Web Page sponsor Hobson Industries
Asset Managed Parts help our environment by saving energy and natural resources.
www.hobsonindustries.co.uk
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16 Dec 09. Northrop Grumman Corporation’s that its Electronic Systems sector campus in Rolling Meadows, Ill., has been appraised at Capability
Maturity Model Integration (CMMI(R)) Maturity Level 5 — the highest rating possible — for a broad range of systems, software and hardware engineering processes with aspects of manufacturing, program management, organizational management, logistics and supply chain management. Higher maturity levels signify lower risks for successful program execution, and fewer than seven percent of all rated companies achieved Maturity Level 5 in 2009. The Northrop Grumman Rolling Meadows campus designs, develops and manufactures advanced electronics for customers worldwide.
10 Dec 09. Marine renewable energy. DCNS incubator to be set up in Brest. In line with DCNS’s declared intention to play a leading role in marine renewable energy, the Group has announced that it will set up an Marine renewable energy (MRE) incubator in Brest. The aims are to assemble and expand R&D spending and resources at the one location. A further objective is to share the Group’s expertise with partners. The decision is also in line with French government initiatives following the Grenelle de la Mer marine environment summit. ‘Championship’ strategic plan suggest that marine renewable energy offers significant growth potential and the prospect of a market worth several billion euros per annum in a decade or so. DCNS aims to invest in four key areas: marine current turbines, floating offshore windfarms, wave energy and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). “Our historic areas of expertise are very close indeed to the skills needed to work in this emerging sector,” says DCNS Chairman & CEO Patrick Boissier. “Our Group is the only one in France with proven expertise across an array of MRE solutions. The decision announced by the French prime minister on 2 December to set up a marine energies technology platform in Brest gives new impetus to the entire field. Brest is the ideal location for these facilities on account of its geographical situation, the skills available in the region and the support of the Brittany Maritime Cluster which already counts DCNS as an active member.” The Group’s proven expertise and technologies cover the entire cycle needed to design, build and maintain next-generation energy systems. Drawing on its proven expertise in naval systems, DCNS is already participating, with various partners, in studies and projects expected to lead to future industrial programmes. These include:
* WINFLO (Wind turbine with INnovative design for Floating Lightweight Offshore), an innovative, floating, offshore, lightweight, wind turbine project promoted by a group of players active in the naval, oil and wind energy sectors, including Nass&Wind, DCNS, SAIPEM, In Vivo, French institute of marine research and exploration IFREMER and engineering school ENSIETA. The aim is to build a full-scale prototype, install it off the coast of Brittany and connect it to the national grid. The aims are to contribute to Brittany’s energy supply base and to give French industry a head start in pioneering this new field.
* OTEC uses temperature differences between warmer surface water and cold deep currents to produce power 24/7. DCNS aims to produce a demonstrator, validate the technology, then explore its potential in tropical zones. DCNS and the Réunion regional council signed an initial R&D agreement in April 2009 to study the feasibility of installing an OTEC demonstrator on Réunion Island, a French overseas département in the Indian Ocean. In October 2009, the parties signed a second agreement to investigate the optimal integration of the proposed demonstrator with existing generating capacity.
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