eriks know+how - issue 20

THE LEADING MAGAZINE FOR MAINTENANCE ENGINEERS FROM ERIKS

www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow

ISSUE 20

Shortcut to energy savingsTurn straight to our Focus on Energy and Conservation p12

Something in the air?Savings could be all around you p16

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Where did you put the whatchamacallit?

Name that part p6

Feeling Blue?Are you up to the

Blue Planet Challenge? p10

Making lights workGetting expert lighting advice

is a bright idea. p22

Leaking secrets Best Practice for safer hoses p24

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ContentsWELCOME TO KNOW+HOW…Bringing you the latest news and industry developments, this edition of Know+How focuses on energy conservation and the solutions available to industrial sites and applications.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Alan WhetstoneManaging Director, Editor in Chief

UNREGISTERED

NEW QR CODE ACCESS To make it easier to get all the latest industry news straight to your mobile device or smartphone, simply scan the QR codes throughout.

Published by ERIKS UK, Amber Way, Halesowen, West Midlands, B62 8WG

One switch can save you energy

Though it may be the need to reduce your energy bills that first drives you to look at your lighting, there are many additional benefits to be gained from a thorough, expert review.

Only by working with an all-round knowledgeable solutions provider such as ERIKS Lighting Solutions can you be sure you’re making the right choices and the most cost-effective decisions.

ERIKS Lighting Solutions’ know-how covers all aspects of industrial lighting – from product and

application recommendations, to system design and project management. And it covers all types of lighting applications too: whether interior, exterior, or emergency.

But best of all, it’s know-how combined with neutrality.

Contact us now on 01455 203571 or by email at [email protected], for an initial discussion or to arrange a no-obligation site survey.

The energy industry is awash with change; from government legislation influencing carbon reduction, to the advent of the smart grid and development of renewable energy plants. While many of the technologies and developments seem far removed from everyday life; the reality is that energy prices are rising and the market is changing.

As a result, businesses must look to technology to help them navigate the legislative landscape – enabling them to measure, monitor and improve their energy performance and reduce bills over the longer term.

In this issue you’ll find articles discussing maintenance stock management and how ERIKS’ employees are undertaking a Blue Planet Challenge to improve sustainability levels. In our focus section, we take a look at Bosch Rexroth’s unique overview on identifying all opportunities to increase energy efficiency; how to squeeze savings from compressed

air with Festo; calculating significant cost savings with the ERIKS TCO Calculator; the new bearing range from SKF and the single actuator package from Norgren.

In addition, we debate the risks that low cost imports can have on energy saving as well as how to stay safe when utilising high pressure hydraulic hoses.

We welcome Jeremy Bowden, a highly respected energy journalist, who discusses the potential smart grids have to significantly reduce energy costs and enhance sustainability for any business, while the TIG takes a retrospective look at the life of former MP Tony Benn.

If you have any comments you would like to raise on the topics contained in this issue you can email the editor at: [email protected], not forgetting Know+How’s own website: www.eriks.co.uk/KnowHow where you can register for your own personal copy and make enquiries about something you have read or contact one of the contributors.

LATEST NEWS 04 UK industry wasting millions as cost of poor maintenance mounts up

UK industry offered £10m to improve energy efficiency and reduce demand

£1.2bn ‘green energy’ cable gets go-ahead

Industry urged to act on inefficient energy management policies

IN-DEPTH 06 The name of the game is efficiency

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE 08 Munsch expands range of pumps for chemical applications

New test and measurement equipment from FLIR

Flexion goes international

Top ten tips for pump efficiency

PLANET PLUS 10 Building sustainable businesses helps build business

FOCUS ON ENERGY AND CONSERVATION 12 Smart systems a game-changer for business energy users p12

Helping the sustainable society run smoothly p13

Need to conserve energy? p14

Squeezing savings from compressed air p16

Cool and calculating customer cuts costs p18

Smoothing the way to energy savings p20

Norgren gets energy and operating costs all wrapped up p21

ENERGY SAVINGS 22 Choosing lights in the dark

BEST PRACTICE 24 Gates have leak protection up their sleeve

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Latest news Latest news

ISSUE 20 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow4 5

The warning from ERIKS, one of the UK’s leading industrial distributors, has been issued due to increasing concerns that poor performing maintenance and storeroom operations are negatively impacting operational efficiency, tying up capital and, ultimately, reducing profits.

“The recent recession encouraged industry to look closely at its operations to drive out all unnecessary cost and streamline where possible,” says Andy Silver, Customer Service Director – ERIKS, Integrated Solutions. “Unfortunately, storeroom and inventory were all-too-often overlooked, which means that there is a lot of slack in terms of spares, inventory and wasted time in the system.”

ERIKS has identified four key drivers of poor MRO maintenance which include production downtime resulting from unavailable parts or poor stores management and inventory control; out of control spending on spares; wasted time

due to MRO engineers sourcing parts and paperwork, rather than focusing on core activities.

Mr Silver, says the problems are due to a basic lack of procedures and controls. “Many companies do not have the basic controls and tracking systems that provide visibility of costs in terms of ordering, warehousing, transportation and other expenses.

“My advice to UK industry is to look closely at MRO spend and put key performance indicators in place which can be monitored. For example, stock availability and accuracy should be in excess of 95% with a stock retrieval time of under 60 seconds from point of confirmation. If you can’t hit those standards then your MRO stores operations are not up to scratch. The irony is that good MRO practice can turn maintenance operations into a revenue driver, but only if the correct procedures are put in place.”

UK industry wasting millions as cost of poor maintenance mounts up

Plans for a £1.2bn undersea ‘green energy’ cable connecting offshore wind farms to the Scottish mainland have been given the go-ahead, providing a serious boost to the UK’s renewable energy capacity.

Located between Caithness and Moray in Scotland, the cable will act as a link between planned wind farm projects in the area to the country’s energy grid. The project, from SSE,

will aim to deliver 1.2GW of renewable energy and is due to be completed in 2018.

The regulator Ofgem has approved the project and is currently studying its financial details. Ofgem senior partner for transmission, Martin Crouch, said: “This is a major step forward for an essential upgrade to the high voltage grid so that more renewable energy can connect to the networks.”

£1.2bn ‘green energy’ cable gets go-ahead

UK industry offered £10m to improve energy efficiency and reduce demandEnergy Secretary, Ed Davey, has announced that £10m will be made available to UK businesses to help improve energy efficiency and reduce overall demand.

Speaking at the CBI’s Energy Conference, Mr Davey highlighted that £45bn had already been invested in the energy sector between January 2010 and December 2013, with almost £8bn of that dedicated to renewable technologies.

He then went on to detail the £10m Electricity Demand Reduction auction scheme which will be launched, as part of a £20m pilot budget. Businesses will compete for a share of the fund in order to finance projects which would reduce energy demands and in turn cut the cost of electricity bills and see a reduction in carbon emissions.

One of the Government’s key criteria is for a business to deliver 100kW of savings through the peak winter period. Expressions of interest opened on the 29th July and over 300 organisations have already indicated they are considering participation.

A leading industry certification body has warned both public and private sector organisations are at risk of major financial and reputational damage if they fail

to improve energy efficiency.

BM TRADA has cited that spiralling energy costs, concerns over energy security and regulatory pressure on carbon emissions have made the need

for efficient energy management systems a ‘necessity, not [a] nicety.’

Companies operating within heavy-industrial sectors, such as manufacturers and food producers, as well as public sector

organisations including hospitals or schools, have the ‘most to gain’ from implementing efficient energy management processes.

Tom Johnston, BM TRADA’s chief operating officer of central certification services, said: “The cost of energy is rising rapidly,

fuelled in part by growing concern over energy security, and it is the business and public sectors that are feeling the financial impact the most.”

Industry urged to act on inefficient energy management policies

In-depth

ISSUE 20 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow6 7

Many maintenance stores are lacking a clear stocking policy – or any stocking policy at all. If an item is needed, someone orders half a dozen, uses one, then puts the others in the stores as spares under whatever name they know them by.

But let’s assume the item is sliced white bread and you get through six loaves a week. Fine: unless the person who needs it next is someone who generally calls it ‘white sliced bread’. In which case they spend a long time searching in the wrong place, give up, and order six fresh ones to last the week. They use one, and store the other five under the name they know them by: ‘white sliced bread’.

So now there are 10 loaves stored under two different names. And it just so happens that the next person who needs some bread looks under ‘bread, white sliced’ can’t find any, and orders his own half a dozen loaves.

By the end of the week, you have 13 loaves left on the shelf, all of which will be past their use-by date by the following week. So to save your bread – in both senses of the word – you need to take the first step towards better stock management, with data cleansing.

I name this part…Few maintenance items are as simple to describe as sliced white bread. So the complications in naming and stocking can stack up faster than a triple-decker sandwich. Not surprisingly, few people have the time, inclination or expertise to undertake the laborious exercise of data cleansing.

But simply deciding on a common name for a part could actually save you money.

As we’ve already seen, the business buying 18 loaves a week when it only uses five is

spending money on 13 loaves it doesn’t need. Translate that into real maintenance spares, multiply it by the number of maintenance items in the average stock room, and the difference between calling a ball bearing a ‘25mm SKF ball bearing’ and a ‘bearing, ball, 25mm SKF’ could start to run into hundreds of pounds.

If you operate across multiple sites with several stockrooms, giving a part two different names could ultimately end up costing you thousands.

What’s in a name?Effective data cleansing and stock management depend on consistent naming protocols. In other words, will you call your loaves ‘white sliced bread’, ‘sliced white bread’ or ‘bread, sliced, white’? And given that maintenance items are more complex than loaves of bread, how will you add the extra important details such as size?

One thing you certainly shouldn’t do is give a name which associates any part with a particular item of plant. To continue the loaf analogy, if bread is called ‘cheese sandwich bread’, someone looking for bread to make cucumber sandwiches will not find it.

So as you can see, data cleansing is a far more complex task than it might at first appear. And it appears pretty complex to begin with.

That’s why many businesses call in experts such as ERIKS, whose expertise in data cleansing and stock management is supported by knowledge and understanding of maintenance repair items, which ensures they are correctly identified in the first place.

In addition, ERIKS can help to save you money on OEM spares, by finding less costly alternatives through ‘OEM conversion’.

Convert to saveMost new plants come with an OEM spares list and an OEM spares package. It’s part of the deal to maintain the warranty, but not necessarily a good deal once the warranty has expired. However, the unique naming protocols and OEM codes used on the list make it difficult – if not impossible – for most customers to identify the parts independently. So they are forced to continue purchasing from the OEM – usually at high prices.

ERIKS’ years of industrial experience and MRO parts expertise enable them to identify OEM parts and find the standard alternative. In one recent case, this saved a customer over £200 on the cost of a single replacement part for an item of packaging equipment, which they had previously been forced to source from the OEM – simply because they couldn’t identify it other than by the OEM’s part codes.

Savings of that size may not be repeated on every individual item on the spares list, but converting it to a standard list will be sure to save money overall.

Time to clean up?You may be suffering downtime due to difficulty finding critical parts in your stockroom. You may be wasting money through overstocking. You may be paying over the odds for OEM parts you could source more cheaply elsewhere – if only you knew what they were.

Your stockroom could be suffering from any or all of these problems. Expert data cleansing could help to resolve them all.

And the name to call isn’t hard to find.

ASK THE WOMAN WHO RECENTLY CHANGED HER MIDDLE NAME TO ‘SKYWALKER’ IN HONOUR

OF THE STAR WARS CHARACTER – AND THEN HAD HER PASSPORT APPLICATION REFUSED.

NAMES ARE IMPORTANT. SIMILAR NAMES CAN ALSO LEAD TO ALL KINDS OF CONFUSION.

THAT’S WHY THE WELSH WERE ALWAYS CAREFUL TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN ‘EVANS THE

DOCTOR’ AND ‘EVANS THE UNDERTAKER’. NAMES MIGHT NOT BE SO MUCH A MATTER OF LIFE

AND DEATH IN YOUR MAINTENANCE STOCKROOM, BUT CORRECT AND CAREFUL NAMING CAN

CREATE REAL EFFICIENCIES AND SIZEABLE COST SAVINGS.

In-depth

Julia MullarOperations Development Manager ERIKS UK Integrated Solutions

Technology update Technology update

8 9ISSUE 20 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow

New test and measurement equipment from FLIRFLIR SYSTEMS HAS BROADENED ITS TEST AND MEASUREMENT PRODUCT

OFFERING THROUGH THE INTRODUCTION OF SIX NEW PRODUCTS.

Three new electrical meters are included in the range expansion, all featuring large and clear LCD displays and dual-LED worklights to aid dimly lit areas. The range includes the FLIR DM93, a rugged digital multimeter; the FLIR CM83, an industrial grade power clamp meter; and the FLIR CM78, a combination of an RMS multimeter and clamp meter.

Each electrical meter includes Bluetooth connectivity to Android mobile devices via the FLIR Tools Mobile app.

Making up the range is the FLIR VP52, a non-contact voltage detector with a powerful LED worklight and dual-LED convenience light at the probe tip; the FLIR MR77, a moisture meter with a pinless sensor and an external pin probe capable of capturing readings 19mm below the surface of various building materials; and the FLIR VS70, a videoscope designed for industrial environments.

Flexion goes international FLEXION HAS NOW BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL BRAND FOR ERIKS FLUID POWER, BRINGING

TOGETHER A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE FROM ACROSS THE USA AND EUROPE, INCLUDING

GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS AND THE UK.

The Flexion name has been known in the Netherlands for over 40 years, representing ERIKS fluid power activities. ERIKS has now embraced the Flexion fluid power solution which includes hydraulic hoses, accessories, pneumatics along with customised and engineered systems.

The new Flexion brand combines this cumulative experience in fluid power innovation, from technical support, customisation and assembly, through to technological advancements, reliable manufacture and the implementation of the latest material developments. Flexion delivers products and services that offer value to design and maintenance engineers, both in terms of performance and cost.

Are your pumps running to maximum efficiency?

Energy efficiency is a rising priority for all businesses yet understanding the energy consumption of key pieces of equipment; namely pumps, is lesser understood. Here Andrew Cruse, Business Development Director - Pumps, at ERIKS talks through the top 10 tips to pump efficiency.

1. Understanding power consumption The old adage you can’t manage what you don’t measure is never truer than in pump efficiency with up to 87% of the total lifecycle cost of a pump attributed to energy.

2. Establish performance dataDuring the installation process, record the initial performance data of the pump and then continually monitor and record it at regular intervals.

3. Monitor flowIf a flow meter is not incorporated in the system it is important to carry out periodic flow testing. This is can be done by non-intrusive devices.

4. Identify discharge headTake a reading when the pump is fitted and keep a record. If this figure changes over time, it may be indicative of a problem.

5. Identify suction headMany pump problems actually occur in the suction area so it’s important to measure and monitor regularly. Where filtration is used, it is important to install differential pressure monitoring. This will highlight filter blockages.

6. Record maintenance and repair dataRecord maintenance and repair data to establish Mean Time Before Failures (MTBF) records as well as running hours at every intervention and ensure that you log entries.

7. Record running amps Ensure that you closely monitor and record running amps as part of any Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) data collection.

8. Assess all pumping systems for potential energy reductionAny pump with a varied load or demand has the potential for energy savings. Consider the installation of Variable Speed Drive’s where possible.

9. Never simply replace like for likeAlways reassess your requirements when your pump is due for replacement. Many people replace like for like despite the fact that system requirements and needs may have changed or even the wrong equipment was specified originally.

10. It pays to seek adviceWhether you need advice due to system failures or during the specification process, it pays to bring in the experts to help identify the right solution.

FOR PUMP EFFICIENCYTOP 10 TIPS

For more detailed information scan this QR code

Munsch expands range of pumps for chemical applications

The range is designed to offer end-users maximum operating reliability, easy maintenance and low overall lifecycle costs when operating in abrasive and aggressive service conditions.

Included in the new range is its NP/NP-B series of vertical chemical pumps, which have a flow rate capacity of 1200m³/h and a differential head of up to 85. It is capable of handling liquids ranging from –20°C to 110°C. A further horizontal model, in the CM/CM-B range, can also pump liquids up to 180°C, at rate of 180m³/h.

Munsch has also released a vertical range of chemical pumps, with a capacity of up 700m³/h, a head of up to 90, and a length of up to 300mm. As with other models in the range, it can handle both cold and hot liquids, from –20°C to 100°C.

All models are designed exactly to customer specification and tested to EN ISO 9906.

MANUFACTURER OF PLASTIC PUMPS FOR THE HANDLING OF AGGRESSIVE

LIQUIDS, MUNSCH, HAS LAUNCHED A NEW RANGE OF HORIZONTAL AND

VERTICAL NON-METALLIC PUMPS FOR CHEMICAL PROCESSING APPLICATIONS.

You and the


You and the

In fact, sustainability is something we should all be concerned about. Whether because we want to help protect our planet from climate change, or want to have a smaller electricity bill, or want to help make the business we work for more successful and more profitable. And it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. Sustainability can start at home or work, but in the end it benefits us all – and our whole planet too.

That’s why ERIKS and Economie d’Energie – specialists in energy efficiency – have joined forces to create The Blu Effect: a new business dedicated to helping businesses integrate sustainability into their organisation, as a lever for innovation and business success.

Taking on the ChallengeTo encourage businesses to engage with sustainability and reap the benefits, The Blu Effect has launched the Blue Planet Challenge.

This is a simple but powerful way to get employees interested and involved, and to show how small behaviour changes can have a big effect on the planet – and on a business.

According to a Business In The Community estimate, innovations designed to address environmental and social challenges ‘could secure £100 billion in annual productivity gains’ for UK business.

But the Blue Planet Challenge is not only about being sustainable at work. It ensures employee engagement by encouraging sustainable, responsible behaviour at home and when travelling too. In this way, there can be benefits to their personal finances, just as much as to the business they work for.

Every little helpsThe Blue Planet Challenge shows what can happen when everyone gets involved. It shows how small actions really can make a big difference. And it keeps everyone involved all the time, by showing the savings, sharing ideas and experiences, and letting people, departments and business units – across the country or across the world – compete with each other to be the most sustainable.

When a business signs up to the Blue Planet Challenge, it gets its own web portal. This is where the rankings – based on CO2 savings – of its employees (who

BUILDING SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES HELPS BUILD BUSINESS

sign up individually), its departments and so on, are shown. It’s also where people can see how many of their colleagues have signed up, and how much the organisation as a whole is saving through individuals’ eco-actions. And it’s the place to go for all the Blue Planet Challenge news, ideas and best practices.

The Challenge begins with saving energy. But as employee engagement deepens, it can develop into saving water and saving waste.

Practising what we preachAlthough ERIKS has been promoting sustainability for some time now, through its Planet+ initiative, it has never directly addressed sustainability as a potential market. So before encouraging customers to take the plunge, they opted to face up to the Blue Planet Challenge itself.

And in around just five weeks since the Challenge was launched at ERIKS UK, the company is already realising the benefits it’s promoting.ERIKS has already saved over 15 tons

of CO2, and employee engagement is significantly higher than any other company initiative has achieved in the same amount of time after launch.

Doing good businessOf course The Blu Effect and the Blue Planet Challenge are not just about doing good. They’re also about doing good business – for the businesses who take on the challenge, and for ERIKS too.

By offering the Blue Planet Challenge initaitive to existing and new customers, ERIKS is opening up a new revenue stream, at the same time as helping those businesses to benefit. And the benefits really are numerous.

There’s the reduction in energy costs. Savings in compliance costs, thanks to reductions in carbon emissions. Increased employee engagment and job satisfaction, which in turn reduces staff absence and turnover, and increases their commitment to their employer.

Employees also benefit individually from lowering their own energy costs, at home and as they travel. The Blue Planet Challenge improves internal and external communication, with the dedicated web portal for each business that signs up.

And in the longer term, for any business which takes it on, the Blue Planet Challenge helps to create a real point of difference and a competitive advantage.

Sustaining sustainabiltyERIKS is fully committed to sustainabilty as the right way to do business. It is already becoming embedded in the business as a fundamental contributor to growth. Now it’s time to encourage customers to make the same commitment – and one has already taken up the Challenge.

A Local Education Authority will soon be launching the Blue Planet Challenge for all the schools in its area. This will be a first step in sustainabilty for many young pupils and students, as well as being an entirely new customer segment for ERIKS.

With care and commitment, it should prove a long-term success for both parties, and for the planet.

WE SPEND ON AVERAGE 16,000 MINUTES A YEAR WATCHING CAT VIDEOS AND GOOGLING FAMOUS

PEOPLE, BUT ONLY SEVEN MINUTES LEARNING ABOUT ENERGY USAGE. SO IT’S NOT SO SURPRISING

THAT BY 2020, EUROPE WILL HAVE WASTED €157 TRILLION WORTH OF ENERGY SIMPLY BY LEAVING

LIGHTS AND HEATING ON IN EMPTY HOMES. SUDDENLY SUSTAINABILITY SEEMS A BIT MORE

INTERESTING THAN A CAT HAVING A SHOWER. Robyn BradleyBusiness Unit ManagerThe Blu Effect


Focus on Energy and Conservation Focus on Energy and Conservation

Around the UK and Europe smart meters are currently being rolled out to all consumers of electricity. Great Britain has around 4 million non-domestic meter points, compared to around 50 million domestic sites. These meters and other sensors are combined to create smart grids, which provide two-way digital communication across electricity production and distribution networks.

Energy use and output is measured as close to real-time as possible, from which the smart grid can best decide how to adjust supply and manage the system in the most efficient manner. Add to this the provision of real-time price information, and consumers are able to buy energy when it’s cheapest, and cut use when it is most expensive by shifting production (if practical) away from times of high energy prices.

Smart grids can also enable an improved interaction with local on-site or ‘distributed’ power sources, through its ability to balance power loads quickly and automatically.

There are currently 22 UK smart grid trials underway in the North East and Yorkshire as part of the Customer-Led Network Revolution project. Early results showed that smart meters cut peak-time use by 10% – representing about 5 GW at a national level – and overall electricity consumption by 3%. This is likely to be even more pronounced for businesses seeking to reduce production costs, many of which have more flexibility to shift demand than the average user.

that would otherwise have been lost. Heat and power from on-site CHP can be sold, but is most suitable for operations with their own significant heating or cooling needs. The Government also offers strong incentives for businesses to invest in CHP but you will score more highly in the efficiency stakes if you choose biomass or biogas CHP.

Smart grids also enhance the potential for on-site intermittent renewables, such as solar and wind – which in the absence of effective power storage, have to be balanced against demand and alternative supply. Generous subsidies remain on offer for renewables at rates guaranteed for 25 years under the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) system.

On-site generation also helps improve efficiency by reducing transmission losses and improving the responsiveness of local generation to local demand patterns. In addition, it ensures that those with on-site capacity enjoy greater energy security. However, on-site power generation still represents less than 10% of the UK’s total capacity, which is lower than many other developed nations.

More encouragement is expected from government directed at energy efficiency and small scale generation, as well as emissions reduction, because the result is favourable to businesses, the economy and the environment. However, the best driver of all in reducing energy use and costs is technology, in the form of smart grids, more efficient machinery, and improved distributed generation. The smarter we get the greater the potential for reducing and optimising our energy consumption.

SMART SYSTEMS A GAME-CHANGER FOR BUSINESS ENERGY USERS

SMART GRIDS HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE MEASUREMENT,

MANAGEMENT AND MINIMISATION OF ENERGY USE, ENABLING MORE EFFICIENT

OPERATION OF EQUIPMENT. THEY ALSO HELP MAXIMISE THE EFFICIENCY OF

ON-SITE POWER AND CHOOSE WHEN IT’S BEST TO BUY ENERGY; REDUCING

ENERGY COSTS AND ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY FOR ANY BUSINESS.

Making the most of the Smart potentialOf course smart meters and grids are not the only way to save energy, and other improvements can enhance their effectiveness. While they may allow you to manage energy use more effectively, production lines, buildings and processes must also be maintained effectively and made as efficient as possible to achieve significant savings. Specialist organisations are available to monitor energy use and patterns in order to take full advantage of the smart grid’s potential to reduce energy costs.

Cutting energy use and reducing production costs in this way is a priority for the Government, which has introduced incentives, including Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs), where the cost of certain energy-saving equipment can be written off against profit as a 100% first-year capital allowance.

On-site optionsA major way for a company to cut energy bills – and potentially carbon emissions – is by using smart grids to produce and efficiently use on-site power. A recent report from the Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) industry group, which represents a number of energy efficiency and micro-generation technology providers, shows that more on-site energy generation offers better value than continued expansion of large-scale power projects at a national level, with dramatic savings possible for individual consumers.

The most efficient on-site option of all is combined heat and power (CHP), which simultaneously generates heat and power in an efficient, single process, capturing heat

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BEARINGS CAN BE FOUND IN

A VAST RANGE OF MACHINERY,

INCLUDING ELECTRIC MOTORS,

PUMPS, FANS AND ELECTRICAL

APPLIANCES. AND MANY OF

THOSE BEARINGS WILL BE MADE

BY NSK – ONE OF THE WORLD’S

LARGEST BEARING

MANUFACTURERS. SO EVERY

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT

AND NEW DEVELOPMENT

FROM NSK CAN MAKE AN

IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION

TO A LOWER FRICTION,

SMOOTHER OPERATING,

MORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT

AND SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY.

The world’s most widely used bearing is the single row deep groove ball bearing, with its open and sealed standard variations. ‘Pre-greased for life’ bearings, with a seal at either side, contain enough grease to outlast most general applications under normal operating conditions. This is not only environmentally friendly – helping reduce grease use – but also saves on maintenance and reduces costs.

Seals can also be ‘contact’ or ‘non-contact’. The non-contact ZZ metallic shield helps keeps the grease in place and larger contaminants out of the bearing. For more arduous service conditions, a DDU seal in full contact with the inner ring increases grease retention and excludes a wider range of contaminants from entering.

Fighting friction The dynamic co-efficient of friction of an open deep groove ball bearing is approximately 0.0013, which results in low torque operation. But adding a contact seal to both sides of the bearing increases torque and makes the bearing a significant factor in overall machine efficiency. In fact, adding a contact seal can increase the running torque of a deep groove ball bearing by more than five times.

The innovative NSK solution combines the low running torque of a ZZ shielded bearing and the contamination protection of contact DDU seals. The non-contact VV rubber seal is moulded so that its sealing lip sits tightly in a unique groove found on the inner ring of all standard NSK deep groove ball bearings (10mm bore diameter upwards).

This creates a very fine clearance labyrinth, resulting in zero seal drag, low starting torque, maximum operating speeds, no excessive heat, and increased grease retention and contaminant protection compared with the shielded design.

Aircraft quality The materials and manufacturing quality of NSK bearings also help with energy-saving and sustainability. NSK developed a near aircraft quality, ultra-clean, SUJ2 vacuum-melted bearing steel. Its minimum oxygen content means sub-surface initiated failures are dramatically reduced, so fatigue life is increased and machine downtime reduced. NSK also uses a proprietary method to super-finish the raceways at the sub-micron level, for less wear at start-up, better lubricant performance and smooth, quiet operation. All popular NSK metric deep groove ball bearings meet the reduced ‘E’ noise class as standard.

Combining these energy-efficient qualities with one of NSK’s VV sealing solutions, for example, means choosing an NSK bearing goes a long way towards maintenance-free energy efficiency – and towards a more sustainable society.

HELPING THE SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY RUN SMOOTHLY



NEED TO CONSERVE ENERGY? JUST LOOK FOR THE LEVERS.

AS A MANUFACTURER OF AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, A DEVELOPMENT PARTNER FOR MACHINE

MANUFACTURERS, AND A USER OF MANY DIFFERENT MACHINES, REXROTH HAS EXTENSIVE

EXPERIENCE OF CONSERVING ENERGY ACROSS DRIVE AND CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES. NOW

THEY HAVE CONDENSED AND REFINED THEIR KNOWLEDGE INTO THEIR REXROTH FOR ENERGY

EFFICIENCY PHILOSOPHY: OR REXROTH 4EE. AND IT’S ALL ABOUT FOUR LEVERS.

Machines and plants are complex systems, with a variety of drive and control technologies working together. Only by looking at the entire system is it possible to identify all the opportunities for systematically increasing energy efficiency and at the same time maximising productivity. Rexroth’s unique overview has enabled them to identify four levers that act effectively across all technologies and applications, throughout the entire lifecycle.

Lever 1: Energy system designThe foundations for increasing energy efficiency are laid in the concept development phase. Then more opportunities open up during design, engineering and start-up of a machine or plant. Lastly, after installation, Rexroth 4EE allows machine users to optimise the energy consumption even of older machines, by making specific changes.It is essential to remember that a plant is a complex system, and it needs to be viewed as such before detailed construction begins.

Mechatronic simulations help with the creation of the ideal design, especially when software solutions are used that allow energy consumption, cycle time or air consumption to be analysed and optimised.

Lever 2: Efficient componentsChoosing individual energy-efficient components or modules for each automation task will clearly help the system’s overall efficiency.

Rexroth can offer everything from high-efficiency servo motors, decentralised drives, and axial piston variable displacement pumps, to roller rail guides with low friction coefficients. Which means you can be sure all the components will work together perfectly, and efficiently.

For example, efficiency can be significantly increased with optimised hydraulic pumps, which lower fuel consumption and emissions of mobile machines and commercial vehicles.

Lever 3: Energy recoveryEnergy is too precious to be wasted. With accumulator charging circuits and electric or kinetic buffering, it’s even possible to make use of excess energy instead.

With high-efficiency servo drive control devices, for instance, you can recover braking energy, ready to be buffered, made available to other axes, or fed back into the grid.

Lever 4: Energy on demandAs well as reclaiming wasted energy, it’s also important to look at lowering the energy consumption of your electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic actuators.

The use of controllers will ensure only as much energy as actually needed is consumed, in factory automation, system engineering or mobile applications.

Choose situational pressure control for all control principles, frequency converters for efficient speed controls, variable speed

pump drives for reduced idle power, or on/off valves for energy switch-off during breaks – whatever makes your machines and plants more efficient.

With predefined controllers, Rexroth Syntronix variable speed pump drives reduce a machine’s energy requirements by up to 80%, by lowering the motor speed under partial load, then raising it in a highly dynamic manner as required.

The Sytronix family comprises pumps, motors and drive controllers all designed to work together perfectly. The software automatically takes into account all specific characteristics of the hydraulic system, resulting not only in significant energy savings but also lower noise.

Energy savings can also be enhanced through intelligent energy management. Sytronix equipment operating in Energy Mode combines the benefits of several supply and recovery variants, whilst Smart

Energy Mode creates a mains voltage-independent DC bus voltage, simultaneously using capacitors as energy stores. This avoids peak loads on the mains side and reduces losses in the mains connection line.

The result is reduced energy consumption, improved grid compatibility and the use of smaller components for the same machine performance levels. There is a Rexroth intelligent energy management solution for their entire IndraDrive M product line.

So if you want to conserve energy throughout your entire machine and plant system, with Rexroth you can conserve your own energy too. Although there are four levers involved, you don’t actually have to pull any of them.

The die is cast for savingsDie casting machines require high forces. With a relatively short cycle of only 7.5 seconds and negligible auxiliary process times, the machine manufacturer was using two uncontrolled pumps for high and low pressure.

The Rexroth 4EE SolutionWhen the machine series was updated, the manufacturer opted for a Sytronix SvP 7000 variable speed pump drive. It consists of a synchronous servo motor, an intelligent servo drive, an internal gear pump, and all necessary software.

The resultEnergy consumption was reduced by around 84%, from 11kW to 1.7kW at identical cycle times. At the same time, the manufacturer was able to significantly decrease the number of components needed for the hydraulic system.

Beforen Energy consumption: 79,200 kWh/a

After Rexroth 4EEn Energy consumption: 12,240 kWh/an Savings: 66,960 kWh/a



Generation34%

Preperation1%

Distribution16%

Application49%

Cost effectiveness of measures in the individual areas of the compressed air system

SQUEEZING SAVINGS FROM COMPRESSED AIRAS IN MOST COMPANIES, YOU SEARCH FOR ENERGY SAVINGS WHEREVER YOU CAN FIND THEM.

BUT ONE PLACE YOU MAY NOT HAVE LOOKED – AND WHERE SAVINGS OF UP TO 60% HAVE BEEN

ACHIEVED – IS IN THE AIR. NOT THE AIR ALL AROUND YOU, BUT THE COMPRESSED AIR THAT YOU

ALMOST CERTAINLY USE TO DRIVE SOME OF YOUR EQUIPMENT.

A review of older compressed air systems can quickly identify areas for improvement. In addition, optimising the system now will often reduce the need for maintenance in the future. And because you will be eliminating potential sources of failure, the general reliability of your processes and their productivity can also be expected to increase.

With decades of experience in compressed air, Festo has identified the most effective measures to help you save compressed air energy costs.

Hiss! Boo!The hiss of compressed air from a leak is also the sound of money going down the drain. But although leakages can’t be 100% prevented (they’re comparable with standby electricity consumption in an electric drive system), they can be contained at an acceptable level through continual monitoring.

The main causes of leaks are human error, mechanical wear, and incorrect materials.

Leaking moneyMost leaks are too small to be audible. Those which can be heard are generally classified as a loss rather than a leak. However, even a small leak wastes energy, and therefore money.

As a rule of thumb, 20% of detectable leakages in existing systems account for up to 80% of avoidable costs. The table below gives an indication of how much air is lost and what costs are incurred depending on the hole diameter.

4 steps to savingsAll compressed air systems comprise four areas: compressed air generation, air preparation, compressed air distribution and compressed air application. Each one offers the potential for reducing energy costs, though the returns in terms of the cost-effectiveness of energy-saving measures vary, as shown to the left.

Before addressing problems in any of these areas, it’s essential to carry out a compressed air audit – focusing on energy efficiency – so you can develop recommendations for actions that will be cost-effective.

Compressing the timescaleEven the most carefully audited, overhauled and optimised compressed air system will see efficiency start to deteriorate and costs to rise, without regular servicing and maintenance. This will include regular leakage detection, compressed air quality analysis, individual machine maintenance and so on.

A compressed air partner such as Festo can take on this responsibility, or can train employees within the company to maintain the system themselves.

Meanwhile, adopting some or all of the measures outlined will help you to squeeze significant savings of energy and costs

out of your compressed air system. Festo’s experience shows that most measures will pay for themselves inside two years.

Human errorPoor installation or maintenance can cause leaks through under- or over-tightened screws and seals. Tubes positioned where they can rub against something may also lead to damage and leakage. And incorrect handling of compressed air components also causes problems – if tubes are cut incorrectly on installation, for example.

Mechanical wearWhen compressed air system components wear, leaks can occur.

Incorrect materialsCertain operating conditions can place chemical stresses on the components if the materials have been incorrectly specified.

Popular measures to cut the cost of compressed air generation include:n Reducing pressure drops, and hence compressor pressure. Reducing pressure

at the compressor from 7 bar rel. to 6 bar rel. will provide an average 6% saving in energy consumption

n Using a higher-order global control system to minimise no-load lossesn Using peak load compressors for significantly fluctuating air consumption profilesn Rectifying leakages at production hall leveln Switching off the compressed air supplyn Waste heat recovery

Generation savings1

Removing contaminants from ambient air during preparation not only ensures more effective compression, but also helps meet minimum standards for air quality required by some components. Using filters or decentralised absorption dryers, for example, can improve air quality and lead to savings by:n Helping avoid machine failuresn Reducing maintenance costsn Increasing the service life of compressed air system components

Preparation savings2

Systematically identifying and eliminating leakages from the entire system makes a major contribution to reducing compressed air costs – particularly for relatively old systems. Integrating sensor technology (pressure/flow rate) into air supply units enables installation of an automatic leakage management system with remote maintenance.

Distribution savings3

A compressed air audit will identify the consumption of each individual machine or system. This not only gives you an early warning of a fault (if there is a major change in consumption), but also helps you design and configure the optimal compressed air supply and distribution.

The optimal configuration of piping and tubing will help you:

n Avoid pressure drops caused by a shortfall, which lead to a reduction in productivity

n Eliminate unnecessary energy consumption due to oversupply

Application savings4

P1 (ref) Leakage Rate in NI/Min0.5mm 1.0mm 1.5mm 2.0mm 2.5mm 3.0mm

3 bar 9 36 81 145 226 325

4 bar 11 45 102 181 282 407

5 bar 14 54 122 217 339 488

6 bar 16 63 142 253 395 569

7 bar 18 72 163 289 452 651

8 bar 20 81 183 325 508 732

P1 (ref) Cost/year0.5mm 1.0mm 1.5mm 2.0mm 2.5mm 3.0mm

3 bar €90 €361 €812 €1,444 €2,256 €3,248

4 bar €113 €451 €1,015 €1,805 €2,820 €4,061

5 bar €135 €541 €1,218 €2,166 €3,384 €4,873

6 bar €158 €632 €1,421 €2,527 €3,948 €5,685

7 bar €180 €722 €1,624 €2,888 €4,512 €6,497

8 bar €203 €812 €1,827 €3,248 €5,076 €7,309

Table 1/2: Leakage costs within one year for operation 24h/365 days, calculated using compressed air costs of 1.9 ct/Nm³.

18 ISSUE 20 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow

Focus on Energy and Conservation

You’ll work more effi ciently with drives, motors and gearboxes that work better together.

Motors | Automation | Energy | Transmission & Distribution | Coatings

In terms of energy efficiency, reliability and operational life, the benefits of our products are multiplied when you put them together in an integrated system.

Whatever the application, WEG drives, motors and gearboxes give you the reductions in energy usage and costs you need to stay ahead in a competitive world.

For more information, visit www.weg.net

Strength, Effi ciency and Reliability.

20015 Camo Water Motor A4 Ad AW V2.indd 1 28/07/2014 09:48

Cool and calculating customer cuts costs

CUTTING ENERGY COSTS AND REDUCING THEIR CARBON FOOTPRINT IS A CHALLENGE FACED BY

ALMOST ALL ERIKS’ CUSTOMERS. WITH ERIKS’ HELP, ONE CUSTOMER APPROACHED THE PROBLEMS

IN A COOL AND CAREFULLY CALCULATED WAY WHICH HAS DELIVERED SIZEABLE SAVINGS.

When your annual electricity bill is around £3 million, even a small percentage saving on energy costs represents

a significant sum. So a leading automotive component manufacturer in Belfast decided to take steps to cut its energy bill down to size.

Seeing the futureElectric motors at their site accounted for approximately 70% of their electricity usage, so these were targeted as the focus for their energy-saving efforts.

ERIKS suggested the use of their web-based Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator, which in effect gives a glimpse into the future, by showing the lifetime operational cost of any installed electric motor asset.

The Calculator was set-up for use, enabling all appropriate personnel at the customer’s site to calculate the annual running costs and CO2 emissions of any existing motor, and to compare them with an IE3 (premium efficiency standard) replacement.

Having demonstrated that significant savings could be made, ERIKS specified an upgrade package to the customer for their

existing motors recommending WEG’s W22 IE3 range of electric motors as the ideal replacement.

The W22 range of motors was designed by WEG to provide significantly lower energy consumption in conjunction with reduced noise and vibration levels, greater reliability and easier maintenance. The innovative design directs airflow over the fins optimising the cooling system of the motor. The flexibility of the machine is demonstrated by the terminal box which can be mounted either on top of the motor or to the left or right hand side without disassembling the motor thus making it adaptable to the location. The WISE® insulation system increases the windings dielectric resistance allowing the use of variable frequency drives up to 575V without further modifications, giving further opportunity to save energy and extend the life time of the motor.

The W22 IE3 motors meet and exceed the energy saving requirements set out by the EuP Commission Regulation 640/2009 governing the ecodesign requirements for electric motors, the next phase which comes in to force in January 2015. An IE4 efficiency rated motor is also available as a standard of the W22 range as is a W22 IE5 Permanent Magnet Motor and Drive System.

The same test was repeated on the replacement motor, once installed, to confirm the TCO Calculator’s figures were correct.

15 and counting savingsTo date, the customer has replaced 15 motors with new WEG IE3 equivalents – achieving capital payback on all motors within two years. This success has encouraged the customer to continue the replacement programme for 30 more motors in the coming months, to complete phase one of the motor upgrade project.

Savings so far total £100,000, and additional benefits include a reduced carbon footprint, qualifying the customer for an enhanced capital allowance.

The indisputable figures provided by the ERIKS TCO Calculator have helped to win support for the motor upgrade project from the customer’s Senior Management right through to the Purchasing Department, Maintenance Team and Energy Engineer.

As the customer acknowledged: “The ERIKS TCO Motor Calculator has provided robust and reliable information to enable our business to make the right energy-saving decisions.” Which is a benefit almost beyond calculation.

Marek LukaszczykMarketing Manager – Europe and Middle EastWEG EMENA



Conventional pneumatic control involves an arrangement of valves or valve islands, actuators, flow controls and sensors, along with connectors and accessories. In typical applications, this can involve as many as 13 different components for each actuator function. So much complexity has clear disadvantages and performance constraints, effectively built-in.

However, working in close collaboration with customers, Norgren has developed the new IVAC (Integrated Valve and Actuator Control), which wraps up the component parts in a single integrated unit.

Lose weight, save spaceThe weight- and space-optimised IVAC is suitable for a range of bore sizes from 32mm to 100mm, and features an integrated valve and magnetically operated switches for complete actuator control.

A dual-action pneumatic cylinder with monostable 5/2 directional valve (conforming to ISO 15552), IVAC can be easily and smoothly integrated into existing systems with standard fastening elements.

SKF Energy Efficient (E2) performance class bearings have been specially engineered and manufactured to reduce frictional moment by 30% or more beyond the already efficient SKF standard bearings. Which means that compared to other manufacturers’ bearings, reductions can be even more dramatic.

Friction loss is energy lostAll bearings reduce friction, and therefore the amount of energy that machinery requires. The SKF Energy Efficient (E2) performance class bearings push this inherent advantage to a new level.

Their ultra-low friction makes them an excellent way to reduce energy consumption. In addition, because they can run cooler than SKF standard bearings at equivalent loads and speeds, they may also reduce lubricant use, and potentially extend the life of equipment.

Family likenessThere are many types of SKF Energy Efficient (E2) bearings covering most bearing types – and all of them offer a minimum 30%

reduction in friction loss compared with their conventional equivalents.

SKF Energy Efficient Deep Groove Ball Bearings have been designed using advanced SKF modelling tools, and drawing on all relevant SKF core competency areas – from bearings to seals and lubrication systems. E2 bearings run 5–30°C cooler than an SKF basic design bearing, depending on operating conditions. This lower operating temperature extends the service life of the grease, and can prolong bearing service life beyond that of a comparably-sized, basic design shielded bearing.

SKF E2 Y-bearings are intended for applications where reduced energy use is an important issue. Under normal operating conditions, these bearings have a considerably longer grease service life than a standard SKF Y-bearing. They can therefore also offer significantly reduced lubricant consumption. SKF Energy Efficient (E2) Y-bearings are available in three different series with different locking methods. E2.YAR 2 bearings, with the grub

screw locking method, and E2.YET 2, with the eccentric collar locking method. E2.YSP 2 bearings, with the SKF ConCentra locking method.

Bearing benefitsAll types of SKF E2 bearings significantly reduce friction, which guarantees a number of benefits.

The most immediate is lower energy consumption, which in turn means lower energy costs. The longer service life and longer grease service life will also help to lower the Total Cost of Ownership, offering longer-term benefits. For OEMs, bearings with lower friction enable the building of higher-efficiency machinery – which benefits the end-customer too.

And with the drive to cut energy use for the good of the environment as well as the bottom line, ultimately everyone benefits – thanks to one new family of energy efficient SKF bearings.

Norgren gets energy and operating costs all wrapped up

Smoothing the way to energy savings.

THE NEW NORGREN IVAC RANGE OF

INNOVATIVE, HIGH-PERFORMANCE CYLINDERS

COMBINES VALVE, FLOW CONTROLS, CUSHIONING

AND SENSORS IN A SINGLE ACTUATOR PACKAGE – TO

SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE ENERGY USAGE AND OPERATING COSTS.

And whether retrofitted or integrated into new systems, each unit needs only one pneumatic and one electrical connection – which eliminates the need for multiple valve islands, components, tubing and accessories.

One unit, many benefitsBecause a single unit is easier to install, maintain and replace, the IVAC reduces time and money spent on scheduled and unplanned installation, commissioning and maintenance. And of course, less downtime for maintenance also means higher productivity.

Meanwhile, eliminating air piping between valves and actuators minimises ‘dead’ volume: reducing air consumption by up to 50%, and significantly cutting cost per mm of stroke when compared with conventional pneumatic systems.

For a machine operating at two million cycles per year, this can mean enough energy savings for the IVAC to pay for itself within a year. So that’s payback all wrapped up nicely too.

Cleaning upKHS of Dortmund, Germany, specialises in the production of keg cleaning and filling systems, including its compact INNOKEG TILL COMBIKEG. The company approached Norgren looking for an efficient solution to deliver precise, consistent keg contact pressure on the treatment head during all phases of the process.

The solution was the IVAC Clean Line cylinder, supplied as a complete ready-for-connection unit, with integrated main and pilot valves, magnet switch, speed control, and a central connection for compressed air and electricity. This meant the piping and connections previously used to link the cylinder and the valve were no longer necessary, resulting in significant energy savings.

The cylinder meets the key hygiene standards required in the food and beverage sector by using standard food grade lubricant and having all adjusting screws covered.

MOTOR-DRIVEN EQUIPMENT FOR LIGHT TO MEDIUM-LOADED APPLICATIONS – SUCH AS PUMPS,

COMPRESSORS AND FANS – CONSUMES ROUGHLY 1.36 TRILLION KWH PER YEAR IN THE EU AND

US ALONE. SO ANYTHING WHICH CAN REDUCE FRICTION AND INCREASE INDUSTRIAL ELECTRIC

MOTOR EFFICIENCY WILL MAKE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO CUTTING ENERGY CONSUMPTION

WORLDWIDE. THE NEW BEARING FAMILY FROM SKF IS ONE SUCH IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT.

Energy savings Energy savings


Some of the hazards – like exposedconductors on a LED lamp – are obvious at first glance. Others can’t be spotted without taking the product apart, which makes them potentially even more dangerous.

Heat dissipation is another area where corners are cut. In a properly constructed LED lamp, heat sinks are made from aluminium which draws away the heat. This metal casing is then protected to prevent it becoming live under fault conditions.

In a cheap LED product, this additional protection may not be present, because it incurs an additional cost. So a fault could lead to the heat sinks becoming live, creating yet another electrocution hazard.

CE or not CE – that is the questionA quick way to tell whether any product – including an LED lamp – is safe and manufactured to a certain standard is to look for the European Union (Conformité Européenne) mark. Or is it? Unfortunately, once again, the unscrupulous have stepped in and found a way to confuse the unwary, cheat them out of their money, and even put them at risk of injury or worse.

Take a look at the two CE marks above. As you can see, they are slightly different – though it’s not a difference you might notice with a quick glance. If you see either one in isolation, you could easily think it’s the official European Union mark. But one of them isn’t. And do you know which one?

The answer is the one on the right is not the offical, registered, European mark, but the symbol for ‘China Export’. This means nothing more than that the product bearing the mark was made in China.

The International Centre for Quality Certification believes the similarity of the two symbols is not a chance coincidence, and is intended to confuse the unwary European consumer. And if the “China Export” products are manufactured to a lower standard, with corners cut and less attention to user safety, confusion could be the least of your worries.

An additional problem is that re-selling non-compliant products is illegal, so it’s a lose-lose situation.

Bright spotIf the risks associated with cut-price online

products threaten to put you off switching to LEDs, there is an alternative. Simply get the help and support of a lighting expert like ERIKS Lighting Solutions.

Neither a wholesaler nor a manufacturer, ERIKS Lighting Solutions combines know-how with neutrality. So you won’t simply be persuaded to bulk purchase new product, and you won’t be forced to choose from just one manufacturer’s range. Instead, you’ll get the benefit of many years’ lighting experience and expertise, and you’ll be given advice on what’s best for you, rather than on what products need to be shifted.

ERIKS Lighting Solutions’ comprehensive service extends from supplying products to providing you with a carefully calculated Payback Report – detailing the energy savings, cost savings, and carbon footprint reduction to be realised from a particular lighting solution. And whether you simply want expert technical advice or need a complete lighting system designed, ERIKS Lighting Solutions will help you to make the right lighting choices and the most cost-effective decisions.

In fact, deciding to get in touch with ERIKS to discuss cutting your lighting energy bills could be described as a real ‘light bulb moment’.

With many sites now operating 24/7, lighting can represent an increasingly significant proportion of a business’ energy bill. That’s particularly the case if you are still using traditional lamps, basic manual on/off switches and illuminating the whole site the whole time – even areas with low use or low occupancy.

More widespread awareness of the costs of lighting and the benefits of LEDs means that some people see switching to LEDs as a cheap and quick win. Sadly, some unscrupulous manufacturers see these people as the route to a quick buck.

Cheap at what cost?The price of LEDs bought online is often highly attractive. It’s only once they’re delivered that things begin to get ugly.

Low prices are usually achieved by cutting manufacturing costs, which often means cutting corners. With cut-price LEDs, this can mean using flimsier glass than is advisable, which can shatter more easily, spraying glass fragments in all directions. There may be exposed sharp edges on the LEDs themselves, which are dangerous to anyone handling them. And sometimes components have been known to explode – which combined with the flimsier glass makes a cheap LED more like a bomb than a luminaire.

ONE OF THE QUICKEST, EASIEST AND MOST COST-EFFECTIVE

WAYS TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON YOUR SITE IS BY

CHANGING YOUR LIGHTING. BUT CHOOSING YOUR NEW LAMPS

WITHOUT CAREFUL THOUGHT AND EXPERT GUIDANCE CAN END

UP CAUSING YOU MORE PROBLEMS, INCURRING MORE COST,

AND MAY EVEN LEAD TO SERIOUS SAFETY RISKS.

CHOOSING LIGHTS IN THE DARK

Jonathan Green AMILP MSLLSales Engineer – LightingIntegrated Solutions

Best practice


Industry standard ISO 3457 requires protection for operators within a one meter line-of-sight of any hose conveying fluid above 50 bar (+49°C). That’s because a burst – or even just a pinhole leak – in a hydraulic system can cause injury, fluid burns and injection. Not to mention fires and explosions, electric shock and mechanical failure.

Any of those can be devastating to the operator, who clearly needs protection. But they can also be devastating to a business. Research in the USA has calculated that a single catastrophic hose failure accident can cost a business around £90,000 in direct medical expenses, loss of production, legal expenses, fines and more. Operating on a 3% profit margin, that kind of sum would need additional sales of nearly £3,000,000 to recoup the loss.

All of which makes protection not just best practice and an obligation to your employees, but a sound investment too.

Call the LifeGuardGates LifeGuard line-of-sight sleeving system is the first sleeving system specifically designed to protect operators, equipment and the working environment from the dangers of catastrophic hose failure.

Until now, protecting the operator (cumbersome and not 100% effective), metal shielding (costly), or re-routing the hose lines (not always practical or desired) were the only ways to avoid the hazards. But now the unique, patent pending LifeGuard offers an effective, economical alternative that provides all the protection your operators need, and without affecting their or the system’s performance.

Leaking secretsThe secret of LifeGuard’s unparalleled leak and burst protection is in the unique LifeGuard sleeve – made up of multiple layers of super-strong nylon material. The layers are not joined to each other, but can

slide and move independently to control hydraulic failures.

The specially designed and engineered inner layer is manufactured from tightly-woven filament nylon. This is where LifeGuard’s strength lies, enabling it to control the sudden pressure release which accompanies hydraulic bursts and pinhole leaks.

The outer layer is a textured nylon material that helps to contain any escaped fluids and direct them to the ends of the hose for release. In addition, the outer sleeve resists abrasion and other external hazards which could weaken it.

But it’s not only the hose which makes LifeGuard so effective. It’s also the unique channel clamp.

Clamping down on dangerThe LifeGuard channel clamp has been designed specifically for the LifeGuard

sleeving system. And as well as fastening the sleeve securely at each end of the hose, it provides a safe channel along which leaked fluid can escape, and acts as a leakage warning device.

The sleeve material contains the fluids, which then leave the system safely through openings created by the channel clamps at either end of the hose. This creates pools of leaked fluid beneath the clamps, to act as positive verification of a hose failure.

How safe is safe?LifeGuard sleeving meets a variety of industry standards, including ISO 3457, and the MSHA’s fire-resistance requirements.

ISO 3457 requires operator protection within a 1 metre line-of-sight of any hose conveying fluid above 50 bar at +49°C. LifeGuard provides the necessary

protection, and more – containing bursts up to 10,000psi, and pinhole leaks up to 5,000psi, at 100°C for up to five minutes.

Save time, save problemsThe LifeGuard system not only saves your operators from injury, your processes from downtime and your business from unnecessary costs. It can also save you time on hose installation.

Gates offers special LifeGuard channel clamp die sets, and a LifeGuard Guide Table and Hose Bullet Set, for measuring, cutting and installing sleeving. So fabrication and assembly is quick and easy. So easy, in fact, you hardly need to roll up your sleeves to get on with it.

A PINHOLE LEAK IN A

HYDRAULIC HOSE UNDER

PRESSURE CAN RELEASE TOXIC

FLUID AT MORE THAN 200FT

PER SECOND. NO PROTECTIVE

CLOTHING SHORT OF A SUIT OF

ARMOUR IS GOING TO PROTECT

SOMEONE AGAINST THAT.

YET INDUSTRY STANDARDS –

AND BEST PRACTICE – MAKE

PROTECTING YOUR OPERATORS

IMPERATIVE. SO GATES HAVE

THOUGHT LATERALLY, AND

DEVISED A COST-EFFECTIVE,

NON-METALLIC ‘SUIT OF

ARMOUR’ FOR THE HOSE

INSTEAD OF THE OPERATOR.

GATES HAVE LEAK PROTECTION UP THEIR SLEEVE

Tried and testedTested in the lab and in the field, LifeGuard’s protective capabilities and parameters are:

Burst containment

LG3K – up to 6,000 psi (414 bar)

LG4K – up to 8,000 psi (552 bar)

LG5K – up to 10,000 psi (689 bar)

Pinhole leak control

LG3K – up to 3,000 psi (207 bar) at 212°F (100°C) for up to five minutes



n Handles all hydraulic fluids and biodiesel fuel

n Allows fluid to safely escape down the length of the assembly

n Creates noticeable spill for hose failure detection

n Correlates to ISO 3457 and meets MSHA’s flame-resistance requirements

n No other sleeve provides this level of protection

n Patent pending system includes Gates hose, couplings, sleeve and channel clamps

ISSUE 17 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow26

The Tig

Perhaps Tony Benn was right all along!

“The passing of Tony Benn a few months ago has lent itself to a

retrospective look at the former MP’s life, work and views.

Back in the 1970s he had a very different persona compared to the ‘Conscience of the Nation’ father figure he turned into in his later years. Back then he was a left-wing firebrand who passionately believed in the nationalisation of industry, views which became highly unfashionable during the Thatcher and Blair years.

Most interestingly, he believed in the nationalisation of the banks, not on ideological grounds, but because he understood the importance of money and access to finance for the workings of society and for business in particular.

Benn recognised that money is like any other utility, a vital commodity which oils the wheels of industry in the same way as electricity, gas and water are vital parts of an industrial process.

If access to capital is denied it is equally as big a threat to production as when a water company shuts off the mains water supply to an abattoir or an electricity company switches off its supply to a car manufacturing plant. Which is, of course, exactly what happened during the recent recession when the banks stopped lending.

Since then, Project Merlin targets, the scheme whereby four of our biggest banks receive government money to lend on to business, have been consistently missed. The Funding for Lending Scheme remains

tragically under-used by business, probably because most don’t even know it exists and it is not in our bank’s interests to sell the benefits to business whilst they rebuild their balance sheets. Loan rejection rates for business in the UK are typically twice those of France and Germany.

This article is not promoting further nationalisation of the banking system (I think we have enough on our plates owning 80% of RBS thank you very much) but new and innovative ways must be found to release funds for business, in particular small businesses.

“

Motivair is the UK’s largest independent compressed air management company, offering a wide range of products and services for all the major brands of compressor:

• Plannedmaintenanceandserviceplans

• 24/7breakdownsupport

• Compressedairequipment,partsandaccessories

• Consultancy,energysavingsandlowercosts

• ERIKSapprovedsupplier

Motivair ensures continuous compressed air supply

No matter what brand of compressor

One call for all your compressed air needs.

0071 Motivair ERIKS advert ARTWORKv2.indd 1 10/02/2014 12:56

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eriks know+how - issue 20

Engineering

energy industry

energy savings focus

energy andconservation

energy savings p20norgren

latest industry news

industrial lighting

industry developments

eriks lighting solutionscan