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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.
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NEW SOUTH EAST AREA SALES MANAGER AT CONDAIR
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Darren comments, “I am very happy to have taken on the area sales manager position, across both humidifiers and dehumidifiers, and am now responsible for much of the south east of England, from Kent to Suffolk, including East London. I’m looking forward to getting to know our customers in these regions, and helping them improve their productivity and working environments through enhanced humidity control. It will also be great to be back in front of clients, providing CPD training, either in-house or online.”
David Marshall-George, UK Sales Director at Condair, comments, “It’s great to have Darren join our UK sales team. He is very experienced in all aspects of humidification, and brings with him superb application knowledge from his service-related sales work at Condair.”
Condair Ltd has comprehensive sales coverage across the country with seven sales managers covering all of the UK and Ireland.
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 Ltd, 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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CONDAIR HELPS HARRIER’S PRINT RUN SMOOTHLY
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Harrier Group, a leading UK digital printing firm, has invested in four Condair RS restive steam humidifiers to maintain the perfect production environment in its newly-designed, high-tech print room.
The Condair RS humidifiers were specified by the contractor, Brothwell Irvine, who were commissioned to develop a new state-of-the-art inkjet print room at Harrier’s Newton Abbot site in Devon. Accurate humidity control maintains the integrity of the paper being used. If the atmosphere is too dry, paper can develop tight edges and curl at the corners, whilst too much moisture in the air can cause paper to become wavy as it absorbs water. Any dimensional change can result in print issues, as the machines run at such high speed. This is especially critical as the inkjet printer at Harrier’s Newton Abbot site is running at high volumes 24-hours a day.
Harrier’s Health, Safety and Facilities Manager, Jeremy Rawley, says the units installed in the new room are maintaining the vital humidity levels required of between 40% and 60%. He also points out that speed of delivery and local after-sales service were key factors in choosing Condair, which he describes as a world leader in that type of equipment.
He says: “We already knew the company, as we have a couple of their units in other print rooms. The quality of their equipment is right up there. Paper is susceptible to changes in environmental conditions so humidity is really important. Their service is second to none as well. We work to tough deadlines and one of the key things for us is that Condair could supply the equipment quickly within the required timescale. Having a local service engineer on call to maintain them in tip-top condition is important for us too.”
Paper is a hygroscopic material that adapts to reach a condition of equilibrium with the humidity conditions of the surrounding environment. Any changes in the paper‘s internal moisture content will cause dimensional variations and a loss of flatness. The Condair RS humidifiers monitor the room’s humidity level and provide steam directly to the atmosphere whenever needed. Each humidifier installed at Harrier is capable of delivering up to 8kg/h of steam from its integrated fan unit. Having multiple units installed in the large print room ensures very accurate humidity control, consistently across the complete area.
Harrier has printed photos from its Newton Abbot site for over 30 years and evolved from the UK’s biggest direct-to-consumer photo processing brand, Truprint. The company now prints photos for many of the UK’s most recognised high street stores and app-based printing services, delivering over ¾ billion photos per year.
Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair, adds: “Humidity must be controlled in the printing industry for the best quality results. The Condair RS is a popular choice for digital print rooms, as it offers very accurate humidity control and has an innovative scale management system. When scale forms on the heating elements, as it will do in any steam humidifier, it breaks off and falls into a scale collector tank located at the bottom of the unit. This tank can be easily emptied, enabling the scale to be removed from the system, without the need for professional servicing.”
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidification, dehumidification and evaporative cooling, with technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. The company 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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GALLERY OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD
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The new, permanent, exhibition space is a result of the renovation and joining together of two beautiful Victorian galleries located in the ‘White Wing’ area of the Museum. The galleries had been closed for several years as they were in need of renovation.
The Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World displays magnificent works of art alongside everyday objects. The aim is to enable the visitor to explore the cultural significance, breadth and impact of the Islamic world in a creative and exciting way. Audio-visuals and specialist lighting bring the culture of the Islamic world to life.
The roof of the White Wing was originally laid in lead but was later replaced with copper in the 1960s. As part of the refurbishment of the two galleries, it was decided to return the roof to its original lead design. The roof timbers and boarding were overhauled, and forty-five tonnes of new lead added.
Ladder access was required to the roof void area to allow for routine maintenance activities. Bilco UK’s SS-50TB Ladder Access Roof Hatches were specified by the architects, HoK. The installation was managed by the Principle Contractor, Coniston Limited, who have a reputation for delivering heritage and conservation projects and a long history of working with the British Museum.
The SS-50TB Roof Hatches were made to order as they were required in a larger non-standard size, 1215mm x 915mm, than the standard stock sizes. The hatches were also manufactured with a PPC finish to blend in with the new roof.
The SS-50TB is engineered with compression spring operators to provide smooth, easy, one-hand operation, regardless of the size of the hatch. An automatic hold-open arm locks the cover in the open position to ensure safe egress and a grip handle allows for easy, one-hand release and closing. This one-hand operation of the SS-50TB, to a fully open or closed position, enables the ladder user to maintain three points of contact at all times.
The SS-50TB is the perfect solution for projects where regular roof access is required and safety is paramount. The roof hatch meets all the requirements of the Manual Handling Operating Regulations (MHOR) 1992.
The Ladder Access Roof Hatches are fitted with a closed-cell EPDM sponge gasket, as standard, to help ensure weather tightness, energy efficiency and to meet Building Regulation Air Leakage targets. The specially designed gasket provides a better seal of the cover to the curb. This ensures the hatches have a Class 1 rating under BS EN 12207:200 and meet the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations.
A thermally broken cover and frame design provide superior thermal performance. The design of hinges and other features ensures that the hatches are resistant to the effects of ageing and weather in exposed locations – a necessity for a large roof area in Central London!
If you would like to find out more about safe and easy access to roof areas for your next project please call Bilco UK on 01284 701696 or email bilcouk@bilco.com
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SFA Group supports World Water Day
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To commemorate World Water Day on 22 March, Saniflo UK’s parent company, SFA with headquarters in France, is supporting the supply of clean drinking water to families in The Philippines.
Thanks to the support from SFA Group, two families from Laguna now have clean drinking water and electricity for the first time. The project is part of SFA Group recent AquaHome developments in The Philippines.
The lucky recipients are Mr. Jose Estojero & Mrs. Mallen Uson and Mr. Aurelio o. Dino and Mrs. Edna T. Dino who live in Siteo Happy Valley on the Laguna AquaHome development.
Saniflo UK Head of Marketing and Product Management, Ann Boardman, says: “We take clean drinking water and electricity for granted, but for some people it’s an unknown luxury. Now, thanks to the support of the SFA Group, two families’ lives just became easier and more comfortable.”
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PODCAST: LOW HUMIDITY’S IMPACT ON HEALTH
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The need for increased ventilation to improve indoor air quality has been much discussed in the media but humidity’s impact on the health of building occupants is much less understood. In this 10-minute interview, Dave gives a summary of the main effects low humidity has on the transmission of viruses, such as the flu and COVID, what we can do about it and the practicalities of improving indoor humidity levels on a nationwide scale.
Dave comments, “The invisibility of humidity to our senses has led to a lack of general understanding about the role it plays in maintaining a healthy indoor environment. We can’t see it. We can’t feel it. But low indoor humidity is a significant factor in the rise and fall of seasonal respiratory illness every winter. There is, however, something we can do about this. In this short podcast, I try to clearly explain the importance indoor humidity has on mitigating the spread of airborne viruses and how we can better manage our indoor humidity for the health of the nation.”
The podcast is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud and Apple iTunes by searching for “Condair Podcast”, or on the Condair.co.uk website.
Condair Group is the global leader in humidification, dehumidification and evaporative cooling. The company has production sites in Europe, North America and China, its own sales and service organizations in 22 countries, and representatives in 50 further locations worldwide. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, 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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Quiet fans from Vortice
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She explains that there are also other new products in development where quiet running noise is part of the design brief. The worst case scenario would be where the householder or commercial premises turns off a ventilation fan because it is too noisy, causing poor indoor air quality as a result.
Marketing Manager Jennifer Quinn said: “Noise itself is considered a pollutant and having noisy fans in occupied areas can lead to increased stress and disturbed concentration levels. VORTICE is passionate about aiding people’s health and wellbeing and decreasing noise is a great way to create a harmonious environment.”
Visit the Vortice website to find out more about its range of quiet fans www.vortice.ltd.uk
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Below Ground Drainage – it’s all about added value!
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ESi provides heating controls for tallest city centre residential development in Second City
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The new leader of the pack in the heating controls sector here in the UK – ESi – has seen its controls specified for a landmark development in the centre of Birmingham.
When City councillors in Birmingham gave permission to developer Moda Living and Glenn Howells Architects to execute their joint vision of a 132-metre skyscraper, which would become the tallest residential building in the city they continued a trend that has seen Birmingham take the lead in developing living spaces close to the city centre. The 42-storey 2one2 Broad Street features a slim rectangular profile thrusting out of a three-storey podium set to house 3,251 square metres of retail space. It’s built on the site of the old Tramps Night Club, close to Brindley Place.
The 481-unit apartment tower, with apartments for rental only, will include a 200-metre outdoor running track on the podium roof, the first of its kind for a residential building in the United Kingdom. Nearly 3,000 square metres of communal and amenity space will be provided within the skyscraper, including a residents’ lounge, dining club area, and wellness zone. The building’s elevators will be tech-savvy, with smart elevators controlled by an app on residents’ phones.
An exterior of floor-to-ceiling windows is interlaced with an enveloping bronze veil that emphasizes the verticality of the project. Inside, units will be split into 30 studios, 163 one-bedrooms, 260 two-bedrooms and 28 three-bedroom layouts. Main contractor for the scheme is John Sisk & Son of Birmingham and M&E Consultant responsible for installation of the heating controls is Imtech Engineering Services.
481 of ESi’s ESRTP4 wired programmable room thermostats adorn the walls of these exciting new apartments. The ESRTP4 is an easy to install-and-use 7 day, 5/2 or 24hr programmable room thermostat which offers up to six time and temperature changes each day with different programmes for weekdays and weekends. The ESRTP4 has all the energy savings features such as TPI, Delayed Start and Optimum Stop and the all-important Landlord Service Interval.
Battery powered for ease of installation, the ESRTP4 has a large, easy-to-read blue backlit LCD display. It is easy to programme and operate because of the built-in programme options that the user can easily change to suit individual heating requirements. It incorporates a real time clock and calendar function which automatically changes between BST/GMT time changes. Time and date are factory-set making time setting or adjustment unnecessary. These room thermostats are OpenTherm compatible.
Daniel Jenkins is ESi’s National Specification Manager: “We’re delighted that our controls have been specified for this prestigious project – the tallest residential building in Birmingham. As ESi Controls further expands into the specification market, we’ve opened our extensive range of competitively priced, reliable and simple heating controls to new projects and clients. Our excellent controls, paired with our dedicated specification team ensure that ESi Controls is the ideal company to provide a comprehensive solution to any residential heating control requirement. We are always eager to discuss our controls and prove our suitability to any residential development.”
ESi became a part of the Swedish Addtech Group earlier in the year and has seen major growth in the business over the past twelve months with the tripling of the size of its head office and warehouse in Buckingham, an increase in the size of its sales force and the addition of major new business wins such as this one. You can find out more about ESi and its extensive product range by heading for www.esicontrols.co.uk.
