April 2022 VISION!

Published 28 Apr 2022

Welcome to our industry bulletin – VISION.

So what is VISION?

VISION is our monthly round-up of industry news, projects, videos, technical tips, training information, webinars and career opportunities from Thorne & Derrick. Take a moment to Follow Us on LinkedIn to receive future VISION.

PROJECTS & NEWS

Thorne & Derrick Supplies ATEX Solenoid Valve Solution

Thorne & Derrick have been involved with a number of enquires for solenoid valves for a variety of applications. A client required a supply of valves suitable for the flow of hydrogen and deuterium along with ATEX certification. We supplied the customer with ASCO 262 2-Way Solenoid Valves suitable for flow media including aggressive liquids, inert gases and light oil.

ASCO solenoid valves (2-way, 3-way and 4-way type) control the critical flow of air, gas, water, oil and steam across all industries. Suitable for all commercial and industrial applications such as car wash systems, pumps, compressors, boilers, food processing and many others. ASCO valves improve reliability and performance of safety systems according to IEC 61508, IEC 61511 and Safety Integrity Levels (SIL).

The Next Generation Of Hazardous Area Light Fittings

Working with our UK manufacturer Raytec, we have continued to supply their exceptional range of hazardous area light fittings to our clients. The next generation of Raytec light fittings bring improved performance, durability and are suitable for use in Zones 1 & 2 with a range of lumen outputs and variants.

We have supplied a number of SPZ-WL168 4ft light fittings to a paint manufacturer whom required the fittings to be installed across various rooms. In light of the legislation to remove fluorescent lighting from the shelves in 2023, the client is in the process of upgrading all lighting from fluorescent to LED; to future proof their light fittings and ensure compliance.

Raytec Spartan Linear WL168 Zone 2 Hazardous Area 7,048 Lumens

Raytec Spartan Linear SPZ-WL168 Zone 2 Hazardous Area 7,048 Lumens

Many industrial paints are solvent-based, which can release solvent vapours, gas and dust into the air – creating a potentially explosive atmosphere with a need for risk minimising equipment. The risk of ignition of the solvent gas poses an instant threat to life in the facility, thus a safe, hazardous area approved, solution was needed.

Thorne & Derrick are experienced in the supply of compliant equipment to industrial paint applications – providing solutions including The “Bulldog” Portable Fan Heater to deliver the required heating to store rooms or paint mixing rooms. Read more about these applications below.

MEET DYLAN

We are excited to announce that we now have a new team member on board with us! Dylan joined us in April looking very smart and ready to start – he is a keen young man who has hit the ground running in his first few weeks with us.

Dylan has come from a technical background which has helped him to settle well into his role along with some training from T&D and our supply chain. Focussing initially on hazardous area lighting, Dylan has learned about our fixed, temporary and portable ranges; expanding on his hazardous area knowledge. “I’ve found it really interesting to learn about hazardous areas and all of the different types of certification, and I’m looking forward to learning more.”

Dylan has chosen to study an apprenticeship to learn whilst starting his new career as a Sales Engineer with Thorne & Derrick. He felt an apprenticeship was ‘more beneficial than traditional study as it allows you to start your career at an earlier age while working towards a formal qualification.’ Dylan is just one of many young individuals to have come on board with T&D through an apprenticeship scheme.

We look forward to seeing Dylan excel in his role and become an integral member of the team.

Northern Skills Group

Thorne & Derrick are enthusiastic supporters of Apprenticeships and work closely with Northern Skills Group to recruit new and next generation staff into the business for integration into our future growth strategy.

The structured training programmes provided by Northern Skills Group give the Apprentice a chance to enter the workplace while working towards a recognised qualification – to gain, then develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in their chosen career in a competitive jobs market.

It’s a fact getting into employment earlier means there is increased potential for quick career progression.

Gaining work experience increases employability and strengthens their CV. This powerful combination of classroom learning and workplace experience nurtures a broader skill-set: developing people skills, problem solving skills and technical skills.

INDUSTRY EVENTs

Hazardex Swansea

Terry McDonald (Head of Sales for Hazardous Area Equipment) from Thorne & Derrick, with Andy Horsford from Wolf

We are delighted to have attended the ‘Hazardex In The Regions’ event at Swansea this month. Laura McCabe (Technical Sales Engineer) attended her first exhibition alongside Terry McDonald, where they showcased a range of equipment for hazardous areas including: the NEW Raytec Mid Power Flood, the EXHEAT MTH Heater and the PIR from SecurEx Technology.

Laura thoroughly enjoyed the event and has now signed up to attend the event in Ellesmere Port! “I found Hazardex really interesting and it was great to meet new people and chat with our supply chain. Being on the stand has helped me to build my confidence when talking about our products and I now can’t wait for the next one!”

Terry and Laura also tied in the event with a trip to our Bristol offices to catch up with the team. As Laura’s first visit to the new Bristol offices and warehouse, she was interested to see how orders are processed and the size of the warehouse which has a multi million pound stock holding.

T&D Hazardex stand setup, products from left to right: ATEX Ventilation Fan, Raytec Mid-Power Floodlight, Raytec Generation II Linear Light Fitting, SecurEx Maglock & PIR Motion Detector, Exheat FAW Heater, MFH Bulldog Portable Fan Heater and The Mini Tank Immersion Heater (front of the table).

FAKE PRODUCTS & CERTIFICATES – HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM?

Thorne & Derrick are thrilled to announce that they will be exhibiting at the return of the one-day ‘Hazardex in the Regions’ events for 2022! On the back of exhibiting at HazardEx 2021 last year, Terry and the team will be showcasing a range of products that help to improve safety, increase reliability and optimise productivity in explosive atmospheres.

We can now also confirm that Terry McDonald will be delivering a conference paper at Ellesmere Port on the 18th May 2022. Thorne & Derrick over the years have listened closely to their customers and extensively researched the market to bring their clients fully compliant and correctly certified hazardous area solutions for the safe use in explosive atmospheres. Terry will discuss just how big of a problem fake product and certificates are in the industry.

About The Author:

Terry McDonald is Sales Manager at Thorne & Derrick and joined the company in 2005 as a graduate technical sales engineer. He has headed their Hazardous Area sales division since 2014. Terry has many years of experience working with Tier 1 and 2 COMAH sites in the UK, as well as clients around the world. He is a passionate supporter of innovation, sharing best practice & knowledge with the aim of improving safety & compliance within the industry. T&D recently won the Hazardex 2021 Best Customer Service award.

➡ Read The Full Abstract

NOF

NZT Power Introductory Webinar

The NZT webinar took place this month, providing an introduction to the Net Zero Teesside (NZT) Power project, allowing attendees to learn more about the project’s contracting strategy and opportunities for the supply chain. There was also a Q&A session where members of the project team were able to answer questions.

T&D’s Natalie Lundie enjoyed attending the webinar, organised by NOF, to learn more about the project’s contracting strategy and opportunities for Thorne & Derrick as distributors. “The webinar was really interesting and it was great to see so many people participating. I look forward to learning more about Net Zero Teesside when the project develops further.”

Let’s Meet

Special thanks to Brian Connolly from SecurEx Technology for visiting our Chester-Le-Street office today, introducing a new product innovation to the team at Thorne & Derrick.

Further updates coming soon…

Thorne & Derrick distribute a range of ATEX certified security and access control solutions from SecurEx, including ATEX Maglocks, Door Contacts, Controllers and Sensors. SecurEx Technology Limited is a specialist security and safety solutions supplier for use in both safe and hazardous areas in Zones 1 & 2, Zones 21 & 22 typically with CE, ATEX, IECEx and/or UL certifications.

In The News

‘Major grain explosion’ at Peoria’s former ADM plant

Date: 11th May 2022
Location: Peoria, Illinois
Plant: BioUrja plant

Peoria firefighters were called Wednesday evening to what the fire chief said was a ‘major grain explosion’ at the corn processing plant once owned by ADM.

Two people suffered smoke inhalation and will be treated at a local hospital, said Interim Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger. The chief said two 150 foot grain silos collapsed.

The plant is located on Edmund Street, near Southwest Washington Street. Last October, ADM sold the plant to BioUrja Group – an energy and agricultural commodity trading and supply group. 25 News has a crew on the scene.

Interim Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger says two silos are leaning, appearing close to collapse. There’s also a small fire in a third silo, causing concern about another explosion.

Credit: https://www.week.com/

UPDATE: As of Thursday morning (12th May), Peoria Firefighters and the Peoria Fire Department Hazardous Materials team are still on scene.

According to a press release from Peoria Battalion Chief Steve Rada, “Due to the severity of the incident, crews were unable to make entry to fully extinguish the fire. Fire crews are currently monitoring the situation from a distance due to structural issues as well as a high level of CO2 in the atmosphere.”

Rada emphasized these is no danger to the public; and, the estimated damages from this incident is over $2,000,000.

The cause of ‘major grain explosion’ remains under investigation.

➡ Read the full article here

Terminology Explained

Every industry has its own language, terms and acronyms. Below is a selection of the common terms in use in the Explosion industry today and how they are employed in current directives.

Ex Specialists

This month’s selections focus on the class/division system for hazardous area locations.

Hazardous locations per the Class/Division system are classified according to the Class, Division, and Group.

Class —The Class defines the general nature (or properties) of the hazardous material in the surrounding atmosphere which may or may not be in sufficient quantities.

Division—The Division defines the probability of the hazardous material being able to produce an explosive or ignitable mixture based upon its presence.

Group—The Group defines the type of hazardous material in the surrounding atmosphere. Groups A, B, C, and D are for gases (Class I only) while groups E, F, and G are for dusts and flyings (Class II or III).

Hazardous locations per the Zone system are classified according to its Zone which can be gas or dust. For gas atmospheres electrical equipment is further divided into Groups and Subgroups.

Zone—The Zone defines the probability of the hazardous material, gas or dust, being present in sufficient quantities to produce explosive or ignitable mixtures.

Group—Electrical equipment is divided into three groups: Group I, II & III

➡ Read more about the hazardous area classification system

VISION! BY,

EXPERTS IN EQUIPMENT FOR EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERES

LEADERS IN ATEX INNOVATION TO THE HAZARDOUS AREA INDUSTRIES

Thorne & Derrick are leaders in the development and distribution of Product Innovations that deliver significant improvements to clients plant, people and operational safety in the explosive atmosphere industries.

Your proactive problem solvers experienced in succession planning for the replacement of obsolete, non-conformant and legacy equipment in hazardous areas.

Your first-choice provider of innovative and competitive solutions to ensure ATEX & IECEx Compliance for Hazardous Area Electrical, HVAC & Process Instrumentation Equipment to UK and international projects.