Safety materials are breaking down language barriers

UK Power Networks has reproduced its safety advice in a range of languages to help save lives. The UK’s biggest electricity distributor worked with the farming and building industries to identify which languages were most popularly used by their respective workers. The translations include stickers and posters highlighting the care that needs to be taken to identify the locations of both overhead and underground power cables as well as what to do in an emergency, for example if they find themselves trapped in a vehicle that has come into contact with electricity. The National Farmers Union and the Federation of Master Builders were among those consulted and feedback led to nine languages being chosen for the project; Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian and Slovak. Ros Forbes, a safety advisor at UK Power Networks, says: “It is important to break down any language barriers in the event of an electrical emergency. “The stickers and posters give essential safety advice and we know that in pressure situations safety advice needs to be clear and understandable -it is always preferable for people to be reading what to do in their first language. “We talked to the industries who work closely around high voltage electricity and established which language translations would be most useful to their workforce. “Any farmers, builders or other relevant trades wanting these materials can request them from us free of charge via our email address.” Tom Price, NFU farm safety policy advisor, says: “Arguably every farm will have a power line crossing it and it is vital that farmers and farm workers know about the risks they present and how to manage them. “The NFU welcomes the translation of safety information to help make it more accessible to all those work on farms.” Brian Berry, chief executive at the Federation of Master Builders says: “Building sites can often contain risks of injury, especially if dealing with power cables. “Therefore, we’re glad to see the creation of accessible safety guidance for the industry to help educate and mitigate risks to as wide an audience of builders as possible.”

Unicrimp upgrade its cable accessories catalogue

Unicrimp has produced a new catalogue to showcase its newly expanded, market-leading range of cable accessories products. Available to download now from the Unicrimp website or via the Scolmore Group app, the full colour, A4 catalogue brings together recently-launched and existing products to provide a comprehensive and valuable resource for wholesalers, specifiers, contractors and procurement professionals. The full range of products is marketed under the Q-Crimp brand name and is available exclusively through the electrical wholesaler trade. The product offering comprises an extensive range of cable management consumables, including stainless steel cable ties, nylon cable ties, crimp terminals, PVC tape, copper tube terminals, cable clips, and brass and nylon glands. Recent launches included in the latest catalogue are three new Q-Crimp Tradesmen Tubs, as well as a new Earth Electrode Box which has been added to the Earth Rods and Components range. The new Tradesmen Tubs added are: T&E Metal & Plastic Nail Clips Clout Nails Red Plastic Wall Plugs & Squarelock Anti-Tamper Woodscrews The new 20mm conduit Earth Electrode Box is designed to protect the connection to an earth electrode. It is compatible with 20mm conduit, with provision for brass earth terminal and is suitable for countersunk installation, providing easy access for checking. It is supplied with a warning printed lid screwed into the box.

Help Niglon become a People's Choice winner today

The Niglon team is calling on their loyal customers to help them win a prestigious award. Niglon has been shortlisted for the Family Business of the Year Awards 2022 – with a panel of judges now set to decide whether they are crowned Midlands & Central regional winners at the ceremony later this year. There’s also the opportunity to pick up a sector award, and the overall title of Family Business of the Year. In addition, the public can vote for Niglon as part of the People’s Choice category until April 30th (only one vote will be counted per email address). Commercial Director Paul Dawson says: “We are naturally delighted to have been shortlisted for the awards, and can’t wait to find out the results. It’s especially exciting given we have also reached the finals of the Midlands Business Awards. “Our double shortlisting success is testament to the immense hard work of the team, through what has been an incredibly tough time for all businesses across every sector. “We know our customers hold our family values in high regard, many of them having been loyal to Niglon for years or even decades – and we’d love it if they could help and support us in the People’s Choice category. It only takes a minute to vote!” Vote here.

Unicrimp adds new Trade Tubs

Unicrimp has expanded its popular range of Q-Crimp Trade Tubs with three new tub additions - T&E Metal & Plastic Cable Clips: Clout Nails and Red Plastic Wall Plugs & Squarelock Anti-Tamper Woodscrews. The Trade Tubs provide installers with a range of the most popular fixings and clips in a durable, re-sealable plastic tub with carry handle. They are compact in size, robust design and feature convenient dividers – making them ideal to transport from job to job. The T&E Metal & Plastic Nail Clips tub contains 200 x 1-2.5mm² (Metal), 400 x 1.5mm² and 400 x 2.5mm² (Plastic). The Clout Nails tub is a 2kg tub containing 40mm Clout Nails. The third new tub addition contains 400 x Red Plastic Wall Plugs and 400, 8x1.5in Squarelock Woodscrews. Unicrimp’s full range of Q-Crimp fixings, along with the new Trade Tubs additions, are contained in the updated Unicrimp Issue 10 catalogue, which is available to download now from the Unicrimp website or via the Scolmore Group App.

ERA kickstarts 2022 with new engineering appointment

ERA has extended its commitment to product and customer service excellence, with the appointment of a new Head of Engineering. Matthew King, who has over 10 years’ experience in engineering management, will be responsible for further enhancing ERA’s design and manufacturing capabilities, to help drive sustained business growth throughout the fenestration, distribution, specification and consumer markets. Leading ERA’s team of engineering experts, Matthew will be implementing dedicated strategies in conjunction with ERA’s design and customer service teams to improve approaches to customer application, product development and engineering project management. This will include the expansion of ERA’s bespoke manufacturing capabilities, as it continues to work in partnership with leading door and window manufacturers to develop hardware and security solutions that set the standard for quality and performance. Matthew joins ERA from ZF Group, where he was Engineering Manager for Customer Products and Projects. Starting his career as an Engineer at BMW UK, Matthew was previously a Project Manager for Ford Motor Company in Germany and has extensive experience in product development, cost negotiation and project management. Speaking of his new role, Matthew says: “ERA is renowned throughout the industry for not only setting the standard for product quality but meeting the most demanding bespoke specifications. “Throughout 2022, ERA will be continuing to invest in core areas of the business to ensure it continuously improves and expands its comprehensive product offering in order to successfully meet the needs of its customers, and I am extremely proud to be playing a central role in achieving this. The engineering team and I are already working hard to achieve these objectives and I look forward to the year ahead.” As part of his role, Matthew will also be working in partnership with ERA’s UKAS accredited test house at its headquarters near Birmingham to ensure every single product is designed, manufactured and tested to the highest possible standards.

Rittal celebrates the one millionth VX25

By Emma Ryde – Rittal UK’s Product Manager for Enclosure Systems. 2021 was a triple milestone for Rittal, the company celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding, the 75th birthday of owner Prof. Friedhelm Loh and now also the one millionth VX25 been produced! On the 16th August 2021, the one millionth VX25 enclosure rolled off the assembly line, production of which would not have been possible, without the hard work and dedication of the 1240 employees, at the Ritterhausen site. To honour this incredible achievement Prof. Friedhelm Loh and representatives from the company’s management team, honoured this achievement with a commemorative ceremony, on the same production floor where the VX25 is manufactured day after day. How can we make the best even better? That was the question which Rittal asked itself as a starting point, for the development of the VX25 enclosure system. Three years after its initial market launch, Rittal is proud to advise that the VX25 is used by industrial and IT customers all over the world. In settings such as all automobile manufacturers, as well as in data centres for IT giants such as Facebook and Amazon, along with on cruise liners, in wind turbines and in several remote locations as well. The one millionth VX25 rolled off the production line, to mark this momentous occasion, it was celebrated with music and confetti, by the management and employees at the Ritterhausen site. It was a memorable celebration, that celebrated the extraordinary achievements of so many Rittal employees, including the VX25 design engineers, product managers and production technicians. “This was all only possible with your contributions, For that I cannot thank you enough. We have always been the global technology leader and the VX25 enclosure, has sent out yet another signal to the world market. Our customers were absolutely astounded and we have now been demonstrating excellence, in enclosure manufacturing over four product generations.” Prof. Friedhelm Loh told the employees attending the ceremony. Incredible! – that is how the owner and chairman, of the Friedhelm Loh Group described the Rittal success story. He recalled that Rittershausen was not only the birthplace of large enclosures, but also the foundation of the company as a whole. “With the people of this region, we have developed a business model which has revolutionised the entire world of electrical engineering.” Without the team members, Rittal would not have been able to develop the ideas. During the time in the initial conception of Rittal, no one including its founders and management, could have imagined just a few decades later, that Rittal’s enclosures would be used around the globe. With the slogan “Enclosures available off the shelf, immediately” Rittal sparked a revolution, via the mechanical engineering sector, from there standard enclosures conquered the industry. Since its initial success, Rittal has gone on to build factories in China, India, Brazil, America and England, with Prof. Loh commenting “It is amazing when we look at all the places where these enclosures are manufactured today, across the world, Rittal manufacturer several thousand large enclosures every day.” Many others have attempted to follow suit, including several major electrical engineering groups, but without success. Prof. Loh went on to add that one of Rittal’s greatest strengths, is its readiness to diversify from general trends, within industry and look to be innovators, which places them at the forefront of development within industry. This is shown by the expansion of Rittal’s portfolio over the years, since the initial conception of large enclosure, Rittal has gone on to be successful in areas including climate control, power distribution and subsequently IT infrastructure. In Ritterhausen Germany, thanks to Rittal’s unprecedent success Rittal, has also become the largest employer in the region. “It cannot be taken for granted that a company will develop in this way for 60 years. It is a gift. It is an unbelievable success story and ample reason to celebrate.” Said Prof. Loh as he concluded his address. Markus Asch, CEO of Rittal International, went on to emphasize the important role that the VX25 plays in Rittal’s portfolio: “The large enclosure is the essence of Rittal and an expression of our expertise.” Available in thousands of configuration variants, it meets 90 per cent of all customer requirements worldwide. “Today’s gathering was organized to celebrate the one millionth VX25, but in reality we are celebrating you, the employees who manufacturer the enclosure on a daily basis.” says the management board chairman. Together with the Norbert Peter, Vice president of operations in Germany and the plant manager in Ritterhausen, they presented a gilded enclosure key and a commemorative certificate to all the employees, in recognition of there hard work and dedication.

Scolmore adds decorative accessories to its Click Smart+ range

As the market for home automation products continues to show strong growth, consumers and building owners are turning to more decorative finishes for the smart products on display in their homes and properties. In anticipation of growing demand in this area, Scolmore has added a raft of new decorative sockets to its Click Smart+ range. The comprehensive range of Click Smart+ products launched last year was created to simplify and streamline connected home products – lighting controls, smart sockets, security cameras and sensors. Now the company has added smart products in some of the company’s most popular ranges. One- and two-gang smart sockets are available in the Definity screwless, Deco+ premium decorative and Deco decorative wiring accessories ranges. A new Click Smart+ Fused Connection Unit has also been added to the Mode antiviral and antibacterial smart wiring accessories range, providing users with the ability to control appliances throughout the home – ovens, hobs, dishwashers, heaters etc. They can be turned on or off by voice control or smart device with the Click Smart+ app or with an automation. The Click Smart+ range utilises Zigbee technology – one of the most widely adopted smart home communication protocols. Zigbee certified devices require the Click Smart+ Hub and communicate with each other using a mesh network which creates multiple pathways for the connection of multiple smart home devices without compromising signal and communication range. A key benefit of Zigbee and the new Click Smart+ range is that there is no requirement for a signal repeater, as all the hard wired devices have repeaters built in. Installation is simple and flexible, with no additional cables or wall cutting required, making it ideal for existing or newly constructed buildings. The bespoke Click Smart+ app gives householders ultimate control of the smart devices, which can also be operated through voice control in conjunction with a smart speaker. The full range comprises the Smart Gateway Hub - the control centre of all Zigbee connected devices - one-gang and two-gang smart sockets, a plug-in smart socket, fused connection unit, switching and dimming receivers, camera, PIR sensor, window, and door sensor, plus a temperature and humidity sensor.

HellermannTyton Heat Shrink Tubing available from Lane Electronics

Lane Electronics can offer a wide range of high-performance HellermannTyton heat shrink tubing products for immediate shipment from stock at highly competitive prices. Developed for demanding applications the SE28 Series is increasingly being used by designers across the motorsport, aerospace, defence and railway sectors. Customers can order HellermannTyton SE28 heat shrink tubing, by the reel or metre online 24/7 with same day shipping from stock, depending on time order is received. Nick Wheeler, Sales Director of Lane Electronics says, “Our current stock holding means we are in a strong position to offer our customers immediate delivery and attractive prices that have not risen in a materials supply environment that is typically seeing long lead-times and high price increases.” HellermannTyton’s SE28 Series heat shrink tubing is designed to protect cable and cable harnesses from mechanical damage such as abrasion and resist a wide range of destructive fluids including diesel and aviation fuels, and fluids found in hydraulic systems. Made from cross-linked elastomer with an operating temperature range of -75ºC to +150ºC the ultra-wide temperature range makes the tubing ideal for applications across most motorsport platforms, and as with DR-25, SE28 tubing is qualified to VG95343T05D. The SE28 high performance elastomeric 2:1 heat-shrink tubing is available from Lane Motorsport, a specialist division of Lane Electronics, and is a direct equivalent to the popular DR25 tubing. It is currently available from stock in sizes 3.2/1.6, 4.8/2.4, 6.4/3.2, 9.5/4.8, 12.7/6.4, 19.0/9.5, 24.4/12.7, 38.0/19.0 and 51.0/24.4mm.

Wrexham Mineral Cables leads plastic-free product revolution

With increasing demand across the construction sector for products that offer reduced, or are completely free of, plastic components, a manufacturer of fire resistant mineral insulated cables says specifiers and building designers can have the best of both worlds when it comes to building safety and environmental credentials. Wrexham Mineral Cables produces what it describes as the only true ‘fire survival’ cable. Offering the highest levels of fire performance, the company says it is also seeing an increased interest in the environmental benefits of its products. Government data recently revealed that plastic waste from the construction sector had risen by 46% in just two years. It follows on from comments made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that recycling plastics ‘doesn’t work’ and the industry needs to ‘cut down our use of plastics’ to solve the problem. In order to reduce plastic within the supply chain, Wrexham Mineral Cables believe that by focusing on the green credentials of products, plastic waste can be significantly reduced. For example, MICC cable is a NON-AGEING product, and does not use any plastics to aid fire performance. WMC’s bare MICC cable option consists of just two materials: Copper & Magnesium Oxide. Neither will burn, and both elements are inorganic and non-carcinogenic. This results in no added smoke or toxins in a fire situation - creating no harm towards the natural environment. The copper used in the cables is 100% recyclable. By comparison, the majority of other cables on the market require plastics or polymers to protect the conductors. A standard SWA 4 core 4mm cable can contain around 270g of plastic per 1 metre length – the equivalent of 54 plastic bags being sent to landfill. Huw Williams, Factory Manager at Wrexham Mineral Cables, comments: “Reducing plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues in recent years. As a responsible manufacturer, we understand the role we can play in reducing the impacts our products have on the world around us. “Although recycling efforts are changing, cables that contain artificial fire retardants are still extremely difficult to recycle, potentially resulting in tens of thousands of tons of unrecyclable plastic being sent to landfill. “With our MICC Cable we don’t need polymer covers to aid fire protection. Our bare cable option consists of just two inorganic materials, where the copper element is 100% recyclable. The result is a totally inorganic and silicone free cable that maintains integrity in extreme fire conditions, whilst offering an environmentally friendly solution.”

Fast Fit Dry Lining Box added to Scolmore Essentials range

Scolmore has added Fast-Fit Dry Lining Boxes to its Click Essentials range of wiring accessories. Designed for use when installing wiring accessories into partitions, cavity walls and dry lined plaster board walls, the Dry Lining Boxes feature spring action lugs and will fit a board thickness between 6mm and 26mm. The back of the box can be used as a template to mark the cavity hole knockout. There are four products in the range comprising a one-gang and two-gang box each in a choice of 35mm and 47mm depths to maximise applications.  The 35mm boxes will fit a board thickness of 6mm to 16mm and the 47mm version will fit a board thickness of 9mm to 26mm.