Electronic Specifier

  Recently published by the Social Market Foundation and EDF, a new report estimates that a total of 640,000 STEM jobs will need to be filled over the next six years, with many of these jobs being new roles created within emerging industries.

Let’s pretend that the days of test automation adoption were around in Shakespearean times, it would literally have been a case of ‘to automate or not to automate, that is the question’.  However as the adoption of test automation has increased and become an integral part of every testing strategy, the real question is ‘to automate or how to automate.’ Well they are equally as important as each other.

The L3 Commercial Training Solutions (L3 CTS) unit will be partnering with Surrey County Council in the UK on the development and construction of a purpose-built airline training centre and production facility for the manufacture of aircraft simulators.

The process water and waste water divisions of Veolia Water Technologies’ (Veolia) have merged into a single organisation to better help organisations ‘rethink water’. Veolia, the customer’s choice for water treatment solutions, is encouraging organisations in the industrial, healthcare and scientific sectors to ‘rethink water’; by optimising water-cycles to manage ever increasing sustainability, regulatory and financial pressures.

NIDays welcomed over 600 delegates from across Northern Europe, branching across a vast amount of industries and professions, on 29th November. The event dedicated to technological innovation and discovery in science began with the keynote ‘Impacting Today’s Business’ hosted by Neil Crossan, RF and core test Technical Marketing Engineer for Northern Europe. 

The sale of 24 ultrasonic flare gas monitoring systems to Malaysian state-run oil and gas company Petronas, has been announced by Fluenta. The company’s flare gas monitoring systems will be installed at the Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) complex in Southeastern Johon, Malaysia.

Looking at the 2017 pump industry, Vesconite Bearings explains that the global economic slowdown is a continuous problem affecting many pump industry customers, with many smaller customers having downscaled or closed down. Many of the larger customers, meanwhile, have engaged in merger and acquisition activity to reduce costs, ensure market share and expand their product range and distribution network.

Customer Support Agreements are now available from Emco Wheaton to help increase reliability of loading arms and reduce operating costs. The agreements can help lower the total cost of ownership and increase the average time between failures through customised maintenance plans, service and analysis.

The launch of the ZONE GUARDIAN in partnership with distributing company Zeffire has been announced by Sale Engineering Products. The ZONE GUARDIAN is a device which streamlines the mandatory quarterly testing of sprinkler system water flow detectors enabling it to be carried out quickly and easily. The unit ensures that no water is wasted when the test is carried out by creating an artificial water flow using a high-efficiency self-venting circulator pump.

Production from Chevron North Sea Limited has begun at Alder, a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) gas condensate field in the Central North Sea. Managing Director at Chevron Upstream Europe, Greta Lydecker said: "First gas at Alder represents a significant milestone for Chevron and highlights our commitment to investing and developing resources in the UK.”

A record number of visitors was achieved at the Engineering Design Show series of events, for the fifth year in a row. Running from 19th-20th October at the Ericsson Exhibition Halls, Coventry, the shows brought together more than 4,200 design engineering professionals to the showcase of British innovation.

Fahad Rage, a University College London student studying his masters, has recently taken a placement year with Furrer+Frey, designers of overhead electrification solutions for the railway. His placement was found through ‘The Year in Industry’ programme run by education charity EDT, a programme that places upwards of 500 students in leading industrial employers each year.

The first UK company to successfully test its Fire Systems ductwork for a period of two hours is Hargreaves, meeting the new Construction Products Regulations (CPR). As of 1st July 2013, a new harmonised European Standard was introduced to cover the manufacture of all fire rated smoke control ductwork. This standard means that all manufacturers must ensure that their products are CE marked in line with this directive. 

The construction of the Strasbourg tramway is historically linked to Vossloh, which has provided a whole range of track and signalling equipment for the extension of line D towards the German city of Kehl. At the recent project, the 2.9km extension of line D between the cities of Strasbourg and Kehl in Germany across the Rhine, Vossloh had to face new parameters that have led to new choices.

The introduction of the ElectroJoint Monolithic Isolation Joint (MIJ) has been introduced by Garlock Pipeline Technologies (GPT), as a maintenance-free alternative to flanged pipeline connections, appropriately sized and priced for gas distribution lines. The ElectroJoint MIJ replaces bolts, sleeves and washers with a coated, sealed cathodic protection system to eliminate corrosion, and is secured with two butt welds.

Broadening the scope of mechanical engineering education and professional development is a primary requirement for industry and universities, to include greater creative thinking and problem solving, if the UK Additive Manufacturing (AM) industry’s objective to win eight percent of the global market by 2025 has any chance of being realised.

Hosted by DP Technology with the College of Electromechanical Engineering at Beijing Union University and the Beijing Intelligent Mechanical Innovative Design Engineering Research Centre, the ESPRIT CAM & Smart Manufacturing seminar took place in Beijing China on 22nd September and was deemed successful.

  With the recent upgrade to the Locamation SAS2000 centralised substation control system, National Grid can deliver a further 20 years of service.

Seven months prior to the start of the exhibition for power electronics and its applications, this year’s previous achievements talk for themselves, as all signs are pointing to success. Compared to the previous-year period, exhibitor registrations increased by ten percent and the exhibition area has remarkably grown by 12%.

A new, free to use online game has been launched by International consultancy Columbus and The Aston Business School Group, which helps manufacturing firms assess their competitive strengths, their current position on the transformational servitization journey and facilitate a foundation for a future strategy.