HAZEX & MAINTEC 2013 – MASSES TO SEE

With major new show features, plus a growing HAZEX area, there’s a lot for engineers working in hazardous environments to see at easyFairs MAINTEC 2013, which returns to the NEC in Birmingham on 5-7 March 2013.

MAINTEC Professional Conference
New for 2013 is the MAINTEC Professional Conference. Run throughout the show, this will provide an opportunity for all those involved in plant or facilities maintenance to (Read More) hear from leading experts and practitioners.  Major names such as John Davenport, Operations Director, Alcon, Paul Dennis, Technical Facilities Manager, Experian and Dr Sethuraman Muthuraman, Condition Monitoring Engineer, Scottish & Southern Energy will draw on their experiences, new research and case studies as they explore the industry’s hottest topics, challenges and trends.
HAZEX - Growing
HAZEX, the specialist hazardous area event being run as part of MAINTEC 2013, is also growing.  Following an impressive debut last year, the area will play host to a number of new exhibitors, including Newson Gale.  For over 30 years Newson Gale has been leading the way in hazardous area static grounding control, serving industries where processes generating static electricity have the potential to ignite flammable or combustible atmospheres.

Wendy Knapman, Marketing Manager, explains why her firm has decided to exhibit within the HAZEX area at MAINTEC 2013:  “The UK market is very important to us and being able to demonstrate our equipment and meet customers face to face at one event is ideal.  As there is no other UK show that addresses the hazardous arena, we decided to get involved and booked a stand within the HAZEX arena.

Newson Gale will showcase its Bond-Rite® static earthing clamps.  These provide hazardous area operators with the capability to continuously monitor the condition of their static earth loop connections on equipment at risk of electrostatic spark discharges.

With standard earthing clamps, electricians must regularly measure the bond resistance between equipment requiring static earthing protection and the site’s designated earthing point, but the with the Bond-Rite® range this is not required.  Bond-Rite clamps contain a green LED indicator which pulses continuously when the operator makes a connection to equipment that results in 10 ohms, or less, connection between equipment and the site’s designated earthing point. The LED pulses for the duration of the operation until the earthing connection is opened.

Newson Gale’s stand will also feature its Earth-Rite series of hazardous area static grounding systems. These incorporate many innovative and practical features which ensure static electricity does not pose an ignition risk in flammable gas, liquid vapour or combustible dust atmospheres.
The system electronics, which are housed in a IIC EX(d) enclosure as standard, have a certified operating temperature range of -40°C to + 55°C which means the new systems can be installed in the harshest operating environmental conditions without any additional protection of modification.

Another first time exhibitor at HAZEX is Intertek.  The company helps organisations ensure the safety and quality of their products, processes and systems. It will be using the show to demonstrate the sheer breadth of its services, and how it goes beyond simply testing, inspecting and certifying products.  

Last May, R. STAHL opened new premises in Minworth, Birmingham.  At HAZEX the company will be outlining what the move means for customers in the UK.    R. STAHL is one of the world’s leading suppliers of electrical and electronic products and systems for explosion protection. It offers a range of products, from safety barriers, lighting and installation equipment through to components for heating systems, load disconnect switches and isolators.
 
At HAZEX visitors will be able to hear about R STAHL’s new products such as its explosion-protected EXLUX 6000 series luminaires.  In extensive wind tunnel tests the luminaires withstood wind speeds of up to 187 km/h without sustaining any damage.  Suitable for use in zone 1 hazardous areas, the luminaires are ideal for the oil and gas industry and can be installed as standard lighting solutions or as emergency lights with either integral battery or central battery systems.

The company will also show its Yodalex series which includes a wide range of signalling devices for hazardous areas, such as the YO6 omni-directional horn, the V6 beacon and the YL6 combination unit.

Sira Test & Certification Ltd (a CSA Group company) is a major HAZEX supporter.   Sira has been at the forefront of hazardous area issues and training for over 25 years, so its involvement in HAZEX is a great endorsement for the event.  Sira is a world leader in the conformity assessment solutions field and the UK’s leading Notified Body for Ex Product Certification (ATEX & IECEx); indeed it has issued more IECEx certificates than any other certification body.

In fact, in addition to promoting its services within HAZEX, Sira’s commercial manager, Adam Garner, will explain The IECEx Competence of Personnel Scheme during the show’s learnShops programme.

learnShops & Lions!
Sira’s will be one of 38 special, free-to-attend learnShops running throughout the show. Other learnShops will include John Roberts, managing director of Idhammer Systems, assessing The link between Energy Reduction and OEE and ROI, Mike O’Brien, product manager of Newson Gale, who will be De-mystifying the Hazards associated with Static Electricity plus Marcus Halliday, Business Development Director, from CorDEX Instruments who is discussing Infrated inspection in classified hazardous areas - How the deployment of standard thermography equipment is controlled.

The toughest challenge for exhibitors ‘Lions’ Lair’ put exhibitors on the spot giving them only minutes to pitch their latest product in front of the audience and a panel of professional judges in a bid to be voted best of show.
 
Institutions on Board
Show supporter, the Institution of Diagnostic Engineers (IDE) will host a spring conference during MAINTEC.   In addition to the IDE, a new and complementary organisation, the Institution of Local Exhaust & Ventilation Engineers (ILEVE), is also supporting the show and will take part in the IDE conference. ILEVE was formed a year ago in response to an HSE initiative to improve exhaust and ventilation at work to reduce asthma and other illnesses resulting from airborne workplace contaminants.  

IDE Chief Executive, Bill Parker, says: “We’d urge all our members to put the dates in their diary. MAINTEC will be a good opportunity to discuss latest issues, meet all the suppliers they need, catch up with new technologies and refresh their knowledge.”

Award Winners Unveiled
As if more was needed, adding some awards drama to the proceedings, the winners of the MAINTEC 2013 Maintenance Professional Awards will be announced on the show floor.  The awards recognise those who have applied know-how and technology to the maintenance process and delivered real commercial benefits as a result.  There are two categories: ‘Maintenance Professional of the Year’ and, in support of newer entrants to the industry, ‘Maintenance Apprentice of the Year.’  Paul Sacker, Managing Director of Crimson Industrial Vision and Mike Brook, Business Development Director at ERIKS INDUSTRIAL SERVICES are on the judging panel.  

Mike Brook explains why he thinks the awards are a good thing:  “It is hard enough for maintenance to get recognition from within its own company that it is doing a good job, so for maintenance professionals to get recognised by peers at MAINTEC for the job they are doing and to be given an award for it, not only encourages the winner but also boosts the maintenance profession as a whole.”

MAINTEC
Aside from the HAZEX area, there will be plenty for engineers, asset managers and maintenance professionals to see in the wider MAINTEC show.   For instance T-Cards Direct is launching the latest upgrade to its new T-Cards Online at the show.  Developed over two years, it is one of the best business web based tools to help keep track, allocate and improve efficiency. All the features and benefits of a traditional T-Card system are present plus additional unique features that on online system offers.

Xetec will show its FlexMaint computerised maintenance management software. It is both network and web based, and with a facility to edit every menu, button and screen, not only from customer to customer, but also from user to user within a company.
Food and drink processors looking for proactive assistance in the handling, evaluation, and control of maintenance chemicals should check out the CRC Industries UK stand.  It will be demonstrating its new StopLight™ Food Safety Programme. The colour coding system, developed specifically for MRO chemicals, is a leap forward in the control of chemical product movements by giving users and auditors an instant, verifiable, visual check on the products going into and being used in zones. By assigning a colour-code to each applicable factory department, and to each Ambersil product, the system limits or negates the potential problem of MRO chemicals being taken into an area that they are prohibited from.  

MGTS is exhibiting at MAINTEC in 2013 for the eighth year running.  Once again it will be offering information, advice and guidance around its unique approach to technical training for mature and new entrant employees across a wide range of engineering disciplines

Dust extraction specialists, Dustcontrol UK, will be showcasing their latest centralised dust vacuum system. The DC 11 Module is a complete central unit for source extraction and industrial cleaning. The company can install one of these systems in a plant within just a few days, with limited disruption to plant productivity. Plus, by reducing noise to 65 dB(A), this makes the DC 11 Module easier to fit in a building where noise is a challenge.

HAZEX is an area within MAINTEC and both are completely free to attend. Visitor registration is now open.  To register visit:
www.easyfairs.com/maintecuk.

Stand bookings for MAINTEC 2013 including HAZEX, which takes place on 5-7 March at the NEC, Birmingham, can be made by contacting Jerry Dawson on:
+44 (0)20 8843 8823
or email:
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