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WITHAM – December 11, 2007 – The new multifunction DIN-rail mounted Crompton Instruments DINtegra 1260 digital metering system from Tyco Electronics’ Energy Division, provides programmable measurement, display and communication of up to 50 major electrical and power quality parameters, including true rms system values.

The new DIN-rail mounted enclosure offers a simple menu-driven user interface on the front panel. The set button enables simple programming, configuration and adjustment of selected communication options. Parameters are displayed on a high contrast, 5-line, 3-digit LED display. Programmable pulsed outputs, digital inputs and RS485 communication port, all as standard, enable direct connection to SCADA systems using the Modbus RTU protocol.

DINtegra 1260 series devices offer uncomplicated measurement of three phase voltage, current, frequency, Watts, VAr, VA, energy kWh, power factor, min/max values and total harmonic distortion.

Designed for all low and medium voltage applications such as switchgear and distribution systems, control panels, utility power monitoring and process control, DINtegra 1260 series devices offer programmable VT and CT ratio capability. Direct connection up to 300Vac L-N (500V L-L) with 5A CT inputs.

Furthermore, DINtegra 1260 digital metering systems offer optional dual pulsed outputs. Each output can be user programmed to represent import or export kWh, import or export kVArh or kVAh. Output pulses can be customised by the user programmable pulse rate divisor (opto isolated, open collector type).

An added feature is digital inputs which can be used to monitor the status of other electrical equipment eg. Thermostats, circuit breakers, water meters, pumps, etc.

Tyco Electronics and TE logo are trademarks.
Crompton is a trademark of Crompton Parkinson Ltd., and used by Tyco Electronics under licence. Other trademarks are a property of respective owners.

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The Board of Directors at P.J. Carey Plant Hire are totally committed to putting safety first and have taken action to deal effectively with the extremely important issue of site safety, particularly in connection with excavator quick couplers.

Following industry wide concern over the safety of semi-automatic couplers, which culminated in the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) securing an agreement with all leading European quick hitch manufacturers not to supply new semi-automatic hitches into the UK market, leading plant hirer P.J. Carey took the decision to replace all their semi-automatic couplers with the fully automatic model from Hill Engineering.

Although the HSE directive did not go so far as to ban the use of semi-automatic couplers, as an industry leader P.J. Carey considered that by adopting a proactive approach, this positive replacement action would safeguard site personnel and actively demonstrate a firm commitment to enhancing safety on all their sites.

Sean O'Donnell, Director of Wembley-based P.J. Carey Plant Hire, said: “As a responsible plant hire company we are completely driven by safety and we were determined to find an effective solution to the semi-automatic quick coupler problem, and therefore made the decision to change all our hydraulic quick couplers to fully automatic models.”

Mr. O'Donnell was given the daunting task of evaluating all the quick coupler products currently available, in order to identify the fully automatic hitch that completely satisfied their safety requirements.

“When faced with this task I focused on identifying a product specification that fully addressed all the specific areas of concern,” said Mr. O'Donnell. “This was a lengthy and detailed process, but one that we considered absolutely essential in order to ensure exactly the right product choice.”

“The product that finally came out on top, and which completely satisfied all the main selection criteria, was the new Hill Auto-Loc 3 fully automatic coupler from Hill Engineering Ltd.”

“In addition to addressing the technical and user issues, Hill Engineering were able to offer a 'new for old' coupler exchange at reasonable cost.”

“Hill also provided full hands on product training covering all aspects of the coupler change-over, including replacement of decals, coupler controls and hydraulic circuits. This ensured that the new coupler installations fully complied with the companys health & safety requirements.”

“All in all I am confident that we have dealt with the serious issue of operator safety in a timely and effective manner and can now concentrate on ensuring we continue to provide our customers with a service that's second to none,” concluded Mr. ODonnell.

One Call Hire Also Endorses Hill Auto-Loc

Another major plant hire customer endorsing the new Hill Auto-Loc 3 quick coupler is Enfield-based One Call Hire. Managing Director, Anthony Fitzpatrick, said “We have been working with Hill Engineering for several years and all our excavators of 13 tonnes and over purchased over the last three years have been fitted with the Auto-Loc coupler.”

“We were so satisfied with the company and the product that we have now committed to changing our complete fleet to the very latest Auto-Loc 3 fully automatic model and last December took advantage of Hill's 'new for old' programme, placing an order for 200 Auto-Loc 3 couplers for machines in our fleet under 13 tonnes,” added Mr. Fitzpatrick.

Hill Engineering Continues To Put Safety First

In 2005 Hill Engineering, acknowledging that safety is paramount in the attachments world, recognised a need to develop a fully automatic, user friendly coupler, with built-in devices designed to prevent accidental release of attachments.

The company's entire R & D budget was immediately directed towards advancing coupler technology and to the establishment of a dedicated coupler testing facility. Following extensive field trials the 'Safety First' Auto-Loc range of quick couplers was introduced in 2006. Since then Hill has continued to refine the Auto-Loc and are confident that the very latest Auto-Loc 3 version is the safest and most reliable coupler of its type on the market today.

Ian Hill, Managing Director of Hill Engineering, said: “We have listened to our customers and incorporated improvements to provide a product that is more operator-friendly and even easier to use.”

Hill Engineering want to play their part in encouraging the industry to make the change from semi-automatic to fully automatic couplers and are offering a 'new for old' programme, whereby existing semi-automatic couplers can be traded in against a new Auto-Loc 3 coupler at reasonable cost. Also included is the provision of hands on product training for appointed trainer/operators and installation training for service fitters.

Hill Engineering remains fully committed to site safety and for the past two years has been involved, along with other coupler manufacturers, in the working groups established by the HSE to define the proposed changes to the EN474 legislation.

“All quick coupler manufacturers and users should recognise a shared responsibility to ensure an altogether safer working environment for all,” commented Ian Hill.

Originally established in 1994, Hill Engineering moved to new £4.5million, 85,000sq.ft, purpose-designed, state-of-the-art premises in 2006, whilst retaining its original nearby factory as a dedicated research & development facility.

Hill also produce a range of heavy duty excavator buckets, enabling them to provide a top quality hitches and buckets package for its customers throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as internationally across Europe and the USA.

All Hill products are ISO 9001 and CE accredited and as a customer focused organisation with a flexible approach they can tailor equipment to meet individual customer requirements.

Hill Engineering Managing Director, Ian Hill, concluded: “We constantly strive to design and manufacture top quality products to the highest possible world-class standards, with safety always an over-riding consideration.”

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A brand new European and US partnership brings The Bollard People and The Bollard Guys together as ATG Access and Calpipe Security Bollards announce the signing of an exclusive manufacturing license agreement.

ATG Access security bollards are world famous for the quality of manufacture, reliability, maintenance and after sales support. The US marketplace has tremendous potential for the continued growth of the ATG Access range of products, this agreement is also a massive step towards providing the US marketplace with the quality of product and after care they deserve.

CEO of Calpipe, Dan Markus said “This Licence deal provides great benefits to both companies, the potential marketplace in the US is huge and the signing of this agreement gives ATG Access the US manufacturing partner they sought to further their international expansion”.

The ATG Access/Calpipe partnership will manufacture a full range of bollards providing solutions at every level of security and traffic management.

Traffic management solutions are accredited at the very highest level and are widely used in Europe and throughout Asia to allow temporary secure access or to close off an area to all but authorised (tagged) vehicles.

The anti terrorist range provides a benchmark for the rest of the industry, armed with PAS68 and Department of State K rated products at the highest level the SP bollards provide the ultimate protection against terrorist attack.

Unique Shallow mount technology will allow the installation of a K4 rated bollard in a foundation of just 4 inches.

Glenn Cooper, President of ATG Access added “This Licensed manufacturing deal brings together our cutting edge technology and engineering innovation with Calpipes obvious great position in the US marketplace, we are truly excited by the opportunity to provide the US with the product and service they have been looking for”.

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Daikin Europe has extended its Altherma heat pump heating and domestic hot water system with a new ‘Monobloc’ version, which retains all the existing system advantages whilst simplifying installation.

Whereas the original Altherma system comprised an outdoor heat pump and an indoor ‘hydro’ unit, the new Monobloc model contains both within the outdoor unit. Thus, all the main hydraulic components required for a heating system – circulating pump, expansion vessel, back up heater and built in Daikin controller – are located within the same enclosure. Installation is therefore considerably simplified without compromising the benefits of the original system.

Only water piping needed

Since the entire refrigeration circuit is contained in the outdoor unit, no refrigerant piping need be installed, obviating the requirement for specialist handling of refrigerant and enabling the new system to be installed by any heating specialist. Installation time is thereby, reduced and installation costs are lowered right across the board.

A number of additional features are incorporated to ensure against freezing of the water circuit in the outdoor unit. This is accomplished by activating the system circulating pump and electric back up heater when outdoor temperatures are at or below freezing point. The electric back up heater can also provide extra heat to the water circuit, ensuring adequate indoor temperatures, even on the coldest winter days without increasing system size.

Original Altherma benefits retained

The Monobloc Altherma retains all the plus features of the standard system. Energy efficiency for example, is extremely high with up to 5kW of heating output for every 1kW of electric input (COP of around 5.0). The system is ideally suited for integration with under floor heating and LTHW radiators and can be configured for cooling as well as heating by the addition of fan coil units. It also supports the full range of modern domestic hot water boilers and can be interfaced with third party solar panels for increased efficiency in domestic hot water production.

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Building upon the success of the Ecosure range, the experts at Dulux Trade have launched its ‘eco paint’ in an exciting new finish, Ecosure Quick Drying Eggshell, to offer appliers and specifiers a product that delivers the sustainability credentials of Ecosure and the performance benefits expected from Dulux Trade in an attractive mid-sheen product.

This new addition to the Ecosure range ensures that neither specifiers nor appliers need to compromise on performance, colour or finish choice when specifying more sustainable decorating products from Dulux Trade. Available from April 2009, in Pure Brilliant White and over 10,000 colours, Ecosure Quick Drying Eggshell boasts high opacity and great durability, which means that fewer coats are needed to achieve the desired colour density and maintenance cycles can be extended.

The sustainability credentials of Ecosure Quick Drying Eggshell were measured during development using the Environmental Impact Analyser, a cradle to factory gate analytical tool produced in conjunction with leading sustainability charity Forum for the Future. The results confirmed that Ecosure Quick Drying Eggshell contains low embodied carbon – 10 per cent less than standard water-based eggshell paints – and minimal Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Like the other products in the Ecosure range, this new addition is packaged in cans manufactured with a minimum of 25% recycled materials and builds upon the work Dulux Trade undertook with Forum for the Future during the groundbreaking development of Ecosure.

The latest addition to the Ecosure range represents a genuine ‘Step Towards Greener’ and reinforces the commitments made by Dulux Trade to increase sustainability whilst maintaining the highest standards of performance.

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State of the art fan coil units manufactured by Ability Projects Ltd, Wimborne, Dorset, are installed in the new landmark Watermark Place Thames side complex close to Cannon Street Station on a site defined by its maritime heritage.

The prestigious and highly specified commercial development, situated in an enviable open river side area, offers 540,000 ft2 of flexible Grade A office accommodation and retail space in a key area of the City. Comprising a group of lower elevation buildings facing the river with taller 12 storey blocks to the rear, this imaginative scheme is being developed by Watermark Place Oxford One Investments Ltd and UBS Global asset Management. The complex has been specially designed to achieve a low carbon footprint and is expected to be awarded an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating.

Air conditioning for the development comprises almost 1,000 Trojan EVO270 4 and 2 pipe EC/DC horizontal chassis type fan coil systems, supplied via centralised chillled and LPHW systems – capacities for the fan coils are 1.7 to 4.0kW (cooling) and 1.0 to 1.6kW (heating).

Trojan EVO EC/.DC fan coil units offer a reduction in electrical consumption of up to 89%, infinite speed control, minimal motor heat generation and about double the operational life expectancy of comparable AC driven units. All units at Watermark Place have been subjected to exhaustive thermal and acoustic testing at Ability’s purpose built in house test centre to meet an operating sound requirement of NR33 at 30 Pascals resistance.

Units are also fitted with extended condensate trays and valve commissioning caps and supplied with ‘free issue’ Honeywell controllers and Frese Optima self balancing and fully modulating valve sets, handed and angled towards the rear of the unit and complete with removable support and cover. The valve sets also incorporate test points.

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In anticipation of the 17th Edition Wiring Regulations, Megger is hosting 50 free seminars around the country to unravel the mysteries surrounding testing in accordance to the new requirements.

Electricians are often confused by new regulations and how they are affected. To aid understanding of the imminent 17th Edition of the IEEE Wiring Regulations, Megger, in collaboration with the National Association for Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT), have organised 50 free seminars around the country. The evening is aimed at helping local electricians understand the range of test certificates required for domestic electrical installations.

The new regulations look rather different from the present edition, and they contain a lot of new requirements with regard to installation practice. NAPIT will explain what these mean for test and inspection. Megger will also be on hand to discuss the benefits of easy to use software that enables on-site completion of test certificates. Megger will also examine the latest range of contractor testers, including insulation, continuity, loop and RCD testers, as well as the latest in multifunction testers. Between them, these instruments cover day-to-day contractor needs, as well as addressing the requirements by the 17th Edition.

The events, which are open to all local electricians, will take place at various locations around the UK up until March 2008. To find out where and when your local event is being held, visit www.megger.com/uk/events.

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The BBA’s Website www.bbacerts.co.uk is one of the industry’s busiest, with over 50,000 visitors each month spending several minutes finding information on Agrément Certificates, including downloading full text versions, as well as details of other BBA services, such as approved installers, testing and of course the What’s New page.

The site has been unchanged for several years now and the world of the web demands frequent refreshing of the look of websites, as well as their functionality as advancements in IT allow greater flexibility.

The new site has changed in both appearance and operation, with a more up-to-date look and an up-front Search facility on the home page. The Search facility was the most-often used part of the old site and the new site means users can get straight to it – one less click of the mouse. Searches can be made in listings of Agrément Certificates and Approved Installers. In the Certificates area, searches can be made by Agrément Certificate number, company name or Product Sheet Number (this is a new search field allowing individual Product Sheets under the same Certificate number to be found).

Searches can also be made by keyword. This is like searching in one of the commercial search engines such as Google or Yahoo. A word is keyed in and all Agrément Certificates featuring that word in their title or summary will be shown, with the option of downloading the full text PDF versions.

A Search Tips option gives a list of keywords that will definitely find relevant Agrément Certificates. On the installer’s side, the Search focuses on Cavity Wall Insulation but unlike the old website you can search on a Postcode Search as well as the Company Name or Installer Number.

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Improved Sanitaryware

Striving for continual product development ECO-Logic UK now offers an outstanding range of WC and basin designs for secure environments manufactured from a new production unit.

The anti-ligature WC has integral seating, improved blockage prevention and offers a 4 litre flush format for substantial water savings. A WC pan for the less able is also available for secure areas. The seat is 80mm higher than the standard fitting to conform with disability standards.

The ECO-Logic range is set to grow and already includes a secure bathroom shelf and mirror manufactured in high security polymer.

Sports Halls, Schools and Colleges Save Water

Alongside a commitment to secure and healthcare markets, ECO-Logic UK is now focusing on secure water efficiency for education and sports installations. A new products and applications portfolio, published in September 2008, has already received a great response. The range includes robust shower and basin products, secure sanitaryware and safe temperature controls.

Furthermore, ECO-Logic electronic lockout and shutdown controllers are ideal for isolating water supplies to specific areas of the building when not in use, meeting BREEAM requirements. Significantly, the sensors are easy-to-use by all ages and enable unique solutions for the less able.touh point eco-logic uk

New ECO Pipetank 250

The success of ECO Pipetanks for WC flushing is due to their ability to conceal the water storage and flush up to two toilets from one tank. In response to demands for increased capacity units, a new Pipetank design was launched at the Healthcare Estates Exhibition last year.

The new ECO Pipetank 250 can flush up to three WCs and includes an integral overflow pipe. The unit can accommodate one or two inlet float valves, meeting demands for rapid repeat flushing in stadiums, sports complexes and exhibition centres. The 250 Range also includes a smaller 700mm high unit which is ideal for single flush installations. The ECO Pipetank 250 is shown here with two float valves and the new ECO 35P Solenoid Valve.

Improved Trans Sense

A new manufacturing facility accompanies an improved Trans Sense design. The sensor is ideal for close proximity ‘Non Touch’ or ‘One Touch’ operation where heavy use requires secure fixings.

This unique sensor is concealed behind the finished wall surface. The sensor area can be identified to the user by a graphic, coloured tile, engraving or even Braille. These developments run alongside the introduction of our Trans Sense Blockage Alert systems for WC and urinal waste pipes. The improved sensors have an enhanced reactive field for ‘Non Touch’ operation in demanding areas. The basin sensor targets can be installed into the new Secure Sanitaryware.

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CHALLENGED with getting better value from tight budgets and reducing road maintenance costs, local and national highways engineers are turning to asphalt reinforcement technology from Tensar International.

A new Tensar brochure, Asphalt Pavements – reinforcing asphalt layers in roads and trafficked areas, details how the range of Tensar solutions can both significantly reduce construction costs over traditional methods and increase road service life, for improved total life-cycle costs even with heavy traffic loading.

Tensar asphalt reinforcement has been shown to address structural problems such as fatigue cracking and reflective cracking. In addition, the solutions can provide excellent rutting resistance and mitigation of cracking due to differential settlement, for example in road widening projects. Tensar have been involved with asphalt reinforcement solutions for more than 25 years but recently their range of products and experienced UK installers have been significantly expanded.

The new brochure deals in detail with the decision process for selecting the appropriate Tensar asphalt reinforcement system for control of reflective cracking, improved fatigue resistance or reduced rutting. The products are easy to install, and their advantages have been demonstrated on major and local roads in the UK as well as internationally in a wide range of climates.

In addition, Tensar’s ground stabilisation solutions, including the award-winning TriAx™ geogrid, have been used to improve the bearing properties of road foundations by mechanically stabilising the granular base layers. TriAx™ also reduces the amount of aggregate required for the subgrade, providing excellent sustainability benefits and cost reductions for road construction projects.

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