The bulk containers may be stationary - with a tanker replenishing the lubricant, or the container may be portable (IBC Containers) - delivered, hooked up, used and then removed for refill.


If a suitable roofing structure cannot be provided, containers should be designed to avoid water settling on the tops of the containers; preferably, these should be designed with domed tops. In addition, containers may need quality desiccant breathers to avoid dust and moisture ingression. Sight glasses or level gauges will help technicians know when to reorder lubricants. Sampling points on tanks allow analysis to be performed at regular intervals to ensure quality of the stored lubricant. Provisions should be made for cleaning the containers at regular intervals.


Transfer system precleans the oil.


The area will require adequate drainage for catching spillage or leakage, and environmental concerns must be considered. Ideally, the pumping station and dispensing points should include filtration units to ensure clean delivery of the oil to the system, and may include flow meters for the management of lubricant consumption in each area.


Lubrication technicians and the Digital Age


Many organisations now operate sophisticated data management systems to which the oil store should be linked. Whether it is the issuing of daily work orders, or the logging of top-up volumes for each system, or the stock and inventory control of the lubricants, there is a definite need for the oil store to link to the network. While the location of a computer may not be essential in the oil store, the use of handheld units (PDAs) would assist the lubrication technician in synchronizing data between the unit and the network.


In Summary Obviously, not all of the information presented here is relevant to all


operations, but health and safety issues are important wherever oil is handled. It is important to work with the company’s environmental, health and safety personnel to ensure compliance with relevant policies. In fact, part of the measurable benefits of maintaining the optimum oil store is the reduction of lubricant consumption and leakage, so it is important to involve these departments in gaining their support. Above all, apart from the issue of Health & Safety, and the environment, the other big benefit to upgrading storage areas is the improvement in reliability, whether through minimised handling errors, or just supplying the machines with cleaner oil.


Author: Martin Williamson


Noria UK Limited, P O Box 3156, Chester, Cheshire, CH4 7WE, Tel: 01244 659381 Fax: 01244 679482


email: mwilliamson@noria.co.uk web site: www.noria.com


About the Author:


Martin Williamson is a graduate Mechanical Engineer and has managed an oil analysis programme in a mining environment, more latterly supported oil analysis products in a wide variety of industries, and is currently


managing Noria UK Limited, based in Chester. Noria Corp, the parent company, based in Tulsa, OK is an independent body of experts in all matters lubrication. Noria provides training and consultation globally through their offices in the US, Canada and the UK and Middle East, and through their partners in over ten countries. Noria publishes two journals bi-monthly; Practicing Oil Analysis and Machinery Lubrication, and these are available free on subscription.


Their web-site at www.practicingoilanalysis.com is one of the most comprehensive sites for independent lubricant information.


UK REGULATIONS TO CHANGE THE WAY CARGO INSURANCE IS PURCHASED


From 14th January 2005 a substantial change in the way the general insurance industry is regulated will have far reaching effects - even on exporters.


Background


European legislation, particularly the Insurance Mediation Directive has been introduced with the aim of creating a single market in insurance across Europe.


In December 2001, the UK government had already announced it was making the Financial Services Authority (FSA) responsible for regulating the selling and administration of general insurance in the United Kingdom and it is the FSA’s mandate to impose the regulation determined by European legislation.


One of the profound effects of this new regulatory environment is that if a firm is in any way involved in the arrangement of insurance for the benefit of its customers, it will become mandatory for that firm to be regulated by FSA in some form. This has obvious benefits in


NO. 37 • DECEMBER 2004


ensuring the professionalism of insurers and intermediaries but for the first time it extends the arm of regulation to what has been termed secondary intermediaries.


Impact on Exporters


Secondary intermediaries are firms whose core business is not the sale of insurance but who nevertheless are involved in insurance mediation activities as some form of additional or ancillary service. The range of secondary intermediaries is large and covers many industry sectors including international transit where the role of the freight forwarder in the arrangement of insurance has been under the spotlight.


It is customary for a freight forwarder, as part of the service they provide, to offer their exporting customers cargo insurance to cover the risks of damage and loss to cargo they are arranging the transport for. Traditionally the freight forwarder arranged an open cover insurance with their own insurance provider against which they would submit regular declarations based on the insurance they had


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