News Industry In brief...
The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) has inaugurated Phil Fagg as its 100th president for 2013/14 at the Electric Event in Birmingham. Commenting on his appointment Fagg
said, “It is a real honour to accept this appointment. I know what being a mem- ber of the ECA means to me and the difference that it has made - and contin- ues to make - to my business, and I hope to help other firms reap the rewards of membership, just as I have.”
www.eca.co.uk
Aggreko has announced that it will be relocating its APAC regional headquar- ters to a new facility at Jalan Buroh dur- ing a ceremony attended by senior rep- resentatives from Singapore’s Economic Development Board, JTC Corporation, British High Commission and United Kingdom Trade & Investment. Commenting on the announcement, Debajit Das, president Aggreko APAC, said, “This investment is yet another step towards ensuring the provision of premium services to our ever increasing range of customers, based across many markets. “Asia Pacific is a key region for us, and we look forward to expanding our tem- porary solutions to customers in need of a reliable rental partner.”
www.aggreko.co.uk
Eaton has launched the final instalment in its series of Power 101 with Professor Wattson power management videos for IT professionals, resellers and distributors. In the video, called ‘Maximising Reliability’, professor Wattson reveals how a maintenance bypass and other accessories can be used to optimise design and ensure up-time whenever an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) requires maintenance or replacement. The video is available on the company’s dedicated IT solutions website at:
www.switch-on-eaton.co.uk
When it comes to legislation, over 60% of installers feel it’s hard to keep up to speed with the latest changes, accord- ing to some recent research from Schneider Electric. In the latest data from Schneider Electric’s Ultimate Installers, 93% of respondents said that they would wel- come further support from manufactur- ers on legislation. Tim Barber, customer marketing man- ager at Schneider Electric said, “It’s a legislative minefield out there and as a manufacturer it’s important that we understand where installers need our support the most and then provide some meaningful information.”
www.schneider-electric.com
6 Dispelling the myths
NICEIC AND ELECSA have hit back at misleading claims about the new technical requirements for Qualified Supervisors, and are reassuring contractors’ fears about the qualifications necessary to be eligible for registration.
As of 6th April this year the technical competence requirements, as set out by the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification Management Committee (EAS), changed for proposed Qualified Supervisors. A new ‘Level 3’ requirement was developed and introduced for anyone wanting to apply to become a Qualified Supervisor after 5th April. Prior to its implementation a spate of articles appeared in the media urging contractors to apply before the deadline so they could ‘side-step’ the new requirements. However, following the apparent confusion this has caused, NICEIC and ELECSA have moved to allay any concerns contractors might have, citing the various routes through to qualification.
“In the run-up to April both NICEIC and ELECSA noticed a sharp rise in applications for its schemes as contractors sought to ‘beat the new requirements’ - largely due to stories circulating in the media saying the new requirements would make it harder to become a Qualified Supervisor,” commented Alan Wells, certification and standards director at NICEIC. “We want to let contractors know that this is defi- nitely not the case. The new qualification was
designed to produce safer working practices within the industry and those with the relevant experience and technical competence really have nothing to fear.” There are now five different routes for domestic installer schemes through to satisfying the require- ments for registration as a Qualified Supervisor, includ- ing on-site assessment, off-site assessment, a mixture of both and the gaining of appropriate qualifications. To help contractors understand the new require- ments NICEIC and ELECSA have produced some information sheets for anyone wishing to join NICEIC or ELECSA’s Domestic Installer Scheme or NICEIC’s Approved Contractor schemes.
“The routes allow flexibility for individuals who hold older qualifications or have been a Qualified Supervisor within the past two years to be assessed, as well as allowing a route for individuals who can pro- vide auditable evidence of their knowledge and experi- ence of undertaking electrical work,” Wells concluded.
www.niceic.com /
www.elecsa.co.uk
Tratos builds new cable testing facility
SPECIALIST CABLE MANUFAC- TURER Tratos Cavi has recently completed the construction of a Faraday Cage test site at the com- pany’s headquarters in Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy.
The new Faraday Cage enables
Tratos to effectively administer AC Resonant Tests on-site, allow- ing testing of up to 220kV of nominal voltage cables and up to 20km of medium voltage cable. AC Resonant Testing is now the standard method of testing higher voltage cables. However,
it is vital that AC Resonant tests are carried out in a controlled environment, and this is exactly what the new Faraday Cage provides.
The facility incorporates a new locking system to ensure perfect shielding from any sort of exter- nal interference. Inside are sophisticated tools for testing and an adjustable high voltage reactor which, together with the exciter and the regulator, com- prise the heart of the system.
www.tratos.co.uk
Emergency power contract for Middlesex hospital
POWERTECNIQUE HAS BEEN awarded a £750,000 contract by main M&E contractors Relabond and con- sultants Elementa to supply an emergency power package to the new Women’s and Children’s Centre and Retained Estate at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust.
Powertecnique will supply three fully automated 1.25MVA generators to operate in N+1 configuration in parallel with the mains, a 60,000 litre fuel tank, silencers and attenuation.
Chris Hopkinson of Powertecnique, said, “Our remit is to design, install and provide maintenance for a complete solution, including how the fuel tank is set-up and how the entire system will be connected. We will be factory witness testing the generators which are bespoke manu- factured to meet the exact requirement of this project.
www.powertecnique.com
JULY/AUGUST 2013 Electrical Engineering
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