Transicon Limited

Increasing Output and Quality Whilst Reducing Waste on a Steel Profile Crimp Machine

Transicon Limited — 15/06/2023

Here at Transicon, we've decades of experience in providing control systems within the metals industry.

Recently, a leading manufacturer of steel building system profile asked Transicon to upgrade a machine used to bend profiled sheets to form connecting corners. The machine used drives coupled to a basic text Man Machine Interface (MMI). The customer was losing significant time due to the machine malfunctioning, plus a difficult and time-consuming recovery process if the machine was ever stopped mid-operation.

The drives were obsolete, and the AC motors used for positioning did not meet our customer’s accuracy requirements. Each time tooling was changed, the machine needed to be set up for the next product using adjustment by trial-and-error, which was time consuming and wasted a lot of material as scrap.

Transicon assessed the issues and provided a new control system, which used all existing wiring and sensors for quick installation and commissioning. AC motors were replaced with Servo motors and drives coupled to backlash-free Wittenstein gearboxes, resulting in high levels of precision and repeatability. The improved control of the servo system also allowed the machine to run at increased speed, improving output. Usability of the system was greatly increased thanks to a new Siemens Safe PLC and HMI.

A recipe system was introduced, meaning the machine was automatically reconfigured for the new tooling and ready to operate without the need for trial-and-error setup, vastly reducing wasted material. The new PLC software also allowed the machine to be restarted with the push of a button from any interruption mid-operation, again reducing wasted staff-hours.

It's a great example of how upgrading controls components can improve machine accuracy and provide a more automated process, making life easier for operators and increasing profitability for our customers.

See more on our website:

https://www.transicon.co.uk/case-study/increasing-output-and-quality-whilst-reducing-waste-on-a-steel-profile-crimp-machine/

Transicon's Quick Wins to Improve Recruitment Featured in The Manufacturer

Transicon Limited — 25/09/2023

Following on from Jennifer Hughes' Made in Group's Virtual Breakfast Morning Best Practise presentation (which can be found at Recruitment Strategies for Diversity & Empowerment), we're thrilled that the changes we've made to our recruitment process in order to appeal to a wider range of candidates has been featured in the Jul/Aug '23 edition of the Manufacturer.

Our quick wins for increasing the appeal of your job advertisements:

• Remove gender-coded language in job postings such as ‘expert in your field’ or ‘master’ - there are free online tools to help do this
• When including a list of skills and education requirements in a job advert, add a note encouraging applicants to apply if they meet most of the requirements
• Be open about salaries and your sustainability goals and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy
• Use technology to make processes like manual handling less physically taxing

Please see a link to the full article below

Jul/Aug Issue of the Manufacturer

Find out more about Transicon here

Transicon Achieves ISO 14001 Certification

Transicon Limited — 09/05/2023

Certification for our Environmental Management System

We’ve pleased to announce that Transicon Ltd.’s Environmental Management System has been certified by BSI to ISO 14001:2015 standard.

Like many longstanding businesses, Transicon has always tried to do the right thing from an environmental perspective, minimising waste wherever practical and aiming to have a positive impact on our local environment. With environmental issues coming under increasing focus we took the decision to have our Environmental Management System assessed to achieve the ISO 14001 standard, to show the wider community our commitment to the environment.

We’ve had ISO 9001:2015 (and it’s predecessors) certification in place since 1992, which gave us a great platform to build on. The most significant work required for the standard was measuring Transicon’s Environmental Impacts and Aspects. This was a wide ranging assessment, encompassing everything from analysing our raw materials and energy consumed through to the positive impact we have reducing customer’s CO2 footprint as a systems integrator, with software based energy reduction projects; replacing inefficient control systems with their modern energy saving equivalents and using Power Factor Correction to help lower mains electricity demand.

The assessment team at BSI were very helpful throughout the ISO assessment process, and we’ve improved some of our internal processes as a result of their analysis, particularly regarding waste management.

What we’ve achieved isn’t just a certificate to put on the wall in reception, the certification process focused the business on:

* What our most significant environmental impacts are;
* Improving our internal processes;
* How we can help our customers to reduce their energy usage; and
* Increasing employee engagement in environmental matters.

We’d encourage other SME’s to consider applying for ISO 14001 – the benefits are greater than we imagined and well worth investing precious time and business resources in.

Introducing our Dedicated 24/7 Support Team

Transicon Limited — 01/01/2024

Happy New Year!

To celebrate the start of 2024, we're pleased to introduce Transicon's new dedicated 24/7 service team. We've here to look after your industrial control systems whenever you need us.

More details here: https://www.transicon.co.uk/services/support-contracts/

Transicon Achieves International Health & Safety Standard

Transicon Limited — 12/07/2023

We’ve pleased to announce that Transicon’s Occupational Health and Safety Management System has been certified by BSI to ISO 45001:2018 standard. We’ve built on the base of our long-standing ISO 9001 quality management system, our existing SafeContractor accreditation, and our new ISO 14001 environmental management system, making health and safety integral to all our business processes.

Here at Transicon, we're often tasked with bringing our customers’ machinery safety up to date, with CMSE® - Certified Machinery Safety Experts (TÜV NORD) in-house and decades of process and safety knowledge under our belts. Our engineering and installation teams work on a wide variety of industrial sites where adherence to safe working practices is vital to ensure that our team returns home safely.

ISO 45001, the world’s first International Standard for occupational health and safety (OH&S) is designed to prevent work-related injury and ill-health and to provide safe and healthy workplaces. We felt this standard really aligned with our own values and commitment to safe, healthy and sustainable work.

Alan Peters, Director in charge of Health & Safety at Transicon said: “Achieving the recognised international standard for the company’s health & safety systems had been a long-term goal for the company. All the employees can be extremely proud that it has been awarded to Transicon. It reinforces the company’s commitment to maintaining the highest accreditation for health and safety as well as demonstrating that safety is put first.”

If you feel we can be of assistance with any industrial safety requirements, don’t hesitate to get in touch, a member of our team would be more than happy to assist you.

https://www.transicon.co.uk/2023/07/transicon-achiev…-safety-standard/

Leading Electrical Control Systems Manufacturer Joins the Made In Group

Transicon Limited — 03/02/2023

Telford based Transicon Ltd, a family run manufacturer of AC Drives, DC Drives, Servo Drives, PLC and SCADA control systems has become the latest firm to join the Birmingham based manufacturing network; the Made in Group. The firm has a proud manufacturing heritage over the last 55 years, building a strong reputation for quality and service and are already working with a number of Made in Group members. Transicon have a strong family run theme running through the business with three members of the Blake family working in the day to day operations, including two on the board; Managing Director Paul Blake and his daughter, Jennifer, Financial Director which gives the firm a sound footing for the future with a strong management team overseeing the next phase of Transicon’s growth journey.

“We’ve been supporting manufacturing in the region since 1967” comments Jennifer Hughes, who is now running the firm’s day to day operations in her capacity as FD. “We have been watching the Made in Group for a while and strongly support its values and mission to drive forward UK manufacturing; it's time to be part of that community and no longer an observer.”

Jennifer is busy expanding the firm’s apprenticeship programme and has spent the last two weeks meeting candidates who are keen to make their mark in the sector.

“Apprenticeships are the lifeblood of the manufacturing community and absolutely its future, our hiring strategy going forward to compliment our fine staff retention record is to grow and develop our own talent. What we can offer is a high quality, practical vocation, an exciting and challenging career with quality technology and the opportunity to work with our world class customers” continues Jennifer.

As the birthplace of the industrial revolution and one of Britain’s fastest growing new towns Telford, with its plethora of world class firms, has a tremendous opportunity to return some of its proud former production glory; yet the sector continues, as is seen across the UK, to struggle to attract more women into the sector, something that Director Jennifer Hughes is all too aware as one of the few female Directors of an SME manufacturer in the region:

“It doesn’t make sense, considering the skills gap that is well reported in manufacturing, for firms to continue to appeal only to a small percentage of their potential workforce in the local area. Manufacturers must do more to challenge this unconscious bias that might deter a young female in the area from considering a career in the sector. That’s why I look forward to using the employer branding toolkit and exciting Omni-Channel tools in the Made in Group such as the Virtual Reality factory tour and our all year round digital exhibition stand to reach a new audience of tech savvy young people in the area.”

Made in the Midlands Director Charles Addison added; “It’s with great pride that we are able to welcome Transicon Ltd into the Made in Group, they are a tremendous business that are doing all of the right things we feel firms need to be doing to ensure their future growth; strong succession planning, a defined apprenticeship programme, embracing modern technology and we intend to help them shout more about what they do. ‘Profile’ can mean so many things to a business but we contend that the more visible, the more active, the more informed and the more vocal a firm is in their sector; the more opportunities become available to them for ideas, talent, collaboration and most importantly, curiosity of what is coming around the corner so we can’t wait to get working with Jennifer and her team.”