Maintenance, Repair and Operations Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

06/02/2024 Opting for infrared With the goal of locating and identifying pedestrians at night even in weather-degraded conditions, Owl AI has developed a new image sensor based on diffraction-limited, high-resolution imaging in the LWIR band. This white paper explains ... » Read More

06/02/2024 Comment: On the world stage For the first time, nations attending the COP28 climate conference in Abu Dhabi in December agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. » Read More

08/01/2024 New methods for pothole repairs New machines, methodologies and materials are emerging that enhance the productivity and quality of pothole repairs » Read More

08/01/2024 Fighting rogue suppliers As non-compliant and dangerous products flood into the UK, when the government doesn’t act, industry can, reports Brian Wall » Read More

08/01/2024 The importance of regular pump system maintenance Regular pump system maintenance is essential to prevent significant cost and reputational issues » Read More

05/12/2023 All about bolts New technology and techniques can directly monitor the stresses and strains experienced by bolts, with the purpose of checking they remain tightly connected, as well as monitoring the health of the surrounding machine, reports Will ... » Read More

05/12/2023 Could consumers be paid to use power? Wholesale power prices were negative for significant periods in the spring. Does that mean consumers can be paid to use power? That may be the case: some current electricity contract products already give hints about the direction of travel » Read More

02/11/2023 Making maintenance safer According to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, 6% of helicopter accidents between 2007 and 2015 were caused by error in maintenance operations (excluding military helicopters). As a result, Airbus Helicopters has carried out an ... » Read More

02/11/2023 Hybrid bearing benefits Not all industrial bearings use steel as their exclusive construction material. Hybrid bearings, comprising both steel and ceramic (or ceramic-coated) components, provide additional benefits » Read More

02/11/2023 All about bearings As an integral part of many operations, the demand for stronger, more durable and longer-lasting bearings is on the rise – and, for many applications, conventional steel ball bearings often cannot compare to their hybrid counterparts » Read More

12/10/2023 What’s going on with Aveva Industrial software provider Aveva launched a new version of its industrial predictive monitoring software earlier this year, which promises new features and benefits. It builds on some 20 years of development, and is helping industrial ... » Read More

12/10/2023 Optimising maintenance Preventative plant maintenance is proven to reduce down time and whole life costs. But can it be made more efficient? Richard Warley, CEO of BigChange, explains how job management platforms can help » Read More

31/08/2023 Real-time digital twins Germany’s International Centre for Networked Adaptive Production (ICNAP) recently explored some of the technical issues of using digital twins in real time » Read More

10/08/2023 All about energy Digitalisation and distributed energy allows even the smallest companies to have a two-way relationship with their energy supplier and grid connection » Read More

31/05/2023 Safer sterilisation During the COVID pandemic, a new type of cleaner was released into the market promising 24-hour disinfection. Tom Austin-Morgan asks, what does that actually mean, and how does it work? » Read More

16/05/2023 Reducing supply chain problems The impact of supply chain issues on industry services has highlighted the importance of having an effective enterprise asset management (EAM) solution in place, writes Alan Cambridge, CEO of enterprise asset management specialist Peacock ... » Read More

16/05/2023 Solid as a rock What are solid lubricants, how do they compare to standard bearings, and how are they used in various industries? Tom Austin-Morgan finds out » Read More

16/05/2023 Flown the coop One of the very few maintenance roles licenced in the UK relates to aircraft maintenance. Which is unfortunate, as Brexit has imposed additional cost and administrative burdens, finds Peter Shakespeare » Read More

11/05/2023 Making a change I am writing this on my way to work on an FPSO in the south Atlantic off the coast of Africa. It’s an older, but not old, facility; 15 years into a 25-year life. » Read More

29/03/2023 Profiting from PID data At pigments and dyes manufacturer Heubach Group, Festo AX artificial intelligence provided benefits for maintenance, engineering and productivity from PID data » Read More

29/03/2023 Show time The wide-ranging German industrial show has put the COVID years behind it as it returns to grapple with industry’s – and society’s – many other challenges. A show preview is below, accompanied by exhibitor projects profiled on surrounding ... » Read More

29/03/2023 Investing in ammonia Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems (IMM) are developing ammonia-based systems for a mobile, decentralised energy supply in the infrastructure, transportation and industry sectors » Read More

20/02/2023 Thermal imaging tips and tricks Thermal cameras continue to come down in price and are entering the mainstream industrial world to provide help in maintenance and inspection tasks. However, they are not necessarily as simple to use as they appear, with the emissivity ... » Read More

09/01/2023 Bearing useful news A new approach to condition monitoring relies on computers making their own connections on bearing health from large datasets. By Toby Clark » Read More

09/01/2023 Heartbeat of a motor Electrical signature analysis (ESA) is an adaptable, powerful and non-invasive approach to condition monitoring in electro-mechanical equipment such as electric motors and generators. It can provide comparable diagnostic information to ... » Read More