INSIDE MAGAZINE ISSUE 25 | AUGUST 2022 WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE? Company News, New Starters, Photo Competition, Case Studies, Blogs... and more!
Inside Magazine | August 2022 Table of ContentEditorsLetter Page 3 Introduction to Issue 25 of the Power Electrics Inside Magazine. Edited by William Snook, Designed by Jordan Williams The News Keep up to date with the latest news around Power Electrics. Page 4 New Intranet This section will let you in on all the details known so far about our new intranet. Page 12 Case Study This is a sample of the work that goes on for our customers, more can be found on our website. Page 14 Generator Jargon This blog goes back to the basics! Tip; use this blog if you’re struggling with some of the puzzles later. Page 16 Photo Competition Have a go at some of our puzzles Page 18 Puzzles Here are some of the pictures that have been sent for use on social media. Page 20 The Peddlers Adventures Here are some pictures of the Peddlers Adventures in and around Bristol. Page 22 2
It’s been quite the roller coaster for the company since our last issue, from the aftereffects of Covid to the sale of PEG, Power Electrics has been through a lot. But we are coming through it stronger than ever and are constantly progressing. There a number of progressive updates coming to the company soon, such as the introduction of the new and improved Intranet.
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Dear Power Electrics’ Employees, Welcome to our Summer 2022 edition of the Power Electrics’ Inside Magazine – issue 25!
Kind Regards
Editors Letter
This issue covers more on these updates and what else is happening around the company, such as Case Studies, Blogs, and events. There’s plenty to read up on and even some games towards the end for you to enjoy.
Talking about new things, this is my first magazine for the company, having started at Power Electrics early in May this year. So I hope you enjoy the results of what the Marketing team and myself have put together so that everyone at the company stays up to date. We are always on the look out for more News, Images and Case Studies for the website, newsletter, and social media! If you think you have something that could help promote the company, be it big or small (there’s no judgement), feel free to share it with Marketing at marketing@powerelectrics.com.
Er
William Snook | Digital Marketing Co-ordinator t
THE NEWS
Wessex Water Race Night In June some of the Power Electrics staff attended a charity Race Night event hosted by Wessex Water for WaterAid. The charity was founded by the UK water industry in 1981, aiming to provide people with clean water and safe sanitation. Although “Airgate”, the horse sponsored by Power Electrics, failed to win, the event raised over £80,000 for the charity!
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Congratulations to Ryan & Terri Herbert on the birth of their beautiful baby boy named Logan Tommy Herbert born on 31st of March 2022 at 9:20am weighing 6lbs 13oz.
Why did DTGen want to buy PEG Sales and Projects? DTGen already operates across the UK but has limited capability on the ground in southern England. The acquisition of PEG complements its existing business enabling them to offer wider geographical coverage and a more complete service to their customers.
Why did we agree to sell the sales and projects business of PEG? Andy and John have a lot on our plate with the hire business and have been feeling for a while that they haven’t been able to give PEG the direction and support that it requires. What are the implications for PEB colleagues? We expect it to be very much business as usual. We will see a benefit in the longer term as we’re able to focus our time, resources and energy on the core areas of Power Electrics.
What changes does this mean for PEB? Nothing will change for PEB staff, only that PEG staff will slowly relocate to a new DTGen Bristol depot.
As you will already know, the Sales and Projects divisions of Power Electrics have been acquired by “ThisDTGen.isthe
Below you’ll find a few FAQs, but if you have any further questions, please talk to your line manager. FAQ Has PEG been sold? PEG Sales and Projects has been acquired by DTGen, but the Service and Parts ownership has transferred back to PEB.
What are the implications for customers and suppliers? This deal should be great news for customers and suppliers as Power Electrics is 100% focused on Rental, Service, Training and Parts. This is an exciting time for members of the Sales and Projects teams who are joining DTGen, but it is also an exciting time for Power Electrics (Bristol) Ltd, “PEB” and its staff. We have retained the strong and successful Rental, Service, Training and Parts divisions of the business and will now be able to focus our full attention on ensuring continued improvement.
ACQUISITION
start of an exciting new chapter for PEG. There is a great fit with DTGen which has a clear strategy for growth in the UK generator sales market,” Andy and John Pullin have said. “We have a lot on our plate with the hire business and have been feeling for a while that we haven’t been able to give PEG the direction and support that it requires. This will allow us to focus our full attention on the Rental, Service, Training and Parts departments.”
Congrats Ryan & Terri
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Diddly Squat Farm Shop
The initial concept came from Rob Jones and design build from Simon Hutton, and John Pullin wanted to share a special thank you to them both for their hard work on this. Speak with the Marketing department to receive a voucher of your choice.
Our marketing department recently invested in new recording/imaging equipment such as a drone and a fancy mirrorless camera. Keep an eye out for Jordan around the depots catching promotional content for our social media channels. If you find yourself in a shot, try and act as natural as possible. This makes it easier for us to edit and enables us to use the content. Kevin Naish is especially good at this and loves being on camera. Cheers Kev!
All the gear, no idea!
6Inside Magazine | August 2022 THE NEWS Chocks Away!
Fans of the TV series Clarkson’s Farm will recognise the Diddly Squat Farm Shop as the brainchild of Jeremy Clarkson who – according to his website – realised that potatoes grew well on his farm and then proceeded to accidentally produce 40 tonnes of them to sell in his shop.”
“Milton Keynes’ Driver Nathan Bartlett was delivering a set very near the Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Oxfordshire and decided to drop by for some of their famous “cow juice”.
Homemade is always best, so when the government announced it was a legal requirement for all road towable trailers on beds of lorries to be chocked, we decided to make them ourselves.
Committed to protecting your financial, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Unum - Help @ Hand In early May this year the company decided to make a change to our Company Life Assurance provider, transferring us over to Unum Help-at-Hand. This switch-over has improved our employee benefits package and given all Power Electrics employees access to more healthcare support.
Advice on a range of life and work issues, including financial, legal and family concerns, nutritional advice and fitness plans, plus a confidential 24/7 helpline.
Life, money and wellbeing support
All of this comes at no extra cost to employees and grants further peace of mind to those in need of a little extra help. To find out more information on Unum and the services they provide, either check the app or visit their website, unum.co.uk, or speak to a member of the Power Electrics HR team.
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Second Opinions
6 Providing wellbeing content and direct sign up to regular events, employees can access useful articles, webinars and podcasts covering lifestyle, physical, emotional, and financial topics. Wellbeing Calendar
Personalised treatment with bespoke exercises provided by a physiotherapist (usually via video consultation). Up to 8 consultations per year shared between employee and partner. Physiotherapy 4 Consultations with UK-based private consultants – following a final diagnosis (2 consultations per annum, shared between employee and partner).
Unum Help-at-Hand is an app-based product that gives access to:
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1 An unlimited amount of video consultations that last up to 20 minutes. Available all day, every day, and including prescriptions and medications delivered directly where needed. Remote GP 2 Direct access to mental health therapists through the app (usually via video consultation) offering advice and individual treatment plans. Up to 8 consultations per year shared between employee and partner. Mental Health Support
Mark is now doing really well, he has been back to hospital for a few scans and aside from a few aches and pains, he is getting stronger every day.
For those of you who don’t know, Mark Brain, Parts Administrator, has had heath complications lately resulting in a medical emergency at the Bristol Headquarters, where Mark’s life was saved.
Recently he has been competing in a mixture of events all over the country, from the British enduro championships, the British and Welsh Sprint championships, to the 2–3 hour club enduro races. Not only has Alfie been competing in a multitude of events he has the results to prove it.
Alfie Webb 2022 Season
Inside Magazine | August 2022 THE NEWS Mark Brain Update
“I cannot thank Power Electrics enough as they have supported me from a 9-year old youth rider to now, a 19-year old Pro Championship rider.” – Alfie Webb If you would like to keep up to date with his progress in the sport you can find Alfie on Facebook at; Alfie Webb Racing, and on Instagram at; @alfiewebb_33
Having finished in the top five a few times, he has also had some wins! Alfie is consistently in the top 15 in the country. What’s next? Alfie is hoping to travel to Germany in October to compete in the World Enduro GP championship and has also been selected to take part as the first reserve rider for the International Six Day Enduro Team, which takes place the end of August in France.
Following last year’s success in becoming Expert E1 (125cc) British Enduro Champion, and 2nd Expert overall. This year Alfie has made the step up to the Pro Championship class, riding his 125 Fantic against bikes of all sizes.
Mark is extremely thankful to Antony Werrett “Badger” for his actions on the day in question, and in helping to save his life. Mark would also like to thank everyone at Power Electrics for all the support he has received. Hopefully Mark will be back at work in September!
Inside Magazine | August 2022 NEW STARTERS Adam Hope YardBristolEngineer Alexx Hope ContainagenBristolEngineer Ben Pate YardBristolEngineer Chris Brodie LogisticsBristolManager Claire Fry RentalBristolController Conor Davis Yard MiltonLabourerKeynes Daniel Bartley ElectricianMidlands Darren Bartlett Field Service Engineer Milton Keynes Luke Line Fiona Smith Utilities ServiceBristolOperatorField Service Engineer Milton Keynes Geoff Curtis AccountsBristolAssistant Guy Breakwell Jason Cox FabricatorBristolWelder Jean-Paul Warwick Mason Bristow ElectricalBristolLabourerField ServiceBristolEngineer Matt Jones FleetBristolManager Michael Green PaintBristolSprayer Ryan Wyithe FabricatorBristolWelder Scott Emery Shane Foster LGVBristolDriverFabricatorBristolWelder Thai Rodman ElectricalBristolLabourer William Snook MarketingBristolCo-ordinator William Stead Field ServiceBristolEngineer Field Service Engineer South Coast 9
The day as a whole was full of laughs, as seen by the pictures, and there are even talks of making it an annual occasion, so those who missed out have something to look forward to.
The Bristol vs. Saracens Showdown Trip was a great success - aside from the score. Organised by Josh Phear, Mark Cox and Kevin Naish, the trip took 30+ people to watch the rugby. Setting off at 8am from the Bristol HQ, the group took a coach to see the match and started some of the drink early. A choice that some may have regretted, as by the time the whistle blew for the start of the match, some were asleep in the stands. In true drinking tradition, all empty plastic cups were subsequently stacked on top of said sleepers.
Inside Magazine | August 2022 THE NEWS
The match itself was also just as entertaining, in the last moments of the game Bristol had a potential winning try ruled out for a forward pass. A fact the Power Electrics crowd managed to miss, as they were celebrating a bit prematurely. The Saracens fans were sure to correct this mistake by dousing the group with flying pints of beer to keep them quiet.
10 The SHOWDOWN 2
11Inside Magazine | August 2022 Saracens - 27 Final BristolScore-23
Beyond having a new look and style to the site, there will be a total overhaul of features compared to our current intranet. Lots of organised files, training videos and internal news will be communicated through the new site. Controlled by multiple departments, the site will be more organised and straight forward for Power Electrics employees to use and updated frequently, so that all employees stay up to date no matter where they are working from. Features!
Our new intranet is finally in its testing stage, allowing departments, such as IT, HR, Compliance and Marketing, who will have control of the content on the site to test and plan how the site will be laid out. Here in marketing we are one of the lucky few to have been given early access, so we thought, why not share a few sneak views of what is potentially to come?
OUr SHINY NEW INTRANET!
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New
Some of the upcoming sections and features to the site may include: Company News Training Portal People Directory Knowledge Base Toolbox Talks Document Portal
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Marketing Hub
A new feature to the site will be the Marketing hub, so we would like to share our plans for this section on the site. This section will give marketing a chance to show those in the company what we do, day in and day out, and be able to provide a backlog of the magazines and general marketing material used by different departments. We will endeavour to keep all this material up to date and available so teams like rental and service can download and distribute it to customers.
INTRODUCTION
14Inside Magazine | August 2022 CASE TEMPORARYSTUDYPOWER
Food manufacturing sites typically require a large power demand, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a result, equipment that handles and distributes the load needs replacing from time to time, and temporary power is needed to support sites’ power requirements - so the business can keep functioning as normal. This was the case for a large food manufacturer and their M&E Contractor, as they turned to Power Electrics to support.
KEEPS PRODUCTION FLOWING
THE CHALLENGE Two of the Main Low Voltage (LV) Distribution Boards needed replacing whilst the day-to-day operations continued as normal. As a result, temporary generators were required to feed 18 sub-distribution boards downstream. In order to supply this client with sufficient temporary power, 5.5MVA of generation was required, leading to the first challenge of access and space for 14 generators. Along with space for the generators, cable routes and connection points needed to be located, and efficiently managed, so as to not disrupt daily operations. A task made more difficult by the age of the site, meaning drawings and plans were no longer accurate. On top of these challenges there were also restrictions on downtime during the transition from mains to temporary power.
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Business Development Manager, Alex Hill, said:
THE SOLUTION Power Electrics’ project management team worked with the client and the site staff to clarify what supplies were needed, and a schedule was developed to maintain power during the transition. Enabling us to ensure sufficient resources were on hand to minimise downtime and business interruption. X
“The job was a tremendous success, especially with the volume of equipment, age of the building, tight deadlines and resources required. Utilising many smaller synchronised generators ensured the customer received a reliable source of temporary power, did not affect logistical operations around the site, and a more sustainable fuel consumption”.
To mitigate any further risk, Power Electrics were on hand for the length of the entire project with full 24/7 onsite engineering support and fuel management. Allowing the client to rest easy knowing that everything was taken care of in terms of temporary power.
required consisted of: 2 X 150kVA 2 X 275kVA 1 X 200kVA
The500kVA14Generators
To take on these challenges, Power Electrics provided 5.5 MVA of power spread across 14 different sized generators at four locations around the site. To achieve this seamless, efficient project, full project management/ planning was required, firstly identifying, and confirming which subdistribution boards would be affected by the works. This was made more difficult given the nature of the site and its age, so drawings and site plans were not completely reliable.
Whether or not, you’re in finance or sales, a generator expert or novice, we have created this guide for everyone, to explain some of the key words and phrases you might hear in the generator industry. Tally up how many you knew beforehand!
Amperes – or Amps, are a measure of electrical current that runs around a circuit, symbolised as “I” or “A”. Put simply, electricity is the electrons that flow through a conductor – amps are the measure of how many electrons are flowing. Voltage – or Volts, are the force that moves electrons through a conductor, symbolised as “E” or “V”. The more pressure electrons are under, the more efficient they can work. Power – measured in Watts or Kilowatts, power is the rate at which work is being done by the electrons, symbolised as “W” or “P”.
16Inside Magazine | August 2022 Your Guide To Generator JARGON
Kw, KVA And KVAr kW – Kilowatt or Working Power (also called Actual Power or Active Power or Real Power). Is the power that is converted into a useful output that powers equipment and performs useful work. kVA – Kilo-Volt-Amperes or Apparent Power, tells you the total amount of power in use in a system. It is also the sum of kVAR and kW. kVAR – Kilo-Volt-Amperes Reactive power or just Reactive Power. Is the power that hasn’t converted into kVA. power FActor Power factor – the ratio between the useful power (kW) to the total power (kVA) used by equipment. It shows how efficiently electrical power is converted into useful work output.
stArting current Starting current – also refered to as switch on surge, is the high current flow, typically experienced by a motor or similar during the first few moments of switching on. loAd AcceptAnce
Load acceptance – is the maximum load, in percentage, that can be applied whilst maintaining performance classes. power oVerloAd Power overload or overload – refers to the amount load exceeding the generator’s rating. Overloads happen when you draw more electricity than a Generator and/or its circuit breaker can safely handle.
Amperes, VoltAge And power
synchronisAtion Synchronisation – is the process of matching the speed, frequency, and phase angles of a generator to another source (generator or mains) of the same network configuration.
pArAllel operAtion
bulK tAnK Bulk Tank – provide a greater capacity of fuel storage than the standard generator base tank. hVo HVO –VegetableHydrogenatedOil,isafuel which reduces carbon emissions, nitrogen oxides and particulates.
‘N’ stands for the number of generators necessary for the system to run. ‘+1’ means there is one independent backup generator should a generator of N fail.
hybrid unit Hybrid Unit – enables energy, like electricity produced by diesel generators, to be stored and then used/ discharged when needed. The units can significantly reduce fuel consumption, helping to lower fuel bills and cut emissions on site.
contAinAgen Containagen – a containerised generator, is a diesel generator housed within a heavy-duty container. They come with a bunded fuel tank, are emissions compliant, ultra-quiet and fully lockable. ultrAgen Ultragen – is a generator range designed to meet the ultra-low emissions targets of EU’s Stage V.
17Inside Magazine | August 2022 n+1 & n+n redundAncy N+1 and N+N – both mean that there are backup generators in place should any single generator being used fail.
Parallel Operation – operating two or more generators, or generators and a network together, in order to supply a common load or power to the grid or utility.
Inside Magazine | August 2022 Photo COMPETITION Here we have a selection of the best shots taken by Power Electrics’ employees, most of which were used on the Power Electrics Social Media! Which ones do you like the most? James Bouton - “Close Quarters” Michael Matthews - “Toe the Line” Nathan Bartlett - “100% Full” Nathan Bartlett - “On Track” 18 1 2 3 4
Shaun Harris - “Jubilations” Nathan Bartlett - “Express Delivery” David Butler - “Angry & Happy Skies.” Jordan Williams - “For forks sake” David Butler - “What a drag!” To be in with a chance of winning the next competition or having your pictures feature on our Social Media, email the pictures to marketing@powerelectrics.com Inside Magazine | August 2022 This Issue’s Winner (S) - Michael Matthews (2) 19 5 6 987 Shaun Harris (5)
Inside Magazine | August 2022 Puzzles 20 Crossword Puzzle Work out the words from the descriptions below! Hint: check out the “Generator talk” blog if you get stuck. 1. A force that moves electrons. 2. A unit of power equal to one million watts. Down Across 3. The rate at which work is done. 4. A generator housed within a heavy-duty container.5. A device that converts motive power into electric power. 7. A flow of electric charge. 6. When you draw more electricity than a Generator can safely handle. 9. A form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles. 8. A generator range designed to meet the targets of EU’s Stage V. 10. A complete circular path that electricity flows through. 11. An amount of a substance that is produced and sent out into the air that is harmful. 12. A Battery Energy Storage device. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1112
Inside Magazine | August 2022 21 Danagrams Can you rearrange Dan Stallards anagrams of PE Employees? Chummy Tong Yahoo Flesh Angry Roman Headlong Ogler A Million Woks A Silky Town Aniseed Ell ill Gett You Bird Heroics Aloha Drugs That Mine Bridal Duvet Number Puzzle 7 + 8 + + 24 + - + 15 + ++- 26 -++ + + -84213 -+ + - - -11 21 13 0 18 Can you work out the missing numbers? PE maze Put pen to paper and work your way around our PE logo maze! Brain Teasers 1 3 5 2 4 ? This may not be a number. Think of a situation in everyday life where these numbers appear. What Number Should Replace the Question Mark? How many triangles can you count in this shape?
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... Recently the Peddlers embarked on rides across Bristol, Bath and Somerset, visiting a number of public houses along the way. Some welcoming and others less welcoming. Lets take a look at where they eventually ended up. The sun was shining and providing a comfortable 23°C afternoon for the Power Electrics Peddlers when they started their cycle from the Bristol Headquarters. Possibly this is the reason that a leisurely cycle to the Fox and Badger in Wellow became a 45km expedition across the Somerset hills to two additional pubs, Tucker’s Grave and The George Inn in Norton St. Philip. These three stopping points prompted the Peddlers to name it, the Golden Triangle.
TheADVENTURESPEDDLERSTHEGoldenTriangle
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Another classic three-pubber, this time to the Ring of Bells in Priston, the Wheatsheaf at Combe Hay, and a Peddler favourite – The Hope and Anchor. This was not a ride for the faint-hearted, with a distance of 40km and a total ascent of 500 metres, many a Peddler struggled.
Inside Magazine | August 2022
A Horse and a Tractor go into a Bar
While having a refreshing drink at the Ring of Bells, two unusual, possibly genius, forms of pub-transport arrived – one person riding a horse, and another in their tractor. This raised the question, are there laws against drink-horse-riding?
