NEWSDESK
Ecolab invests in Peugeot
Ecolab, a global provider of water, hygiene and energy
technologies and services to the food, energy, healthcare,
industrial and hospitality markets, has invested in a eet of
new vans and cars from Peugeot to service its expanding
business in the UK and Ireland.
Bil nger wins mechanical and
electrical project for power station
Warrington-based engineering and services
provider Bil nger UK has won a multi-millionpound
contract with German hydropower
specialist Voith Hydro to deliver a range of
mechanical, electrical, maintenance and
installation services at the Ffestiniog power
station in North Wales.
The deal forms part of a signi cant
restoration project, set to be completed by
2020, which will involve the refurbishment of two
generating units.
The power station, commissioned in 1963,
is said to have been the rst major pumped
storage system to be built in the UK. It provides
electricity for more than half a million people
living in the region.
Bil nger UK will remove the plant’s existing
vertical generator, turbine unit and mechanical
control systems and replace electrical
infrastructure, including the protection system
and transformer control boards, as part of the
contract.
The company will also blast and paint the
turbine spiral casing and pump internals. The
delivery team will have a peak workforce of
approximately 40 employees.
Phill Maurer, MD of Bil nger UK, says: “The
Ffestiniog power station plays a critical role in
powering North Wales and providing a response
to changes in grid supply and demand, as such,
delivering a smooth and e cient renewal will be
key to ensuring the plant continues to provide
the level of response for the future stability of
the grid system.
“Our extensive experience in mechanical and
electrical engineering, together with our wider
service provision, means we are well placed to
deliver this signi cant scheme.”
Dedicated IoT
cellular test service
TÜV SÜD has launched its new
Internet of Things (IoT) cellular
testing service – said to be the
only laboratory in the UK to offer
a fully dedicated Narrowband-IoT
(NB-IoT) test and certifi cation
service, helping manufacturers
to gain access to global markets
faster (see also www.is.gd/
pokegi).
Focused on Industry 4.0
applications, NB-IoT enables
a vast number of multiple
machines, devices and
services to connect at low
cost, while optimising battery
life. Manufacturers producing
such technologies must meet
demanding test requirements
and are under pressure to
keep up with changes to
regulatory and country-specifi c
requirements.
The new TÜV SÜD service
performs regulatory testing
against international and countryspecifi
c mandatory requirements,
delivering manufacturers market
entry across multiple countries.
TÜV SÜD can also advise if a
particular device chipset or
network technology will work
in the manufacturer’s intended
market, as currently technology
acceptance is not standardised
and differs in each region.
Phil Evans, business line
manager for telecoms at TÜV SÜD,
explains: “In the IoT connected
world, multiple devices are
continually talking to each other.
The question for technology
developers is how to meet
regulatory requirements and
effectively deal with congestion
on the radio spectrum to deliver
streamlined communications.”
TÜV SÜD also supports
cellular applications using the
rival protocol, LTE Cat.M.
Award for inspection equipment
An o shore inspection unit from remote
intervention tooling and subsea engineering
supplier ToolTec has won the €5,000 Manus
award 2019.
The device, from the
Scottish mechanical
engineering company, allows
operators of underwater oil
and gas platforms to clean and
inspect pipelines remotely.
The o shore inspection device
wraps itself around the pipe like
a sleeve and moves forward on
rollers. While moving, the machine cleans the
pipeline and inspects it for weak points.
Only polymer bearings were considered
by the engineers during the design phase as
metallic bearings would have been susceptible
to corrosion, and require regular maintenance.
The engineering team
speci ed iglidur plain bearings,
drylin linear guides and an
e-chain for safe cable guidance,
which makes a 360-degree
rotary movement. These
components are lubricationfree,
as well as resistant to
corrosion in the salty seawater.
The prize, awarded by igus
for the creative use of high-performance
plastic bearings, saw 445 inventors from 32
countries apply.
June 2019 www.operationsengineer.org.uk 7
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