News

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) – COMPANY UPDATE 150 150 Technica Ltd

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) – COMPANY UPDATE

During these uncertain times, we believe it is important to communicate with you regarding our plans to deal with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Within Technica we have well established business continuity protocols which allow us to deal with the business continuity event whilst maintaining our service levels for our clients.

I am pleased to say that Technica is still very much open for business and focused on delivering against our existing contracts as well as being available to support the emerging requirements of our clients

Our immediate aims are as follows:

Aim 1 – to protect employees who fall into the vulnerable category. The NHS definition of vulnerable is those over the age of 70 or has a long term medical condition or is pregnant or has a weakened immune system.
Why – we have a duty of care to ensure that we protect the most vulnerable people within our Company so that they can stay healthy and return to work once the immediate crisis is over.
How we will do this – we have approached all of our staff determining who falls within this category and have made plans for these to work remotely. They will receive our full support during this period.

Aim 2 – to continue to operate ‘Business as Usual’.
Why – our aim is to continue to support our clients.
How we will do this – we will continue to open the business on a daily basis to allow employees to continue in their day to day roles. We will however insist that employees show a duty of care to their colleagues by following the Government guidelines regarding self-isolation which we have reiterated to all staff. We are receiving regular updates from many sources including directly from the Government and will continue to adapt our plans as necessary. We have plans drawn up to mitigate the loss of key individuals but in most instances, have other employees who can switch roles seamlessly.
The company will insist that anyone developing or displaying the symptoms of a cough or high temperature whilst at work, goes home and follows the isolation guidelines. We will continue to support any employees who have to self-isolate.

Aim 3 – to secure the Company
Why – in order to fulfil the contracts which we have been awarded and it is a fact that the Coronavirus will pass in time. We need to ensure that the business continues to trade to support our clients and secure our jobs.
How will we do this – our Directors are now undertaking a number of tasks as follows:

Task 3.1 – To drawing up further contingency plans for a greater number of home workers should the situation deteriorate or the need arise – we will communicate this with you when and where necessary
Task 3.2 – To determine the status and security of our current workload i.e. understanding the impact of Coronavirus on our clients, their priorities and continued operations
Task 3.3 – To determine the status of future workload so we can determine what ‘business as usual’ will look like throughout the remainder of 2020
Task 3.4 – To continue to communicate our plans to our clients

Myself and the Directors will keep you updated as the situation changes.

In summary, these are unprecedented times which will have a significant impact on small business such as Technica – we will really need your help, continuance of work, understanding and flexibility to ensure that we are able to support you once this crisis has passed.
We kindly request that you continue to engage with us and communicate your own plans with us as the situation develops.

We stand ready to support any of the following activities:

Design
Commissioning
Construction and Installation
Software Support
Service Support and Routine Maintenance Activities
John Davison
Managing Director
Technica

Technica receives smart energy grant to help reduce carbon emissions 150 150 Technica Ltd

Technica receives smart energy grant to help reduce carbon emissions

Technica is passionate about the environment and minimising the impact we have on the World in terms of our carbon footprint and waste to landfill.

Having achieved another year without putting any waste into landfill, Technica has made further steps towards reducing our carbon emissions and impact on our local community by replacing all of the office lights with LED variants.

This project was paid for in part through a grant of just over £1200 from the Smart Energy Greater Lincolnshire fund which is part of a £9.2 million Smart Energy programme. This scheme, supported by the European Regional Development fund allows small to medium sized business across the Greater Lincolnshire area invest in energy saving technology.

The scheme will play an important part of our sustainable future and will provide a significant return on investment in terms of lowering our electricity usage and energy costs.

Technica’s environmental commitment is to ensure that all operations are carried out in a manner which will cause minimum impact on the environment.
These operations extend throughout the business and consider such matters as energy use, disposal of waste, selection of materials and methods of construction, maintenance of plant and vehicles. For further information please see /management-systems.

The Smart Energy Greater Lincolnshire project is being delivered by North East Lincolnshire Council on behalf of Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise (LEP).

A total of £5.4 million of the project has come from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to boost renewable energy use in the area and lower carbon emissions.

For further information please see https://www.smartenergygreaterlincs.com/about-us/.

Technical Workshop Tour is a huge success 150 150 Technica Ltd

Technical Workshop Tour is a huge success

The roadshow visited Coventry, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh and saw us present to some of the largest names in the UK Gas Transmission and Distribution sector. Attendees learnt about a variety of new technologies and advancements and discussed how their business will benefit from these latest developments.

Speakers and topics included:

Westwood Technical, Jack Ridge, Aircom & The Internet of Things
YZ Systems, Kris Kimmel, New Zero Emission Odourisation Technology
SICK Sensor Intelligence, Andrew Wrath, How Often Should I Calibrate My USM?
Technica, Richard Law, ‘Capability Update’ – Developing partnerships, delivering excellence
Status Instruments, Elizabeth Abolins, Introduction to the SEM320 Field Mount Transmitter
Commenting on the workshops, our business development director, Richard Law, said: “This is the first time we’ve done a tour of this kind and it was a huge success for everyone involved. The workshops presented the ideal opportunity to introduce new partnerships and technology, gather feedback from current and potential clients and enhance our ability to support our clients through project services and maintenance support.”

For further information about Technica, please visit our website The roadshow visited Coventry, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh and saw us present to some of the largest names in the UK Gas Transmission and Distribution sector. Attendees learnt about a variety of new technologies and advancements and discussed how their business will benefit from these latest developments.

Speakers and topics included:

Westwood Technical, Jack Ridge, Aircom & The Internet of Things
YZ Systems, Kris Kimmel, New Zero Emission Odourisation Technology
SICK Sensor Intelligence, Andrew Wrath, How Often Should I Calibrate My USM?
Technica, Richard Law, ‘Capability Update’ – Developing partnerships, delivering excellence
Status Instruments, Elizabeth Abolins, Introduction to the SEM320 Field Mount Transmitter
Commenting on the workshops, our business development director, Richard Law, said: “This is the first time we’ve done a tour of this kind and it was a huge success for everyone involved. The workshops presented the ideal opportunity to introduce new partnerships and technology, gather feedback from current and potential clients and enhance our ability to support our clients through project services and maintenance support.”

TECHNICA SELECTED TO PROVIDE GAS ANALYSIS TRAINING FACILITY FOR NATIONAL GRID 150 150 Technica Ltd

TECHNICA SELECTED TO PROVIDE GAS ANALYSIS TRAINING FACILITY FOR NATIONAL GRID

Technica are pleased to announce the award of a contract to provide a gas analysis training facility for National Grid.

The project which will be delivered throughout late 2019 will see Technica recover two kiosks installed as part of the Enhanced Gas Measurement Project (EGMP) in 2012 at Theddlethorpe Terminal. Having been de-commissioned for a lengthy period, the project will see Technica recover the equipment before overhauling the analysers and then making the necessary modifications to the equipment kiosks prior to installation at the National Grid Training Academy in Eakring.

Speaking of the contract win, Director of Business Development, Richard Law commented “Having overseen the installation of this equipment in 2012 under a previous employer, I am very excited to have the opportunity to breath a new lease of life into the equipment and ensure that it is made available to train the next generation of technicians for National Grid”. He continued “The award of this project is significant to us as it is a further demonstration of the confidence which the UK energy sector is starting to have in Technica and our ability to support analysis equipment such as this”.

Technica will deliver over 14 gas analysis systems for several clients over the next year. This includes installations at brownfield sites, the provision of new systems for existing sites and the upgrade or modification of existing analysis systems.

Over the past several years, Technica has demonstrated an ability to deliver complex EC&I and mechanical design, build and installation projects on behalf of the largest gas infrastructure companies in the UK.

Our areas of expertise include fiscal and non-fiscal metering, compressor control, Fire & Gas and RTU as well as being able to undertake a range of activities including EPC, EPCM, FEED, Design, Build, Installation and Commissioning. For further details, please see our website new.technicaltd.com.

TECHNICA ACHIEVES TOP MARKS IN ACHILLES UVDB VERIFY AUDIT 150 150 Technica Ltd

TECHNICA ACHIEVES TOP MARKS IN ACHILLES UVDB VERIFY AUDIT

Technica is thrilled to have passed their annual Achilles Utilities Vendor Database (UVDB) Verify Audit with flying colours, scoring 100% across all eight categories of the assessment, improving their year-on-year score by 3%.

Achilles UVDB Verify is an independent audit of an organisation providing works or services to the utilities sector. The categories covered in the audit consist of Health and Safety, Environmental, Quality and Corporate Social Responsibility and are considered separately for both office and site based works.

Throughout the course of the 2-day audit zero non-conformances were identified. Only positive elements -particularly around the use of site work instructions and the company’s commitment to monitoring and improving their carbon footprint – were of note to the auditor.

Technica’s membership of the UVDB community provides their clients within the National Gas Transmission Network with the assurance and verification that procedures, operations and capabilities meet the highest possible standards. The results of this latest audit further strengthen Technica’s position as a partner of choice to these customers.

Technica’s Operations Director, Robert Gallivan, commented, “Management Systems can only achieve this level of conformity when they are being challenged continually by the business; this excellent result is a reflection of the buy in from all our staff to working with, and constantly challenging, our internal processes.”

Technica provides multidiscipline engineering design, project management and installation works, with areas of expertise covering EPC, EPCM, FEED, design, build, installation and commissioning. For further details, please see our website new.technicaltd.com.

TECHNICA COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL FACTORY ACCEPTANCE TEST AND ENHANCES RELATIONSHIP WITH SGN 150 150 Technica Ltd

TECHNICA COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL FACTORY ACCEPTANCE TEST AND ENHANCES RELATIONSHIP WITH SGN

Following an initial contract award in late 2018, Technica was pleased to successfully complete the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of the first of two Flow Weighted Average Calorific Value (FWACV) sites which will be delivered for SGN. The FAT marks the culmination of the design and build stage of this project and represents the first of twelve, which will be delivered using the Emerson 370XA Chromatograph for SGN and other clients over the next 12 months.

Business Development Director, Richard Law, commented that, “The ahead-of-programme delivery of the first FWACV metering system using the Emerson 370XA chromatograph for SGN demonstrates our ability to successfully deliver this cost effective and widely accepted solution to UK gas network operators.”

Due to the successful performance on this first FAT and on other projects, Technica has continued to enhance their relationship with SGN and will be working alongside Process, Mechanical and Civil Engineering experts, Saith (www.saithlimited.com), to deliver further EC&I design support over the coming months.

SGN is one of the largest gas network operators within the UK, providing gas to over 5.9 million homes and businesses across Scotland and the south of England. For more information please see their website www.sgn.co.uk.

For over 15 years, Technica has developed the capability to design and deliver complex Electrical, Control, Instrumentation, Mechanical and Process engineering solutions. They specialise in Fiscal and Non Fiscal metering, RTU, Fire and Gas, SCADA and industrial automation and control. Technica is also able to provide EPC, EPCM and consultancy services to clients and has extensive experience in the successful delivery of CDM projects as both Principal Designer and Principal Contractor.

TECHNICA SIGNS AGREEMENTS WITH FLORIDA-BASED WIND ENERGY COMPANY BE-WIND 150 150 Technica Ltd

TECHNICA SIGNS AGREEMENTS WITH FLORIDA-BASED WIND ENERGY COMPANY BE-WIND

Technica are delighted to sign an assembly and distribution agreement with Florida based wind energy experts, Be-Wind LLC. This follows many months of contractual discussions and the development of capability understanding between all parties.

Commencing immediately, the agreement is the first of this type to be issued by Be-Wind within the UK and Europe and will see Technica entering the renewable energy sector trading under the name ‘Technica Energy’.

Technica now have the rights to assemble and distribute the Be-Wind turbines to an exclusive sector of the UK, with specific focus on the micro-commercial onshore power generation market as well as providing assembly and business development support to the Be-Wind operations throughout the remainder of the UK and EU as required.

Paul Clarke, technical lead for wind turbines at Technica Energy stated “The significant factors attracting us to Be-Wind turbines is their developments in terms of an increased generation window from low wind speed to near hurricane conditions coupled with innovative use of composite materials and a lengthy warranty period”. He continued “Attractive commercial terms with Be-Wind turbines mean that we can offer potential energy investors viable projects with short return on investment periods”.

Director of Business Development at Technica, Richard Law commented “We are delighted to conclude negotiations with Be-Wind in a successful manner and can now push on to close some of the opportunities which we have already identified”. He concluded “Our aim is to complete a flagship project within 12 months at which point we believe the economic benefits will be clear to other potential investors”

Michael Berdan, the CEO of Be-Wind LLC, has developed an efficient and unique dual axis range of small wind turbines. John Archer Business Development Manager for Be-Wind commented, “Be-Wind will play a role in the micro-generation energy mix, required to help the UK reach the goal of net zero emissions, in urban and rural locations. With the foresight of Technica Energy and their proposed uses of the turbines, Be-Wind is eager to address the opportunities ahead.”

The small footprint and novel design of the turbines means that they are ideally placed for locations where larger wind turbines would either be unsightly or impractical. Technica are already in discussion with the local authorities of coastal regions and believe that these turbines can become a common feature in the UK attempt to become carbon neutral. Other potential sites include augmenting power generation at solar farms.

The unique patented concept of the Be-Wind range of turbines incorporate a deflector shield. This blocks air flow that would otherwise cause resistance to the vertical blades, while ensuring the turbine is automatically aligned to the wind, to operate safely in all wind conditions.

The shield directs wind on to two self-starting turbine blades that rotate in opposite directions. This balances the system, reducing noise and vibration, whilst increasing torque and hence power generation performance.

The deflector shield can also be used for marketing purposes and is particularly effective when lit up at night.

Lightweight, durable composite materials make the turbines ideal for roof top or low height pole mounting for urban and rural applications. Virtually maintenance free, Be-Wind is confident to offer a ten-year warranty on the turbine.

Individually or in an array, the unobtrusive Be-Wind turbines deliver a realistic return on investment. The installation of numerous turbines around the world, demonstrates the effectiveness of this new wind technology. Further information is available at www.Be-Wind.com

John Davison, Managing Director of Technica announced that “This agreement is an exciting milestone for Technica and Be-Wind as we look to bring our project delivery expertise into partnership with the innovative products of Be-Wind”. He continued “I am pleased with the team for pulling together this agreement which will allow Technica to pursue avenues and opportunities in the sustainable energy sector”.

For over 15 years, Technica has developed a capability to design and deliver complex Electrical, Control, Instrumentation, Mechanical and Process engineering solutions. Having supported a number of UK and International clients with industrial automation, mechanical and infrastructure projects across the oil, gas, petrochemical and industrial process sectors, Technica will add the additional business stream of Technica Energy to its portfolio.

We have significant experience in providing EPC, EPCM and consultancy services to our clients and have successfully delivered CDM projects as both Principal Designer and Principal Contractor.

Technica Assist Centrica Storage Limited with the production of functional safety compliance policies 150 150 Technica Ltd

Technica Assist Centrica Storage Limited with the production of functional safety compliance policies

Technica has been working closely with Centrica Storage Limited (CSL) to produce a suite of standards, strategies and policy documents to aid compliance with the functional safety lifecycle requirements of IEC-61511:2016 ‘Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process Industry Sector’.

Technica has also developed subsequent complimentary standards which have been endorsed and published by CSL for their lifecycle activities. The Technica policies for proof testing, failure reporting and demand tracking of Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) have also been endorsed and published by CSL.

The documents identify roles and responsibilities for functional safety within CSL, detailing the requirements for competency and the competency levels required for each role. To supplement and help demonstrate existing competencies within CSL staff, Technica have provided functional safety training and training assessment tailored to the CSL functional safety management standards.

To ensure compliance with the standards and policies, Technica provided verification of CSL’s identified SIL (Safety Integrity Level) rated safety instrumented functions using the ABB IEC-61511 compliant software tool ‘TRAC’ (Trip Requirement and Availability Calculator). Where gaps in risk reduction and or SIF architecture were identified, Technica have suggested remedial actions to achieve compliance with IEC-61511:2016 and CSL’s Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) SIL targets.

Geoff Cole, S,C&I Technical Authority for Centrica Storage Limited, commented that “the strategy document provided by Technica now underpins the CSL policy document and details functional safety management activities including planning, competency, selection, safety requirements specification, design, verification, safety instrumented system (SIS) implementation, and functional safety assessments (FSA) of SIS”. Geoff further reported that “the strategy that they have produced will now apply to all safety lifecycle phases from concept through to decommissioning of a SIS”.

Paul Brimble, S,C&I Engineer for Centrica Storage Limited, added “Technica completed the work to an excellent standard and with impressive professionalism”.

Technical Director of Technica, Andy Hawkins stated “we have a very good relationship with CSL and are very pleased to have been able to support them with their overall implementation and verification of IEC-61511:2016 and the production of their wider policies and strategy.”

Technica have the in-house capability to undertake all aspects of safety engineering using TÜV certified C&I and Software Engineers. We are ideally placed on the Humber Energy Estuary and in the North West of the UK, to support both local and national clients with the safe and successful execution of Electrical, C&I and Mechanical projects. For further information please view our website.

TECHNICA PROVIDES TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO PALM PAPER 150 150 Technica Ltd

TECHNICA PROVIDES TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO PALM PAPER

Technica is continuing to build its strategic relationships across many different industry sectors including gas, petrochemicals and industrial automation and control.

Spanning two of these sectors, Palm Paper in Kings Lynn have chosen Technica to provide assistance in resolving existing software issues and then subsequently modify a PLC control system on their newly installed CHP system.

This is the second of two contracts from Palm Paper, the first being to provide urgent assistance to undertake an inspection of their cathodic protection system prior to Christmas last year. Earlier in the year, Technica also provided technical consultancy regarding aspects of their natural gas pipeline.

Director of Business Development at Technica, Richard Law stated “being agile, responsive and attentive to our client has enabled us to develop this excellent relationship with Palm Paper and I am proud of the way in which our engineers have responded”. He continued “this contract award demonstrates the many aspects of our capability which includes multi-disciplinary design, build, commissioning and the provision of maintenance services”.

Palm Paper commented “Technica have consistently provided timely, professional, accessible and cost effective engineering support to Palm Paper. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with their team”

Palm Paper is one of the leading companies in the European paper industry. The Palm Group is divided into Papierfabrik Palm with five paper mills for the manufacture of paper and Palm Packaging Group with 26 plants for the manufacture of corrugated board.

The third pillar of their operations, which encompasses the purchasing of raw materials for all of their papers and corrugated boards made from 100% recycled paper, are joined under the umbrella of Palm Recycling.

Palm Paper in Kings Lynn is the most powerful newsprint machine in the world. At a speed of nearly 2,000m/min it has the capacity to produce 400,000 metric tonnes of newsprint per annum.

The Palm Paper company name stands for exceptional product quality, innovative development of production and processes, close customer relationships and reliable customer care and service. For further information, please see https://www.palm.de/en/palm/.

Over the past several years, Technica has demonstrated an ability to deliver complex EC&I and mechanical design, build and installation projects on behalf of the largest infrastructure companies in the UK.

Our areas of expertise include fiscal and non-fiscal metering, compressor control, Fire & Gas, RTU, automation & control systems as well as being able to undertake a range of activities including EPC, EPCM, FEED, Design, Build, Installation and Commissioning. For further details, please see our website new.technicaltd.com.

TECHNICA SELECTED TO PROVIDE FURTHER METERING SOLUTION TO SGN 150 150 Technica Ltd

TECHNICA SELECTED TO PROVIDE FURTHER METERING SOLUTION TO SGN

Following an initial contract award before Christmas, Technica are delighted to have been selected by SGN to support a further metering upgrade for one of their Flow Weighted Average Calorific Value (FWACV) sites in the south of the UK. As before, the contract award will see Technica provide detailed design, build and commissioning support for the metering rack and gas analysis kiosk using the Emerson 370XA Chromatograph.

Managing Director of Technica, John Davison said “SGN are an important client to Technica and we are proud to announce their decision to partner Technica to deliver this key piece of work”. He continued, “Our recruitment of key individuals into the business over the past 12 months has provided us with the expertise and capability to support SGN and the other networks with metering upgrades and replacements such as this”.

Business Development Director, Richard Law commented that “The delivery of FWACV metering systems using the Emerson 370XA chromatograph demonstrates continued market recognition of the traditional method of gas analysis and our ability to perform upgrades such as this”.

SGN is one of the largest gas network operators within the UK. It provides gas to over 5.9 million homes and businesses across Scotland and the south of England. For more information please see their website www.sgn.co.uk.

For over 15 years, Technica has developed the capability to design and deliver complex Electrical, Control, Instrumentation, Mechanical and Process engineering solutions. They specialise in Fiscal and Non Fiscal metering, RTU, Fire and Gas, SCADA and industrial automation and control. They are also able to provide EPC, EPCM and consultancy services to clients and have extensive experience in the successful delivery of CDM projects as both Principal Designer and Principal Contractor.