Annual Report 2020
EDGY MULTI-TALENTS
Highly sensitive measurement technology is often used in particularly harsh environments. SICK has come up with a clever way to protect devices and ensure that they operate reliably: Shelter solutions.
The English language sometimes gets to the heart of the matter better than German. This is also the case when it comes to ‘shelter solutions,’ the English name for solutions from SICK that in German are more literally named ‘analysis containers.’ Whereby the English word ‘shelter’ expresses very nicely what the inside of the container offers the highly sensitive emission measurement and process analysis technology: Protection, almost refuge, from the harsh environmental conditions in which they are often used: For example in asphalt, cement and steel works, or process facilities in the chemical and petrochemical industries where there is dust, heat, cold or condensation – or even, in extreme cases a risk of explosions or earthquakes. “Our shelter solutions are robust turnkey containers in which the entire measurement system, with all the supply media and emission evaluation equipment, is accommodated,” explains Moritz Siegfried, Product Manager Continuous Gas Analysis Systems at SICK AG. “We can also implement numerous equipment features, supplying customized developments for the most varied of applications, industries and customer requirements worldwide.”
CONTAINERS OFFER NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES
In addition to protecting against environmental affects, shelter solutions also offer further advantages: Fully fitted out, they set off on their journey to the customer as a complete solution. This considerably reduces the risk of damage to the measurement and analysis equipment during transport. The containers can even be installed in CSC-certified shipping containers and easily transported as sea freight. They are thus used all over the world. Container solutions with standard dimensions of 10 to 40 feet are ideal for transportation by truck. Installation and commissioning at the customer’s site is also considerably easier: “All components have already been installed, connected to one another, and tested at SICK’s works,” says Moritz Siegfried. “So we can quickly connect up even complex systems when they reach the deployment site. This saves time and money.” Last, but not least, servicing of the container solutions is also easier: Because the technicians carrying out maintenance work or installing upgrades are also protected by the container – which in some environments actually makes it possible for them to do their job at all.
SPECIAL SOLUTION? NO PROBLEM!
Each container is individually configured and produced for the customer’s particular application: If required, in special cases the shelter can be fireproofed, made corrosion- resistant, or protected against particularly high levels of wind, dust or snow. Earthquake- or explosion-proof designs are also possible for a variety of Ex zones. Do you want insulation or high-quality coating? Also no problem. In addition to the measurement and analysis systems, the container also accommodates transformers or UPS systems, fire extinguishers, air conditioning and gas alarm systems, sample point switching or complex redundancy and signaling concepts. Heating, cooling and ventilation systems can also be integrated – if necessary also in redundant form. In many cases there is even space in the container for a computer workspace or a small workbench. “We can implement almost every type of special construction and individual customer requirement,” says Moritz Siegfried.
NUMEROUS SUCCESSFUL CUSTOMER PROJECTS COMPLETED
Given the high level of customization and the sometimes highly complex specifications it is a challenge to supply customers at an attractive price: “We solve this dilemma using a modular system that enables us to put together individual customer solutions from standard modules with great efficiency and at a comparatively reasonable price,” explains Moritz Siegfried. He also believes, however, that SICK’s international cross-departmental collaboration makes a major contribution towards the shelter solutions’ worldwide success: “Everyone involved in the project planning and implementation of a shelter solution provides specific sector expertise and broad product knowledge.” This concept has been successful for many years, and container solutions from SICK are in use worldwide – in 2020 the company completed major projects for customers in Germany, Turkey, Poland, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, China, Mexico and Trinidad, representing sales of several million euros.
