June 2019

Mark Yates has been appointed capital equipment and aftermarket director at THORITE. The company says, as it enters its next phase of expansion, these are exciting times and Mark’s appointment, which will strengthen an already strong board of directors, is part of that expansion process. Having spent almost twenty-five years in the compressor and vacuum system industries at both senior managerial and board levels, Mark is exceptionally well qualified for his new role with Thorite. Stephen Wright MD said: “I am delighted that Mark has joined us at Thorite. As the business grows it is more important than ever to make sure that we have a strong management team. Mark’s background in the industry has made him an ideal fit for the role and I am confident that he will enable significant growth within the business.” t | 0800 034 5850 w | www.thorite.co.uk A Linx 8900 Continuous Ink Jet (CIJ) printer featuring the company’s specially-developed Linx Yellow pigmented ink 1039 has reportedly proved the ideal coding solution for a leading Slovenian rubber profiles manufacturer. The printer and ink combination, supplied by LINX’S distributor Markpro, is said to be enabling Trelleborg Slovenija to print clear, high-quality single line codes onto a range of profiles for a variety of end user markets including construction, car manufacture, electronics and white goods. The company says Linx Yellow pigmented ink 1039 delivers excellent contrast on both black and white rubber to ensure effective readability of the 2mm– 2.5mm high codes. In addition, it provides a fast drying time of within two seconds, ideal for the continuous operation of the extrusion process. w | www.linxglobal.com For applications that require the coverage of a wide measuring range, such as presses with a large force measurement range, HBM – a market leader in the field of test and measurement – says it has introduced the new CFTplus force transducer, which features improved accuracy and calibration in three measuring ranges. Designed for industrial applications, particularly within the manufacturing sector, the new CFTplus series is calibrated for the measuring ranges; 1%, 10% and 100%, and can be used immediately on installation. Featuring a high degree of rigidity and a rugged design, the latest series is particularly useful for use in adverse environments. Elimination of drift, which is often seen as a frustrating effect, is also dramatically reduced, providing the user with more accurate results. t | 01525 304980 e | info@uk.hbm.com w | www.hbm.com MOTIVAIR, a UK air compressor expert, has announced the appointment of Nigel Paton as chief operating officer. Nigel has an extensive background in large scale service delivery and project execution, gained over the last 4 years as operations director at Synectics and 21 years at G4S. The company says Nigel brings with him a wealth of experience and leadership skills in technology led engineering, complex service delivery, minor works and major system installations across a wide selection of industries. Nigel commented, “I am very much looking forward to working closely with the management and engineering teams to drive and improve efficiencies, enhance customer experience and increase sales revenue. Motivair is well positioned to grow in its respective markets and I aim to support the Motivair team to achieve our joint objectives.” t | 0845 009 6161 w | www.motivair.co.uk New operational leadership With the demand for a reduction in food waste increasing, most major retailers are now taking steps to improve their supply chain and help reduce food wastage with one initiative being the use of data embedded barcodes on some of their shorter shelf life products. So how can a barcode help in the drive to reduce food waste? Currently in the distribution chain before delivery to store, the barcoded information already on the pallets, cases and trays provides visibility and accurate knowledge about where products are, and what shelf life they possess. However, once they are in store the retailer loses that visibility. A new type of barcode (the Data Embedded Barcode or DEB) has been introduced which is printed onto the item of sale. In addition to identifying the product, as the existing barcode does, it also contains the expiry date and possibly batch identification data. By scanning this barcode in store when stocking the shelf as well as at the checkout, the retailer acquires real time information about what stock is on the shelf and how much life it has left. Scanning of the larger codes poses no problem for the AUTOCODING solution. All products can be scanned in the same way using an inline barcode scanner, with all the information held in the DEB checked on a per product basis against the details in the AutoCoding database. If any details are incorrect or missing, the packaging line will be stopped ensuring problems can be rectified prior to product leaving the factory. t | 01928 790444 e | janetharrison@autocodingsystems.com w | www.autocodingsystems.com Data embedded barcodes Addition to CFT piezoelectric range 34 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk June 2019 Process, Controls & Plant Yellow ink is the solution Capital equipment and aftermarket director