CDEnviro Partner In Major Four-Year “Renewable Engine” Project
CDEnviro is involved in a major four-year research project which aims to ramp up the commercialisation of new products and processes across the renewable energy sector.
“Renewable Engine” is a ground-breaking cross-border research and innovation “supercluster” which will deliver focused research and innovation support to companies specialising in renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.
Supported by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) as part of its INTEREG VA programme, the four-year “Renewable Engine’ project will see participating companies paired with specialist PhD researchers.
Of the €6.1m assigned to the various pioneering projects, €5.8m of the funding has come from SEUPB, with the remainder to be provided by the Department for the Economy NI and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation in Ireland.
The project’s unique industry-academic collaborative emphasis aims to spearhead innovation in the renewable energy sector by giving companies access to world class facilities and resources available through academic partners.
CDEnviro carried out detailed market research and highlighted the potential this new initiative holds, on both a commercial and a global environmental level.
The research project, chosen by CDEnviro, is focused on industrial scale recycling processes for legacy renewable technology. CDEnviro will collaborate with the “Renewable Engine” teams to develop technology for these new markets.
As a result of the support gained from Queen’s University Belfast, CDEnviro now have a PhD Researcher dedicated to the new project who works closely with Sean Dobbs, Senior Product Development Engineer at CDEnviro. The wider steering team from Renewable Engine meet on a monthly basis to report on the project’s progress and overcome any challenges.
Mick George Awarded Onto The ESPO
Mick George Ltd has been awarded onto the ESPO (Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation) 379_17 Waste and Recycling Collection and Disposal framework for the firms Commercial Waste provision.
ESPO is a customer-focused, public sector owned professional buying organisation.
Founded in 1981, ESPO is jointly owned by its six-member authorities.
The organisation is committed to passing on savings to customers, that have resulted as a consequence of the groups’ best practice in procurement, sourcing, supply chain partner support and management, contract management and EU compliance.
The position on the framework grants Mick George Ltd access to a vast audience of public sector bodies that utilise ESPO’s frameworks. These include; education, local authorities, emergency services, government departments and registered charities, among others.
A staggering £1.46bn was spent regionally and nationally, with ESPO’s 2,000 suppliers, on its 25,000-strong product and service listings, during 2015-2016.
Abigail Johnson, Head of Waste at Mick George Ltd commented: ‘’The ESPO partnership is the most recent acknowledgement of our development, and is a testament to the progression the business continues to make.
“The ESPO model is one that should be given a lot of credit, due to the transparent and fair nature in which they proportion work among endorsed suppliers.”
JCB Provides Industrial Setting For BBC One’s Question Time
JCB was put in the national spotlight when the company played host to BBC One’s Question Time.
Programme host David Dimbleby fielded questions from guests including former Labour Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott, Conservative Party Chairman Brandon Lewis, Chief Executive of Siemens UK Juergen Maier, Sunday Express Political Editor Camilla Tominey and Ash Sarkar, of Novara Media during filming in the Innovation Centre at JCB’s World HQ at Rocester.
JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald said: “It was a pleasure to host David Dimbleby and BBC One’s Question Time at JCB. The JCB’s Innovation Centre is where the ideas for our products are brought to life and the industrial setting provided an ideal backdrop for the programme.”
Among those in the audience was JCB Application Engineer Mark Richards, 25, of Derby. He said: “It was a once in a lifetime experience to be involved and it was great to be so close to the programme and see how it is actually made. It was also a very interesting experience to be involved in a live debate, hear different views and get some answers from politicians.”
Global Major Accounts Executive Olivia Grey, 25, of Barton under Needwood, said: “It was a very enjoyable evening and I was really pleased I applied to be in the audience and was able to watch the debate in person.”
Question Time has been an enduring part of the British television landscape for nearly 40 years during which time JCB has gone from producing almost 7,000 machines a year to more than 70,000 annually, making the company one of Britain’s biggest exporters and manufacturers. Question Time was first broadcast in 1979 and David Dimbleby has presented it since 1994.
Dennis Eagle’s Olympus Gets An Upgrade
Dennis Eagle’s Olympus refuse collection body has received an upgrade – designed to improve operational performance.
First launched in 2010, it has become a firm favourite with both public and private sector customers, with the latest enhancements focussing primarily on hydraulic efficiency.
A new hydraulic tank will be fitted offering greater quality and reliability. Hydraulic efficiency is also improved by utilising redesigned cylinders, while fully maintaining cycle times and packing forces.
New control valves have been designed to recirculate existing oil in the system, preventing it travelling to and from the tank and creating improved efficiencies.
A higher front of body plate now comes as standard. This helps to reduce the chance of waste build-up spilling over to the engine bay, while full height front body netting prevents the risk of foreign objects exiting the body.
The upgraded Olympus also features a hinged electrical junction box door, along with a seal fitted to the body access door to prevent potential leakage. A front of body harness guard deflects obstructions – such as tree branches – from electrical equipment on the roof, and an underbody plate to stop rodents is now fitted as standard to protect the electrical harness from damage.
Roger Lane, Body Technical Manager at Dennis Eagle, comments: “The changes to the Olympus are designed to bring further enhancements to this popular product, enabling us to offer customers greater performance and efficiency as standard.”
NetVu Holdings Moves Forward With Product Launches Amid Strong Year
NetVu Ltd and Dedicated Micros Inc are set to introduce new products for the video and fire surveillance businesses in 2018 – including the FireVu visual fire detection and monitoring system and the 6 and 12 megapixel 360 degree cameras; also new innovations in control room software include Enterprise ObserVer video management software and Pick-A-Point, PSIM (video and building management software).
Managing Director/President of NetVu Ltd and Dedicated Micros Inc Pauline Norstrom commented: “We are now able to offer a valuable upgrade path for our users, from the very earliest DVRs right through to our large HD IP systems without a wholesale swap of the existing estate of products.
“Our control room upgrade products support the legacy and ensure ongoing management and control of devices over 10 years old which we know are still in the field and working. An additional value benefit is that FireVu visual fire heat detection devices can be monitored from the same control rooms which monitor Dedicated Micros and NetVu products”
NetVu Holdings Ltd CEO and CTO for NetVu Ltd and Dedicated Micros Inc, Mike Newton said: “As a business we are pleased with the progress made in 2017. It is fair to say that sales were robust.
“The NetVu and Dedicated Micros brands will be the ones to watch in the surveillance industry over the next 12 months and far beyond on both sides of the Atlantic and across the globe. Our Closed IPTV Cyber secure video network technology underlines the vision and innovation in this company; since its launch. The problems associated with non Closed IPTV, IoT and Internet connected IP cameras have revealed themselves, underlining the pioneering nature of our technology which anticipated the issues which are now arising in the internet connected Industry.”
Smartdrive Introduces Smartsense
SmartDrive Systems, a new CIWM business partner and global provider of video safety and transportation intelligence, has launched SmartDrive SmartSense™, a new line of intelligent driver-assist sensors for waste and recycling vehicle fleets, designed to identify the most dangerous driving risks and intervene with drivers before a catastrophic event occurs.
By combining purpose-built sensors with engine computer data, telematics, accelerometer and SmartDrive® analytic data, the company has developed ‘smart sensors’ that deliver new levels of accurate risk identification.
With the benefit of reviewed video and a training database of over 200 million analysed risky driving events, the sensor algorithms can be rapidly tuned to optimise triggering efficacy and system performance. The first sensor in the suite, SmartSense for Distracted Driving, uses these advanced computer vision-based algorithms, paired with the SmartDrive video analytics platform, to address the epidemic of distracted and inattentive driving.
SmartSense for Distracted Driving includes, distraction and inattention triggers that detect when eyes are off the road for a defined time period or a driver has exceeded a specific number of distracted incidents; purpose-built hardware with infrared sensors to capture distraction even when sunglasses are worn; in-cab alerts when distraction or inattention occurs; prioritised review and risk scoring for video of distraction events and integration with the proven SmartDrive video safety programme.
“It’s estimated that distracted driving accounts for 10 percent of all fatal crashes and 17 percent of all collisions that cause injuries—at a cost of billions of pounds annually,” stated Aidan Rowsome, VP EMEA of SmartDrive.
“With SmartSense for Distracted Driving, we’re tackling this issue head-on by delivering an intelligent sensor tuned specifically to this risk. Because it’s delivered with our video safety programme, fleets finally have both a comprehensive view of the frequency, severity and impact of distracted driving, and a solution to an industry epidemic that costs money and lives.”
SmartSense for Distracted Driving will be available to UK fleets in the second quarter of 2018.
VWS Appoints Operations Director
Reading-based Vehicle Weighing Solutions Ltd (VWS), the market leader in vehicle on-board weighing, axle overload protection and bin weighing, has appointed Trevor Evans as Operations Director.
Trevor has over 30 years’ experience in the transport and logistics sector, in particular waste management systems. For the past 20 years he has worked at vehicle telematics specialists CMS SupaTrak.
Trevor, will be working closely with VWS Managing Director Julian Glasspole and the rest of the management team to implement processes, improve customer experience, streamline inter-company operations and lead technical development throughout the business. Trevor takes over operational control of the day-to-day running of the business, and will act as technical advisor across different parts of the business.
Trevor Evans: “I have known VWS for many years and worked with them on numerous projects. They are great team of people, with exciting plans for the future. I am delighted to join such a dynamic company.”
Julian Glasspole, Managing Director: “Trevor brings with him a huge amount of knowledge and expertise, which will benefit us in many ways. It’s great to have him on board as we grow and develop the business.”
For more information on how to become a Business Partner, visit www.ciwm.co.uk/businesspartners
