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Archive for the ‘Safety issues’ Category

Load Cell Manufacturer LCM Systems Appointed as Official Distributor for Crosby Shackles

We are pleased to announce that we have been appointed as an official distributor for the well-known Crosby range of shackles. Customers who specify and buy our shackle load cells that utilise Crosby products will now benefit from a significant price advantage, but more importantly, from a health and safety perspective will have a more direct route of traceability.

We manufacture and sell a range of shackle load cells, both fixed and wireless, designed for numerous lifting and weighing projects particularly in harsh or rugged environments. They are ideal for use in applications such as under-hook hoist and crane weighing, cable tension monitoring and crane load safety monitoring.

For engineers wanting a wireless, telemetry option, the TELSHACK range uses integral wireless telemetry electronics operating on the 2.4GHz license-free frequency. Two ranges are offered: TELSHACK-D can be used from 12 tonne to 35 tonne, while the TELSHACK-B can be used for applications up to 400 tonne. Both ranges can be supplied with Crosby shackles and experienced design engineers at LCM Systems can provide expert advice on the correct shackle for each application.

For more information on load cell design, call us, LCM Systems, on +44 (0) 1983 249264 or email info@lcmsystems.com

Quality Control – Isle of Wight Roads Melt, Your Application Could Fail

One of the things that we pride ourselves on here at LCM Systems is to guarantee that all products that leave our premises are very much ‘fit for purpose’ and have undergone the required quality control checks. But are all companies so diligent? It doesn’t seem so. I am always warning companies that when buying load cells and systems that are used in safety critical applications, price can’t always be the overriding factor when making a choice.

And it was brought home to us here in the Isle of Wight when in two warm spells in the Spring and Summer of 2012 our roads melted. What? yep, the roads melted. Does anyone remember it being that hot? I certainly don’t. Well, it turns out that there was a ‘material failure’ with the road surfaces and even in reasonably expected summer temperatures, the roads melted. There is a report here. It cost the contractors a lot of money to put it right. Luckily no lives were put at risk, but that wouldn’t be the case with many of your load cells.

Reject the Throw Away Culture – Safety is All Important

We are all very aware of today’s throw-away culture. In her recent book the Story of Stuff, published in May 2010 in the UK, Annie Leonard discusses how only 1% of products that we buy are in use 6 months later. You can see her talk about it in this excellent short animated discussion at The Story of Stuff.

But it’s not just the consumer culture that is to blame for this huge wastage. Many of us want to follow the latest fashions, be they in the consumer world or business to business sector. Because fashions come and go, products are often made without much regard to quality so they can be sold cheaply. And here lies another problem – cost. If something is only going to be used for a short space of time then what’s the point in spending a lot of money on it?

But, and here is my point, what if the product is meant to last and its failure would have serious safety implications? The “pile ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap” culture cannot be applied here, can it? Unfortunately it often is.

I know negotiation on price is part of business but compromise shouldn’t be. Take for example the LCM Systems’ shackle load cells for lifting and weighing applications in harsh, rugged industrial environments. Known throughout the world as manufactured to the highest possible specifications in high tensile carbon steel and using Crosby or Greenpin shackles, there is no doubt that they can do the job, day in, day out without any safety or quality issues. So why are people buying cheaper? LCM Systems is not the only company (unfortunately ;-) ), who sell such high quality products, so it’s simply a matter of choice.

Courtesy of freedigital images.net

It really is a case of Caveat emptor – Buyer Beware. The cheap shackle load cells you are buying may claim to be equal, but is the safety of your personnel and the reputation of your company worth saving a few hundred dollars or pounds?

When quality, reliability and accuracy are essential, please check out the credentials of the company you are buying from – it could save someone’s life

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