April-May 2021

NEWS Fortress Interlocks has acquired the product ranges of Fluidsentry PTY Ltd, launching as Fortress Fluidsentry. This range of safety monitored valves and pressure sensors provide the highest level of safety in fluid power applications, up to and including PLe, SIL 3 and Category 4 requirements. This new range will complement Fortress’ existing machinery safety products by allowing us to provide more complete solutions in an even wider range of applications which use pneumatics and hydraulics to power machines. Fluidsentry was founded in 1997 by Murray Hodges after witnessing many preventable workplace accidents, he had a passion for safety and was part of the Australian Standards committee for machinery safety and the founding member of Fortress Interlocks acquires product ranges of Fluidsentry PTY Ltd, launching as Fortress 10 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS April/May 2021 www.hpmag.co.uk SERCA. He passed away in late 2020, having transferred his expert knowledge to his sons, Jason and Ryan, allowing them to continue his goal of improving workplace safety. Fortress comments it is delighted that Jason and Ryan will be joining the Fortress family and will be launching the Fortress Fluidsentry range. Proven track record Jo Smith, managing director of Fortress, says: “We are really excited to welcome the Fluidsentry range and bring them into the Fortress Family. Fluidsentry have a proven track record over the last 20 years in delivering the highest level of safety for fluid power applications. This plays a huge part in our strategic plans to support customers bringing them the best safety solutions in an even wider range of applications.” For more information on this acquisition or any of Fortress’ solutions, visit: http://fortress-fluidsentry.webflow.io/ Rockwell Automation, Inc. is donating its Arena Simulation Software to nonprofit organisations, governmental organisations, and public health partners to plan COVID-19 vaccination clinics in their communities. The software can be used to monitor patient flow, staffing, shift changes and maintenance of social distancing guidance for patients in queue. A non-profit health system will use the donated software to help manage more than 30 vaccination clinics with several planned in Wisconsin, and a public health department will use the software to plan future vaccination efforts in northeastern Ohio. Conversations with other healthcare providers are ongoing. “We recognise this software is a potential game changing tool in helping our healthcare partners to better address supply and staffing needs, and ultimately help expedite the vaccination process,” says Patricia Contreras, vice president of public affairs for Rockwell Automation. “We look forward to joining forces with more hospitals, health departments and other community organisations to help as many people as possible get vaccinated safely, efficiently and quickly.” At the start of the pandemic, Northwell Health in New York and ChristianaCare in Delaware both used Arena to manage COVID-19 inpatient care. The software is ideal for vaccine clinic planning because it helps decision-makers understand the flow of systems and the constraints of resources in an environment where every day might bring a different scenario. As vaccine supplies change and more people gain access to schedule a vaccination, better and more efficient tools will be needed to support vaccine distribution. Rockwell Automation donates arena simulation software to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts LEFT: Hydraulics valve. RIGHT: Pneumatic combo valve.