Tag: hospitals

Boeing Licenses Ultraviolet Wand to Healthe to Counter COVID-19

September 22, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Boeing [NYSE: BA] entered into a patent and technology license with Florida-based Healthe® Inc. today under which Healthe will manufacture an ultraviolet (UV) wand designed to sanitize airplane interiors. Boeing designed and developed the UV wand as part of the company’s Confident Travel Initiative (CTI) to support customers and enhance the safety and well-being of passengers and crews during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The UV wand is designed to be more effective than similar devices. It quickly disinfects surfaces on an airplane and further strengthens other layers of protection for passengers and crew,” said Mike Delaney, who leads Boeing’s CTI efforts. “Boeing spent six months transforming an idea for the wand into a working model, and Healthe will now take that prototype and make it available to the world at large.”

Healthe will produce and distribute the commercial wand, helping airlines and potentially others combat the coronavirus pandemic. The technology could be available for airlines in late fall. The device is an addition to sanitizing and protective measures already in place, which include the use of high-efficiency particulate air filters that trap more than 99.9% of particulates and prevent them from re-circulating back to the cabin.

“We are proud to be assisting Boeing as they work with their partner airlines to enhance in-cabin plane sanitization efforts. This could also benefit schools, hospitals, offices, wherever pathogens go,” said Abe Morris, Healthe executive chairman. “As we ramp up deployment of our cutting-edge UVC and Far-UVC 222 light solutions across many sectors, this new commercial-grade wand will be another powerful tool in the sanitization arsenal to protect passengers against the spread of harmful viruses.”

The UV wand uses 222 nanometer UVC light. Research indicates 222 nanometer UVC inactivates pathogens effectively.

Using the self-contained apparatus that resembles a carry-on suitcase, crews can pass UV light over high-touch surfaces, sanitizing everywhere the light reaches. The UV wand is particularly effective in compact spaces and sanitizes a flight deck in less than 15 minutes.

As part of CTI, Boeing solicited feedback from multiple industry sources, which aided in quickly validating this technology. Etihad Airways was the first to evaluate the device, and the UV wand was demonstrated on the Etihad 787-10 ecoDemonstrator airplane on Aug. 21.

Rolls-Royce’s business unit Power Systems and Shanghai Cooltech Power Co. Ltd. have agreed to form MTU Cooltech Power Systems: The 50/50 joint venture will produce backup generator sets powered by MTU engines in China. In the picture: Generator set with a 20V 4000 MTU engine. Der Geschäftsbereich Power Systems von Rolls-Royce und Shanghai Cooltech Power Co. Ltd. haben gemeinsam MTU Cooltech Power Systems gegründet. Das 50/50-Joint Venture wird Notstromaggregate mit MTU-Motoren in China produzieren. Im Bild: Aggregat auf Basis eines 20V-4000-MTU-Motors.

Rolls-Royce & Shanghai Cooltech to Jointly Produce Generator Sets in China

August 24, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Rolls-Royce’s business unit Power Systems and Shanghai Cooltech Power Co. Ltd., a leading Chinese manufacturer of power generation systems, have made a significant step forward together to strengthen their market position by forming a 50/50 joint venture. MTU Cooltech Power Systems will produce backup generator sets powered by MTU Series 1600, 2000 and 4000 engines for applications including but not limited to hospitals, airports, mining, semiconductors, telecoms and the rapidly growing data centre market, which has recently received a significant boost from the Chinese government’s newly announced New Infrastructure development plan, a programme launched by the central government to accelerate the digital transformation of the economy.

– New 50/50 joint venture established in Shanghai to serve the growing Chinese market

– Purpose is to establish a stronger position in the backup power supply market, with a focus on data centers

– Production of generator sets equipped with MTU engines to start at end of 2020

Tobias Ostermaier, President MTU Greater China, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “This is an important step to further accelerate our fast-growing business in China. We pursue our growth strategy for diesel systems in China and move further towards becoming a provider of integrated power solutions in this strategically important market. We look forward to being in a position to supply our customers with world class MTU system solutions at China speed. The Chinese market presents tremendous opportunities for Power Systems’ business growth in a challenging global environment. We have an important role to play in ensuring power for China’s New Infrastructure such as telecommunications networks, servers, and data centres through our best-in-class safety-critical MTU power solutions.”

Xu Nai Qiang, President of Shanghai Cooltech Power, said: “We are proud to form the new joint venture with Rolls-Royce, which enables us to manufacture products of the highest quality for the Chinese market, and to continue and enhance the success story of our long-standing collaboration.”

Rolls-Royce and Shanghai Cooltech Power have enjoyed a close partnership since 2013. Shanghai Cooltech Power is one of the biggest customers of the Power Systems business unit in China and has already installed nearly 1,000 MTU engines in backup generator sets. A key focus has been the telecommunications market, which will also be a major target now for the new joint venture.

MTU Cooltech Power Systems is to have a workforce of around 50 employees when it is launched this year. The joint venture will produce a range of generator sets based on MTU engines, which are to be supplied from Germany and China. Rolls-Royce and Shanghai Cooltech Power will then market and deliver these generator sets to their Chinese customers.

Having production in China will shorten delivery times significantly. Combined with direct access to the high quality and competitively priced supply chain in China, MTU system solutions will establish a highly competitive position in the China market. “As a result, we will be in a better position to adapt our product range to market requirements and to provide our customers with local support. Irrespective of the new joint venture, we will maintain our long-standing strategic partnerships and well-established collaboration with our community of Chinese partners in the field of decentralised power supply systems, and will systematically continue and strengthen these partnerships,” said Tobias Ostermaier.

Increasing market share in China, in addition to setting up and developing partnerships, are key elements of the PS 2030 strategy with which the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems is currently transforming itself from an engine manufacturer to a provider of integrated solutions.

Rolls-Royce has been producing MTU engines in China since 2006 and formed joint ventures with Chinese manufacturers to continue localizing its footprint over the years. The founding of MTU Cooltech Power Systems will help accelerate its localization in China to seize business opportunities and better serve the market.

Rolls-Royce Strengthens Opportunities with Kinolt Acquisition

July 18, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Strenghtens Rolls-Royce’s market position in safety-critical applications with a leader in dynamic uninterruptible power supply
Completes Rolls-Royce’s product offering and accelerates the strategy of offering integrated solutions
Acquisition expected to deliver cost and revenue synergies, and help support medium-term profitability and create long-term shareholder value

Rolls-Royce is strengthening its business in power supply for safety-critical systems with the completion of the acquisition of Kinolt S.A., a Belgian-based specialist in dynamic uninterruptible power supply. Rolls-Royce is already a leading provider of back-up power generation through its Power Systems business with its product and solutions brand MTU. This market has remained a growth area during the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to grow in the coming years as customers look to further minimize their risk of disruption.

Uninterruptible power supply systems are used wherever stable electricity is required or a power failure would be extremely harmful, for example within data centres, hospitals or manufacturing facilities which operate sensitive processes. This acquisition is another important step on the strategic journey of Power Systems towards becoming a full-service provider of integrated solutions. Kinolt’s uninterruptible emergency power supply technology is particularly well suited to applications where space is at a premium, such as urban areas or installations in existing buildings and complements Rolls-Royce’s own MTU branded solutions for large scale and greenfield sites. As a result, the deal is expected to result in cost and revenue synergies, medium-term long-term shareholder value in the back-up power generation business.

Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “The extraordinary times created by the Covid-19 pandemic have shown just how important it is to secure electricity supply to sensitive and critical infrastructure. The provision of uninterruptible power is vital in any situation and even more so today, as it ensures the provision of vital services such as medical care or the world’s continued flow of internet traffic. Without it, no public authority or company would be able to act in any crisis.”

The demand for uninterruptible power solutions is expected to remain strong in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The acquisition of Kinolt will give Rolls-Royce a market-leading solution for businesses and local authorities who experienced issues with supply, or do not wish to run the risk again.

“We originally signed the deal to acquire Kinolt before the full global impact of Covid-19 was apparent,” added Schell. “Since then we have rigorously examined the rationale for the transaction and the opportunities it presents to our business and concluded that the arguments in favour of the acquisition are even stronger than before.”

Power Generation is already the top-selling segment within the Power Systems business. In the future it is expected to be the only manufacturer in the world able to supply customers with all components and consequently a complete uninterrupted power generation system in the power range from 200 to 3,200 kVA. Kinolt’s technology consists of a combination of rotating, kinetic mass storage devices, a diesel engine and a generator that can also be used as an electric motor. MTU engines from Rolls-Royce are often already used within Kinolt’s solutions. The Kinolt system is connected between the external power supply system and safety-critical equipment and supplies the latter with the required electrical power during normal operation. The grid frequency and voltage are generally more stable than the grid of public power suppliers. This is necessary because data servers, computer-controlled systems or sensitive devices such as those in hospitals can fail in the event of voltage and frequency fluctuations. In the case of a power failure, the flywheel mass accumulator ‘bridges’ the first few seconds before the diesel engine takes up the load.

“We will integrate the products and systems of our new subsidiary into our MTU product portfolio,” said Andreas Görtz, Vice President of Power Generation at Rolls-Royce. “Our worldwide sales and service network will open up new market opportunities by offering innovative uninterruptible power solutions. This will significantly strengthen our market position in safety-critical applications.”

Kinolt is based in the town of Grâce-Hollogne in the Belgian province of Liège and was known as Euro-Diesel until mid-2019. The transaction was completed on 1 July 2020 following the approval of antitrust authorities.

Rolls-Royce stärkt sein Angebot an Stromversorgungssystemen für sicherheitskritische Anwendungen mit dem Abschluss der Übernahme von Kinolt S.A., einem in Belgien ansässigen Spezialisten für dynamische unterbrechungsfreie Stromversorgung. Rolls-Royce is strengthening its business in power supply for safety-critical systems with the completion of the acquisition of Kinolt S.A., a Belgian-based specialist in dynamic uninterruptible power supply. Avec l’aboutissement de l’acquisition de Kinolt S.A., un spécialiste de l’alimentation dynamique sans interruption (ASI) établi en Belgique, Rolls-Royce élargit son offre de systèmes d’alimentation électrique dédiés aux applications cruciales en matière de sécurité. Rolls-Royce heeft de overname afgerond van Kinolt S.A., een in België gevestigde specialist voor dynamische onderbrekingsvrije stroomvoorziening. Met deze overname vergroot het zijn aanbod van stroomvoorzieningssystemen voor veiligheidskritische toepassingen.

Alstom Barcelona 3D Printing Hub Joins COVID 19 Fight

April 2, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Production and development of new solutions for hospitals

Alstom’s 3D printing hub in Barcelona is coordinating initiatives being implemented at a Group level to contribute to the fight against the COVID 19 global pandemic. Since last week, engineers and developers based in Santa Perpetua site (Barcelona) have been coordinating and implementing different initiatives to produce pieces, supply consumables and design new solutions.

Alstom’s hub is working in coordination with the 3Dcovid19.org network to manufacture visors for face shields and ventilators valves, that are being delivered to different hospitals.

“The aim is to help the healthcare community by manufacturing parts that meet appropriate quality and safety standards,” says Jaume Altesa, responsible for Alstom’s 3D printing hub at Santa Perpètua. “3D printing has gained prominence due to its particular usefulness for creating equipment to protect against COVID-19, as it can be used to manufacture materials currently suffering severe shortages such as face masks, mechanical respirators and even door openers, among others”, he adds.

The CAD design experts at the Santa Perpetua facilities are also innovating in new solutions and developments. They are currently working, for example, on portable personal protectors for door handles and the use of anti-bacterial materials in the masks.

Launched in 2016, Alstom 3D printing hub in Barcelona is one of the components of Smart Operations, Alstom’s ‘Industry of the Future’ programme. Its ambition is to produce 3D-printed parts quickly and at a competitive price for new trains, to meet the customers’ requests for parts, and to facilitate some manufacturing and maintenance operations. At Alstom, 3D printing is used for four applications: tools for our factories, prototypes to validate a design, moulds produced in half the time of classic production methods and series parts with around 70 references in plastic and metal.

Airbus A400M Supports COVID-19 Crisis Relief Efforts in Spain

March 25, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Airbus A400M transports masks to Spain in support of COVID-19 crisis relief efforts

An Airbus A400M airlifter has performed an air-bridge between Toulouse and Madrid in order to deliver critically-needed mask supplies to the Spanish health system.

The aircraft, known as MSN56 and operated by an Airbus crew, took off on 23^rd March 2020 from Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse at 18.07 local time (CET) landing at the Getafe Air Base (Madrid) at 19.05 to off-load and deliver the masks to the Spanish Ministry of Defence.

The cargo is part of the approximately 2 million masks transported over the weekend by a test Airbus A330-800 aircraft from Tianjin, China, to Europe.

This air-bridge will enable the delivery of a significant supply of masks to the Spanish public health network in support of current COVID-19 crisis efforts. This comes on top of donations by Airbus in recent days to provide thousands of masks to hospitals and public services around Europe. The Company will continue to support with additional flights planned to take place in the coming days in coordination with national authorities.

Boeing Licenses Ultraviolet Wand to Healthe to Counter COVID-19

Rolls-Royce & Shanghai Cooltech to Jointly Produce Generator Sets in China

Rolls-Royce Strengthens Opportunities with Kinolt Acquisition

Alstom Barcelona 3D Printing Hub Joins COVID 19 Fight

Airbus A400M Supports COVID-19 Crisis Relief Efforts in Spain

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