News yoKogawa aCQuires rap


Yokogawa has acquired UK-based RAP International - a company specialising in providing digitised solutions that support risk assessment, management of the permit to work (PtW) process, and governance of control of work (CoW) for all plant maintenance activities. Integrating RAP’s electronic risk assessment and PtW software solutions with Yokogawa’s real-time plant condition monitoring will drive safety assurance, reduce turnaround times, and support customers in providing enhanced protection for their people, assets, and the environment. Manufacturing plants rely on scheduled and unscheduled maintenance


activities to keep operating, ranging from daily rounds by field service personnel to the replacement of major pieces of equipment that can require shutdown of the entire plant for days or more. Control of work is the setting in place of a predetermined system for maintenance so that all necessary steps are carried out to prevent accidents and injury to people, damage to equipment, and unwarranted release of materials into the environment. However, in many plants these CoW systems are still paper-based or semi-automated through a combination of bespoke spreadsheets and document management systems, which can contribute to human error during operations. Since 1994, RAP has been developing and implementing software solutions with integrated best practices that let customers digitise their


CoMMenT


Welcome to the October issue of Instrumentation Monthly. Sensors &


Instrumentation Live celebrated its ten year anniversary when it returned to the NEC, Birmingham on 25 and 26 September 2019. The exhibition, co-located with the TCT Show, included a host of new features to celebrate this special year. Find out why the exhibition is described as “massively important to the industry” on page 26. Also in this issue, the Instrumentation Monthly


team recently travelled to Limerick in Ireland to visit Analog Devices HQ. As well as finding out more about the company’s technology, we had a special preview of ADI’s latest product - MeasureWare. Find out more on page 10.


Victoria White, Editor


CoW processes to make their maintenance activities safer, more accurate, and more efficient. RAPnet, its flagship product, is a comprehensive and easy to use electronic CoW system for automating maintenance processes that is built around a large knowledge base incorporating decades of accumulated first- hand knowledge and experience. The digitised off-the-shelf solution includes standard modules for safety risk assessments, PtW management, management of change, interlocks and overrides, and isolation management. The system is complemented by consulting services as well as mobile and cloud-based functionality to fully deliver on the digital ambitions of customers. assuring plant safety and asset integrity.


www.yokogawa.com/uk/


MTC To open new CenTre in LiverpooL’s KnowLedge QuarTer


The Coventry-based MTC is to open a new manufacturing technology centre in Liverpool to support manufacturing growth and innovation in the region. The MTC will be establishing its new facility, with a


staff of more than 60 at Liverpool Science Park, which sits within Knowledge Quarter Liverpool. The MTC has had a presence on the Liverpool


John Moores University (LJMU) campus for the last four years but following a significant expansion of its operations it is moving to a larger facility. Dr Charlie Whitford, associate director for strategic development at the MTC, said: “We are


excited to be expanding our footprint in Liverpool and broadening our services and support for the wider North West, supporting skills, productivity and growth in the region.” He added: “For the past four years we have been located on the LJMU campus. We are looking


forward to continuing our work with Liverpool John Moores, as well as working with the University of Liverpool and other regional stakeholders to help manufacturers in the North West region stay competitive, improve product development and processes, and benefit from new technologies, taking academic research and translating it into innovative manufacturing solutions for industry.” The MTC’s Liverpool team is already working on a wide range of projects and a new laboratory is


planned for the LSP facility. This will allow businesses to test processes in a de-risked environment. www.the-mtc.org


engineers urged To geT invoLved wiTh ToMorrow’s engineers weeK


EngineeringUK and the Royal Academy of Engineering have called on engineers and engineering technicians across the UK to get behind plans for Tomorrow’s Engineers Week (4-8 November 2019, #TEWeek19). Now in its seventh year, Tomorrow’s Engineers


Week provides a unique opportunity for engineers, employers, universities and schools to showcase how engineers working in all sectors are on a mission to make the world a better place. Highlights of the Week include the first This is


Engineering Day on Wednesday 6 November to challenge the public stereotype of the engineer,


Instrumentation Monthly October 2019


a series of films celebrating engineers on a mission to help the nation’s health and well- being, as well as the second Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly. Employers, professional bodies, universities,


schools and individual engineers are invited to get involved to help inspire the next generation of engineers by downloading toolkits of ideas at www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/teweek. Beth Elgood from EngineeringUK, the organisers


of Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, explained: “Whether it’s visiting a school to talk about engineering careers as part of the Big Assembly, staging an event to celebrate what engineers do or supporting Tomorrow’s Engineers Week on social media there are lots of ways to get involved.”


www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/teweek 5


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