Fujitsu joins the TRaC Partner Laboratory Programme to
enhance support for companies seeking European Certification

TRaC, the largest UK-based provider of testing, validation and certification, announces that Fujitsu General EMC Laboratory Limited has joined the TRaC Partner Laboratory Programme, enhancing services offered to manufacturers wishing to certify products for sale in the UK and Europe. This programme enables Fujitsu to provide CE certification to Japanese manufacturers with the support of TRaC's expertise.

The TRaC Partner Laboratory Programme helps test facilities based outside the EU to provide a reliable and efficient certification service. TRaC helps partners draw up test plans, verifies testing meets European legislation, generates reports and produces the technical file that demonstrates compliance. TRaC also ensures that other documentation such as Declarations of Conformity, approvals listings, labelling and instruction manuals meet the stringent requirements of their intended markets. The programme eliminates the risk of incomplete or inaccurate interpretation of standards by overseas laboratories, a particular problem if regulations need to be translated, as well as speeding the approvals process by providing a European project management service to ensure any problems can be resolved quickly.

"This partnership ensures that Japanese manufactured equipment and products for the export market can be tested in country at first class facilities, providing the test data and reports to support the documentation needed to prove compliance in world markets," commented Mark Heaven, TRaC CEO. "I am delighted to welcome the Fujitsu General EMC Laboratory into the TRaC Partner Laboratory Programme."

The new service is available now, and will be offered by Fujitsu General EMC Laboratory and PSC Corporation, TRaC's partner consulting firm in Japan.

Mr Hiroyuki Shimanoe, president of Fujitsu General EMC Laboratory Limited, stated "Fujitsu General EMC Laboratory performs efficient and precision testing and provides suitable consulting for modification of products by skilled EMC engineers. We are very pleased to have and keep a partnership with TRaC and PSC."

Fujitsu General EMC Laboratory Limited, based in Kawasaki, Japan, is a world class EMC facility accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005, offering two 10m Semi anechoic Chambers supported by smaller anechoic and shielded rooms. These comprehensive facilities are a perfect match to TRaC's testing requirements in Japan.

TRaC in profile
TRaC is a leading test group with accreditations for all major markets worldwide. It has established itself with a reputation for unrivalled excellence in global approvals, testing and certification.

TRaC provides the assessment route to product manufacturers and designers to ensure they fulfil their legal obligations and demonstrate full compliance with the requirements of countries around the world.

For more information, view website: www.tracglobal.com

Tiny Vacon drives eliminate complexity

Compact and competitively priced, the latest range of micro drives from Vacon, one of Europe's foremost developers of AC drive technology, has been specifically developed to eliminate unnecessary complexity while retaining all of the features needed for standard industrial applications, including the control of pumps, fans and simple conveyers. As a result, the new Vacon 10 drives are easy and convenient to specify and use. 

Available with power ratings from 0.25 to 2.2 kW for use with single-phase supplies, and 0.37 to 5.5 kW for use with three-phase supplies, Vacon 10 drives have been designed to make the best possible use of space within the control panel. They range in size from just 66 x 157 x 98 mm to 100 x 262 x 109 mm depending on rating, and are equally suitable for screw fixing or for mounting on DIN rail.

All drives in the range offer PI control as standard, together with basic application macros for fan, pumps, conveyors and other frequently encountered applications. All but the smallest units incorporate an integrated brake chopper and, as an option, all versions can be supplied with internally mounted EMC filters that comply with the Category C2 requirements of EN 61800-3.

To further enhance their versatility, Vacon 10 drives feature fully programmable I/O, comprising three digital inputs, one analogue input and one relay output for standard models. Versions are also available with six digital inputs, two analogue inputs, one digital output and two relay outputs. An RS485/Modbus interface is a standard feature on all models.

The new Vacon 10 general-purpose micro drives are complemented by the Vacon Live software package. Available as a free download from the Vacon website, this makes setting up fast and straightforward. The Vacon Live package also includes a commissioning wizard, as well as offering full parameter commissioning.

Vacon 10 drives feature conformally coated printed circuit boards throughout, making them suitable for use in demanding environments. They comply fully with RoHS requirements and wherever possible, they use recyclable materials in their construction.

Vacon in profile
Vacon is driven by a passion to design, manufacture and sell only the best AC drives on the planet -- and nothing else. AC drives can be used to control electric motors or to help generate power from renewable sources. Vacon has R&D and production units in Finland, the United States, China and Italy, and sales offices in more than 25 countries. In 2008, Vacon had revenues of EUR 293.2 million and globally employed ca 1,200 people. Vacon's shares (VAC1V) are listed and publicly traded on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. For further information, contact, Stephen Takhar, Vacon, e-mail: stephen.takhar@vacon.co.uk or view website: www.vacon.com

Corus secures 350m French rail contract
and announces major investment in steel mill

Corus has secured a contract worth about 350 million to supply railway lines for up to six years to French railway operator SNCF for the renewal and maintenance of the RFF (Réseau Ferré de France) tracks. The contract is for an initial four years with the option to extend it by a further two years.

As part of the deal, Corus will invest 35 million in new technology at its rail production facility in Hayange, in the Lorraine region of France, to allow it to produce longer rails. The investment in a range of new manufacturing equipment will improve the plant´s efficiency and enable workers to produce 108-metre long rails.

Gérard Glas, Director General of Corus Rail (France), said: "Being able to produce 108m long rails opens up new o portunities for us and puts us in a better position to supply the growing demand for high-speed rail lines. By 2011 we will be among just a handful of producers with this world-class capability.

"his significant contract with SNCF gives us the confidence to invest in our Hayange plant. The investment will make us more competitive and help secure the future of the plant - and the workforce - for years to come."

Engineering studies have already been completed at the Hayange plant which will enable the 35m enhancement work to begin in the New Year. At the peak of the  enhancement work, up to 400 contractors are expected to be working on the upgrade - from design and mechanical engineers to electricians and
demolition experts.

The Hayange mill, which employs 440 people, currently supplies rails of varying lengths to railway operators around the world, but predominantly in Europe. The mill can currently produce rails of up to 80-metres long. The investment will improve yield and quality at the plant, as well as boosting production capacity from 300,000 to 340,000 tonnes per year.

For further information, e-mail: laure.lafare@corusgroup.com or view website: www.corusrail.com

Intelligent Gateway from HMS Industrial Networks
connects SAE J1939 networks to Siemens PLC systems

This new addition to the Anybus gateway family enables a Profibus-DP Master to read and write J1939 network data for control and monitoring tasks. The gateway accomplishes this by operating simultaneously as a Profibus-DP Slave on a Profibus network and as a CAN node on a J1939 network. Data is exchanged from either network based on a user defined configuration. HMS provides a free Windows-based configuration tool (BWConfig) that allows the user to map J1939 parameter (PGN) data into the module's input and output tables, accessible by the Profibus Master over the Profibus-DP network.

With is rugged industrial design the device is designed for use across a wide variety of applications and industries. These include heavy duty equipment and vehicles used for agriculture, construction, fire and rescue, oil and gas, mining, power generation, motor control, material handling, trucking, mass-transportation and marine applications.

Typical uses include applications in oil & gas production, or on-vehicle applications where the gateway is used as an interface between the J1939 network and Profibus based industrial PLCs.

On the Profibus side the gateway supports Profibus-DP Slave functionality with cyclic I/O data transmission and it can handle up to 244 bytes Input and 244 bytes of Output data. On the J1939 side the gateway supports up to 35 incoming J1939 transport protocol (large message) sessions and can monitor up to 120 different PGNs in the Input data point configuration and transmit up to 100 different PGNs in the Output data point configuration. The J1939 transport protocol (large message) handler rejects incoming session requests (both BAM and RTS/CTS) for PGN/Address pairs that are not configured as input data points.

The J1939 to Profibus gateway is the newest member of HMS´ Anybus gateway family which consist of more than 180 individual versions providing inter-network communications between almost any fieldbus or industrial Ethernet network.

For further information, contact  Michela Nalin, e-mail: min@hms.se or view website: www.anybus.com