Thank Routeco It's Friday! (TRIF)

Inspirational People

This week marked the 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech appealing against racial prejudice that inspired many people for generations. I thought it might be fun to look at some other famous figures that have inspired people in the modern day.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs CEO of Apple- He did not go to university or college but became a multi-billionaire launching the Apple brand. Here's a few words of his famous Harvard speech:

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes... They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

JK Rowling               

Dreamt of being a fictional writer, now a multi-billionaire with her Harry Potter series. Here's a few words of her famous Harvard speech:

“The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more than any qualification I ever earned.”

Olympic Athletes

After the success of the 2012 London Olympics, Sports starts became inspirational figures to thousands of people, especially younger generations proving that you can achieve what you want if you work for it.

 

 

Who inspires you?

 

Have a fantastic weekend!

Rachael



PNOZmulti Configuration: Version 9.3.0

With the version 9.3.0 of the PNOZmulti configuration, a block is now available and can be used for safe communication with the automation system PSS 4000. The block “Safe Ethernet Connection Status2 is integrated within this operating system.

Proven Worldwide

This has been proven worldwide creating safety circuits and performing diagnostics on plant and machinery equipped with configurable control systems PNOZmulti.

Safe Ethernet Connection for point-to-point connection

The safe Ethernet connection enables a point-to-point connection of 48 virtual inputs and 48 virtual outputs between a PNOZmulti base unit and a control system in PSS 4000. The virtual inputs/outputs and connection settings are configured in the PNOZulti Configurator.

For more information, email: info@routeco.com or call : 0370 607 1000.

Thank Routeco It's Friday! (TRIF)

Festivals!

 
It's that time of year again, festival season! As i'm not the typical festival goer and embarking on my first experience this weekend at Reading, it thought it would be interesting to go around the office and see what festivals people have been or are going to.

Rewind festival was a popular choice for some of our staff last weekend, which features bands and famous acts from the 80s including the B52s and Billy Ocean. They arrived at the campsite early Friday morning and enjoyed their first alcoholic beverage by 9:15am! Other popular festivals in the office have been Download and V festival which took place last weekend and featured all chart music.

Many people take part in festivals for the experience, this includes camping in a field for a long weekend (the longest many have gone without a shower), buying all around the world food from the vans available, enjoying rides at the fun fair, dancing at silent discos and using the dreaded festival toilets...

Are you going to a festival soon? Any advice for a first time goer?

Have a great weekend!
Rachael

iTEMP TMT85 Foundation Fieldbus

Temperature Transmitter with Major Enhancements

This temperature transmitter is the first temperature device on the market that is compatible with FF-912 compatibility. This is now offered with device revision 2 which offers higher performance and the opportunity to stimulate diagnostic message in order to test possible scenarios without the need to manipulate the hardware.

What are the benefits?

Devices with FF-912 support diagnostics functionality according to the NAMUS NE107 recommendation and make maintenance much easier.

Diagnostic messages are categorised by 4 different levels and immediately show the impact of malfunctions. In doing so, diagnostic messages do not have to be reallocate, but can be directly addressed to the responsible staff members without delays.

The performance of the TMT85 has been dramatically improved by increasing execution times of all function blocks and optimising link setting times.

Advantages

• Provides easy and standardised communication
• Safe operation in hazardous areas thanks to international approvals.
• High accuracy through sensor-transmitting matching
• Reliable operation with sensor monitoring and device fault recognition

For more information, email: info@routeco.com or call : 0370 607 1000.

Rittal Bus on Tour - Milton Keynes

The Rittal Bus is on Tour and It’s coming to our Milton Keynes Branch!

 

Don’t miss out on this ‘drop-in’ opportunity to:

• Have hands on experience with a wide range of Rittal products
• Meet the Rittal Account Manager, on-hand to answer any questions
• Have an overview of Rittal cooling offering
• Pick up selection guides and product literature to take away

 
The bus will be at:

Routeco Ltd,

Davy Avenue,

Knowlhill,

Milton Keynes,

MK5 8HJ

 

9:30am – 1:30pm

 Friday 13th September

 

If you require any more information regarding the event please contact info@routeco.com or call 01908 359212.

Thank Routeco It's Friday! (TRIF)

Holidays!

It's that time of year again when schools are deserted and offices desks start to empty. Summer time! Although in the UK its not always that different from autumn, winter and spring... So who can blame us, we all like to get away from the UK when we can!

Rather than talk about the beautiful weather and locations of some of the most popular holiday destinations, in true magazine style I thought I would show you some of the more unusual choices.
 
Antarctica
So Antarctica doesn't offer the usual perks of a sunny holiday, despite this it has been growing in popularity over the last few years. It offers spectacular sights, and some incredible wildlife such as the chance to see penguins and whales! For me the idea of wearing about 6 layers of clothing before I even consider leaving my room is not a holiday, but you can see the appeal..


Roswell New Mexico
This famous American destination is extremely popular among Alien fans as it is the area where a UFO supposedly crashed and evidence was cleared up by the Government. The areas popularity was even shown in recent film PAUL in which they travel to famous alien hotspots. Not my idea of a holiday, but my mums idea of heaven.



Ice Hotel Sweden
This destination says it all in the title, a hotel made out of ice. Famous for its artistic beauty and ice sculptures, but brrr the thought of it makes me shiver!

Amish 


Living an Amish lifestyle for a week, my parents once asked me to do this as a joke (I hope it was a joke). You spend one week away from civilisation, away from all electronics, spending time as a family making all of your own food and doing all of your own cleaning.




What are some of your favourite or most feared destinations?

Have a lovely weekend!
Rachael

We're Hiring!

We currently have a number of vacancies across our branches. Here is an overview of our current opportunities.

Internal Technical Sales - Derby

Product Sales Specialist ~ ATEX / Process Components - North

Branch Supervisor - Manchester

Apprenticeships at Routeco

External Sales Engineer - Milton Keynes

External Sales Engineer - Manchester

Internal Sales Engineer - Leeds

External Sales Engineer - Peterborough

Internal Sales - Leeds

For more information, or if you would like to apply, please click on the job role.

Product Life Cycles Strategies For Efficient Manufacturing Seminar

Aston Villa Football Club, Birmingham
24th September 2013
 

The increase in production and efficiency goals has left customers expecting more, creating greater demand on your manufacturing systems. Due to the fast moving nature of technology, support risks and obsolescence are a growing issue in this market.

Routeco and Rockwell can help you develop a strategy to decide the best solution for your future needs. This can help determine whether equipment should be migrated, updated or replaced in order to produce efficiently.

 

Programme  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 

Who should attend?

 

• Maintenance and operational managers with Rockwell products installed in their operations
• If you have any of the following products installed; PLC2, 3, or 5, SLC 100/500 or FlexLogic, 1336 drives, 2711 PanelView and PanelView enhanced or RSView32.

To register for this free of charge seminar, please email info@routeco.com  

Thank Routeco It's Friday! (TRIF)

Films have been a popular subject this week, in the media, at home and at work. There's even been talk of a film club in the office! I am a huge film fan and have near enough seen every film that's been in the cinema recently.
My favourite films include the Batman trilogy, Pan's Labyrinth and Django Unchained.

The big film headlines his week include:

•  Disney facing losses of up to £190m after The Lone Ranger disappoints at the box office


• Bruce Willis demanding at least £1m a day... (yes, a day!) to make the Expendables 3 (based on the second one, I certainly won't be going to watch it!)


• And the increasing concern from parents about children downloading films that have a higher age certificate online.

Also, DID YOU KNOW that all Pixar films supposedly exist in the same universe!! For more information visit http://goo.gl/zkGw12


So, this weeks social media trend has been #1letterwrongmovie where people change 1 letter in the title of a famous film! Previously it used to be #1wordwrongmovie but 1 letter brings a whole new challenge to the game. Some classics have to include Paws and Pilates of the Caribbean.

If you have any #1letterwrongmovie ideas we would love to here them!

Have a great weekend!

Rachael

Rittal Ri4PowerForm 4 Distribution Systems

Rittal Ri4PowerForm 4 distribution systems can be used to achieve internal compartmentalisation by employing metal shielding that separate the busbar systems, terminals and functional units. This will offer a high level of operator protection.

There are a wide variety of alternative new wiring systems that can be used to increase flexibility. These new wiring systems facilitate both vertical and horizontal cable routing whilst guaranteeing internal Form 2-4.

Vertical

Vertical cable routing and pre punched cut-outs are provided in the mounting brackets for compartment dividers, which can be easily removed and used to install a vertical wiring channel.

Horizontal

Horizontal cable routing takes place behind the front trim panels. This entails fitting a wiring trim panel appropriate to accommodate a wiring channel which will also conceals the busbar system simultaneously.

For more information, email: info@routeco.com or call : 0370 607 1000.

How an Installed Base Evaluation (IBE) Helped a UK Dairy Company be more Operationally Effective

Application Story

 

Why did we do an IBE
Whilst the site was only 6 years old and they only had a few failures, a change in operational management team led to a focus on downtime and operational costs caused by wear and tear. As well as looking at how the control system could reduce wear and tear on the mechanical components.

It was identified that the maintenance policy was "bin and buy new", which led to an explanation of cost benefit of repairs and asset management solutions. The presentations generated an intense interest in operational running costs, and a desire to compare current OEM support with proposed Strategic Maintenance Agreement (SMA) costs, a budget SMA using a Bill of Materials. As these comparisons held significant benefits for management team, the next step was to understand exactly what was on site.

Results of IBE
The IBE identified

• Very large installed base, more than £1.5m and larger than the      customer anticipated
•  Installed base was larger than the Bill of Materials
•  Obsolete / discontinued was relatively low, but some HMI & servo motors
•  Areas of lower criticality, such as large DC drive

The IBE was instrumental in assisting to create a support strategy, focusing on the real and not assumed risks, the criticality of equipment and helped refine the most cost effective solution.

Outcome
Through the criticality and obsolescence information, a cost effective SMA proposal was changed and accepted by the customer. The proposal provided a more appropriate and cost effective solution compared to the OEM "bin and buy new" early life support.

The operational effectiveness approach has enabled a stronger relationship with the engineering team and opened up communication with senior managers (plant and group directors and management), building a deeper customer relationship. The reduced operation costs and reduced downtime risks identified at this site, is being championed to a number of other sites across UK.

For more information, email: info@routeco.com or call: 0370 607 1000.

Thank Routeco It's Friday! (TRIF)

Routeco Quiz Night For Cancer Research UK

Last night Routeco hosted a quiz night as part of the 20K4CRUK challenge The quiz raised a huge £622! The night featured 8 rounds of different subjects which included an; Entertainment round, 2 picture rounds one Celebrity (this may have just saved our team from coming last) and one International Airlines (it was really difficult!), a Sports round (the less said the better on this) and many others. There was a mixture of easy questions crossed with some controversial 'that can't be right! type questions about London Architecture, F1 and famous actors which was enough to start up some heated team discussions.

'How tall is the Eiffel Tower in meters?' Was the tie breaker question for the 2nd and 3rd place and the purchasing team won with a few meters off the actual height (for those eager brains out there- 324m was the correct answer).

MK sales were the overall winners, with a whopping 66 points! The winning team photo below... well done guys!

A few people we would link to thank for their donations towards the event include:

-MGB
-Mechline
-Schneider
-Routeco Sales
-WES
-Stearn
-Ian Stewart
-Walkers
-Routeco HR
-Creative photography

We would also like to thank Rachel and Tracey for organising the event, it was a great evening for a fantastic cause.

To keep-to-date on how the 20K4CRUK is processing click here.

Have a great weekend!

Rachael

Rockwell Automation Price Review

With effect from 24^th August 2013 Rockwell Automation will be implementing a price review. This is not a uniform change and therefore some products will be increased in price and some products will be reduced.

A copy of our new price list can be downloaded from www.rockwellautomation.com/productpricing/uk.

All orders placed after 23rd August 2013 will be subject to new prices. All orders placed before or on 23rd August 2013 with deliveries specified for a date later than 23rd August 2013 will also be subject to new prices

Regrettably, where prices have been increased, these changes are necessary in order to continue providing the quality products and services that customers have come to expect. They reflect costs in raw material, labour and shipping.

If you have any concerns and wish to discuss these changes, please contact your local Rockwell Automation or Routeco Account Manager.

For more information, email: sales@routeco.com or call: 0370 607 1000