SOLIDS HANDLING PROCESSING
AND
including SHAPA News
JUN/JUL 2014
MANUFACTURING A SERVICE
Quality knowledge So far so good; but success needs a constant drip feed of new information, techniques, commercial and marketing intelligence, not to mention legal updates, to be sustainable. With so many industries and applications, there exists an insatiable appetitie for all of this that must be sated as far as possible. SHAPA members have a head start, with an accumulation of more than 30 years’ knowledge and experience readily available and regularly updated.
Reliable expertise
a “knowledge machine”. For more than thirty years, with steadily rising membership – now standing at more than 110 companies – the Association has been a group of dedicated engineers and company managers willingly offering their time and experience for the benefit of all member companies and for industry as a whole. Its place and reputation within British industry is assured.
New faces However, whilst most SHAPA activities are facilitated by voluntary effort, the Association employs a General Secretary whose rôle is to cement all activities, providing continuity and a readily available point of contact. We are dellighted to announce a new General Secretary in the person of Ian Birkinshaw, whose 40 years plus industrial experience and considerable knowledge gained in his post as Operations Director at member company Portasilo Ltd., will, we are sure, be of great benefit to SHAPA. Ian, who is taking early retirement from his present post and will be fully available from August, is at present at the hand-over stage, to ensure a smooth transition for his successor at Portasilo.
Being prepared Aside from his engineering life, Ian is also very prominent in the scouting movement, so we can rely on SHAPA being even better prepared in the future! Preparation comes in many guises and having a firm grip on market trends, both technically and commercially, is vital. Earlier this year the Association commissioned a further definitive Solids Handling & Processing UK Survey. The results were disseminated in April and were the culmination of a wide ranging interrogation of more than two hundred significant companies. Investment plans, drivers influencing investment, buying strategies and many other facets were probed as well as ways in which the profile of SHAPA within industry may be raised.
earlier in the year, this established annual event is set to be repeated with an updated event next year. This professionally led members’ event explains and demonstrates the latest thinking and methods, showing delegates how to maximise commercial advantage from social media and other up to the minute internet based tools. For many participants, the Digital Marketing Seminar is a good enough reason in itself to be a part of the SHAPA “family”.
Quarterly meetings The SHAPA General Meetings – one of which includes the AGM – continue to be well supported and there is always an invited speaker to provide an insight into industry related topics. This year’s general meetings will include subjects such as tax relief on development and later in the year an update on the economy by a Bank of England insider. With so many factors affecting the UK economy and our export prospects this update will be keenly anticipated.
Engineering the Future SHAPA committees are nothing if not holistic in their wish to offer a complete and, crucially, a continuing service to engineering. To this end the succession is key to maintaining standards as older engineers and managers look towards handing over to the next generations. The Association has held a number of events, part educational part social, to attract and enthuse up and coming staff who will be the next key managers and innovative engineers within our industries. November will see the next event in this series, with details becoming available shortly.
Enjoying the PII SHAPA supplement The next few pages give a feel for the commitment, expertise and sheer range of technologies available to project and process engineers, who can have confidence in the knowledge that SHAPA member companies have access to high quality engineering, technical, commercial and legal data. They are also keen to pursue consistent improvements into the future. If you would like to think about joining us, or you have a project requiring expertise, or you just have a technical question to ask, simply visit www.shapa.co.uk or contact us at info@shapa.co.uk.
Operators of solids handling and processing equipment will be well aware of the importance of procuring Digital marketing equipment from companies that have taken the time to Following the success of the Digital Marketing seminar research the properties and characteristics of their materials. Whilst very many materials are well classified, it is always prudent to make a thorough investigation to ensure that parameters such as attrition, abrasive wear, unwanted segregation due to unequal grain size and also explosibility are fully taken into account. SHAPA WESTINGHOUSE promotes good practice amongst its members and encourages knowledge sharing wherever practicable. Over the years member companies have been generous with their time and data to Servicing & Repairs expand this pool of knowledge over a wide range of related topics. Free of charge assessment by a DMN engineer Each stage of every process benefits from Genuine spare parts used to the original manufacturer’s specification this accumulated wisdom. Intake and storage, Comprehensive 12 month warranty with continued support including silos and daybins will only deliver with all refurbished DMN valves undamaged consistent material onwards if these elements are designed with the particular Refurbishment service by the original manufacturer materials in mind. This applies right through the ATEX certification and validation services production process from screening and sieving to mixing, conveying and further production activities, indeed right up to bagging or packaging for despatch and transport. Reliability long life with economic non-intrusive maintenance will lead to profitable operation and happy customers.
s i e g n e l l a h c y r e Ev e s i u g s i d n i y t i n u t an oppor
Human approach So, membership of SHAPA really should be a natural starting point for manufacturers and suppliers of solids handling and processing equipment. However, SHAPA is more than simply
SOLIDS HANDLING AND PROCESSING
DMN UK Ltd. T +44 1249 818 400 dmn@dmnuk.com
COMPONENTS FOR BULK SOLIDS HANDLING
It is hard to believe that six years have already elapsed since the beginning of the UK recession – but now clear blue horizons beckon. Statistical analysis and speculative reporting in equal measure would have us believe that all parts of the economy have now moved up a gear. Nevertheless, the manufacturing sector still lags its peak output by around 7%, whilst the economy as a whole has now crept above its size at the beginning of 2008.The only small grey clouds, may be the gradually growing strength of the pound (GBP) particularly for exporters, and possible future interest rate rises. So, the good news for suppliers to manufacturing industry is that there is both the will and indeed the scope for considerable improvement. Companies who have survived the downturn will be better placed to succeed, having rigorously examined their costs and aspirations and built more efficient and secure platforms from which to head into the future.This situation in itself bodes well for SHAPA member companies, but manufacture is only a part of the body of industry supplied by members of our Association. Handling and processing of dry materials in bulk (in large of small quantities) affects a huge range of industries from mining and quarrying, through to pharmaceutical research and development, as well as the massive food and drinks sector. In fact a quick glance at the Equipment Finder on the SHAPA website at www.shapa.co.uk will reveal a plethora of such industries and applications.
By Gus Bishop – Solids Handling & Processing Association
www.dmn-shop.co.uk
www.dmnwestinghouse.co.uk
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