David Clarke is having a good year so far, the professional ice hockey player helped the Nottingham Panthers win two of three trophies in the 2010-11 season, and he added an international silver medal immediately after those for his part in Team GB’s ice hockey successes. With a typical generosity of spirit and community mindedness, David did not take the rest of the summer off; being eager to share his knowledge, experience, and talent with the next generation of British hockey players before the start of the Elite League season Clarkey ran his celebrated hockey school and topped it off with his brand new Pro-Clinic!

Nottingham Panthers fan favourite and top goal scorer David Clarke, along with top ice hockey experts, provided specialist tuition to the best UK talent who are seeking to embark on a professional hockey career. With years of experience playing ice hockey in the top domestic tier of the sport, and delivering effective training to promising youngsters, David Clarke started a new annual initiative to refine the talents and athletic prowess of Great Britain’s national squad in waiting, the teenagers who are committing themselves to a future in the sport. David told the website: “My career has featured some great achievements and experiences that have come to define me as a person. Hockey has helped me grow as an individual and taught me so much about myself and about life. Whilst the best years of my playing career are still in front of me I have to admit that coaching these great youngsters really makes a huge difference to my professional experience.”

Ice hockey is an exciting, fast paced and physical sport, which champions both competitiveness and strong moral values, and this was a key feature in the training that David and the team cultivated in the youngsters, who demonstrated a responsibility which contradicts the widely held view of teenagers behaving without restraint or consideration of others. The coaching team featured some of the best professional hockey players in the top tier of the British league helping hone the talent of the future.

Sean Elliott-Maher (FM Sudafix Group Strategy & Communications Director) visited the Pro-Clinic for a day and was impressed with what he saw: “you simply cannot believe the quality of these young people. I watched those guys fight through physical exhaustion and mental fatigue and still soak it up and wait for more. They are a credit to their families, the Pro-Clinic and to the country. I often hear people talking about teenagers as if they are from another planet, but I could probably count on one hand the amount of people I know who could attentively take in some profound life and personal conduct seminars straight after massive athletic demands, only to then warm up and lace up their skates for more. I knew that we were backing something important for the sport, and something that would be a quality product, after all Clarkey is running it, but what I hadn’t fully appreciated was what it meant to the guys taking part. The coaches love what they do, and the difference they make to these guys lives is difficult to overstate. If you look at what it means to the young athletes then you see something far more sobering, this Pro-Clinic is changing their lives. I talked to one of the boys who described it saying that ‘this has been the best week of my life,’ and he didn’t say it flippantly, he said it with absolute sincerity; this is a defining time for them all and it’s humbling to witness.”

“The Curry Lounge, the fantastic restaurant in Nottingham, also backed the scheme and that speaks volumes. Raz has always used his influence to support worthy causes and his work with the Marines is a great example of this. By sponsoring the hockey school and Pro-Clinic Raz has demonstrated his commitment to championing sports development for the kids of Nottingham, the wider region and the country.” The FM Sudafix webteam managed to catch up with Raz who commented: “It is so important to support future hockey stars, whilst underlining the important contribution that David Clarke and his fellow Nottingham Panthers teammates make to the country. You look at the Nottingham Panthers and the Clarke & Co. hockey school and Pro-Clinic and you realise how much of a difference these guys make, and how much they mean to people. I have always done everything I can to be an effective ambassador of local sport and I am happy to help where I can; these kids deserve a break and I can’t wait to see what they are going to achieve in the future.”

The hockey school and Pro-Clinic took place in David Clarke’s home rink of Peterborough but featured talent from all over the country, including a strong representation of athletic delegates from David Clarke’s surrogate home town of Nottingham. All attendees were selected through personal achievement and deservedness of the great opportunity and FM Sudafix, The Curry Lounge, the Nottingham Panthers, and importantly all of the contributing coaches look forward to watching these players go on to succeed.

But David’s commitment to the development of young talent does not end with ice hockey. Upon hearing about some of the up and coming talent at FM Sudafix David Clarke decided to make a trip to come and see what was happening in the Eastwood branch of FM Sudafix. FM Sudafix Group General Manager, Calum Heath, introduced David to Junior Engineer Nathan Summers and explained about the opportunities the company was providing. Nathan was all smiles after spending some time with the Nottingham Panthers top goal scorer and said to the web team: “It was great of David to take the time to visit me. He was really encouraging and reminded me to keep working hard. As a junior member of staff it felt really good to be recognised by someone like David and to be honest I felt inspired to keep improving.” Calum Heath made a point of thanking David for his support of FM Sudafix’s initiatives; “David’s a great guy and we have shared quite a bit of banter since the first time we met so I was really pleased when I saw his face pop round the door. He’s got such a great personality and an incredible ability to lift young people and help direct them towards great things. I was proud of Nathan too; he’s a young chap working in a tough industry that really tests your character from day one, but for him to come face to face with his favourite hockey player, one of his genuine heroes, and to carry himself with dignity and professionalism was a joy to see.”

My role has changed quite a lot over the years. Whereas once I was directly responsible for a vast array of project deliverables, whether it be an electrical earthing system design, delivering training, or personally undertaking investigations into stray current, circulating currents, or lightning protection system failures these days I am more likely to be introducing people to the company. Steve Hutchinson, our Group CEO, and I are often out and about learning about the needs of our customers, how they work and what challenges they face; by doing this we have been able to communicate those needs back to our JMI technical team, and to our FM Sudafix product team, from this point our staff can then service the customers a lot better.

Through our proactive and customer focused approach we constantly find new ways to operate, and also fresh challenges to overcome; each and every time the company gets wiser, more effective and this improves customer experience. Electric safety systems, whether they are lightning protection systems, stray current control systems, coordinated surge protection systems, electrical earthing / grounding systems, equipotential bonding / equipotential coupling arrangements, or other related systems can appear very confusing, and because the threat to be controlled is electricity it is incredibly important that effective safety is achieved.

Electrical, electronic, and micro-electronic items and systems are everywhere, and the amount is increasing all the time. As a consequence of these sorts of development we often find that our customers and clients are helping us break new ground in electrical safety and we are proud to support them. Over the past few years we have helped develop sector changing electrical earthing systems in the telecommunications sector that have seen changes in approach and methodology that has seen installations in North America, Europe and I believe the next deployment will be in the Far East. We have helped get key infrastructure facilities back to safety after aggressive corrosion, and protected it from any future deterioration. We have developed sector changing electrical safety systems such as key equipment earthing systems, stray current management systems and equipotential bonding systems for light and heavy rail systems that is changing European rail safety. And when it comes to creating long lasting solutions that are protected from thieves and corrosion to extend their service life in the power and petrochemical sector I do not think that any other organisation comes close to our achievements.

The key aspect here is innovation. Our customers are presenting us with new challenges because they are innovators, and we love it, because these challenges are forcing us to innovate and improve, and what could possibly be more satisfying? I must admit it can be a bit frustrating when you discover or develop a new solution that will save time, money and lives, and you realise that it has transferable opportunities in other sectors but find a lot of closed doors. This is the scary part of being an innovator for some people, by the very definition you have to be doing something completely different to what you have done before, or to what the rest of your industry is doing. The underlying question in the back of people’s minds, I’m sure, is frequently “I don’t want to be the first to try something new,” and whilst it may be reasonable to think of things this way, at the same time you cannot help but think that they almost do not deserve the chance to improve things. There is a phrase we often cite in top level management meetings at FM Sudafix and that is the “dare to be great moment” and the innovation aspect of our work relies on finding like minded people. Essentially here you are talking about the character of the marketplace; if people see innovation as nothing but risks then they are unlikely to ever take hold of the opportunity to improve, however we have been very fortunate to encounter and work with people who have genuine problems and sincerely want to overcome them, those are the people we like to work with.

On a number of our innovation projects we have had to undertake demonstrations or have our solutions tested. We have never had a problem or complaint with this, because if we put our name to a solution or method we know that it will work, so we have never been afraid of being judged on the merits of our performance: simply put, we succeed. Overcoming a legacy mindset, that familiarity of doing something one way, or purchasing a particular product, or from a specific company, can be challenging, but all we are offering is solutions or improved ways of working and if people want to benefit from that they have to take the step of working with us.

We pride ourselves on improving every day, and that means our customers are constantly enjoying the benefits of a focused company that makes their lives easier.

The FM Sudafix Group is enormously proud to announce the appointment of Calum Heath as Managing Director. In just under a year in the position of General Manager Calum Heath has instigated a host of performance enhancing changes in the company. With a pragmatic, focused and balanced managerial style Heath has delivered on his objectives well within the time frame set out.

The organisation, which has been operating with ‘acting’ Managing Directors for some time, recognised that the appropriate person for the job already existed within the company but that the candidate had to gain first hand insight and experience before taking the reins. Another FM Sudafix Group senior manager stated to the website, “Calum has now got the demonstrable performance track record that his potential suggested. He totally deserves the position, title and authority of Managing Director.”

Calum Heath acknowledged the promotion in his own idiosyncratic way, “I am pleased, and proud, to get the bump up to Managing Director. Some of the changes, initiatives, and developments within the company have not been immediately popular but I’m pleased to say that they have worked and that people seem happier now than they have been previously. It is my job to make sure the company is as effective as it can be, which means it makes money by the brand being recognised as a benchmark in quality, safety, professionalism and customer experience, and that should prove true across the portfolio of products and services. I’m proud of my team’s efforts and grateful for the board’s support and trust. I won’t let them, or our fantastic customer base, down.”

FM Sudafix Group’s CEO, Steve Hutchinson, had nothing but praise for Calum, “In a company like this you have to have a realist steering the ship, and anyone who knows Calum knows that he will not entertain corporate fantasies, he keeps focused on achieving tangible targets and works on hard facts as he ticks off his goals.” But being a devotee of evidence based management is not Calum’s only skill, Hutchinson went on to explain, “Calum has inspired the team, and he has totally led from the front; you lose count of the number of times that he has rolled his sleeves to get the job done. Calum is an incredibly likeable character and the staff takes pride in doing what they are asked because of this. Not only does the staff respond, but our customers respond too, he has taken the lead on a number of challenging, if not outright difficult, projects and he has turned them around; customers know that they can trust Calum and that he will go to great lengths to make their problems become effective solutions. When you are providing electrical safety systems trust is key, after all a customer needs their earthing, lightning, stray current, surge, or rail bonding protection system to work effectively to protect life and assets trust is absolutely everything, and in Calum customers get exactly that.”

With Calum Heath being one of the youngest Managing Directors in the sector’s history, questions were inevitably going to be asked about whether he had what it takes to be responsible for such an important organisation; Hutchinson, however dismisses such doubts as unnecessary, “A long standing associate was surprised to hear that someone of Calum’s age has had so much authority invested in him, and if you haven’t met Calum that may be an understandable point, but let’s be clear some people just have the right knowledge and abilities to make positive changes time after time. Calum was the best General Manager in the sector, and he could be considered such in probably any other sector too, so why wouldn’t we want to give him even more scope to make those beneficial changes? His value to the company cannot be overstated and the board has welcomed Calum with open arms.”

With year on year growth, and with huge expansion in the pipeline, Calum Heath will certainly have his work cut out for him, but it seems everyone from the board to the factory floor are confident of Calum’s ability to continue the legacy of success.

Creating effective earthing systems, stray current management, or equipotential bonding / coupling systems on light or heavy rail systems is incredibly challenging due to the way that the projects are constructed, but JMI always finds an effective way to achieve safety and surpass the build specification. With the ability to specify, consult, design, install, test, commission and maintain JMI (The technical division of the FM Sudafix Group) is the nominated electrical safety partner for numerous rail infrastructure projects all over the world for a very good reason. That ability to be able to offer a turnkey service in a number of performance critical areas is incredibly valuable due to the time and cost savings that it offers.

FM Sudafix Group Managing Director, Calum Heath, commented to the webteam, “Recently we have been working extensively on a light rail project in the UK, and we have been getting great results. On a number of works on that project the client originally decided to place the order for installation works with another company; whilst we were disappointed, we respected their right to place the order with whomever they wished. Some time after the other company had finished their installation we were called to site and requested to urgently redo their entire works as they had failed in terms of performance and quality. Whatever their reasons the client knows that in future they will get the right service and performance first time.”

The JMI technical team offers a range of expert services to take the worries out of electrical safety on rail sites. With decades of engineering experience working on some of the most prestigious light and heavy rail projects in the world, the team is aware of the best practices and cutting edge innovations in creating effective earthing and bonding solutions in the demanding conditions of railway sites.

Oftentimes installing vertical electrodes is impractical and horizontal earthing systems may fall to thieves, but fortunately the JMI technical team has developed a range of solutions to overcome these threats. A number of bodies in Europe and the Middle East are subscribing to the usage of Conducrete to achieve copperless or reduced copper earthing systems. These sorts of systems overcome the challenges of signalling earthing, exchanges, and structure earthing, as well as providing every protection against thieves and vandals.

Our performance track record speaks for itself and it is little wonder why companies contact the FM Sudafix Group for all their rail electrical safety needs, whether they be consultancy, design or install services, or our excellent range of rail products, which include a full range of rail specification cable for all types of project application, rail drills and their consumables, rail contact kits, rail bonds, cable lugs and heat shrink sleeving, as well as the celebrated Conducrete conductive concrete earthing solutions product.

For more information please visit www.railearthing.com

The FM Sudafix Group is proud to announce that it will be backing the GMB Nottingham Panthers once again for the 2011-2012 campaign. Negotiations have been ongoing between the club and FM Sudafix for some time but the “3+2” deal, which has long been rumoured to be worth in excess of six figures, has finally been confirmed by both of the negotiation teams. The sponsorship agreement will see the FM Sudafix logo on the playing shirts as well as in two face-off circles underneath the ice, and will include a number of match night sponsorships.

FM Sudafix Group Technical Director John Maher spoke with the webteam: “Now the ink has dried I can confirm that the FM Sudafix Group will be an official sponsor of the GMB Nottingham Panthers for 2011-2012 campaign. This is a great moment for both organisations and what makes it all the sweeter is that we have negotiated a deal that extends to future seasons.

“Last season was the first time that FM Sudafix as a company sponsored the Nottingham Panthers, but as many people are aware I, and the organisations with which I have worked, have a legacy of supporting this team and sport. My mentor, A.W. Elliott, always instilled a value of supporting the communities that help to generate a company’s success, and he also established a link with the Nottingham Panthers, backing fan favourite Simon Perkins. We invited Perks along to commemorate the launch of the hockey shirt last year, but at the time it was bittersweet because we all wanted to see him ice wearing the FM Sudafix emblazoned Panthers shirt. As a result it was great to see Perko take to the ice when he appeared as a Panthers “Legend” in a charity match for the Teenage Cancer Trust during the 2010-2011 season alongside other crowd pleasing stars such as Paul Moran and Rasty Rovnianek.

“We thoroughly enjoyed being part of the historic double winning 2010-2011 season, and it included some wonderful highlights. We knew that the best talent in the Elite Ice Hockey League would be seen with our logo as soon as we secured the sponsorship slot last season but who could have predicted that international singing sensation Michael Bublé or international boxing champion Carl Froch would be wearing it? And they did so much to support the club and their community focused schemes.

“With so many great memories and knowing that our organisation had helped to support the Nottingham Panthers impressive achievements in the 2010-2011 season we could not walk away. This club gets in your blood, and it has run in mine for a long time now. We have demonstrated our commitment to the Nottingham Panthers future; we know that they are the best team in the Elite League and this deal proves that we put our money where our mouth is.”

Panthers General Manager, Gary ‘GM the GM’ Moran stated: “FM Sudafix has shown itself to be a great business partner. They’re enthusiastic and supportive. It’s right that they make the most of our link-up and we’re thrilled that they do so. Ice hockey is fast and furious, it is also passionate and skilled, a phrase that would sum up the guys at FMS. The firm has historical links with the Panthers but we’re at a new level now and long may it continue.”

FM Sudafix Group Strategy & Communications Director, Sean Elliott-Maher, provided the following comment: “I have always acted as the interface between FM Sudafix and the Nottingham Panthers, so I was delighted to be part of the negotiation team but this deal was a classic example of John Maher wearing his heart on his sleeve and contributing to help create the best outcome for both organisations. Gary Moran, Panthers GM, has set out the best framework for the team to achieve even more great things and we are pleased to put money behind that endeavour. I want to go on the record to state my full support of the direction that the club management is pursuing and commend both the vision and determination to succeed. Not forgetting the players, I am so proud of their achievements on the ice, and delighted to see the returning players from the special double winnng team; the guys have always demonstrated considerable patience and willingness to join in with some of my daft ideas and still been happy to have a chat with me afterwards. I would also like to extend the heartfelt thanks from everyone at FM Sudafix to the fans of the Nottingham Panthers; you have welcomed us so warmly and we are proud to be with you for years to come, we hope that you like the website that we developed for you and our international customers.”

The first season that FM Sudafix supported the club was worthy of a Hollywood movie! It included a number of champagne moments as well as dramatic moments where the team faced staggering adversity. With a league campaign running aground as a result of a string of below-par performances and the departure of noted players it only made the achievements of winning the Challenge Cup and the Play-Offs more special. Over the course of the season the Nottingham Panthers consistently delivered entertainment icing an incredible array of the best home grown talent in the league, supported by international stars which included ex-NHL heroes in Jeff Heerema, Daniel Tkachuk and Jeremy Van Hoof.

Despite forging an incredibly strong working relationship during the historic double season, the link between the two organisations was strengthened during the off-season. Shortly after the ice hockey world championships wrapped FM Sudafix staff joined with Nottingham Panthers hero David Clarke to help support the NHS Blood and Transplant at The Nottingham Blood Centre in Castle Quays. FM Sudafix Group General Manager Calum Heath and Strategy & Communications Director Sean Elliott-Maher got together with Nottingham Panthers star forward David Clarke for the event.

FM Sudafix sponsored David’s respected Clarke & Co. Hockey School for the first time during the off-season, and this was enhanced for the first time ever by his brand new Pro-Clinic. The Nottingham Panthers fan favourite and top goal scorer was joined by top ice hockey experts and fellow Panthers to provide specialist tuition to the best UK talent who are seeking to embark on a professional hockey career. As ice hockey champions both competitiveness and strong moral values this featured heavily in the training that David and the team delivered. FM Sudafix’s Sean Elliott-Maher attended some of the Pro-Clinic sessions and was pleased to get the chance to see future stars and the massive impact that the Clarke & Co. coaching team had on them. Knowing that FM Sudafix also invests its time in new talent Clarkey travelled to the Eastwood branch of the company to meet some junior engineers and the gesture inspired them.

Going in to the new season FM Sudafix top management wanted to make a statement of intent and communicated their commitment to the club, players and management, coaches and fans alike, by sponsoring the first two home games of the season. FM Sudafix Group Chief Executive Officer Steve Hutchinson provided the final comment on the deal, “It’s a great deal for the Panthers, and it’s great exposure for us, so in my book this works for everyone and everyone at FM Sudafix is excited for the start of the season.”

“I want to define the future,” Calum Heath told the FM Sudafix website team, “it may sound ambitious, but I like setting a challenging target.” Calum Heath, recently welcomed onto the FM Sudafix Group board of directors, has brought in a number of changes since joining the senior staff and the indication is that more significant innovations are on the horizon. “The FM Sudafix Group is as committed as ever to refine and further professionalise the electrical safety sector, and I know that some of our pending actions are going to surprise a lot of people, but today I want to talk about apprenticeships.

Whilst the company has welcomed young, or new to the industry, members of staff FM Sudafix has often lamented the lack of appropriate apprenticeships, “On the installation side of things the industry is familiar with appointing apprentices and this has served it well, but it has never really expanded beyond that limited scope of a few installation roles. Until fairly recently apprenticeships were always reserved for hands on jobs, but now they are available in a more diverse scope of practical disciplines, both within the office environment, and on the worksite.” The FM Sudafix Group has frequently raised the issue of formal accreditation in the past and this was something Calum reiterated, “The FM Sudafix Group is a unique company in a specialist industry so some of the broader apprenticeships do not cater for our needs. Historically this has resulted in FM Sudafix training our staff in-house, and whilst the JMI training certificate is valued by numerous organisations beyond the FM Sudafix Group (so much so that our in-house training has been sought by private, public and government organisations) it still does not entitle our fantastic staff to any perceived accolades beyond the remit of our industry, and I for one was not okay with that.”

Difficult circumstances can often provide the right environment for innovation and that ability to take unpromising situations and convert them into something impressive has long characterised the activity of FM Sudafix; Calum continued, “With youth unemployment being what it is and my frustration at the lack of accredited apprenticeships appropriate to what we do, I decided to do something about initiating change. As a result of this decision we have established an association with an excellent college which is working with us to create new vocational courses that appropriately cater for our industry, and will enable the staff members that have historically been unable to demonstrate their abilities on paper to do so with recognised formal qualifications.”

FM Sudafix’s preparedness to invest in the betterment of their staff has been demonstrated over the years and Calum pledges to continue that, “The cost of an education in this country is formidable these days, and for many people now training through work, or career funded study, is one of the few routes to obtaining the qualifications that they desire. That being said finding a company that is prepared to back you can be difficult. We love achievement at FM Sudafix, and we share pride in the academic or vocational milestones of our staff and whilst we cannot accommodate endless quantities of new recruits, we ensure that those that we take on are given every opportunity to succeed.”

The FM Sudafix Group draws on a rich heritage of sector successes which hark back to the origins of the UK industry, and the personal achievements of its key players exist somewhere between market segment benchmarks which have largely been unsurpassed, and the stuff of legend; but unsurprisingly Mr. Heath is unprepared to mere stand on the shoulders of giants, or for its staff to think the hard work is over: “The FM Sudafix Group is recognised for its ongoing excellent performance and its back catalogue of numerous successes. Do not get me wrong legacy is important, but the only way you can maintain and develop a reputation is to keep on improving, to keep on setting the standard, and for that you need a constant supply of new talent. I believe in the promise of young people, and I guarantee that FM Sudafix will continue to invest in them; by doing that we are helping craft the future of the sector.”

Calum’s personal experience during his time with FM Sudafix frames the way he wants others to find their work time, “FM Sudafix is blessed with experience; with people like John and Steve sitting at the top of the tree every action is guided by their knowledge. Their expertise really cascades through the company and in turn our staff improves and advances more swiftly. For me working with John, Steve, and the rest of the team has been the steepest learning curve you could imagine, but look at the result. I walked through the door as part of the JMI technical team, but within a few years of commitment, sacrifice and loyalty I have got the job I always dreamed of, earning promotion through performance. That’s the kind of opportunity that I want all of our apprentices, and new starters at any other point in their career, to have at FM Sudafix. This organisation handsomely rewards those who meet and exceed the demands of their role, but people cannot rely on the accomplishments of others; this company gives the best support on a micro and macro level, but in terms of making the most of opportunities, it’s all on the individual because there’s no place to hide here.

“To me, that’s what the FM Sudafix Group means as a company: it’s the open door, where other companies keep them closed; it’s the chance to better yourself, where other companies may seek to keep you in one place; ultimately the FM Sudafix Group started out as an idea, a bold dream shared by two friends who dared to give it a shot and who were totally committed to seeing their ambitions fulfilled and I think that energy and mentality continues to this day in the organisation and as a consequence kindred spirits are drawn to work here.”

Ever got to the platform to discover that you train has been cancelled? If yes the chances are that thieves or vandals may have stolen valuable copper items, like rail cable or electrical earthing components, without which the trains cannot safely run. In the East Midlands, FM Sudafix’s home region of the UK, the costs in compensation for cancelled or delayed rail services are enormous and rising, and this does not include the costs of remedial action. FM Sudafix Group CEO, Steve Hutchinson, commented, “Whenever I read reports of thefts leading to problems on the railways I can’t help but think that a theft resistant, reduced copper Conducrete system may have prevented the problems. As an Achilles Link-Up supplier to the rail industry we are contacted when remedial works happen and you can’t help but notice the waste; I would always much rather see our products and services used on a new project, which expands and improves the UK infrastructure as opposed to having to put something back that should be there.”

The thieves who steal valuable non-ferrous metal products from electrical safety systems expose themselves to great personal risk as injuries can result in death. Steve further commented, “Anyone who thinks that stealing copper is a good idea should check the internet and search to see the injuries that they could suffer. Desperate people, or those attempting to make cash quickly from stealing, often end up dead. The people who steal copper and get away with it often have the narrowest of escapes from injury probably without realising how lucky they are; in that way by catching and stopping criminals the British Transport Police are probably saving those people from horrendous personal injury.”

The FM Sudafix Group supplies a range of railway electrical safety products and services featured on a dedicated website, where customers can see the range, which includes railway earthing cable, rail contact kits, rail bonds, Voltage Limiting Devices (VLDs) and many others. The company is recognised for its ability to engineer solutions for railway projects, often finding suitable applications for the cost, time and life-saving conductive aggregate Conducrete, which prevents theft and reduces a reliance on copper products to create electrically safe zones.

If you have concerns about the electrical safety, or wish to safeguard operational continuity, then please contact the team.

Power projects of any sort provide vital services to the public and as such operational downtime must be kept to an absolute minimum. But what could lead to operational downtime? Fault currents can cause significant damage to a power infrastructure; however it is not always as serious as that, some maintenance activities may require a proportion of a power network to be temporarily closed down.

The JMI technical team has developed a number of systems over the years to overcome a range of challenges, including establishing safe testing methodologies for live systems, retrofitting new corrosion resistant earthing / grounding measures, along with the obvious need to provide effective earthing / grounding, lightning protection and surge protection provisions for power sites.

Steve Hutchinson, FM Sudafix Group Chief Executive, commented, “I have always pushed our team to offer superior levels of support in the power generation and transmission sector and I think they have done some really great work over the years, and I am really proud of that. We are fortunate to be recognised for our excellent products and services and that significant power companies all over the world know to come to us if they face challenges. I love the power sector, I find it exciting, and being able to visit significant power projects in all of the countries where we operate gives me a great deal of satisfaction, especially when I can recognise the improvements that we contribute.

“Conducrete, a high performance conductive aggregate, always proves incredibly useful in achieving the target resistance value, and it has been a big hit with power organisations all over the world.”

If you have any concerns about the effectiveness of electrical safety systems on a power project then you are welcome to get in touch.

The United Arab Emirates is a key market for the FM Sudafix Group, so the company is delighted to hear that predictions indicate that the economy may grow by 3.3% in 2011. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) have released this figure based upon re-evaluation of data, and consequently the projected performance is higher than previous estimates. FM Sudafix has been very proud to help support numerous projects over the years in the Emirates in the power generation and transmission, infrastructure and significant build segments of the UAE construction sector, as well as being a prominent supplier of electrical safety products and services in the wider Middle East.

FM Sudafix Group CEO, Steve Hutchinson, stated, “The prospect of this economic growth offers fantastic opportunities for the company, and as such great chances for the UAE to improve its electrical safety performance. It’s no secret that when an economy is thriving organisations that operate there have a better chance of flourishing so this news was warmly received by the board, but the FM Sudafix Group prides itself on offering budget savings based upon cost-effective high performance electrical earthing systems that do not fail or fall to thieves and vandals.

“Traditionally our company has broadly reflected the economic growth of its target markets, which makes sense for most companies, and whilst we have continued to grow throughout the global recession, we intend to do everything that we can to demonstrate the advantages and benefits to the companies operating in the UAE so that 2011 can become a year of special performance for the FM Sudafix Group.”

“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.