November/ December 2021

25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FOCUS 38 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS November/December 2021 www.hpmag.co.uk don’t see coming. It starts a little left field, then, before you know it, it becomes mainstream.” Within the industrial compressor market, Wright makes the point that multi-compressor controllers are becoming far more prevalent. And in the case of data loggers, Wright reflects that they we used to be thought of mainly as devices used to find out what the application needs. “Now, more people are data logging their sites on a regular basis to make sure they’re not wasting energy unnecessarily,” he says. Paperless production In terms of hose production, Stefan Gunter, sales & marketing director, Abdex, considers that one of the bigger technological advances over the past decade or so years has been that hydraulic hose manufacture can now be largely a paperless process. “As an example, using Siemens screen technology allows full control and fast production processing of hose assemblies when operating Uniflex crimpers,” he explains. “By storing crimp data, the Uniflex C-Touch provides continuity and fast selection of pre-stored data. Using the additional option of UTS (Uniflex Transfer System) both crimp data and daily production can be downloaded or uploaded to and from CSV files. All the crimp data can be recorded with full traceability of data as and when required.” On-site testing Gunter also points out that Abdex recently invested in an on-site test vehicle. “We’re very proud of this new venture, and the vehicle is already on the road testing hoses for customers at their sites,” he says. “The vehicle has an asset management system on board, so an asset register containing data related to every hose that has been tested is readily available to the company in question. Every year in certain applications, hydraulic hoses need testing, and the lifespan of the hoses is typically six years – after which time they should be replaced.” Birth of the Internet Neil Anderton, hydraulics and industrial director, Slack & Parr, reflects that over the past quarter of a century we have without a doubt seen changes greater than any other 25-year period. He cites the birth of the Internet, the astounding speed at which technology has advanced and the new generations of young people’s attitudes to the industry. “Forced changes have impacted every part of the business over the years and embracing these changes certainly has had it challenges at times,” he says. Tim Barrington, the current chairman of Slack & Parr, was head of sales at the company 25 years ago. He remembers the emerging worldwide markets and the need to fully support the company’s products in those far away markets. New Slack & Parr owned and run facilities were established in the USA and China to allow increased customer service levels and reduced lead times, while always never faltering on quality to maintain Slack & Parr’s market position. Slack & Parr’s products were originally designed long before the introduction of computer-aided design (CAD) and suited the manufacturing methods at that time. “Over the years, with the adoption of digital aids such as CAD and new robotic manufacturing equipment, the designs have evolved to become more suitable for today’s world, where production efficiency and cost control is of vital importance,” says Anderton. “All manufactured parts pass through our process engineering department to review the components’ suitability to be used with our automated work cells, allowing for quicker and more accurate manufacture.” Simon Parsonage, chief executive, Flowfit, reflects that the Internet today is still relatively young (celebrating its 32nd birthday in 2021) and yet the connectivity has already produced long-lasting effects. “It all started with a cable plugged into the phone line, and now we possess the entire world in the palm of our hand,” says Parsonage. “Millennials – also known as digital customers – will never experience a world with no connectivity and mobile devices. Yes, there are still (small) areas of our planet not wired and cabled, but – at least for us living in developed countries – it is hard to imagine a life before Google, Amazon, Apple or Facebook. If you search on Google, you will find tons of experiments or research about life without the Internet. They all come down to one single definitive truth: “I cannot even imagine my life without the Internet or the smartphone. It is an integral part of who I am.” (Gallup). Distribution was about to change for ever, the world wide web platform had arrived and marketing, Stephen Wright, managing director. Thorite. Stefan Gunter, sales & marketing director, Abdex.