Control Automation Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

01/02/2007 Health check-ups reap big rewards In the age of lean, condition monitoring of capital equipment is an obvious aid to efficient operation, as opposed to waiting for something to break down. As Chris Haines, Rockwell director of customer support and maintenance UK and ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Turning on the sun offers bright future Increasing demand for photovoltaic solar cells has taken production at Sharp's factory in Wrexham from producing just 200 working modules in the first month of production in March 2004 to 2,400 panels per 24 hours on three production lines ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Stepping into a brighter future Committing yourself to a long-term professional career is a major undertaking in itself. Sustaining and developing that career through a myriad of changes and challenges is quite another. Without the latter investment, such a career may do ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Smoothing the way While many new developments now allow lubricant quality to be monitored continuously in situ - as well as various kits and portable equipment that enable tests and measurements to be carried out on site - it is still general practice for ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Plugging the cost of compressed air leaks New products are now available that step up the efficiency of compressed air systems - especially compressors - finding and attacking leaks, and improving the management of pneumatic systems, while slashing energy losses and costs by up to ... » Read More

01/12/2006 New trains of thought on lifting Every so often lifting equipment fails, generating the kind of headlines that no one wants to see. These unfortunate incidents occur despite safety checks carried out by the manufacturer and further regular checks undertaken by the end ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Harmonic approach to gear technology Much of today's plant machinery uses high-ratio planetary gearboxes to provide a wide range of operating speeds and output torques for use in applications such as turbo systems for compressors and pumps, mobile equipment and machine tools. ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Cleaning up at Sellafield British Nuclear Group is a specialist site management and nuclear clean-up business. Part of the BNFL Group, it delivers accelerated nuclear clean-up programmes safely and cost effectively for customers in the UK and overseas. Experienced ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Waste water gets the treatment Regulations relating to reducing pollution from industrial activities have been around in the UK for more than 150 years, while the present Pollution Prevention and Control regulations came into force in 1999, with a transitional process ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Surface Preparation - It's a blast! So what exactly is industry's hang-up with surface preparation? Unfortunately, it's that the process doesn't add any value to the finished component. However, ignoring this important operation is likely to be a very costly decision, if it ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Process Heating - All fired up Eliminating bottlenecks in the heat-curing phase of any assembly process, thereby increasing the efficiency of the whole operation, is an essential goal for any business - nowhere more so than at Hepworth Building Products. » Read More

01/10/2006 Monitor this situation Yorkshire Water (YW) has 4.7 million customers - a lot of people to let down, if a piece of equipment fails. OFWAT ranks YW as 'the most capital-efficient company'. At YW, therefore, monitoring of the equipment that is used so extensively, ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Maintain power With the cost of unscheduled downtime for some engineering and manufacturing companies running into hundreds of thousands of pounds a day, plant engineers are under pressure to ensure continuous production. Yet with more pressure being put ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Energy Efficiency - Powered for change The government is now aware we have to take drastic steps both to save energy and find new sources of supply. There are many ways to achieve these goals. Top of the list has to be to take advantage of government-backed schemes that provide ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Alarm ringing for new regulations The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced earlier this year that the new fire safety rules affecting all non-domestic premises in England and Wales would come into force on 1 October 2006. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Don't stand for pain The position of standing is one many of us take for granted in our daily lives. It is not until we start to feel the odd ache and pain that we become more aware of how much pressure the standing posture creates on our bodies. Although it ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Sustaining the future - making it happen Ever a practically-minded body of men and women, the SOE's annual conference in Birmingham was particularly well worth attending, because it was not so much about the threats to the world environment and the nation's energy supply as it ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Measuring up to noise Noise-induced hearing loss can occur to people at low levels of noise. An HSE survey in the 1990s indicated that in excess of two million workers were exposed to noise levels between 80db and more than 142db, averaged over the working day ... » Read More

01/08/2006 In peak condition Today's maintenance engineer is a far cry from that of a spanner-wielding repairman called in when something has broken down. The role of the modern maintenance department is very much about preventing the equipment failing in the first ... » Read More

01/08/2006 How to maintain a sure footing Industrial flooring is becoming smarter than ever, with manufacturers' research and development leading to a new era in floors that are faster to apply, more attractive and harder working. However, some basic factors need to be considered ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Hands-on sensing A novel vibration dose meter is being developed that can be worn on the hand, in order to measure exposure to damaging hand-arm vibrations from machinery. In its present form, it can advise of excessive risk levels and store information ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Foot on gas to alternative fuels Whereas there has been much recent publicity about running motor vehicles on biologically-derived liquid fuels, an increasing number of enterprises, from very large to very small, are turning to gas as a feedstock, presently mostly derived ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Environment for change In 1952, the Great Smog of London caused nearly 2,000 deaths above the norm for that period. This resulted in the Clean Air Act of 1956, which marked the beginning of effective environmental legislation in Britain. » Read More

01/08/2006 Don't stand for pain The position of standing is one many of us take for granted in our daily lives. It is not until we start to feel the odd ache and pain that we become more aware of how much pressure the standing posture creates on our bodies. Although it ... » Read More

01/06/2006 You can be lifted... A new breed of powered access equipment is being developed to help end users achieve greater time savings and working efficiencies, particularly where working conditions are difficult and inhospitable, while also delivering valuable gains ... » Read More