Category Archives: Construction
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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Find out how the Install Plus Frame Levelling System helps to eliminate the issues faced when installing carriageway access covers and gratings
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The Install Plus Frame Levelling System is engineered to help eliminate the issues faced when installing carriageway access cover and gratings. There are a number of key elements that combine and are key in guaranteeing the durability and long term performance of the installation. Find out more by watching this short video:
We lead markets in the supply of:
- Ductile iron water and sewer pipes, fittings, valves & couplings & adaptors
- Ductile iron access covers & gratings made in our foundry in Melton Mowbray
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NEW HR MANAGER AT CONDAIR
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Humidity control specialist, Condair, has appointed Louise Kelly as its new HR Manager. Louise brings a wealth of experience to Condair having previously worked in HR roles at The Body Shop, Catalina Re and The Hartford.
Tony Fleming, Head of Sales Cluster Northern Europe at Condair, commented, “As an organisation, Condair has always been very focused on supporting and developing its team, and providing a happy and fulfilling place to work. It’s because of this that I am so delighted to welcome Louise on-board. Having worked with such progressive companies before, we feel very lucky to have her join Condair.”
Louise commented, “I’m greatly looking forward to getting to know the people at Condair and continuing to support and develop a working environment that is collaborative, challenging, motivating and rewarding for all of our employees. With more than half of our employees having been at the company for at least 10 years, it’s evident that Condair greatly values the importance of investing in and developing people. This talent and experience really shines through in the expertise and services the company provides”.
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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Trio of appointments at Saniflo
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Saniflo is delighted to announce the appointment of three new members of the sales team who will be managing independent and national merchant customers for the full range of pumps, macerators and lifting stations in the Saniflo portfolio.
For more information and technical details, please visit www.saniflo.co.uk
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Profab Access sets the standard for specification at Sixty London Wall
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Located within the epicentre of central London, Sixty London Wall delivers high quality Grade A office accommodation combined with superior retail opportunities, all housed within a visually striking contemporary development that stands apart from neighbouring buildings.
Delivering 325,000 sq. ft of premium office space over 10 floors, the extensively renovated property offers collaborative working areas, bolstered by first class end of journey facilities for commuters, including 380 cycle spaces and lockers and 38 showers and changing rooms.
As part of the construction process, almost 500 Profab Access high quality riser doors and access panels have been installed throughout the entire building by specialist carpentry, joinery and fit-out contractors, JJ Sweeney.
Specified in a range of sizes and configurations for installation throughout the communal areas and washrooms on every floor, Profab Access’ robust and resilient INTEGRA 4000 Series and VISION 8000 Series fire-rated Riser Doors provide concealed access to mechanical and electrical services.
The steel riser doors offer the ability to seamlessly integrate into masonry walls, shaft walls and drywall partitions, providing the highest standards in functionality and safety, whilst simultaneously enhancing the overall interior aesthetic.
The construction of the new mixed-used development, which was managed by Skanska, spans 1.25 acres, offering 30% more floor accommodation than the previous structure, with all internal walls removed and a new atrium constructed through the centre of the building. Five standout walkable sky gardens that span 21,089 sq. ft also take pride of place across the building’s exterior, offering unobstructed views of the capital’s most iconic landmarks.
Due to the prime city centre location of the development, it was essential Sixty London Wall offered professionals the highest quality end of journey facilities, with dedicated ground floor showering and changing facilities, combined with washrooms on every floor.
Profab Access’ VISION 8000 Series Riser Doors were specified for installation throughout each of these areas due to their unique construction providing complete design freedom, offering the ability for bespoke facades to be created to complement the chosen interior design scheme.
During the fit out process, the facade of each of the VISION 8000 Series Riser Doors were clad in the same ceramic tiles as those on the surrounding walls, successfully disguising each panel to create a flawless, concealed, high quality finish that supported, rather than impacted, on the chosen visual style.
Whilst aesthetics was a leading consideration throughout the specification process, the fire performance and functionality of the riser doors were also important factors. Regardless of the stone material installed onto the facade of the VISION 8000 Series, it will still retain its impressive fire safety standards, providing the highest standards in compliance and performance.
Third party tested by Warrington Fire, Profab Access’ VISION 8000 Series and INTEGRA 4000 Series Riser Doors are CERTIFIRE accredited up to two hours, whilst also being smoke sealed and Air tight to Part L. Both ranges also offer superior acoustic benefits, with the INTEGRA 4000 Series rated to 35dB and the VISION 8000 Series rated to 33dB.
This means in the event of a fire, the riser doors will maintain their frame and integrity for up to two hours, limiting the spread of fire and transmission of radiant heat for this period of time. The doors are also equipped with an intumescent smoke seal, which enables occupants to safely exit, whilst also minimising potential damage to the rest of the building.
Paul Wines, Project Manager at JJ Sweeney, said: “We have been specifying Profab Access’ extensive portfolio of access solutions for over 10 years, so we had complete confidence they would be the ideal manufacturer for such a high profile project.
“Installation of the riser doors and access panels took over eight months to complete, with myself and the JJ Sweeney team overseeing every aspect of the process. The end result is a high quality, aesthetically discreet finish that will offer the highest standards in performance for the entire life cycle of the building.”
Profab Access’ PRIMA 1000 Series Ceiling Access Panels were also installed throughout the building to provide secure access to overhead services. Featuring a unique pivot device for easy door removal and a push lock mechanism for enhanced usability, the access panels are constructed to offer contractors first class functionality, without impacting on the chosen interior design scheme.
Marcus Parnham, Commercial Director at Profab Access, said: “Our partnership with JJ Sweeney throughout this redevelopment project perfectly demonstrates the versatility and durability of our extensive range of riser doors and access panels.
“Sixty London Wall offers the very highest standards in contemporary office accommodation for the capital’s professionals, with our portfolio of access solutions facilitating the continuous maintenance of the building in an unobtrusive and effective way.”
Achieving an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM standard upon completion, the redevelopment of the building sets the standard for high quality sustainable office accommodation.
For further information on Profab Access and its range of access panels, riser doors and steel doors, call +44(0)1827 719051 or visit https://www.profabaccess.com
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Crittall windows – I’ll drink to that!
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A Cornish brewery has moved into renovated premises that give visitors a whole new experience of watching the creation of their favourite beers with Crittall Windows playing a crucial role in the new concept.
Verdant Brewery took over a rundown warehouse on a Penryn industrial estate and, in addition to installing the brewing vats, created 400 sq. metres for staff offices and a space for public use, dubbed the Taproom.
The new interior was created around a steel-framed installation with Crittall Corporate W20 windows providing a light and contemporary area where visitors can have a beer and something to eat while enjoying views through to the working brewery, a paramount consideration of the client.
In addition, The Taproom provides a mezzanine balcony overlooking an area that can also be used for entertainment from a DJ or with live music. The design was produced by locally-based architects Zelah Studio.
Said architect James Collins; “We used the W20 system as it allowed great flexibility and a quality industrial look that the client wanted. Large expanses of the glazing allowed us to create views of the brewery from all spaces.”
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Weatherite Cool With Condair ME
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The Condair ME evaporative humidifier is helping Weatherite reduce cooling system energy consumption for its data centre and telecoms clients by up to 80%. Condair’s evaporative humidifier is providing adiabatic cooling in Weatherite’s innovative Adtec-D free air cooling unit. The Condair ME boosts the cooling capacity of the system, allowing the Adtec-D to fully replace the need for mechanical cooling in some applications.
The Adtec-D is a self-contained, modular cooling system that can be located either inside or outside of a building. In data hall or telecom environments, for most of the year it operates in free air cooling mode and uses the outside air alone to cool the internal environment. However, when the outside temperature rises to around 20°C, the Adtec-D switches to adiabatic cooling mode. The incoming air is then passed through the Condair ME, which evaporates water into the fresh air stream, cooling it by up to a further 12°C.
By combining free air and evaporative cooling, Weatherite’s Adtec-D has recently been able to fully replace DX mechanical cooling across more than 800 switchgear rooms for a leading UK telecoms provider. A total of around 1,500 Adtec-D units have been deployed in the project to date. A single legacy 30kW DX and free air cooling unit was consuming around 71,000kWh annually to maintain the required internal temperature, operating 24/7. The replacement 30kW Adtec-D cooling unit consumes just 14,000kWh to meet the same annual cooling load. This resulted in an 80% energy saving for the client, which is a significant 83.3MWh annual saving in electricity across the UK-wide retrofit project.
Andy Lewis, Technical Manager at Weatherite commented, “The Adtec-D is an ideal retrofit solution for telco or DC clients who wish to take advantage of free air cooling rather than continuing to operate DX chillers. Available in modules that can provide from 15 to 80kW of sensible cooling, the Adtec-D will typically operate with an energy efficiency ratio greater than 15, even at peak outputs. The evaporative cooling technology, supplied by Condair, ensures the Adtec-D can maintain the allowable ASHRAE conditions, even during the warmer months in a European climate without the reliance on F-gas refrigerants.”
“Weatherite only uses the highest quality components in its HVAC solutions, and this includes Condair’s evaporative humidifier. It certainly delivered on our specific requirements for operation, control and hygiene management, and we’ve been very pleased with the support offered by Condair in connection with this successful project.” Andy concludes.
Dave Marshall-George, UK Sales Director at Condair, commented, “It’s a privilege to partner with Weatherite on such an innovative product that is helping the UK’s telecommunications sector meet its energy and sustainability objectives. As well as offering the most comprehensive range of humidifiers on the market, Condair has the ability to work with OEMs to create customised solutions. The evaporative humidifier incorporated into Weatherite’s Adtec-D is based on our standard Condair ME, but with some modifications to meet the project requirements. This project is an example of how Condair can develop innovative and flexible solutions for its customers.”
Weatherite is a leading UK manufacturer of made-to-measure HVAC equipment, based out of the West Midlands. Operating for over 50 years, the company provides a range of AHUs, heat recovery systems, packaged rooftop equipment and air cooled chillers.
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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FUTURE Designs introduces carbon careful™ – a review of its commitment to the circular economy over the last 12 years
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FUTURE designs has pioneered the refurbishment and upgrading of existing luminaires and carcasses for over 12 years. Taking existing FUTURE Designs products and those of competitors, FUTURE Designs has renewed the luminaires with latest LED technology transforming them into highly efficient and carbon saving solutions, extending the lifespan and drastically reducing carbon usage and overall costs.
David Clements, FUTURE Designs Chief Executive explains: “The carbon careful™ initiative could be described as our “best kept secret”, as a hugely efficient design and manufacturing business we have always endeavoured to keep waste to a minimum, and now as the world is faced with a growing necessity to Refurbish, Reuse and Restore wherever feasible, we are sharing our story and expertise to encourage more organisations to follow suit.”
The carbon careful™ book showcases a range of examples from leading blue-chip organisations, highlighting FUTURE Designs proficiency, capability and commitment to the refurbishment of existing luminaire carcasses to increase the sustainability of commercial premises.
LED has been the lighting medium of choice for over ten years now but there are still millions of old fluorescent fittings being used to illuminate space. By switching to LED, energy and carbon usage can be reduced by circa 50%, coupled with the reuse of mild steel and aluminium, the savings are significant.
LED has a far greater lifespan, and its ‘solid state’ makes it easier to dispose of, without the risk of harmful gases such as mercury found in fluorescent lamps making it better for the environment.
FUTURE Designs is always at the forefront of any technological breakthrough, renowned for our expertise in this area of lighting science and have proven to be the experts in adapting old fluorescent lighting to state-of-the art lighting, ensuring that the benefits from the reduced impact on the environment are fully realised.
The full book can be viewed here: https://www.futuredesigns.co.uk/carbon-careful/
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World-famous art protected by Condair humidifiers
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Two Condair RS steam humidifiers have recently been installed, by Ceilite Air Conditioning, at the prestigious Henry Moore Foundation in Hertfordshire. Henry Moore was a renowned artist, best known for his figure sculptures. The Henry Moore Foundation is a charity founded by the artist later in his life, to educate and promote fine art. Its Hertfordshire headquarters houses many works of art that need consistent environmental control for their protection and preservation.
Accurate humidity control within the range of 40 to 60% maintains the integrity of the valuable exhibits. Previous experience of the reliability of Condair’s humidifiers at Henry Moore’s studios meant the leading specialist in humidification was again first choice when the time came to enhance its humidity control.
Tim Cheshire, Ceilite’s Applications Engineer Technical Manager, said: “We required an efficient and effective method of humidification that could safely raise relative humidity (RH) in a large archive store for priceless artwork – vital requirements that were successfully met by Condair. There were some challenges posed by the space to work in and the infrastructure of the building, but the excellent installation team overcame the issues without any complaint. Would I specify Condair’s humidifiers again? Yes, without hesitation.”
The previous humidity control strategy employed evaporative humidifiers at the world-famous site in Perry Green. However, the archive store required a closer level of humidity control than is possible with an evaporative system so the Condair RS was specified in consultation with the M&E consultant, Harley Haddow. The Condair RS is a resistive steam humidifier capable of providing ±5%RH control when operated on regular mains water and ±2% with RO water.
The two air-handling units serving the archive storage area are located externally to the main building, so Condair supplied its Condair RS OC models that have IP55-rated cabinets. Rather than install standard humidifiers in protective housing, the Condair RS OC has a purpose-built, weatherproof and temperature controlled case. This means it takes up much less room and is easier to install. The outdoor humidifiers are the most compact in the industry with the smallest footprint and incorporate lifting handles to make on-site transportation easier.
Henry Moore (1898-1986) was one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century and arguably, the most internationally celebrated sculptor of the period. His works typically depict reclining figures or a mother and child, and tended to contain pierced or hollow spaces. Alongside sculptures, Moore produced many drawings and other graphic work on paper. Each year the Henry Moore Foundation welcomes thousands of visitors to the studios and gardens in Perry Green to view the famous sculptor’s work.
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.