Efficient Manufacturing Processes

The UK is the 11th largest manufacturing nation and there are forecasts that Britain can boost its position over coming years. These forecasts are based on UK Government incentives that support manufacturing and exports, low interest rates, increasing numbers of companies bringing production back to the UK and a strong rise in British manufacturing over the last 8 months.

Following decades of production moving away from the UK to Asia, the shift back to Britain is in response to a change in the global environment. For years, the cheaper labour and production costs meant that a significant proportion of manufacturing moved East as companies became increasingly price competitive.

As economies in the East have grown and westernised, it has led to wage increases. More awareness of the conditions in which some people were working has placed greater focus on improving working conditions to provide better standards. These changes are vital but have added to production cost. Bringing manufacturing back to Britain is beginning makes it easier to manage supply chains and quality. Combined with the rise in fuel duty and transportation costs it is starting to make economic sense to bring production closer to home.

The UK manufacturing sector employs around 2.6 million skilled workers across a wide range of sectors. The UK is particularly strong in the production of pharmaceuticals and chemicals, along with parts for the aerospace and automotive industries.

In the factories of any one of these industries, it is essential that the machinery is operating at optimum levels to ensure efficiency in production processes. Regular maintenance that can be undertaken with minimum disruption is vital for keeping production on track, so goods can be produced in the most cost effective manner. In order to remain competitive when production returns to the UK, investment in new technology that enables improvements in the efficiency of processes will be important.

Water is an essential component of the majority of industrial processes. From the production of batches of pharmaceutical tablets, to the spray booths in an automotive factory, water plays a key role in the manufacture of goods. The level and flow rate of the water can be critical to the quality of the end product, so being able to monitor this can minimise the risk of rejected batches.

With the use of ultrasonic flow meters, the flow of water can be regularly monitored at various stages in the process, with data being recorded on a screen. With an understanding of the optimum flow rates, an engineer can use this data to identify when the flow is either too low or excessive and take action to resolve.

Ultrasonic flow meters can help to identify blockages, leaks and obstructions in the process which are not visible to the eye. As a first stage warning, action can be taken before the impact of these changes to water flow has a detrimental effect on the manufacture of goods. In significantly reducing the risk of an overflow or a pipe running dry, an ultrasonic flow meter can be a cost saving device.

The cost of investing in ultrasonic flow meters is relatively low and they are fitted externally to existing pipework, allowing installation to be completed without the need for down time or significant disruption to production.

Micronics is a UK based specialist in the manufacture and supply of ultrasonic flow meters. We have worked with companies across the UK to support efficiencies in their manufacturing processes through the monitoring of water flow. Our engineers can work with your engineers to set and monitor flow meters to the requirements of your production processes. Flow meters are low maintenance items, however, we do offer maintenance and other services to ensure you gain maximum benefits from the investment in our technology.

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