Gloucestershire-based Advanced Insulation has been presented with the Manufacturing Innovation Award at the 2015 Insider Made in the South West Awards. The prestigious event celebrated excellence in manufacturing from across the region and gave local companies the opportunity to celebrate their ongoing commitment to world-class quality and excellence in manufacturing.
The event showcased the South West’s diverse manufacturing industries and companies from across the region – including Airbus, Pendennis Shipyard and Herman Miller – also celebrated wins on the night and will automatically go through to the Made in the UK grand final, where the best of British manufacturing will be celebrated.
Commenting for Insider Media, South West Business Insider’s editor, Miri Thomas says: “Advanced Insulation was recognised in this category for developing its ContraFlame® MS400 system, a lightweight cellar-deck insulation and protection material for the offshore oil and gas industry. The judges were particularly impressed that up to 10 per cent of Advanced Insulation’s revenue is invested into the research and development of new products, with the company’s mission statement being to bring one new product to market each year.”
Commenting for Advanced Insulation, Group Marketing Manager Matt Collins says: “2015 has been a particularly good year for Advanced Insulation and one full of well-received regional and national nominations and awards that everyone at the company should be proud of.”
To find out more about Advanced Insulation’s products and services, visit www.aisplc.com, email info@aisplc.com or call +44 (0)1452 880880.
Advanced Insulation – specialists in the design, engineering and manufacture of floatation and buoyancy solutions for the marine and offshore sectors – has announced that its Modsyn range of subsurface floats is now available ex-stock.
Designed with simplicity and adaptability in mind, the impact- and abrasion-resistant Modsyn subsurface floats are durable and reusable; and suitable for numerous applications including trimming, buoyancy and subsea marker buoys or where small amounts of tethered buoyancy are required.
Championing the Modsyn, Guy Downie head of sales for Advanced Insulation’s buoyancy products says: “Not only can this cost-effective, rugged and versatile product be customised, but can also be purchased off-the-shelf, which will help to significantly reduce shipping times for this adaptable subsurface float. This fits well with the Industry focus on effective use of assets, combined with the best service.”
Modsyn is available ex-stock in three variations – Modsyn 29, Modsyn 59 and Modsyn 105 – and can be suitable for water depths up to 3,000msw, providing uplift from 10 to 55 kg. It can be deployed and re-deployed on multiple projects and, with recessed lifting slots designed in, Modsyn is easy to use and helps to reduce operator health and safety risk.
Each Modsyn subsurface float is constructed from a durable rotationally-moulded polyethylene shell and an inner core made from high-performance composite syntactic foam. Each can be configured with either a central 40mm diameter through-hole or fixed eyes top and bottom.
Robust JC1200 single-axis joystick has a long operating life
Curtiss-Wright Corporation today announced its Industrial division has launched the JC1200, a next-generation, cost-effective paddle joystick from the Corporation’s brand family of Penny & Giles.
By using a long-life bearing system and non-contacting Hall-effect sensing technology, the JC1200 has achieved a long operating life of 25 million cycles while providing functionality that is smooth and easy to operate.
Key features of the JC1200 include:
- An under-panel depth of 9mm, requiring minimal installation space
- A spring-loaded return-to-center or return-to-end paddle movement
- Integrated panel seal and IP67 protection – suitable for outside use
- A choice of nine colored paddle ‘Tabs’, which can be factory fitted or supplied separately and added as part of the final customer installation process
The JC1200 launches with a 5Vdc supply voltage and the option for factory-programmable electronics configured to one of two analog voltage output ranges (0.5-4.5V or 1.0-4.0V). The joystick also provides safety functionality via dual outputs, which can be set to positive or negative ramps, or a combination of both. This offers system designers the option to compare the output signals for error checking.
The JC1200 paddle joystick builds on the success of the potentiometric-based JC120 and is ideal for use in control panels and armrests found in industrial trucks, agricultural equipment and construction machinery, where cost-effective, long-life operator controls are essential.
Sales inquiries: Please forward all sales and reader service inquiries to cwig.uk@curtisswright.com.
For more information on Curtiss-Wright Industrial products, please visit www.cw-industrialgroup.com or call +44.1425.271444.
Gloucestershire-based weld overlay cladding and fabrication specialist Arc Energy Resources has announced the promotion of Andrew Robinson, son of the company’s founders, Rosemary and Alan Robinson, as the new Managing Director.
Andrew, who graduated with a degree in Economics and Spanish from Nottingham University, joined the business in 2008 and was appointed to the Board in 2013. His parents, Alan formerly managing director and Rosemary finance director, are still involved as directors in the running of the Eastington-based engineering company, who’s highly trained welding teams, provide fabrication and weld overlay cladding services to the oil & gas, defence and water treatment industries.
Following his university studies Andrew had plans to work at the treasury in London. But nearing the end of his course he became ‘underwhelmed’ with the idea of crunching numbers for the rest of his life and wanted to do something more exiting and practical. So in 2008, Andrew started working for the company, and found that he really enjoyed it. In discussion with Alan, an opportunity was identified to benefit from Andrew’s economics background to develop a purchasing department, an area in which Arc Energy was deficient. Says Andrew: “Many technical products were dictated by commodity markets and we were buying them at spot prices, which I felt could be improved.” The introduction turned out to be an outstanding success, with cost reductions of up to 25% on key spends such as welding consumables and industrial gas, and a halving of stock days within the first two years.
He went on to develop Arc Energy’s environmental management system and won accreditation to the international standard ISO 14001 in 2010. He then set his sights on the company’s shop floor scheduling system. “It was time well spent”, he admits, “as it enabled me to experience all aspects of the business.”
Commenting on aspects of projects that he has been involved with, he quotes a growing interest in full supply projects, where Arc Energy is involved in buying materials and ancillary components; and which exercises his purchasing background. “Most Arc Energy projects have involved clients supplying free issue materials, but recent trends indicate an increasing requirement to source and supply material”, says Andrew. “Our clients are seeking to maximise production and offload risk. Many customers are keen for us to get involved in full turnkey supply packages, and these projects fit nicely within our strategic plan to grow this aspect of the business.”
Says Andrew, “From conception, the business has always punched above its weight in the provision of technical support. Indeed, many clients rely on the technical skills we supply as part of our service.
Our clients may not be experts in welding, so whilst their products look fine in CAD, when we take it apart to weld it we realise that production is not possible or would work better if it was designed differently. We don’t push our design capabilities but we actually carry out a great deal of ‘design for manufacture’ on behalf of our clients.”
Significantly, ‘design for manufacture’ was also an important element of the recent Fit For Nuclear audit which Arc Energy successfully undertook. The company was one of the first businesses in the south west to achieve the prestigious award. The directors identified nuclear new build as a significant area of growth in the UK and are keen to be able to offer its cladding and fabrication services from an early stage. Says Andrew: “We are currently heavily reliant on oil and gas. It is a measure of the reputation we have achieved that we are extremely busy whilst many others are quiet, at a time of falling oil prices. However, we recognise that we need to pursue a strategy of diversification nonetheless. New nuclear is an important part of that plan, as well as growing our other market sectors, such as green energy, defence and petrochemical.”
Since his appointment to the Board of Directors in 2013, Andrew has also been busy working with Cranfield University to develop Arc Energy’s five-year business plan. “This period was particularly exciting, mixing with other leaders from a wide and varied range of business sectors and talking about how we could drive our business forward. The thrust of the plan is growth” explains Andrew. “We are targeting 15% year-on-year growth, expanding both our cladding and fabrication facilities, whilst also seeking inroads into new markets. We are largely on track to meet that target in 2015.” As part of this plan, the company is building an additional 500m2 of workshop space on its site in Eastington to house additional cladding stations, and is taking on extra welders to support this.
Andrew is determined that he will continue the business philosophy of support and encouragement for all employees. He says: “The business achieved Investors in People accreditation in 2004, and that infrastructure has improved year-on-year. We won Bronze award last time and at the next review will target the Silver standard. I recognise that our employees are the key to our success and will always be proud to get the best out of everyone.” The business has a comprehensive training system which includes yearly apprentice intake and extends to regular careers support for youngsters who wish to find out more about engineering.
Says Andrew: “I now think that the future of business is less about hurdles and more about opportunities. I see the future as a really exciting place, and a lot of the opportunities that were included in our plan for 2015 are really taking off. Construction on the new building started in October, we are currently trialling our latest investment in new machinery, and our latest batch of apprentices have just started college.”
Andrew was the proud recipient in 2014 of the Institute of Directors South West Developing Director of the Year, and the company’s hard work was rewarded in 2015 with several prestigious awards: Stroud Life Family Business of the Year and overall Business of the Year; Cotswold Life Employee of the Year (for project manager Charlie Fryer) and runner-up Manufacturer of the Year.
Advanced Insulation – a leading manufacturer of passive fire protection and insulation systems for the upstream oil and gas industry – has announced plans for a series of technical sessions and an open day at its Katy facility in Houston, Texas.
The ‘open-house’ event – taking place throughout the week of 7th December 2015 – will give new and existing customers an opportunity to review the company’s portfolio of topside and subsea technical coatings for the upstream oil and gas industry; and fendering and subsurface buoyancy products for the global marine and offshore energy markets.
As Mike Sherman – Advanced Insulation’s North American Subsea Sales Manager – explains: “Houston, Texas is the energy capital of North America and therefore a major launching pad for the Advanced Insulation brand and products to new and existing customers. The open-house event is a real opportunity for the company to bring together technical decision makers and influencers from throughout the oil and gas and marine sectors; and a chance to provide them with a comprehensive understanding of Advanced Insulation’s products, services and quality in a personalized and relaxed setting.”
The event includes three days of technical sessions – on Tuesday 8th, Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th December – comprising site inductions, product presentations, displays and live application demonstrations of Advanced Insulation’s complete range.
It will be an opportunity for visitors to view the company’s recently launched range of distributed buoyancy modules which, with patent-pending clamping technology, have been designed to reduce tension and load strain on subsea risers and umbilicals. Also on site and being demonstrated during the event will be the company’s ContraTherm® C25, a silicone syntactic insulation system.
The open-house event – which concludes with an open day at the facility on Friday 11th December – welcomes anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of the range and quality of Advanced Insulation’s products and services. Those looking to attend one of the technical sessions or the open day should email mike.sherman@aisplc.comor call +1 (281) 600 0022 before Friday 6th November.
Gloucestershire-based Advanced Insulation – a leading manufacturer of specialist passive fire protection and thermal insulation materials for the upstream oil and gas industry; and manufacturer and supplier of fendering and buoyancy products for the global marine and offshore energy markets – has won a number of awards in the recently announced Gloucestershire Business Awards, which have established themselves as one of the most prestigious events in the local calendar since they were first held 18 years ago.
The Business Innovation Award recognises organisations that have introduced a new product, process, invention, idea, or design that has made a significant contribution to the business. The award – sponsored by the University of Gloucestershire and contested by three other local companies – was Advanced Insulation’s first of the evening and represents another success for the company’s innovative ContraFlame® MS400 system, its lightweight cellar-deck insulation and protection material for the offshore oil and gas industry.
The second award, Growth Business of the Year, was sponsored by Gloucestershire College and recognises Advanced Insulation’s outstanding increases in sales, profit, market share and business expansion over the last 3 years.
Commenting for Local World Gloucestershire, managing director Sarah Pullen says: "Yet again we have had a record entry for this year’s Business Awards, the judges have had a very difficult task and the standards have been very high.”
To find out more about Advanced Insulation’s products and services, visit http://www.aisplc.com, email info@aisplc.com or call +44 (0)1453 880880.
Advanced Insulation – specialists in the design, engineering and manufacture of floatation and buoyancy solutions for the marine and offshore sectors – is launching a new range of distributed buoyancy modules (DBM) featuring the company’s latest, patent-pending integrated clamping technology.
DBMs are designed to reduce tension and load strain on subsea risers and umbilicals, which act as a connecting interface between static structures on the seabed and dynamic floating structures on the surface. Insulated or multi-layered subsea risers have softer outer surfaces, so traditional clamping methods that use stiff/rigid materials cannot grip without slippage or, through the use of higher clamping forces, damage the riser itself.
Advanced Insulation’s new range of DBMs feature a unique, patent-pending clamping technology that is designed to adapt to the specific needs and conditions of a riser’s operation and eliminate slippage throughout its operational lifespan. The new internal clamping mechanism consists of three segments housing nine rubber inserts, which innovatively increase the surface contact area at the interface between the riser and the DBM. Vertical bar retainer rubbers then ensure that there is no drop off while the holding bolts are engaged, which also secures the clamp element orientation and ensures that the clamp cannot misalign around the riser body. This innovative clamping interface allows Advanced Insulation’s new DBMs to be deployed where traditional solutions would often fail and also results in a smaller more efficient clamping solution.
Commenting for Advanced Insulation, Guy Downie, head of sales for buoyancy products says: “Rate of installation has been a major factor in the design of this DBM system, which promises to deliver significant gains in speed and reliability for the installer.”
He goes on to explain that fastener cover clips protect fixings and prohibit the growth of damaging marine life, prolonging the module’s working life. Filled with specific grades of syntactic foam, cylindrical buoyancy or ballast modules fit around the clamp and are secured using heavy-duty Kevlar straps. Various foam densities are employed in order to achieve a specific buoyant ‘upthrust’ that is suitable to survive the required operational water depth and field service life.
The ability of this system to be connected in a modular configuration allows for single, double and triple solutions based on a proven reliable standard. Each Advanced Insulation distributed buoyancy module is designed specifically to suit a customer’s requirements and features a robust, highly durable exterior design that is low maintenance and easily installed.
For further information on Advanced Insulation’s new distributed buoyancy modules, call +44 (0)1452 880880, visit www.aisplc.com or email info@aisplc.com.
CURTISS-WRIGHT LAUNCHES EN ISO 13849 COMPLIANT MOTOR CONTROLLER
New C3-CE is ideal for small industrial and Class 3 vehicle applications
Christchurch, U.K. – 23-09-2015 – Curtiss-Wright Corporation today announced its Industrial division has introduced a new version of the C3 motor controller to its established and cost-effective range of AC motor controllers. The C3-CE is EN ISO 13849 compliant and, as a new addition to the high-performing, compact and cost-effective C3 motor controller range, provides OEMs with a controller that is ideal for small industrial vehicle applications, including Class 3 pallet trucks.
The new C3-CE, from Curtiss-Wright’s brand family of PG Drives Technology, retains all the features and benefits of the original C3 motor controller but has been CE marked as a safety component and designed with EN ISO 13849 Category 3 hardware architecture – including dual microprocessors, dual inputs and a dedicated B+Safe output. This provides a safer and more convenient approach that, unlike the conventional and widely-used Category 2 architecture, doesn’t require the safety function to be checked at ‘machine start-up’ and ‘prior to the initiation of any hazardous situation’, which can be inconvenient and potentially dangerous.
Key features of the C3-CE include:
Sales Inquiries: Please forward all sales and reader service inquiries to cwig.uk@curtisswright.com.
For more information on Curtiss-Wright Industrial products, visit www.cw-industrialgroup.com or call +44.1425.271444.
About Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a global innovative company that delivers highly engineered, critical function products and services to the commercial, industrial, defense and energy markets. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of providing reliable solutions through trusted customer relationships. The company employs approximately 9,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.curtisswright.com.
Gloucestershire-based Arc Energy Resources – a specialist in weld overlay cladding and fabrication for oil & gas, nuclear and water industries worldwide – is delighted to announce that employee Charlie Fryer has been awarded Employee of the Year at the recent Cotswold Life Engineering Manufacturing Innovation (EMI) Awards, with the company itself achieving runner-up status in the Manufacturer of the Year category.
A real success story for Arc Energy Resources, in 2005 and at the age of just 14, Charlie Fryer enjoyed a week’s work experience with the company and, encouraged by his time there, applied for and was accepted on an apprenticeship at the company on leaving school. In July 2013, having undergone extensive on- and off-site training and an often intensive course at Gloucester College, Charlie completed his apprenticeship and is now employed by the company as a Project Engineer. And the story doesn’t end there because, having completed his HND in Mechanical Engineering in 2014, Charlie is now studying towards a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of the West of England in Bristol, which he will complete in 2018!
The Cotswold Life EMI Awards were open to businesses throughout the Cotswolds, an area steeped in a history of manufacturing and one that continues to flourish with industries from renewable energy to pharmaceuticals, automotive, aerospace and many more. This award follows recent successes at the Stroud Life Business Awards, where Arc Energy Resources was shortlisted for and successfully won the Family Business of the Year, along with the highlight of the evening, the Business of the Year award.
A delighted Andrew Robinson says: “The culture of our company is to embrace and nurture talented staff and their thinking. This leads to a workplace where each member of staff and their ideas are respected, valued and listened to, whilst demonstrating Arc Energy’s commitment to attracting, developing and retaining committed personnel. It is this philosophy which saw the company gain the Investor In People Bronze award in 2013.”
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For further information contact:
Andrew Robinson, Arc Energy Resources
Unit 12 Eastington Industrial Estate, Meadow Mill, Eastington, Gloucestershire GL10 3RZ
Tel: +44 (0)1453 823523 Fax: +44 (0)1453 823623
E-mail: sales@arcenergy.co.uk Web: www.arcenergy.co.uk
For press information contact:
Dennis Cantillion, Cantillion King Advertising
16 The Cornhill, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2JT
Tel: +44 (0)1453 755551 Fax: +44 (0)1453 751525 E-mail: dennis@cka.co.uk
Gloucestershire-based Advanced Insulation – a leading manufacturer of passive fire protection and insulation systems for the upstream oil and gas industry – has been nominated as a finalist in three categories of the Gloucestershire Business Awards 2015. The categories include Export Award, Business Innovation and Growth Business of the Year awards.
The nominations come after an already bumper 2015 for Advanced Insulation, who have been placed for the second time amongst Britain’s fastest growing international sales stars in the Sunday Times track listings. They also won two regional BVCA awards, the Insider South West Company of the Year Award and the prestigious EEF National Smart Product Award for their innovative ContraFlame® MS400 lightweight under-deck protection system for offshore oil platforms.
The successes and rapid growth of Advanced Insulation have resulted in the opening of a recently refurbished 35,500square feet facility in Gloucester to accommodate several new processes; the doubling of manufacturing space at its Plymouth-based facility; and further expansions of its US-based manufacturing facilities in Houston, Texas.
This year has seen a record number of entries, with over 130 companies in the running for the Gloucestershire-based awards, which celebrate the best of a diverse range of businesses throughout the county. Winners of the awards will be announced in October during a gala presentation to be held at Cheltenham racecourse.
To find out more about Advanced Insulation’s products and services, visit http://www.aisplc.com, email info@aisplc.com or call +44 (0)1452 880880.
