Monthly Archives: September 2022
PODCAST – IMPROVING FOOD PRODUCTIVITY WITH HUMIDITY
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Humidity control specialist, Condair, has released a new podcast about how food manufacturers can enhance their productivity by controlling their production area’s humidity.
In a 10-minute interview with BusinessNet Explorer, Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair, explains how paying more attention to a manufacturing or storage area’s ambient humidity, can improve manufacturing yield and profits.
Dave explains, “Accurate humidity management in food and beverage production has many benefits. There are a huge range of applications. Humidification is frequently used to reduce evaporative losses, prevent static issues and extend shelf-life of produce. Dehumidification can be employed to more efficiently dry a product, eliminate condensation, reduce cold storage overheads or prevent products sticking to conveyors.
“As a humidity control specialist, we work with food and beverage manufacturers to identify areas of potential improvement across a production line, and then implement systems to maintain the ideal environment to realise those benefits. For example, we work in the meat sector to reduce evaporative losses from carcasses during primary chilling, with cheese manufacturers to reduce weight losses during cheese ripening, with bakers to optimise proving and oven baking, and distilleries and wine makers to prevent evaporation through casks.”
In this podcast Dave provides an overview of the potential for productivity improvements in a variety of applications and offers advice on how manufacturers might takes steps to start improving their processes. “Properly understanding the environmental profile of an area is key.” Dave continues, “This isn’t just an average temperature and humidity level in a room. It can include the micro-climate directly next to the product and being aware of any temperature differences between product and atmosphere. If a product is cooler than the air, this can lead to condensation, and if it’s warmer than the air, to moisture loss through evaporation.
“Using multiple data loggers is a good idea to properly assess the atmospheric profile of an area. However, for any manufacturer interested in exploring how they might improve profits through improved humidity control, I’d recommend having a free site assessment from their local Condair sales engineer. We offer free on-site reviews and are always happy to talk to food and beverage manufacturers about possible improvements they can make.” Dave concludes.
The podcast is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud and Apple iTunes by searching for “Condair Podcast”, or on the Condair.co.uk website.
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Limited, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
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Bilco UK sets the standard for safety at Glasgow Housing Development
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The 3.75 hectare site, which is situated next to Queen’s Park on the south side of the city, forms an important part of the Battlefield area’s character, with the buildings’ exterior reflecting and complementing the surrounding heritage by using the city’s traditional blonde coloured sandstone.
As part of the construction process, Bilco UK was commissioned to supply six ESW-50REM Smoke Vents, in addition to seven E-50TB Roof Access Hatches, to provide the highest standards of safety and efficiency, whilst being sympathetic to the project’s overall design.
Installed onto the roof areas of four blocks of flats by Scottish contractors, Procladd Small Works Ltd, Bilco UK’s ESW-50REM Smoke Vents were specified to provide essential ventilation in the event of a building fire. Featuring a linear actuator operating mechanism that opens the cover to 140 degrees within 60 seconds, the smoke vents ensure compliance with Building Regulations Approved Document B, BS9999 and EN12101-2.
The built-in wind deflector also provides protection against smoke being blown back into the vent in the event of a fire., whilst the newly-designed closed-cell EPDM sponge gasket helps meet Building Regulation air leakage targets by providing a better seal of the cover to the curb. With the addition of a fixed vertical ladder, the smoke vents can also be used by maintenance engineers for roof access.
Billy Baillie, Managing Director at Procladd Small Works Ltd, said: “We have a longstanding relationship of over 20 years with Bilco UK, and will continue to do so over the forthcoming years, due to their impressive product quality and outstanding service. Bilco UK’s Roof Access Hatches and Smoke Vents were incredibly easy to install, and knowing they’re engineered to meet the highest industry standards, it provided both ourselves and the client with the confidence that the installation would set the standard for performance and longevity.”
Constructed with corrosion-resistant materials, Bilco UK’s E-50TB Roof Access Hatches were also installed to provide engineers with safe, regular and convenient access to the roof to conduct essential maintenance. Engineered with compression spring operators to provide easy one-hand operation, the roof access hatch meets the requirements of Manual Handling Regulations, whilst the automatic hold-open arm locks the cover in the open position to ensure safe egress. The overlapping cover design, fully welded corners and insulated cover also ensure weathertightness and energy efficiency to deliver the highest standards of resilience.
Mark Baird, Sales Operations Manager at Bilco UK, said: “Drawing on our longstanding relationship with Procladd Small Works Ltd, it was fantastic to work together on this project, which has been designed to positively impact the city’s culture. The products installed were manufactured with fire safety and efficiency in mind, delivering assurance of the durability and suitability of the installation for years to come.”
For further information on Bilco UK’s complete range of roof access solutions, visit www.bilcouk.co.uk or call 01284 701696.
