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ABB appoints new drives distributor for HVAC sector
ABB has appointed CSE Industrial Electrical Distributors, in Bourne End, Bucks, as a distributor of AC drives for the building services and HVAC market. This means customers in the South East and the Home Counties can now benefit from CSE's extensive know-how of AC drives in HVAC applications. CSE is a major distributor of equipment to the HVAC industry in the south of England. The company has represented ABB with low voltage control gear for over 20 years and now additionally stocks an extensive range of AC drive products, offering its customers same day deliveries. It also provides services such as installation, commissioning and energy surveys. "We are very pleased to work with an organisation as experienced in the HVAC industry as CSE," comments Mike Carman, UK sales manager, HVAC, at ABB. "The appointment of CSE as a HVAC partner is an important step for ABB, forming part of our UK strategy, to establish a network of strategically located partners, dedicated to HVAC." "We are very happy to have formed an association with the largest drives manufacturer in the world, helping ABB build its presence in HVAC," says Tony Harris, director of CSE. "ABB's dedicated HVAC drive, the ACH range, provides all the features needed in HVAC applications and is competitively priced. ABB also has the best technical backup in the industry with 17 dedicated drives engineers, which will help us provide a fast and efficient service to our customers. "Variable speed drives are becoming increasingly common in the HVAC sector. Over the last year, the Climate Change Levy has raised the profile of energy management within the building services industry and as a supplier, we have noticed an increased willingness from our customers to invest in energy efficient technologies," Harris continues. "We offer the complete package for the building services industry. We have a workshop where we carry out modifications and manufacture weatherproof IP55 enclosures for drives. We also provide a bespoke design service and can design and build exactly what the customer wants for integrated stand-alone systems and building management systems," Harris concludes.
New strongman world record at ABB conference
The world record for the "Crucifix" strongman event has been broken by Janne Virtanen, Finland's strongest man at ABB's Sales and Marketing conference in Helsinki, Finland. The former "World's Strongest Man" clocked 1 minute 24.50 seconds, breaking the record of 1 minute 24.00 seconds previously held by Jamie Reeves of the United Kingdom. "It is a great feeling. I am very happy to have set a new world record for the Crucifix event, although it was very close. To achieve this in front of an excellent crowd at the ABB conference means a lot to me," Virtanen said after the event. Virtanen was invited to attempt the world record by ABB as part of the company's conference theme "Stronger Together". The Crucifix is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most strenuous events of the annual "Worlds Strongest Man" competition. To achieve this new record, Janne held an ABB ACS 800 drive, in each hand, at arms length, in front of an audience of 150 people. The ACS 800 is ABB's new drive that is substantially smaller than its rivals. As such, the drive was loaded with weight to achieve the regulation 12.5kg, needed for the world record attempt. "As I got towards the end, it became very difficult and extremely painful, but having 150 people screaming at me and giving their support really helped to give me those extra couple of seconds. On a personal level, it is very good preparation for this years 'World's Strongest Man' competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia," Virtanen continues. Janne Virtanen has more than 10 years' experience in the sport of strength athletics. He has been a very popular and entertaining competitor at a number of strength events around the world. In 1998, 1999, and 2000 he won the title of Finland's strongest man and in 2000, he also won the prestigious title of the world's strongest man. He recently appeared on the BBC television show "Record Breakers". Janne Virtanen is based at Turenki in Finland.
ABB wins Electrical Industry Award for Six Step Plan
ABB has won the Electrical Industry Award for Marketing with a campaign promoting its "Six Step Energy Saving Plan". The award was presented during a ceremony at the Hilton London Metropole in London 25 October in front of an audience from all sectors of the electrical industry. The jury's motivation was that ABB had taken advantage of the government's legislation on Climate Change to market its products with a well structured campaign offering of free energy audits, comprehensive financial packages and written guarantees of improvements in process efficiencies. "We are naturally very pleased to be winning this award in the face of stiff competition," says Ian Rennie, Division President Automation Technology Products for ABB in the UK. "But more importantly, the Six Step Energy Saving Plan has shown many users a way to make great energy savings. Far from marketing gloss, this is a plan that delivers real benefits." ABB launched its Six Step Energy Saving Plan during the spring of 2001 to coincide with the introduction of the Climate Change Levy. "Energy efficiency has long been one of ABB's guiding principles. The market interest stimulated by the introduction of the Climate Change Levy gave us a perfect opportunity to bring our message to the fore," Rennie says. To raise awareness about the impact high efficiency motors and variable speed drives can make on energy consumption, an integrated marketing campaign was launched using seminars, direct mail, advertising, media relations, web and multimedia. A simplified energy surveying method was devised, enabling users to identify applications where energy saving measures could be introduced with short payback. The actions on the ground, central both to the concept and the implementation of the campaign, were delivered through ABB's network of channel partners in the ABB Drives Alliance and ABB Motor Service Partner networks. A brochure outlining the six steps to greater energy efficiency was produced to underpin the campaign. Each step contains a set of actions that ABB can help the end user accomplish. The six steps are: Step 1 - The Facts: Providing the user with the facts about the Climate Change Levy and UK government actions to encourage greater energy savings. Step 2: - The Savings: Demonstrating to the user just how much can be saved at his plant. Step 3 - The Finance: Showing how investments can be financed. Step 4 - The Products: Making the user aware of the ABB products available to achieve these savings. Step 5 - The Proof: Showing how great energy savings have been achieved elsewhere with replacement drives and motors. A booklet with 100 case studies was published in addition to the brochure. Step 6 - The Action: Putting users in touch with the local ABB Channel Partner, principally by means of a series of Technology Days and Breakfast Briefings. As a result of the campaign, nearly 100 energy surveys have been conducted to date. Orders pending as a result are in excess of £2 million and the potential benefit to the environment is a reduction in CO2 emissions of over 4,000 tonnes per year.
ABB introduces remote monitoring and control system for drives
DriveWEB for Modbus allows users to remotely monitor and control drives by means of the Internet, intranet or WAP phone. It can transmit alerts to warn of fault conditions, and it enables users to start and stop a drive, reset faults, and set parameter values. DriveWEB is a unique solution from ABB in the field of industrial IT. DriveWEB can provide major benefits in many situations where systems have to be monitored and controlled, but local manning is not possible. Typical applications include pumping systems, air conditioning systems and fans, and material handling installations. It will initially be available for the Comp-AC range of low power drives, and versions for higher powered drives are planned for the future. Operator response times can be significantly reduced by using DriveWEB. Water and sewage pumping stations, for instance, are often sited in remote locations, requiring operators to travel considerable distances to monitor and control the equipment. With DriveWEB the pumps can be switched on immediately they are needed. The operator can work from almost anywhere and the time previously needed for travelling is saved. Automatic alerts mean that service personnel can be informed as soon as a fault develops. They can therefore deal with it promptly, before any nuisance or hazard is caused. In air conditioning systems, for instance, fans and other equipment are generally installed on the roof. Without remote monitoring, a fault may go undetected until people inside the building notice that the air quality has deteriorated. In large and complex installations - such as material handling applications with very long conveyors - DriveWEB can pinpoint exactly where a fault has occurred. This helps to reduce servicing times, cutting downtime, and therefore boosting overall production efficiency and output. DriveWEB software is loaded on a PC, and this communicates with the drive or drives using Modbus communication protocol, the RS-485 Modbus being separate from the primary control system. The PC is also connected to the 'web' (Internet or intranet) and / or is fitted with a GSM modem to communicate with WAP phones. The WAP system uses the GSM data service and operates in any country where GSM data and SMS (Short Message Service) are available. The PC can handle six simultaneous users - at any one time, one user has control privileges and the others can perform monitoring. Users can check the status of their drives and review a fault history database which stores the 120 most recent faults. The user with control privileges can start and stop the drives, perform resets, select forward or reverse operation, set the speed reference, and set a wide range of parameters. Security is maintained by means of user IDs, as well as pre-defined access levels for all users. Internet browsers and WAP phones both provide user-friendly interfaces that are already widely known. ABB can supply DriveWEB in a number of different language versions, and the software features a comprehensive help function. DriveWEB for Modbus is a major initiative in the field of Industrial IT, and ABB is presently the only drive manufacturer providing a remote monitoring and control system of this type for low powered drives. ABB Automation first with stock motors in Eff1
ABB Automation has become the first motor manufacturer to launch a full range of stocked motors in the highest European efficiency class, Eff1. The new motors qualify for Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA). The M3000 motor is a fundamentally new construction with improvements to nearly all major components. Its main features are high efficiency, high reliability, easy installation and a wide range of add-on extras, for instance improved bearing condition monitoring. ABB is also launching a new range in the Eff2 class, designated M2000. This is a range of motors with standard features that has been designed for applications with shorter running hours. All motors in the Eff3 class have been phased out, two years ahead of European Union guidelines. "The two ranges enable us to satisfy the requirements whatever the application," says Steve Ruddell, General Manager, Electrical Machines, for ABB in the UK. "The ABB representative will be able to assess the requirements in each individual case and tailor a solution for every customer. The aim is to minimise the life cycle cost, ultimately making our customers more competitive." "For the user, being able to source the entire motor population from one manufacturer, regardless of individual application requirements, has additional advantages for servicing and warranties," Ruddell adds. Access to two distinctive motor ranges will also be of use to OEMs, as they often have one standard and one premium range of their products. The new motor ranges from ABB Automation will widen the choice for OEMs. M3000 is designed for demanding continuous processes, such as pumps, stirrers and grinders in the chemical, paper, metal and cement industries, where energy consumption and reliability are major factors. It will also be useful for critical pumping and ventilation applications in the power generation, building services, mining, steel, medical and livestock sectors. Reliability has been improved and maintenance reduced by a new bearing assembly that improves the cooling of the bearings. In combination with the lower overall temperature of the motor, this has extended the bearing lifetime by 25% and the re-greasing intervals by 50%. The M3000 range is available in IEC sizes 160-400, 11-710 kW, in cast iron, and sizes 63-250, 0.18-75 kW, in aluminium. All Eff1 motors will be available from stock. Motors in the M3000 range that are not subject to the European efficiency labelling scheme, i.e. below 1.1 kW, above 90 kW or with 6 or 8 poles, still show efficiency figures consistent with those motors within the scheme, meeting ECA allowance criteria. ABB launches energy hotline
ABB has launched a dedicated energy hotline, on 0700 226 6722, to support users seeking to improve energy efficiency using motors and drives. This will complement the company's energy appraisal scheme for pumps, fans and other machinery, which helps users avoid being penalised by the Climate Change Levy. Some 50 staff from ABB Drives Alliance and ABB Motor Service Partners, have undergone intensive training in how to optimise energy use in industrial applications. "We have devised an innovative method for energy appraisals that helps users achieve rapid results by accurately targeting energy waste," explains James Haigh, Senior Vice President, Drive Products, at ABB. "These appraisals are conducted by our partners, who are plant experts with many years of practical applications expertise. With the backup of ABB, they form an extremely strong team that can help UK industry save large amounts of energy." Meet ABB Drives Alliance online
Meet the ABB Drives Alliance members on their own web site. At www.abbdrivesalliance.com you can learn more about each one of them and the capabilities of the Alliance, as well as find your nearest representative. |
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