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09/02/2010
PRISM RIDES OUT RECESSION ON A WAVE OF TRUST AND VALUE
Maintaining open and honest relationships has helped St Ives (Cambridgeshire) based contract electronics manufacturing services provider Prism Electronics Limited (www.prism-electronics.com) to survive the recession without losing a single customer.
The UK economy is at last emerging from its longest period of recession on record according to figures published recently by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). For the past 18 months, challenging trading conditions in the UK have seen manufacturing decline in the face of reduced demand. This has meant that some manufacturers have lost customers, or gone out of business altogether.
However, the latest manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) has risen to 56.7 and the figure for new export orders increased to 58.1, up from 48.3 in December 2009. Any figure over 50 indicates increasing activity.
Prism business development director David Dickin said: “It is good news that the economy has returned to growth. The recession has been a difficult time for manufacturing in general and the electronics industry in particular.
“That Prism Electronics has come through the recession without losing a customer despite aggressive competition is a testament to the value and service that it provides.
“Putting our customers at the core of what we do has been crucial in ensuring that we retained them through the downturn. Prism is passionate about their needs, responding to changing priorities quickly and effectively.
“During the recession we have continued to demonstrate a level of service that is above the norm, designing out cost and designing in performance, embracing fluctuating demand and delivering on time.”
Prism prides itself on understanding its customers’ wider business needs and delivering appropriate solutions and active support.
David Dickin added: “We have always encouraged open and honest relationships with our customers. By assuring our clients that they can trust us to deliver, and by providing them with added value in terms of our service, Prism continues to demonstrate that it is a first class electronics manufacturer.
“Our success in retaining customers means that we are now in an excellent position to begin to generate sustained profitable growth as the economy continues to emerge from recession.”
Press Release:
Prism Electronics
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04/02/2010
WINDOWMASTER HELPS REDUCE EMISSIONS AT SOUTH CHESHIRE COLLEGE
WindowMaster (www.windowmaster.co.uk) is to supply and install an automated window control system for the new £57 million South Cheshire College (www.s-cheshire.ac.uk).
Currently under construction and due for completion in September 2010, the new college was designed by Jefferson Sheard Architects (www.jeffersonsheard.com). The 26,500 square metre building is based on a village street concept with departments functioning almost as shop fronts which are covered by a glass and copper ‘skin' to create light and space. The curve of the building runs around a beautiful oak copse, one of the most significant features of the site's landscape, and still a centrepiece.
Consultant engineers on the project are AECOM (www.aecom.com). Commenting on the design Matthew Cotton, associate director of building engineering at AECOM, said: “Natural ventilation was chosen as the college is keen to promote environmental design including reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions. Natural ventilation offers a zero carbon form of ventilation with the added benefit of night cooling to mitigate the use of mechanical cooling systems.
“The brief was to aim for a BREEAM Excellent rating, although the final certificate and rating has yet to be produced.
“WindowMaster was able to meet the challenges faced during the design including the optimisation of the window design to provide adequate ventilation rates against BB101 standards and adequate night time cooling to mitigate the use of mechanical cooling. It was also able to reduce the cost impact of window actuators providing the justification for their inclusion in the design.”
WindowMaster’s NV Advance™ window automation system included the supply of 732 motors controlling windows in 150 zones around the building, sensors in each of the zones and a computerised control system. The natural ventilation system included high-level exhaust through roof lights behind the central atrium and automated louvres at low level.
WindowMaster regional sales manager Gino DeLaroche said: “The key challenge in this project is to ensure that the natural ventilation system interfaces with the heat recovery and air handling units around the building to ensure that they operate only when absolutely necessary. The system also needed to interface with fans that were installed in certain areas.
“Data is collected from sensors in each of the zones and sent via the computer control system back to all the heat recovery and air handling units and fans to carefully control them.”
WindowMaster, Europe’s largest provider of natural comfort and smoke ventilation solutions, was chosen to provide the window automation system for the South Cheshire College because of its ability to provide a complete installation, in particular the central computer control system, and a weather station.
The control system understands and knows how the wind speed and direction on all façades will influence the airflow through the windows on each level and location in the façade. WindowMaster determines the Cp values (pressure coefficients) individually for each window by calculating the relevant air pressures from different wind speeds and directions.
WindowMaster carries out computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations for 16 wind directions for the specific building and its surroundings. Based on the calculations the Cp values are determined and programmed into the control system, which enables the precise control of the individual windows resulting in an optimal indoor climate. Therefore, each zone must operate independently of the others according to the specific external conditions relevant to those windows and the internal environment.
The building is to house several curriculum clusters including media/art and performing arts, hair and beauty/hospitality and leisure, business and computing, humanities and engineering/construction and sciences. The college will also include several specialist areas including a well-being centre, 312-seat theatre, a multi-faith centre, learner support zone and a student council area. The new college also includes a large amount of kitchen and servery facilities including various catering areas, training kitchens and training restaurant/bistro.
WindowMaster’s NV Advance™ window automation system is the only system in Europe that intelligently monitors windows to prevent entrapment as an integrated function of the motor and control system.
If an object becomes trapped in a window and prevents it from closing the amount of current drawn by the motor instantly increases. This is detected by the microprocessor which immediately reverses the motor to release the window, therefore reducing the possibility of serious injury.
The system can be retrofitted on many existing windows as well as being installed on new buildings. It can operate on a broad range of window types, including top and bottom opening, sliding and parallel opening. The system can also be used on windows for heat and smoke ventilation.
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Press Release:
WindowMaster
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2702
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03/02/2010
COLOPLAST TO HELP PETERBOROUGH MANAGERS BACK INTO WORK
Two members of the HR team from Peterborough firm Coloplast (www.coloplast.com) – a leading supplier of wound, continence and stoma care medical appliances – are to give unemployed city managers some advice on getting new jobs.
Sam Sedwill, head of resourcing & development at Coloplast, and Anna Gates, the company’s human resources co-ordinator, will be talking at The Back to Business Club on 11 February.
The club was established by Greater Peterborough Partnership and aims to help out-of-work managers and professionals to maintain their confidence and motivation as they seek to return to the workplace, through networking with others in the same position and through introductions to support services.
Sam Sedwill said: “The recession has led to many senior people suddenly finding themselves out of work, often after years of continuous employment which has meant they have not needed to prepare a CV, apply for jobs or attend interviews.
“Anna and I will be giving them some tips on how to present themselves in the best possible way to potential employers and helping them to brush up some of the skills which probably helped them to get to senior positions in the first place.”
The Back to Business Club is held every Thursday from 14:00 to 17:00at Peterborough College of Adult Education. Brook Street. There is no charge for attendance – just contact Amanda Papworth at GPP on 01733 207214 or email backtobusiness@gpp-peterborough.org.uk. For more information, visit www.backtobusiness.org.uk.
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Press Release:
Coloplast
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