• Inspect older homes for safety, says cable leader - In the absence of any electrical safety check in the much-criticised Home Information Packs, AEI Cables is calling for all homes more than 25 years old to be inspected. As part of the HIP, the Home Condition Report is designed to be an objective assessment on the condition of the property that can be relied upon by buyers, sellers and mortgage lenders. However, it will not include an electrical safety inspection. More...



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  AEI leads the industry in new way of working - AEI Cables is leading the cable making industry by introducing new ways of working using methods that are normally found in the Japanese car industry. All employees at the plant in Birtley, County Durham, are participating in improvements in workplace organisation using 5C - clear-out, configure, clean to check, conformity and custom and practice. The initiative is led by AEI Cables continuous improvement manager Peter Baynham. More...



• Planning system may be speeded up - Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly has unveiled major reforms of the country’s planning system to make it fit to tackle new challenges in the 21st century - speeding up the system alongside improved community consultation. More...



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  Experts take up fire tests issues - Experts from the Institution of Fire Prevention Officers are taking up the issue of the test protocol for BS 5839-1 after watching various tests at the AEI Cables’ Birtley plant. They want a test to cover the issue of data transmission in the applications for fire alarms and detection equipment.



• Bob takes the reins at ECA - Mr Bob Hall has been elected as the President of the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) for 2007-2008. Bob took office at the opening of the ECA Electrical Industry Conference in Rhodes. During his acceptance speech, he spoke of milestones achieved by the ECA over the last 12 months such as the purchase of ELECSA and the creation in January of the Fire and Security Association (FSA) – while urging members to face new business challenges head on in 2007. More...



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  Journalist sees work on Type 45 Destroyer - A journalist from the Electrical Times went to see the work going on at the Scotstoun shipyard on the development of the Tye 45 Destroyer programme with help from AEI Cables – who are supplying cables for the project - and prime contractor BAE Systems.



• It’s all down to service, says survey - A survey carried out to mark the launch of a new national standard on customer service from BSI British Standards has revealed that 88 per cent of consumers think that customer services in the UK would benefit from a defined set of standards. More...



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  New brochure sets the scene - AEI Cables has produced a new corporate brochure to reflect the updated range of products, services and support we now provide. It provides a background to the company, our developing range of products, the markets we serve and how we are developing our company. More...

• Earthing and Bonding Techniques - participants will learn to identify the correct usage of earthed (or unearthed) systems to prevent electrical shock hazards, become more familiar with the requirements for earthing and bonding to comply with BS7671:2001, specify the correct earthing and bonding requirements for power quality, general safety, hazardous locations and Information Technology Equipment (ITE) applications – 20 June, IET Belfast.



• Operational ratings: the state of play - conference and debate setting out the current state of play on operational ratings beginning with the latest government thinking. The conference will highlight a number of software tools used to generate operational ratings including CIBSE TM22 and EPLabel, along with case studies using these tools – 19 June, CIBSE London.



• The Elex Toolfair - provides electricians with the opportunity to see first hand all of the latest electrical products from leading manufacturers –13 & 14 September, Rioch Arena, Coventry.



• M&E Building Services Exhibition - major exhibition for professionals involved in building services design, installation, specification & operation. See www.buildingservicesevent.co.uk – 10 & 11 October, Olympia, London.



• Engineering Security - the Institution of Engineering and Technology and The Institute of Information Security Professionals are running a joint lecture to explore the risks, solutions and lessons to be learned between the professions of Engineering and Information Technology – 5 July, IET London.

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