ISSN 0332-1711
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Volume 66: Issue 6 November/December 2012
www.engineersjournal.ie
www.engineersjournal.ie
Janssen Ireland
Engineers Ireland CPD Company of the Year 2012
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 260
www.engineersjournal.ie
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Volume 66: Issue 6 November/December 2012
www.engineersjournal.ie
FEATURES
268 EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2012. Public choose Cill Rónáin
Harbour as top engineering project in 2012,
Dear Members,
272 CHAIN REACTION. Janssen Ireland transforms its Cork
facilities to serve a new era in the pharmaceutical sector.
From everybody at 22 Clyde Road, we’d like to wish you all a
very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2013.
The year just gone has been a challenging time for many of our
colleagues. Financial uncertainty across the globe had become a
daily news item but slowly we are seeing stability return. We can
but hope that the 12 months ahead of us will bring further growth.
This year was a busy one for us here in Clyde Road. We continued to
raise the profile of the profession through our advertising campaign
during 2012 and we hope to continue highlighting all aspects of life
that require an engineer’s talent again in 2013, thereby promoting
our gold standard – the Chartered Engineer title. During the year,
we continued to invest in our information technology infrastructure
to support our members. We redeveloped our main website which
launched in September with a range of new functions including the
EBSCO library which aggregates content from hundreds of electronic
and print technical and business journals. Members can now also
access and search our archive of technical lecture video presentations. We will continue being the trusted and influential voice of
engineering in Ireland; we produced the second State of Ireland
report in which our members graded Ireland’s infrastructure in
communications, energy, transport, waste and water.
The Engineers Ireland strategic plan was reviewed and updated and
a new six-goal strategy was agreed by Council.
The work of Engineers Ireland is challenging, extensive and very
varied and much of the impact we make is because of the continuing
contribution and efforts of the very many volunteer members who
so unselfishly give of their time and energy. This is hugely appreciated. To the Council, Executive and all those who work with various committees throughout the organisation, I extend very sincere
thanks for your efforts. We appreciate that 2013 may bring more
uncertainty but we are confident, that working together, we can get
over the hurdles that emerge.
Again, on behalf of everybody at 22 Clyde Road, I wish you
a happy, peaceful and healthy Christmas in the company of
those who mean most to you and may 2013 bring you all
you wish for yourselves, your families and your organisations.
278 CPD COMPANY OF THE YEAR CATEGORY WINNERS. There
were five category winners this year.
281 CIC CALLS FOR BODY TO CHAMPION CONSTRUCTION
SECTOR. A new report from the Construction Industry Council.
284 KEEPING YOUR POWDER DRY. The application of process
analytical technology (PAT) to dryers in the Irish pharmaceutical
industry.
287 ELECTRIC FUTURE. Pat O’Doherty, chief executive, ESB,
shares his insights on the strategic development of the Irish
electricity sector.
291 ENERGY PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS. A new trend for
contractual arrangements to deliver verifiable energy efficiency
improvements.
296 INTRODUCING THE FIRST INITIATVE OF 2013. The
Engineers Journal launches a new digital initiative in 2013 and
bids farewell to print.
298 TOMORROW’S WORLD. The challenge of balancing
resources and consumption.
299 OBITUARIES. Departed friends and colleagues.
300 DEVELOPING MATERIAL EFFICIENCY. Material efficiency is
one of the fundamental components of overall resource efficiency.
303 WORKING IN MULTI-PROJECT ENVIRONMENTS. The
challenges organisations face managing project portfolios.
REGULARS
263 EDITORIAL. The outlook for entrepreneurs.
264 NEWS. Engineers Week 2013. Engineer named Ernst &
Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
294 CPD UPDATE. Education Minister says CPD Employer
standard leads the way.
295 CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Approved
courses and seminars.
308 DOWNTIME. Bernard Potter reports on the 1-L Focus Edge.
John Power
Chartered Engineer
Director General.
Even parked cars can
move us forward.
Siemens answers for electromobility pave the way for the energy grid of tomorrow.
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Entrepreneurs need a boost
The prevalence of those aspiring to be entrepreneurs in
Ireland in the future was at a low level, 8.5 per cent, in
2011, continuing the low levels observed in 2010 and
representing a significant change to the relatively high
levels of previous years, placing Ireland behind the
average across the OECD and EU. This is one of the key
findings in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)
Report for Ireland for 2011. On a positive note, there
has been an increase in early stage entrepreneurial
activity in 2011. At a time when achievement in engineering entrepreneurship has been recognised nationally in the wider business community with Dr Edmond
Harty Chartered Engineer and managing director of
Dairymaster being named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur
Of The Year 2012, it is encouraging to see that more
people started new businesses in 2011 than in the
previous year. The report estimates that approximately
2,200 enterprising individuals were setting up a new
business each month during 2011.
Employment impact
The report indicates that almost three quarters of
these entrepreneurs expect to become employers.
While the majority of the businesses will remain small,
the employment impact of these new enterprises is
significant when taken together. The GEM report also
highlights the relatively ambitious growth aspirations
of a significant minority of these entrepreneurs in
Ireland compared to other countries across the EU
and OECD.
Other key findings indicate that:
XX a relatively high proportion of Irish entrepreneurs are engaged in medium or high technology sectors (11 per cent) compared to averages
across the OECD (7.3 per cent) and EU (7.9 per
cent);
XX a high level of early stage entrepreneurs
continue to be motivated by necessity (31 per
cent) as was the case in 2010. Ireland has a
higher rate of necessity entrepreneurs than is
the norm across the OECD and the EU, including
Spain and Greece; and,
XX there has been a significant increase in the rate
of owner managers closing a business – 2.8 per
cent in 2011, compared to 1.2 per cent in 2010
and a higher rate of closure than OECD or EU
averages.
The authors of the report are Paula Fitzsimons of Fitzsimons Consulting, who is the National GEM Co-ordinator, and Dr Colm O’Gorman, Professor of Entrepreneurship, DCU Business School. Initiated in 1999 as
a partnership between London Business School and
Babson College, GEM is the largest ongoing study of
entrepreneurial dynamics in the world. In 2011, 54
countries participated in the research.
To read the full report, go to
www.forfas.ie/publications/2012
Editorial Board: John McGowan (chair), Eoin Gill, Michael Higgins (IEP nominee), Pierce Martin, Katie O’Neill, Kevin O’Rourke, Warren Phelan.
Engineers Ireland Marketing and Communications Director: Fionnuala Kilbane Engineers Ireland Communications Executive: Rita Pollard
Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Dublin 4. Tel: 01 665 1300 Fax: 01 668 5508. The Engineers Ireland website is www.engineersireland.ie
Non-members in Ireland may subscribe to the Journal for €36 (Stg£30.48) for 6 issues, including VAT and postage.
Overseas subscription rates are available on application.
Engineers Ireland can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of contributors’ articles or statements appearing in this magazine and any views or opinions expressed are
not necessarily those of the organisation, save where indicated. No responsibility for loss or distress occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result
of the material in this publication can be accepted by authors, contributors, editor or publishers. Readers should take specific advice when dealing with specific situations.
For IFP Media Editor: Bernard Potter Design and Production: Ciaran Brougham, Niall O’Brien, Michael Ryan, Barry Sheehan, Martin Whelan
Advertising Manager: John Sheehan Classifieds Manager: Lynda Gray Financial Director: Mai Markey Commercial Director: Rebecca Markey
Accounts: Tricia Murtagh Administration & Subscriptions: Lynda Gray Photography: Dave Cullen Chief Executive: David Markey Printers: RV International
IFP Media, 31 Deansgrange Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin, Ireland. Tel: 01 2893305 Fax: 01 2896406. E-mail: bernard@ifpmedia.com
The Engineers Journal is the official publication of Engineers Ireland, edited and published on behalf of Irish Engineering Publications by IFP Media.
Copyright The Engineers Journal.
264
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
Engineers Week needs you!
As the end of the year approaches, it's time to start thinking about
Engineers Week 2013. While the week is coordinated by Engineers
Ireland's STEPS team, its success depends on the efforts of hundreds
of engineers, CEOs, HR managers, and other professionals working
in engineering across the country. This year’s Engineers Week was
the most successful yet – with participation from 25,000 people
and 127 organisations. We need your help to make Engineers Week
2013 bigger and better than ever. Mark your calendar now: February 25 to March 3.
The aim of Engineers Week is to celebrate the engineering profession, to grow awareness of engineers in the community and to
showcase engineering as an exciting and diverse career option for
students. However you choose to get involved, all activities, whether
large-scale or small, make a valuable contribution to the nationwide
campaign. In a recent survey by Engineers Ireland, 77 per cent of
maths teachers thought students would benefit if their teaching was
combined with industry visits to experience real-life applications of
the subject. So your participation in Engineers Week could have a
huge impact on teachers and students.
Getting involved is easy with the support of the Engineers Ireland
STEPS team, and your commitment level can be customised to suit
your needs. Why not invite a class from a local school in to your
building to showcase engineering roles at your company? Another
popular option is to arrange for engineers to go out to visit schools
in the area. Visit EngineersWeek.ie for more ideas for activities and
resources.
The STEPS team can also provide branded merchandise for participants, as well as the chance for students to win a national prize.
Engineers who visit schools can download volunteer resources,
including presentations aimed at primary or post-primary students,
ideas for hands-on activities, and videos and useful tips.
How to get involved in Engineers Week:
XX host an event in your organisation
XX visit schools in your local area
XX go to EngineersWeek.ie for activity ideas and resources
During Engineers Week 2012, MSD hosted a student visit to its plant in Brinny in Cork.
Getting involved in Engineers Week: a case study
Healthcare company MSD took a two-pronged approach to Engineers Week this year: inviting schoolchildren to visit their plant in
Brinny in Cork, while sending engineers from a facility in Tipperary out to visit local schools. MSD said its motivation for getting
involved in Engineers Week was “to inspire students to consider
engineering as a career choice, thus helping to ensure the future
supply of qualified engineers in the life sciences industry.”
Students from four local schools around Brinny were invited to
attend one of two on-site sessions at MSD’s plant in Cork, where a
full day of activities was planned. Visiting students got a chance to
use a real medicine vial/bottle-filling machine model, take part in
interactive sessions with a 3D modelling computer tool, and talk to
MSD engineers. Students also enjoyed a tour of the site and a table
quiz, complete with prize-giving ceremony.
“Engineers Week continues to be an important date in our calendar and we were delighted to be part of the activity in 2012. We
are proud of our relationships with local schools in the West Cork
area and continue to work closely with the teachers to illustrate to
a young audience the exciting opportunities that exist for engineering and science graduates,” said Matt Corcoran, MSD, Brinny Site
Manager. Meanwhile, over at MSD’s operation in Ballydine, Tipperary, a team of engineers volunteered to visit primary and secondary
schools in Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir.
MSD reported that feedback from the Engineers Week events “was
outstanding, with teachers remarking what a fantastic opportunity
it was for their students to understand how the industry works”.
Get involved in Engineers Week, February 25 to March 3, 2013. Visit EngineersWeek.ie for details.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66 Issue 6 I November/December 2012
265
Pictured is the winner of the Maurice
F FitzGerald Prize 2012, Sinéad Cáit
Ní Riada, with Prize Trustees Finbar
Callanan, FIEI (left), and Associate
Professor Dermot O’Dwyer, director
of undergraduate teaching and
learning, School of Engineering, TCD
at an award ceremony held in the
Museum Building, Trinity College
Dublin on Friday, November 2, 2012.
Winner of Maurice F Fitzgerald Prize, 2012
Pictured (l-r): Engineers Ireland President, Michael Phillips meets
engineer and Lord Mayor of Dublin, Naoise O Muiri, MIEI.
Chartered Engineer is named
Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012
Dr Edmond Harty, Chartered Engineer, FIEI, managing director
of Dairymaster, a world leader in the development and manufacture of dairy farm equipment, was named as the 2012 Ernst &
Young Entrepreneur Of The Year at the prestigious Gala Awards
Ceremony held in Dublin recently. He was presented with the title
of Entrepreneur Of The Year by President of Ireland, Michael D.
Higgins in this, the 15th anniversary year of the Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards Programme in Ireland. Dr Harty
had been named as winner of the International Category earlier in
the evening. A mechanical engineer by profession, he joined the
family business in 1998 while studying for a PhD in UCD where he
focused on the area of milking performance.
Sinéad Cáit Ní Riada is the winner of the Maurice F FitzGerald Prize 2012.
Sinéad is a scholar of TCD, and was awarded a gold medal in Electronic
Engineering as well as a Distinction in her Masters of Engineering. She
obtained the highest overall average in her class at the annual examinations
and received the David Clark Memorial Prize. In July 2012 she joined the
Graduate Programme of Analog Devices BV, as she wanted to further her
engineering knowledge through hands-on learning in a working environment. For the past four months she has been working within Research and
Development at ADBV as a designer of silicon integrated circuits. She works
closely with her supervisor, Paudie Kirby, on the design, simulation and verification of analogue circuits. To date, she has worked on the development of
two products. In the future, Sinéad intends on furthering her knowledge of
analogue circuit design through the attendance of conferences, innovation
forums and design reviews. She will continue to work with her supervisor and
endeavour to learn as much as possible from the knowledgeable and highly
experienced engineers within Analog Devices and also hopes to participate
in formal, externally provided training. Her goal for the coming years is to
present a design of her own at one of Analog Devices’s annual conferences.
This prize was instituted in 1961 by a bequest from Anna Maria FitzGerald
and is awarded annually, where sufficient merit is shown, on the nomination of Trustees based on the results at the final examination for the degree
of B.A.I, Trinity College Dublin. Candidates must have achieved distinction
during the engineering course and be making satisfactory progression of
their knowledge in the profession of engineer. The Trustees for this prize
include the Provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast; Professor Margaret O’Mahony,
head of the School of Engineering; Professor John Byrne (former dean of the
faculty and head of Computer Science); Associate Professor Dermot O’Dwyer
director of undergraduate teaching and learning, School of Engineering;
and Mr Finbar Callanan, former Director General of Engineers Ireland.
Pictured (l-r) Niall Mellon and
Muredach Tuffy.
Dr Harty Chartered Engineer, managing director, Dairymaster, was presented
with the title of Entrepreneur of the Year by President Michael D Higgins.
Pictured (l-r): John Butler and Justine Butler.
Engineers Ireland Council members Justine Butler and Muredach Tuffy, and HR
Director John Butler, were among 580 volunteers who recently went to South Africa
as part of the Niall Mellon Township Trust to build houses for people living in poor
conditions in the townships. In its 10th year, the programme has to date housed
100,000 people. Next year, it will build schools in Kenya and anybody interested in
participating should contact the Niall Mellon Township Trust.
266
Volume 65: Issue 5 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
President’s perspective
A compendium of Engineers Ireland Past President PJ Rudden’s
speeches and blogs from his year in office is now available free of
charge on CD, entitled ‘A Year in the Life’. Copies of the CD can be
obtained by e-mailing lisa.magee@rpsgroup.com
Inspection solutions
from Inspex
For the past few years, Inspex Ltd has been gathering relevant building information and practices from across the industry to deliver an
IT solution that ensures buildings are comprehensively inspected to
a pre-defined standard using touch screen templates.
Inspex provides user-friendly tools, technology and templates to
deliver the right inspection service where and when it is needed.
For more information or to arrange a demonstration, contact
Pat O’Brien Chartered Engineer, FIEI, Inspex Ltd, at 01 294 4505.
Devised by Eoin Gill MIEI, coordinator of Maths Week Ireland
and Director of Calmast maths, science and engineering
outreach centre at Waterford IT.
The July/August 2012 competition was won by:
Bernard Ward, Clonee, Meath.
Graduate engineer achieves
third place in IChemE awards
Kevin Gibson, MIEI, and graduate engineer at GE Healthcare,
Cork, was recently shortlisted as one of six people for the
IChemE Young Chemical Engineer of the Year Award. This is a
prestigious, global award that recognises the young engineer
who best demonstrates innovation and excellence in chemical
engineering. The IChemE awards were presented on November 1, 2012 in Manchester, UK, and Kevin was awarded third
place. Kevin graduated from University College Cork in 2011
with a First Class Honours Degree in Process and Chemical
Engineering. Kevin has been actively involved in Engineers
Ireland through both his participation in the Engineers Ireland
Graduate Transition Programme and also through his role as
PRO of the Cork region of the Young Engineers Society. Kevin
began an undergraduate work placement in 2010 at GE
Healthcare, Cork and was subsequently selected for the Graduate Programme as Graduate Engineer. At GE, he worked on
various projects in both process and maintenance engineering. Kevin was nominated for the international competition
by Kevin Kilbride Chartered Engineer, GE Healthcare who said
“being shortlisted for this award recognises Kevin’s commitment to excellence and his outstanding achievements to date
- it is particularly noteworthy given that the cut-off age for the
Young Chemical Engineer Award is 30, while Kevin is now 23
years of age”.
Solution to July/August’s Cross Number:
Across: (1) MDCLXVI (6) XX (7) 2177175 (9) 1111000 (11) 60580
(12) 201 (14) 999 (16) 24112 (18) 3.14159 (20) 2223433 (22)
U2 (23) 1101120
Down (1) MMX11 (2) LOG (3) 10110 (4) 387420489 (5) 227338559
(8) 101 (10) 100 (12) 282475249 (13) 131176320 (15) 911 (17)
112 (18) 35321 (19) 90210 (21) IEI
Code: M X 1 4 U 0
Win an iPod Shuffle!
This edition’s puzzle:
A positive two-digit integer can be used to form a three-digit integer by placing another digit at the front. Placing the same digit at
the end forms another three-digit number three-quarters the value.
The sum of these two three-digit numbers and the square of the
original two-digit number use the same set of digits. What are the
two-digit number and the single digit number?
To be in with a chance of winning the iPod Shuffle, email your
answer to:engineers@ifpmedia.com
Entries must be received by Thursday, January 3.
Please ensure that you include your postal address and contact
telephone number.
Pictured at the Engineers Ireland Midlands Region Gala Dinner Dance were:
back row, (l-r): Sean Keohane, Midlands Region; John Power Chartered Engineer,
Director General, Engineers Ireland; Charlie McCarthy Chartered Engineer,
Midlands Region; and Eoin O Ceallachair, Midlands Region.
Front row (l-r): Christy O'Sullivan Chartered Engineer, FIEI, Chairman West Region;
John Quinn Chartered Engineer, FIEI, Chairman North East Region; Michael
Phillips, President Engineers Ireland; Damien Grennan, Chairman Midland Region;
and Anthony Skeffington, Chartered Engineer, Chairman North West Region.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
267
Engineers Ireland CPD approval
for energy training course
Engineers Ireland recently approved its first ISO energy management courses through the official Register of CPD Training Providers. The newly-approved CPD courses are ‘ISO 50001 Energy
Management System Implementation Training’ and ‘ISO 50001
Energy Management Lead Auditor Training’, both of which can be
run in-house or publicly by Certification Europe. Engineers Ireland’s
approval of the two ISO 50001 energy courses recognises them as
being relevant for engineering professionals, well-developed and
delivered to high standards, with expert facilitators.
Pictured (l-r): Registrar Damien Owens Chartered Engineer and Lars Bytoft, President,
FEANI signing the co-operation agreement for the FEANI Engineering Card, the
professional card for engineers, at the FEANI 2012 General Assembly in Rome.
Professional card for engineers
Engineers Ireland recently signed a cooperation agreement regarding issuing the Engineering Card, the professional card for engineers at the General Assembly of the European Federation of Engineering Associations (FEANI) in Rome. Nine countries signed the
agreement including Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Croatia, Ireland, Luxemburg, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. From
next year onwards, these countries will start issuing this mobility
card for engineers who apply for it. In the past, long and complex
recognition procedures do not allow professionals to react quickly to
job opportunities in other Member States. To improve that situation
and to amend the EU Directive 2005/36/EC, the EU Commission
DG Internal Market and Services, Directorate E, set up a Steering
Committee on the Professional Card in January 2011. The engineering card provides a complete overview of the academic education,
professional experience and further training of the card holder and
its independent testing and recognition.
Engineers Ireland Register
of Training Providers 2013
Engineers Ireland is currently seeking high-quality applications for
the Register of CPD Training Providers 2013 which will go live on
Friday, January 4, 2013. Applications must be received by close
of business, Tuesday, December 18, 2012. The Engineers Ireland
Register of CPD Training Providers, which supplements the core CPD
programme provided directly by Engineers Ireland, is an easy way to
spot quality training providers of high relevance with clear learning
outcomes. Engineers Ireland endorses training providers with the
title of Registered Training Provider on the basis that they meet the
best-practice criteria laid down in our quality assurance procedures.
All applications will be assessed for quality, relevance and technical
content. If you are interested in supporting excellence in engineering, you are invited to apply today. For more information visit: www.
engineersireland.ie/cpd/rtp
(L-r): Aidan Harney, CPD Director, Engineers Ireland and Ciaran O’Malley,
Business Development Manager, Certification Europe.
Maltese Chamber of Engineers visit
Engineers Ireland
Engineers Ireland recently hosted a visit by the Maltese Chamber of Engineers.
Pictured (l-r) are: Ing. Johan Psaila, Secretary for International Affairs, Chamber of
Engineers Malta; Ing. Saviour Baldacchino, President, Chamber of Engineers Malta;
John Power, Chartered Engineer, Director General, Engineers Ireland; and Damien
Owens Chartered Engineer, Registrar, Engineers Ireland.
UK growth for Irish firm
Larsen Contracts a specialist contractor with its head office in Belfast
has secured three further UK Contracts for application of external
wall insulation to social housing developments in Seaham, Derby
and Doncaster. This will increase Larsen’s growth in the UK by over
100 per cent by the end of 2012. The contracts, which are supported
through the Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP), will
result in 40 permanent and contract positions for Larsen Contracts
in the UK with new offices opening in Yorkshire. CESP is designed to
significantly reduce the fuel bills of some of those living in deprived
areas and contribute to the improvement of the energy efficiency of
the existing housing stock.
268
Volume 656 Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
Pictured (l-r): John Power Chartered Engineer, Director General, Engineers Ireland with Joe Murphy, PUNCH Consulting
Engineers, who accepted the Engineering Project of the Year Award for Cill Rónáin Harbour, Inis Mór.
Public choose Cill Rónáin Harbour as top
engineering project in 2012
The Cill Rónáin Harbour, on Inis Mór island, Co. Galway, has been voted Engineering Project of the Year by the
Irish public in an online vote as part of the third Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards in association with ESB
Joe Murphy from PUNCH Consulting Engineers, the firm behind the
project, said it had already created huge economic and social value
for the residents of the largest of the three Aran Islands. “The new
€39m harbour’s benefits for the local community are wide-ranging.
It improves safety for residents, it supports tourist traffic to an island
rich in cultural heritage and it even makes life easier for fishermen
who have businesses and work locally.”
“The project embodies the best of engineering excellence. The
facility is sheltered by a stone breakwater which is more than half
a kilometre long. The harbour within has a marine working area
that is actually twice the size of Croke Park. A large-scale physical
model was constructed and tested in a UK hydro laboratory prior to
construction at Cill Rónáin to ensure the most economical harbour
construction,” Mr Murphy said.
“More than 77,000 tonnes of large natural stone blocks were
sourced from Connemara to protect the breakwater from erosion
while the piers have been constructed from large concrete blocks up
to 23 tonnes in weight. Moreover, significant environmental monitoring was employed throughout the construction process, including
a marine mammal observer who was present over the course of the
project to watch for seals and dolphins during blasting works.”
Speaking at the awards in the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin, John
Power, Engineers Ireland Director General, congratulated PUNCH
Consulting EngineersBAM Civil, Galway County Council and the
Dept of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, who delivered the project
and said the construction is now an essential support to the island’s
community. He commented: “By improving safe access to the island
and providing shelter from the often hazardous ocean waves that
have challenged local residents over the ages, the re-developed Cill
Rónáin Harbour is a true example of engineering ingenuity dramatically improving the quality of local, everyday life.
“The construction benefits the Inis Mór community hugely and,
in effect, sustains the strong local heritage of Irish culture and
language that is very unique to the island. Once again this year, all
the short-listed entries highlight the contribution the engineering
sector makes to Ireland.” Cill Rónáin Harbour came from a final
shortlist of projects that also included Clonmel Flood Relief Scheme,
Etihad Skyline Croke Park Stadium, Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre,
the Michael O’Shaughnessy Bridge, Portrane/Donabate/Rush/Lusk
Waste Water Treatment Scheme and the Titanic Building Belfast. The
winner was the result of an online vote to select what the public
considered to be the project that has most benefited Irish society.
Chartered Engineer of the Year 2012
Eoin Bambury was named Chartered Engineer of the Year for his
work on the Janisys drug delivery system. Eoin works with Crospon,
in its R&D Group on gastrointestinal hollow organ functional imaging and transdermal drug delivery applications.
Eoin was one of a short list of six selected from 450 engineers who
successfully achieved the Chartered Engineer title in the 12-month
period running from June 2011 to June 2012.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
269
Pictured (l-r): John
Power, Director General,
Engineers Ireland and
Eoin Bambury Chartered
Engineer of the Year.
Roll of honour
The full line-up of winners from the Engineers Ireland
Excellence Awards 2012
Engineering Project of the Year
Kindly sponsored by
The Cill Rónáin Harbour, Inis Mór – PUNCH Consulting
Engineers/BAM Civil/Galway County Council/Dept of Arts,
Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Chartered Engineer of the Year
Kindly co-sponsored by
Eoin Bambury of Crospon for his work on the Janisys drug
delivery system
Environmental Infrastructure Award
Kindly sponsored by
Cavan County Council, Erne Valley Group Water Scheme
and Tobin Consulting Engineers for the Upgrade of the
Erne Valley Group Water Scheme.
Pictured at the presentation of the Environmental Infrastructure Award to Cavan
County Council, Erne Valley Group Water Scheme (EVGWS) and Tobin Consulting
Engineers for the Erne Valley Group Water Scheme Upgrade were (l-r): MC Mary
Kennedy; John Power, Director General, Engineers Ireland; Francis Hart, EVGWS;
Mairead Sheridan, EVGWS; Brian Downes, Tobin Consulting; Eoin Doyle, Cavan
County Council and Dara Lynott, EPA, award sponsor.
The ESB Award for Outstanding
Contribution to Engineering:
John Killeen
Engineering Education Award – Best in Class 2012
Kindly sponsored by
Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland, and National College of
Art and Design for Trinity College Dublin all Ireland MSc
in Bioengineering Education
NEW: Technology of the Year Award
Kindly sponsored by
OpenHydro for their Open Centre Tidal Turbine
Pictured at the presentation of the ESB Award for Outstanding Contribution to
Engineering were (l-r): Mary Kennedy; John Power, Director General, Engineers
Ireland; John Killeen, recipient of the award; and Pat O’Doherty, chief executive,
ESB, award sponsor.
Volunteer or Volunteer Group of the Year
Young Engineers Society
Best Paper/Presentation of the Year
Kindly sponsored by
Cyril McCarthy Chartered Engineer, OPW and Barry
O’Connor Chartered Engineer, Mott McDonald for their
presentation Clonmel Flood Relief Scheme.
If you are interested in entering the 2013 Excellence
Awards please e-mail
excellenceawards@engineersireland.ie
Pictured at the presentation of the Engineering Education Award - Best
in Class 2012 to TCD, UCD, RCSI and NCAD for the TCD all Ireland MSc in
Bioengineering Education were (l-r): Mary Kennedy; Michael Phillips,
Engineers Ireland President; Ciaran Simms, TCD; Agnieszka Wisniewska,
UCD; Peadar Grant, UCD; Michael Crothers, Shell E&P Ireland Ltd, award
sponsor; Paul Fortune NCAD; and June O’Reilly, TCD.
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Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 Pictured at the presentation of the Technology of the Year Award were (l-r): Mary
Kennedy; Michael Phillips, Engineers Ireland President; Paul Dunne, OpenHydro;
Kevin Harnett, OpenHydro; Finn Lyden, SIAC Construction, award sponsor; Tadhg
Landers, OpenHydro; and Danny Johnston, OpenHydro.
www.engineersjournal.ie
Pictured at the presentation of the Volunteer or Volunteer Group of the Year
Award were (l-r): Mary Kennedy; Joe Borza, Chariman, Young Engineers Society;
Caroline Butler, Young Engineers Society Committee Member; and Engineers
Ireland President Michael Phillips.
Pictured at the presentation of the Best Paper/
Presentation Award were (l-r): Mary Kennedy;
Michael Phillips, Engineers Ireland President;
Cyril McCarthy Chartered Engineer, OPW amd
Barry O’Connor, Chartered Engineer, Mott
McDonald, winners for the Clonmel Flood
Relief Scheme; and Maurice Buckley, NSAI,
award sponsor.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
Cill Rónáin Harbour redevelopment project, designed
by Punch Consulting Engineers, built by BAM has been
voted Engineering Project of the Year at the Engineers
Ireland 2012 Excellence Awards
Cill Rónáin Harbour redevelopment project, Inis Mór Island, Co. Galway
www.bamcontractors.ie
continuing to build a better Ireland
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272
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 Chain reaction
www.engineersjournal.ie
Janssen Biologics Facility, Ringaskiddy
Janssen’s people development at core of transformation for
new era in pharma
The Janssen Ireland CPD team reports on how the CPD Company of the Year 2012, in a changing operating
environment, transformed its pharmaceutical facilities, leveraging a sustained programme of CPD processes to
successfully implement visionary business models delivering new benchmarks in productivity and competitiveness while
securing staff retention and creating additional jobs
Within Ireland, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has a very strong presence
with over 1,800 people employed by companies that comprise Janssen Biologics, Janssen Pharmaceutical, Janssen AI, DePuy-Synthes,
Vistakon, Johnson & Johnson Medical and Consumer, Janssen Cilag
and Janssen R&D. Although these organisations span diverse sectors
such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biologics, they come
together to form J&J Campus Ireland, an entity that leverages the
combined strength of these companies and promotes best practice
and knowledge-sharing. Commercial benefits are gained through
common procurement and service provider contracts in the areas of
energy, utilities and facility services. The sharing of best practice is
generating tangible value by allowing common functional groups to
share their experience and skills for the benefit of the entire campus,
according to Janssen Ireland.
Janssen Ireland is part of the J&J group of companies and comprises
two pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities located in Little Island
and Ringaskiddy, in Cork.
New era in pharma
The Janssen Pharmaceutical Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)
site is manufacturing at the Little Island facility for 32 years. With a
reduction in new molecular entities, product patent expiry, generic
manufacturing competition and increasing costs, the facility focused
on reconfiguring its operating model by driving cost improvement in
support of supply reliability to influence its manufacturing network
and to direct incremental volumes to the Cork API facility.
On a greenfield site in Ringaskiddy, the Janssen Biologics facility
commenced construction in 2005, aiming towards manufacture of
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
two biologics products. Both sites were challenged with attracting
new business to sustain their viability.
To succeed, both sites required a strategic operating model that took
account of local and global considerations. Both are part of the global
J&J organisation. However, with international sites being strategically
designed to act as backup sites to each other for business continuity,
it was critically important for both Cork sites to ensure they positioned
themselves to be part of, and contribute to, the long-term J&J strategic
plans. Therefore, the issues facing the two sites were local Irish issues
and required an Irish-led effort to gain business within the J&J world
to ensure Irish job retention.
On that basis, the business models for both sites were re-designed
with a view to capitalising on these sites’ reputation within J&J for
having a talented workforce with a can-do attitude and for project
delivery on time and within budget. A key factor in re-designing the
business models was the development of a CPD policy whose mission
statement was to ‘attract, motivate and retain’ employees.
The Janssen Ireland leadership team developed strategic plans positioning both Cork sites to enable them to deal with the challenges.
The Janssen Biologics strategy
The Ringaskiddy site positioned itself to influence the J&J organisation
to bring clinical manufacturing capabilities on the back of its successful delivery of the main commercial facility on time and on budget
with a successful regulatory licence awarding on first application and
a local culture of continuous improvement within its organisation. This
was achieved by implementing the following initiatives:
XX utilisation of the unused manufacturing capability of Janssen
Ireland to commence manufacture of new development/toxicological and clinical phase (Phase 1 – 3) drugs;
XX re-engineering of the site facility to be capable of multi product
production;
XX organising two new small-scale toxicology/development/clinical upstream and downstream suites (within the confines of
the existing manufacturing floor space) to produce early phase
material;
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maximising use of new technologies to minimise costs and cycle
times e.g. disposable technologies;
XX moving early stage production (development/toxicological and
clinical phase) to Janssen Biologics resulting in minimising the
risk and cost associated with the technology transfer step at a
later stage; and,
XX relocating of process development and material sciences
(PDMS) analytical laboratory to Cork to support product tech
transfers.
XX
The Janssen Pharmaceutical strategy
The Little Island site positioned itself to influence the J&J organisation by bringing reliable capacity and implementing continuous
improvement to ensure allocation of potential incremental forecasted
volumes of products to this facility providing the necessary associated cost absorption within the existing footprint and headcount.
This was achieved by:
XX increasing the capacity occupancy for sterile API’s from 30
per cent to 90 per cent thus consolidating the facility as the
primary manufacturer of sterile API within the global network;
and,
XX achieving regulatory approval for campaign manufacturing of
sterile API to ensure shorter manufacturing cycle time and fully
utilised equipment occupancy resulting also in a >10 per cent
yield increase per batch.
Key CPD processes
The Janssen Ireland CPD mission statement is ‘attract, motivate and
retain’. From this, the Janssen Ireland CPD Policy was derived, a
summary of which is: “In addition to formal training, it is Janssen Ireland’s policy to encourage all employees to participate in all
aspects of the organisation’s development activities both internally
and externally.”
Therefore, when undergoing new and challenging projects such as
the new clinical suites and sterile API manufacturing, it was the
aim of the company to utilise the employees in key roles. Another
Pictured at the presentation of the CPD
Company of the Year Award to Janssen
Ireland (l-r): Alan Bateman, Janssen Ireland;
Tom Nyhan, Janssen Ireland; John Power
Chartered Engineer, Director General,
Engineers Ireland; Dr Michael Napier, Global
Technical Services Janssen Ireland; and John
Kelly, Janssen Ireland.
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 274
Engagement
Organisational
Culture
Business
Strategy
Human
Resources
Strategy
Communication
Performance
& Recognition
Personal
Development
& Career
opportunity
+
Attract
Motivate
Retain
Employee
Business
Satisfaction &
Engagement
Performance
& Results
Compensation
& Benefits
Collaboration
Cornerstones of the CPD process.
www.engineersjournal.ie
Employee Involvement
70%
on the job
ing talented workforce to work on these projects,
relevant extract from the CPD policy states: “The
this allowed Janssen Ireland to have a considerable
company also benefits from employees’ CPD as it
feedback & coaching
advantage by having an on-tap range of the required
leads to the achievement of world class standards in,
project resources available with no time wasted in trainfor example, quality, environmental, health and safety
ing up new resources. To keep abreast of fast-churning
(EHS) management, maintenance and engineering excelother activities
technology, the company has continuously kept its people
lence and business excellence.”
up-skilled with new technologies by supporting employees to
The immense success of these projects can be attributed to the
attend seminars, conferences, workshops, training courses, crossinvolvement of the employees in their design, implementation
sector/site knowledge-sharing opportunities etc.
and support. The focus on using internal employees in leading
project roles resulted in innovative solutions which put the Cork
a) Formal CPD
sites ahead of competitors in new technologies and in the provision
In addition to having a defined training curriculum by job funcof cost-effective and targeted world-class in-house solutions which
tion using the sites training programme, a number of custom-made
intimately suited the existing culture, architecture and design of the
courses have been developed by Janssen in conjunction with educatwo sites.
tional bodies. These courses can be used as credits towards further
J&J fosters a 70/20/10 approach to people development –70 per
education:
cent on-the-job, 20 per cent feedback and coaching, and 10 per cent
other activities including training. Therefore, by utilising its existXX a tailor-made course was designed and delivered in
20%
10%
Members of the Janssen CPD Team.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
collaboration with IT Tallaght to effectively train employees in sterile manufacturing/aseptic techniques;
XX a customised automation course was developed by Janssen in association with Cork Institute of Technology (CIT)
aimed at broadening the automation knowledge of operations, quality and support service departments in order to
deliver right first time, sustainable manufacturing and,
XX Dynochem-user training was organised by Janssen to train
key process experts and engineers on using the Dynochem software package to deliver a structured approach to
problem-solving process schemes, equipment characterisation, process assessment and crystallisation process design.
b) Knowledge sharing activities
Janssen Ireland has employed a number of knowledge sharing activities including:
XX a formal mentoring process (as part of the company’s
business objectives, initiated and driven from the CPD
committee, a mentoring programme is now active);
XX accelerated learning unit (ALU) – ALUs are used to optimise
business processes so that the sites can be run efficiently and
the benefits sustained – an ALU is made up of a cross-functional team where people get the opportunity to design and
implement improved and more efficient site processes; and,
Operations in action in new processing suites.
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Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
Aseptic Processing Suite at Janssen Pharmaceutical, Little Island.
XX
tech talks – this programme has proven to be a beneficial
tool for knowledge sharing at both sites and across sites.
c) Fostering creativity/innovation
This is integrated into its Lean manufacturing approach, which focuses
on people and continuous improvement. A number of the tools used in
this process continuously are Kaizen, Mistake Proofing, Gemba and 5S.
These have been utilised to influence the culture within the organisations in support of creative and innovative thinking. This approach
is integrated into its project approach, which has been successful in
delivering innovation in the projects outlined above.
d) Performance management and development system
Employees were seconded to projects and given the opportunity
to break away from their day-to-day jobs. Goals and objectives
were filtered down from the Janssen Ireland cascade to individual
employees PC and D (performance, coaching and development),
which ensured that there was benefit to both the company and the
employee. This allowed employees to develop new skills, expand their
experience and participate in project that were key to ensuring the
sites can produce a sustainable product base.
e) Linkages with professional institutions/learned bodies
In-house engineers or process specialists working on project designs
utilised the knowledge base of multiple professional bodies such as
Engineers Ireland, IChemE, ISPE and IMB (Irish Medicines Board);
as well as J&J worldwide engineering forums such as ‘Engineering
Network’.
As part of an Enterprise Ireland programme, Janssen partnered with
ABB and UCD (University College Dublin) on PAT (Process Analytical
Technology) and control systems. Janssen runs an apprenticeship
programme and students from FÁS on work placement were given
work experience as part of the clinical suites project team.
The Solid State Pharmaceutical Cluster, funded by Science Foundation Ireland and by industrial partners, including Janssen, was
established in 2007 to address significant industry challenges and
supports research in process crystallisation, particle engineering and
API/Postgraduate educational activity
By utilising Janssen’s Further Education Assistance Programme, a
number of engineers and scientists have been supported by Janssen
to attain a higher level of education in support of their development opportunities. A number of personnel who have completed
this programme have obtained lead roles in the projects outlined
above.
Clinical product and sterile API manufacturing requires a lot of scientific and technical support for development, testing and analysis of
clinical trial batches and optimisation of commercial manufacturing.
The company uses its linkages with educational bodies such as UCC,
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
CIT, UCD, UL, Sligo IT and IT Tallaght; to give graduate positions and
work experience to many engineers and scientists.
Janssen has an in-house PDMS group, consisting of highly educated
scientists. Having this knowledge and skill base located in Cork was a
deciding factor in locating the clinical suites in Cork, and for the future
ensures that there is much local support for product development and
optimisation of existing and future commercial products.
The J&J Global Operations Leadership Development Programme is
a dynamic two-year programme for high-potential candidates with
exceptional drive and determination. Individuals who have recently
received undergraduate degrees in engineering, operations, or quality can develop and apply their skills through a mix of on-the-job
assignments and structured training, and some of these people have
been deployed to work on the projects featured in this article.
277
Business benefits
The success of the change in business strategy for both facilities has
delivered on the opportunity for people development, leading to
retention of staff and the creation of jobs in Janssen Ireland over the
past 24 months. This supports the effective impact of its CPD mission
of ‘attract, motivate and retain’ to-date.
For Janssen, the continued reduction in cost of goods produced allows
the Cork sites to be competitive and viable. Delivering incremental
volumes, with the resultant absorption of costs and a controlled
headcount increase has put Janssen Ireland in a very strategic position. This has been achieved while maintaining its key performance
indicators and ensuring compliance delivers on its ‘right to exist/
produce and sell’ within a culture of continuous improvement driving
the company’s sustainability into the future.
The Engineers Ireland CPD Company of the Year Awards are supported by:
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Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
CPD COTY Category winners
There were five category winners in this year’s Engineers Ireland Awards including a new
award recognising outstanding achievement in the implementation of CPD
CPD helping to drive KCI
Manufacturing Growth
Pictured at the presentation of the CPD Company of the Year
Outstanding Achievement Award to KCI Manufacturing were (l-r): John
Power Chartered Engineer,Director General, Engineers Ireland and
Dr John Elwood Chartered Engineer, MIEI, VP global manufacturing,
KCI Manufacturing.
Just 12 months after achieving Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
accreditation, KCI Manufacturing has won the CPD Company of Year Award for
outstanding achievement. The award was given “in recognition of superb CPD
practices, which enabled KCI Manufacturing to successfully deliver an automated
manufacturing environment, create jobs and make the Irish plant a critical part of
the KCI Global Manufacturing footprint.”
In terms of building and sustaining business growth KCI Manufacturing has delivered on several key strategic objectives:
XX cost reduction of KCI’s disposable sterile medical device products;
XX business growth that has resulted in its workforce doubling since 2009; and,
XX localisation of supply base in Ireland.
KCI Manufacturing held a two day supplier event with 20 of its strategic suppliers
in 2012. Through involvement in CPD and with the support of Engineers Ireland,
KCI Manufacturing has gained valuable insight into ‘best in class’ approaches
across a diverse range of industries and developed a network to share innovative ideas. In a short period of time a comprehensive framework has been established that continues to support its execution on strategic business goals through
enhanced organisational learning.
ON Semiconductor utilises CPD to implement grad programme
The ON Semiconductor Limerick office, winner in the smallsized company category, has a growing engineering staff of 40
employees focused on the design of integrated circuits in the
area of power delivery and thermal management within electronic
systems. Revenue from these products is expected to grow strongly
during the coming years. Products designed by its team are used
in many well-known electronic systems including gaming consoles,
notebook and desktop computers and smartphones.
A typical product supplies the power to the Intel Processor in a
notebook computer, which technically is extremely challenging,
and the ON Semiconductor team has established a world-leading
position in this space. Strategically, ON Semiconductor wants to
grow the team through the hiring of highly-qualified electronic
engineering graduates from Irish colleges. However, as its sector in
Ireland is growing, there is a keen demand for the best graduates, so, a number of years ago, it decided to engage early with
a co-op programme, which has led to a high percentage of its
participants being hired full-time after their graduation, while
reducing the hiring risk for both the graduates and ON Semiconductor, as the ‘courtship’ resulting from the co-op period confirms
if there is a match between the graduate and the role. According
to ON Semiconductor, the Engineers Ireland CPD process has been
an enormous support in terms of structuring and implementing
the co-op programme and, afterwards, supporting the continued
development of the company’s engineers as they progress further
in their careers. A spokesperson for ON Semiconductor said:
“Being selected as a winner of a CPD Company of the Year award
in 2012 is a tremendous endorsement of the whole team’s efforts
and something we are all very proud of.”
Pictured at the presentation of the CPD Company of the Year Award in the
small-sized company category to ON Semiconductor were (l-r): Kelly Scott, CPD
Executive, Engineers Ireland; John Blake, design centre director, ON Semiconductor
and John Power, Director General, Engineers Ireland.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
279
PM Groups adapts to
changing environment
Pictured at the presentation of the CPD Company of the Year Award in the
medium-sized category to Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Manufacturing Ltd
were (l-r): John Power, Director General, Engineers Ireland and Noel McShera
Chartered Engineer, MIEI, director of engineering, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
Manufacturing Ltd and Aidan O’Flaherty, CPD Executive, Engineers Ireland.
Lean engineering works for
Siemens Healthcare
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Manufacturing Limited is the winner
of the Engineers Ireland CPD Company of the Year Award in the
medium-sized company category. The company is the single worldwide manufacturing location for a range of diagnostics analysers
utilised for blood testing in hospital and private laboratories. With
a total of 48 engineers and 53 technicians on site, this is a highly
technical environment. The award to the company is in recognition
of outstanding organisational CPD practices that have transformed
a traditional manufacturing process into a ‘synchronised flow line’
model, achieving significant savings and reduced inventory levels.
The most current Lean thinking has been applied to both on-line
and off-line processes with concepts such as weekly gemba walks,
A3 problem solving methodology, and visual management boards
supporting the synchronised flow manufacturing model.
Accepting the award on behalf of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics,
Noel McShera, director of engineering, commented: “The introduction of flow manufacturing required a very significant adaption in
the engineering support model, with new visual management techniques, implementation of a rapid response cell located within the
manufacturing process and a site-level, cross-functional steering
team to guide cost-saving initiatives.” Michael Farrell, director of
production, highlighted the fact that this is the first flow manufacturing line for a diagnostic instrument within the global Siemens
Healthcare Diagnostics operation, and was the result of intensive
cross-functional collaboration. Patrick Redmond, managing director, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Manufacturing Ltd commented:
“The award is further recognition of the talents and business results
of ‘Siemens Team Swords’ and follows on from accomplishing a
Siemens Operational Excellence Award in 2011 and Life Sciences
Exporter of the Year award in 2010.”
The PM Group is the winner of the Engineers Ireland CPD Company
of the Year Award in the large-sized company category. PM Group’s
CPD programme is designed to support a world-class engineering
organisation, delivering excellent services to clients focused on
building expertise across the organisation throughout the career
lifecycle, from graduates to technical experts and from managers
to senior executives. Today, PM Group is providing architecture and
engineering design, project and construction management services
in over 30 countries worldwide. “A number of years ago, the PM
Group executive team analysed the challenges facing the organisation and determined that the best strategic direction for the
company was to expand delivery of its services to new markets overseas. Our CPD programme was recognised for enabling us to adapt
to a rapidly changing environment as we shifted our work base from
Ireland and internationalised our company over a relatively short
time period,” according to Dave Murphy, CEO of PM Group.
A range of CPD initiatives were undertaken to tackle the growing
internationalisation of PM Group’s business. They include:
XX the ‘GEP Review’ (good engineering practice);
XX establishing task forces on Lean project execution;
XX specific training on international design standards; and,
XX exposure of staff to emerging technologies in targeted sectors
via alliance partner companies.
These initiatives have helped to improve service delivery, as well as
providing a sound foundation for a sustainable competitive advantage in the international arena.
Pictured at the presentation of the CPD Company of the Year Award in the largesized company category to the PM Group were (l-r): John Power, Director General,
Engineers Ireland; Eilish Quane, electrical services dept. manager, PM Group; Úna
Healy, training & development officer, PM Group; Laura Grehan, HR manager, PM
Group; and Dave Murphy, CEO, PM Group.
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Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
Fingal County Council
nurtures problem-solving
Fingal County Council is the winner of the CPD Company of the
Year Award in the public sector category. Fingal County Council is
delighted to accept this prestigious award in recognition of work
being carried out to benefit the community, according to a spokesperson. Fingal County Council provides an extensive range of infrastructure services, and plays an active role in the development of the
area's industry, business, social, arts, heritage and cultural affairs.
Given the scale of recent economic problems, the Council embarked
on a detailed review of all areas of spend which resulted in a service-wide efficiency drive. Fingal County Council's CPD programme
has encouraged a culture of creative problem-solving in the
organisation and this played a key role in achieving savings of
over three million units of electricity per annum and a resultant
reduction in the Council’s carbon footprint. The largest portion
of these savings was achieved in Leixlip Water Treatment Works
(operated by Fingal County Council) and in Swords Wastewater
Treatment Plant. This was achieved by upgrading existing pumps
and by changing the means by which these pumps operated.
A success such as this indicates how CPD can be beneficial to the
organisation and result in measurable savings by using lessons
learnt and knowledge shared and how it is essential for the future.
Pictured at the presentation of the CPD Company of the Year Award in the public
sector category to Fingal County Council were (l-r): Margie McCarthy Chartered
Engineer, Membership Director, Engineers Ireland; Ethna Felten Chartered
Engineer, acting director of services, water services, Fingal County Council; and
John Power, Director General, Engineers Ireland.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
281
CIC calls for lead body to
champion construction sector
Bernard Potter provides an overview of a new report from the Construction Industry Council, Building Our Future Together,
which proposes a range of recommendations that it believes can return the sector to sustainable activity, establishing a
dynamic, diverse and directional industry that can deliver economic growth and improved quality of life for Ireland
The construction sector, at its peak, was twice the size it should have
been. In 2012, it is less than half the size it should be. That is the
view of the Construction Industry Council which warns in this report
that Government action is essential to revitalise the industry and
address the manner in which it is governed and strategically developed. The CIC remains concerned at the poor engagement between
sectoral actors, and between the Government and the construction
sector, and seeks the support of the Government to develop a new
direction for Irish construction. Without good governance and a
clear path to recovery, the construction industry may be unable to
meet the challenges ahead.
Need for leadership
It is essential, the CIC believes, that the Government works with
other partners to create a clear and consistent vision for the future
of the construction industry and, in this regard, it has been encour-
aged by public statements made by the Minister for Finance, Michael
Noonan. At the 2012 Fine Gael Ard Fhéis, he said: “It is vital that we
generate activity in the construction sector, which has been blighted
by such a sizeable fall in activity right across the country.”
However, the restoration of an appropriately-sized and diverse
construction industry that can aid Irish economic growth will not
happen without leadership and a road map. In the CIC’s view, the
fragmented nature of the industry has blighted the construction
sector for many years, both in terms of delivery and governance.
The Council believes its vision can only be delivered by a lead body
that has a track record of delivering public buildings and is capable
of championing the role the industry can play. The importance of a
consistent vision, steered by Government and a single lead implementation body, is evident in the success of the Irish agriculture
and food industry, which has overcome a similar challenge to that
faced by the construction sector, the report notes.
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Pictured at the launch of the Building Our Future Together report were (l-r): Dermot Bannon, Architect from RTE’s Room to Improve; John
Power Chartered Engineer, Director General, Engineers Ireland; Michael Moriarty, President of the Association of Consulting Engineers of
Ireland; Michelle Fagan, President of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland; John Graby, CEO, Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland;
Derry Scully, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council; and Ciara Murphy, Director General, Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland.
Teagasc figures indicate that the agri-food sector in Ireland contributes €24bn to the national economy, generates 6.3 per cent of
gross value added and provides 7.4 per cent of national employment. When employment in inputs, processing and marketing is
included, the agri-food sector accounts for almost 10 per cent of
employment. Undoubtedly, the CIC states, this sustained success is
significantly helped by the fact that the sector is championed by
a Government Minister, a Government Department and an agency,
Bord Bia, whose role is to act as a link between Irish food, drink
and horticulture suppliers, and existing and potential customers
throughout the world. Until such time as this central governance
point is addressed, the CIC contends, the industry will be unable
to re-assert itself appropriately as an important contributor to
economic recovery.
Infrastructure commitment
Infrastructural development is central to that economic recovery. If
Ireland is to prosper through reduced transport costs, new inward
investment and domestic expansion, infrastructural development
across every aspect of the economy will be an essential part of the
process. Our prosperity depends on the continued ability of this
country to attract inward investment and to trade our goods and
services internationally.
The CIC recognises that in these times of economic hardship in
Ireland, not all infrastructural programmes can be supported.
However, sustained capital investment across sectors and regions is
vital to meet the Government’s desire to stimulate the economy.
If the Government makes a commitment to spending a certain sum
of money on a specific area in each year this money should actually be spent, the report states. At the end of 2011, some €114m
in scheduled capital investment was carried over into 2012. At the
end of May 2012, capital expenditure was some 6.3 per cent behind
profile. While €978m was profiled for expenditure between January and June 2012, only €917m had actually been spent (Source:
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. 2012 Revised Estimates for Public Services. Appendix 9: Multi-Annual Capital Investment Framework 2012 to 2016. Department of Finance: Exchequer Statements. Analysis End-May 2012 Voted Expenditure [June
2012]).
Funding: available, but ignored?
It is also essential that diverse sources of funding are developed.
This is all the more urgent given that the protracted process of
restoring the banking sector to some semblance of normality is
undermining the financing of otherwise viable building projects.
The extent to which the state of the Irish banking sector has had
a negative impact on the construction industry cannot be overstated, the report observes. Until such time as the banking sector
is repaired, the CIC recommends that efforts are made to secure
alternative sources of funding for capital projects. NewEra, the
National Pension Reserve Fund and the European Investment Bank
are among the funding sources suggested.
A particular source of frustration to the CIC is the lack of progress
in developing a pension fund investment vehicle in Ireland. Despite
the idea being first mooted in this country in 2009; despite the
Irish Brokers Association confirming its members would consider
allocating up to five per cent of their pension funds for Irish infrastructural investment; and despite British pension funds aiming to
launch an infrastructure fund next year, little progress, if any, has
been made here.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 6 : Issue 6 I November/December 2012
283
The Irish Construction
Industry in 2012
In April 2012, the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland
published a report, The Irish Construction Industry in 2012.
The findings of the report predict that:
the value of construction output will be €7.5bn
in 2012, down from €8.7bn in 2011, and from
€39bn at the peak of the boom; and,
XX the value of construction activity will fall to 6 per
cent of GNP this year and fall further to 5.6 per
cent of GNP next year – less than half the ‘normal’
level for an economy the size of Ireland.
XX
Value of microenterprises
One of the starkest manifestations of the construction downturn is
evident in its effect on the numbers of construction enterprises. In
2008, there were 14 companies employing over 500 people; by
2010, that had reduced to four. Between 2008 and 2010, 15,000
construction micro-enterprises went out of existence, accounting for
the bulk of job losses in the construction sector. This includes a
large number of small professional service providers such as architectural, engineering or surveying practices, as well as building
materials providers and small contractors.
As most small companies are regionally based, in the report the
CIC calls on the Government to ensure that opportunities exist
for construction firms of all sizes to compete to undertake publicfunded projects. Support should be given to small businesses,
micro-enterprises and sole practitioners to maintain the viability of
their companies through upskilling, diversification and promotion
of international trading of services, thereby preserving the sector’s
skill sets and capacity.
The 2009 CIC report showed that for every 10 jobs that exist in
the construction sector, a further four jobs in the wider economy
are dependent on the construction industry. Taken together, there
were 377,000 people directly or indirectly employed in the sector.
There are currently fewer than 150,000 people in the sector. Since
the peak, there have been 162,300 direct job losses and 65,000
indirect job losses.
Promoting labour-creating capital investment works does not solely
create employment during the course of construction, but creates a
legacy of work elsewhere in the Irish economy. The CIC, therefore,
urges the Government to recognise the importance of micro-enterprises within the construction sector, both as a source of valuable
employment and as a key contributor to the economic performance
of the sector and the wider economy.
Exporting construction services
While supporting micro-enterprises at home, it is also vital to
harness the global potential of the Irish construction industry.
According to A Strategy for the Construction Industry: Construct 21,
a report published by The Master Builders and Contractors Association last January 2012: “Globally, today’s construction market is
worth an estimated €5.51 trillion (tn) or 13.5 per cent of total GDP.
Already, in many European countries, up to 50 per cent of total
construction turnover is accounted for by exports. By 2020, the
global market in construction services will be worth an estimated
€9.5tn.” It adds: “The internationalisation of Ireland’s construction
industry is underway.” In response to this trend, the report recommends the development of a vibrant global construction services
centre in Ireland, building upon the country’s key competitive
advantages in the design, financing, management and construction of complex building, civil engineering, and mechanical and
electrical processes. A survey of quantity surveying practices based
in Ireland showed an increase in the value of turnover from work
undertaken for overseas clients; roughly half of surveyed quantity
surveyors based in Ireland have undertaken work overseas in 2011
and 2012. For those firms, the percentage of their total turnover
that is generated outside of Ireland may be as high as 50 per cent
(Source: Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland. Results of Surveys
of Building and Quantity Surveyors on the Construction Sector in
2012 [April 2012: Unpublished]).
In the engineering sector, discussions between the profession and
the Government are at an advanced stage regarding the development of overseas marketing tools, using a combination of State
agencies and international organisations such as the World Bank,
Asian and African development banks and Middle Eastern agencies.
The CIC, therefore, recommends that the Government explores the
creation of an export-directed trust fund, including, where appropriate, funds from the Irish overseas aid budget, to develop the
ability of Irish construction firms and professional service providers
to market their skills to international clients.
The CIC believes that the professional skills within the Irish
construction sector, built up during the construction of world-class
infrastructure and amenities, should be marketed abroad as part of
Ireland’s economic renewal.
The overarching aims of the CIC are to deal with issues of
common interest for the construction industry, and to act as
the cohesive voice for the sector on high-level policy issues by
engaging with stakeholders accordingly. The members of the
Construction Industry Council are: The Association of Consulting Engineers in Ireland; The Building Materials Federation;
The Construction Industry Federation; Engineers Ireland; The
Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and The Society of
Chartered Surveyors Ireland.
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Keeping your powder dry –
PAT in the pharmaceutical industry
During the past number of years the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland has been adopting new techniques for monitoring
and controlling processes such as reactions, crystallisations, drying and utilities. Diana Mesa and Cilian Ó Súilleabháin report on their study of the application of process analytical technology (PAT) to dryers in the Irish pharmaceutical industry
Most pharmaceuticals are powders and the final manufacturing step
usually involves drying a powder. The product is usually heated to
40-65oC. Vacuum is used, with pressures of less than 200mbar absolute being the norm. The relatively low temperatures prevent products from deteriorating. The vacuum reduces the boiling temperature of the solvent, thus speeding up the drying process.
The initial moisture content of pharmaceutical products varies from
8 per cent to 35 per cent depending on the performance of earlier
process steps such as crystallisation, filtration and centrifuging.
Products are usually dried to a final moisture content of 1 per cent
or less. Batch sizes range from 100kg to 2,000kg (wet basis). Drying
times vary from 5 to 50 hours.
A typical equipment set-up is shown in Figure 1. The dryer is heated
by hot water flowing through the jacket. The product is agitated so
that all the material is heated equally. A dry running vacuum pump
sucks the solvent out of the dryer.
The solvent leaves the vacuum pump at atmospheric pressure and
condenses in the condenser. The liquid solvent is collected in the
receiver tank. A variety of dryer designs are used: agitated dryers,
conical dryers with augers, and dryers where the vessel rotates such
as double cone dryers.
Process control
In the past, an operator would open the dryer, take a sample, and
bring it to the laboratory. A chemist would analyse the sample and
provide a result a couple of hours later. Effectively the operator
would be told: “It was dry three hours ago at the time the sample
was taken”. Process analytical technology involves real-time measurement and results. This eliminates the time lag between the mate-
rial meeting specification and the production staff getting approval
to empty the dryer. The shorter cycle time saves energy and allows
more batches to be produced. Labour costs are reduced. The elimination of sampling reduces operator exposure to hazardous pharmaceuticals while also reducing the risk of product contamination.
Instrumentation
Moisture content can be directly measured using Near Infra Red
light spectra or by Mass Spectroscopy. These provide accurate data
at low moisture levels. The capital cost of this type of equipment is
high, up to €125,000.
Other parameters can be used to determine moisture content indirectly, these include: jacket temperature, product temperature and
the pressure in the dryer. Occasionally, other parameters such as
vapour temperature, condenser temperature and agitator torque
are used. For processes where drying takes less than 10 hours, fixed
drying times are often used.
The US Food and Drugs Administration have promoted the use of
this type of technology since 2004 through the process analyticaly technology (PAT) initiative. They believe that if manufacturers
achieve a deeper understanding of their processes, this will improve
process quality and reliability. The vast increase in the data available makes troubleshooting easier should quality problems occur.
Drying process
Theoretically there are three stages in the drying process. First
the dryer is heated up. Next drying occurs at a constant rate while
unbound moisture is evaporated. During the third stage, the rate
of drying becomes progressively slower. The product temperature
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
www.engineersjournal.ie 285
Condenser
Dry running
vacuum pump
Cooling Water
Hot Water
Solvent
Receiver
Vacuum Dryer
Figure 1: Typical equipment set-up
Alternatives
Torque measurements have been shown to have a high potential
for monitoring drying processes where the product shows a transition from a viscous material to a granular state during drying. The
I
Warming
up
II
Constant Rate
Period
III
Falling Rate
Period
Product Temperature
Drying Rate
Moisture Content
Time
Figure 2: Drying profiles
Temperature (oC)
should stay constant during the constant drying rate period as the
heat input from the jacket is balanced by the energy used in evaporating solvent.
The temperature rises gradually as the rate of evaporation decreases
during the falling rate period. Some of the industrial processes had
temperature profiles similar to theory (those with high initial moisture contents) while others only had a falling rate period.
Typical profiles are shown in Figure 2. The pressure should drop
during the falling rate period as less solvent evaporates to form
vapour, thus enabling the vacuum pump to achieve a better vacuum.
Analysis of the trends for individual parameters is unlikely to be
of use. However, by analysing a combination of variables, one can
often determine whether or not the product is dry. For example, in
Figure 3 product temperature and vapour temperature have similar
profiles until the material is nearly dry – then the profiles diverge
towards the end of the drying process.
Absolute values of the various parameters often vary from batch to
batch of the same material in the same dryer; however, the general
trends remain consistent. A parameter that provides useful data for
one powder may be of little value for another product. For example,
the pressure in the dryer may vary during the drying of one product
– whereas for another product the vacuum pump might be large
enough such that the rate of evaporation has little effect on the
level of vacuum that the vacuum pump can achieve.
Product Temp.
Vapour Temp.
Time
Figure 3: Temperature profiles
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 286
www.engineersjournal.ie
Sampling (offline
MC Analysis
Pressure
and/or
Temperature
On - line MC
Analysis
Additional Fixed
Time
Batch Release
Fixed Time
Sampling (Offline
MC Analysis)
Figure 4.
current drawn by the agitator is easy and cheap to measure, and can
be measured away from the production area without concern for
personnel exposure or contamination. Industrial data indicates that
the use of jacket inlet and outlet temperatures to monitor rotating
dryers through heat balances may be of use – this would be convenient as installing probes in rotating equipment can be difficult.
Companies use a variety of different approaches in deciding when
to empty dryers as shown in Figure 4.
Gradual adoption of PAT
Typically this type of technology is adopted one step at a time as
confidence is built up in the new technology. Initially, the trend
data is used to shadow the normal sampling procedure; the data
from their instruments is reviewed to see if it is consistent with the
laboratory results. Next, the instrumentation is used to decide when
samples are to be taken. Lab results are still used to decide when
the dryer is to be emptied. If this proves effective, the next step is to
unload the dryer based on the data from the instruments. Lab tests
are done after the material has been unloaded to confirm that the
moisture content is within specification. A new batch can be started
while the laboratory analysis is being done. One company has gone
further and ships product based on the PAT data alone.
Recommendations
Start by reviewing existing data: look at whatever data is available,
product temperature and dryer pressure data are available for most
processes. Other data may also be available. This type of analysis may indicate that drying times can be shortened if samples are
taken earlier. Next, consider fit additional inexpensive instrumentation such as temperature indicators, pressure probes and torque
transducers. Usually a combination of parameters is required as
they complement each other. If necessary, consider investing in the
more expensive techniques such as NearIR and Mass Spectroscopy.
At the start, use the technology to decide the timing of samples.
Only when confidence has built up should you empty the dryer
based on the PAT data.
Eleven manufacturing sites provided data from production
operations for the study. This article is based on research
funded by the Environmental Protection Agency under the
ERTDI grant scheme.
Cilian Ó Súilleabháin (cilian.osuilleabhain@cit.ie) is a Chartered Engineer who lectures at Cork Institute of Technology,
Ireland.
Diana Mesa is a chemical engineering graduate of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá. She spent two years
doing R&D in the area of adhesives for INCAP SA.
Her Masters from Cork Institute of Technology involved analysing the performance of industrial vacuum dryers in the pharmaceutical industry. She currently works for Westland Horticulture Ltd in England.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
Electricfuture
287
Marine current turbines tidal
energy unit in Strangford Lough.
Innovations lay groundwork for recovery
Pat O’Doherty, chief executive, ESB, shares his insights on the strategic development of the Irish electricity sector and
outlines key innovations under development at Ireland’s premier electricity utility
The electricity sector has long been acknowledged as an agent for
economic development and I believe that nowhere is this more
relevant than in Ireland today. Our ability to attract inward investment and increase exports to international markets relies heavily on
having an appropriate energy infrastructure to support commercial
activity and on having the right conditions to nurture innovation in
high growth sectors. With abundant renewable resources, a highly
reliable and efficient electricity network, and a supportive policy
environment, we are well on the way to establishing Ireland as a
preferred location for businesses operating in the cleantech and
green energy sectors. However, it will take leadership and vision to
navigate the correct course of action in the face of a very uncertain
energy future. Decisions taken today will have consequences for the
next 20, 30 and even 50 years.
Dominant factors
Two of the biggest factors influencing Ireland’s energy future are
that of decarbonisation and market integration. Together, they will
trigger fundamental changes in the way that energy is produced,
distributed and consumed, and, in the process, considerable capital
investment and expertise will be required.
The push towards decarbonisation is being driven by a commitment
by the EU and its Member states to achieve carbon neutrality by
2050. The electricity sector is leading this race, and, as a result,
industries that traditionally depended on fossil fuels, such as transport and heating, are turning to electricity as an alternative. Electricity is moving to the heart of industrial and economic policy and
companies across the economic spectrum are seeking to locate their
operations in countries that offer the most efficient and sustainable
electricity supply.
The EU is also behind the push towards market integration. This
is one of the single biggest challenges facing the Irish electricity
market today. By 2016, Ireland will be part of a single, wholesale
electricity market covering Great Britain, Ireland and Northern
Ireland – 15 times the size of our current market. Although this will
drive scope and scale efficiencies and help to address security of
supply, it will also necessitate unprecedented levels of investment in
infrastructure and expertise.
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Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
Decisions taken today will have consequences for
the next 20, 30 and even 50 years.
The ‘trilemma’ facing the Irish electricity sector in this period of
uncertainty and change is the need to balance the competing forces
of cost, security of supply and sustainability. In the absence of free
flowing capital or obvious technological solutions, innovation is a
necessity.
Throughout our history, ESB has always taken a leading role in driving forward innovations in the electricity sector to bring about positive changes in Ireland’s society and economy. Our current strategy
is underpinned by similar motivations – to drive innovation in the
electricity sector so that Ireland can attract high growth industries
and become a global hub for green energy and cleantech businesses.
Smart network
Over the past decade, ESB has invested over €6bn to upgrade and
develop the electricity grid to cater for load growth and support
increases in wind generation. This investment has paid dividends for
customers and for Ireland in general.
Ireland now has one of the world’s most reliable and efficient elec-
A Nissan LEAF at an ESB ecar fast charge point in Monasterevin.
tricity networks and the building blocks are in place for a smart
grid, capable of supporting distributed renewable generation and
allowing customers to take more control over managing their own
electricity consumption. IBM recently cited Ireland as having the
third most advanced smart network in the world.
Plentiful clean energy
ESB is also working to improve the efficiency and sustainability of
Ireland’s generation capacity, by divesting aging plant and investing
in highly efficient modern plant and wind generation. As a result,
Ireland now has plentiful supplies of clean energy, and a healthy
capacity margin to accommodate future growth.
The high cost and security issues relating to fossil fuel and the
continuing focus on decarbonisation will, however, necessitate
further changes in the way electricity is generated. Within ESB, we
are looking ahead at the technologies that will be needed to support
this, including clean coal and alternative renewable resources.
With Ireland’s vast ocean energy resources, we are confident that
wave energy will be part of our future energy mix and are working
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289
Fullabrook Windfarm in Devon, the largest onshore wind farm in the UK, is owned by ESB.
IBM recently cited Ireland as having the third most advanced
smart network in the world
in collaboration with a number of ocean energy technology developers to support the development and commercialisation of new
technologies in this area.
Leading the charge
Ireland provides an ideal test-bed for electric vehicles because of
its relatively small size, the suitability of our climate for batteries
and our plentiful wind supplies. As the transport industry turns to
electricity as an alternative fuel source, ESB is helping Ireland to
take advantage of this by rolling out a charge point infrastructure
across the island of Ireland. To date, over 1,000 charge points have
been installed. We are also working with IBM to build a cloud-based
electric vehicle IT system and are playing a leading role in Green
eMotion, the biggest EU demonstration programme on electric vehicles.
Promoting sustainability
Energy efficiency can help to address all three challenges in
Ireland’s energy ‘trilemma’ and is therefore a priority for ESB. We
have adopted sustainable practices across all of our operations and
are actively promoting energy efficiency among our customer base
through information campaigns and the development of energy
efficient products and services. For example, through our retail
brand, Electric Ireland, we offer a complete range of services to help
business and residential customers save money by implementing
energy efficiency measures. ESB is supporting innovation in sustainable energy through ESBNovusModus, a €200m investment fund in
the cleantech sector. This fund is focusing on companies involved
in clean, low carbon generation and energy efficiency technologies, which are at the commercialisation phase and have a capital
requirement of at least €3m.
Our aim is to identify emerging business opportunities for ESB and
acquire knowledge of innovative technologies, as well as helping
portfolio companies to succeed. Almost half of our investments to
date have been in Irish companies, mainly in the wind and energy
efficiency sectors and over 250 jobs have been created.
Industry collaboration
Recognising that collaboration is essential for innovation, ESB is
the driving force behind the ‘Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems’
Strategic Research Cluster, managed through the Energy Research
Centre in UCD. This initiative brings together industry experts and
academics in the electricity, telecommunications and IT sectors to
tackle fundamental challenges underpinning the emergence of
integrated, smart and sustainable electrical energy systems.
We are also collaborating with the US-based Electricity Power
Research Institute (EPRI) to develop practical solutions to facilitate
increased renewable penetration on the Irish grid and develop a
smart network. A number of smart grid demonstration projects
focusing on reducing the carbon footprint of the electricity distri-
290
bution system, enabling dynamic control of
wind-farms and self-healing networks have
already provided positive results. In 2011, ESB
received the PowerGrid International SmartGrid Demo award, demonstrating international
recognition for our work in the area of smart
grid demonstration.
Innovation to underpin prosperity
Although the future is fraught with uncertainty, Ireland is already very well positioned
to become the preferred location for companies seeking a secure, reliable and efficient
electricity supply. However, to sustain this,
and address the ‘trilemma’ of cost, security of
supply and sustainability, ongoing innovation
is essential.
Through collaboration, leadership and investment in critical infrastructure, ESB is driving
forward innovative projects that will enable
Ireland to fully realise the potential of the
emerging cleantech and green energy sectors,
and over time, put our economy firmly back on
the road to recovery.
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 Pat O’Doherty, MIEI, joined ESB in 1981,
having graduated in electrical engineering
from UCD. During his career, he has worked
in most areas of the company, including key
roles as managing director of ESB Networks,
executive director of ESB Power Generation
and general manager of Synergen. He was
executive director of ESB Energy International before being appointed as chief executive of ESB in October 2011. In the year
since his appointment, the company has
announced plans to build its largest CCGT
station (880 MW) at Carrington, Manchester. The project represents a very significant
expansion of ESB’s generation capacity in
the UK. In April 2012, ESB management
and unions agreed a very significant cost
reduction programme, which will see the
company’s cost base reducing by €280m
by 2015. From Dublin, Pat enjoys all sport,
particularly hurling and Gaelic football. He
has played at all levels and coached and
managed his club. Nowadays he enjoys
walking and golf.
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The need to increase energy and
operational efficiencies is continually
intensifying.
B
C
D
E
F
G
Energy performance contracts
open up new opportunities
Hugh Cummins and Heather Murphy report on a new trend for contractual arrangements to deliver
verifiable energy efficiency improvements
Energy performance contracting (EPC) can be described as a contractual arrangement between an energy user (typically a building owner)
and the provider of an energy efficiency improvement measure, which
is verified and monitored during the term of the contract.
EPC has been likened by some industry commentators to design/
build construction contracting where an energy service company
(ESCO) has turnkey responsibility for providing customers with a
comprehensive set of energy efficiency measures. Such measures
often incorporate the use of renewable energy such as the installation of solar panels or ground source heat pumps, for example.
In some cases, water efficiency measures also form part of EPC
arrangements. EPC is also a means to help achieve energy efficiency
industry standards such as ISO 50001, which specifies requirements
for establishing and maintaining and improving energy management
systems to achieve continual improvement of energy performance,
including energy efficiency, energy use and consumption.
New concept
While EPC is still a relatively new concept in Ireland and the EU, it has
been adopted in a number of overseas markets such as the US and
Canada as a mechanism to achieve significant energy savings. Under
the EPC model, the investment required to implement energy efficiency measures (e.g. purchasing plant and equipment) is recouped
from the cost savings achieved in carrying out such measures during
the lifetime of the project.
Funding for these projects typically comes from third parties or directly
from the ESCO itself. From a building owner’s perspective, this makes
EPC an attractive method of financing and implementing energy
efficiency improvements.
Driven by the need to increase energy and operational efficiencies,
reduce costs and, in some cases, to meet new legal obligations, the
EPC market worldwide is expected to grow significantly in the short
to medium term. In the US alone, one of the most developed EPC
markets, sales are expected to reach $16bn by 2020.
The size of the European market is considerable. On September
14, the French President announced a decision to carry out retrofit to over 1m buildings each year at a cost of between €15,000
and €30,000 each. However, the potential benefits of EPC for Irish
building owners, managers and energy efficiency service providers
is still largely unexplored and underutilised. Consequently, there
are increasing opportunities for engineers to participate in this new
and growing market.
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Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 Key features of EPCs
Generally, in EPC the ESCO assumes a significant element of the
project’s performance risk, which typically works on either a guaranteed savings or shared saving basis. Under the guaranteed saving
model, the ESCO will guarantee that a certain level of energy saving
will be achieved over the duration of the contract. The level of guarantee varies from contract to contract; however, in most cases the
ESCO will be obliged to make some payment to the user/customer if
the level of savings achieved falls short. Equally, if savings exceed
the level guaranteed there may be an additional bonus payment to
the ESCO. In the case of shared savings, the ESCO and the customer
will share an agreed portion of the savings realised by the energy
efficiency measures. In both cases, savings are determined by comparing energy use or demand before and after the implementation of
the energy efficiency measures. Necessary mathematical adjustments
for changes in conditions are then made. This process is referred
to as ‘measurement and verification’ (M&V) and is a fundamental
element of EPC. Robust M&V practice begins with accurate recording
of the user’s baseline energy consumption for the building. The baseline is a combination of (i) the parameters that describe the energy
consumed in the baseline period and (ii) the conditions that gave rise
to such energy consumption in the building. The baseline information
should include, among other things: all baseline energy consumption and demand data, independent variable data (e.g. production
rates, ambient temperature) and static factors including occupancy
type and density, operating conditions, size, type, and insulation of
any relevant building envelope elements (walls, roofs, etc.) and preexisting equipment operating practices.
The International Performance Measurement & Verification Protocol
(IPMVP) is a standard prepared by the Efficiency Valuation Organisa-
www.engineersjournal.ie
tion, which is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to
creating M&V tools. The IPMVP is becoming the industry standard
used in many EPCs to measure and verify the savings made.
Barriers to market
To date there have been a number of barriers to entry to the market
which have prevented the establishment of the EPC model. These
barriers can range from technicians and engineers not having the
requisite skillset on the one hand to lack of knowledge of the existence of the ESCO concept on the other.
Research has been carried out worldwide (in the US in particular)
on problems with the ESCO market and how to facilitate greater
take-up. The US Government Accountability Office previously issued
a comprehensive report on energy savings performance contracts.
This extensive report identified as a critical issue the lack of technical
skills within the public bodies procuring EPCs. In particular, the report
highlighted concerns in relation to M&V of energy efficiency, as well
as the lack of transparency and potential conflicts where sub-standard
in-house technical skills did not ensure the M&V being undertaken
was of the required accuracy. One of the lessons to be learned from
this research is that there will be opportunities both now and further
down the line for engineers to develop their skills base and become
part of a developing market.
EPC market drivers
One of the main drivers behind the development of the EPC market in
Ireland to date has been the implementation of EU Directives in the
energy and environmental sector. The new Energy Efficiency Directive,
adopted in September 2012, introduces a range of mandatory energysaving measures that will help to kick-start the Irish EPC market
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
including requirements in respect of renovating public buildings,
energy-saving schemes for utilities and energy audits.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is the body charged
with transforming Ireland into a country based on sustainable energy
structures, technologies and practices. SEAI is providing financial
assistance by means of grant aid to ESCOs with a view to developing
the formative Irish market so there is support available for firms and
companies who want to get involved in EPC.
Increasing opportunities
Given the legislative and policy drivers behind the development of
the ESCO market in Ireland there will be increasing opportunities
for engineers to move into the field of EPC. From what we have seen
to date, most of the entrants into the emerging Irish ESCO market
are either energy consulting firms or existing facilities management
companies looking to broaden their services base to generate more
income. A broad technical engineering skillset across all engineering disciplines is crucial to any comprehensive ESCO project, which
is both the challenge facing the burgeoning market, as well as part
of its appeal. Structural engineering is necessary in projects requiring the installation of large plant or structural reconfiguration while
mechanical, electrical and software know-how is vital in the ongoing
M&V of the energy performance of buildings and facilities.
Hugh Cummins, B.A., B.A.I. is an associate solicitor in the
Projects, Construction and Energy unit of Philip Lee Solicitors,
a firm with specialist energy and environmental expertise. Hugh
is an engineering graduate from Trinity College Dublin and is
a member of both Engineers Ireland and the Law Society of
Ireland.
Heather Murphy, B. Corp. Law, LL.B. LL.M is an associate solicitor in the Environment and Climate Change unit at Philip Lee
Solicitors in Dublin.
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New CPD Employer standard
The new national CPD Employer standard will come into effect
from January 1, 2013. Organisations interested in learning more
about the new revised standard can visit
www.engineersireland.ie/cpdemployers and download the new
employer guide.
CPD Employer standard leads the
way: Education Minister
Speaking at the launch of the revised Engineers Ireland national CPD
Accredited Employer standard, the Minister for Education and Skills
Ruairí Quinn, TD, highlighted the importance of continuing professional development (CPD) for engineers. He said: “The engineering
sector is central to Ireland’s economic recovery. It is important to ensure
our engineering talent already in the workforce continues to upskill
and progress.”
The Minister added that the Engineers Ireland national CPD standard
was “leading the way” in this regard, by presenting a framework of
ideas and practical options for all engineering employers of all sizes in
all sectors. “By investing in people, organisations are able to adapt to
their business environment and ultimately generate success.”
Minister Quinn was joined by the President of the American Chamber
of Commerce Ireland, Peter O’Neill, Managing Director of IBM Ireland,
for the launch of the revised CPD standard for engineering employers following a major year-long research and consultation period by
Engineers Ireland to revise the standard in line with international best
practice. First launched by Engineers Ireland in 1999, the national
standard has now been achieved by 144 leading engineering employers
and is backed by the Department of Education and Skills.
Pictured at the launch of the revised Engineers Ireland national CPD Accredited
Employer standard were (l-r): Aidan Harney, CPD Director, Engineers Ireland; Peter
O'Neill, managing director, IBM Ireland and president of the American Chamber
of Commerce Ireland; Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn T.D. and John
Power, Director General, Engineers Ireland.
Front (l-r): David Fahey, MIEI, and Orlaith O’Brien, MIEI, participants on the
Engineers Ireland Future Professionals Programme.
Back (l-r): Professor Brian Norton, president, DIT and John Power Chartered
Engineer, Director General, Engineers Ireland.
Future Professionals Programme
gains Level 9 DIT accreditation
Engineers Ireland’s Future Professionals Programme has been accredited by Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). The course was designed in
conjunction with employers. The DIT partnership will result in awards at
Level 9 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) being
made to successful participants. Speaking on the announcement John
Power, Engineers Ireland’s Director General said; "The underpinning
ethos of this programme is to encourage the emergence and growth of
T-shaped engineers who are strong in their chosen discipline but also
adept at collaboration, communication, creativity and critical-thinking.
This philosophy matches the 21st century skills requirements of leading engineering organisations globally." The first strand, the Graduate
Transition Programme, is designed to equip recent graduates with
the necessary skills to move successfully from full-time study to the
workplace. Under the new agreement, a CPD Certificate in Professional Engineering (NFQ Level 9, 5 ECTS) will be awarded. The second
strand, the Professional Progression Programme, aims to broaden and
deepen the skills required by professional engineers in the initial years
of their professional career. Successful participants on this 18-month
programme will gain a CPD Diploma in Professional Engineering (NFQ
Level 9, 30 ECTS). To find out more about the programme strands and
the next intake in January 2013 please visit www.engineersireland.ie/cpd/future
ESB Generation Operations has achieved CPD Accredited Employer reaccreditation for a further three years. Pictured at the presentation marking the
achievement were (l-r): Adrian Carroll, training manager, Generation; John Power,
Director General, Engineers Ireland; Paddy Hayes, executive director, Generation
and Wholesale Markets; and Ciaran Allen, knowledge manager, Generation.
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CPD Courses coming in 2013
CPD Workshop: Eurocodes Update and Worked Examples
Workshop aim: The Eurocodes are now the de-facto standard for the verification of structural designs in
Ireland. There are differences between the approaches to the Eurocodes in Ireland compared with the United
Kingdom, formerly the guiding light for Irish design. In many cases the Irish National Annexes are closer to
the approach taken by the remaining countries in the European Union. It is therefore important that delegates
become aware of these differences.
The workshop has been designed to inform delegates of the principles and application rules of the Eurocodes
in a workshop format for the design of structures in an Irish environment.
Venue: Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Dublin 4
Date: Thursday, January 24 and Friday, January 25, 2013
CPD Course: PAS 55 and the new ISO standard ISO5500
Course aim: PAS 55 is the British Standards Institution’s “Publicly Available Specification” for the optimised
management of physical assets and infrastructure – it provides clear definitions and a 28-point requirements specification for optimised and whole-life asset management systems. It is the international reference
standard, providing a clear and concise definition of what needs to be done to tune physical assets for business
objectives at any point in their lifecycle.
This entry level course will educate and help delegates understand Asset Management, inform them of what it
can do for them and prepare them for the new ISO standard ISO55000.
Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Venue: Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Dublin 4
January
24/25
Eurocodes Update and Worked Examples Workshop
28
Expert Witness Courtroom Training for Engineers
29
PAS 55 and the new ISO standard ISO5500
February
4
Finance for Engineers
5
Advanced Finance for Engineers
7
Negotiation Skills
7/8
Designing for Safety in Construction
18/19
Sustainable Pumping – Best Practice Pump System Design &
Operation
21/22
Technical Report Writing
To book, or for more information on any of the above, contact the CPD training team.
Tel: 01 665 1305; Email: cpdtraining@engineersireland.ie
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 296
www.engineersjournal.ie
Figure 1.
I want to continue
receiving my hard copy
of The Engineers Journal
I like the eJournal digital
version and am happy to say
goodbye to the print version
I don’t know
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Congratulations to Mary Lynch who completed
the eJournal survey and wins the iPad mini!
Introducing our first
initiative of 2013
The Engineers Journal launches a digital initiative in 2013 and bids farewell to print
We tested the new prototype eJournal in November and carried out
a membership survey shortly after that. The results clearly indicate
that the majority of respondents are ready to say goodbye to the
print edition of The Engineers Journal. Most of you would like to
enjoy a better reader experience that the digital version will allow.
On November 24, 2012, Council agreed unanimously that the
November December issue of The Engineers Journal would be the
last print issue. For survey result, see Figure 1.
The eJournal will allow us to provide news and technical information
for members through the medium of news snippets, long form articles, video presentations and audio interviews. An in-house editorial
function will ensure that we leverage the huge amount of technical
information that passes through the door of 22 Clyde Road every
day in the form of speakers at our CPD seminars and our evening
technical lectures.
A significant minority of you would like to continue to receive the
print copy but with the continued drop in print advertising revenues,
unfortunately budgets dictate that providing both mediums is not
possible. The Engineers Journal will remain a benefit of membership
with access to some content only available to members who have
signed in using their existing membership profile.
We hope you enjoy the journey that we’re all about to embark on
together. We’ll be looking for your feedback once we’ve launched so
we can continue to ensure the content meets your needs, the needs
of the professional engineering community.
John Power
Chartered Engineer
Director General
Facilities Management Ireland
Managing Safe
Working Environments
Now is the time to be focusing on your core
business offering.
FM Ireland is where you can meet the
companies and source the products, services
and solutions that will increase your efficiency
and add value to your business.
Incorporating Health and Safety Ireland, this
event combines a multi-streamed conference
programme with Ireland’s largest and most
complete exhibition.
Supporting Associations:
FM Ireland is your chance to see the latest in:
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
HEALTH & SAFETY
SECURITY
ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY
MAINTENANCE
ASSET MANAGEMENT
CLEANING & WASTE MANAGEMENT
Incorporating
Health
Safety
&
IRELAND
6-7 March 2013
RDS, Dublin
Register online visit: www.fmireland.com
298
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
Tomorrow’s world:
the challenge of balancing resources and consumption
Ensuring that we maintain sustainable supplies of vital resources is an objective that should be prioritised over short-term political
considerations no matter how pressing, writes Frank Turvey Chartered Engineer, FIEI, FIAE, FNucI, FInstP
“Without foresight the people perish.” This saying comes to mind when
one ponders the problems of the world and sees the politicians busy
solving the financial, social and various other dilemmas that plague
us today; very laudable but the problems around the corner that are
not recognised are those that will, if unaddressed, eventually cripple
mankind and may possibly be fatal for us. These problems demand
the attention of politicians with foresight.
The key challenges revolve around ensuring that we have the capabilities to provide future generations with sufficient clean air, water, energy
and food, the basic resources needed for sustaining life. The demand for
them is increasing with population growth and that has been growing
rapidly: in 1,000 AD the population was about 275m; in 1850 it was
1bn and today it is over 7bn. It is expected to reach 9bn in 2050.
Supply and demand
Clearly, resources must be sufficient to match demand. If not, people
will die, and not just from starvation. It is a real possibility that many
will die fighting for the diminishing resources.
Recognising the nexuses or bonds that exist between air, energy, water
and food resources is important in the process of matching supply with
demand. Take this fundamental example of the several chains formed
by these resources globally:
XX air is needed to burn fossil fuels and release energy;
XX energy is needed to purify, store and pump water to consumers;
XX water is needed to quench thirst and grow food; and,
XX food is needed to maintain life.
As with any chain, its strength is in the weakest link; if one breaks, the
chain’s ability to function is lost and so it is essential that each resource
and nexus is maintained intact.
The bad news is that the energy resource is weak. It is derived mainly
from the burning of fossil fuels. This releases toxic gases, particulate
matter (PM 10 et al) and greenhouse gases, causing climate change
and contamination of air and water.
Scarcity of essential resources will lead to mass migrations and/or war.
This is not an unreasonable prediction: we know it from history, both
recent and not so recent. It happened a long time ago in Easter Island
a very remote place in the Pacific Ocean.
The island was discovered and populated by Polynesians in about 900
AD. When first discovered it was deemed to be a ‘paradise’. It had fertile
soil, heavily wooded with a variety of trees, and was populated with
land and sea birds. Thereafter, a decline set in, caused by tree-felling.
Soil erosion on the treeless, windswept plains made agriculture less and
less productive. When Captain Cook visited in 1774, he discovered “a
miserable population” of a few hundred people who had managed to
survive inter-clan warfare on a deforested, infertile island.
The story of Easter Island is being repeated today in parts of Africa, for
example, Sudan, where the desert has moved 100km south into once
fertile land. The International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) predicts
that some 250m people in Africa will not have enough water to drink
by 2020. This is likely to cause mass migrations and confrontations at
borders. Similar problems have occurred in the Near East.
Irish outlook
Is Ireland at risk? Not immediately, our air quality is satisfactory.
Although, it should be remembered that some 30 years ago, air quality
in Dublin, and in some other cities, fell below international standards
for a while. Our public water quality is good but an enormous amount
is wasted through leakage. This is a problem that has been brought to
the attention of governments over the years by engineers but one which,
up until now at least, has never attracted the level of funding needed
to implement a comprehensive solution. Recently, contamination in
several areas exceeded international standards and restrictions in use
had to be introduced. Our energy source is mainly from imported fossil
fuels and thus we are unlikely to comply with IPCC 2020 requirements
for greenhouse gas emissions.
Thankfully, our food is of good quality.
While we are not in immediate danger, we cannot be complacent. We
do live in one world where the space available for human habitation
is decreasing and what one country does in its own space can harm
another. We could, for example, be faced with the need to provide for
refugees who have lost their land and properties or we could be flooded
by rising sea levels - a potential consequence of climate change. Because
we share the same atmosphere and environment, what happens in the
Arctic, Africa and Asia may spread to us and quickly. If we are to avoid
serious environmental degradation such as is happening in parts of
Africa and the Near East we must tend to our own weaknesses in the
areas of water and energy supplies. At the very least, we must comply
with international standards.
The problem of supply of essential resources exists both here in Ireland
and worldwide. We must not delay in solving it. It is a problem for all
of the one world in which we live. The elements of the solution are to
reduce demand for resources (through population control, simpler
lifestyles, conservation of energy, etc) and to control greenhouse gas
emissions and toxic emissions from burning and waste degradation.
Achieving these requires foresight and leadership in all nations and
an effective international regulatory network. Living for the moment
is not an option that mankind can afford.
Frank Turvey retired as assistant chief executive from the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) in 1998. Since retirement from the RPII, he has acted as a consultant in the fields of
radiological protection and nuclear safety and lectured on an
occasional basis at University College Dublin, the Dublin Institute
of Technology, Dublin City University and Engineers Ireland. In
August 2004, he was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Physics
and, in February 2006, a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering, where he has served as a member of its Energy Committee.
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
299
In Memory of Departed Friends and Colleagues
January 1, 2012 to October 30, 2012.
Name
John
John
Brendan
Daniel
Patrick
Michael
Daniel
Shane
Dermot
Donal
Paul
Tony
Gareth
John
Patrick
Joe
Patrick
Thomas
Edward
John
Peter
Francis
James
Sean
Micheal
James
Gavin
John
William
J Horace
Paul
Pearse
Edward
Denis
Cornelius
Edmond
Patrick
Jeremiah
Pierce
Robert
Jeremiah
Thomas
Neil
Mark
Arthur
Engineers Ireland region
Angley
Bownes
Byrne
Cahalane
Carroll
Coleman
Coughlan
Courtney
Cronin
Downes
Duff
Duggan
Evans
Fitzpatrick
Frost
Gantly
Gilmartin
Glynn
Hanrahan
Higgins
Kelleghan
Kenny
Kiernan
Liddy
MacCarthaigh
Martin
McHugh
McKenzie
McNamara
Miller
Moore
Nolan
O'Brien
O'Callaghan
O'Carroll
O'Dwyer
O'Gorman
O'Regan
Power
Shannon
Sheehan
Shinkwin
Spencer
Ussher
West
CEng FIEI
MIEI
CEng FIEI
CEng MIEI
CEng MIEI
Student
CEng MIEI
Student
MIEI
CEng FIEI
MIEI
CEng FIEI
MIEI
CEng FIEI
CEng MIEI
CEng FIEI
MIEI
CEng MIEI
FIEI (Hon)
FIEI (Hon)
CEng FIEI
Tech IEI
CEng MIEI
CEng MIEI
CEng MIEI
CEng FIEI
MIEI
CEng FIEI
MIEI
CEng FIEI
MIEI
CEng FIEI
CEng FIEI
CEng MIEI
CEng MIEI
CEng FIEI
CEng FIEI
CEng FIEI
CEng MIEI
CEng FIEI
CEng MIEI
CEng FIEI
Student
MIEI
CEng MIEI
Dublin
West
Dublin
Cork
Dublin
South-East
Cork
An Ríocht
Dublin
West
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin
Cork
Dublin
West
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin
Thomond
Cork
Thomond
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin
GB
North-East
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin
An Ríocht
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin
Cork
Dublin
GB
Dublin
Dublin
South-East
Overseas
Dublin
While every effort has been made to ensure a comprehensive listing, Engineers Ireland is not responsible for any omissions or errors and
welcomes any updates or corrections.
R.I.P.
300
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
Living in a material world
developing material efficiency
Ireland is confronted with unprecedented challenges to provide economic recovery and achieve sustainable growth. In this
context, resource efficiency presents a number of opportunities to do more with less for Irish organisations. There are a
number of aspects to resource efficiency, Olivier Gaillot and Odile Le Bolloch focus on one of the fundamentals – material
efficiency
Material efficiency means providing material and services with less
material production and processing. Material efficiency was normal
practice prior to the industrial revolution, as the relatively high
value of materials compared to labour ensured that buildings and
products were maintained, repaired and upgraded1. However, in
recent times, waste generation and use of resources have increased
to unsustainably high levels.
Global trends
The global trends that drive resource use and related environmental pressures include the rapid growth of the world population (approaching 9 billion by 2050), intensive industrialisation
of large emerging economies, increasing affluence and higher
levels of consumption associated with global trade in materials and
commodities2.
From a national perspective, the Domestic Material Consumption
(DMC) per capita was 33 tonnes of materials in 2008, down from
53 tonnes of materials used in Ireland in 2007. This trend reflects
a decrease in activity in construction in 2008. However, in 2008, the
DMC per capita was still twice the EU average of 16 tonnes3.
Some of the resources consumed remain in the economy (18 tonnes
per capita) and add to the durable material stock (houses, roads etc.).
Unfortunately, the rest (15 tonnes per capita) is converted into emissions or waste. At some point in the future, virtually all resources used
eventually become waste, whether this takes place within days (e.g.
food packaging), years (e.g. electrical equipment) or decades (e.g.
buildings, infrastructure refurbishment) of consumption.
Consequences
Some consequences of this growing demand are already clear;
climate is changing due to the burning of fossil fuels, ecosystems
and biodiversity are being lost, fertile land is taken up, and waste is
generated in ever-growing quantities.
Other consequences are not yet as apparent. Non-renewable
resources are finite and some may be nearing the point of exhaustion — including strategic materials such as oil, natural gas and
several metals. International competition for access to some
resources, such as water, land, food, etc., will result in increased
costs to businesses, political tensions or, potentially, open conflicts.
A life-cycle approach (see Figure 1) is needed to ensure that impacts
are assessed from cradle to grave and environmental impacts are
not simply hidden by moving them to different stages of production
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
or consumption. At production level, life-cycle analysis indicates
that the economic sectors causing greatest environmental impact
include energy and water supply, transport, mining and construction as well as agriculture4. From a consumption level, food and
beverages, private transport and housing (including construction
and energy consumption) are those consumption categories that are
causing the highest life-cycle environmental impacts. Tourism and
air travel are also emerging as future key impact areas.
The challenge for society is to break the link between economic
growth and the environmental impacts arising from commercial
production/service provision, resource use, consumption and waste
generation. Improving resource efficiency can help to achieve this.
Sustainable development
In the broader sense, resource efficiency is closely linked to sustainable development. The United Nations defines resource efficiency as “reducing the environmental impact of the production
and consumption of goods and services over their full life cycle”.
Sustainable development requires that resource efficiency improvements go beyond the mere adjustments of production technologies,
by involving actions such as consumption incentives, behaviour and
institutional arrangements5. In addition to environmental benefits,
increasing resource efficiency can bring major economic opportunities, improve productivity, drive down costs and boost competitiveness6. It can also improve the security of supply of raw materials
and make the economy more resilient to future increases in global
energy and commodity prices.
But there are several barriers that have to be overcome, such as
knowledge gaps limiting our ability to respond, short-termism in
decision-making, market failures (limited inclusion of externalities
in pricing), inconsistency between policies, lock-in in consumption
and behavourial patterns, technological lock-in and outdated business models7.
Waste prevention
Waste prevention, reuse and recycling can help improving resource
efficiency. Prevention of waste is preferable to waste management and is at the highest level in the EU waste hierarchy. Reducing the use of resources will reduce waste generation, energy use,
transport impacts and all consequential environmental impacts.
In general, waste prevention can be achieved either by reducing the
overall level of demand for goods and services or by using less, or
less harmful, materials to meet reasonable needs. Prevention also
seeks to reduce emissions, to reduce harmful substances in material
streams and their dissipation, and to improve resource efficiency
throughout the life-cycle of a product or service.
Once waste is created, it has to be managed. Management and
disposal of waste put pressures on both the environment, for
example, through the emission of pollutants and the demand for
energy or land, and on human health, especially in the case of poor
waste management. But waste is also a potential resource: materials in many waste streams can be reused, recycled, or recovered.
By recycling waste, environmental impacts can be significantly
reduced compared with using virgin materials. The economic value
of some waste materials can be illustrated by prices they attract. For
example, in recent years, the weighted average price of some traded
plastic waste for recycling exceeded €300 per tonne, higher than
coal, wheat or iron ore8.
301
National Waste
Prevention Programme
The EPA-led National Waste Prevention Programme has been
running since 2004 and has generated many sustainability/
resource efficiency (waste, energy and waste) projects and case
studies. The programme includes a suite of initiatives focused
on resource efficiency including the Local Authority Prevention
Network, the Green Business Initiative with online tools for any
organisation to use to cut costs and improve resource efficiency;
the Green Hospitality Award scheme; the Packaging Prevention
Programme; Green Healthcare (extending the work with the hospitality organisations to the healthcare sector); Stop Food Waste
and Green Home. The programme also publishes annual National
Waste Reports and the National Hazardous Waste Management
Plan, and enforces a number of producer responsibility initiatives
including waste electrical and electronic equipment, restriction of
hazardous substances, solvents and decorative paints. The regulations in relation to ozone depleting substances, persistent organic
pollutants and polychlorinated biphenyls are implemented within
NWPP also. For more information, see www.nwpp.ie
rx3 ‘rethink,
recycle, remake’
rx3 ‘rethink, recycle, remake’ funded by the Department of the
Environment, Community and Local Government is another
national platform contributing to resource efficiency. rx3 is
intended to help close the material loop, through the development of markets for recyclables in the Republic of Ireland. It has a
particular focus upon organics, plastics and paper which accounts
for two thirds of the municipal waste stream.
Complementing the EPA National Waste Reports, rx3 published
detailed reports providing market intelligence on availability
and quality of recyclable materials (important for business
decisions and to apply for or allocate funding). rx3 also funded
and published guidance to improve business processes (Best
Practice Guidance for Recovered Paper, IS441 Compost Quality
Standard) and is funding a Compost Quality Assurance Scheme
and compost crop trials. As eco-design is an important part of
resource efficiency, rx3 runs the Trash2Cash competition and set
up an eco-designer support network – Remake – to help startups raise their profiles and get to market. rx3 also receives and
answers business queries regarding recycling. The rx3 programme
has also been charged with developing research into green public
procurement methodologies, target-setting and effective implementation, evaluation and monitoring. For more information, see
www.rx3.ie
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
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The role of engineers
Engineers have an important role to play in developing, implementing and promoting resource efficient solutions. Engineers are called
on to design and manage complex systems, or simple systems to
meet complex sets of demands. They can bring the innovative skills
required to address the resource efficiency challenges by integrating
consideration of whole-life environmental and social impacts with
the mainstream and commercial aspects of their work.
For example, they can drive down the adverse environmental impacts
of infrastructure through eco-design (80 per cent9 of the environmental impacts of a product are determined during the design phase).
Engineers as specifiers using life-cycle costing can also influence the
use of clean technologies or more sustainable products and services. In addressing the resource efficiency challenges, engineers can
find support from the EPA-led National Waste Prevention Programme
(see Panel 1, p.301) and rx3 ‘rethink, recycle, remake’ (see Panel 2,
p.301). These programmes do not exist in a vacuum, they are part of
a national family of programmes (including Enterprise Ireland and
the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) designed to promote a
more sustainable society and economy. Further information on State
supports and advice from these agencies in the development and
implementation of resource efficiency strategies and solutions can
be found in the Green Enterprise Guide10.
Olivier Gaillot, MIEI, is the project manager for rx3 and the
Engineers Ireland representative on the National Waste
Prevention Committee. He is also a technical director at RPS.
An environmental engineer, he recently completed an MBS
in Strategic Procurement. Olivier has 14 years’ experience of
environmental engineering, resource efficiency, waste strategy, waste planning and implementation. He has been project
manager on national projects including two EPA national
municipal waste characterisation campaigns, the development
of a protocol to monitor biodegradable municipal waste going
to landfill and the second Irish hazardous waste strategy. He
also worked on district heating market development projects in
Dublin and in an EU funded project for the European District
Heating Association.
Odile Le Bolloch is a scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, where she contributes to the promotion of waste
prevention and resource efficiency through the National Waste
Prevention Programme. She is project manager for the Local
Authority Prevention Network, a key component in building
capacity in local authorities for the promotion of resource efficiency and waste prevention at a local and grassroots level,
and Stop Food Waste, a programme providing tips and advice
for householders and commercial operations that wish to
reduce food waste.
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Figure 1: Life-Cycle Chain from Extraction through Production
to Consumption and Waste (Source: EEA, 2007).
References
1. Allwood, J.M., Ashbya, M.F., Gutowski, T.G., & Worrell, E.
(2011). Material efficiency: A white paper. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 55 (2011) 362–381.
2. EEA (2010) The European environment – state and outlook
2010: Thematic assessment | Material resources and waste.
3. Compiled from CSO population statistics and CSO Material Flow
Accounts available at: http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/environment/2008/material_flow_
accounts08.pdf
4. EEA, 2010. The European environment – state and outlook
2010: Synthesis.
5. PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (2011) EU
Resource Efficiency Perpsectives in a Global Context.
6. European Commission (2011) A resource-efficient Europe –
Flagship initiative under the Europe 2020 Strategy.
7. European Commission (2011) Analysis associated with the
Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe Part I.
8. EEA (2010) The European environment – state and outlook
2010: Thematic assessment|Material resources and waste.
9. EU Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, Ecodesign
Your Future. Available at http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/
sustainable-business/ecodesign/files/brochure_ecodesign_
en.pdf
10.http://www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/other/corporate/Developing per cent20a per cent20Green per cent20Enterprise per
cent20Navigator.pdf
www.engineersjournal.ie Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012
303
Alignment
of the project
portfolio with
business
strategy
Project
portfolio
selection
and
retention
Performance
of the project
portfolio
Project
portfolio
management
Risk
balancing
across
projects
Resource
Allocation
Figure 1.
How to manage effectively
in a multi-project environment
Roger Sweetman, Dr Orla O’Dwyer and Kieran Conboy on the challenges organisations face managing project portfolios
The current difficult economic conditions place organisations under
greater pressure than ever to increase performance and achieve efficiencies. In such times, organisations must ensure the portfolio of
engineering projects and programmes they invest in will provide a
return and assure the continued survival and prosperity of the business. They must adapt and change their project portfolio quickly
to meet the needs of dynamic, fast-paced and highly competitive
environments.
Consequently, good project portfolio management (PPM) practices
must exist within organisations to ensure that the right projects are
selected to achieve maximum value and aligned with strategic goals.
While PPM has received increasing attention from industry in recent
years, many organisations do not practice ‘good’ PPM and face difficulties such as incomplete or delayed projects.
Indeed, it is not always entirely clear how effective PPM is achieved.
The management of multiple projects is very different to that of
singular projects and thus requires a different perspective, including
the use of tools and techniques specifically designed for multiple
project management.
There are five key challenges (Figure 1) that organisations should
address to optimise their PPM where PPM refers to a group of projects,
carried out under the sponsorship and/or management of a particular
organisation, that share and compete for the same resources.
Alignment with business strategy
Ideally, all projects within an organisation should link to the overall
strategic goals of the firm, thus creating synergies and optimal use
of resources. For many organisations linking organisational strategy
to project spending is a challenge. This is particularly problematic
when large numbers of projects are included in the portfolio or when
the goals of individual projects are too narrow, resulting in a lack of
transparency across projects as to which are most beneficial to the
organisation.
Further problems can arise when ill-informed or inexperienced executives take decisions to proceed with projects without expert consultation. To address these challenges, organisations may build strategic
criteria into the project selection process or introduce a project scoring
mechanism to ensure projects are aligned with strategy.
304
Volume 66: Issue 6 I November/December 2012 Project portfolio selection and retention
Frequently, organisations have too many active projects with projects
selected that do not add value. Organisations must implement a selection process that identifies which projects to prioritise, start or stop.
Internal politics can hamper decisions with managers not wishing to
sacrifice their project in a re-prioritisation process.
Managers may have a vested interest in prioritising their own project
and may be reluctant to agree to the assignment of resources to
other projects.
To avoid working on the ‘wrong’ projects, the project list should be
regularly reviewed and updated with new projects added following evaluation, existing projects re-prioritised or terminated, and
resources re-allocated to higher priority projects. There is a danger
that some organisations may select easy projects or are not prepared
to terminate projects when necessary, resulting in poor quality or
at least sub-optimal project portfolios. Consequently, organisations
must define specific criteria to prevent this from occurring.
Project portfolio performance
A project portfolio should clearly articulate what the portfolio is
expected to achieve in order to establish confidence in realising
desired outcomes. A well-managed portfolio includes qualitative and
quantitative mechanisms or metrics to track and assess projects at
various points. Some organisations have no formal way of doing this
and further difficulties arise where there is a shortage of information
required to make key decisions. It is essential that organisations have
a set of well-defined, measurable metrics in place to determine the
performance of the project portfolio and ensure that the portfolio
is balanced. However, a portfolio that is overly metricised may also
be problematic.
Resource allocation
Allocating resources across a portfolio of projects is a huge challenge for organisations with resource demands usually exceeding
supply. A lack of technological infrastructure may make it difficult to
effectively monitor resources and performance. Portfolio managers
must understand the necessity for trade-offs between projects in a
resource-constrained environment. For example, poor allocation of
skills across projects can result in poor project quality, or increased
pressure to multi-task, resulting in project delays. Resource allocation
can be very political with constant competition between managers
and projects in relation to project priorities and resources. Stress
can also become an issue if resources are continuously reallocated
across projects, are split between projects, or are expected to work
on projects outside of the portfolio. Organisations may take one of
two approaches to resource allocation:
(a) the flexible approach – where resources are moved from one
project to the next, regardless of prior commitments to a project
or the impact on resources and time of moving personnel from
one project to another; or,
(b) the inflexible approach – resource commitments made to projects
are kept for the sake of continuity and team morale and in the
interests of finishing projects.
www.engineersjournal.ie
Risk balancing across projects
Identifying, eliminating, minimising and diversifying risk in project
portfolios is a fifth challenge faced by many organisations especially
where projects exist in constantly changing environments and it is
difficult to plan for uncertain outcomes. A portfolio that is unbalanced
from a risk perspective can lead to operational disruption and allow
competitors to exploit gaps.
Risk is often assessed at individual project level but aggregated risk
must also be measured at the portfolio level in order to determine the
overall risk and return of a portfolio. Assessing risk at both the project
level and the aggregated level helps managers to make more informed
decisions and ensure successful project outcomes. Organisations must
review their project portfolio for risk imbalance ensuring that it is not
predominantly weighted towards high-risk or low-risk projects.
Organisations want to be successful and that sometimes involves
tough decisions. PPM can assist with this by helping organisations
to think strategically and focus on the right projects that will provide
the greatest return for their business. PPM can require substantial
organisational change. Yet, organisations that address each of the
challenges discussed here will face greater potential benefits in the
future. This work was supported, in part, by Science Foundation
Ireland grant 10/CE/I1855 to Lero - the Irish Software Engineering
Research Centre. For more information, visit www.lero.ie
(L-r): NUI Galway Lero Researchers: Roger Sweetman, Dr Orla O’Dwyer
and Kieran Conboy.
Roger Sweetman, Dr Orla O’Dwyer and Kieran Conboy are
researchers based in the Lero research centre and the Whitaker
Institute in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics at
NUI Galway. The collaborative industry/academic initiative is
funded by Science Foundation Ireland, and involves multiple
industry organisations ranging from SMEs to large scale multinationals and public sector bodies. As well as focusing on project
portfolio management, the group also examine issues around
agile and lean method adoption, cloud computing, decisionmaking and innovation in organisations.
The research has been featured in publications such as Journal of
Systems and Software, Information Systems Research, European
Journal of Information Systems, International Journal of Project
Management, and IEEE Software.
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308
Volume 66: Issue6 I November/December 2012 www.engineersjournal.ie
Ford takes Ecoboost to the Edge
Despite the established trend towards diesel engines, there’s still a demand for petrol models which Ford is
responding to with its innovative fuel efficient 1-L Focus Edge, writes Bernard Potter
Stats for the year to date show over 70 per cent of new car buyers
now opting for a diesel engine model, which still leaves one-infour motorists choosing a petrol car. This core group hasn’t escaped
Ford’s notice and, this year, the carmaker made its 1-L Ecoboost
petrol engine available in the Focus range. This gives the Focus
customer another more eco-friendly petrol alternative in addition to
the existing 1.6-L petrol option.
Made to measure
The 100 PS version of the 1-L engine in the version under test, the
Focus Edge hatchback, promises to deliver a thrifty 4.8L per 100km
and emissions of 109g per km making it one of the most fuel efficient vehicles in its segment. And, if you think petrol consumption
and environmental friendliness are difficult to reconcile, the Edge
offers the Ford ECO mode driver information system including trip/
fuel computer so you can measure exactly what kind of fuel and
environmental efficiencies you’re achieving.
Given the pedigree of the Ecoboost engine technology, the compact
engine’s fuel efficiency comes as no surprise. More unexpected is
its impact on performance. The Edge and its 1-L engine delivers the
kind of powerful-but-refined drive that the Focus has built its reputation on. Acceleration is surprisingly brisk and the car corners well.
On longer journeys, it gives an exceptionally quiet and comfortable
drive for its sector. On winding, hilly roads, it has excellent grip and
smooths out the lurches and bumps caused by potholes and rough
surfaces. Apart from a degree of unwieldiness in dealing with tight
parking spaces, it’s hard to fault the manoeuvrability and steering
responsiveness of the Edge.
Superior interior
The interior offers plenty of room in the front and the driver enjoys
excellent all-round visibility, including through the rear windscreen.
Younger family members will find the legroom in the rear more
than adequate but it’s a little tighter for long-legged adults.
At first sight, the dash is crowded, with an initially bewildering
amount of buttons and controls but, once you get used to the
layout, everything is close to hand and sensibly positioned.
The one oversight in this car’s otherwise surprisingly effective
efforts to tick as many boxes as possible, is the relatively limited
boot space. For someone with large loads to carry, this could be a
serious drawback. Lookswise, it sticks pretty closely to the standard
Focus blueprint which means it retains a solid distinctiveness without being a head turner. The Edge works very hard to meet multiple customer needs and, at a little cost to its individuality, largely
succeeds.
Fact file
Model
Ford Focus Edge
Engine:
1.0 L EcoBoost (Petrol)
Price
Price for this model from €21,485
Power
100PS
CO2 emissions
109g/km
Fuel economy (combined)
4.8L/100km (58.9mpg), according to manufacturer
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