the link - brammer · issue 7 the newsletter from the uk’s leading supplier of mro products and...
TRANSCRIPT
Ian Ritchie
Managing Director
The newsletter from the UK’s leading supplier of MRO products and services Issue 7
www.brammer.co.uk
The LinkForewordAs we reach the halfway point of the year, it’s a good time to review the performance of the UK manufacturing sector and look ahead to the next six months.
Many key manufacturing sectors are experiencing solid growth in demand and there is optimism that this will be sustained throughout the remainder of 2011 – in fact, manufacturing is still forecast to outperform the rest of the economy this year.
However, companies still face challenges from high, often volatile, input costs that are unlikely to reduce in the short term. With energy a key component of these input costs, in this issue of The Link we are focusing on energy usage and our main article examines how best practice in specification, management and maintenance can deliver impressive energy cost savings, while reducing carbon footprint and improving overall profitability.
Meanwhile this issue’s guest contributor, Ed Holden, editor of Hydraulics & Pneumatics, provides a further insight into some of the latest developments in fluid power.
Specialist fluid power catalogue launchedBrammer has launched a specialist guide to the products, services and support it offers for pneumatic, hydraulic and process systems.
The 2011 Fluid Power Catalogue has 1,200 pages and showcases Brammer’s unrivalled range of over 33,700 fluid power products from leading manufacturers, including Festo, Norgren, SMC and Parker, which makes Brammer the largest distributor of fluid power products to UK industry.
Jeremy Salisbury of Brammer explained: “The 2011 Fluid Power Catalogue is the first dedicated product guide Brammer has launched and it provides a comprehensive overview of the products and support services we offer in the fluid power area.
“It is our aim that the guide becomes a key reference tool for fluid power maintenance, much as the Brammer Essential Maintenance Catalogue has for industrial maintenance spares management in general.”
Act now on motor efficiency
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Latest news
Brammer has urged UK industry to take
advantage of the opportunities for greater
energy consumption efficiency resulting
from the introduction of the European Union
EcoDesign Requirements for Energy-Using
Products Directive.
The first phase of the EU MEPS Directive
(2009) stipulates that all two-, four- and
six-pole single speed three-phase AC motors
from 0.75 – 375kW, must meet a minimum
efficiency of IE2, previously known as EFF1.
Products below this standard – categorised
as IE1 (formerly EFF2) – cannot be
manufactured for sale in the UK and
Europe after 16th June 2011.
However, Brammer believes that replacing a
non-IE2 motor immediately will in most cases
enable companies to benefit from greater
energy efficiency, carbon emission reductions
and the potential for improved productivity
and reliability.
Jeremy Salisbury of Brammer explained:
“The Directive simply legislates what is actually
best practice in motor management –
specifying the most energy-efficient product,
of the correct size and duty, for the job.
“The cost of changing from an EFF3 or EFF2
motor to an IE2 product will, in most cases,
be more than outweighed by the savings
achievable through improved energy efficiency
and reduced carbon emissions - particularly
if companies take advantage of the financial
support available through schemes such as
the Enhanced Capital Allowance and the
Carbon Trust loan scheme.”
The Directive is being introduced in three
phases. In the second phase, which comes
into force on 1st January 2015, motors rated
from 7.5 to 375kW will either have to achieve
the higher IE3 efficiency level, or meet the IE2
level and be fitted with a variable speed drive.
From 2017, these rules will be extended to
cover motors as small as 0.75kW.
UK counterfeit threat increasesBrammer has issued a fresh warning about the problems posed by counterfeit spares – in light of a recent incident where 2.5 tonnes of counterfeit SKF bearings were seized by Trading Standards officers from a non-authorised UK distributor.
Brynn Woods, Purchasing & Distribution Director at Brammer, commented: “Counterfeit products have become an increasingly serious problem in the industrial spares aftermarket over recent years. Up until now, the evidence largely indicated the problem was more prevalent in continental Europe, but this shows UK industry is very much under threat.
“The issue can be easily avoided by only sourcing bearings – and for that matter all MRO spares – from an authorised distributor. This approach will guarantee availability of factory-fresh components which have been stored correctly and whose source can be verified.”
Brammer has responded to increased demand from its south Wales customer base by relocating its Cardiff Sales & Service Centre to a new, larger site.
The new facility, located at 82 Portmanmoor Road Industrial Estate, Ocean Park, underpins Brammer’s commitment to maintaining a local presence for its customers.
Brammer Managing Director Ian Ritchie said: “We remain committed to offering a truly local service and the new and improved Sales & Service Centre in Cardiff will allow us to do just that for our many customers based in this part of south Wales.”
Brammer has further expanded its nationwide network with the opening of a new Sales and Service Centre at Pembroke Dock, its fifth branch in Wales.
Cllr Maureen Colgan, Mayor of Pembroke Dock, and Welsh badminton international Jordan Hart joined Ian Ritchie, Managing Director of Brammer, to officially open the new facility.
Its opening reflects significant growth in Brammer’s business with local companies from across south-west Wales, many of whom attended the opening event.
Ian Ritchie commented: “Our customer base in south and west Wales continues to grow and the new Pembroke Sales & Service Centre will enable us to further enhance our service to them.”
New Pembroke branch opens
Brammer Managing Director Ian Ritchie, Cllr Maureen Colgan, Mayor of Pembroke Dock, and Welsh badminton international Jordan Hart officially open the new facility at Pembroke Dock in Wales.
Holding the FortBrammer has opened a new
branch in Fort William, bringing
the number of branches in
Scotland to 12.
It continues a rapid expansion
north of the border which saw
Brammer’s Inverness branch
open in autumn 2010.
This latest branch opening
confirms Brammer’s
commitment to its fast-
growing customer base
in Scotland, which include
several major national
companies, in particular
in brewing, distilling
and quarrying.
3www.brammer.co.uk
Brammer expands in Cardiff
is increasingly a core part of reducing costs
and improving overall business performance.
Irrespective of other considerations, actions
such as reducing leakage from compressed
air systems, fitting variable speed drives (VSDs)
to motor-driven applications such as pumps
and fans and replacing inefficient motors will,
in virtually all applications, deliver significant
cost savings.
For example, industrial electric motors and
drives account for more than two thirds of power
consumption in industry. Yet many motors are
unnecessarily oversized for the machines they
drive. The annual energy consumption cost
of running a motor can be up to ten times its
purchase cost. A 10kW motor operating at 87
per cent efficiency could cost £1,500 more
over its lifetime than one that is just 5 per cent
more efficient. And fitting an appropriate variable
speed drive (VSD) can save as much as 50 per
cent in the cost of energy consumed.
The benefits of this become even more
obvious when it is remembered that many
plants operate hundreds of motors.
The cost of compressed air
Compressed air systems can also offer
major potential for energy cost savings. Used
for everything from cooling and drying to the
removal of scrap product, contamination and
vacuum generation, it represents up to 30
per cent of total energy usage.
However, of the total energy supplied
to a compressor, as little as eight to ten
per cent may end up being converted into
usable energy to power equipment, making
it a highly costly energy source.
Air leaks, poor maintenance, misapplication
and poor control are all areas where
compressed air is commonly wasted.
Driving best practice in energy efficiencyEnergy costs have soared over the past year
and are again presenting a particular challenge to
company profitability. Whether a manufacturing
company’s focus is on short-term cost savings
or on positioning the company for the long
term, investment in new, more energy-efficient
equipment will help to reduce costs and carbon
emissions and improve business profitability.
With current energy price levels, many energy
efficiency measures will represent a good
investment, and continued likely rises in these
costs are making the business case for such
measures even stronger. Brammer’s own survey
in 2008 conservatively identified that over €13
billion of energy is wasted across Europe in
production and manufacturing processes - and
with rising energy costs that figure will be even
higher now. Any company that is not already
targeting measures to increase energy efficiency
is wasting money. Reducing energy waste is not
simply an issue of cutting carbon emissions, but
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The big topic
Ian Ritchie, Managing Director, Brammer UK
5www.brammer.co.uk
“Reducing energy waste
is a core part of reducing
costs and improving overall
business performance.”
Meanwhile, partly because compressed air is
convenient and easy to use, and partly because
air is often perceived as a free commodity, it is
often overused.
In fact, reducing air leaks is often the single
most important energy saving action that
can be taken at many manufacturing plants.
Indeed, when the cost of all leaks and wastage
due to inadequate maintenance is calculated,
the outlay for detection equipment and
replacement parts is almost always justified.
Compressed air audits from an independent
supplier such as Brammer can help
manufacturers improve energy efficiency
– by removing leaks, using less energy to
create the same amount of air, providing
practical advice and ensuring compressed
air is used efficiently.
Getting into gear
The savings achievable in the area of industrial
gearboxes are often overlooked but can
be significant. Gearboxes generally have
a considerable service life and, in the event
that they do fail, can usually be repaired or
reconditioned.
However, their performance and energy
efficiency even after reconditioning may
mean that replacement with a more
energy-efficient product is advisable.
Each application should therefore be thoroughly examined and a decision made as to whether replacement is the right way forward. Savings of up to 20 per cent on energy can be achieved over traditional worm boxes by installing either a helical bevel or planetary gearbox, depending on the application.
Meanwhile, in the area of drive belts, continued innovation is creating ever greater opportunities to reduce energy usage.
While v-belts are widely used and generally reliable, synchronous belt drives are more energy-efficient and therefore offer a cost-effective method of improving overall system efficiency in many applications.
As an example, for a system based around a 30kW motor running at 1500rpm for 8736 hours per year at an energy cost of £0.06 per kWh, fitting a high-performance Poly Chain carbon belt drive will deliver an annual energy saving of around £940, and a saving of more than seven tonnes of CO2. The savings are even more marked when larger motors are involved.
The potential for energy cost savings has been clearly demonstrated at Cadbury in Sheffield where a solution involving the replacement of 11kW motors with 4kW products, substituting standard v-belts with synchronous drive belts,
The big topic
and fitting VSDs, is saving around £60,000 a year.
Managing power quality
The search for energy savings should always go beyond production equipment and components themselves.
The management of power quality is also key, with poor or ‘dirty’ power quality impacting not only on energy efficiency but also on overall operational and financial performance.
Once again, an independent survey will identify any areas of concern and suggest how these should be addressed. Implementing any recommendations from such a survey, combined with a strategic and sustained approach to the management of power quality can contribute significantly to improving efficiency, maintaining productivity and reducing downtime, and in turn create impressive savings.
Every manufacturing business should regularly review where and how energy is used and take whatever steps necessary to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs.
Making time to examine energy usage and investing in energy-efficient equipment makes perfect sense commercially given its impact on lowering operating costs and carbon emissions and improving overall business performance.
Brammer to the rescue
Brammer active
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A rapid out of hours response from Brammer has helped save an estimated £250,000 in lost production time at a large UK oil refinery.
Early on a Saturday evening, technicians
noted that the combustion air flow to one
of the furnaces had suddenly dropped,
causing the furnace to trip.
The fault was traced to a failed coupling,
for which no spare was available on site,
while it was not possible to engineer
a makeshift coupling to keep the unit
running until Monday.
When the in-house team were unable to
contact their usual MRO supplier, they
contacted Brammer’s National Distribution
Centre in Wolverhampton who advised the
coupling was available in stock and arranged
to transport it by courier to the site immediately.
The part arrived shortly after midnight and was
installed within an hour, with the furnace then
fully operational.
The quick response from Brammer avoided
a three-day shutdown of part of the facility
which would have resulted in an estimated
£300,000 of lost production. As it was, the
downtime lasted only around 12 hours,
a loss of approximately £50,000.
As a direct result of Brammer’s responsiveness,
therefore, some £250,000 was saved.
Ian Ritchie, Managing Director of Brammer UK, commented: “Unanticipated failure of production-critical components is one of the key causes of production downtime in almost all industry sectors and has the potential to be extremely costly.
“Our ethos at Brammer is about maintaining an extensive and varied stock of the components we understand to be most vital to our customers – and being prepared to go the extra mile to get them to where they are needed, even out of hours as in this instance.”
“As a direct result of
Brammer’s responsiveness,
some £250,000 was saved.”
to be a key growth area for Brammer, where
our versatility, flexibility and nationwide reach
through our 90-plus branch network enables
us to deliver an extensive and responsive
service to major players, whether they be
operators, manufacturers or maintenance
specialists.
“This contract clearly demonstrates Brammer’s
innovative approach, professionalism and
ability to tailor its offering for the specific
needs of a major train operator.”
A trio of Brammer employees
have taken part in a cycle
challenge that saw them pedal
800 miles around 16 Brammer
locations in Scotland and
Northern Ireland.
During the ten day ride, the
intrepid cyclists raised £5,000,
for one of the UK’s leading wish-
granting charities, Make-A-Wish
Foundation® UK.
The Brammer Make-A-Wish
‘Great Cycle Challenge’ team was
led by Ricky Johnston, Regional
Operations Manager for the North
Region, Scotland & Northern
Ireland, alongside Interim Regional
Sales Manager, David Sneddon,
Regional Insite Support, Kenny
Harris and supported by
Damian Colgan, Regional Key
Account Executive.
The challenge began at Brammer
Fort William, culminating at the
Carlisle branch and visiting several
Brammer Insites en route. Ricky
and the team were supported
by local Brammer staff at various
points of the journey and also
received great support and
encouragement from customers.
Ricky explained: “None of the
team are professional cyclists and
this was a demanding challenge
that saw us travel hundreds of
miles across very tricky terrain.
We cycled to all of the Brammer
branches in Scotland, from
Round-up
7www.brammer.co.uk
Right on trackBrammer has further extended its growing
rail sector customer base through a major
contract win with First Great Western.
The contract will run for an initial two-year
period and will see Brammer supply a full
range of tools and workshop consumables
to First Great Western’s seven maintenance
depots across the UK.
Ian Ritchie, Managing Director of Brammer
UK, commented: “The rail sector continues
Left to right: Kenny Harris, Ricky Johnston and David Sneddon
Pedal power boosts Make-A-Wish
Inverness to Aberdeen and
Dundee to Glasgow - we even
hopped on a ferry to the
Belfast branch!”
There are currently 20,000
children and young people in
the UK fighting a life-threatening
illness and this year alone around 1,200 children will be referred to Make-A-Wish to have their wish granted. Make-A-Wish relies upon the efforts of corporate partners like Brammer which, since 2007, has raised more than £115,000 for the charity.
Straight Talk
Projecting the right image The Fluid Power industry is vital to modern
manufacturing industry and something that
immeasurably enhances the quality of our
everyday lives – both professionally and
socially. Like any other technology sector,
it progresses through continuous innovation.
Unfortunately, it is sometimes considered to
be rather ‘mature’, but I would like to mention
just a few areas of development that deserve
to be applauded.
One of the more strident recent developments
has been the increasingly close marriage
between fluid power and electronics –
everything from VSDs and controllers to
remote diagnostics. This combination can
enable machines to work more intelligently,
delivering more efficient, quieter and more
environmentally friendly plant and equipment.
Meanwhile, sensors connected to remote
monitoring systems can effectively point to
parts that could be under stress, or need
replacement. And issues such as equipment
downtime, due to bearing or other parts failure,
can also be minimised through state-of-the-art
condition monitoring techniques. In this regard,
companies at the forefront of MRO and other
value-added services, such as Brammer, are
keeping standards of service and support
extremely high in our marketplace.
For more information about Brammer’s products and services please contact us.
0870 240 2100 www.brammer.co.uk
Straight Talk is a regular editorial feature delivered by leading manufacturing industry experts. In this edition, Ed Holden, Editor of Hydraulics & Pneumatics, looks at developments in fluid power.
www.hpmag.co.uk
The economic climate has certainly proved challenging over the past two or three years. However, manufacturing and distribution professionals recognise that innovation remains key to survival and long-term prosperity. It is also critical for UK manufacturing organisations to continue to thrive in the global marketplace through offering equipment and systems guaranteeing optimum reliability and efficiency. Therefore, it is encouraging to see many companies continuing to apportion sizeable amounts of their annual profits to R&D. This can give them a pronounced competitive edge through enhanced user satisfaction; and as any company knows, the customer is king in any marketplace.
And what of the future? We sometimes hear commentators suggesting the fluid power industry can be rather staid. However, the reality is that it can be extremely exciting and forward-thinking. And this is the image that must increasingly be conveyed by the media, educational establishments and industry itself to safeguard the next generation of enthusiastic and dedicated engineers and designers; ready and willing to make the fluid power industry – and industrial engineering in general – the basis of their life careers. If this can continue to be secured, we have little to fear.
“Manufacturing and distribution professionals recognise that innovation remains key to survival and long-term prosperity.”