Industrial-grade meter features powerful
capabilities to safeguard equipment and employees

Oil, dirt, excessive heat or cold, vibration and moisture can all damage electrical insulation, threatening equipment operation and endangering employee safety. To combat this serious problem, IDEAL INDUSTRIES introduces its new 61-797 Digital Insulation Meter, a rugged, industrial-grade tester designed for commissioning, routine troubleshooting and preventive maintenance.

"The periodic testing of insulation for signs of deterioration will spot breakdowns in electrical systems, generators, switchgear and motor windings before failure occurs," explained Tony Kumeta, General European Manager of IDEAL INDUSTRIES (U.K.) Ltd. "More importantly, insulation testing can prevent the dangerous occurrence of short circuits or short to grounds."

Refer to the picture above: The 61-797 Digital Insulation Meter is a rugged, industrial-grade tester designed for commissioning, troubleshooting and maintenance.

The instrument is a palm-sized powerhouse, compact enough to be held in one hand, yet durable enough to withstand the rigours of heavy commercial and industrial usage, the 61-797 is purpose-designed to identify whether insulation is performing at an effective, safe level. Using test leads, the technician can quickly determine the integrity of insulation in new and existing wiring by identifying capacitive, absorption and leakage current at multiple test voltages (50V, 100V, 250V, 500V and 1000V) and resistance up to 20G ohms. In addition, this versatile tester measures earth-bond resistance to assure verification of the continuity of the protective bonding, automatically senses and displays AC/DC voltage to 600V, plus calculates the Polarization Index (PI) and Dielectric Absorption Ratio (DAR).

Insulation testing is most effective when it is part of a scheduled maintenance programme. Repetitive testing is made easier with the 61-797's straightforward Pass/Fail function and its internal storage of values. Another convenience feature that will be appreciated by maintenance staff are the integrated "twist-on" alligator clips that fit over the test leads. There is also a remote test button for two-handed operation.

The IDEAL brand is synonymous with safety. The 61-797 was designed with a 600V Cat IV overvoltage rating and will safely disable itself if connected to a live circuit exceeding 30 volts. A live voltage hazard indictor is also prominently displayed on the front panel to warn the technician before use on an energised circuit. Once testing is complete, the 61-797 automatically discharges capacitive voltage from the equipment under test that may be a shock hazard.

The IDEAL 61-797 is immediately available with an RRP of £329.00 +VAT. It comes complete with carrying case, test leads and batteries.

IDEAL Industries, Inc. in profile
Ideal Industries, Inc. is one of the world's largest manufacturers and suppliers of quality tools and test products supplies for the electrical and data communications markets.  Since 1916 the company has built a solid reputation as an engineer of innovative and trustworthy products.  Ideal offers more than 6,000 proven, predictable items to professionals across the electrical, construction, maintenance, data communications, telecommunications, cabling and original manufacturing industries.  The company's divisions include Electrical, DataComm, Wire Processing and OEM Connection Systems.

Ideal is a privately held corporation headquartered in Sycamore, Illinois with additional manufacturing and distribution facilities across USA and Canada. International sales facilities are located within Europe in UK, Germany and Australia.

For further information, view the "What's New" section on www.idealindustries.co.uk or e-mail: ideal_UK@idealindustries.com    Refer to page 46

Fiat contract boosts fortunes of UK manufacturing plant

Schaeffler (UK) Ltd's automotive manufacturing plant based in Wales has received a significant order for the supply of mechanical tappets from Italian car giant Fiat.

Schaeffler UK's Llanelli plant has received a significant order from Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat for the supply of 11 million mechanical tappets per year. This is the first time that Schaeffler's UK plant has worked with Fiat.

Established in 1955, the Llanelli plant manufactures high precision engine components for the automotive market. The plant currently employs 202 people and is an autonomous subsidiary of the multi-national German-owned Schaeffler Group.

Roger Evans, Plant Director at Schaeffler (UK) Ltd commented: "This contract is a significant achievement for the plant and further demonstrates the high levels of quality and service that we are providing to customers. This contract represents a further vote of confidence from the Schaeffler Group in our abilities to manufacture tappets for worldwide consumption. It also shows that in these troubled economic times, UK manufacturing can still prosper against lower labour cost economies."

Schaeffler supplies assembly plants in Italy and Brazil with top shim mechanical tappets for Fiat's 'FIRE' type engine, having invested significant time and money in new production machinery in order to meet this opportunity.

"Shortly after starting production, Fiat came to Schaeffler and asked if we could support them by ramping up to almost double the volume of tappets that had been planned since the start of the project," confirms Richard Hall, General Manager, Commercial for Schaeffler UK's Automotive Division. "The team at Schaeffler UK were committed to helping Fiat and through the flexibility and determination of everyone involved, we were able to satisfy Fiat's request within only a matter of weeks."

Investing in its people has always been a high priority for Schaeffler UK. Since a culture change programme was introduced to the Llanelli site in 2001, the plant has seen some formidable improvements. Nearly all operators have now achieved NVQ Level II in Performing Manufacturing Operations. Many operators have also requested to proceed to NVQ Level III and all employees at the plant have now undergone training in 5S Workplace Organisation Training. There are currently seven engineering apprentices plus two graduate trainees working at the plant.

For more information on Schaeffler's range of automotive engine components, view website: www.schaeffler.co.uk   Refer to page 33

Cambridge helps Australian motor makers set sights on future

Cambridge University is playing a role in helping the Australian automotive industry define its long-term future.

The University's Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) was asked by the Australian Government and Victorian State Government to help create a strategic plan for the country's car industry.

A team from the IfM and its consultative arm Education Consultancy Services carried out the strategic review.

Working with the Australian Auto Co-operative Research Centre, The Australian National University, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Victorian government, it looked at current and future trends in the global car industry.

The results have just been published in a new report, Automotive Australia 2020 Vision. It aims to map the technology and manufacturing capabilities and development opportunities for the country's automotive industry from the present day to 2025 and beyond.

The report is just the first part of a six phase project to develop a roadmap for the industry. The first phase aims to establish a firm vision as to the future direction of the industry with subsequent stages looking at issues such as domestic and global market needs and identifying strategic opportunities.

It is hoped the work will lead to the provision of hundreds of new jobs and an increased role for manufacturing in the economy.

Currently the industry employs more then 64,000, boasting three major vehicle producers and more than 200 smaller firms supplying components and related products and services. Like many of the world's leading car manufacturers it had seen a decline in sales and it was felt a new direction was needed in order to boost the chances of longterm recovery and growth.

The work forms part of the Australian Government's New Car Plan for a Greener Future, which is to provide AUS$6.2 billion of investment to reshape the country's car industry.

Among some of the early suggestions is the possibility that Australia could become a world leader in green low-emission vehicles - such as electric or hydrogen powered cars.

The report states that Australia could become: "… one of the world's leading designers and producers of large sized, powerful, zero emission passenger vehicles; Australia will own a greater portfolio of IP and become the industry of choice for design, engineering and testing of globally desirable fuel efficient and environmentally  responsible niche products."

Dominic Oughton, a Senior Industrial Fellow at the IfM, said the Institute was delighted to support the development of the AA2020 Vision. "We were asked to come on board to bring our experience of developing strategies at the sector and national levels using IfM's well-developed roadmapping approach and experienced facilitators.

"The support from stakeholders across the industry has been hugely encouraging and has been delivered with a real spirit of collaboration."

Government officials hope the work will enable them to take advantage of a "paradigm shift is looming in the automotive market".

Victor Pantano of The Australian National University said "working together with Cambridge has been beneficial to the development of a robust methodology for developing the roadmap - their skills and experience have been invaluable"

For an electronic copy of the report, contact: Rob Halden-Pratt Communications Officer, Institute for Manufacturing, e-mail: rwh26@cam.ac.uk or University of Cambridge, Office of Communications, e-mail: communications@admin.cam.ac.uk