NEWS Manufacturers urged to digitise product data A
new initiative aims to get manufacturers in the construction industry to take ownership of their product information. A series of articles are being produced and manufacturers are encouraged to join a discussion group to share their views. The project is producing a Plain Language Guide for manufacturers setting out why digital product data is important and how manufacturers can benefit by taking simple low-cost steps. The project is supported by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Construction Products Europe and the UK BIM Alliance.
The risks to manufacturers of analogue methods of handling data are considerable, Patricia Massey of Electrium explains. “The Grenfell tragedy has showed our industry that knowing where your products are is essential to public safety, but it also protects manufacturers.” “The new Building Safety Bill requires building
owners to certify their buildings are safe - and that requires knowing what is in them. We are also seeing increasing instances of construction companies being prosecuted for product related failure. Manufacturers will need to conform to the market need for standardised, traceable
Cooling as a Service encourages new models for sustainable cooling
C
ooling as a Service, an initiative aimed at scaling up clean and efficient cooling, has unveiled the winner of its Cooling as a Service (CaaS) Prize, aimed at stimulating new models for sustainable cooling, in what is set to become a $1.5 trillion market over the next 10 years.
“Inexpensive cooling systems are cheap to buy but come with a plethora of hidden financial and environmental costs: high energy use, frequent breakdowns, and the use of harmful synthetic refrigerants,” said Thomas Motmans, sustainable energy financespecialist of BASE (The Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy), a Swiss not-for-profit foundation and specialised partner of United Nations Environment which is pioneering the CaaS model. “The climate emergency requires us to rethink our approach to cooling from the bottom up, to tackle emissions, cut waste and improve livelihoods – all while keeping costs low for end users. Fortunately, the Cooling as a Service business model is providing a blueprint to do just that, establishing a service-based model for cooling that will transform a massive global market for cooling customers, technology manufacturers and investors.”
Cooling as a Service is a business 8 October 2020
model that makes efficient and high-tech cooling competitive with cheaper, less efficient systems through a pay-per-use model. Users do not purchase equipment, therefore avoiding the upfront costs of expensive modern cooling systems. Instead, users pay a monthly fee, based on the amount of cooling used. This fee includes maintenance, repairs, and running costs – such as electricity and water – reducing the ‘headache’ of ongoing operation and ensuring guaranteed uptime of the cooling system. Because manufacturers maintain ownership of the cooling technology, it is in their interest to provide state-of-the- art, reliable systems that require minimal operation and maintenance. It also makes business sense for manufacturers to provide the most efficient technology because utilities, such as electricity and water, make up 80% of lifetime costs. Kevin Lane, energy analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA) said: “With rising incomes, air-conditioner ownership will skyrocket, especially in the emerging world. Growing electricity demand for this air conditioning is one of the most critical blind spots in today’s energy debate. We need to deploy innovative new solutions to avoid a ‘cooling crunch’ over the next 30 years.”
product information soon, if only to protect their business interests.” John Parsons, director digital, BEAMA, said: “BEAMA welcomes the launch of this series of blogs. Making digital product data available is an increasingly urgent topic and industry needs to understand what to do.’ New International Standards published this year make it possible for information to be provided in a standardised, interoperable way, and the project team believes that a simple process will allow manufacturers to make their products traceable and protect against fraud and incompatible product substitution.
New digital first approach for the BFFF
T
he British Frozen Food Federation has launched a new look website and fresh new logo that signals a renewed, ‘digital first’ approach to membership and engagement.
The rebrand is part of a wider modernisation of the federation, which is a response to changing member needs and priorities and follows extensive consultation. Harry Hinks, digital membership and marketing manager, said: “The way our members work and communicate is rapidly changing and coronavirus has only increased the speed of the digital transformation many of them are going through. “In response, we have created this exciting new platform to support the frozen food industry with high frequency information and multiple methods of communication. The BFFF has gone through a digital revolution over the last three months and we are now at the point where our members can utilise some of the great resources the team has been working so hard to prepare.”
The new website promises information efficiency, communication consistency and high-quality usability. Changes include regular webinars, a digital version of member magazine The Bulletin and a market data library. Kantar, the European Recycling Platform, WRAP and other experts will contribute to this feature, providing up-to-date, contextual industry data for members.
The BFFF logo has also had a major overhaul: its first in more than 20 years. The whole BFFF team was involved in the design process, which took two months to complete. Mr Hinks added: “We wanted to retain the British element of the logo as we are so proud to support this country’s frozen food industry. We’ve gone for tones of blue rather than a single shade to reflect that the federation offers support at every step of the supply chain. “Every aspect of the re-brand and digital-first approach has been
done with one thing in mind; how we can best meet the changing needs of our members, and the frozen food industry as a whole. As we continue to work through these uncertain times we are confident the BFFF will continue to be a valuable source of information and guidance.”
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