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.

08/08/2011 Absolute Energy improves plant operations with guided wave radar Absolute Energy is reporting increased uptime and reduced energy costs since changing to Emerson's Rosemount guided wave radar to monitor water level in a condensate receiver. » Read More

08/08/2011 Tamar Foods saves 23 percent on HVAC energy One of the UK's largest producers of pastry-based products is reporting 23% energy cost savings on its HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) plant, following installation of ABB variable-speed drives. » Read More

08/08/2011 Ricoh saves £100,000 with plant-wide drives project Office equipment manufacturer Ricoh reports savings of more than £100,000 per annum on energy costs at its production plant in Telford, since installing ABB variable-speed drives (VSDs). » Read More

08/08/2011 Energy event 2011 The upcoming Energy Event promises a packed agenda focused on optimising energy management, procurement and efficiency. Laura Cork reports » Read More

08/08/2011 Sound measures Noise and vibration beyond allowable limits can leave managers on shaky ground. No wonder then these issues are climbing plant engineers' priority lists. Steed Webzell reports » Read More

08/08/2011 The master forgers Employee safety remains paramount and the legislation around personal protective equipment reflect that. But how do you tell counterfeit goods from the authentic? Brian Wall reports » Read More

08/08/2011 Turbine towers British manufacturing is on the mend. Alan Fitzpatrick reports from a site in Wales capitalising on the rush for wind power » Read More

08/08/2011 Necessary evil Poorly managed MRO stores are costing plants serious money. Brian Tinham examines systems, methods, equipment and services that claim to help plant engineers work smarter and faster » Read More

08/08/2011 Fresh pair of eyes Most plants might benefit from an energy audit, but many could also do with a review of operations, aimed at improving everything from efficiency to product quality. Dr Tom Shelley reports » Read More

08/08/2011 Feet flat on the floor Last month's introduction of legislation concerning new electric motor efficiencies should be focusing minds on cost and carbon saving projects. Brian Tinham reports » Read More

08/08/2011 Step up to the skills challenge With UK manufacturers continuing to report the welcome news of increasingly healthy order books and predicting further growth in production output for the months to come (according to latest figures from the CBI, the self-styled voice of ... » Read More

07/06/2011 Making light work There's more to cutting lighting energy costs and carbon emissions than the luminary technologies themselves. Brian Tinham reports » Read More

07/06/2011 Just Trays spreads compressor cost with lease purchase Shower tray firm Just Trays says that lease purchasing its upgraded compressed air plant from Boge has made new essential equipment affordable. » Read More

07/06/2011 Severn Trent Water improves sewage pumping efficiency Severn Trent Water's sewage treatment works in Newthorpe, Nottinghamshire reports improved pumping efficiency since installing a Chroma progressing cavity pump. » Read More

07/06/2011 Alma Products saves £80,000 pa on drives installation Runcorn, Cheshire-based plastics manufacturer Alma Products reckons it is saving £80,000 worth of electricity per annum since installing ABB ac motors and low voltage ac drives. » Read More

07/06/2011 Spirax Sarco helps Heinz save 473 tonnes of carbon per year Heinz reckons it is saving 6% of its average steam load per year at its baked bean factory in Wigan by recovering energy from effluent. » Read More

07/06/2011 Webster & Horsfall cuts energy costs by 33% Wire and strip manufacturer Webster & Horsfall is reporting one third energy cost savings since converting from existing inefficient steam boiler to thermal fluid heating. » Read More

07/06/2011 Smart wireless monitors water at GlaxoSmithKline Ireland GlaxoSmithKline's Cork plant in Ireland is reporting success with monitoring water usage using Emerson's smart wireless technology. » Read More

07/06/2011 Green without eco-bling As energy saving climbs up plant engineers' agendas, Dr Tom Shelley reviews some of the good and not so good technologies for heating, ventilating and air conditioning » Read More

07/06/2011 Head for heights There are many concerns when it comes to working at height, not least cheap inferior products now flooding the UK market. Brian Wall reports » Read More

07/06/2011 Good for everyone Workplace regulations may not be facing radical change, but their implementation and policing certainly are. Brian Tinham reports on the price of the cuts » Read More

07/06/2011 Wired for water Technologies available to cut the cost of treating waste water, by improving efficiency and obviating practical problems, are many and various. Dr Tom Shelley explains » Read More

07/06/2011 Vane engineering With plant engineers' focus strictly on costs, uptime and efficiency, it's worth reviewing your pumps and fans – and what's on offer from variable speed drives and associated equipment. Brian Tinham reports » Read More

07/06/2011 Picture perfect With so much publicity surrounding infrared cameras as very effective plant condition monitoring tools, Steed Webzell looks at the substance behind the hype » Read More

07/06/2011 A case of too little, too late With the HSE's consultation period now closed on the proposal to change employers' statutory reporting requirements, under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations), from over three days to seven for ... » Read More