Maintenance, Repair and Operations 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.
02/04/2013
Making wasted air hiss-tory
Badly-sized compressors, leaky pipes and lackadaisical practice mean profits are vanishing into thin air on many a factory floor. Max Gosney delivers a giant sticking plaster in the form of a 10-step guide to cutting compressed air loss
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02/04/2013
Safe in their hands
Forklift truck safety technology continues to evolve and improve with every new model launch. Laura Cork asks the truck manufacturers, and others, to pick their stand-out safety development
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18/03/2013
Best of both worlds
With the first IE4 synchronous reluctance motor and drive package now installed at South Staffs Water, Brian Tinham examines the experience and the issues
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18/02/2013
A regulation tie-up?
As part of its review of health and safety legislation, the government has been considering whether regulations covering related topics such as lifting and loading operations could be pulled together. Is a merger of PUWER and LOLER still ...
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12/02/2013
A head for heights
Falls from height cause half of major injuries in the workplace, with most accidents occurring from a very unspectacular two metres or below. Max Gosney asks why the Working at Height Regulations are so badly misunderstood.
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11/02/2013
Time to rethink our automation technology
Observers of manufacturing can't have failed to notice that, since the 2008 crash, industry has been leaping up the agenda in government circles, as the urgency of its call to rebalance the economy takes hold.
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11/02/2013
It’s good to talk
Machine-to-machine communication has seen a rapid development in recent years. Brian Tinham examines some of the changing technologies and their implications.
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11/02/2013
Maintenance expo
With Maintec 2013 just a few short weeks away, Brian Tinham previews this show, specifically designed for maintenance technicians and engineering managers
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16/01/2013
Counter intuitive
Production managers quite rightly insist on high equipment reliability and availability. But while many believe this rules out wireless plant and factory communications, Brian Tinham finds that concerns are largely unfounded
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16/01/2013
Human shield
Keeping employees safe from workplace risks or hazards is a daily challenge for manufacturing employers. That's where personal protective equipment comes in, as Laura Cork reports.
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16/01/2013
Power of convergence
It's not that many years since industry was being pushed from pillar to post over the power of PLCs versus PCs, but all that has changed.
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16/01/2013
Joined-up thinking
Why waste the skills and first-hand knowledge of operators? Annie Gregory explores simpler strategies for involving them in asset care
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06/12/2012
Fiddling while Rome burns
As we rush headlong towards 2013, it is likely that, way ahead of Britain's obsession with industrial strategies, this year will be remembered for the ongoing Eurozone crisis, the West's struggle with recession, China's slowdown, president ...
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06/12/2012
Leave well alone?
It's both a strength and a weakness that boilers generally operate for years without problems. On the one hand, plant managers are happy, but on the other, no one knows how much better they could be doing. Brian Tinham reports
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06/12/2012
In the driving seat
Motors, drives and controls have been advancing fast, with a goal of improving plant operations, energy efficiency and the bottom line. Steed Webzell explores new systems, emerging best practice and top tips
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06/12/2012
Fuel from air
Following a flurry of news reporting the apparent achievement of practical fuel from air plant, Brian Tinham talks to the developers about the present and the future
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06/12/2012
Liquid assets
Water and waste treatment plants are among the oldest around anywhere, but don't imagine they're bereft of developments. Brian Tinham reports
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06/12/2012
Taming the beast
With applications for industrial compressors expanding, their demand for energy has reached unnecessarily dizzying levels. Brian Tinham and Brian Wall looks at how to put the beast back in its cage
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06/12/2012
Get your bearings
Selecting the right bearings for plant and equipment is a nicety that plant engineers under pressure often sidestep in favour of personal preference. Steed Webzell provides advice
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06/12/2012
Making MRO matter
Surprising as it may seem, some plants and factories may be expending too much of their maintenance effort in the wrong direction. Brian Wall reports
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06/12/2012
Synchronous savings
Synchronous motors offer the potential for significant energy savings in high power, heavy load applications. Brian Tinham talks to Marek Lukaszczyk, of Weg, about the pros and cons
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05/10/2012
Absorbing practice
Staying on the right side of the law might mean paying more attention to absorbents, spill kits and the professional services around them to prevent problems. Brian Wall reports
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