UNIZO16 Belgian Maker Award
Craftmanship and the use of durable materials makes it possible for SGC to produce products that are 'built to last'. To promote the Belgian manufacture industry, SGC is taking part in the 'Belgian Maker Award', a competition organized by Unizo. You can take a look at the website www.makers.be/makers where you can find our company movie.
SGC again present at the Hannover Messe
As in the previous years, SGC-SwitchGear Company will again be present at the Hannover Messe. This international fair of industrial technology will take place from Monday 25 to Friday April 29th. You will find SGC at booth B64 in hall 13.
This five days event takes place in the city of Hannover in northern Germany. Come and visit us, put your questions and discover the latest innovations that SGC has in store! More information can be found on the website of the Hannover Messe organization.
SGC strives for high precision welding
SGC - SwitchGear Company disposes of two welding robots, each of them providing highly targeted work. Our latest automated machine acquisition clearly demonstrates our focus on precision work. Before the robot enters into action, the sheet metal work is placed accurately and stable in its final position. On that way, we avoid any risk of shifting of the plates during the welding process.
The high degree of automation of this robot is also reflected in the fact that the actual welding time per session can be seen of the screen by the means of well located sensors. With the help of light buttons, one can see very quickly in which position the welding robot is located. When the robot is welding, the doors around the machine are locked with a fence partly consisting of light coloured translucent plexiglas. An exhaust system is directly connected to this welding machine. On this way, SGC is committed to a highly precise and user-friendly production process.
The manometer of SGC ensures user-friendly and fast fault detection
Since we operate in a sector where safety is of exceptional importance, SGC – SwitchGear Company puts a clear focus on strong visual communication and usability in the material. These pillars are also reflected in our own developed manometer.
The manometer of SGC is a device measuring the pressure of the SF6 gas in the cubicle. In case of a loss of pressure the device indicates that it would not be saving to operate the load break switch. Therefore, we choose at SGC to develop a manometer so friendly to use as possible and straightforward to read. This is done through colour codes printed on the manometer. If the needle of the manometer points to the green zone, it is completely safe to operate the switch. If the needle points to the red zone, it is recommended not to switch and to contact SGC. When the cubicle is fitted with an arc-killer, a third colour (yellow) is displayed on the manometer. If this zone is pointed by the needle, the arc-killer entered into force because of an internal fault and the switch should than be replaced.
Our manometer increases the user-friendliness, as – in presence of an arc-killer – there is no longer need to reach manually and directly the contacts to insure if in the case of an internal fault, it has worked or not. The measuring device provides thus a faster and more user-friendly visual error checking. Those are values that SGC is explicitly pursuing.
SGC is reinforced for the next three years with the ISO quality management system
SGC – SwitchGear Company could close the year 2015 on a positive note. Just before the entrance of 2016, our ISO certification in accordance with the ISO 9001:2008 was extended until September 2018.
ISO is the world organization of standardization which ensures among other that companies satisfies with preconceived quality standards. As such ISO defines standards allowing to state or not that a company maintains a good quality management system. With this certificate, SGC – SwitchGear Company shows that it is working on a successful manner with a quality management system hanging on international standards. This is how we constantly try to seek the best possible way to meet the needs and wishes of our customers.
Following a successful audit it was told last month to SGC – SwitchGear Company that they would have the certificate in hands for the next three years. As an attachment, you can consult the digital version of the certificate.
>> ISO certificate Quality management system for SGC - SwitchGear Company nv
We wish you a successful 2016!
The whole team of SGC - SwitchGear Company wishes you a successful 2016!
Student Bert Deseine: "Medium voltage is fascinating"
Since a few months we see regularly a Master student, Bert Deseine, walking around and working in our medium voltage museum in Nevele. Bert is a last year student in Electrotechnic and is finalizing his master thesis about – how else – medium voltage. Our companies are trying to support him as well as possible. We took Bert for a short talk.
Bert, last year you decide to make a master thesis about medium voltage. How did you get the idea?
Bert: Medium voltage really captivated me immediately. I am a student in the department of Kortijk of the University of Ghent were I finalize my studies in Electrotechnic speciality Industrial Sciences. Last year I came with my class in Nevele for a visit of Deba, SGC SwitchGear Company and Mevoco. I immediately found the medium voltage sector very interesting. In the lessons at school, the focus is essentially oriented to domestic electricity. The fact that I did not know much about medium voltage makes it exciting to choose for a relatively "new" topic.
"The subject attracted me immediately"
And for this master thesis you are coming regularly to work in our medium voltage museum in Nevele.
Bert: Yes indeed, I am coming once or twice per week in your museum. I am at the source of the information, have all equipment available and can easily put the questions and receive the needed input. An employee of R&D of Mevoco is in fact one of my promoters.
The medium voltage world is of course very large. What are you precisely talking about in your master thesis?
Bert: The title of my thesis is: "Evolution of the switching techniques and evolution of the security in medium voltage switchgear". Briefly, my work is focusing on how the security of medium voltage switchgear is improved or guaranteed, through the changes in the switching equipment. Therefore, I take all relevant equipments in history under the magnifier and discuss among other things, their operation, technical specifications and improvements compare to older equipments. I also try to make a simulation per equipment.
"Like to deeper analyze the future of switching equipment "
What are you willing to prove and reach with your analysis?
Bert: I try especially to describe the historical evolution. If I still have time, I would like to dedicate a part of my thesis on how the future of the switches and the associate security aspect will evolve or look like. But a master thesis is a long process. The deadline for my thesis is in a few weeks. I don’t know if this will still be reachable (laugh).
We wish you already all the success.
