An (un)paralleled LV Switchboard

Lintott has never been more passionate about the need to continuously outperform. Over the last few years, it has sought to build its management & technical capabilities whilst developing processes & systems which give clients exactly what they require in the shortest possible time. A case in point is the recent Low-Voltage Switchboard Lintott designed & built for its client, MS2JV (a joint venture between Morgan Sindall & Sweco) as part of Lintott’s Yorkshire Water MCC Framework. This complex system included functionality which, provided lossless transition of power from the onsite generator to the mains supply, in addition to the system providing reduced downtime, seamless continuation of the site process is achieved following the recovery of mains power.

To achieve a successful & expedient outcome, Lintott’s engineering function worked closely with stakeholders & overcame several technical challenges. The system was designed to comply with the latest Energy Networks Association (the industry body funded by UK gas & electricity transmission & distribution licence holders) recommendation for infrequent short-term parallel operation (G99 Issue 1 Amendment 1).

The client was highly delighted with Lintott’s approach & the product quality. For more information, please contact media@lintottcs.co.uk.

Introduction to Lean

Lintott is committed to pioneering ‘Lean’ principles throughout its operations.  Lean concerns the removal or the reduction of waste within business operations without sacrificing productivity.  Further expanding this approach & to excite a new wave of Lean champions, 15 colleagues have just completed an EAL accredited “Introduction to Lean” training course.  This provided the opportunity to expand personal knowledge & an understanding of Lean, & how it is implemented in other ‘best of class’ environments.  This covered topics such the 7S, 9 Wastes, Visual Management, Error Proofing & Effective Team Working.

Anna Hinson, Business Assurance Manager commented, “Lean is the cornerstone of Lintott’s Continuous Improvement Strategy, which seeks to ensure we maximise value & minimise waste.  We continue to invest in training & in colleague learning experiences so we have the most progressive working environments possible.  I’m truly looking forward to seeing more colleagues embrace Lean & enhancing added value.”

“Barnabee Meadow”

Fusing both Lintott’s Environmental Excellence Programme & its HRM Strategy (which seeks to continually enhance the employee experience) Lintott is creating a new nature area directly on its grounds. 

In an authentic celebration of the Norfolk region, colleagues have named the area “Barnabee Meadow” (a ladybird is referred to locally as a “Bishy Barnabee”).  The area is also being developed by Lintott personnel.  It will feature a tree line, meadow flowers, birdboxes, a pond, aquatic grasses, a large grassed events area & a picnic seating section.  Once complete, in addition to facilitating an onsite wildlife habitat, it offers colleagues the opportunity to embrace the natural world & experience the mental & physical benefits of being outdoors during rest periods.

Pictured above are Production colleagues Glenn Ireland (left) & Daniel Rowe (right) preparing the pond area.

Double Finalist: Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2019

For the third consecutive year, Lintott is honoured to be a finalist alongside 50+ world-class British manufacturers in the UK’s largest & most rigorous industry awards programme: The Manufacturer MX Awards 2019.  Lintott has been shortlisted in both the People & Skills category & the Leadership & Strategy category.  The winners of each award will be unveiled at The Manufacturer MX Awards Ceremony on 14^th November at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool.

For more information, please visit: https://themanufacturermxawards.com/themanufacturermxawards2019/en/page/tmmx-2019-shortlist

Good luck to all finalists!

Summer Fruit Celebration! 🍍🍉🥭

Working with colleagues, Lintott is committed to developing working practices which embrace wellbeing. This includes a ‘Wellbeing Calendar’ which comprises an array of wellbeing activities & themes each month throughout the year. Activities for the month of July include a celebration of summer fruits. Promoting healthy eating, each day the Company has provided a colourful & nutritious selection of fresh seasonal fruits for colleagues. Bon appetit!

Cyber Essentials Certified

Lintott Control Systems Limited has gained Cyber Essentials accreditation.  Cyber Essentials is a government-backed, industry-supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against evermore common cyber threats.  This new accreditation builds on Lintott’s other certifications & demonstrates the ever-developing measures & controls to safeguard digital systems & data integrity.

On receiving accreditation, Andrew Pilkington (Director of Digital Delivery) commented;
“This accreditation is part of Lintott’s Information Security Strategy.  This continually seeks to identify & build the best digital security & protection, whilst further underpinning learning regarding both the latest technologies & threats.  This helps us to provide our clients with information & guidance concerning best practice.”

UEA Institute of Productivity gets the green light

A £7.4 million pound Institute of Productivity will be created at the University of East Anglia (UEA), helping to educate the next generation of digitally aware engineers and business leaders within modern engineering facilities.

The Institute of Productivity will deliver a new regional hub for engineering, technology and management, providing innovative engineering and business solutions to enable productivity and growth co-created by UEA staff and students in partnership with businesses. 

The new hub will enable UEA to create a dedicated School of Engineering by 2021, educating the next generation of engineers and expanding UEA’s role as a regional training provider for local businesses.

Institute of Productivity key facts:

• 1,500 people will be trained in the first five years from engineering and related sectors
• Enrolling a total of 1,268 new engineering learners within the first five years
• 16 new academic roles, 13 research posts and eight skilled staff jobs
• Open to further education students in Norfolk and Suffolk
• Create new research partnerships

As well as enrolling an additional 1,268 new engineering students and learners within the first five years, UEA will work in close partnership with local further education colleges to share engineering facilities and collaborate on closing the engineering skills gap.  

The Institute of Productivity will have workshops dedicated to advanced robotics, a 3D printing studio, a digital design lab and a shared studio space. 

The initiative will help to create an additional 35 highly skilled jobs within the university and regional businesses.  Training will be developed and delivered to enable engineering and manufacturing businesses to learn about and adopt new practices, tools and techniques and to collaborate on cutting-edge research projects to boost business productivity and performance. 

A grant of £4.5 million has been agreed by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership for Norfolk and Suffolk and this will be matched by UEA.  The New Anglia Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (NAAME) and TechEast industry sector groups will be key delivery partners of the Institute of Productivity. 

Fiona Lettice, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at UEA said: “At the heart of the Institute of Productivity are the engineers of the future. The Institute will support businesses in our region by enabling them to work alongside world-class researchers and students to discover practical solutions to current and future challenges. Students and businesses will be able to explore new ideas, prototype designs and create innovative products and services.”

Chris Starkie, Chief Executive of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This is an important step in making sure that Norfolk and Suffolk businesses can continue to grow and compete within the UK and internationally.

“Our region’s manufacturing sector is worth £5.2 billion and it underpins productivity and innovation in other sectors. Therefore, it is essential to keep investing in this sector to ensure our region benefits from the potential business and investment opportunities.”

Jamie Thums, Chairman of NAAME said: “This is great news for the industry as whole and its wider business community. The region has many innovative manufacturing and engineering businesses, but the sector continues to face a skills shortage of unprecedented levels.  

“With over 1 million trained people required by 2025 nationally, this investment will help with that. The Institute will also improve connections between businesses, academia and partners, which will help fuel productivity improvement.”

Article produced & published by the UEA, 27/06/19 – please refer to: http://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/uea-institute-of-productivity-gets-the-green-light.

Employee Voice & Pizza

The cornerstone of Lintott’s Human Resource Management strategy is employee voice.  Through various aligned means, Lintott is passionate about listening to & involving colleagues in the development & continuous improvement of the Company.  This includes Lintott’s “Eat & Talk” event which takes place every other month.  This provides the opportunity for staff from different areas of the business to ‘connect’ in an informal setting.  This complements other activities not limited to colleague Steering Group, Quarterly Team Briefs & specific Forums (for Health & Safety & the Environment).  The last event took place late June, with attendees tucking into an array of different pizzas.

ESD & 2019 Water Industry Awards

Lintott Control Systems is delighted to be supporting its client, ESD, at the 2019 Water Industry Awards (held on Monday 20^th May).  ESD is a joint venture between Black & Veatch, Galliford Try & MWH Global, which provides water & wastewater treatment services to Scottish Water.  

As principal contractor, ESD headed the implementation of a new, purpose-built & cutting-edge £29M water treatment facility located at Oban, Scotland.  The supply zone reaches as far north of the town as Port Appin, & as far south as the islands of Seil & Luing (including the areas of Connel & Benderloch therein).

ESD have been selected as finalists in the “DfMA Project of the Year”.  DfMA stands for Design for Manufacture & Assembly.  This is a growing field of expertise & prominence within the Water & Wastewater sector.  It includes the fusion of integrated digital design, off-site manufacture & modular-build concepts.  DfMA is recognised as leading to significant time & cost reductions, whilst minimising disruption & health & safety risks.

Lintott played a decisive design, manufacture & site-commissioning role – over a circa 24-month period.  Its factory-built packages included chemical dosing systems, electrical control panels & software applications engineering (see below).  Together, these formed an integrated solution for controlling over five chemicals (including Sodium Hypochlorite, Ferric, Sulphuric Acid, Monosodium Phosphate & Ammonium Sulphate). 

Under the management of ESD, Lintott demonstrated its quality & service-biased ethos, but crucially, its comprehensive technical & process competencies.  This drew on the Company’s in-house expertise across process engineering, mechanical & electrical design, software applications, project management, & installation & commissioning. 

The DfMA award seeks to recognise projects which demonstrate the benefits of off-site build & how DfMA principles have been applied to make a real & measurable impact.  Good luck ESD!

WSC Engineering Students experience “Lean”

Lintott was delighted once again to host a “Lean Thinking” event for Engineering students from West Suffolk University.  Lintott is steadfast in the ongoing development of a Lean environment.  This involves the ongoing removal of waste & the creation of ‘value’ across systems, processes & practices.  Lintott’s implementation involves both physical (7S, 9 wastes, process mapping etc) as well as digital implementations.  To find our more or to arrange a visit to Lintott, please contact media@lintottcs.co.uk.