ERIKS Know+How - Issue 20

THE LEADING MAGAZINE FOR MAINTENANCE ENGINEERS FROM ERIKS
ISSUE 20
Something
in the air?
Savings could be all around you p16
Shortcut to energy savings
• FOCUS ON •
www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow
Turn straight to our Focus on Energy and Conservation p12
ENERGY & CONSERVATION
Where did you put the
whatchamacallit?
Name that part p6
Feeling Blue?
Are you up to the
Blue Planet Challenge? p10
Making lights work
Getting expert lighting advice
is a bright idea. p22
Leaking
secrets
Best Practice for safer hoses p24

3
Contents
WELCOME TO KNOW+HOW…
Bringing you the latest news and industry developments, this
edition of Know+How focuses on energy conservation and the
solutions available to industrial sites and applications.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Alan Whetstone
Managing Director, Editor in Chief
Published by ERIKS UK, Amber Way, Halesowen, West Midlands, B62 8WG
NEW QR CODE ACCESS
To make it easier to get all the latest industry news straight to your
mobile device or smartphone, simply scan the QR codes throughout.
UNREGISTERED
One switch can save you energy
Though it may be the need to reduce your energy
bills that first drives you to look at your lighting,
there are many additional benefits to be gained
from a thorough, expert review.
Only by working with an all-round knowledgeable
solutions provider such as ERIKS Lighting Solutions
can you be sure you’re making the right choices
and the most cost-effective decisions.
ERIKS Lighting Solutions’ know-how covers all
aspects of industrial lighting – from product and
application recommendations, to system design
and project management. And it covers all types
of lighting applications too: whether interior,
exterior, or emergency.
But best of all, it’s know-how combined with
neutrality.
Contact us now on 01455 203571 or by email at
lightingsolutions@eriks.co.uk, for an initial
discussion or to arrange a no-obligation site survey.
The energy industry is awash with
change; from government legislation
influencing carbon reduction, to
the advent of the smart grid and
development of renewable energy
plants. While many of the technologies
and developments seem far removed
from everyday life; the reality is that
energy prices are rising and the
market is changing.
As a result, businesses must look to
technology to help them navigate the
legislative landscape – enabling them
to measure, monitor and improve their
energy performance and reduce bills
over the longer term.
In this issue you’ll find articles
discussing maintenance stock
management and how ERIKS’
employees are undertaking a
Blue Planet Challenge to improve
sustainability levels. In our focus
section, we take a look at Bosch
Rexroth’s unique overview on
identifying all opportunities to increase
energy efficiency; how to squeeze
savings from compressed
air with Festo; calculating significant
cost savings with the ERIKS TCO
Calculator; the new bearing range from
SKF and the single actuator package
from Norgren.
In addition, we debate the risks that
low cost imports can have on energy
saving as well as how to stay safe when
utilising high pressure hydraulic hoses.
We welcome Jeremy Bowden, a highly
respected energy journalist, who
discusses the potential smart grids
have to significantly reduce energy
costs and enhance sustainability for
any business, while the TIG takes a
retrospective look at the life of former
MP Tony Benn.
If you have any comments you would
like to raise on the topics contained
in this issue you can email the editor
at: knowhoweditor@eriks.co.uk, not
forgetting Know+How’s own website:
www.eriks.co.uk/KnowHow where
you can register for your own personal
copy and make enquiries about
something you have read or contact
one of the contributors.
LATEST NEWS 04
UK industry wasting millions as cost of
poor maintenance mounts up
UK industry offered £10m to improve energy
efficiency and reduce demand
£1.2bn ‘green energy’ cable gets go-ahead
Industry urged to act on inefficient energy
management policies
IN-DEPTH 06
The name of the game is efficiency
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE 08
Munsch expands range of pumps
for chemical applications
New test and measurement equipment
from FLIR
Flexion goes international
Top ten tips for pump efficiency
PLANET PLUS 10
Building sustainable businesses
helps build business
FOCUS ON ENERGY AND
CONSERVATION 12
Smart systems a game-changer for
business energy users p12
FOCUS ON •
Helping the sustainable society run
• smoothly p13
Need to conserve energy? p14
Squeezing savings from compressed air p16
Cool and calculating customer cuts costs p18
Smoothing the way to energy savings p20
Norgren gets energy and operating costs all
wrapped up p21
ENERGY SAVINGS 22
Choosing lights in the dark
BEST PRACTICE 24
Gates have leak protection up their sleeve

Latest news Latest news
UK industry wasting millions as cost
of poor maintenance mounts up
The warning from ERIKS, one of the UK’s
leading industrial distributors, has been
issued due to increasing concerns that poor
performing maintenance and storeroom
operations are negatively impacting
operational efficiency, tying up capital and,
ultimately, reducing profits.
“The recent recession encouraged industry
to look closely at its operations to drive out
all unnecessary cost and streamline where
possible,” says Andy Silver, Customer Service
Director – ERIKS, Integrated Solutions.
“Unfortunately, storeroom and inventory were
all-too-often overlooked, which means that
there is a lot of slack in terms of spares,
inventory and wasted time in the system.”
ERIKS has identified four key drivers
of poor MRO maintenance which
include production downtime resulting
from unavailable parts or poor stores
management and inventory control; out of
control spending on spares; wasted time
due to MRO engineers sourcing parts
and paperwork, rather than focusing on
core activities.
Mr Silver, says the problems are due to
a basic lack of procedures and controls.
“Many companies do not have the basic
controls and tracking systems that
provide visibility of costs in terms of
ordering, warehousing, transportation
and other expenses.
“My advice to UK industry is to look closely
at MRO spend and put key performance
indicators in place which can be monitored.
For example, stock availability and accuracy
should be in excess of 95% with a stock
retrieval time of under 60 seconds from
point of confirmation. If you can’t hit those
standards then your MRO stores operations
are not up to scratch. The irony is that
good MRO practice can turn maintenance
operations into a revenue driver, but only if
the correct procedures are put in place.”
£1.2bn ‘green
energy’ cable
gets go-ahead
Plans for a £1.2bn undersea ‘green
energy’ cable connecting offshore
wind farms to the Scottish mainland
have been given the go-ahead,
providing a serious boost to the UK’s
renewable energy capacity.
Located between Caithness and
Moray in Scotland, the cable will act
as a link between planned wind farm
projects in the area to the country’s
energy grid. The project, from SSE,
will aim to deliver 1.2GW of renewable
energy and is due to be completed
in 2018.
The regulator Ofgem has approved the
project and is currently studying its
financial details. Ofgem senior partner
for transmission, Martin Crouch, said:
“This is a major step forward for an
essential upgrade to the high voltage
grid so that more renewable energy
can connect to the networks.”
UK industry offered £10m to improve
energy efficiency and reduce demand
Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, has announced that £10m will
be made available to UK businesses to help improve energy
efficiency and reduce overall demand.
Speaking at the CBI’s Energy Conference, Mr Davey highlighted
that £45bn had already been invested in the energy sector
between January 2010 and December 2013, with almost £8bn
of that dedicated to renewable technologies.
He then went on to detail the £10m Electricity Demand
Reduction auction scheme which will be launched, as part of a
£20m pilot budget. Businesses will compete for a share of the
fund in order to finance projects which would reduce energy
demands and in turn cut the cost of electricity bills and see a
reduction in carbon emissions.
One of the Government’s key criteria is for a business to deliver
100kW of savings through the peak winter period. Expressions
of interest opened on the 29th July and over 300 organisations
have already indicated they are considering participation.
Industry urged to act
on inefficient energy
management policies
A leading industry certification body has warned both public and private sector
organisations are at risk of major financial and reputational damage if they fail
to improve energy efficiency.
BM TRADA has cited that spiralling energy costs, concerns over energy
security and regulatory pressure on carbon emissions have made the need
for efficient energy management systems a ‘necessity, not [a] nicety.’
Companies operating within heavy-industrial sectors, such as
manufacturers and food producers, as well as public sector
organisations including hospitals or schools, have the ‘most to gain’
from implementing efficient energy management processes.
Tom Johnston, BM TRADA’s chief operating officer of central
certification services, said: “The cost of energy is rising rapidly,
fuelled in part by growing concern over energy security, and
it is the business and public sectors that are feeling the
financial impact the most.”
4 ISSUE 20 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow 5

In-depth
In-depth
ASK THE WOMAN WHO RECENTLY CHANGED HER MIDDLE NAME TO ‘SKYWALKER’ IN HONOUR
OF THE STAR WARS CHARACTER – AND THEN HAD HER PASSPORT APPLICATION REFUSED.
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT. SIMILAR NAMES CAN ALSO LEAD TO ALL KINDS OF CONFUSION.
THAT’S WHY THE WELSH WERE ALWAYS CAREFUL TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN ‘EVANS THE
DOCTOR’ AND ‘EVANS THE UNDERTAKER’. NAMES MIGHT NOT BE SO MUCH A MATTER OF LIFE
AND DEATH IN YOUR MAINTENANCE STOCKROOM, BUT CORRECT AND CAREFUL NAMING CAN
CREATE REAL EFFICIENCIES AND SIZEABLE COST SAVINGS.
Many maintenance stores are lacking a
clear stocking policy – or any stocking
policy at all. If an item is needed, someone
orders half a dozen, uses one, then puts
the others in the stores as spares under
whatever name they know them by.
But let’s assume the item is sliced white
bread and you get through six loaves a
week. Fine: unless the person who needs
it next is someone who generally calls it
‘white sliced bread’. In which case they
spend a long time searching in the wrong
place, give up, and order six fresh ones to
last the week. They use one, and store the
other five under the name they know them
by: ‘white sliced bread’.
So now there are 10 loaves stored under
two different names. And it just so happens
that the next person who needs some
bread looks under ‘bread, white sliced’
can’t find any, and orders his own half a
dozen loaves.
By the end of the week, you have 13 loaves
left on the shelf, all of which will be past
their use-by date by the following week.
So to save your bread – in both senses of
the word – you need to take the first step
towards better stock management, with
data cleansing.
I name this part…
Few maintenance items are as simple
to describe as sliced white bread. So
the complications in naming and stocking
can stack up faster than a triple-decker
sandwich. Not surprisingly, few people
have the time, inclination or expertise
to undertake the laborious exercise of
data cleansing.
But simply deciding on a common name
for a part could actually save you money.
As we’ve already seen, the business buying
18 loaves a week when it only uses five is
spending money on 13 loaves it doesn’t
need. Translate that into real maintenance
spares, multiply it by the number of
maintenance items in the average stock
room, and the difference between calling a
ball bearing a ‘25mm SKF ball bearing’ and
a ‘bearing, ball, 25mm SKF’ could start to
run into hundreds of pounds.
If you operate across multiple sites with
several stockrooms, giving a part two
different names could ultimately end up
costing you thousands.
What’s in a name?
Effective data cleansing and stock
management depend on consistent
naming protocols. In other words, will
you call your loaves ‘white sliced bread’,
‘sliced white bread’ or ‘bread, sliced,
white’? And given that maintenance items
are more complex than loaves of bread,
how will you add the extra important
details such as size?
One thing you certainly shouldn’t do is
give a name which associates any part
with a particular item of plant. To continue
the loaf analogy, if bread is called ‘cheese
sandwich bread’, someone looking for
bread to make cucumber sandwiches will
not find it.
So as you can see, data cleansing is a far
more complex task than it might at first
appear. And it appears pretty complex to
begin with.
That’s why many businesses call in experts
such as ERIKS, whose expertise in data
cleansing and stock management is
supported by knowledge and understanding
of maintenance repair items, which ensures
they are correctly identified in the first place.
In addition, ERIKS can help to save
you money on OEM spares, by finding
less costly alternatives through
‘OEM conversion’.
Julia Mullar
Operations Development
Manager
ERIKS UK
Integrated Solutions
Convert to save
Most new plants come with an OEM
spares list and an OEM spares package.
It’s part of the deal to maintain the warranty,
but not necessarily a good deal once
the warranty has expired. However, the
unique naming protocols and OEM codes
used on the list make it difficult – if not
impossible – for most customers to identify
the parts independently. So they are forced
to continue purchasing from the OEM –
usually at high prices.
ERIKS’ years of industrial experience
and MRO parts expertise enable them to
identify OEM parts and find the standard
alternative. In one recent case, this saved
a customer over £200 on the cost of a
single replacement part for an item of
packaging equipment, which they had
previously been forced to source from
the OEM – simply because they
couldn’t identify it other than by the
OEM’s part codes.
Savings of that size may not be repeated
on every individual item on the spares list,
but converting it to a standard list will be
sure to save money overall.
Time to clean up?
You may be suffering downtime due to
difficulty finding critical parts in your
stockroom. You may be wasting money
through overstocking. You may be paying
over the odds for OEM parts you could
source more cheaply elsewhere – if only
you knew what they were.
Your stockroom could be suffering from
any or all of these problems. Expert data
cleansing could help to resolve them all.
And the name to call isn’t hard to find.

Technology update Technology update
Munsch expands range
of pumps for chemical
applications
MANUFACTURER OF PLASTIC PUMPS FOR THE HANDLING OF AGGRESSIVE
LIQUIDS, MUNSCH, HAS LAUNCHED A NEW RANGE OF HORIZONTAL AND
VERTICAL NON-METALLIC PUMPS FOR CHEMICAL PROCESSING APPLICATIONS.
Munsch has also released a vertical
range of chemical pumps, with a
capacity of up 700m³/h, a head of
up to 90, and a length of up to
300mm. As with other models
in the range, it can handle
both cold and hot liquids, from
–20°C to 100°C.
All models are designed exactly
to customer specification and
tested to EN ISO 9906.
New test and
measurement
equipment from FLIR
FLIR SYSTEMS HAS BROADENED ITS TEST AND MEASUREMENT PRODUCT
OFFERING THROUGH THE INTRODUCTION OF SIX NEW PRODUCTS.
Three new electrical meters are included
in the range expansion, all featuring large
and clear LCD displays and dual-LED
worklights to aid dimly lit areas. The range
includes the FLIR DM93, a rugged digital
multimeter; the FLIR CM83, an industrial
grade power clamp meter; and the FLIR
CM78, a combination of an RMS multimeter
and clamp meter.
Each electrical meter includes Bluetooth
connectivity to Android mobile devices via
the FLIR Tools Mobile app.
Making up the range is the FLIR VP52,
a non-contact voltage detector with a
powerful LED worklight and dual-LED
convenience light at the probe tip; the
FLIR MR77, a moisture meter with a pinless
sensor and an external pin probe capable
of capturing readings 19mm below the
surface of various building materials; and
the FLIR VS70, a videoscope designed for
industrial environments.
Flexion goes international
FLEXION HAS NOW BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL BRAND FOR ERIKS FLUID POWER, BRINGING
TOGETHER A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE FROM ACROSS THE USA AND EUROPE, INCLUDING
GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS AND THE UK.
The Flexion name has been known in the Netherlands for over
40 years, representing ERIKS fluid power activities. ERIKS has
now embraced the Flexion fluid power solution which includes
hydraulic hoses, accessories, pneumatics along with customised and
engineered systems.
The new Flexion brand combines this cumulative experience in
fluid power innovation, from technical support, customisation
and assembly, through to technological advancements,
reliable manufacture and the implementation of the
latest material developments. Flexion delivers
products and services that offer value to
design and maintenance engineers, both
in terms of performance and cost.
TOP 10 TIPS FOR PUMP EFFICIENCY
Are your pumps running to maximum efficiency?
Energy efficiency is a rising priority for all businesses yet
understanding the energy consumption of key pieces of equipment;
namely pumps, is lesser understood. Here Andrew Cruse, Business
Development Director - Pumps, at ERIKS talks through the top 10
tips to pump efficiency.
1. Understanding power consumption
The old adage you can’t manage what you don’t measure is never
truer than in pump efficiency with up to 87% of the total lifecycle
cost of a pump attributed to energy.
2. Establish performance data
During the installation process, record the initial performance data of
the pump and then continually monitor and record it at regular intervals.
3. Monitor flow
If a flow meter is not incorporated in the system it is important
to carry out periodic flow testing. This is can be done by non-intrusive
devices.
4. Identify discharge head
Take a reading when the pump is fitted and keep a record. If this
figure changes over time, it may be indicative of a problem.
5. Identify suction head
Many pump problems actually occur in the suction area so it’s
important to measure and monitor regularly. Where filtration is used,
it is important to install differential pressure monitoring. This will
highlight filter blockages.
6. Record maintenance and repair data
Record maintenance and repair data to establish Mean Time
Before Failures (MTBF) records as well as running hours at
every intervention and ensure that you log entries.
7. Record running amps
Ensure that you closely monitor and record running amps as part of
any Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) data collection.
8. Assess all pumping systems for potential
energy reduction
Any pump with a varied load or demand has the potential for
energy savings. Consider the installation of Variable Speed Drive’s
where possible.
9. Never simply replace like for like
Always reassess your requirements when your pump is due for
replacement. Many people replace like for like despite the fact that
system requirements and needs may have changed or even the
wrong equipment was specified originally.
10. It pays to seek advice
Whether you need advice due to system failures or during the
specification process, it pays to bring in the experts to help
identify the right solution.
For more detailed
information
scan this QR code
The range is designed to offer end-users
maximum operating reliability, easy
maintenance and low overall lifecycle costs
when operating in abrasive and aggressive
service conditions.
Included in the new range is its NP/NP-B
series of vertical chemical pumps, which
have a flow rate capacity of 1200m³/h and
a differential head of up to 85. It is capable
of handling liquids ranging from –20°C to
110°C. A further horizontal model, in the
CM/CM-B range, can also pump liquids
up to 180°C, at rate of 180m³/h.

You and the
You and the
BUILDING
SUSTAINABLE
BUSINESSES HELPS
BUILD BUSINESS
WE SPEND ON AVERAGE 16,000 MINUTES A YEAR WATCHING CAT VIDEOS AND GOOGLING FAMOUS
PEOPLE, BUT ONLY SEVEN MINUTES LEARNING ABOUT ENERGY USAGE. SO IT’S NOT SO SURPRISING
THAT BY 2020, EUROPE WILL HAVE WASTED €157 TRILLION WORTH OF ENERGY SIMPLY BY LEAVING
LIGHTS AND HEATING ON IN EMPTY HOMES. SUDDENLY SUSTAINABILITY SEEMS A BIT MORE
INTERESTING THAN A CAT HAVING A SHOWER. Robyn Bradley
In fact, sustainability is something we
should all be concerned about. Whether
because we want to help protect our
planet from climate change, or want to
have a smaller electricity bill, or want to
help make the business we work for more
successful and more profitable. And it
doesn’t have to be an either/or situation.
Sustainability can start at home or work,
but in the end it benefits us all – and our
whole planet too.
That’s why ERIKS and Economie d’Energie
– specialists in energy efficiency – have
joined forces to create The Blu Effect:
a new business dedicated to helping
businesses integrate sustainability into their
organisation, as a lever for innovation and
business success.
Taking on the Challenge
To encourage businesses to engage
with sustainability and reap the benefits,
The Blu Effect has launched the Blue
Planet Challenge.
This is a simple but powerful way to get
employees interested and involved, and to
show how small behaviour changes can
have a big effect on the planet – and on
a business.
According to a Business In The Community
estimate, innovations designed to address
environmental and social challenges ‘could
secure £100 billion in annual productivity
gains’ for UK business.
But the Blue Planet Challenge is not only
about being sustainable at work. It ensures
employee engagement by encouraging
sustainable, responsible behaviour at
home and when travelling too. In this way,
there can be benefits to their personal
finances, just as much as to the business
they work for.
Every little helps
The Blue Planet Challenge shows what
can happen when everyone gets involved.
It shows how small actions really can make
a big difference. And it keeps everyone
involved all the time, by showing the
savings, sharing ideas and experiences,
and letting people, departments and
business units – across the country or
across the world – compete with each
other to be the most sustainable.
When a business signs up to the Blue
Planet Challenge, it gets its own web
portal. This is where the rankings – based
on CO2 savings – of its employees (who
sign up individually), its departments and
so on, are shown. It’s also where people
can see how many of their colleagues have
signed up, and how much the organisation
as a whole is saving through individuals’
eco-actions. And it’s the place to go for
all the Blue Planet Challenge news, ideas
and best practices.
The Challenge begins with
saving energy. But as employee
engagement deepens, it can
develop into saving water and
saving waste.
Practising what we preach
Although ERIKS has been promoting
sustainability for some time now, through
its Planet+ initiative, it has never directly
addressed sustainability as a potential
market. So before encouraging customers
to take the plunge, they opted to face up to
the Blue Planet Challenge itself.
And in around just five weeks since the
Challenge was launched at ERIKS UK,
the company is already realising the
benefits it’s promoting.
ERIKS has already saved over 15 tons
Business Unit Manager
The Blu Effect
of CO2, and employee engagement is
significantly higher than any other company
initiative has achieved in the same amount
of time after launch.
Doing good business
Of course The Blu Effect and the
Blue Planet Challenge are not just
about doing good. They’re also about
doing good business – for the
businesses who take on the challenge,
and for ERIKS too.
By offering the Blue Planet Challenge
initaitive to existing and new customers,
ERIKS is opening up a new revenue
stream, at the same time as helping those
businesses to benefit. And the benefits
really are numerous.
There’s the reduction in energy costs.
Savings in compliance costs, thanks to
reductions in carbon emissions. Increased
employee engagment and job satisfaction,
which in turn reduces staff absence and
turnover, and increases their commitment to
their employer.
Employees also benefit individually from
lowering their own energy costs, at
home and as they travel. The Blue Planet
Challenge improves internal and external
communication, with the dedicated web
portal for each business that signs up.
And in the longer term, for any
business which takes it on, the Blue
Planet Challenge helps to create a
real point of difference and a
competitive advantage.
Sustaining sustainabilty
ERIKS is fully committed to sustainabilty
as the right way to do business. It is already
becoming embedded in the business as a
fundamental contributor to growth. Now it’s
time to encourage customers to make the
same commitment – and one has already
taken up the Challenge.
A Local Education Authority will soon
be launching the Blue Planet Challenge
for all the schools in its area. This will be
a first step in sustainabilty for many
young pupils and students, as well as
being an entirely new customer
segment for ERIKS.
With care and commitment, it should
prove a long-term success for both
parties, and for the planet.

Focus on Energy and Conservation Focus on Energy and Conservation
SMART SYSTEMS
A GAME-CHANGER
FOR BUSINESS
ENERGY USERS
• FOCUS ON •
SMART GRIDS HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE MEASUREMENT,
MANAGEMENT AND MINIMISATION OF ENERGY USE, ENABLING MORE EFFICIENT
OPERATION OF EQUIPMENT. THEY ALSO HELP MAXIMISE THE EFFICIENCY OF
ON-SITE POWER AND CHOOSE WHEN IT’S BEST TO BUY ENERGY; REDUCING
ENERGY COSTS AND ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY FOR ANY BUSINESS.
Around the UK and Europe smart meters are
currently being rolled out to all consumers of
electricity. Great Britain has around 4 million
non-domestic meter points, compared to
around 50 million domestic sites. These
meters and other sensors are combined to
create smart grids, which provide two-way
digital communication across electricity
production and distribution networks.
Energy use and output is measured as close
to real-time as possible, from which the
smart grid can best decide how to adjust
supply and manage the system in the most
efficient manner. Add to this the provision of
real-time price information, and consumers
are able to buy energy when it’s cheapest,
and cut use when it is most expensive by
shifting production (if practical) away from
times of high energy prices.
Smart grids can also enable an
improved interaction with local
on-site or ‘distributed’ power
sources, through its ability to
balance power loads quickly
and automatically.
There are currently 22 UK smart grid trials
underway in the North East and Yorkshire as
part of the Customer-Led Network
Revolution project. Early results showed that
smart meters cut peak-time use by 10%
– representing about 5 GW at a national
level – and overall electricity consumption
by 3%. This is likely to be even more
pronounced for businesses seeking to
reduce production costs, many of which
have more flexibility to shift demand than
the average user.
that would otherwise have been lost. Heat
and power from on-site CHP can be sold,
but is most suitable for operations with their
own significant heating or cooling needs. The
Government also offers strong incentives for
businesses to invest in CHP but you will
score more highly in the efficiency stakes if
you choose biomass or biogas CHP.
Smart grids also enhance the potential for
on-site intermittent renewables, such as solar
and wind – which in the absence of effective
power storage, have to be balanced against
demand and alternative supply. Generous
subsidies remain on offer for renewables at
rates guaranteed for 25 years under the
Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) system.
On-site generation also helps improve
efficiency by reducing transmission losses
and improving the responsiveness of local
generation to local demand patterns. In
addition, it ensures that those with on-site
capacity enjoy greater energy security.
However, on-site power generation still
represents less than 10% of the UK’s
total capacity, which is lower than many
other developed nations.
More encouragement is expected from
government directed at energy efficiency and
small scale generation, as well as emissions
reduction, because the result is favourable to
businesses, the economy and the
environment. However, the best driver of all
in reducing energy use and costs is
technology, in the form of smart grids, more
efficient machinery, and improved distributed
generation. The smarter we get the greater
the potential for reducing and optimising our
energy consumption.
Making the most of the Smart potential
Of course smart meters and grids are not
the only way to save energy, and other
improvements can enhance their
effectiveness. While they may allow you
to manage energy use more effectively,
production lines, buildings and processes
must also be maintained effectively and
made as efficient as possible to achieve
significant savings. Specialist organisations
are available to monitor energy use and
patterns in order to take full advantage of the
smart grid’s potential to reduce energy costs.
Cutting energy use and reducing production
costs in this way is a priority for the
Government, which has introduced incentives,
including Enhanced Capital Allowances
(ECAs), where the cost of certain energy-saving
equipment can be written off against
profit as a 100% first-year capital allowance.
On-site options
A major way for a company to cut energy
bills – and potentially carbon emissions – is
by using smart grids to produce and
efficiently use on-site power. A recent report
from the Sustainable Energy Association
(SEA) industry group, which represents a
number of energy efficiency and micro-generation
technology providers, shows that
more on-site energy generation offers better
value than continued expansion of large-scale
power projects at a national level,
with dramatic savings possible for
individual consumers.
The most efficient on-site option of all is
combined heat and power (CHP), which
simultaneously generates heat and power in
an efficient, single process, capturing heat
HELPING THE
SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY
RUN SMOOTHLY
BEARINGS CAN BE FOUND IN
A VAST RANGE OF MACHINERY,
INCLUDING ELECTRIC MOTORS,
PUMPS, FANS AND ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES. AND MANY OF
THOSE BEARINGS WILL BE MADE
BY NSK – ONE OF THE WORLD’S
LARGEST BEARING
MANUFACTURERS. SO EVERY
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT
AND NEW DEVELOPMENT
FROM NSK CAN MAKE AN
IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION
TO A LOWER FRICTION,
SMOOTHER OPERATING,
MORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT
AND SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY.
The world’s most widely used bearing is the
single row deep groove ball bearing, with
its open and sealed standard variations.
‘Pre-greased for life’ bearings, with a seal
at either side, contain enough grease to
outlast most general applications under
normal operating conditions. This is not
only environmentally friendly – helping
reduce grease use – but also saves on
maintenance and reduces costs.
Seals can also be ‘contact’ or ‘non-contact’.
The non-contact ZZ metallic shield helps
keeps the grease in place and larger
contaminants out of the bearing. For more
arduous service conditions, a DDU seal in
full contact with the inner ring increases
grease retention and excludes a wider
range of contaminants from entering.
Fighting friction
The dynamic co-efficient of friction of
an open deep groove ball bearing is
approximately 0.0013, which results in low
torque operation. But adding a contact
seal to both sides of the bearing increases
torque and makes the bearing a significant
factor in overall machine efficiency.
In fact, adding a contact seal can increase
the running torque of a deep groove ball
bearing by more than five times.
The innovative NSK solution combines the
low running torque of a ZZ shielded bearing
and the contamination protection of contact
DDU seals. The non-contact VV rubber seal
is moulded so that its sealing lip sits tightly
in a unique groove found on the inner
ring of all standard NSK deep groove ball
bearings (10mm bore diameter upwards).
This creates a very fine
clearance labyrinth, resulting in
zero seal drag, low starting torque,
maximum operating speeds, no excessive
heat, and increased grease retention
and contaminant protection compared
with the shielded design.
Aircraft quality
The materials and manufacturing quality of
NSK bearings also help with energy-saving
and sustainability.
NSK developed a near aircraft quality,
ultra-clean, SUJ2 vacuum-melted bearing
steel. Its minimum oxygen content
means sub-surface initiated failures are
dramatically reduced, so fatigue life is
increased and machine downtime reduced.
NSK also uses a proprietary method to
super-finish the raceways at the sub-micron
level, for less wear at start-up, better
lubricant performance and smooth, quiet
operation. All popular NSK metric deep
groove ball bearings meet the reduced ‘E’
noise class as standard.
Combining these energy-efficient qualities
with one of NSK’s VV sealing solutions, for
example, means choosing an NSK bearing
goes a long way towards maintenance-free
energy efficiency – and towards a more
sustainable society.

NEED TO
CONSERVE
ENERGY?
JUST LOOK FOR THE LEVERS.
AS A MANUFACTURER OF AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, A DEVELOPMENT PARTNER FOR MACHINE
MANUFACTURERS, AND A USER OF MANY DIFFERENT MACHINES, REXROTH HAS EXTENSIVE
EXPERIENCE OF CONSERVING ENERGY ACROSS DRIVE AND CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES. NOW
THEY HAVE CONDENSED AND REFINED THEIR KNOWLEDGE INTO THEIR REXROTH FOR ENERGY
EFFICIENCY PHILOSOPHY: OR REXROTH 4EE. AND IT’S ALL ABOUT FOUR LEVERS.
Machines and plants are complex
systems, with a variety of drive and
control technologies working together.
Only by looking at the entire system is it
possible to identify all the opportunities
for systematically increasing energy
efficiency and at the same time maximising
productivity. Rexroth’s unique overview has
enabled them to identify four levers that
act effectively across all technologies and
applications, throughout the entire lifecycle.
Lever 1: Energy system design
The foundations for increasing energy
efficiency are laid in the concept
development phase. Then more
opportunities open up during design,
engineering and start-up of a machine
or plant. Lastly, after installation, Rexroth
4EE allows machine users to optimise
the energy consumption even of older
machines, by making specific changes.
It is essential to remember that a plant is a
complex system, and it needs to be viewed
as such before detailed construction begins.
Mechatronic simulations help with the
creation of the ideal design, especially
when software solutions are used that
allow energy consumption, cycle time or air
consumption to be analysed and optimised.
Lever 2: Efficient components
Choosing individual energy-efficient
components or modules for each
automation task will clearly help the
system’s overall efficiency.
Rexroth can offer everything from high-efficiency
servo motors, decentralised
drives, and axial piston variable
displacement pumps, to roller rail guides
with low friction coefficients. Which means
you can be sure all the components will
work together perfectly, and efficiently.
For example, efficiency can be significantly
increased with optimised hydraulic
pumps, which lower fuel consumption
and emissions of mobile machines and
commercial vehicles.
Lever 3: Energy recovery
Energy is too precious to be wasted. With
accumulator charging circuits and electric or
kinetic buffering, it’s even possible to make
use of excess energy instead.
With high-efficiency servo drive control
devices, for instance, you can recover braking
energy, ready to be buffered, made available
to other axes, or fed back into the grid.
Lever 4: Energy on demand
As well as reclaiming wasted energy, it’s
also important to look at lowering the energy
consumption of your electrical, hydraulic, and
pneumatic actuators.
The use of controllers will ensure only
as much energy as actually needed is
consumed, in factory automation, system
engineering or mobile applications.
Choose situational pressure control for all
control principles, frequency converters for
efficient speed controls, variable speed
pump drives for reduced idle power, or
on/off valves for energy switch-off during
breaks – whatever makes your machines
and plants more efficient.
With predefined controllers, Rexroth
Syntronix variable speed pump drives reduce
a machine’s energy requirements by up to
80%, by lowering the motor speed under
partial load, then raising it in a highly dynamic
manner as required.
The Sytronix family comprises pumps,
motors and drive controllers all designed
to work together perfectly. The software
automatically takes into account all specific
characteristics of the hydraulic system,
resulting not only in significant energy
savings but also lower noise.
Energy savings can also be enhanced
through intelligent energy management.
Sytronix equipment operating in Energy
Mode combines the benefits of several
supply and recovery variants, whilst Smart
Energy Mode creates a mains voltage-independent
DC bus voltage, simultaneously
using capacitors as energy stores. This
avoids peak loads on the mains side and
reduces losses in the mains connection line.
The result is reduced energy consumption,
improved grid compatibility and the use of
smaller components for the same machine
performance levels. There is a Rexroth
intelligent energy management solution for
their entire IndraDrive M product line.
The die is cast for savings
Die casting machines require high forces.
With a relatively short cycle of only 7.5
seconds and negligible auxiliary process
times, the machine manufacturer was
using two uncontrolled pumps for high
and low pressure.
The Rexroth 4EE Solution
When the machine series was updated,
the manufacturer opted for a Sytronix
SvP 7000 variable speed pump drive. It
consists of a synchronous servo motor,
an intelligent servo drive, an internal gear
pump, and all necessary software.
The result
Energy consumption was reduced by
around 84%, from 11kW to 1.7kW at
identical cycle times. At the same time,
the manufacturer was able to significantly
decrease the number of components
needed for the hydraulic system.
Before
n Energy consumption: 79,200 kWh/a
After Rexroth 4EE
n Energy consumption: 12,240 kWh/a
n Savings: 66,960 kWh/a
So if you want to conserve energy
throughout your entire machine and plant
system, with Rexroth you can conserve your
own energy too. Although there are four
levers involved, you don’t actually have to
pull any of them.

Generation
34%
Preperation
1%
Distribution
16%
Application
49%
Cost effectiveness of measures in the individual
areas of the compressed air system
SQUEEZING
SAVINGS FROM
COMPRESSED AIR
AS IN MOST COMPANIES, YOU SEARCH FOR ENERGY SAVINGS WHEREVER YOU CAN FIND THEM.
BUT ONE PLACE YOU MAY NOT HAVE LOOKED – AND WHERE SAVINGS OF UP TO 60% HAVE BEEN
ACHIEVED – IS IN THE AIR. NOT THE AIR ALL AROUND YOU, BUT THE COMPRESSED AIR THAT YOU
ALMOST CERTAINLY USE TO DRIVE SOME OF YOUR EQUIPMENT.
A review of older compressed air systems
can quickly identify areas for improvement.
In addition, optimising the system now will
often reduce the need for maintenance
in the future. And because you will be
eliminating potential sources of failure,
the general reliability of your processes
and their productivity can also be
expected to increase.
With decades of experience in compressed
air, Festo has identified the most effective
measures to help you save compressed
air energy costs.
Hiss! Boo!
The hiss of compressed air from a leak
is also the sound of money going down
the drain. But although leakages can’t
be 100% prevented (they’re comparable
with standby electricity consumption in
an electric drive system), they can be
contained at an acceptable level through
continual monitoring.
The main causes of leaks are human error,
mechanical wear, and incorrect materials.
Leaking money
Most leaks are too small to be audible.
Those which can be heard are generally
classified as a loss rather than a leak.
However, even a small leak wastes
energy, and therefore money.
As a rule of thumb, 20% of detectable
leakages in existing systems account for up
to 80% of avoidable costs. The table below
gives an indication of how much air is lost
and what costs are incurred depending on
the hole diameter.
4 steps to savings
All compressed air systems comprise four areas: compressed air generation, air
preparation, compressed air distribution and compressed air application. Each one
offers the potential for reducing energy costs, though the returns in terms of the
cost-effectiveness of energy-saving measures vary, as shown to the left.
Before addressing problems in any of these areas, it’s essential to carry out
a compressed air audit – focusing on energy efficiency – so you can develop
recommendations for actions that will be cost-effective.
Generation
1 savings
Preparation
2 savings
Distribution
3 savings
Application
4 savings
Compressing the timescale
Even the most carefully audited, overhauled
and optimised compressed air system will see
efficiency start to deteriorate and costs to rise,
without regular servicing and maintenance.
This will include regular leakage detection,
compressed air quality analysis, individual
machine maintenance and so on.
Popular measures to cut the cost of compressed air generation include:
n Reducing pressure drops, and hence compressor pressure. Reducing pressure
at the compressor from 7 bar rel. to 6 bar rel. will provide an average 6% saving
in energy consumption
n Using a higher-order global control system to minimise no-load losses
n Using peak load compressors for significantly fluctuating air consumption profiles
n Rectifying leakages at production hall level
n Switching off the compressed air supply
n Waste heat recovery
Removing contaminants from ambient air during preparation not only ensures more
effective compression, but also helps meet minimum standards for air quality required
by some components. Using filters or decentralised absorption dryers, for example, can
improve air quality and lead to savings by:
n Helping avoid machine failures
n Reducing maintenance costs
n Increasing the service life of compressed air system components
Systematically identifying and eliminating leakages from the entire system makes a major
contribution to reducing compressed air costs – particularly for relatively old
systems. Integrating sensor technology (pressure/flow rate) into air supply units enables
installation of an automatic leakage management system with remote maintenance.
A compressed air audit will identify the consumption of each individual machine or
system. This not only gives you an early warning of a fault (if there is a major
change in consumption), but also helps you design and configure the optimal
compressed air supply and distribution.
The optimal configuration of piping and tubing will help you:
n Avoid pressure drops caused by a shortfall, which lead to a reduction in productivity
n Eliminate unnecessary energy consumption due to oversupply
A compressed air partner such as Festo
can take on this responsibility, or can train
employees within the company to maintain
the system themselves.
Meanwhile, adopting some or all of the
measures outlined will help you to squeeze
significant savings of energy and costs
out of your compressed air system. Festo’s
experience shows that most measures will
pay for themselves inside two years.
Human error
Poor installation or maintenance
can cause leaks through under- or
over-tightened screws and seals.
Tubes positioned where they can
rub against something may also
lead to damage and leakage. And
incorrect handling of compressed air
components also causes problems
– if tubes are cut incorrectly on
installation, for example.
Mechanical wear
When compressed air system
components wear, leaks can occur.
Incorrect materials
Certain operating conditions can
place chemical stresses on the
components if the materials have
been incorrectly specified.
P1 (ref) Leakage Rate in NI/Min
0.5mm 1.0mm 1.5mm 2.0mm 2.5mm 3.0mm
3 bar 9 36 81 145 226 325
4 bar 11 45 102 181 282 407
5 bar 14 54 122 217 339 488
6 bar 16 63 142 253 395 569
7 bar 18 72 163 289 452 651
8 bar 20 81 183 325 508 732
P1 (ref) Cost/year
0.5mm 1.0mm 1.5mm 2.0mm 2.5mm 3.0mm
3 bar €90 €361 €812 €1,444 €2,256 €3,248
4 bar €113 €451 €1,015 €1,805 €2,820 €4,061
5 bar €135 €541 €1,218 €2,166 €3,384 €4,873
6 bar €158 €632 €1,421 €2,527 €3,948 €5,685
7 bar €180 €722 €1,624 €2,888 €4,512 €6,497
8 bar €203 €812 €1,827 €3,248 €5,076 €7,309
Table 1/2: Leakage costs within one year for operation
24h/365 days, calculated using compressed air costs
of 1.9 ct/Nm³.

Focus on Energy and Conservation
18 ISSUE 20 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow
Motors | Automation | Energy | Transmission & D istribution | Coatings
You’ll work more effi ciently with drives,
motors and gearboxes that work
better together.
In terms of energy efficiency, reliability and operational life,
the benefits of our products are multiplied when you put
them together in an integrated system.
Whatever the application, WEG drives, motors and gearboxes
give you the reductions in energy usage and costs you need
to stay ahead in a competitive world.
For more information, visit www.weg.net
Strength, Effi ciency and Reliability.
Cool and calculating
customer cuts
costs
Marek Lukaszczyk
Marketing Manager –
Europe and Middle East
WEG EMENA
CUTTING ENERGY COSTS AND REDUCING THEIR CARBON FOOTPRINT IS A CHALLENGE FACED BY
ALMOST ALL ERIKS’ CUSTOMERS. WITH ERIKS’ HELP, ONE CUSTOMER APPROACHED THE PROBLEMS
IN A COOL AND CAREFULLY CALCULATED WAY WHICH HAS DELIVERED SIZEABLE SAVINGS.
When your annual
electricity bill is around
£3 million, even a small
percentage saving on
energy costs represents
a significant sum. So a leading automotive
component manufacturer in Belfast
decided to take steps to cut its energy
bill down to size.
Seeing the future
Electric motors at their site accounted for
approximately 70% of their electricity usage,
so these were targeted as the focus for
their energy-saving efforts.
ERIKS suggested the use of their web-based
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Calculator, which in effect gives a glimpse
into the future, by showing the lifetime
operational cost of any installed electric
motor asset.
The Calculator was set-up for use, enabling
all appropriate personnel at the customer’s
site to calculate the annual running costs
and CO2 emissions of any existing motor,
and to compare them with an IE3 (premium
efficiency standard) replacement.
Having demonstrated that significant
savings could be made, ERIKS specified an
upgrade package to the customer for their
existing motors recommending WEG’s
W22 IE3 range of electric motors as the
ideal replacement.
The W22 range of motors was designed
by WEG to provide significantly lower
energy consumption in conjunction with
reduced noise and vibration levels, greater
reliability and easier maintenance. The
innovative design directs airflow over the
fins optimising the cooling system of the
motor. The flexibility of the machine is
demonstrated by the terminal box which
can be mounted either on top of the motor
or to the left or right hand side without
disassembling the motor thus making
it adaptable to the location. The WISE®
insulation system increases the windings
dielectric resistance allowing the use
of variable frequency drives up to 575V
without further modifications, giving further
opportunity to save energy and extend the
life time of the motor.
The W22 IE3 motors meet and exceed the
energy saving requirements set out by the
EuP Commission Regulation 640/2009
governing the ecodesign requirements
for electric motors, the next phase which
comes in to force in January 2015. An IE4
efficiency rated motor is also available as a
standard of the W22 range as is a W22 IE5
Permanent Magnet Motor and Drive System.
The same test was repeated on the
replacement motor, once installed, to
confirm the TCO Calculator’s figures
were correct.
15 and counting savings
To date, the customer has replaced 15
motors with new WEG IE3 equivalents –
achieving capital payback on all motors
within two years. This success has
encouraged the customer to continue
the replacement programme for 30 more
motors in the coming months, to complete
phase one of the motor upgrade project.
Savings so far total £100,000, and
additional benefits include a reduced carbon
footprint, qualifying the customer for an
enhanced capital allowance.
The indisputable figures provided by the
ERIKS TCO Calculator have helped to win
support for the motor upgrade project from
the customer’s Senior Management right
through to the Purchasing Department,
Maintenance Team and Energy Engineer.
As the customer acknowledged:
“The ERIKS TCO Motor Calculator
has provided robust and reliable information
to enable our business to make the right
energy-saving decisions.” Which is
a benefit almost beyond calculation.

Norgren
gets energy and operating
costs all wrapped up
Conventional pneumatic control involves
an arrangement of valves or valve islands,
actuators, flow controls and sensors, along
with connectors and accessories. In typical
applications, this can involve as many as
13 different components for each actuator
function. So much complexity has clear
disadvantages and performance constraints,
effectively built-in.
However, working in close collaboration
with customers, Norgren has developed the
new IVAC (Integrated Valve and Actuator
Control), which wraps up the component
parts in a single integrated unit.
Lose weight, save space
The weight- and space-optimised IVAC is
suitable for a range of bore sizes from 32mm
to 100mm, and features an integrated valve
and magnetically operated switches for
complete actuator control.
A dual-action pneumatic cylinder with
monostable 5/2 directional valve
(conforming to ISO 15552), IVAC can be
easily and smoothly integrated into existing
systems with standard fastening elements.
Smoothing
the way
to energy
savings.
MOTOR-DRIVEN EQUIPMENT FOR LIGHT TO MEDIUM-LOADED APPLICATIONS – SUCH AS PUMPS,
COMPRESSORS AND FANS – CONSUMES ROUGHLY 1.36 TRILLION KWH PER YEAR IN THE EU AND
US ALONE. SO ANYTHING WHICH CAN REDUCE FRICTION AND INCREASE INDUSTRIAL ELECTRIC
MOTOR EFFICIENCY WILL MAKE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO CUTTING ENERGY CONSUMPTION
WORLDWIDE. THE NEW BEARING FAMILY FROM SKF IS ONE SUCH IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT.
SKF Energy Efficient (E2) performance
class bearings have been specially
engineered and manufactured to reduce
frictional moment by 30% or more beyond
the already efficient SKF standard bearings.
Which means that compared to other
manufacturers’ bearings, reductions
can be even more dramatic.
Friction loss is energy lost
All bearings reduce friction, and therefore
the amount of energy that machinery
requires. The SKF Energy Efficient (E2)
performance class bearings push this
inherent advantage to a new level.
Their ultra-low friction makes them
an excellent way to reduce energy
consumption. In addition, because they
can run cooler than SKF standard bearings
at equivalent loads and speeds, they may
also reduce lubricant use, and potentially
extend the life of equipment.
Family likeness
There are many types of SKF Energy
Efficient (E2) bearings covering most bearing
types – and all of them offer a minimum 30%
reduction in friction loss compared with their
conventional equivalents.
SKF Energy Efficient Deep Groove Ball
Bearings have been designed using
advanced SKF modelling tools, and drawing
on all relevant SKF core competency areas
– from bearings to seals and lubrication
systems. E2 bearings run 5–30°C cooler
than an SKF basic design bearing,
depending on operating conditions.
This lower operating temperature extends
the service life of the grease, and can
prolong bearing service life beyond that
of a comparably-sized, basic design
shielded bearing.
SKF E2 Y-bearings are intended for
applications where reduced energy use
is an important issue. Under normal
operating conditions, these bearings have
a considerably longer grease service life
than a standard SKF Y-bearing. They can
therefore also offer significantly reduced
lubricant consumption. SKF Energy
Efficient (E2) Y-bearings are available in
three different series with different locking
methods. E2.YAR 2 bearings, with the grub
screw locking method, and E2.YET 2,
with the eccentric collar locking method.
E2.YSP 2 bearings, with the SKF
ConCentra locking method.
Bearing benefits
All types of SKF E2 bearings significantly
reduce friction, which guarantees a
number of benefits.
The most immediate is lower energy
consumption, which in turn means lower
energy costs. The longer service life and
longer grease service life will also help to
lower the Total Cost of Ownership, offering
longer-term benefits. For OEMs, bearings
with lower friction enable the building of
higher-efficiency machinery – which benefits
the end-customer too.
And with the drive to cut energy use for
the good of the environment as well as the
bottom line, ultimately everyone benefits –
thanks to one
new family of
energy efficient
SKF bearings.
THE NEW NORGREN IVAC RANGE OF
INNOVATIVE, HIGH-PERFORMANCE CYLINDERS
COMBINES VALVE, FLOW CONTROLS, CUSHIONING
AND SENSORS IN A SINGLE ACTUATOR PACKAGE – TO
SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE ENERGY USAGE AND OPERATING COSTS.
And whether retrofitted or integrated
into new systems, each unit needs only
one pneumatic and one electrical
connection – which eliminates the need
for multiple valve islands, components,
tubing and accessories.
One unit, many benefits
Because a single unit is easier to install,
maintain and replace, the IVAC reduces
time and money spent on scheduled and
unplanned installation, commissioning
and maintenance. And of course, less
downtime for maintenance also means
higher productivity.
Meanwhile, eliminating air piping between
valves and actuators minimises ‘dead’
volume: reducing air consumption by up to
50%, and significantly cutting cost per mm
of stroke when compared with conventional
pneumatic systems.
For a machine operating at two million
cycles per year, this can mean enough
energy savings for the IVAC to pay for
itself within a year. So that’s payback all
wrapped up nicely too.
Cleaning up
KHS of Dortmund, Germany, specialises
in the production of keg cleaning and
filling systems, including its compact
INNOKEG TILL COMBIKEG. The
company approached Norgren looking
for an efficient solution to deliver
precise, consistent keg contact
pressure on the treatment head
during all phases of the process.
The solution was the IVAC Clean Line
cylinder, supplied as a complete ready-for-
connection unit, with integrated main
and pilot valves, magnet switch, speed
control, and a central connection for
compressed air and electricity. This meant
the piping and connections previously
used to link the cylinder and the valve
were no longer necessary, resulting in
significant energy savings.
The cylinder meets the key hygiene
standards required in the food and
beverage sector by using standard food
grade lubricant and having all adjusting
screws covered.

Energy savings Energy savings
CHOOSING LIGHTS
IN THE DARK
ONE OF THE QUICKEST, EASIEST AND MOST COST-EFFECTIVE
WAYS TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON YOUR SITE IS BY
CHANGING YOUR LIGHTING. BUT CHOOSING YOUR NEW LAMPS
WITHOUT CAREFUL THOUGHT AND EXPERT GUIDANCE CAN END
UP CAUSING YOU MORE PROBLEMS, INCURRING MORE COST,
AND MAY EVEN LEAD TO SERIOUS SAFETY RISKS.
Some of the hazards – like exposed
conductors on a LED lamp – are obvious
at first glance. Others can’t be spotted
without taking the product apart,
which makes them potentially
even more dangerous.
Heat dissipation is another area where
corners are cut. In a properly constructed
LED lamp, heat sinks are made from
aluminium which draws away the heat. This
metal casing is then protected to prevent it
becoming live under fault conditions.
In a cheap LED product, this additional
protection may not be present, because
it incurs an additional cost. So a fault
could lead to the heat sinks becoming live,
creating yet another electrocution hazard.
CE or not CE – that is the question
A quick way to tell whether any product
– including an LED lamp – is safe and
manufactured to a certain standard is to
look for the European Union (Conformité
Européenne) mark. Or is it? Unfortunately,
once again, the unscrupulous have stepped
in and found a way to confuse the unwary,
cheat them out of their money, and even put
them at risk of injury or worse.
Take a look at the two CE marks above.
As you can see, they are slightly different
– though it’s not a difference you might
notice with a quick glance. If you see either
one in isolation, you could easily think it’s
the official European Union mark. But one
of them isn’t. And do you know which one?
The answer is the one on the right is not
the offical, registered, European mark, but
the symbol for ‘China Export’. This means
nothing more than that the product bearing
the mark was made in China.
The International Centre for Quality
Certification believes the similarity of the two
symbols is not a chance coincidence, and is
intended to confuse the unwary European
consumer. And if the “China Export” products
are manufactured to a lower standard, with
corners cut and less attention to user safety,
confusion could be the least of your worries.
An additional problem is that re-selling
non-compliant products is illegal, so it’s
a lose-lose situation.
Bright spot
If the risks associated with cut-price online
products threaten to put you off switching
to LEDs, there is an alternative. Simply get
the help and support of a lighting expert
like ERIKS Lighting Solutions.
Neither a wholesaler nor a manufacturer,
ERIKS Lighting Solutions combines
know-how with neutrality. So you won’t
simply be persuaded to bulk purchase
new product, and you won’t be forced
to choose from just one manufacturer’s
range. Instead, you’ll get the benefit
of many years’ lighting experience and
expertise, and you’ll be given advice on
what’s best for you, rather than on what
products need to be shifted.
ERIKS Lighting Solutions’ comprehensive
service extends from supplying products
to providing you with a carefully calculated
Payback Report – detailing the energy
savings, cost savings, and carbon footprint
reduction to be realised from a particular
lighting solution. And whether you simply
want expert technical advice or need a
complete lighting system designed, ERIKS
Lighting Solutions will help you to make the
right lighting choices and the most cost-effective
decisions.
In fact, deciding to get in touch with
ERIKS to discuss cutting your lighting
energy bills could be described as a real
‘light bulb moment’.
With many sites now operating 24/7,
lighting can represent an increasingly
significant proportion of a business’ energy
bill. That’s particularly the case if you are
still using traditional lamps, basic manual
on/off switches and illuminating the whole
site the whole time – even areas with low
use or low occupancy.
More widespread awareness of the costs
of lighting and the benefits of LEDs means
that some people see switching to LEDs
as a cheap and quick win. Sadly, some
unscrupulous manufacturers see these
people as the route to a quick buck.
Cheap at what cost?
The price of LEDs bought online is often
highly attractive. It’s only once they’re
delivered that things begin to get ugly.
Low prices are usually achieved by cutting
manufacturing costs, which often means
cutting corners. With cut-price LEDs,
this can mean using flimsier glass than is
advisable, which can shatter more easily,
spraying glass fragments in all directions.
There may be exposed sharp edges on the
LEDs themselves, which are dangerous
to anyone handling them. And sometimes
components have been known to explode
– which combined with the flimsier glass
makes a cheap LED more like a bomb
than a luminaire.
Jonathan Green
AMILP MSLL
Sales Engineer – Lighting
Integrated Solutions

Best practice
GATES HAVE
LEAK PROTECTION
UP THEIR SLEEVE
Industry standard ISO 3457 requires
protection for operators within a one meter
line-of-sight of any hose conveying fluid
above 50 bar (+49°C). That’s because
a burst – or even just a pinhole leak –
in a hydraulic system can cause injury,
fluid burns and injection. Not to mention
fires and explosions, electric shock and
mechanical failure.
Any of those can be devastating to the
operator, who clearly needs protection. But
they can also be devastating to a business.
Research in the USA has calculated that
a single catastrophic hose failure accident
can cost a business around £90,000 in
direct medical expenses, loss of production,
legal expenses, fines and more. Operating
on a 3% profit margin, that kind of sum
would need additional sales of nearly
£3,000,000 to recoup the loss.
All of which makes protection not just
best practice and an obligation to your
employees, but a sound investment too.
Call the LifeGuard
Gates LifeGuard line-of-sight sleeving
system is the first sleeving system
specifically designed to protect
operators, equipment and the working
environment from the dangers of
catastrophic hose failure.
Until now, protecting the operator
(cumbersome and not 100% effective),
metal shielding (costly), or re-routing the
hose lines (not always practical or desired)
were the only ways to avoid the hazards.
But now the unique, patent pending
LifeGuard offers an effective, economical
alternative that provides all the protection
your operators need, and without affecting
their or the system’s performance.
Leaking secrets
The secret of LifeGuard’s unparalleled
leak and burst protection is in the unique
LifeGuard sleeve – made up of multiple
layers of super-strong nylon material. The
layers are not joined to each other, but can
slide and move independently to control
hydraulic failures.
The specially designed and engineered
inner layer is manufactured from tightly-woven
filament nylon. This is where
LifeGuard’s strength lies, enabling it to
control the sudden pressure release
which accompanies hydraulic bursts and
pinhole leaks.
The outer layer is a textured nylon material
that helps to contain any escaped fluids
and direct them to the ends of the hose for
release. In addition, the outer sleeve resists
abrasion and other external hazards which
could weaken it.
But it’s not only the hose which makes
LifeGuard so effective. It’s also the unique
channel clamp.
Clamping down on danger
The LifeGuard channel clamp has been
designed specifically for the LifeGuard
Tried and tested
Tested in the lab and in the field, LifeGuard’s
protective capabilities and parameters are:
Burst containment
LG3K – up to 6,000 psi (414 bar)
LG4K – up to 8,000 psi (552 bar)
LG5K – up to 10,000 psi (689 bar)
Pinhole leak control
LG3K – up to 3,000 psi (207 bar) at 212°F (100°C)
for up to five minutes
LG4K – up to 4,000 psi (276 bar) at 250°F
(121°C) for up to five minutes
LG5K – up to 5,000 psi (345 bar) at 250°F (121°C)
for up to five minutes
n Handles all hydraulic fluids and biodiesel fuel
n Allows fluid to safely escape down the length of
the assembly
n Creates noticeable spill for hose failure detection
n Correlates to ISO 3457 and meets MSHA’s flame-resistance
n No other sleeve provides this level of protection
n Patent pending system includes Gates hose,
couplings, sleeve and channel clamps
sleeving system. And as well as fastening
the sleeve securely at each end of the
hose, it provides a safe channel along which
leaked fluid can escape, and acts as a
leakage warning device.
The sleeve material contains the fluids,
which then leave the system safely
through openings created by the channel
clamps at either end of the hose. This
creates pools of leaked fluid beneath the
clamps, to act as positive verification of
a hose failure.
How safe is safe?
LifeGuard sleeving meets a variety of
industry standards, including ISO 3457, and
the MSHA’s fire-resistance requirements.
ISO 3457 requires operator protection
within a 1 metre line-of-sight of any hose
conveying fluid above 50 bar at +49°C.
LifeGuard provides the necessary
requirements
protection, and more – containing bursts
up to 10,000psi, and pinhole leaks up to
5,000psi, at 100°C for up to five minutes.
Save time, save problems
The LifeGuard system not only saves
your operators from injury, your processes
from downtime and your business from
unnecessary costs. It can also save you
time on hose installation.
Gates offers special LifeGuard channel
clamp die sets, and a LifeGuard Guide
Table and Hose Bullet Set, for measuring,
cutting and installing sleeving. So
fabrication and assembly is quick and easy.
So easy, in fact, you hardly need to roll up
your sleeves to get on with it.
A PINHOLE LEAK IN A
HYDRAULIC HOSE UNDER
PRESSURE CAN RELEASE TOXIC
FLUID AT MORE THAN 200FT
PER SECOND. NO PROTECTIVE
CLOTHING SHORT OF A SUIT OF
ARMOUR IS GOING TO PROTECT
SOMEONE AGAINST THAT.
YET INDUSTRY STANDARDS –
AND BEST PRACTICE – MAKE
PROTECTING YOUR OPERATORS
IMPERATIVE. SO GATES HAVE
THOUGHT LATERALLY, AND
DEVISED A COST-EFFECTIVE,
NON-METALLIC ‘SUIT OF
ARMOUR’ FOR THE HOSE
INSTEAD OF THE OPERATOR.

The Tig
Perhaps
Tony Benn
was right
all along!
“The passing of Tony Benn a few
months ago has lent itself to a
retrospective look at the former MP’s life,
work and views.
Back in the 1970s he had a very different
persona compared to the ‘Conscience of
the Nation’ father figure he turned into in
his later years. Back then he was a left-wing
firebrand who passionately believed in the
nationalisation of industry, views which
became highly unfashionable during the
Thatcher and Blair years.
Most interestingly, he believed in the
nationalisation of the banks, not on
ideological grounds, but because he
understood the importance of money and
access to finance for the workings of
society and for business in particular.
Benn recognised that money is like any
other utility, a vital commodity which oils
the wheels of industry in the same way as
electricity, gas and water are vital parts of
an industrial process.
If access to capital is denied it is equally
as big a threat to production as when a
water company shuts off the mains water
supply to an abattoir or an electricity
company switches off its supply to a car
manufacturing plant. Which is, of course,
exactly what happened during the recent
recession when the banks stopped lending.
Since then, Project Merlin targets, the
scheme whereby four of our biggest banks
receive government money to lend on to
business, have been consistently missed.
The Funding for Lending Scheme remains
26 ISSUE 17 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow
tragically under-used by business, probably
because most don’t even know it exists and
it is not in our bank’s interests to sell the
benefits to business whilst they rebuild their
balance sheets. Loan rejection rates for
business in the UK are typically twice those
of France and Germany.
This article is not promoting further
nationalisation of the banking system
(I think we have enough on our
plates owning 80% of RBS thank
you very much) but new and
innovative ways must be found
to release funds for business,
in particular small businesses. “
Motivair
ensures
continuous
compressed
air supply
Motivair is the UK’s largest independent compressed air management company, offering
a wide range of products and services for all the major brands of compressor:
• Planned maintenance and service plans
• 24/7 breakdown support
• Compressed air equipment, parts and accessories
• Consultancy, energy savings and lower costs
• ERIKS approved supplier
No matter
what brand of
compressor
One call for all your compressed air needs.

Fenner® Ultra Plus 150
The new generation of heavy duty drive belt
for the harshest of environments...
50% more power
High Tensile Aramid Cords transmit
50% more power than standard
wrapped wedge belts.
Unsurpassed strength
Fibre reinforced polychloroprene
rubber supports the cords and
ensures unsurpassed rigidity
when installed.
96% energy efficiency
A-symmetrical weave outer jacket
produces belt length stability
second to none, guaranteeing
unbeatable efficiency.
fenner’s Ultra Plus 150 drive belts
are specifically designed for applications
where rugged durability is paramount,
combining the highest level of performance
with the longest service life possible. Energy Efficient
State of the art, high efficiency drive belt engineering
Fenner is a registered trade mark of J. H. Fenner & Co.
www.fptgroup.com
The Mark of engineering excellence
ideal for heavy duty applications :
> Waste compactors
> Shredders
> Crushers
> Heavy duty conveyors
> Bucket elevators
> Woodworking machinery
> Quarry plant
> Saw mills
> Calendars
> Compressors

ERIKS Know+How - Issue 20

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