One of the largest grocery retailers in the UK uses regular thermal imaging surveys in over 25 of their distribution centres

1. Iris systems Ltd
0845 0945255 info@ irissystems.co.uk www. irissystems.co.uk
Thermal Imaging Specialists
One of the largest grocery retailers in the UK
use regular thermographic surveys in over 25
of their distribution centres
K
eeping hundreds of superstores stocked and
ready to sell goods relies on a solid, reliable
distribution network. Electrical failures can
impact on the safe and efficient operation of the
site and power failure at a refrigerated site can
result in the loss of thousands of pounds worth of
stock. With over 25 distribution centres of up to
1,000,000 sq ft located around the country, one of
the UK’s largest grocery retailers relies on annual
thermographic surveys at each site to predict
the impending failure of electrical distribution
equipment before it happens, allowing site
engineers to be proactive rather than reactive.
No disruption to site operations
Physically checking the electrical terminations
of every distribution board in buildings of this
size is both time consuming and costly as well as
disruptive to the operation of the site as individual
circuits need to be isolated before physical checks
can be done. In a 24 hour fast moving environment
this can be impractical.
Historical condition recording
By tracking and recording the condition of every
item of equipment over a set period of time
(typically annually, but quarterly or six monthly
surveys are common) diagnosis of the cause of
faults is made easier and in some circumstances
can be pinpointed to a specific site process or
working condition. Thermographic surveys can be
scheduled at specified times of year to coincide
with increased seasonal workloads (such as the
run up to Christmas) to assess the condition of
equipment at peak times.
By utilising qualified thermographers
and of the art thermal imaging
equipment whole sites are checked in
as little as one day with no disruption
to site operations. Reliance on site
staff is kept to a minimum allowing
them to carry out their normal daily
duties. Electrical faults that have been
identified by us and then rectified by
site staff in the past have included :-
• Phase imbalances
• Loose connections
• Harmonics
• High resistance
connections
• Corroded connections
• Internal fuse damage
• Internal circuit breaker
faults
• Poor connections and
external damage
Many of these faults would not have
been identified until the equipment
had failed or caught fire, resulting
in potential disruption to site
operations, stock loss, equipment/
building fire, serious injury or death.
Electrical failures can
impact on the safe and
efficient operation of
the site and power
failure at a refrigerated
site can result in the
loss of thousands of
pounds worth of stock.