Beware of Imitations

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

“If people want FM Sudafix standard electrical safety, then they need to use FM Sudafix products and services, it is that simple,” stated company General Manager, Calum Heath. Recently FM Sudafix was alerted to an unknown company in Asia that was claiming to represent the sector leading British electrical safety specialist, and had even started advertising FM Sudafix products on their website. Calum commented, “I can understand why companies may aspire to be like us, but to claim to represent us is a step too far if they do not, and in this case when it transpired that they had sold inferior materials claiming them to be FM Sudafix products we had to step in and stop the situation.”

But what should organisations do if they are contacted by a company claiming to be selling FM Sudafix products? “FM Sudafix staff will frequently visit its agents, distributors, and partners; during those visits they make personal visits to the customers of its associate companies so it is likely that they will have met one of our team members. That being said if ever customers are unsure they should simply get in touch with us directly and we can advise them of the appropriate company to deal with in their locality.”

The FM Sudafix Group is very proud of its range of products and services and encourages companies to get in touch if they have any concerns about other organisations who claim to be involved with the Group.

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Rural broadband from Fujitsu

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

In the UK the telecommunications infrastructure is mostly provided by BT and their position in the market is largely without comparable rival. Companies such as Virgin Media have competed with BT, becoming the service provider for hundreds of thousands of broadband users, but infrastructure has mostly continued to be owned by BT. Now it seems that Fujitsu is attempting to join in the domestic broadband marketplace and have targeted rural users as their chosen entry point demographic.

The government has a fund to help stimulate rural broadband initiatives and Fujitsu will be seeking to obtain a significant proportion of this finance, as well as relying upon some of BT’s incumbent infrastructure that the organisation has recently been made to make available to competitors.

Fujitsu is likely to be encouraged by significant internet service providers like Virgin Media and Talk Talk have already affirmed that they will use the Fujitsu infrastructure, but the scale of government investment that the company seeks (some £500m of the £530m available) is likely to make their proposal more than challenging.

Whilst Fujitsu’s plan would introduce some real competition to BT in rural areas it is far from certain, it clearly demonstrates that the seeming monopoly that BT has largely enjoyed for decades is going to be challenged from now on.

Whether the telecommunication company is BT, Fujitsu or any other organisation, they can rely upon the expertise of the FM Sudafix Group to help protect their broadband infrastructure. Broadband exchange cabinets face demanding challenges when it comes to electrical earthing due to the restrictive footprint within which earthing systems have to fit, the prospect of vandalism and thieves, whilst achieving the target electrical earthing resistance value. Fortunately the technical arm of the FM Sudafix Group can develop systems meeting stringent performance requirements, and this is made all the more achievable through excellent products like Conducrete, which is a conductive concrete, and has been used in earthing systems in trenches, boreholes, backfilled earth rods, encased plates and lattice mats, and even as foundation slabs.

When it comes to telecommunication earthing systems choosing FM Sudafix as a partner holds numerous advantages and benefits from cost saving to performance enhancements, so feel free to get in touch.

Posted in Conducrete, FM Sudafix, News | Comments Off

Investing in football stars of the future

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

FM Sudafix acknowledges its corporate responsibility in its day to day business, but it also recognises the integral importance of supporting the communities that help it operate as a business. Whilst the FM Sudafix Group supports professional sports teams such as the Nottingham Panthers ice hockey club they recognise the real need to invest in teams who foster young talent. Group Chief Executive Officer, Steve Hutchinson was delighted to put the full support of FM Sudafix behind the Hallam & Redmires Rangers Under 13 Junior Football Club, in Sheffield. Hutchinson commented, ‘A company like the FM Sudafix Group simply would not exist without our valued staff and customers, and the communities in which they live. Sport is hugely influential in any young person’s life, be it in the form of developing good physical fitness, learning about fair play and how teams work together, or the importance of a good work ethic and determination to succeed.

‘Taking part in sports like football and boxing helped me develop a healthy competitive edge that I feel has served me well in my career, and continues to help the FM Sudafix Group grow at the prodigious rate that it does. These boys and the support network of parents, brothers and sisters, friends and coaches, deserve to be recognised because they make the difference and help keep communities together. I am so proud of the boys for the effort that they have put in this season and each of the players on the pitch, and the substitutes on the bench can continue to take to the field knowing that our company has full faith in their abilities, and that their efforts will be making all of us enormously proud.’

FM Sudafix Technical Director, John Maher, who also backed the sponsorship agreement, said, ‘Hallam & Redmires Rangers is a great team for us to support because they demonstrate so many of the qualities that we hold at FM Sudafix. In a football team of committed youngsters we can see how hard work can pay off and at times when it’s raining or cold, when so many youngsters may be more inclined to stay inside, they will continue to take to the field and represent their team. I am certain that each of the boys’ families and friends are incredibly proud of them, and they should be because on the football pitch they are learning that any achievement comes from honest endeavour. Throughout my career I have always tried to use any influence I have had to direct funds towards initiatives that directly help young people so when Steve identified Hallam & Redmires Rangers as a team for us to back I was one hundred percent on board.’

Steve Hutchinson further commented, ‘Not everyone gets to be the star striker, or even on the pitch, but whether we are talking about football or not it is essential that we recognise that young people are the greatest asset the world has and whatever their skills or interest, we owe it to them and to the future to make sure that we have done everything we can to help them on their way. These boys are truly special, and unless you have watched them on the pitch you wouldn’t believe how talented they are. When you meet them you recognise the promise that they hold for the future, both on and off the pitch, a credit to their families and all those who invest their time day in day out to help make the difference.’ The FM Sudafix Group would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with Hallam & Redmires Rangers JFC for the opportunity to join them in supporting the team.

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FM Sudafix contribute to social media event

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Nottingham based solicitors Rothera Dowson hosted a charity event at The Curry Lounge in Nottingham, where business leaders from across the East Midlands converged to discuss the role of social media in business. The FM Sudafix Group was represented by General Manager Calum Heath and Strategy & Communications Director Sean Elliott-Maher who met with other parties to engage in this exciting topic.

Calum Heath told the website team: “I think the Rothera Dowson team who put this together deserve the accolades that they are receiving for this charity event. It was great to attend and discuss all the ways that social media now interacts with business. When you consider this in the context of business change this really sits at the forefront; you do not have to cast your memory back very far at all to a time when social media and business did not coexist, and not much further to a time when social media did not exist at all. Tackling the legal issues relating to usage of social media offered an interesting perspective so a great job by the Rothera Dowson legal team. At the very least they have given me ammunition when it comes to quizzing Sean about the social media activity of FM Sudafix!” Sean Elliott-Maher later commented: “I knew I should have found an excuse to keep Calum out of this event…”

In the spirit of embracing social media the web team would like to remind you to find us at the following places:

Follow us on Twitter: fmsudafix

Join our Facebook Group: here

And be sure to keep up to date with the latest company developments for FM Sudafix and JMI Earthing on the web.

The FM Sudafix Group always welcomes you to get in touch. Any media, marketing or corporate responsibility related contacts can be directed to Sean Elliott-Maher.

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Give blood and save a life

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

You may not have ever needed a blood transfusion, but if you or your family required blood to save your life then you would probably want a transfusion to be available immediately. The availability of blood is entirely dependent on the generosity of donors of the correct blood type. It is a fact, donating blood saves lives, and FM Sudafix staff joined with Nottingham Panthers hero David Clarke to help support the great work of NHS Blood and Transplant at The Nottingham Blood Centre in Castle Quays, a few hundred yards along Castle Boulevard from Nottingham city centre. FM Sudafix was represented by General Manager Calum Heath and Strategy & Communications Director Sean Elliott-Maher who were pleased to be catching up again with Nottingham Panthers star forward David Clarke, and getting to know NHSBT Lead Donor Relations Manager Holly Mason and the rest of the Donor Care team.

Both Calum and David were donating blood for the first time so they had to complete a few forms before commencing the donation process. Sean, who has been a regular donor for a number of years, was able to quickly commence the normal health check and then start his donation. Sean commented after making his donation, “David and Calum clearly needed a good role model so I tried to set a positive example, but in truth I think I was the biggest pest of the three of us. I doubt that I helped my reputation by insisting on covertly turning our donation process into a secret competition. When it comes to competing with athletes and your superiors I think you always stand a far better chance of winning if they don’t know they are competing until after the event when you can change the rules to suit yourself; history will record I won anyway…”

David, who was a consummate professional throughout the day said, “It went fine, easy, and it’s such an important thing. I’d ask any fans who don’t already give blood to seriously think about signing up, you never know when it could be you or your loved ones that need help.”

Calum echoed David’s sentiment, “I’ve known that I ought to donate blood for years but it was something that I always seemed to forget to do, and in truth it got to a point of being quite embarrassing that I didn’t when I thought about how little bother it is when compared to the good it does for so many people. The NHSBT staff looked after us so well throughout our time there, and David and I really enjoyed the session. I also want to thank the efforts of Donor Relations Coordinator Anna Kerr, who was instrumental in getting us all booked in for this.”

David’s donation was especially important as blood from BME donors is in particularly short supply and facing high demand. NHSBT runs the VIP Campaign, which encourages people from BME communities to become donors and in turn save even more lives. Ethnicity can be an important factor when it comes to blood donation; some conditions such as Sickle Cell Anaemia or Thalassaemia require matched blood type donations and as 25% of south Asian communities are blood group B, whereas only 9% of Caucasians have that blood type, and U negative is only found amongst people of African and Caribbean descent it is clearly vital to have a blood stock representative of the communities that is serves.

Sean pointed out that David’s behaviour was a typical example of the player’s community spirit, “Whether he is on the ice scoring goal after goal, or whether he is off the ice generously donating his time or his blood for the community, David Clarke is pure class; a wonderful ambassador for the club, the sport, and all those people who want to do the right thing by becoming a blood donor but haven’t yet. FM Sudafix is proud to call David Clarke a great friend and we look forward to cheering him on when he ices next season, but until then we encourage everyone to follow his great example and donate blood this summer and save lives.”

Most people can become donors as long as they are between their 17th and 65th birthday, weigh more than 50kg (7 stone 12 lbs) and are in general good health. For more information, to find your nearest venue, or to register, please call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk.

Posted in FM Sudafix, News, Nottingham Panthers | Comments Off

Wind Power Projects Keep Coming In!

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Green Energy projects largely fall into the specialist category of electrical safety systems, which is why customers requiring effective earthing / grounding, lightning protection or surge protection systems to safeguard these valuable assets come to FM Sudafix.

FM Sudafix General Manager, Calum Heath, commented “it’s great that we have such a positive reputation that generates the interest and confidence in our Green Energy customers. The consequences of poorly managed electrical safety systems can cause awful damage to wind turbines, but this can nearly always be avoided. I spoke to a member of the JMI technical team earlier and they had been working on a UK wind power generation site, and were just about to start working on an earthing system for a substantial wind turbine deployment in Eastern Europe. I am pleased that we can support companies undertaking wind power projects and keep their equipment safe as well as the lives of people who may interact with them.”

Recent announcements from within the technical team indicate that earthing / grounding and lightning protection needs in Green Energy, such as wind power or solar power, is demonstrably a growth segment for the organisation. One engineer advised, “I think that when companies first explored the opportunities in installing wind turbines or photovoltaic panels they were not always fully aware of the potential hazards that the equipment could face. The evidence that I have seen displaying badly damaged or destroyed turbine or PV inverters bears clear testimony to the indisputable need to proactively address problems before they manifest, but I think that this only understood through experience: I can’t imagine that operators of these systems ever forget the problems or operational downtime. It is fair to say that our expertise has also improved dramatically since we started creating electrical safety systems for Green Energy projects, and I think it is that standard of knowledge that our growing customer base seeks to access; we are busier than ever designing earthing and lightning protection systems for wind turbines so they must be coming for a reason!”

Whilst the FM Sudafix Group always recommends that expert consultation is obtained in any construction safety discipline this is emphasised as more important if you are about to undertake a wind power generation project and the location has any of the following attributes:

  • Located on, or in close proximity to, rock
  • Located in coastal regions
  • Located in an area where previous electrical problems have been noted, i.e. damaged inverters, sparking, circulating currents, etc.
  • Located in an area which is subject to above average storm/lightning activity days
  • Located in an area where downstream or upstream fault currents have occurred

Our team will be happy to support you and your power generation and transmission systems.

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Safety in Hazardous Environments

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Think about the last time you saw photographs or footage of a massive explosion, was it a news article? Did anyone die? The fact is that hazardous environments are by their very definition dangerous locations. Effective earthing / grounding, lightning protection, and surge protection systems are absolutely critical when it comes to any facility or zone which is potentially explosive or flammable. Frequently requiring catenary systems, which generally involve suspending wire to intercept a direct lightning strike, explosive environments demand that designers are able to apply the requirements of standards, regulations, codes of practice and building specifications in a more intuitive way to ensure that the systems defined are effective.

FM Sudafix Technical Director, John Maher, commented: “Whilst discretion is an essential part of our services it is not simply morally necessary, it is legally so, when it comes to some of the projects upon which we have worked. Suffice to say that some of the military projects that I have worked on could have led to world changing events had something triggered due to an electrical fault. That being said military sites are not the only projects that have potentially maximal detrimental effects; gas storage, or petrochemical plants are other examples where a poorly managed lightning strike or fault current could lead to disaster. Fortunately we are in a position to design effective systems to protect these sites from the dangers associated with dangerous electrical current.

“A problem less frequently encountered on explosive, flammable or dangerous facilities is stray current or circulating currents. These cases are rarer, but I have to admit that when you walk on a project where an alleged professional has designed and specified a system that has resulted in unmanaged current either corroding or detrimentally impacting the performance of an earthing or lightning protection system you do find it difficult to catch your breath; it’s like some people cannot foresee the consequences of something going wrong. Truly chilling in environments, which if destabilised could result in freshly blanked out sections on the map.”

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Rail Earthing Website Upgrade

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

The FM Sudafix Group has launched a totally rebuilt website for its Rail Earthing domain. Speaking to FM Sudafix Strategy & Communications Director, Sean Elliott-Maher, earlier today the website was advised, “the team and I examined the previous Rail Earthing website, and as good as it looked its performance just did not match our intentions or requirements. We decided that no matter how we re-worked the content it was not going to meet our performance expectations, so we took the step to kill it off and start from scratch.

“It always makes me smile when you see organisations tweaking and trying to refine how they present their company, but then insist on using a flawed medium. Sometimes you have to recognise a problem for what it is and take the difficult decision to start again on fresh foundations, and yes there will almost certainly be a cost implication, but the common thought process of “this has cost me money, and so this will get my money back,” is naïve beyond belief and we don’t shy away from deficiencies here, we tackle them head on and make them right.

“The new website is more functional, aids navigation and allows faster access to the information that users require. We may need to polish some of the aesthetics and there is a potential that further changes may be required, but the truth is that I am happy with this and believe that the development team has once again done an absolutely stunning job.

“From this point forward our clients will be able to gain more usage from the Rail Earthing website, and I think we have finally got the structure to achieve the coverage at which we aimed.”

Visit the Rail Earthing Website to see for yourself.

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