News Industry Comment


the last 12 months was challenging, however, what does seem apparent is that those who were prepared to face these challenges head-on, with innova- tion and evolution, ultimately had a suc- cessful 2012.


Firstly, I’d like to take the opportunity to wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous new year. For many


Looking forward there is a degree of uncertainty hanging over industry with most people still imploring the govern- ment for clarity and transparency over issues such as the Green Deal and the recent Energy Bill. Our joint December/January issue is a bumper edition and features the latest from the world of test & mea- surement, machine safety, UPS & standby power, panel building,


building controls and batteries & chargers. In addition, we preview the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics show that will be taking place in February. HellermannTyton has provided this month’s competition where five lucky Electrical Engineering readers will win a high performance remote con- trolled car - turn to page 21. Don’t forget you can keep up to date with all the latest from Electrical Engineering by following us on Twitter - @CI_Electrical, and on Facebook - www.facebook.com/ ElectricalEngineeringMag. Joe Bush, Editor


Highlighting the importance of testing


RIGEL MEDICAL HAS claimed that recent warnings over faulty heart defibrillators have highlighted the urgent need for regular testing of in- service health equipment. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration, US) and MHRA (Department of Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, UK), has warned that tens of thousands of automatic external defibrillators (AED) in public places like shopping cen- tres and airports may not work because of defective components that could unexpectedly fail - making them inoperable at times when they are most needed. John Backes, associate director at Rigel Medical, has stressed the


need to ensure AEDs are regularly checked and tested as people’s lives could be placed at risk by faulty or failing equipment. “Many people are under the (false) impression that these auto- matic defibrillators have an auto- test function that can highlight component failures but both FDA and MHRA reports clearly show that this is not always the case. “Testing these AEDs is easy, rel- atively inexpensive, yet vital, and owners and operators could bene- fit by using the latest generation of easy to use, portable and light- weight analysers to quickly and easily verify the safe operation and functionality of equipment.” www.rigelmedical.com


Recognition for health and safety commitment


THE SIEMENS BUILDING Technologies division has been awarded the Sword of Honour for the second year running by the British Safety Council.


The award, which recognises the company’s commitment to health and safety management, is only open to organisations which have achieved the maximum rating in the British Safety Council’s five star health and safety management audit. Dave Pickles, UK managing director for the Siemens Building Technologies division, com- mented, “Winning the Sword of Honour for a second year is a great achievement and demonstrates our commitment to maintaining the highest possible health and safety standards for all employees. This title is testimony to the hard work, time and effort of the whole team, who continually strive for excel- lence in all areas of our business.” www.siemens.co.uk


Power distribution for marine building Video reveals how to manage power


box to cater for Cat 6 patch leads, transformer plug tops and audio visual applications.


MK ELECTRIC’S ACKERMANN power distribution solutions have been selected for a new global institute for research, innovation and enterprise in the marine and maritime sectors at Plymouth University.


The new centre, which houses advanced wave tank testing equip- ment, uses Ackermann Cablelink Plus Modular floorboxes through- out. The floorboxes are engineered to incorporate a ‘ladder’ design enabling modules to be positioned at a series of heights within the


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Chris Bunce, director of Estates and Facilities Management at Plymouth University commented, “For us, the biggest attraction of using the Ackermann floorboxes was the flexibility it has provided us with. This is a centre that will be used extensively by scientists and researchers for decades to come, and it’s important we have a facility that can dynamically adapt to their changing requirements.” In total the five storey marine building uses 4.8km of cable, and has been built to high standards of sustainability using 500 tonnes of steel and 300m3


of recycled aggre-


gate. The Plymouth University Marine Building was opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh during a dedicated ceremony on 30th October. www.mkelectric.com


EATON HAS PUBLISHED a new addition to its series of power management videos aimed at IT professionals, resellers and distributors called Real Power For Virtualisation. The video fea- tures Eaton’s animated star Professor Wattson explaining how to manage power in vir- tual environments. At the end of the video, viewers looking for more information are also given the opportunity to download Eaton’s latest white paper on the topic.


The new video is the latest in Eaton’s Power 101 with Professor Wattson series of power management videos, designed to answer the common power quality ques- tions that IT professionals may not always have time to search for the answers to.


Presented and brought to life by Professor Wattson, the latest video highlights the importance of the power resource in a virtual environ- ment and reveals how to keep services up and running in the event of a power outage or Virtual Machine (VM) move by leveraging the latest software. Future videos in the Power 101 with Professor Wattson series will cover topics such as batteries, rack hygiene and maintenance bypass. www.switch-on-eaton.co.uk


DECEMBER/JANUARY 2013 Electrical Engineering


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