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CONNECTING TRADE PROFESSIONALS WITH INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE MARCH 2016
I N F O C U S : I R A N
Thelatestdataandinsightfrom
theregion’snewestmarket
F A C E T O F A C E
The first in a new interview
series with Logistics Executive
T R A N S P O R T : S H I P P I N G
Riding the waves as
economics bite
How and why the UAE’s national rail
network came to a halt
DERAILED

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34 | Logistics News ME | March 2016
TURNING UP
THE HEAT
F A C E T O F A C E
In the fir t of a ne inter ie erie , rian Cart ri ht, re ional MD for
o i tic E ecuti e, catche up ith eo herm ony Dale to talk
about the popularity of thermal ima in for lo i tic in the Middle Ea t
I
recently caught up with Tony Dale
the founder and MD of Geo Therm
Ltd, a thermal imaging survey and
condition monitoring company that was
set up in 2002 in the UK and quickly
grew into an international business.
In the early days the company was
mainly servicing the oil and gas sector
but in recent years, particularly in the
Middle East, the firm is increasingly
being asked to run surveys for logistics
service providers and other organisations
operating warehousing facilities.
Because of this I was very keen to
speak with Tony to understand why
thermal imaging surveys are becoming
more important for the logistics sector
in general and particularly why this is
becoming so popular in the Middle East.
WHAT TYPES OF THERMAL IMAGING
SURVEYS ARE YOU NORMALLY
ASKED TO COMPLETE?
The surveys requested have been mainly
for cold storage warehouses where we
are looking for temperature differences
and basically air infiltration. Additionally,
heavily automated facilities where
compressed air is used to move parts and
electrical panels to supply power. Basically
we support companies in managing
preventativemaintenanceprogrammes.
IS THERE A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A
SPECIFIC SURVEY IN LOGISTICS
THAT YOU COULD EXPLAIN?
Building integrity cooling was an issue
for one of our existing clients’ XPO
logistics. They operate temperature
controlled storage facilities and a
concern in many cold stores is air
infiltration between each panel, creating
internal snowing, ice wedge formation
and product contamination, this also
increases energy consumption as the
refrigeration system works harder
to maintain a set -20˚C temperature.
We map those areas affected by air
infiltration and ice weight gain. We then
flag them for repair or to create barrier
zones in case of ceiling collapse. In the
case of XPO we now undertake scheduled
surveys, which means we provide regular
cold store insulation efficiency scans to
identify thermal anomalies in cladding,
adversely effecting operational efficiency,
energy use and product quality. XPO has
since invested in our various technical
equipment sensors which alert them via
texts and emails about any immediate or
unusual temperature differences.
YOU ALSO MENTIONED AUTOMATED
FACILITIES, HOW DO THE SURVEYS
WORK IN THIS CASE AND HOW
DOES A COMPANY BENEFIT?
Non-invasive inspections using a
thermal image survey dramatically aid
a facility manager’s ability to optimise
their operational efficiency, as incipient
problems can be measured without
hindrance to the operation, enabling
managers to identify overheating
equipment early before it results in an
unscheduled breakdown. We basically
help a company to identify potential
equipment failures effectively preventing
them from any unexpected surprises
which could lead to shutting off critical
systems, creating a back-log of orders and
unhappy customers.
DO YOU THINK THE NEED FOR
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND
IN PARTICULAR THERMAL IMAGING
SURVEYS IS AN AREA THAT IS
GOING TO EXPAND IN LOGISTICS
ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST?
At this moment the Middle East is ripe
for implementing thermal imaging
into a facility’s management needs,
however regional unrest combined with
the accurate heat seeking sensitivity
of thermal imaging has certain legal
caveats. The technology and associated
software cannot be exported to Iran
and Syria in accordance with the United
States of America Export Administration
Regulations, since they could be used
in the design, development, production
or use of nuclear, chemical or biological
weapons or missiles.
Nevertheless there are several thermal
camera distributors in the Middle East
providing a first class service offering
the latest generation of hand held and
stand alone thermal cameras to assist
facility managers with their in-house
maintenance and security needs.
As the technology and benefits become
widely acknowledged new opportunities
will undoubtedly arise, in particular to
perform safe, non-invasive monitoring
of electrical equipment to detect hot-

3.
Logistics News ME | March 2016 | 35
F A C E T O F A C E
spots likely to cause system failure, fire
and breakdowns, or perform security
surveillance sweeps to inform of intruder
alert or fire breakout in ports, airports
and warehouse facilities holding millions
of dollars of inventory.
The need is becoming increasingly
prevalent as companies begin to revert
back to the old ways of holding excess
goods to buffer supply disruption in time
of crisis. Operational disruption from
equipment failure isn’t just years or
months away – it can happen tomorrow,
that’s why using a preventative
maintenance strategy is vital to attain
and manage logistical effectiveness. The
question is will companies be ready to
pay a small sum for a professional third
party inspection or suffer the huge loss
and indignation when disruption strikes.
DO YOU SEE ANY DIFFERENCE IN HOW
COMPANIES VIEW THIS KIND OF THING
IN THE MIDDLE EAST AS OPPOSED TO
HOW IT’S VIEWED IN EUROPE?
an independent third party inspection
company to perform annual building and
electrical thermographic surveys in order
to comply with insurance prerequisites
that are aimed at reducing risks
associated with fire and consequential
losses. I think it is just a matter of
time before insurance underwriters
in the GCC realise the virtues of
thermal imaging and stipulate its use as
standard practice in building facilities
maintenance.
We only have to recall the high profile
fire at the Address Hotel in Dubai on New
short-circuit fault can destroy an entire
building endangering the lives of many –
all unnecessarily so.
IN THE LOGISTICS SECTOR
A REGULAR TOPIC IS THE
IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATION. ARE
THERE ANY RECENT INNOVATIONS
IN YOUR INDUSTRY THAT COULD
BENEFIT THE LOGISTICS SECTOR IN
THIS REGION?
Well actually yes, in March of this year
I will visit the Middle East Electricity
2016 Conference at Dubai World Trade
Centre where some of our suppliers
will display the next generation of
infrared inspection windows that
have been purposely developed for
the GCC market place and the harsh
environmental conditions that exist
across the GCC countries.
Due to the nature of electrical
switchgear, 90% of components that
an electrician or thermographer
want to inspect are normally locked
behind bolted panel covers, cabinet
doors with switched interlocks etc,
making it dangerous to safely remove
and routinely inspect live switch gear
during surveys.
Infrared inspection windows
combined with our latest bolt-on
gadget the Delta T AlertTM enable
safe permanent visual and remote
monitoring into energized electrical
equipment without disturbing
operations, so there is no shut down
required. They can also be quickly
retro-fitted into many types of electrical
equipment such as switchboards,
switchgear, transformers, MCCs and
generator housings.
BRIAN CARTWRIGHT
Brian Cartwright is the Managing
Director, Middle East and Africa for
Logistics Executive Group, he has
partnered exclusively with Logistics
News to run a series of interviews
with senior executives to uncover the
facts and provide real time insight
on what’s happening in the SC &
Logistics sector across the region.
As a respected thought leader with
extensive networks and knowledge of
the Supply Chain & Logistics sector,
he’s the ideal person to get the inside
word on behalf of Logistics News.
At this moment the
Middle East is ripe
for implementing
thermal imaging
into a facility’s
management needs