uk

We have seen a lot of development through the years and are grateful for the opportunity we have been given by our customers to do so!

We want to celebrate with you - by giving away some beer for you to enjoy.

So this summer you really can sit back, relax and enjoy a drink on us!

For a chance to win one of 5 crates of beer, all you need to do is register via the link below and fill out the questionnaire. You will need to answer the questions correctly – so hopefullyyou’ve been paying attention!

Good luck and thank you for all the support we have received in the past 40 years!

Enter here: https://www.testo.com/en-UK/summer-giveaway

AS-Schneider will rename its digital nameplate Digital Product Pass (DPP) to Digital Valve Plate (DVP). With this, the valve specialist draws a clear line between its solution for marking valves and manifolds and an initiative of the EU, which also operates under the name Digital Product Pass and is becoming increasingly important in the industry. Now, mix-ups are excluded and both solutions can be further developed in parallel.
Products in the process industry are usually delivered with a large number of technical documents. Depending on the project scope, hundreds of printed pages of drawings, material certificates, testing documents as well as maintenance and servicing information are generated. In order to advance the digitalization of mechanical components and to take a step towards Industry 4.0, AS-Schneider has already introduced its digital nameplate based on DIN SPEC 91406 under the name "Digital Product Pass" in 2019.
What was not known at the time, however, was that the European Commission was working on a Digital Product Pass of the same name as part of the Sustainable Product Strategy. In recent months, this EU Digital Product Pass has increasingly established itself as a fixed term in the industry, according to AS-Schneider.
In order to create clarity and avoid confusion, the valve specialist finally decided to rename its solution. DPP now officially becomes Digital Valve Plate (DVP). The name was created in reference to the administration shell as well as the Smart Valve introduced last year called

Product information

"Digital Valve Kit". Digital Name Plate als auch dem letzten Jahr vorgestellten Smart Valve namens „Digital Valve Kit“. "In this way, we are paving the way for both essential solutions: the implementation of the EU's Digital Product Pass and the expansion of AS-Schneider's Digital Valve Plate to provide relevant product information," describes Thomas Weisschuh, Head of Product Management & Innovation at AS- Schneider.

www.as-schneider.com

 This article can also be found in the issue below.

Hi-line Industries, a UK-based leader in the design, manufacture and installation of energy-efficient compressed air purification equipment, is well known for the long-standing support it provides to the local sporting community in Burton upon Trent. The company is a main sponsor at both Burton Albion Football Club and Burton Rugby Football Club. Now, Hi-line’s Managing Director Steve Smith is adding to this tradition by raising thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK through his endeavours in White Collar Boxing, a series of high-profile fundraising events organised by Ultra, the UK's largest charity sports organisation.

Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB) is a unique opportunity for people to experience the wonderful world of boxing in a safe and enjoyable environment, while simultaneously raising money for Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and getting into shape. The organisation is a spin-off of the original White Collar Boxing, which began in New York in 1988 when two ‘white collar’ workers, a doctor and an attorney, trained for a few weeks before boxing each other at a black-tie event. UCWB commenced in 2009, becoming a corporate partner of CRUK in 2013. Today, the organisation is one of CRUK’s largest fundraising partners, donating over £25 million to date. 

In memory of his late mother June Smith, Hi-line’s Managing Director Steve Smith decided to get involved when UWCB announced it would be staging a series of bouts in Burton upon Trent between 18 March and 18 April 2023. UWCB has now organised events in over 100 towns and cities in the UK. 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Continued ……

All those agreeing to participate in a UWCB bout receive eight weeks of free training at a local boxing gym with professional coaches. Once training is complete, participants get paired with an opponent from the same group of trainees based on weight, fitness, ability and age to ensure a fair and competitive bout under strict safety guidelines.

Every participating boxer must pledge to raise at least £50 for CRUK, but Steve Smith wanted to do more, setting up a Just Giving page with a target of £3,000. At time of writing, the total had already exceeded £4,600.

“I wanted to raise money for research into cancer cures because this devastating disease must cease,” he said. “At Hi-line we have a long association with supporting local sport, so UWCB seemed the ideal opportunity to make a further contribution. I must offer my thanks everyone who has made a donation. We associate ourselves with success at Hi-line Industries and take our social and charitable responsibilities very seriously, so a massive thank you to all who have helped make this fundraising event so hugely successful.”

A video of the entire bout between Steve ‘Nitro’ Smith (wearing blue) and his challenger Matt Long is available to view on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3l9k42cKjA. Anyone wishing to support Steve Smith and pledge a donation to Cancer Research UK can do so at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steve-smith222

The company are also sponsoring a MotoX race team started by their Fabrication Manager, Darren Stretton. The team features a group of like-minded dirt bikers and ride at AMCA level, meeting throughout the Midlands. The all Yamaha team wear Hi-line blue with bikes in full Hi-line decals.

This article can also be found in the issue below.

As long-time suppliers of premium valves for a range of industries, BM Engineering is proud to announce the launch of its new website. Its complete reconstruction has made it an easy-to-use hub for those in the process industry looking for high-end components for their system.

The previous edition of the website featured predominantly more informative content that provided knowledge about their products’ attributes and qualities. This has been substantially improved upon with their new website. Now, a dedicated ‘Knowledge Hub’ is available to keep readers up to date with the latest happenings and products. 

In addition, visitors to the all-new BM Engineering website will find new and improved details of BM Engineering’s brands, industries, key locations and case studies.

With e-commerce a major new focus of this website’s overhaul, you can now use it as a one-stop shop for ordering products with ease. Their new online shop interface offers the ability to make an account for the straightforward management of orders, e-receipts, and shipment tracking.

BM Engineering’s wide selection of products has been used within a variety of industries due to their universality, including:

• Food and beverage

• Pharmaceutical

• Paper

• Pulp

• Distillery 

• Brewing

• Dairy

• Renewables

For example, they had great success with the European division of American nail varnish producer, Kirker, who found their services to be second to none. Kirker depends on reliable ball valves that meet strict safety standards with nail varnish being a flammable substance. BM Engineering was able to supply 3” ANSI 150 flanged stainless-steel ball valves that were ATEX approved. Exd explosion-proof switch boxes and Exm solenoid valves were also used as a solution to effectively meet the required safety standards.

BM Engineering can supply valves and instruments to fit any purpose or application. Their specialist selection of products have been relied upon for decades for their superior quality. As a result, they have formed long-standing relationships with industry-leading manufacturers such as Inoxpa, Orbinox and Unitech SRL for a quality selection of products. 

With 40 years of experience in fluid control products, they are proud to stock Bürkert’s range of first-rate components. In the full BM Engineering range, you can find:

• Actuated Valves

• Ball Valves

• Butterfly Valves

• Flow Meters

• Globe Valves

• Non-Return Valves

• Steam Control Valves

• Steam Traps

• Safety Relief Valves

As a Glasgow-based company, BM Engineering is a key distributor across Scotland. They have decades of experience providing valves across key areas of Scotland, including the Scottish Highlands, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow. 

However, they also distribute to key areas across Great Britain within the north and south of England. Their supply reaches as far north as Newcastle and as far south as Bristol, making their stock easily accessible nationwide.

Blair Miller, Managing Director at BM Engineering, said: “I am incredibly proud of our new website’s overhaul on appearance, internal function and available information. They reflect an up-to-date appearance that is representative of our modern approach and ethos as a business.”

Brady Corporation’s new M610, M611 and M710 portable label printers offer the speed, versatility and durability to get any labelling job done right, at any time, anywhere. Discover their thousands of printer label options!

To maximally support users, the new portable printers from Brady offer countless options to design any label - via the onboard keypad, via PC, and via smartphone. These designs can be printed on the widest range of label materials, sizes and colours, fit for any identification job. All 3 printers also immediately recognise every loaded material, they auto-calibrate and warn whenever a label design would need a different label size.

Work the way your work demands

With Brady’s new high-end portable printing range, users decide how labels are created. Printers have label design wizards installed that can be operated with the on-board keypad, available in all key layouts.Alternatively, labels can be designed with Brady Workstation on PC, stored on the printer, or sent to the printer when needed via Wi-Fi.  

The new printers’ top feature perhaps is they can all be operated with the user’s smartphone, provided Brady’s free Express Labels Mobile app is installed. The app makes label design extremely easy, practical and fast for almost any label with any recent smartphone model.

Depending on the needs of the job, users can load printer consumables with precision pre-cut labels or rolls with continuous label material that can be auto-cut after printing. For large print jobs, Brady also offers compatible bulk rolls that maximise the portables’ fast print speeds of up to 76 mm per second.

Create premium labels from anywhere

Brady offers thousands of printer label options, including general identification materials and highly specialised solutions designed for maximum reliability in specific contexts. With the widest choice in label materials, sizes and colours, users will enjoy the freedom to clearly and reliably identify just about anything with a single label printer. 

The M610, M611 and M710 are all designed for use on the road and in busy workplaces. They are tough and rugged and can resist more than the occasional bump. All models offer a 1.8 meter drop resistance and military grade shock resistance, and they include a rechargeable li-ION battery that keeps users printing all day long, up to around 4500 labels per charge.

Any of the new portable label printers from Brady unlock a seamless identification ecosphere that offers a premium labelling experience. Thousands of authentic Brady label materials are automatically recognised by the printer, by Brady Workstation on a user’s PC, and by the Express Labels Mobile app on a smartphone. The printer will auto-adapt its settings, and the Brady Workstation software and Express Labels Mobile app for label design will immediately take into account the specific loaded material, so users can push identification to the limit without a single worry.

Effortless communication between label material, label printer and label design software results in first time right labels, all but no label loss, and fast identification in the office, and in the field. It also enables error-free printing of custom, fully personalisedlabel rolls that can be pre-printed in advance with a logo or any other information.

Available via Brady’s worldwide network of experienced distributors, the M610, M611 and M710 are ready to change the labelling experience of businesses in many industries, anywhere in the world.

Discover new portable label printers from Brady now!

The German intra-logistics expert LOSYCO has expanded its LOXrail heavy-duty transport system, adding a new generation of AllRounder platform, now featuring semi-automatic steering. Unique among the solutions for intra-logistics rail transport, the new AllRounder keeps the payload on the same height level as it is re-oriented. The steering platform features a battery-powered servomotor that automatically re-positions the wheelsets as required. The steering is controlled via three buttons on the platform for 90° left or right turns or 180° rotation. Designed for payloads up to 15 tons, the AllRounder can run on LOXrail tracks with shaft diameter of either 25 mm or 40 mm. Its low height ensures ergonomic handling and easy loading, assembly and transport in one-piece flow production lines. The novel steering system saves time-consuming extra work for the installation of switches or turntables in the hall floor. Even with branching lines, it now suffices to firmly anchor LOXrail tracks and simple crossing elements in the floor. Thus, the entire intra-logistics rail system can be flexibly planned and efficiently implemented, even with complex track layouts, while the elimination of moving components in the hall floor makes it a particularly low-wear and low-maintenance solution.

www.losyco.com

A study commissioned by the Water Jetting Association into the management of high pressure fluid injection injuries has been accessedonline10,000 times in four years.

It has also been cited in five specialist medical papers over the same period, making it one of the most important and widely-referenced research papers on the topic in the world.

Now, an injury treatment algorithm developed fromthe research, has been updated to make it easier to use.

The WJA Water Jetting Injury Treatment Algorithm gives step-by-step best practical guidance on the treatment of water jetting injuries from first response through to definitive hospital care.

It provides vital guidance for paramedics and clinicians,as well as water jetting contractors, which include pressure washing specialists, service commissioners and health and safety professionals.

The WJA is the member organisation for the water jetting industry in the UK. Its codes of practice and City & Guilds accredited training courses are respected for setting water jetting standards internationally.

Water jetting is commonly used for cleaning tubes and chambers in oil and gas, petrochemicals and energy plants, carrying out hydrodemolition of concrete structures, and cleaning culverts, tanks and sewers in drainage systems, as well other surface preparation, cleaning and materials cutting tasks.

The research the WJA funded was led by Dr Sancho Rodriguez-Villar, an intensive care consultant at Kings College Hospital, London, and Dr Robert Charles Kennedy (PhD), the WJA’s clinical research and development advisor.

DrRodriguez-Villar said: “The study is one of the most important sources of expert opinion on high pressure fluid injection injuries in the world. It is a complex multidisciplinary piece of research involving knowledge from industry and three medical specialties.

“Researchers and clinicians are clearly finding it useful. It is highly likely that doctors and surgeons around the world are searching for advice on such injuries, finding this research, and using it to guide their treatment.

“In this sense, it is having the desired and very important effect of educating clinical teams about how to treat these unique and serious injuries. This, in turn, will be greatly improving the treatment outcomes for patients, contributing to their long-term health and wellbeing.”

The study is called the Management of Industrial High Pressure Fluid Injection Injuries (IHPFII): the Water Jetting Association Experience with Water Driven Injuries.

It was published in the European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery in March 2019, and is also available via the medical database Researchgate.

The injury treatment algorithm helpsfirst aiders, paramedics and clinicians optimise treatment, reducing the risk of death, long-term disability or unnecessarily prolonged periods of recovery.

The WJA has now created A4 version which is easier to view, both online and offline. Its sections have also been colour-coded so users can easily follow a patient’s journey through a treatment pathway.

It can be instantly accessed via a red tab on the home page of the WJA website.

IHPFII injuries can be caused with water pressures as low as 7 bar, or 100 pounds per square inch (PSI) – while water pressures for industrial applications can exceed 1,700 bar, or 24,650 psi.

They are characterised by small entry wounds, caused by fine fluid jets,and no exit wounds. This can mask the extensive internal disruption they can cause. Debris and bacteria can be also carried far into the body, increasing the risk of serious infection.

These factors can lead to delays in patients receiving the appropriate emergency treatment. This can result in complications that, in worst cases, cause life-changing serious injury or death.

Robert Kennedy said: “The evidence shows that, without early and correct intervention, the outcome for those injured is often catastrophic. We strongly advise all parties to observe the WJA’s algorithm for the management of high-pressure injection injuries.”

www.waterjetting.co.uk

This article can also be found in the issues below.