Auslec Solutions 07

ISSUE 7

PP255003/09661

WINTER 2011

754 SERIES

See Infrascan in a new light.

Sleek new styling and more features than ever before.

Clipsal’s new Outdoor Infrascan range won’t leave you in the dark because they now offer a sensor light to suit every application. Enjoy the convenience and security of a sensor light that will deter intruders and welcome guests, while offering innovative features and benefits that are unique to the Clipsal Outdoor Infrascan range. Besides the stylish new look and design, some of the fantastic features include: Integral Override Facilities: Override to ON when you don’t want the light to time-out accidentally or override to OFF when you don’t want the light to activate at all.

Courtesy Light / Dimmer Facility: Select units feature a courtesy light function. When the unit detects movement, lighting will increase to full brightness, and return to the set dimming level when the timer expires.

Adjustable Beam Focus: Select units feature an adjustable beam, allowing light to be focused in a narrow beam spot or dispersed to illuminate a larger area using a wide beam spot.

Catalogue No 754HL1/140/150 754HS1/140/60 754HS2/140/60 754HF1/180/150 754HF1/180/300 754HB1/180/60 754HB2/180/60 754RFKIT

Description 150W Security Floodlight with 140° PIR Motion Detector, 12m Range 60W Security Spotlight with 140° PIR Motion Detector, 12m Range 60W Security Twinspot with 140° PIR Motion Detector, 12m Range 150W Security Floodlight with 180° PIR Motion Detector, 12m Range 300W Security Floodlight with 180° PIR Motion Detector, 12m Range 60W Security Spotlight with 180° PIR Motion Detector, 12m Range 60W Security Twinspot with 180° PIR Motion Detector, 12m Range Wireless Audible Alert Chime for use with 754 Series Infrascan Range

For more information contact your nearest L&H Electrical Wholesaler or visit clipsal.com

© 2011 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Trademarks are owned by Schneider Electric Industries SAS or its affiliated companies

CLIPCOM/22984

CO NTEN TS

Welcome.

04 Out and about

06 Branching out — Wetherill Park 08 Data experts to help the industrial experts 12 Life in the fast lane 16 Product cut 22 Good, great — what's the difference?

24 Branching out — Bunbury 28 Lightning protection — on the move 34 It's a gas with total supply solutions cover photo: © Ross Gibb Photography

Published By L&H Group A.B.N. 19730 781 473 456 Lower Heidelberg Road, Heidelberg VIC 3084 Australia Ph: +61 3 9243 3555 www.auslec.com.au Editor Paul Stathis Ph: +61 3 9381 2952 pstathis@westwick-farrow.com.au Art Director/Production Manager Julie Wright Ph: +61 2 9487 2700 jwright@westwick-farrow.com.au Associate Publisher Gavin Karthaus Ph: +61 3 9381 2952 gkarthaus@westwick-farrow.com.au

Produced on behalf of L&H Group by

You probably noticed the front cover of this issue of Auslec Solutions — hard not to take notice of a fully kitted race car driver.

And what about the young man himself; he seems pretty happy with things? Well, if you had his job, you’d be pretty happy with yourself too. His name is Michael Caruso and Auslec Solutions spent a day with him on track at the recent Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. Flick to page 12 to find out what a day in the life of a V8 Supercar driver is really like.

As I’m sure you all know, businesses must evolve and set new standards if they are to retain and then grow their market share. A recent evolution here at Auslec has been the development of our new and vastly improved website. As well as being a great source of industry information, including some very useful links for customers, we will be using our website to communicate ongoing news and events. So make sure you are a regular visitor to www.auslec.com.au — in fact, why not check it out when you’ve finished reading this issue of Auslec Solutions?

Our ‘Total protection from lightning strikes’ article in our previous issue certainly hit the spot with many of you, based on the feedback we received. So in this issue, we continue this theme and take a look at the remote aspects of lightning protection — enlightening stuff!

As usual, you’ll find an array of new and interesting products throughout this issue. We are also giving away two Apple iPads to two lucky readers just for giving us some feedback. Go to www.auslec.com.au/ contact-us/survey for your chance to win. Winners will get a mention (and maybe their picture) in the next issue of Auslec Solutions — enjoy the read.

All the best, Robin Norris Chief Executive Officer L&H Group

A division of Westwick-Farrow Media.

A.B.N. 29 001 621 861

Cnr. Fox Valley Road & Kiogle Street, (Locked Bag 1289) Wahroonga NSW 2076 Australia Ph: +61 2 9487 2700 ISSN 1837-8021 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without the permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Copyright L&H Group. Opinions expressed are those of individuals and are not necessarily those of the publisher. All information is believed to be correct at time of publication. All reasonable efforts have been made to contact copyright holders.

All material published in this magazine is published in good faith and every care is taken to accurately relay information provided to us.

Readers are advised by the publishers to ensure that all necessary safety devices and precautions are installed and safe working procedures adopted before the use of any equipment found or purchased through the information we provide. Further, all performance criteria was provided by the representative company concerned and any dispute should be referred to them.

If you have any feedback for us on anything you’ve seen or would like to see in Auslec Solutions, just email us at solutionsmagazine@auslec.com.au

out * And the winner is …

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au

Congratulations to Brett Chapman of Auslec Bunbury for winning the inaugural 2010 Branch Manager of the Year. Along with the prestige of being the first winner of this award, Brett has walked away with two tickets to the annual CEO overseas trip in June and his choice of a new company car.

The L&H Branch Manager of the Year Awards Gala Night was held on Friday 25 February at Zinc, Federation Square, Melbourne. The awards dinner recognised the success of 52 branch managers from both Lawrence & Hanson and Auslec branches across Australia. Thirteen managers were recognised each quarter throughout 2010, based on their results across 11 key performance indicators. Brett’s success was built around fantastic customer service, understanding the needs of his customer base and working closely with those customers to build their businesses.

Other award winners from Auslec included: Tanya Godden of Auslec Parkes, NSW, who joined the business in August 2006. She has

4

made a name for herself in a male-dominated market and won the Best Small Branch Award. Best Large Branch was taken out by Auslec Wollongong, managed by Graeme Sneddon.

Regional winners included: Max Leadbetter of Auslec Toowoomba, who won QLD Region

1; WA Region 1 winner was Brett Chapman of Auslec Bunbury; Peter Barkowski of Auslec Newcastle won NSW/ACT Region 2; and WA Region 2 winner was Richie Bredenkamp of Auslec Port Hedland. Richie now has a grand plan for an Auslec branch in the Pilbara – he’s clearly loving life up north!

and about

Energy Week — what a bright idea!

All Auslec branches recently took part in a fantastic week-long, worldwide initiative called the Global Energy Saving Week, run by parent company Sonepar.

The environmental and sustainability program, called BlueWay, encourages individuals and organisations to make sustainable use of resources a reality by being a focal point for engagement and action.

As a leading supplier of industrial and electrical products, Auslec is in a strong position to encourage the sustainable use of electricity by harnessing and delivering energy-efficient products and solutions in conjunction with its supplier partners.

During Energy Saving Week, branches Australia wide held various events and promotions that encouraged the use of energy-efficient products, energy-efficient

services, energy-efficient solutions and energy-production products.

Martin Dench, Group Marketing Manager for L&H Group, said: “With factors such as rising energy costs and the demand from consumers for more sustainable environmental methods, contractors need to be looking to supplier partners like Auslec for products and knowledge that will help position them at the forefront of energy-efficient solutions. Our

Global Energy Saving Week was a great way for us to communicate these opportunities en masse to our contractor customers.”

Special promotions on energy-efficient and energy-saving products during Global Energy Saving Week ensured Auslec customers received great value as well as great information.

Martin added: “We had all our staff, Australia wide, decked out in BlueWay t-shirts for the week, which meant our customers couldn’t help but ask us what it was all about. It was also a fantastic way for our staff and business to fully embrace the sustainability message, which we see as a driving factor in our industry.”

Why not visit www.lh.com.au/blueway to find out more, including useful links to help you become a sustainability-savvy energy expert!

out *

Improved ‘new-look’ website

Do you want to quickly find the location of an Auslec branch near you? Try the improved branch locator feature on the new website www.auslec.com. au which is now integrated with a Google Maps facility. All you have to do is type in the postcode and a list of the closest branches will be displayed along with a map.

The new website also features easier navigation and loads more information.

From traditional business-to-business transaction processing, emailed reports and secure transaction cards through to online integration with e-procurement systems, Auslec has e-commerce offerings to suit customers of all types and sizes. Categorised product information, links to supplier publications, linecards and even electronic copies of Auslec Solutions are all now available.

Red-hot specials are listed each month so it’s well worth a look at www.auslec.com.au.

and about At the time, his eight months-pregnant wife and daughter Daisy had to be rescued by an evacuation team before their home became completely surrounded by the flooded Lockyer

Michael Chaplin with his wife Michaela and daughters, two-year-old Daisy and newborn Annie.

Creek. Since then, things have certainly improved for Michael. “The family’s great and we’re moving to Tweed Heads,” he says.

Not only is he now the proud dad of a new baby girl, Annie Catherine, who arrived right on time, he was offered the job of Manager at the Tweed Heads branch. Of course he snapped it up and all the family has now moved to Tweed Heads. “It’s going to be quite a change,” he says.

It’s all happened quite quickly and so far everything has fallen into place. His wife, Michaela, is happy about the move as she will be close to a number of relatives who live in the area and Michael is delighted that they will now reside on a normal-sized house block. “This will make a change from fixing fencing all night.”

He leaves Toowoomba with the city looking green and lush but still in need of some repair.

“Some insurance companies have been slow and pathetic,” he says. As a result, some businesses are having difficulties or have closed down and other companies have moved in. Michael said that things were pretty quiet in Toowoomba when he left. He now has his hands full not only with a new baby, but he’s also very busy settling into his new role as Branch Manager, L&H Tweed Heads.

AUSLEC

In our last issue, we heard how L&H Toowoomba Sales Representative Michael Chaplin tackled the devastating floods that ravaged Toowoomba earlier this year.

www.auslec.com.au

Moving on after the floods

5

with Auslec

out branching *

Located in Sydney’s west, the Wetherill

a true working relationship with the

Park Auslec branch is managed by

customer, getting the product to them

Steve ‘Woody’ Woodiwiss. Woody and

when they need it.”

his 10 experienced staff are thrilled to

The branch’s customers come from a

be now working in their new premises

diverse mix of industries including: pet-

consisting of the 1400 m2 warehouse

rochemical, chemical, pharmaceutical,

and 30 m2 showroom which is used

food, beverage, hot water heater manu-

for displays from their top suppliers.

facturer, plaster board manufacturer,

“We carry $1 million in stock with just

shipping, paper recycling and councils,

on 7500 lines,” says Steve.

to name a few. “We sell anything that

The new branch in Victoria Street is

is not nailed down,” says Steve. The

fitted out with 100% LED lighting — in

branch also imports items from all over

the front entry are the Alfalux downlights

the world when required, with some of

in the Clipsal room, the main showroom

the more unusual requests including

has 75 twin LED fluoros and the ware-

cappuccino machines, refrigerators,

house is illuminated by 21 LED 150 W

specialty valves, washroom products,

high bays. This lighting is not only good

janitorial products, pesticides and

for the environment and a cost saving,

herbicides.

it also provides the branch with a great

The high-voltage electricity com-

opportunity to showcase the products

pany Transgrid awarded the branch a

and encourage their customers to use these greener options.

“Our capture area is greater Sydney, which is around 2500 km2,” says Steve. “From Wetherill Park to Kurnell is 65 km and our most western customer is 35 km away.

We pride ourselves on getting the goods to the customer no matter where they are.

“Our branch supplies Silcar, which is a plant asset management and maintenance services organisation.

www.auslec.com.au

Their scope is pretty broad and covers services to the energy, mining, manufacturing and even telecommunications sectors. As such, we

AUSLEC

are often required to ship some

6

items at a moment’s notice. We also

three-year contract to supply a range

have contractor customers working in

of specialty chemicals, poisons and

some pretty remote locations of NSW.”

petroleum products, and the branch

One of the branch’s newly devel-

has now partnered with an accredited

oped strengths is its involvement in

company to store and supply the goods

the Shipping–Marine industry. “Ships

for the client.

are floating islands,” says Steve. “You

With a diversified but predominately

need to be able to understand just what

(90%) industrial customer base with

your customer wants, when they want

10% in the contractor and installer

it and deliver it before the ship sails,

(C&I) sector, the team is now looking

otherwise you lose the business next

forward to expanding further into the

time. We pride ourselves in developing

C&I business.

Auslec Wetherill Park, New South Wales Branch Manager — Steve Woodiwiss Branch/warehouse floor space — 1430 m2 Number of staff — 10

P: (02) 9604 7811 E: auswetherillpark@auslec.com.au A: Unit 1, 468–470 Victoria Street, Wetherill Park, NSW 2164

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au

When was the last time an industrial project you were working on could be considered ‘simple’, consisting of just some motors, belts, electrical wiring and mechanical switches? Probably a long time ago.

© iStockphoto.com/Henrik Jonsson

8

Data experts to help the industrial experts

mechanical, safety and data elements to make up an entire complex system; and working on them requires a whole lot more than just some electrical and mechanical skills. They usually require a lot of specialist knowledge, as well as access to specialist equipment, to do it properly.

Auslec is a specialist industrial supplier that provides a wide range of mechanical, electrical and safety equipment to numerous industries it services around the country. As we regularly highlight in the Branch Profiles of each issue of Auslec Solutions, the combined years of experience of staff at each branch is considerable in servicing these industries. But the data market is a different matter altogether. It’s a highly specialised field in the IT domain that includes ethernet switches and routers, optical fibre, copper data cabling and specialised test instruments. In spite of their extensive industrial experience, the Auslec branch staff won’t lay claim to expertise in the IT field.

So how does Auslec service this growing and critical element to industrial projects and work sites?

You may be aware of Auslec’s sister company Pacific Datacom, the specialist data communications distribution division of L&H Group. This stand-alone business unit primarily services the IT and data cabling market, working closely with IT end users, consultants and cabling contractors with best-of-breed cabling and associated products. Auslec frequently draws on the specialised skills and product portfolio of Pacific Datacom to deliver total industrial solutions to its customers.

Pacific Datacom was established 12 years ago through the acquisition of a number of small, privately owned data cabling distribution companies located in capital cities in Australia. Each of these companies had a reputation for impeccable service, industry knowledge and quality suppliers. However, they were small businesses and limited in their market reach and what they could to service industry needs. The consolidation of these companies resulted in a single entity that had nationwide reach, consolidated buying power and access to funding from a large parent company that could facilitate growth and an expansion of services.

And grow they did — all of the branches moved to larger and more centrally located facilities, put on more staff and substantially increased their stock levels within the first year of the acquisition. That, in turn, resulted in better service to customers and the industry at large.

L&H Group’s Specialist Business Units General Manager, Ian Haddon, states that Pacific Datacom forms an integral part of the L&H Group’s strategic vision: “We’ve recognised over the years since forming Pacific Datacom that Australia’s industrial and commercial contracting markets can’t be properly serviced by electrical and industrial wholesaling operations alone. It requires specific expertise and stock holdings that can only be delivered to the market through a stand-alone specialised business unit.”

Pacific Datacom around the country Pacific Datacom currently has six branches across Australia — Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. However, with the growing demand in regional areas, especially where there is a high concentration of mining and heavy industry, Pacific Datacom has established satellite operations in some of the local L&H and Auslec branches. Data cabling products are stocked in some of these branches and the Pacific Datacom sales staff regularly travel to these regions to work with the local branches to service the local market’s data requirements.

Pacific Datacom’s National Business Development Manager, Warren Sainsbury, advises that this arrangement is about to be taken to the next level.

“For several years, one of our Brisbanebased sales guys, Dean Roberts, has regularly travelled up to Townsville to assist the local L & H branch with data projects, typically in the big mining projects,” states Warren.

“We’ve kept stock in the branch to support local demand, but in the last few months, we’ve decided to set up a satellite Pacific Datacom office there that Dean will continue to support and regularly visit.”

Most of the Pacific Datacom branches have specialist sales engineers who add significant value to their customers. They have expertise in commercial and industrial data applications, enabling them to assist customers with developing cabling design, writing specifications and selecting the most appropriate products for their applications.

www.auslec.com.au

these days — they pull together electrical,

AUSLEC

Industrial systems are anything but simple

9

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au 10

On this point, Warren adds: “One of the key values to customers is our vendor independence. Our ‘modus operandi’ is to find the most appropriate system for each specific situation from our wide portfolio of products to ensure we provide the best solution.

Pacific Datacom has four key values that it endeavours to provide to its customers and the broader data and industrial markets, including vendor independence that Sainsbury touched on. These are: ··Breadth of products, qualified as bestof-breed from the extensive selection of data cabling products available in the Australian marketplace. This includes copper and fibre network cabling, wireless systems, enclosures, industrial ethernet active equipment, critical power systems, test equipment and other materials that support LAN/WAN voice, video and data networks as well as access control, process control and telemetry systems. ··Staff with extensive expertise gained from many years in the data cabling industry and from regular and comprehensive education received from technical experts in the supplier companies. This experience, depth of technical knowledge and awareness of industry developments enables them to provide independent and up-to-date support. Client investments in applications software, hardware and business process re-engineering benefit significantly from this. All Pacific Datacom staff are constantly trained — from the warehouse staff and customer service reps to the sales engineers and branch managers — to ensure every aspect of dealing with the company is of value to customers.

that it endeavours to provide to its

”

customers and the broader data and industrial markets.

··Extensive stock holdings of core, high-demand products and fittings to ensure customers’ needs are met without delays. ··Vendor independence to offer the most suitable solution is provided to suit each individual situation.

These key values are further enhanced through frequent initiatives by Pacific Datacom to ‘go the extra distance’ in response to clients’ logistically challenging situations with innovative solutions that not only help reduce costs, but also mitigate the various risks to their clients.

A couple of years ago, Pacific Datacom supplied a large quantity of cabling, cabinets and associated connecting hardware to an installation company for a large project in Western Australia that was to be deployed in a remote mining site in the state’s north.

In spite of the sheer size of the project, the installer was under contract with the mining company to have the project completed within a very short time frame. Facing heavy liquidated damages if they were late in completing the project, the installer needed to seriously fast-track the project.

When they learned of this challenge, the Pacific Datacom team in Perth worked with the installer and the local Auslec branch to come up with a time-efficient solution.

Rather than shipping all of the equipment direct to the mining facility for it all to be installed on site, Pacific Datacom rented a warehouse in Perth for a month and set it up as an assembly facility where the cabinets could be fully populated in a safe, cost-effective and controlled environment.

Two Pacific Datacom staff worked in the warehouse for the entire month to assist the cabling installer by managing the equipment coming in and the completed cabinets be-

ing shipped out to site. The installer could then assign his team to cable up all the cabinets and fully test them so that, when the cabinets arrived at the mining facility, it was simply a matter of ‘plug and play’ to deploy the entire data network. To the relief of the installer, the project was not only completed on time to avoid those nasty liquidated damages, but it was completed on budget as well, thanks largely to Pacific Datacom’s innovative solution.

More recently, in a major communications infrastructure project for the Queensland Government, the Brisbane Pacific Datacom team provided a ‘staging’ service for the client, where they held and released cabling and power equipment as it was required to ensure there were no delays in the project rollout. Importantly, in this staging area, all of the UPS and power supplies were fully tested to ensure there would be no failures when the system was deployed.

In another recent Queensland project, the Brisbane Pacific Datacom team found a vacant warehouse that was right next to the construction site on the Gold Coast and stocked it with the equipment required for the project, again to ensure the client was able to get his equipment as and when required to meet the installation schedule.

Ian concludes that Pacific Datacom will continue to build on its ‘can-do’ approach to servicing industry, stating: “The commitment of our resources in servicing the needs of the data market is ongoing.

We’re going to invest in more branches, more people, newer technologies and greater inventory to ensure we care for both our core data cabling business from the commercial sector, as well as the emerging data cabling demand from the industrial sector.”

© iStockphoto.com/alxpin

“

Pacific Datacom has four key values

11

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au

© Ross Gibb Photography

www.auslec.com.au AUSLEC 12

Life in the fast lane Michael Caruso belongs to one of those rare groups of people who really love their jobs. He gets out of bed with a spring in his step every day he has to go to ‘work’. And why wouldn’t he — he’s a V8 Supercar driver.

Going to work for Michael Caruso typically means donning a fire-resistant suit, getting strapped into a tricked-up Holden Commodore and hurtling around a racetrack at frightening speeds. But that’s just a day ‘on the tools’ for Michael, who takes the danger, the exhilaration and the glamour all in his stride.

Michael is sponsored by Auslec, and he recently agreed to have Auslec Solutions spend a full day with him and his team — Fujitsu Racing Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) — in the pits at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide to experience life in the fast lane, up close and personal.

Amongst the crowds at the Clipsal 500, there’s a decidedly carnival atmosphere —

While Michael was prepping himself for his second time run for the day, we took a moment to study the atmosphere in the Fujitsu Racing GRM pits. The centre of the area is a black tower, known as the ‘helipad’, which houses TV screens, computer monitors and telemetry equipment. It derives its name from the practice of giving a cap with propellers on it to the engineers who work on the tower. According to Michael, these guys are real propeller heads, so its name is quite appropriate. This is the nerve centre for the pit crew for the entire fourday event. All the information from Michael’s and Lee’s cars comes into this ‘box’ via radio telemetry, and from here, many key decisions about the cars, drivers and race strategies are made.

There are people working on PCs, fuel drums and new tyres being moved into position, people in discussion over graphs, others writing notes while watching the TV screens, a guy grabbing a quick sandwich before he grabs the tyre ratchet in readi-

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In the pits

AUSLEC

even before any action starts on the track.

In the pits, it’s a different story — technicians, engineers and mechanics are sharply focused on preparing to get Michael and his teammate, Lee Holdsworth, out on the track in their cars.

When Auslec Solutions caught up with Michael first thing Friday morning, he was surprisingly calm. He was out the back of the pits, chatting with a few fans, having his picture taken with them and saying “G’day” to passers-by (although he was cool to those wearing Ford Racing shirts).

Asked about his casual demeanour, Michael — whose nickname is ‘Robbo’ (some connection between his surname and Robinson Crusoe, we’re told) — responds:

“Some drivers take it very seriously, but we can’t — it still has to be fun. We try not to overcomplicate things. We have the utmost confidence in our team. They’re fully prepped for the race and we’re in constant radio contact with them when we’re on the track.

“There are always heated moments when we’re racing, but we deal with them later on and move on to our core objective — racing.”

Michael admits, though, that when he’s out on the track, it’s very different: “When you’re racing, your stress levels get very high concentrating on the track, your competitors, your car, and listening to the crew.

Drivers typically burn up 8–9000 calories in a day from all that heat and mental and physical stress.

“Adelaide is one of the most demanding V8 Supercar courses because it’s a ‘stop/ go’ road circuit. It’s pretty tough driving 250 km/h down a narrow strip between concrete barriers in what’s effectively a steel cage.

With that closed-in environment and tight bends, it’s pretty hard to anticipate what’s around the next corner. Even though most drivers have raced here many times before, we still need to gradually get a feel for the track during the practice runs. I’m ranked in the top 15, so I only get two 30-minute practice runs, whereas the other drivers get three practice runs. Conditions are always different year to year. It helps us build confidence with the track and our cars, so we can go at it 100% during the final time runs and on race day.

“It’s different to purpose-built circuits like Phillip Island, which are designed for cars to flow more though the circuit, and the barriers are further back so you can see more space in front of you. That style

results in a faster circuit — Phillip Island has an average speed of 130 km/h. ” As we were speaking, the pit crew collectively shouted and groaned. They had just seen Michael’s teammate, Lee Holdsworth, spin out in his time run and slam the rear of the car into a concrete barrier. The pits are fitted with several TV monitors showing all different views of the circuit, and together with all the telemetry monitoring each car and driver, nothing escapes the pit crew.

“Lee was just complaining to me about his tyres earlier this morning after his first practice session,” notes Michael. “It just goes to show the hazards of racing in a street circuit lined on both sides with concrete barriers.

“I’m sure it’s no big deal — Lee’s mechanics will pull out the wrecked boot and bumper, straighten out the chassis and put on replacement boot and bumper. It will be all fixed well before race day.”

Michael’s confidence in their crews comes from personal experience. At the 2008 Clipsal 500, he was pushed into the wall at Turn 3 during a time run, crushing the entire rear of his car, all the way to the back window. His crew worked on the car till 3 am that night and had it ready for the race the next day.

13

“ Sometimes you don’t realise just how fast you’re going because you’re comfortable with your car and in

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au

© Ross Gibb Photography

the race environment.

14

ness for the next pit stop and a couple of guys tidying up. Everyone is busy, but the pit is immaculately clean. Safety and readiness to act are everything to the crew.

With the cars on the track, the pit crew are in readiness for a pit stop, and they all wear PPE — safety shoes, gloves and heat-resistant arm protectors.

Michael’s head engineer talks to him constantly through the time runs and race, with short, sharp information about the track, car and other conditions via two-way radio. The car itself has little instrumentation in it — speedo, tacho, oil pressure and temperature, along with a few warning lights. Most of the feedback on the car comes via the voice of the head engineer.

That way, Michael can concentrate on the race and use his senses — touch, sight and hearing — to deal with all of the facets of the race, instead of mainly relying on sight. According to Michael: “The car has to feel like an extension of my body, so I can concentrate on getting familiar with the track and gradually crank up the speeds. By the end of the last time run, I need to know the nuances of the car and track 100%.”

Michael goes to great lengths to highlight the importance of the entire pit crew: “The attention to every little detail by the team can make a huge difference. Every tenth of a second we shave off the lap times is critical. In last year’s Clipsal 500, there was only 1.5 seconds difference in qualifying lap times between pole position (first) and 29th (last). That tells you how important it is for everyone to be sharp to do their bit and for the flow of information between the driver and the engineer.”

The ‘buzz’ Auslec Solutions asked Michael what went through his head during the race.

“It’s hard to communicate the feeling that you have to people who don’t race,” he muses. “Sometimes you don’t realise just how fast you’re going because you’re comfortable with your car and in the race environment.

“I first competed in go-kart racing when I was 12, so I grew up racing cars — it’s natural for me. My dad built race cars and he was a mechanic for Kevin Bartlett when he was racing. Kevin was my mentor when I was younger, so that made car racing even more natural for me.

”

“When you’re in the car, you don’t think too far into the future because the race demands so much of your attention. It’s a complicated sport, so you focus on what needs to be done in front of you at the time.

You find yourself ‘sensing’ the car and the track — are the tyres gripping right, do the springs need adjusting, is the car responding to the track?

“Getting on the podium or even finishing in a good position is a real buzz for smaller teams like ours. Sadly, in professional motorsport, big bucks usually mean top results, so it’s the big-budget teams that often get the better results. But beating them with a smaller budget is often what drives us. That goes through your mind when you’re doing well in the race.”

And what about when he’s not at the track — what does Michael do to relax?

“Being Italian, family and friends are a big part of my life,” Michael says with a big grin.

“But since motor racing is so demanding, I don’t get to be with them as much as I’d like. So, when the chance arises, I like to take off ‘Michael Caruso the driver’ and put on ‘Michael Caruso the normal guy’ like everyone else.”

productcut *

A v a i l a b l e f r o m & r e c o m m e n d e d b y A u s l e c . U s e t h e locator at www.auslec.com.au to find your nearest branch.

Detachable jaw clamp meter

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au

The Fluke 365 is a rugged true-RMS AC/DC clamp meter suitable for jobs where access to wires is difficult. The instrument’s thin, small jaw is detachable with a flexible lead, which makes gaining access to wires and viewing the display easy. The instrument features 200 A AC/DC current measurement, 600 V AC/DC voltage measurement, CAT III 600 V safety rating, large easy-to-read backlight display that automatically sets the correct measurement range and a built-in torch that helps illuminate work areas.

16

20-piece socket set Wattmaster’s 20-piece 1000 V insulated socket set includes both an insulated ratchet and T-Handle for those hard-to-reach areas. The locking mechanism on both the ratchet and T-Handle prevents any socket from falling into those live bus bars or circuit breakers. The sturdy plastic carry case holds sockets sizes from 10-32 mm and hex sockets sized 4-10 mm. Two extension bars with soft cushion grip handles for additional comfort are included in the socket set but can also be purchased separately.

Safety glasses The UniSafe Savanah safety glasses offer medium impact protection in a lightweight wraparound style providing front and side eye protection for workers in general industries including fabrication, manufacturing, mining and laboratory work. The glasses feature: a lightweight, polycarbonate frame in wraparound style; flexible side arms and temple grips; 100% UV protection for use outdoors; antiscratch, medium-impact lenses that are available in clear (antifog), smoke and brown finish.

Lace-up ankle boots

AUSLEC

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The Beaver Charge workboots, from Mack, are fully lined and very comfortable, lace-up ankle boots. They feature a padded ankle and tongue, antistatic TPU outsole that is heat resistant to 160°C and polyurethane midsole with bump-cap and steelcap toe. The boots are made from high-quality KIP leathers finished in nubuck suede. They are available in sizes 4-13 and half-sizes 6.5-10.5; colours include black, ‘rocky brown’ and ‘honey’.

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Hoist for heavy loads The My-T-Lift from Pacific Hoists is the perfect solution for the safe handling of heavy loads, up to 300 kg. This 360° telescopic jib crane is designed for single-handed operation and can be mounted on trucks, trailers, pontoons and similar structures. It has the option of a manual winch which includes a 6 m rope or a 12 or 24 V electric winch, featuring a rope length of 12 m.

The unit is capable of accurate placement of heavy loads, even in confined spaces, and is made from high-quality durable steel. It has the option to fold down when not in use.

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au

Director LED Emergency Exit now with 50,000 hours life.

18

Energy Efficient Energy efficient LED Exit sign, 50,000 hours life.

Convenient ‘one box’ solution, ceiling or wall mount options complete with diffuser and all picto inserts.

Viewing distance 24M.

Ideal for internal commercial and retail services, shopping centres, hospitals and hospitality designs.

For more information visit www.pierlite.com Pierlite is a member of the Gerard Lighting Group.

LED Technology

productcut *

Available from & recommended by Auslec. Use the locator at www.auslec.com.au to find your nearest branch.

Lightweight wipes WYPALL X80 Wipers are purpose-designed wipers that weigh five times less than standard rags and take up less space, which means less waste and lower costs.

Research shows that 27% less space is occupied by WYPALL X80 Wipers in landfill compared to waste rags. This helps minimise the financial and environmental costs associated with transportation and disposal of rags into landfill.

Earth leakage devices NHP complements its mining application offering with a range of earth leakage mining relays, purposefully designed to adhere to the stringent requirements of AS/NZS 2081.3:2002. This mining-specific standard covers earth leakage devices for coal and shale mines, which further sets this versatile product apart from other market models. The device’s comprehensive list of features includes latching trip-contact, failsafe positive security (as standard) and the ability to test the integrity of the complete circuit as well as the operating relay.

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The Stop & Go is an intelligent and secure automatic resetting device designed to protect circuits in homes and commercial properties by automatically restarting the power supply after an electrical fault.

Checking that there is no permanent fault before closing the electrical circuit safely, the device instinctively re-establishes the power supply to avoid the unwanted consequences of permanently losing power to equipment or a building. When a permanent fault is detected, the device sets off both a visual and audio alarm. It is compatible with RCDs, 2P — 2 modules; RCBOs, 2P — 2 modules; RCBOs, 2P — 4 modules; and MCBs, 2P <63 A — 2 modules.

AUSLEC

Power resetting device

19

Two-channel cable protectors The durable moulded-rubber Two-Channel Cable Protector is designed for the temporary protection of assets from damage and pedestrians from tripping hazards. The bodies are manufactured from a combination of new and recycled rubber, while the hinged lids are tough, flexible rubber/plastic composite in hi-vis safety yellow. It is 1000 mm long x 250 mm wide x 50 mm high and weighs 7.25 kg/m. The two channels have internal dimensions of 30 x 30 mm.

productcut *

Available from & recommended by Auslec. Use the locator at www.auslec.com.au to find your nearest branch.

Protective workwear Huski Workwear has developed Flashtex, its new-generation fully washable, waterproof, flame-retardant, antistatic fabric. Designing garments which set new standards in protective wear for industries using live power, or anywhere arc-flash protection is a key consideration, the company has made improvements with this latest release for workers in the electrical utilities, gas, petrochemical and mining industries, and outdoors. Fully compliant with industrial safety standards, the workwear (Blaze Jacket, Item 918156, Flame Pants Item 918157) incorporates high day-night visibility and features important factors for worker heat and stress reduction: breathability, seam-sealing, multiple functional pockets.

Downlights When it comes to lighting, low-voltage downlights can create comfort and ambience. Clipsalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new 35 W highefficiency IRC halogen lamps are designed as a replacement downlight for 50 W lamps that are generally considered less efficient.

Saving end users money by reducing energy consumption by up to 30% without compromising light levels, the lamps provide the same lighting output as regular, higher energy using 50 W halogen lamps.

AUSLEC

The NHP Socomec load-break switch, SIRCO M, is suitable for a wide range of applications such as heating and air-conditioning isolation, mains power changeover switching and general isolation.

The switch is available in 16 to 125 A configurations, AC23 rated as standard, with front or side operation up to 125 A. The product features a direct or external operation handle, DIN profile, pad lockability, manual changeover options using clip-on accessories and 4-, 6- and 8-pole options using clip-on accessories.

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Load-break switch

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Pliers The Tongue & Groove pliers have a jaw that adjusts open with the push of a button and features a ratchet mechanism that enables rapid slide adjustment to suit the work piece. These features enable fast jaw sizing to suit a variety of jobs. The pliers are available with an all-purpose jaw (for gripping round, hex and square work pieces) or a straight jaw (for griping flat, hex and square work pieces) and come in 200, 250, 300, 400 and 500 mm sizes, as well as a 2-piece (200 and 250 mm) set.

Everybody wants to work for a great company and be proud of telling others who they work for. Likewise, every employer would like to think they have the credentials to attract and keep good personnel.

While everybody’s idea of a dream job varies, there are some fundamental issues that are common to all great workplaces.

AUSLEC

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Good, Great — what’s the difference?

22

Search for ‘best employer’ or ‘great workplaces’ on Google and you’ll find dozens of websites listing globally iconic organisations and words to describe good companies to work for, like ‘culture’, ‘respect’, ‘credibility’, ‘employee benefits’ and ‘work environment’.

In considering this universal topic, Auslec Solutions looked inside Auslec and explored how it rated as an employer.

Auslec is the Industrial business unit of the L&H Group, which is owned by Sonepar, the world’s leading electrical distribution wholesaler.

We spent several hours with L&H Group HR Manager Simone Desmond and Auslec National Sales Manager John Collyer to get some insight into the company and its people-values.

Simone has been in HR with L&H Group for many years and seen it with various corporate owners including Pacific Dunlop, Hagemeyer and Sonepar.

“We’re essentially a sales and service organisation,” states Simone. “And we recognise that people are integral to selling and service. L&H Group has been successful for well over 125 years because

it recognised long ago that people buy from people. We’ve developed a ‘culture of people’ — get that right and I think business success comes along with it.”

John joined Auslec earlier this year, so he helps us see this ‘culture of people’ from first impressions and from an allimportant external perspective.

“Part of the reason I joined L&H was because of its organisational culture and values,” John remarks. “I‘ve known the organisation for many years and seen the ‘our people make the difference’ slogan on their business cards. That’s a big claim but ultimately it must mean something tangible to the market — a good reputation isn’t just essential to securing customers; it’s equally important in securing and retaining good employees.

“I do believe L&H Group’s claim of difference is genuinely manifest to the market through its people. This isn’t just a ‘corporate mantra’ — they really do ‘walk the talk’. L&H Group is more about people than process. Sure, there are excellent business processes in place — another reason for its success — but the executive management team understands

that people contribute substantially to its success and they focus on attracting and retaining the best people in all facets of the business.”

Simone offers support to the ‘culture of people’ focus by pointing out some very long-term tenures within L&H Group.

“We’ve got a couple of guys with close to 50 years of service in Auslec; and plenty of people with 20+ and 30+ years of service. People don’t spend their entire working life at one company unless they’re really happy there, and these and other L&H Group employees really do feel at home here. Importantly, what they do for the company is highly valued, so that makes them want to give more. It’s a real win-win situation.

“When we recruit new employees, we always look to employ people with the right attitude to match our culture. Whilst some people might have the skills and knowledge to do the job, we recognise that the right attitude is paramount to success. Before joining Auslec, John spent 30 years in senior management roles in MRO, safety and electrical distribution businesses, so he has in-depth knowledge

“ I do believe L&H G r o u p ’s of

claim

difference

is

genuinely manifest to the market through its people.

with my own. Part of the attraction was the fact that the L&H Group executive team was in the process of renewal, to ensure the company is refreshed to deal with future ‘global megatrends’. There is an entrepreneurial buzz in the business and the excitement of heading into new markets and developing new service offerings excited me. In this environment, I can nurture and share my values with like-minded colleagues.

“In my first Auslec sales meeting, we discussed the company’s strategic vision and values and our part in delivering it.

We didn’t review the past; we looked to the future instead. We addressed the company’s brand as a ‘vehicle to market’; and I stressed that the brand is communicated to the market primarily through its people.

“The bottom line is: ‘we (the employees) are the brand’, and I want to reinforce that we all have a specific job to do to maintain our brand of service. Everyone from the branch sales staff, storeman, executive manager, accounts receivables and payables and everyone in between is involved in that service process and, if the system breaks down in any one of those links, then the

”

customer experience of service fails. We are all links in that service chain and we’re all equally accountable in delivering our part of the customer’s service experience. I want to continue promotion of the ‘L&H way’ — to represent ourselves to customers, industry and the community at large.”

Simone adds that this ‘people culture’ is synergistic with the parent company in France: “Sonepar is a family-owned company and has genuine commitment to its people. Auslec provides an extensive range of employee benefits to assist our employees at all stages of their working lives. For example, some of our benefits include a Fitness to Live program to increase employee health and wellbeing, financial planning to assist staff in achieving their personal financial goals and an employee assistance program to assist staff and direct family members in times of difficulty. All of these services support our team to be the best they can be.” John succinctly summarises what he considers to be L&H Group’s value proposition to all stakeholders: “We want to be our customers’ supplier-of-choice, our suppliers’ customer-of-choice and our employees’ employer-of-choice.”

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of what it takes to service markets and the calibre of people required to do it well.

“It’s my personal belief that the culture within a business largely determines its degree of success, providing a source of competitive advantage that is hard to copy by competitors.” He continues, “This is particularly important in markets like ours — so regulated and mature that there’s frequently little difference in product, pricing or geographical coverage to differentiate the brands. Often it comes down to the cultural framework and people in the businesses making the difference.

“Businesses prefer to deal with likeminded businesses, especially those with strong ethical values. It’s not just about negotiating price. Both parties must work towards mutually beneficial outcomes. We want customers who look for value, and when they experience doing business with us, they realise that we ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to service. Relationships are paramount to this business and we want staff with the same regard for relationships.

“I explored several career opportunities before deciding to come to Auslec, but I felt that L&H Group’s values aligned best

AUSLEC

John Collyer — National Sales Manager

23

with Auslec

out branching * www.auslec.com.au

Bunbury is situated south of Perth in

vides inhouse promotions and training

the heart of the Geographe Region of

sessions for customers. These training

Western Australia which extends from

sessions are a great way for branch

Harvey to Busselton and inland to Don-

staff and customers to keep up to

nybrook. The port city of Bunbury is

date with the latest technologies and

around 140 km south of Perth and is

product developments. Brett explains

reported to be the third-largest city in

that, along with the usual electrical and

the state. Renowned for the wild but

industrial products, the branch also

friendly bottlenose dolphins that live in

has a dedicated safety and personal

Koombana Bay, the region also has a

protection equipment (PPE) section.

strong reputation for the production

With a high volume of safety and

of fine wine. Chardonnay, semillon,

PPE sales and contracts, the branch,

shiraz, merlot and cabernet sauvignon

with its two warehouses, also provides

are the most widely planted varieties.

a walk-in service for some clients.

Not only is this region famous for

“We also organise client visits to our

its award-winning reds and whites, it’s

premises,” says Brett. “One major

also home to the award-winning Auslec

customer sends his employees to be

Bunbury Branch Manager, Brett Chapman. Brett holds the honour of being the inaugural winner of L&H Group’s Branch Manager of the Year 2010

award and the

entire branch is exceptionally proud of this achievement (read more about Brett’s accomplishments in Out & About on page 4 of this issue).

From Collie to Capel and north to Mandurah, the Auslec Bunbury branch is geographically well positioned to service this area of Western Australia.

With a strong contractor, installer and industrial customer base, Brett and his nine staff with a collective 40 years of experience certainly know how to look after their customers well. This customer service focus really

AUSLEC

comes in handy when some inquiries are made.

“From breathalysers to marquees

24

fitted and supplied with a standard pack of PPE and clothing.”

and internal blinds, we need to be

With a manager’s ‘never say no’ at-

flexible in acquiring items for our

titude and the branch’s single-minded

customers and purchase anything to

approach to customer service, it’s no

meet [a] client’s request,” says Brett.

surprise that Brett Chapman, Auslec

In conjunction with manufacturers

Bunbury and their customers are all

and suppliers, the branch also pro-

winners.

Auslec Bunbury, Western Australia Branch Manager — Brett Chapman Branch/warehouse floor space — 1050 m2 Number of staff — 9

P: (08) 9791 2944 E: ausbunbury@auslec.com.au A: Unit 2/17 Denning Road, Bunbury, WA 6236

© iStockphoto.com/Phillip Minnis

‘out of the ordinary’ product

productcut *

Available from & recommended by Auslec. Use the locator at www.auslec.com.au to find your nearest branch.

Bearing puller

HPM Legrand has released the Plexo³ range of weatherproof enclosures to help protect equipment from wet or humid weather and harsh sunlight, making them suitable for wet or damp spaces such as photovoltaic systems and pool areas. With a reversible door, wiring can be run from either the top or bottom, reducing the constricted space and providing installers with a more comfortable working area. Features include a removable chassis and faceplates from 2-row models and up, pre-fitted ISO cable membrane glands that are IP65 compliant and IP2X Earth and Neutral terminal blocks that can be repositioned either at the top or bottom of the box.

The Capital Safety Rojak ladder stability range converts step ladders into safe ladder systems, making them suitable for numerous industries and applications. The Stopper antislip ladder stabiliser consists of an aluminium ‘T-piece’ with a vulcanisedrubber covering, preventing ladders from flipping and stiles from rotating. Extender fits to the bottom of ladders as a stabiliser, allowing it to be levelled on hills and slopes.

Spyder is a top-ladder stabiliser that can be fitted securely to any industrial ladder with its clamping system. It offers safe, stabilised contact/access to flat and pitched roof surfaces, stable contact when working on inward and outward facing cor ners, safe working at arm’s length that reduces the risk of falling backwards and prevents contact with fragile surfaces and gutters.

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Weatherproof enclosures

Ladder stabilisers

AUSLEC

The Tridon 246300 Split collet slide hammer is an internal bearing puller that is designed for use in situations where access to bearings exists, but in the centre of the bearing. The device features an expanding split collet that tightens to grip on the underside of a bearing. It is supplied in a convenient carry case, complete with eight sizes of collets to suit a wide range of applications.

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Handheld RF meter The Matchmaster 12MM-H45Compact handheld RF meter with dual screen is fully compatible with all DVB formats (DVB-T, DVB-C, DVB-S and DVB-S2). The instrument works as a universal band analyser which scans and measures any signal in spectrum within the 5 to 2500 MHz range. It has a large margin to analyse low background-noise interference, while the zoom spectrum feature allows simultaneous analysis of the impact of adjacent channels or to narrow the span.

*productcut

Available from & recommended by Auslec. Use the locator at www.auslec.com.au to find your nearest branch.

Level sensor The ifm efector LMT level sensor reliably provides full or empty signals of tanks and ensures dry-run protection of pumps, while ignoring foam and build-up. Its compact sensor tip allows integration even in small DN25 pipes. The sensor features factory settings for different media types, negating adjustment.

The hygienic-point level sensor features maintenance-free sealing and stainless steel housing. Its orientation-independent installation means it is easy to mount. The food-grade sensor with its high-quality housing materials, such as high-grade stainless steel (316L/1.4404) and PEEK, meets all requirements for hygienic areas. A laser-type label provides durable legibility.

With the highest protection rating IP68/IP69K, the sensor is suitable for CIP washdown environments.

Safety spectacles

AUSLEC www.auslec.com.au

The uvex racer SPs are cost-effective industrial safety spectacles. With optimal coverage and a modern design, the spectacles are lightweight and robust. Features include a wraparound, optical class 1, polycarbonate lens for high peripheral vision, and AS/NZS 1337 medium impact approval. The uvex coating systems of the lens means that the spectacles can be used in many activities and environments, while the soft, flexible nosepiece provides comfort.

They are available in HC3000 antiscratch and THS antifog lens coatings.

26

Hacksaw blades The Starrett Unique bimetal hand hacksaw blades comprise two strips of high-speed steel wire joined to the backing material in a solid phase. Traditional bimetal blades feature one high-speed wire electron beam welded to the backing material, whereas the Unique blades feature two high-speed wires joined laterally to the backing steel, providing 170% more weld contact area. After initial use, the soft backing material in the centre of the blade will wear away forming a groove which acts as a natural chip breaker and provides the blade with multiple cutting edges. The product offers approximately 35% longer blade life, with a lower cost â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;per cutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with smoother and faster cutting.

Jacket and vest combination The DNC ‘6-in-1’ jacket and vest combination provides rain protection, warmth and versatility. The jacket has a 200D Poly/ PVC, seam-sealed, waterproof outer shell, mesh lining and a hidden zip access to combine with a detachable vest. The reversible vest also has a 200D Poly/PVC, seam-sealed, waterproof outer shell but the reverse side is polar fleece, as are the removable sleeves, providing warmth during those cold winter days. The heavy-duty jacket comes in a number of colour and reflective tape combinations and sizes are available in S to 6XL.

Lace-up hiker boots The Beaver Dingo lace-up hiker boots, from Mack, are fully lined workboots that feature a padded collar and tongue, a nitrile rubber outsole that is resistant to 300°C heat, a lightweight mid-sole and ‘airport-friendly’ composite toecap.

The boots are constructed from water-resistant uppers and a shock-absorbing polyurethane foot-bed, complete with a gel insert heel cushioning zone and in-built arch stabiliser for allday comfort. The boots are available in sizes 6-13 including half-sizes 7.5-10.5 and black and ‘rocky brown’ colours.

Clipsal’s 754 Series Outdoor Infrascan range is an exciting addition to the Infrascan family, offering a brand new look that is not only unique, but also oozes style and quality.

Each motion sensor unit comes complete with integrated lamps and is available in spotlight, twinspot or floodlight configurations. In addition, the range is packed with an impressive array of features including IP44 weatherproof rating, 12 m detection range, integral override facility, courtesy light/dimmer facility, built-in sunset switching function and adjustable beam focus.

AUSLEC www.auslec.com.au

Motion sensor range

27

© iStockphoto.com/KingWu

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au

Lightning protection — on the move

28

by lightning and significantly more are injured. But it also suggests that, due to inaccuracies in the medical reporting process of lightning-related incidents, it’s estimated that the actual number of lightning-related deaths and injuries may be as high as 5000 per year.

So, how can workers who are out in the open be protected against the dangers of lightning when a storm approaches them?

According to Brett, being forewarned is the best protection: “Most thunderstorms will produce the highest number of lightning strikes at the leading and trailing edges of the storm cell. Very often, the strokes produced at the leading edge of the storm are thrown forward into areas that might not even be under cloud cover. This is the reason that up to 70% of all people injured or killed by lightning are struck with blue sky overhead.

“Waiting to see or hear the first stroke of lightning means that you’ve been at risk of a direct lightning strike for 30 minutes or more already. Waiting for 15 to 30 minutes after you think a storm has passed doesn’t mean you’re safe from being hit by a lightning strike.

“The best way to be warned of an imminent storm is to monitor electrical radiation in the area. Lightning gives off immense amounts of electromagnetic radiation that can be reliably detected with the right kind of instruments. When it strikes, a huge amount of electrical current, typically several thousand amps, flows through the stroke into whatever it hits on the ground. Lightning detectors, like our ThunderBolt range, have highsensitivity receivers in them that detect specific frequencies in the electromagnetic noise produced by these huge flows of electric current. A built-in microprocessor then analyses the signals received and determines the distance, along with

other important information about the storm activity. Because the radiation from lightning is so strong, these detectors can pick up their radiation from many kilometres away.

“Our ThunderBolt range is designed to detect and track all thunderstorm activity within 120 km of the user’s location. Storms producing the most lightning activity will provide the most accurate information to detect and analyse. Certain types of very low-level storms, or storms in the earliest phases of their development, will take longer to be detected and ranged.

“Our instrument has a ‘Storm is Local’ alert in it, which means that electrical activity has been detected within, say, 13 km of it. The 13 km warning boundary is based on the length of the typical lightning stroke of around 10 to 17 km and the normal pattern of lightning activity within a storm cell. The detector is designed to warn users when the danger of lightning is imminent, not when it’s there on top of people, even though they may not perceive that a threat is imminent because the skies look clear or unthreatening in their immediate vicinity.

“Some lightning strikes have been measured travelling 25 km in a few milliseconds — much faster than a human can react to it. Some detectors have selectable warning distances and users of these devices should take into consideration their personal circumstances when setting their alert distances to ensure they have sufficient warning wherever they are and in whatever they are doing to pack up and leave safely when the alert goes off.

“As the storm is tracked, the displayed range, speed and ETA are displayed on a rotating series of text-message screens.

The displayed information is updated as often as new data is accumulated by the detector about the storm and its activity.”

AUSLEC

In response to comments about fixed lightning protection, we decided to revisit the topic of lightning protection and conduct more research that would help us address the topic of mobile lightning protection.

The first things we discovered were the bleeding obvious — many mining and heavy industrial sites are typically in the middle of nowhere and often in high stormactivity areas. The next thing we realised is that when you are out in the middle of nowhere, shelter from a storm is often hard to find and it’s a long way to go to escape storms when they threaten. Finally, while fixed lightning protection might protect you in a building, it’s pretty useless when you are in a vehicle or out in the open.

After those discoveries, it became very apparent that we needed to start from scratch with regards to mobile or remote lightning protection.

Thankfully, we came across storm expert Brett Vilnis, Director of environmental monitoring specialist company Boztek Solutions. Brett has been involved in environmental monitoring and warning systems for around 20 years and has provided personnel and asset solutions to mining and other industries for many years.

“If you hear thunder, forget about counting to see how far away the lightning is,” he warns. “It’s already too late! You are already in range of a lightning strike.

“Lightning has often been measured as striking 10 to 16 km away from the leading edge of a storm. Reports out of the US have shown that 30% of people who are struck by lightning are struck when they are under blue skies, well before the storm actually arrives, and a significant number are struck under blue skies after the storms have passed.”

According to the report ‘Lightning Injury Facts’, each year in the US, up to 150 people are reported as being killed

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We received many comments from Auslec Solutions readers about the helpful information contained in the lightning protection article featured in our last issue. Along with those comments, we also received some feedback pointing out that we only covered fixed lightning protection. In fact, one reader pointed out that anyone involved in mining is just as interested in mobile lightning protection as he is in fixed lightning protection.

29

“

If you hear thunder, forget about counting to see how far away the lightning is. It is already too late! You are already in range of a lightning

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au 30

”

This 13 km alerting distance is important because, as we stated earlier in this article, lightning can extend far beyond the front and back edges of a storm. The time to get out of the area or to seek shelter is right then.

It should also be understood that not all thunderstorms present the risk of injury from lightning strikes. Lightning in thunderstorms is normally classified as either cloud-to-cloud or cloud-to-ground. The latter is the type to be concerned with, for obvious reasons.

Brett points out that it’s important for a lightning detector to be able to differentiate between these two types: “While protecting workers from any possible danger from a lightning strike is paramount, the last thing you want is a work crew in a remote location stopping work due to false alarms. By false alarms, I mean cloud-to-cloud lightning being detected that poses no threat to the personnel. You should always choose a detector that can analyse and differentiate between these two types and only alert workers to the dangerous cloud-to-ground type. It’s also useful in advising workers when it’s safe to go back to work once the storm has passed and the threat of injury from lightning strike is gone. This makes the workers far more productive, by minimising the time lost through avoiding the storm.”

Detectors are highly sensitive electronic instruments and are optimised to sense minute levels of electromagnetic radiation from lightning. As such, they must be handled properly. The ThunderBolt, for example, is designed to operate either vertically (hand held or in a wall mount) or lying flat on a horizontal surface. It will not perform properly if oriented on its side.

This puts the internal antenna in the wrong orientation for signal reception.

The detectors can also be affected by metallic objects shielding the signal and reducing their sensitivity. While most detectors are designed to work properly inside buildings, certain types of buildings with metal walls and roofs might cause a loss of sensitivity in normal storm detection. Brett cites a general rule of thumb that his instrument will operate normally in any building that allows reception of normal radio signals.

He adds that his detectors are also designed to work near or in cars, but there are some precautions: “Certain types of internal combustion engines produce electromagnetic noise across the operating frequency of the detector. If the unit detects a noise level high enough to interfere with normal storm detection, its internal diagnostics determine that the instrument’s sensitivity to lightning strikes has been compromised

© iStockphoto.com/Allen Johnson

strike.

and will display a ‘high local noise’ warning and instruct the user to either move the unit to a different location away from the motor or switch the motor off to stop the interference.

“The ThunderBolt also contains software routines for detecting and minimising false triggering from non-storm sources. These routines trigger warning messages if the level of this background noise is too high for normal storm detection and ranging.

A background noise sampling routine can be run at any time from the main menu.”

Expanding on its conventional lightning detection services, Brett’s company Boztek has recently been working with Darwin airport to help alert aircraft refuellers to lightning strikes. These workers face the double dilemma of working with highly volatile fuels in an area with the highest incidence of thunderstorm activity in Australia. Since there’s no intrinsically safe (IS) lightning detector on the market, the Boztek technicians set up a ThunderBolt detector in the chassis of the vehicle and wired the outputs to the vehicle’s existing IS strobe and siren, so they can be safely warned of any imminent lightning dangers, even on the airport runway.

For more information go to www.spectrumthunderbolt.com.au/auslec

productcut *

Available from & recommended by Auslec. Use the locator at www.auslec.com.au to find your nearest branch.

Electrical and instrumental integrated solutions Rittal and Phoenix Contact provide a complementary range of products for electrical and instrumentation applications for the diverse world of Australian manufacturing. Pictured here, the Rittal stainless steel junction box is fully installed with Phoenix Contact surge protection, monitoring relays and terminals.

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The DNC 300 gsm ‘3-in-1’ Soft-Shell Knit is the latest innovation in hi-vis jacket wear. Featuring a polyester-jersey shell bonded with a shower-proof membrane and micropolar-fleece lining, not only are these garments wind and rain proof but they also come in high-visibility yellow/navy and orange/navy. There is a ½ Zip Jacket (3996) with stylish vertical zip chest pocket, side pockets, reflective piping and adjustable rubber cuffs. The Full Zip Jacket (3997) has the same features but also 3M8906 Reflective tape for day/night wear, 2-way zip front closure and a zip-off hood. Sizes are available in S to 5XL.

The IPD Industrial Products Orbis compact, single-phase, DIN rail-mountable kilowatt hour meters are available in single-pole 25 A and 2-pole 65 A current ratings, with precision Class 1 accuracy and type S0 interface for connection to energy management systems. The meter measures and registers electrical power consumption.

They are designed to help make genuine energy savings and check for a given period that the installation has operated normally.

The energy consumption is read directly in kWh on 5 digits + 1 decimal digit.

AUSLEC

Hi-vis softshell jacket

Power consumption meter

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40-piece socket set Wattmaster’s new uninsulated and insulated range of socket sets with 1000 V IEC certification are great for working on and around any electrical installation and should be included in any serious electrician’s toolkit. The 40-piece uninsulated socket set is made from high-quality chrome vanadium steel and comes packed in a sturdy steel case.

Each socket is stamped for easy identification and includes both imperial sockets, up to and including 1 inch, and metric sockets up to and including 32 mm.

productcut *

Available from & recommended by Auslec. Use the locator at www.auslec.com.au to find your nearest branch.

Master bearing puller kit

AUSLEC

www.auslec.com.au

The Tridon 265000 is comprehensive, heavy-duty master bearing puller kit that is designed to remove bearings from 50 to 200 mm diameter. The device features a choice of hydraulic or mechanical configurations; 4-, 6- and 8-inch, two or three leg pullers with a spread capacity of 50 to 200 mm; a bearing separator capacity of 75 to 150 mm and a 10-tonne hydraulic ram â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all supplied in a convenient carry case. A ram repair kit (part number 265001) is available as an option.

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Solar DC isolators The IPD Industrial Products ZFV32 DC isolator is a purpose-built DC switch designed for the disconnection of photovoltaic arrays. With its high operating voltage, 1000 VDC, it is aimed at switching transformer-less inverters. The isolator uses knife contacts to provide fast switching, which is critical in extinguishing the arcs generated by opening DC circuits. The product is DIN rail mountable, non-polarised and with its DIN profile and padlockable handle will fit into most outdoor enclosure systems.

Respirator kits

The NHP Sprecher + Schuh CA7-97 range of contactors offers auxiliary and accessory compatibility with the existing CA7 range and 140 different combinations of devices to suit applications. The product is 72 mm wide, which is the same width as the CA7-60 to 85A, resulting in savings on panel real estate. The product can also be incorporated into a two- or threecombination starter in the advanced control system and, when combined with the existing models within the CA7 range, a complete contactor package can be provided.

Designed for use by the electrical industry, Starrett Bi-Metal hole-saw kits are durable and shatter-resistant, and can cut into metal, stainless steel, wood and plastic. Dual Pitch hole-saws are the latest development in multiuse bimetal hole-saws and feature a smooth cutting action with the aggressive metal penetration and swarf clearance. It will cut equally well on thin and thicker gauge materials.

www.auslec.com.au

Contactor range

Hole-saw kits

AUSLEC

The Profile Readypak respirator kits include a resealable plastic storage container with the profile half-face respirator in medium, and a pair of pro filters. These are available with either particulate P2, spray painting A2P2 or chemical A1B1E1K1P2 filters. The product offers â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ready-to-goâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; protection for use in a variety of industries including smelters, automotive, fibreglass, spray-painting, agricultural and chemical.

The product is easy to clean, inspect and maintain and features a soft, skin-friendly TPE facepiece, swept-back filters, safety-guarded central grill, pre-filter cover and is packed in a resealable plastic storage container.

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www.auslec.com.au AUSLEC 34

Natural gas exploration and production is a burgeoning industry which is set to provide significant growth opportunities in the future. The Next Generation Gas Australia Summit, which was recently held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, focused on the remarkable growth in both domestic and export markets of gas resources and the development of unconventional gas such as coal seam gas (CSG).

Sometimes called coal bed methane, CSG is basically methane gas stored within coal seams which requires innovative technological solutions for extraction. As an end-use product, CSG is the same as natural gas and can be used in all natural gas appliances and commercial applications. What makes this type of gas particularly attractive is that it is claimed to be a cleaner option in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

L&H Group attended the NG Gas Australia Summit and managed to ‘speed date’ some of the major players in the gas industry. Manager of the National Industrial Projects unit of L&H Group Mike Bennett said the conference provided a great opportunity to showcase the breadth and depth of the company’s Total Supply Solutions. He and his colleague Jorge Gonzales had appointments with over 35 key executives from the gas industry in the so-called ‘speed dating’ sessions organised at the three-day conference.

“We created great interest with companies of varying sizes with our unique

product offerings,” says Mike. Some of these product offerings that are of particular interest to the gas industry include: containerised temporary power switchboards, containerised project access turnstiles and containerised project ice supply facility.

One drawback with an unconventional gas such as CSG has been the difficulty in acquiring government approval, but some projects are now currently underway in Australia. “Certainly, I think there is a secured significant growth opportunity for CSG with one project in Gladstone already commenced and another two of three with imminent sign-off,” Mike says.

“With growing interest in Asia, I have no doubt the size of the opportunity is just going to increase.

“The summit provided us with a great opportunity to not only learn more about this industry but also interact with the major players.” Mike and his team have already been closely involved with gas projects in Darwin, Port Campbell and Bass Strait, as well as other projects throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea. This experience has resulted in the recent addition of new unique product offerings to the portfolio for these major project customers.

“Throughout the summit we were able to share details on how we work together with major asset owners in the gas industry for mutual benefit,” says Mike.

“Our Total Supply Solution approach was seen as adding value in areas that

were not previously considered within the scope of an electrical distributor.”

The company’s broad product offering was particularly attractive to a mixture of both larger and smaller players within the industry who attended the summit.

“Interacting with asset owners in the natural gas industry, we could show them how we can be involved from start of the project all the way through to operational support,” says Mike. “When they are ready to rock’n’roll with running the plant, we will be all geared up with the knowledge and supply of products and we will make sure there are no hiccups in terms of spare parts in order to make running the plant as seamless and efficient as possible.”

From set-up, construction, commissioning and then to operational maintenance, L&H Group can supply all the materials and supply services needed for the gas industry. This includes: early project infrastructure equipment, plant construction materials, commissioning instruments, operational maintenance supplies, near-tosite or on-site support, as well as project services to help get workers going on the job. All the way from estimates support for FEED (front end engineering design), systems and processes to managing supply of construction and plant materials, and assistance at project close-out, L&H Group delivers value. This Total Supply Solution was of significant interest to conference delegates.

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*with total supply solutions It’s a gas

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Proven robustness Range suited for heavy industry applications!

Harmony® Ø30 Metal pushbuttons, pilot lights and selector switches > Reliable positive opening contacts strengthened tightness.

and

> FINGERSAFE® contact blocks and light modules, for improved safety. > Heavy duty, oil-tight, dust-tight and water-tight without the need for boots.

Need more information?

Please visit www.schneider-electric.com.au

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Telephone: 1300 369 233