34ab86bf

Stress Awareness at Otto Simon: Supporting People in Challenging Times

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:06:38 GMT

Stress awareness has never been more important in the modern workplace. Research consistently shows that one in four workers report feeling unable to cope with stress at work, a statistic that highlights a growing and genuine challenge for organisations and individuals alike. At Otto Simon, stress awareness is taken seriously, not only because it impacts productivity, safety and performance, but because people matter.

As a business that works in engineering, we understand the concept of stress in more than one context. Pipework and mechanical structures subjected to undue loads can cause material to deform, yield and eventually fail. Like these materials, people too, if exposed to significant and persistent stresses may cause detrimental impacts to our mental health.

Unfortunately unlike steel structures, where the capacity of materials and force they are subjected to can be modelled and calculated, the stresses being put on our mental wellbeing are often multiple and nebulous and there is no clear “Youngs Modulus” or “Yield Point” equivalent to our individual resistance and specific response to different stresses.

By making this distinction clear, we recognises that people are not components to be pushed until failure. Instead, they are individuals who need understanding, empathy and appropriate support, especially when stress levels begin to build.

Stress does not always originate from the job itself. Financial worries, concerns for family and friends, exposure to distressing news, and uncertainty about the future can all impact concentration, mood and resilience at work. Acknowledging this reality is essential. At Otto Simon, there is a clear understanding that stress may arise from both professional and personal circumstances, and support should not be limited solely to issues that occur “on the clock”.

We believe strongly in watching out for our colleagues; As part of this commitment, Otto Simon has invested in training two Mental Health First Aiders, reinforcing the message that mental wellbeing is valued just as highly as physical health and safety. These trained individuals act as a first point of contact for colleagues who may be experiencing emotional distress, offering a safe, confidential and non‑judgemental space to talk.

Mental Health First Aiders are not therapists, nor are they expected to “fix” problems. Instead, they serve as a vital bridge, listening, providing reassurance, and signposting individuals towards appropriate professional support where needed. By embedding this support within the workplace, Otto Simon continues to foster a culture where conversations about mental health are normalised rather than avoided.

A mentally healthy workforce is a safer, more resilient and more effective one. High levels of stress can lead to fatigue, distraction and anxiety, increasing the risk of errors and workplace accidents. Conversely, we believe that when employees feel supported and able to talk openly, they are more likely to seek help early, before stress becomes overwhelming.

Stress Awareness is not confined to a single week or campaign, it is an ongoing commitment. Through investment in people, open conversations, and practical support, Otto Simon demonstrates that wellbeing is a shared responsibility. Whether stress originates from within the business or from the wider world beyond it, no one is expected to face it alone.

Safety Beyond Compliance

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 10:21:20 GMT

Addressing the challenge of incorporating safety into process and chemical industries.

Process and chemical industries consistently deliver innovation and value by applying rigorous engineering practices and managing the hazards inherent in their operations. Within this context, process safety has long been recognized as a critical priority. Otto Simon Ltd reflects the chemical industry’s commitment to this priority by supporting the development and continuous improvement of robust process safety management systems. Our approach is grounded in embedding safety into processes from the outset, well beyond regulatory compliance.

In the UK, workplace hazard control is governed by the overarching Health and Safety at Work Act (1976), supplemented by targeted regulations addressing specific risks. This framework is intentionally non‑prescriptive, focusing on achieving regulatory objectives rather than mandating detailed methods. As a result, compliance relies on understanding regulatory intent, implementing sound management systems, performing regular reviews, and adopting relevant international standards, codes, and guidelines.

However, process safety goes far beyond meeting regulatory checklists. The sector has shifted toward integrating safety during early design stages, applying inherent safety principles, and fostering a strong safety culture supported by clearly defined process safety management. Otto Simon Ltd works closely with clients to ensure that safety is not treated only as a compliance requirement but as a strategic value driver, enhancing process performance without compromising risk management.

In emerging technologies and innovative process industries, the concept of “safety beyond compliance” takes on renewed importance. These sectors often grow rapidly, face unique hazards not encountered in mature processes, and operate with limited established guidance. Addressing this gap requires active involvement in pre‑normative research, standards development, and the creation of engineering guidance and/or case studies. Continuous participation in shaping new and existing standards is essential for building a foundation of safe and sustainable technologies.

In hydrogen technologies, for example, Otto Simon Ltd contributes to the IEA Task 43 initiative, Safety and RCS of Large‑Scale Hydrogen Energy Applications. Such international collaborations promote the harmonization of methodologies and the creation of practical guidance rooted in expert experience. They also strengthen safety culture by encouraging global knowledge‑sharing and cross‑industry cooperation.

Through these activities, Otto Simon Ltd helps bridge the gap between emerging technological challenges and the established principles of process safety. By combining regulatory understanding, engineering expertise, and active participation in international standardization, we ensure that safety practices evolve in step with technological advancement. This integrated approach enables organisations to adopt innovative solutions with confidence, clarity, and a strong foundation of risk‑informed decision‑making.

At Otto Simon Ltd, we support clients across chemicals, hydrogen, and emerging technology sectors to embed process safety into their corporate culture, leading to safer operations, stronger designs, and improved overall performance. If you would like to discuss how we can help you develop or enhance safety solutions for your processes, please contact us at eng@ottosimon.co.uk .

Christmas Cheer and a Bittersweet Bon-Voyage!

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:55:27 GMT

Well, another year is winding down, and what a year it’s been! Here at Otto Simon, we decided to celebrate all the hard work and dedication of our fantastic team with an evening of festive fun, delicious food, and a touch of wanderlust!

A huge, heartfelt thank you goes out to Anna for orchestrating what was a truly splendid Christmas gathering. From the atmospheric lighting to the perfectly planned tapas, Anna, you outdid yourself. Our merry band descended upon Trunk Lounge in Bramhall, and it was fantastic to see such a great turnout, proving that even after a busy year, we still love spending time together!

Now, every good story has a new chapter, and for one of our own, that chapter involves packing a very large suitcase! We had the pleasure of raising a glass (or several!) to Chris and his partner Lydia, who are embarking on an incredible year-long adventure, travelling the globe, we are not jealous at all.

From all of us at Otto Simon, we wish Chris and Lydia the very best of luck on their incredible journey. We are all sure looking forward to reliving your amazing memories with you upon your return.

We would like to end the year with sincere thanks to our Clients, Partners and Staff for all their efforts over the past year and are looking forward to another busy and rewarding year in 2026. Here's to a wonderful Christmas break for everyone, and a prosperous, exciting New Year!

State of the Nation, in true Otto Simon Style!

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 09:29:13 GMT

This year we celebrated our year of successes and lessons learnt at the Stanneylands, Wilmslow. Topics included how we have streamlined our, reducing business overheads and making our collaboration more efficient. Specific attention was paid to the successes of the projects we have delivered over the last year and the consolidation of the team into our new headquarters.

Ferrostatics proudly shared their highest year of revenue and strong performance, with a promising year to follow.

We have also reviewed key team changes, including the expansion of the engineering team and restructuring of our Sales team.

We look ahead to 2026 with confidence, fresh focus and further passion to deliver leading engineering expertise and customer service!

IChemE Global Awards 2025 – Shortlist

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:41:57 GMT

Aerbio and Otto Simon have been jointly shortlisted as finalists for the IChemE Global Awards 2025 in the Biopharma category.

Our entry, Clean Protein: Engineered for a Resource-Constrained World, showcases the research and engineering efforts being the development of Proton™, a protein-rich single-cell biomass produced using a novel aerobic gas-fermentation process, utilising hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide as feed gases.

This project has demonstrated the feasibility of producing a sustainable, high-quality protein ingredient at pilot scale, with applications in aquaculture and animal nutrition today, and the potential to expand to food-grade applications in the future.

The technical challenges of this work have been considerable. Designing and operating a continuous fermentation system with hydrogen and oxygen in flammable ranges required rigorous safety engineering: hazard studies, CFD modelling, ATEX compliance, and functional safety analysis were all critical. With no commercial-scale precedents to draw upon, designs were developed from first principles and validated through lab-scale experimentation and pilot-plant data. Despite the added complexity of international collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, the project successfully delivered a first-of-a-kind pilot facility, generating essential data to enable scale-up to demonstration and commercial scale.

The outcome speak for itself: Proton™ contains over 70% protein with a complete amino acid profile, delivers strong results in digestibility and extrusion trials, and has already shown positive performance in aquaculture and poultry feed applications. It can be produced with a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions and water use of conventional proteins, while requiring no arable land and supporting biodiversity by reducing reliance on fishmeal and soy.

This nomination recognises the strength of our cross-disciplinary partnership, combining microbial fermentation expertise with advanced process design, safety engineering, and scale-up know-how.

Together, we are laying the foundations for a scalable, climate-positive protein platform that can contribute to global food security while reducing environmental impact.

We look forward to the awards ceremony later this year and to continuing our journey towards commercial deployment of this disruptive technology.

Learn more about the project: - Aerbio website

Summer Outings 2025!

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:49:56 GMT

“Team Building” or “Team Maintenance”

Teams, like equipment and plant, can’t run indefinitely without a bit of upkeep, tightening the bolts that bind it together, testing the lines of communications and lubricating any particular cranky component. In plant maintenance it’s important to undertake preventative maintenance, similarly it is important to ensure appropriate time is invested checking on team members to ensure they are in “tip top” condition and ready for the campaign ahead.

“Team Building” refers to breaking down barriers to help improve communication and cooperation, but what do you do if you already have a team that works like a well-oiled machine?

At Otto Simon we are lucky to have a highly qualified and experienced group of engineering professionals who have helped us to establish a culture and working environment that promotes collaborative relationships with our clients and partners. We are colleagues, friends and, as an Employee-Owned Trust, business partners who share a collective stake in the future of the business.

However, even the best designed machines experience wear and tear, and it was fair to say the last year has managed to throw up a number of unforeseen challenges that have applied additional load and stress to the whole team.

We therefore opted to close the offices for scheduled maintenance! On the afternoon of the 17 ^th September the Otto Simon and Ferrostatics teams descended upon Urban Playground in Manchester to pit our wits against one another in “The Cube”. The team spent an entertaining afternoon and took it in turn to laugh at one another’s attempts to complete a series of simple but incredibly frustrating challenges!

From blindfolded hugging to navigating through a hidden maze The Cube definitely stress tested our communication and cooperation skills. Although it must be noted that during the synchronised juggling of foam bricks, precision calibration went out of the window. Every game looking to be simple, until it was your turn to take centre stage with your peers giving suitable encouragement (aka heckling!) from the sidelines.

A big thank-you to both the Otto Simon and Ferrostatics teams for taking part and reaching beyond your comfort zone and a special thanks to Anna Plimmer for organising such a memorable and fun afternoon!

Competitive through collaboration

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 13:59:08 GMT

Competitive through collaboration – the Otto Simon way!

When manufacturing companies bring in external engineering support, a familiar challenge often arises, lost time and impeded efficiency is frequently experienced as new engineers get up to speed with the organisation’s unique business, people, and technologies. Each new project can feel like starting from scratch, with the client often footing the bill for that learning curve. Over the course of multiple projects, this cycle can erode both productivity and the overall quality of the work delivered.

With the current challenging economic environment we understand that Clients are constantly seeking ways to reduce costs across the board, this includes their engineering contractors. However, the practice of repeatedly sending out enquiries and selecting on the basis of “the lowest price” can often lead to hidden costs down the line. Projects risk overrunning on both time and budget particularly when the successful bidder lacks a deep understanding of the client’s technology or underestimates the complexity of the work. The short-term saving can quickly be outweighed by longer-term inefficiencies.

One proven way to break this cycle is by engaging with a trusted engineering partner on a retained term contract basis. By working with the same engineers consistently, clients benefit from a team who already understand their processes, people, and pressures. This promotes further efficiency by minimising time spent on background learning, while also allowing personal relationships to develop between the client and contractor teams. Engineers who know the stakeholders, and the sometimes-conflicting requirements they must balance, are far better placed to deliver solutions that work first time.

At Otto Simon, collaboration is at the core of our business. We pride ourselves on working flexibly with our clients, finding pragmatic solutions that respect budgets and timescales while ensuring full compliance with regulatory and safety requirements. A retained relationship allows us to truly act as an extension of our client’s team, contributing ideas, insights, and efficiencies that go far beyond transactional project delivery.

Our strength lies in the breadth and depth of our multi-disciplinary team. With experienced process, mechanical, E,C&I, and process safety engineers, we have the capability to deliver improvements on existing assets, design and implement new builds, and tackle the complex challenges of high-hazard processes. We understand the regulatory environment and are used to navigating the realities of energy costs, ageing assets, decarbonisation pressures, and productivity demands. Clients can be confident that we not only understand their challenges, but also bring the technical know-how to solve them.

With over 1,000 projects delivered across a wide range of industries, and more than 150 years of engineering heritage, Otto Simon has earned a reputation for reliability and results. Our track record includes everything from feasibility studies through to full EPCm delivery, giving clients the assurance that we can support them at every stage of the project lifecycle. Long-term partnerships with some of the UK’s most respected companies demonstrate that our approach works in practice as well as in theory.

As an employee-owned trust (EOT), our culture is different from many of our competitors. Every member of the Otto Simon team has a direct stake in the success of the business, which means they are personally motivated to deliver the highest quality of service to our clients. Our values - respect, integrity, responsibility, camaraderie, and pragmatism, shape the way we work together and with our clients, ensuring that every project benefits from collaboration, accountability, and genuine care.

Otto Simon’s Review of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:16:33 GMT

At Otto Simon, we’ve been carefully reviewing the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 to understand the potential impact on the sectors we serve — and, more importantly, how this may affect our clients and partners.

While we highly recommend reviewing the full strategy yourself at The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 - GOV.UK , here are the main take-away points from Otto Simon’s perspective:

Chemicals Sector

The strategy outlines several important proposals aimed at supporting the UK’s chemicals and manufacturing industries. Key areas of focus include:

Reducing Industrial Electricity Costs – The government aims to expedite grid connections for new power generators and increase investment in green energy. In addition, continued support for the Energy-Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme is planned. For many Otto Simon clients who rely on high volumes of energy for their operations, these measures could significantly lower overheads. Historically, UK industry has faced much higher electricity costs than many international competitors — so this change should improve both competitiveness and investment potential.
Easing the Regulatory Burden – Otto Simon supports clients in meeting both legal and moral obligations around safety and compliance. While regulation remains essential for managing risk in high-hazard environments, unnecessary administrative burdens often create inefficiencies. Although further detail is awaited, we will continue to monitor developments and help our clients interpret and implement any changes to legislation or industry standards.
Improving Infrastructure and Planning Processes – The strategy includes proposals to reduce planning barriers and invest in key infrastructure. Improved logistics and access to essential inputs can enhance operational reliability and help maintain competitiveness across the chemicals sector.

Hydrogen Sector

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to clean energy — including hydrogen — by doubling investment in the sector. This aims to strengthen the UK’s position as an early leader in the hydrogen economy, particularly in technologies such as electrolysers and engineering services. The transition from natural gas to hydrogen represents a key component of the UK’s future energy strategy, with significant potential for decarbonising industrial processes.

Otto Simon continues to support clients seeking to integrate hydrogen as a viable fuel source and remains actively involved in the delivery of practical, large-scale hydrogen solutions across heavy industry. This includes supporting the development of projects under the UK’s Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HAR1 and HAR2), which aim to bring low-carbon hydrogen production to commercial scale.

Industrial Biotechnology Sector

Otto Simon has a strong track record in supporting innovative companies working in fermentation and biotechnologies. While the 2025 strategy does not explicitly target industrial biotechnology, adjacent sectors — such as pharmaceuticals and clean energy — are likely to benefit from broader support measures.

We acknowledge that the UK/US trade agreement may impact the competitiveness of certain bio-based fuels such as bioethanol, but the UK remains home to a vibrant innovation ecosystem. Otto Simon stands ready to assist these organisations in developing technologies that support the UK's sustainable future ambitions.

Emergent Technology Sector

The strategy makes clear the government’s ambition to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem — a key segment of Otto Simon’s Emergent Technology client base. Key initiatives include:

Driving Innovation – The government is looking to incentivise collaboration between academia and industry, fostering innovation-led growth across the UK. With many ground-breaking technologies historically relocating abroad due to high costs, the government’s goal is to retain and nurture these businesses within the UK economy.
Improving Access to Finance – Through grants, loans, and tax relief schemes, the government intends to support early-stage and high-growth businesses. Expanding access to funding can help these companies commercialise innovations and scale operations.

Otto Simon continues to support emergent technology enterprises — offering expertise from concept design through to deployment — ensuring engineering and process challenges don’t slow down innovation.

Conclusion

The 2025 Industrial Strategy signals a renewed focus on long-term government support for UK industry — particularly in innovation, clean energy, and manufacturing. Otto Simon will continue to track these developments closely, working alongside our clients and partners to ensure they remain informed, prepared, and positioned to benefit from the evolving industrial landscape.

Keeping Our Expertise Sharp: Machinery Regulations

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 12:45:20 GMT

Here at Otto Simon, we're committed to staying at the forefront of safety and compliance in Process Plant projects. That's why two of our seasoned principal engineers, Mike Wray and Mike Westerman, recently attended a crucial refresher course on machinery regulations at the HSE Science and Research Centre.

In the world of Process Plant projects, it's common to encounter machinery assemblies where vendors don't provide a declaration of conformity. With the recent publication of the new EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230/EU, it's more important than ever to be on top of the latest guidelines. This ensures we can continue to offer our UK-based clients the best advice on their responsibilities and how to apply conformity assessments when machinery risks are present. This applies to both new equipment and the repurposing of existing machinery.

Considering there are over 800 standards related to machinery design, our approach is meticulous. We utilise a thorough hazard identification process to carefully evaluate risks and implement best practice safety mitigations in all our designs. This proactive approach helps us ensure the highest level of safety for your projects.

Please get in touch for assistance.

Building Works Complete!

Wed, 28 May 2025 11:29:12 GMT

What a month it's been! We're absolutely thrilled to announce that the building move and refresh we kicked off at the end of April is now complete. It's been a busy few weeks, and the results are splendid.

Our aim with the building consolidation was to create a more united, efficient, and welcoming environment for everyone, and we believe we've achieved just that. Coming together in one building has allowed us to hone our internal layout by making better use of the existing footprint and enhance the flow throughout the space.

One of the most noticeable changes you’ll see right away is our brand-new reception area. Our new reception is bright, modern, and designed to provide a warm welcome to our visitors. It truly reflects the professionalism and forward-thinking spirit of our organisation.

But that's not all; we've also added two brand-new meeting rooms on the top floor and refreshed the team break-out area.

In today's collaborative world, having dedicated and well-equipped spaces for discussions, hot-desking, and client meetings is more crucial than ever, perfect for fostering productivity and innovation.

The building work did at times cause a little disruption, and we appreciate our teams’ patience and understanding while these improvements were underway.

So, please get in touch, and let us welcome you in! We're incredibly excited about this transformation and believe these enhancements will benefit our day-to-day operations, foster better collaboration, and provide an even more positive experience for both our team and our valued guests.

Here's to a new chapter in our cherished United House office in South Manchester!

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

Mon, 12 May 2025 08:30:10 GMT

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

At Otto Simon, we understand that mental health is an essential component of overall well-being and a foundation for a resilient, productive, and innovative workforce.

As we observe Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering a workplace culture that prioritises employee happiness, empathy, and support for every member of our team.

In the engineering industry, where precision, problem-solving, and collaboration are critical to success, mental wellness is not just a personal matter—it is a professional imperative. We understand that the challenges our employees face, both on and off the job, can significantly impact their ability to perform and thrive.

Throughout this week and beyond, we are dedicated to:

· Promoting open dialogue about mental health to reduce stigma.

· Providing access to professional mental health resources and support services.

· Encouraging work-life balance and sustainable workloads.

· Equipping leaders and managers with tools to support their teams with compassion and care.

We thank our team for their continued dedication and resilience. Let us use this week as a reminder that taking care of our mental health is not a sign of weakness, but a measure of strength. Together, we will continue to build an environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to succeed, both personally and professionally.

Energy Storage & Hydrogen Solutions Conference, Cyprus

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 06:39:55 GMT

Presenting at Energy Storage & Hydrogen Solutions

Last month, our Head of Consultancy, Clare Dunkerley, was invited to speak at an event in Cyprus, hosted by Ideopsis and the British High Commission Nicosia.

The Energy Storage & Solutions Conference brought together leading experts, policymakers, and industry players, with the aim of to fostering dialogue, sharing expertise, and catalysing action towards a more sustainable, resilient, and low-carbon future.

The conference attracted some esteemed speakers, including introductory addresses from the Deputy High Commissioner, Adam Sandbrook and the Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, George Papanastasiou.

The programme was split into 2 sessions with the first highlighting the future of energy storage, moderated by Dr Alexandros Charalambides from the Cyprus University of Technology. Staveros Stavrinos, the Executive Director of the Transmission System Operator Cyprus, explained the issues the Cyprus Energy Transmission System faced, concentrating on curtailment of renewable solar power.

Michael Toumbas, of EV power Ltd, shared innovative thinking around an AI enabled electric vehicle local grid power sharing mechanism. There were also great presentations from smart grid expert Dr Andreas Procopiou and the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority.

The second session concentrated on hydrogen solutions. Dr Andreas Poullikkas delivered on future energy systems while Charles Purkiss updated us on the latest developments at ITM Power. Jeremy Bowman, from Hypermotive Ltd, discussed hydrogen technology for transport and Philippa Oldham shared some work from the Advanced Propulsion Centre. An interesting Q&A session was chaired by Dr Nestor Fylaktos of the Cyprus Institute.

Clare presented ‘A Safe Hydrogen Future’, addressing the importance of public perception and the imperative for no major incidents.

Clare shared her experience from working on hydrogen projects and provided an insight in how to use the current UK regulatory framework in conjunction with industry codes and standards to demonstrate that risks in hydrogen projects were acceptable to all concerned.

It was a fascinating conference providing a fantastic insight to the current and future energy situation in Cyprus, with plenty of time for networking and discussing hydrogen solutions and projects with all the attendees. Our thanks go to Ideopsis and the British High Commission in Nicosia for the invitation and opportunity to participate in the discussions.

Standards Development: PAS 4445:2025 for Hydrogen-Fired Equipment

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:48:54 GMT

Standards Development: PAS 4445:2025 for Hydrogen-Fired Equipment

The future of energy is undeniably leaning towards hydrogen, a clean and versatile fuel poised to revolutionise industrial and commercial operations, which is required to take place within 25 years to meet the country’s net zero targets.

Today, we are proud to celebrate both our contribution to, and the publication of, Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 4445:2025, hydrogen-fired equipment. The publication is a significant step forward in ensuring the safe and effective integration of hydrogen-fired equipment into industrial and commercial applications. This standard will play a crucial role in fostering confidence and driving innovation.

Otto Simon’s Support:

In early 2024, BSI invited Otto Simon Ltd. to provide expert technical representation on the Steering Group for the development of the fifth publication in the PAS series concerning hydrogen appliance/equipment fuel gas. This initiative builds upon the four preceding publications, which focused on the transition to hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas within the UK's domestic and small business sectors.

The fifth publication, PAS 4445:2025, expands the scope to address the implementation of hydrogen in larger, more complex industrial applications, necessitating significant deviations from established domestic installation practices.

Mike Wray, Principal Mechanical Engineer at Otto Simon, joined the Steering Group, contributing alongside technical representatives from diverse industrial equipment suppliers, end-users, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Throughout the second half of 2024, the group convened to provide technical guidance and input into the publication's development. Mike Wray's expertise, gained from his involvement in the Keele University HyDeploy project plus numerous industrial fuel switching trials as part of the HyNet North West UK Hydrogen network and CCUS projects, proved to be invaluable.

Under the proficient leadership of Beverley Goodchild (BSI), who effectively managed group discussions and maintained focus on achieving a successful outcome, the Steering Group finalized PAS 4445:2025, "Hydrogen fired equipment for use in industrial and commercial (non-domestic) settings – Code of Practice." This publication, released in late March 2025, aims to establish a robust technical framework for fuel gas users and equipment suppliers transitioning to low or zero-carbon fuel utilisation in their operational processes and system designs.

Why PAS 4445:2025 is Significant:

The use of hydrogen, while promising, requires meticulous handling and infrastructure. PAS 4445:2025 provides a comprehensive framework to:

· Prioritise Safety: Establishing stringent safety protocols for the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of hydrogen-fired equipment.

· Optimise Efficiency: Promoting best practices to maximise the performance of hydrogen utilisation

· Minimise Risks: Addressing potential hazards associated with hydrogen storage, handling, and combustion.

· Standardise Practices: Providing clear and consistent guidelines for organisations across the hydrogen equipment value chain.

· Enable Industry Growth: Fostering confidence and accelerating the adoption of hydrogen technologies.

Who Will Benefit from PAS 4445:2025?

This PAS is vital for a wide range of stakeholders, including:

· Manufacturers of hydrogen-fired equipment.

· Industrial and commercial users of hydrogen technologies.

· Engineering and construction firms.

· Safety and regulatory bodies.

· Hydrogen infrastructure developers.

· Insurance providers.

By developing the guidelines in PAS 4445:2025, Otto Simon has further demonstrated its commitment to safety, its technical understanding and continuing contribution to the hydrogen economy.

Feeling the Pinch?

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:51:44 GMT

At times it may feel as though there are far too many obstacles and barriers to overcome whilst attempting to get the most out of a tight capex budget.

Increases in overheads, increased energy prices, changes in compliance requirements can all contribute to the headache that comes with providing effective engineering solutions in tough times. The margins achieved from selling your products could be the only thing which is decreasing.

There’s no doubt that today more than ever it is imperative to get the best value for your money. Whilst it may be tempting to call in the big engineering contractors who can provide a one-stop-shop, convenience shopping is an expensive way of doing projects.

Project success depends on getting things right.

Everybody gets so easily engrossed in the day-to-day activities that they often do not invest enough time and effort into the fundamentals that will make or break a project’s success. Skimping at the concept stage and investing insufficient development into the scope, deliverables and stage gate estimates, are just some of the things that will usually result in ballooning costs and even bigger headaches .

Otto Simon can help guide you to a successful conclusion. We can work with you to take the your concept through to a FEED, providing you with much needed cost certainty. No chemical manufacturer worth their salts wants to keep going back to their board asking for more money to complete what was a fully budgeted and financed project.

Why Otto Simon?

We have an unrivalled level of expertise and experience in eliminating unnecessary inefficiencies and superfluous costs by working with you using a skilled small team to develop your concept.

This will save you money, and give you options about who or how or when the installation should be implemented.

If you want to ease the pinch, please get in touch.

Successful Trialling of Hydrogen

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 12:07:44 GMT

Otto Simon is proud to be able to report the successful trialling of hydrogen as a substitute fuel to natural gas at Novelis's Aluminium Recycling facility in Warrington.

As part of the Industrial Fuel Switching programme, Otto Simon designed the hydrogen supply infrastructure and integrated this into the existing furnace working alongside Novelis's supply chain and the hydrogen supplier.

Otto Simon managed the installation and commissioning of the facility and assisted the site team during the trials, another step along the road for industrial decarbonisation in the Northwest.

This project builds upon Otto Simon's track record of hydrogen projects which includes trials in Glass Manufacture, Food and Ceramics as well as the pioneering HyDeploy project at Keele University.

North West Chemicals – Why Us?

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 17:58:38 GMT

Otto Simon has a unique selling point in comparison with the multitude of engineering contractors plying their trade to the chemical manufacturers in the North West of England. The North West chemical industry is of great importance to Otto Simon and we are dedicated in the provision of service and support to our chemical clients.

Our USP?

Otto Simon’s engineers have extensive experience of working on site and being in the ‘thick of it’. We know what the issues are, we understand the challenges, whether these arise from getting products to market on time, increasing manufacturing capacity or improving energy efficiency and being compliant with safety and emissions legislation. We can help.

The North West is strong in chemical manufacture and accounts for 25.3% of the UK Chemical Sector GVA employing some 27,325 people, exports amount to £7.9bn and the data available from the CIA goes into greater depth to underline how our region is a significant strategic UK asset.

Foresight Hydrogen Live 2025

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:50:07 GMT

Otto Simon attended the two-day H2 Conference in Liverpool on the 5th and 6th of February at the Titanic Hotel.

There was cautious optimism on the part of the attendees in respect of the UK H2 developments as the economy currently has sluggish growth forecasts and the HAR 1 Contracts between the H2 producers and the Government are slowly reaching conclusion. HyNet is moving forward but at a pedestrian pace. Interest in hydrogen is high and there are more potential off-takers of H2 than there is projected supply over the next five years, but this imbalance is being addressed. Questions were raised about the current funding model, which if maintained, could add up to £200- £300 per year to the average domestic consumer’s household bill. It was suggested that just burning H2 as a natural gas replacement was a futile exercise, whereas using it to create energy from powering turbines and developing H2 storage would be a more economically effective use of H2. Apparently, Air Products is the world’s biggest global H2 producer with some 9,000 tonnes per day and they intend to grow this business. The EU has a plan to produce 1,000 tonnes per day and is on track to achieve this. The UK has some catching up to do.

There were altruistic comments calling for greater collaboration in the sharing of innovative ideas and how to tackle emergent issues together which have arisen from the numerous H2 projects involving the H2 community. However, whilst this notion was tepidly received, the companies concerned, often in competition with each other to get awarded H2 projects, will remain naturally protective of their technologies, their IP and their commercial aspirations therefore co-operation will be somewhat limited and transactional. Cadent and others highlighted the planning issues associated with developing the intended H2 cross- county pipelines and urged the local authorities to work together.

Modular Nuclear Generation was discussed. At the present there are only five sites in the UK where these can be legally located. The manufacturers stressed the safety case for considering locating reactors in areas where there are greater densities of population to supply energy closer to intended H2 facilities. A promising idea in principle?

Otto Simon Achieves Cyber Essentials Certification

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:13:19 GMT

We're thrilled to announce that Otto Simon has achieved Cyber Essentials certification! This significant milestone demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting all that we have been entrusted with in today's increasingly complex digital landscape.

Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed scheme designed to help organisations of all sizes protect themselves against common cyber threats. It provides a clear set of security controls that, when implemented correctly, significantly reduce the risk of cyber-attacks. Achieving this certification validates our dedication to maintaining the highest standards of cybersecurity and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.

What does this mean?

In a world where cyber threats are constantly evolving, knowing that your partners prioritise security is paramount. Our Cyber Essentials certification provides the assurance that:

We take data security seriously: We've implemented robust security measures to protect against common cyber threats, including malware, phishing, and hacking.
Your data is in safe hands: We adhere to best practices for data handling and storage, minimizing the risk of data breaches.
We're committed to continuous improvement: Achieving Cyber Essentials is not a one-time event. We will regularly review and update our security controls to stay ahead of emerging threats.
We're a trusted partner: Our certification demonstrates our commitment to meeting industry-recognized security standards.

What is Cyber Essentials?

The Cyber Essentials scheme focuses on five key controls:

Boundary Firewalls: Protecting our network from unauthorized access.
Secure Configuration: Ensuring our systems are configured securely to minimize vulnerabilities.
User Access Control: Restricting access to sensitive data based on roles and responsibilities.
Malware Protection: Protecting our systems from malicious software.
Patch Management: Keeping our software up to date to address known vulnerabilities.

Our Ongoing Commitment

Achieving Cyber Essentials certification is a significant step, but it's just one part of our ongoing commitment to cybersecurity. We will continue to invest in security measures, train our staff on best practices, and stay informed about the latest threats to ensure we maintain the highest level of protection.

We believe that security is a shared responsibility, and we encourage everyone to be vigilant online. By working together, we can create a safer digital environment for everyone.

Christmas Wishes 2024

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:25:07 GMT

Merry Christmas from our team to yours!

Wishing everyone a joyous Christmas and prosperous New Year!

�� ❄️

SafeContractor Certification

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 07:58:49 GMT

Otto Simon is pleased to share another year of a successful audit and certification from SafeContractor!

Alcumus SafeContractor is a leading accreditation scheme used by thousands of organisations in the UK to demonstrate rigorous standards in health and safety management amongst contractors. Many major clients recognise the scheme and accept the SafeContractor certificate as confirmation of competency in health and safety practice.

Under the SafeContractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website.

Client organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, enabling them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site. These clients agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those who have received accreditation. Over 450 major, nationwide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as building, maintenance, refurbishment, or electrical and mechanical work.

Alcumus SafeContractor is a UKAS accredited Inspection body covering the SSIP Core Criteria element of the SafeContractor Assessment Standard. All SSIP assessments are judged on core criteria approved by HSE.

You can view our certificate here.

www.alcumus.com/en-gb/safecontractor

Celebrating 5 Years of Being an Employee-Owned Trust Company

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 12:18:43 GMT

Five years ago, we embarked on a journey to redefine what it means to be a business. By becoming an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT), we took a large step towards empowering our employees and creating a more sustainable future. Today, as we celebrate this significant milestone, we reflect on the achievements and benefits this has brought.

Employee ownership has encouraged unity between our group companies. It gives staff another avenue to have a voice, with their opinions heard and valued. It has fostered a unique sense of ownership and responsibility amongst our team members. Knowing that their hard work directly contributes to the company's success has motivated employees to go above and beyond. This shared commitment has led to increased productivity, innovation, and a stronger company culture.

Congratulations team!

World Menopause Day 2024

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:44:21 GMT

Menopause and Employment: Supporting the Challenges and Embracing Opportunities

Today is ‘World Menopause Day’, and serves as a platform to raise awareness about the unique challenges women face during perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause, including those related to employment.

Menopause is a natural transition in a woman’s life, where many changes take place from physical to emotional and psychological. Common symptoms include; hot flushes, hormonal fluctuations affecting mood, sleep disturbance and joint pain.

As Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, it’s important now more than ever to be able to speak openly about menopause at work and the challenges that women face.

Otto Simon actively supports our female workforce, and here are some of the ways we help:

Flexible working such as changing working patterns or working from home
Counselling through the workplace, or further help through our employee benefit policies
Option to take more regular breaks
More time to prepare before meetings, appointments or engagements

By understanding the challenges and implementing effective strategies, both employees and employers can create a more supportive and inclusive workplace for menopausal women.

World Mental Health Day 2024

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 06:54:50 GMT

“It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace"

This World Mental Health Day, WHO is uniting with partners to highlight the vital connection between mental health and work. Safe, healthy working environments can act as a protective factor for mental health.

Unhealthy conditions including outdated thinking and prejudice, stigma, discrimination, and exposure to risks like harassment and other poor working conditions, can pose significant risks, affecting mental health, overall quality of life and consequently participation or productivity at work. With 60% of the global population in work, urgent action is needed to ensure work prevents risks to mental health and protects and supports mental health at work.

It is essential for governments, employers, the organizations which represent workers and employers, and other stakeholders responsible for workers’ health and safety to work together to improve mental health at work. Action to address mental health at work should be done with the meaningful involvement of workers and their representatives, and persons with lived experience of mental health conditions. By investing efforts and resources in evidence-based approaches and interventions at work, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive at work and in life. Let's take action today for a healthier future.

World Mental Health Day 2024 - Mental Health UK (mentalhealth-uk.org)

Otto Simon Vigentennial – A Celebration 20 Years of Excellence

Clees@ottosimon.co.uk — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 07:05:52 GMT

Otto Simon celebrated a significant milestone; a twentieth-year anniversary commemorating the success of two decades as an independent engineering consultancy and project delivery organisation.

Otto Simon continues to demonstrate its ability to address the challenges of meeting our clients’ requirements in response to the dynamics of changing market conditions. We can be genuinely proud of our reputation gained through the innovative and practical technical engineering solutions we deliver to our clients.

Our growth is a result of our pragmatic ability to adapt as circumstances dictate whilst remaining true to our core capabilities. This is why we are the go-to engineering company in the Emergent Technology, Hydrogen and Chemical Process markets. As an independent Employee-Owned Trust whose roots date back to 1872 and we can nostalgically refer to our heritage in gas processing with some pride and acknowledge our Cheadle base as the home of Otto Simon.

It is appropriate that we recognise the achievements made over the last 20 years but we do so with the confidence of looking forward to the next 20th years of Otto Simon continuing to provide engineering excellence. We know that reputation and respect are both hard to gain and easy to lose and we will not be complacent in striving to achieve our goals.

We could not have completed the last 20 years of success without our incredibly hard working and talented workforce. Otto Simons’ engineers are the best in the business and it is fitting that we celebrate what we do and will do together as one team.

Congratulations!

Delivering Net Zero Ceramics UK 2024

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 07:48:16 GMT

Attending the Ceramics UK Conference in Stoke on Trent

Darryl Nevitt and Chris Speers attended the Ceramics UK Conference in Stoke on Trent.

Otto Simon has built strong relationships not only with the Ceramics UK Management Team led by Andrew McDonald and Tim Chadwick , but also with those companies participating in current Hydrogen Trials right now and some companies who intend to trial Hydrogen in the near future at their sites.

It was an enjoyable opportunity to connect with familiar faces and to meet new people. The theme of the conference was self-evident; the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions from the Ceramics Industry’s Kilns and Furnaces, and to get the members’ attendees focussed on achieving a Net Zero outcome for 2030.

It was apparent that Otto Simon is well respected as a an industry leading engineering consultancy involved at the forefront of Hydrogen Projects in the UK and as one of the few companies that actually has practical real experience in working safely with hydrogen. In fact two of the presenters mentioned Otto Simon , one of whom showed a slide referring to Otto Simon's engineering expertise in their address to the delegates.

Lights, camera, action!

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 10:44:38 GMT

Welcoming the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and Springpod to our office

Yesterday we had the pleasure of welcoming the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and Springpod to our office in Cheadle for filming their online work experience exercise for secondary schools!

IChemE have invested in a new and innovative online work experience platform as part of the DiscoverChemEng campaign. The platform, aimed at the 14 to 18 age group, will deliver a coherent and consolidated work experience package representing the chemical and process engineering sector.

For young people to fully understand the integrated nature of any career, to be certain in their higher education choices, or to have their stereotypical views and misconceptions challenged, they need to experience the world of work. With careers funding in schools cut and H&S regulations making it difficult to get young people into the workplace, online learning is becoming the norm. SpringPod is well regarded in the education sector and has a reach of over 500,000 school age children. It is well proven by other engineering sectors including ICE, IMechE and AirBus.

In the first year, the platform will reach up to 1,000 UK students which supports IChemE’s aims of building a future talent pool of prospective Chemical and process engineering students and members who will have completed 8 to 10 hours experiential learning to support their career ambitions.

As part of the work experience package young people are being given the chance to complete a real-world problem-solving exercise which has been led by one of IChemE’s volunteer members – Clare Dunkerly from Otto Simon. Clare will be guiding young learners through a problem-solving task to switch from traditional fossil fuels to Green Hydrogen. With plenty of calculations and design considerations this part of the package will give youngsters a real taste of life as a process engineer!

RoSPA Award 2024

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 10:43:37 GMT

Otto Simon Ltd earns prestigious global health and safety award from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

Otto Simon Ltd, based in Manchester, UK, has fought off global competition to win a prestigious RoSPA Award, demonstrating its commitment to health and safety excellence.

Otto Simon Ltd won a Silver Award in the Industry category, demonstrating its dedication to ensuring its staff, clients, and contractors get home safely at the end of every working day.

The esteemed RoSPA Awards program now celebrates its 68 ^th year as the UK’s largest and most impactful health and safety programme. With almost 2,000 entries annually from over 50 countries, impacting over seven million employees, they offer a platform to spotlight an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in health and safety.

Whether entrants seek non-competitive excellence recognition or vie for competitive awards across 32 industry sectors, the RoSPA Awards provide an unparalleled opportunity to stand among leaders shaping safer, healthier workplaces.

Chris Bridgland, Managing Director of Otto Simon, said : “We are delighted that our hard work and dedication to safety has been recognised by RoSPA. This marks the 8 ^th consecutive year Otto Simon has earned an award from RoSPA, demonstrating an excellent level of consistency with our safety performance. Otto Simon believes health and safety at work is a fundamental right and we never compromise on the safety of our workforce or the public. We will continue working hard to maintaining and improving our safety performance across all our projects.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s Achievements Director, said : “Workplace accidents don’t just pose financial risks and operational disruptions; they significantly impact the quality of life for individuals. This is why acknowledging and rewarding excellent safety performance is vital.

“We congratulate Otto Simon Ltd for winning a prestigious RoSPA Award and showing an unwavering commitment to keeping employees, clients and customers safe from accidental harm and injury.”

Sponsored by Croner-i, the RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, and receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for the health and safety industry.

Thank you to all our personnel for their safe work throughout the year!

For more information about the RoSPA Awards visit www.rospa .com/awards

Hydrogen Week 2024

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 10:59:08 GMT

Trialling Hydrogen Fuel in Industrial Settings

Hydrogen Project Considerations

Hydrogen has been in use in the UK for many decades, but most frequently only in applications close to where it is produced. Consequently, there is a lack of familiarity with hydrogen outside of these limited facilities and this has led to a nervousness amongst potential users and a fear that hydrogen is a highly risky fuel. Distribution and use beyond such facilities has been unusual but is now seen as an integral part of the national drive to Net Zero by 2050. The time is therefore ripe for addressing the nervousness and for demonstrating that with sound engineering and operational practices, hydrogen can be used safely and successfully.

Hydrogen burns without producing any carbon dioxide by-product and is a viable alternative to natural gas. Provided that it can be produced in a sustainable manner, the use of hydrogen as a substitute fuel to natural gas is therefore seen as an important part of the UK’s move to decarbonising industry; especially the high energy use sectors, like the chemical processing and thermal industries that Otto Simon serves.

This drive to increase the use of hydrogen across industry is now driving the regulatory environment which is changing rapidly.

Engineering challenges associated with hydrogen are primarily driven by its small molecular size. It is the smallest element and therefore has a high propensity to leak. If it does leak and accumulate, hydrogen is very likely to ignite or explode. The explosive range of hydrogen is greater than natural gas and the required ignition energy smaller; however, by applying sound engineering practices it can be handled safely.

Over the last few years, Otto Simon has been working to support clients with trialling the switch to hydrogen fuel and we have gained significant experience in the design and engineering of hydrogen facilities as well as practical knowledge of the safety requirements to ensure the safe use of hydrogen fuel.

Recent Developments in Hydrogen Fuel Switching Projects

Otto Simon has worked across several industrial sectors in recent years on projects to trial the use of hydrogen as a substitute for natural gas as a fuel, either as a blend or as a full replacement. These trials are ‘proof of concept’ to facilitate the conversion to hydrogen fuel (blue or green) once large-scale hydrogen production and distribution networks are operational.

Our recent projects have included hydrogen trials in the following industries:

Glass Manufacturing
Breakfast Cereal Production
Aluminium Recycling
Ceramics Production
Steel Vessel Forming

Building upon extensive feasibility studies, Otto Simon has been responsible for designing trial rigs to deliver hydrogen to these facilities allowing the client to run trials by operating their existing facility on hydrogen fuel. In all instances, these trials aim to demonstrate that our clients can produce quality products using hydrogen fuel in a safe manner.

Based on our experience, Otto Simon has compiled the following key considerations that are vital for a successful hydrogen fuel demonstration plant:

Trial Aims

Demonstrate the use of hydrogen fuel without affecting the product quality or impacting plant operations.
Identify what equipment / assets can be used with hydrogen fuel (particularly important with older equipment).
Identify the required modifications to equipment and site infrastructure.
Provide confidence to invest in the longer-term transition to hydrogen.
Ensuring the site still meets NOx emission levels and has required planning permission etc.

Trial Location and Definition

Identifying representative operational equipment to use in the trial without disrupting plant operations.
Defining trial length, parameters, and success measurements with the client.
Evaluating hydrogen supply options (Road trailer, MCPs (Hydrogen manifolded cylinder pallets), or production on site).
Assessing and mitigating site layout constraints: hydrogen infrastructure, tie-ins, and hydrogen tanker access logistics; safety considerations (i.e. hazardous area); neighbours.

Safety Case

Hazard Studies (including HAZOP).
LOPA.
Dispersion modelling.
DSEAR/ATEX proximity to other existing site facilities.

Key Learnings from Hydrogen Fuel Switching Trials

Some key points Otto Simon has learned from our recent experience with delivery hydrogen fuel switching trials include:

Simple assumptions about hydrogen can be deceptive.
Older equipment needs careful assessment before hydrogen can be introduced.
There are many perceptions about hydrogen.
Do not assume that equipment is “hydrogen ready” without checking.

The Future of Hydrogen Fuel

The results of the current trials aim to demonstrate that hydrogen fuel can be used without affecting the product quality or impacting plant operations, however, studies and trials are unique to the equipment and processes of each facility. We hope the success of these ‘proof of concept’ trials will give companies within the chemical process and thermal industries the confidence to investigate the switch to hydrogen fuel once a hydrogen distribution system and ‘hydrogen economy’ are in place, but individual facilities will need to carefully consider the modifications required to adapt their site to hydrogen usage and check that hydrogen fuel is a feasible alternative for their process.

Safe Contractor

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 10:06:07 GMT

Otto Simon is delighted to announce that we have achieved SafeContractor accreditation!

Gemma Archibald, Divisional CEO of Alcumus SafeContractor said: “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.”

“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Otto Simon has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector. SafeContractor plays a vital role in supporting our clients in meeting their compliance needs, whilst working with their contractors as they progress through the accreditation process.”

Otto Simon’s Managing Director, Chris Bridgland said, “Otto Simon is proud to have achieved this accreditation, which will assure our clients that we meet all the standards and regulations required to deliver projects safely.”

You can view our certificate here.

www.alcumus.com/en-gb/safecontractor

Christmas Jumper Day 2023

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 15:25:22 GMT

Otto Simon is celebrating Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for Save the Children!

Today, staff in our Manchester head office and those working from home or at sites across the UK donned their best festive knitwear to celebrate Christmas and help transform the future for children.

Every pound we raise will give children in the UK and around the world the chance to grow up healthy and happy and change the future for good. Visit Save the Children’s website for more information: www.savethechildren.org.uk/christmas-jumper-day

If you’d like to support the cause, you can donate here: https://christmas.savethechildren.org.uk/fundraising/CJD230033090

Merry Christmas!

BCECA House of Lords Visit

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 16:28:07 GMT

Otto Simon’s Head of Business Development, Darryl Nevitt, attended the 3rd BCECA Annual Conference in October, which this year focused on ‘the energy transformation challenge – making it a reality’.

The conference included keynote presentations from Lord Ravensdale and Energy Institute CEO Nick Wayth. Lord Ravensdale spoke about the long-term challenge of energy transition and presenters discussed the challenges currently facing the development of UK Hydrogen projects.

The conference was followed up with a reception at the House of Lords on 21 ^st November that provided networking opportunities with energy transformation stakeholders and key players in the chemical engineering industry.

Find more information on BCECA's website: www.bceca.org.uk/events

Project Postcards - Brazil

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 10:32:55 GMT

In the first of our 'Project Postcards' series, Otto Simon's E&I Engineer, Dennis McGlynn, recounts his recent visit to NSG’s C4 Glass Furnace in Brazil to provide site-based E&I services:

The team at the C4 site are just great. Despite the language barrier they oozed friendliness and good humour. What impressed me the most was the immediate shaking of hands each morning, even though we had only chatted the evening before, and again after lunch there was the normal show of this friendliness. It took me by surprise for the first few days, before I pleasantly accepted it as the norm. It’s the most outward show of friendliness I’ve experienced between the different places I’ve worked, and it will never be forgotten.

Delivering Net Zero for British Ceramics

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 12:28:10 GMT

Otto Simon was delighted to attend the ‘Delivering Net Zero for British Ceramics’ 2023 Conference organised by the British Ceramic Confederation.

The conference was held at Staffordshire University on 13 ^th September 2023. Delegates from across the ceramics, energy, and engineering industries come together to discuss the decarbonisation of the UK ceramics industry, along with associated policy changes and research which are key to the delivery of low-carbon technologies of the future.

Speakers included an update on the future of energy networks for Net Zero from the Energy Networks Association; a video message from Lord Callanan, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, on business transition planning; information about engaging the UK ceramics industry with BAT for industrial emissions from the Environment Agency; and discussions about ‘safer innovation’ and their research into hydrogen from the Health and Safety Executive.

The British Ceramics Confederation also gave an update on the status of their research into using hydrogen for the ceramics sector and We Are Liminal, gave an interesting talk about how to ‘reframe uncertainty as opportunity’.

Otto Simon is currently carrying out hydrogen fuel switching projects for a range of industries, including ceramics, and it was very interesting to discuss the role hydrogen will play in the future of the ceramics industry with a wide selection of the attendees and presenters.

https://www.ceramfed.co.uk/key-topics/industry-decarbonisation-conference/

The Different Colours of Hydrogen

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 09:42:15 GMT

You may have heard of ‘blue hydrogen’, ‘green hydrogen’, possibly even ‘pink hydrogen’ and thought—wait a minute, isn’t hydrogen a colourless gas?

Yes, hydrogen is an invisible gas, it burns with a near invisible flame, and despite the colourful names, there’s no visible difference between the different types of hydrogen. The ‘colours’ of hydrogen are used within the energy industry to differentiate between hydrogen production methods.

Currently, there’s no universal naming convention, so the colour definitions vary by region or industry, but here’s our guide to the most commonly used hydrogen colour code:

Green Hydrogen

Green hydrogen is produced with no harmful greenhouse gas emissions. It’s made by using ‘clean’ electricity from renewable energy sources (e.g. solar, wind, etc.) to electrolyse water. Electrolysers use electricity to split water into its components of hydrogen and oxygen, emitting zero-carbon dioxide in the process, making it a ‘zero-carbon’ process.
Currently, this makes up a small portion of overall hydrogen production due to the high cost of production, but many emerging hydrogen projects are looking for ways to increase green hydrogen production and usage. By 2050, as part of the UK’s drive towards Net Zero, it is hoped that all hydrogen produced within the UK will be ‘green’.
Hydrogen produced via solar power is sometimes referred to as yellow hydrogen.

Blue Hydrogen

Blue hydrogen is produced mainly from natural gas (and some other fossil fuels) via steam reforming. This process produces a carbon dioxide by-product which is captured, stored or utilised via CCUS technology.
Blue hydrogen is considered a ‘low carbon’ option as CCUS technology is not yet 100% efficient.
Otto Simon expects blue hydrogen production in the UK to increase over the next decade, as a more environmentally friendly alternative to grey hydrogen.

Grey Hydrogen

Grey hydrogen is blue hydrogen without the CCUS step.
Currently, the majority of hydrogen is produced this way but many of the emerging hydrogen projects across the UK are looking for ways to turn grey hydrogen production into blue.

Black or Brown Hydrogen

Hydrogen produced from coal (black) or lignite (brown) via gasification processes is a highly polluting and environmentally damaging process that produces carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide by-products which are generally lost to the atmosphere.
Confusingly, black or brown hydrogen is sometimes used interchangeably for hydrogen produced via any fossil fuel or biomass.

Pink Hydrogen

Pink (sometimes red or purple) hydrogen is generated through electrolysis powered by nuclear energy.

Turquoise Hydrogen

A potentially interesting route for hydrogen production which involves methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen and solid carbon.
Turquoise hydrogen may prove valuable in the future as a low-emission hydrogen, providing the thermal process can be powered by renewable energy and the solid carbon can be permanently stored, however, this process has yet to be proven at scale.

White Hydrogen

White hydrogen refers to the naturally-occurring hydrogen found in underground deposits. This is of academic interest only and there are no industrial strategies to exploit this hydrogen at present.

Otto Simon is currently working with companies in the industry to develop methods of green hydrogen production, deploy electrolyser technology, and improve methods of CCUS.

A member of the North West Hydrogen Alliance, Otto Simon is working at the forefront of technical innovation for the Hydrogen market. Our team has considerable experience with hydrogen as a fuel and is providing technical engineering support and practical hands-on engineering expertise.

Stress Awareness Month 2023

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:37:53 GMT

10 Tips to Manage your Stress Levels

Otto Simon takes the mental health and wellbeing of our employees very seriously and this April, as part of Stress Awareness Month, Otto Simon is helping to raise awareness of the causes and cures for stress and poor mental health.

This poster, designed by Mental Health First Aid England provides 10 tips to manage stress levels, and has been circulated around Otto Simon’s offices.

We encourage everyone to prioritise their mental health. Our supervisors and managers have been provided with information and resources that allow them to help and advise people with mental health issues and encourages them in how they can make a difference and support Otto Simon’s drive for positive mental health at work.

Both physical and mental health and safety are core values for Otto Simon. We prioritise health and safety in the workplace and never compromise on the safety of our workforce or the public. We believe that Health & Safety at work is a fundamental right. 28 ^th April marks International Workers' Memorial Day 2023, a day when we remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice as a consequence of their work – whether that be accident or ill health – and to encourage use to learn from the past to prevent its recurrence in the present and future.

You can find out more information about Stress Awareness Month from the Stress Management Society: https://www.stress.org.uk/national-stress-awareness-month/ and more useful resources from MHFA England: https://mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/resources/

Honeywell Hydrogen Lunch & Learn

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 16:22:46 GMT

Otto Simon's Process & Commissioning Engineer, Adam Draup, was recently invited to attend Honeywell’s Hydrogen Innovation Day at the Honeywell Thermal Solutions Factory in Vilvoorde, Belgium. Across two days in March 2023, Honeywell presented several hydrogen-based seminars as well as two burner demonstrations for engineers from industries across Europe. Adam was the only attendee from the UK and said it was a brilliant learning experience.

Following the Innovation Day, Honeywell Thermal Solutions was kind enough to offer to visit Otto Simon's offices in Cheadle and provide a one-to-one presentation for more of our engineers and project delivery team. Run as a Lunch & Learn session, Honeywell’s presentation focussed on current hydrogen developments in all things burner and burner train related, and provided an excellent opportunity for Q&A.

We also took the opportunity to discuss some current projects that both Honeywell and ourselves are working on, and how to manage fuel conversions from natural gas to hydrogen in a controlled and safe manner.

Otto Simon is always seeking to improve the knowledge and expertise of our engineers, and we were delighted for this opportunity to learn more about hydrogen burners and create a direct link with the suppliers to improve our project delivery for hydrogen fuel switching trials.

You can learn more about Honeywell’s hydrogen solutions on their website .

Read more about Otto Simon’s work to develop Hydrogen Fuel Switching projects in the North West, UK:

Chemicals Northwest Awards 2023

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 15:38:27 GMT

Otto Simon was once again proud to sponsor the 'Supplier to the Chemical Industry Award' at the 2023 Chemicals Northwest Awards.

Chemicals Northwest is an industry-led support cluster focussed on supporting and promoting the North West chemical sector and its extended supply chain. The annual Chemicals Northwest Awards honour excellence across a wide spectrum of business activity; from innovation to young talent and from manufacturing to sustainability.

The awards ceremony was held on 23rd March at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate Hotel and saw more than 300 engineers and executives from across the North West come together to celebrate success in the chemicals industry.

Twelve awards were presented during the evening, and Otto Simon was delighted to award Dr Knoell Consult Ltd with the 'Supplier to the Chemical Industry Award' for their work to help chemical companies understand and trade under the new UK REACH regulations. Unfortunately, the representatives from Dr Knoell Consult Ltd were unable to accept their award in person, but we’ll make sure the award gets to them!

Steve Elliott, CEO of the Chemical Industries Association welcomed guests on behalf of Chemicals Northwest wishing everyone success in the year ahead. The evening was hosted by Sam McAlister, and was rounded off with some excellent music from local band, Fleur and the Flamingos.

It was a fantastic night, honouring the vibrant chemical industry in the north west of England, and it was great to be able to celebrate in person with our clients and partners from across the sector.

Find out more about the award winners in the different categories on the Chemicals Northwest website: www.cia.org.uk/chemicalsnorthwest/awards_2023

Hydrogen Week 2023

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 15:48:14 GMT

Hydrogen Fuel Switching Projects

Otto Simon is kicking off Hydrogen Week with a round-up of the Hydrogen Fuel Switching projects we've supported.

Otto Simon has been working on many projects in the emerging hydrogen field in recent years, in particular, we’ve been supporting clients with trialling the switch to using hydrogen fuel.

Our blog post looks at the hydrogen fuel switching projects undertaken to date, lessons learned from designing for hydrogen use, and future challenges for adapting to hydrogen fuel.

Read the blog post here: hydrogenweek.co.uk/hydrogen-fuel-switching-projects/

Supporting the Next Generation of Engineers

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 17:44:43 GMT

Otto Simon’s Head of Engineering, Andrew King, recently joined the panel of Hays’ LinkedIn Live session to discuss how we can support the next generation of engineers in the UK.

The session was chaired by Paul Gibbens MREC Cert RP who was joined by Elizabeth Donnelly, MSc FRSA MRAeS MINCOSE CEO of Women's Engineering Society, Jon Excell Editor of The Engineer UK and Andrew King from Otto Simon.

The panel discussed how we can encourage more young people into engineering, changing perceptions of the industry and routes to success. It's an incredibly worthwhile conversation that Otto Simon is proud to be a part of.

If you missed it, you can watch the full LinkedIn Live panel session on YouTube .

Chemicals Northwest Awards Sponsorship 2023

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 17:42:58 GMT

Otto Simon is proud to be sponsoring the 'Supplier to the Chemical Industry Award' at the 2023 Chemicals Northwest Awards.

The awards ceremony will be held on 23 ^rd March at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate Hotel.

Otto Simon looks forward to celebrating the success of our dynamic and diverse sector and wishes the best of luck to all the entrants!

For more information about the awards, visit the Chemicals Northwest website .

Otto Simon joins IGEM as an Industrial Affiliate

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 14:55:04 GMT

Otto Simon is delighted to announce that we’re now an Industrial Affiliate of the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM).

IGEM is the professional institution for gas, advocating for excellence across the industry. IGEM publishes technical standards and is a chartered professional body, licensed by the Engineering Council. Working with stakeholders from across the industry, IGEM seeks to represent the views of their members and the wider gas community and to inform and influence current and future gas and energy policy.

IGEM has an important role to play in the future of the hydrogen economy, they are delivering webinars and conferences on the subject and are also in the process of updating gas industry technical standards to accommodate the changes in fuel supply.

The Hydrogen Knowledge Centre has been established by IGEM as a digital library designed to share essential research for those working and studying in the future energy field.

Otto Simon’s membership with IGEM demonstrates our commitment to the gas industry in the UK and builds on the successful projects that we have already undertaken for Cadent, SGN and NGN, including the high profile HyDeploy and Industrial Fuel Switching projects. It will allow us to share our knowledge with the wider gas community, attend IGEM events, and will ensure we keep up-to-speed with all of the latest technical developments and industry best practices.

We are proud to be affiliated with such a prestigious institution as IGEM and look forward to supporting IGEM members.

Links:

Certified Machinery Safety Expert

Fri, 06 May 2022 09:59:03 GMT

JMH is excited to announce we now offer Certified Machinery Safety Expert (CMSE) services!

Certified Machinery Safety Expert (CMSE) is an internationally recognised qualification for experts in the field of Machinery Safety. This includes:

Machinery Safety Legislation
Risk Assessments
Mechanical Guarding
Safety Components & Technologies
Electrical Safety
Functional Safety of Control Systems
Functional Safety of Pressurised Fluid Systems

CMSE’s can provide Machine Designers, Builders, Owners and Operators with the following services:

Advising and guiding clients through the requirements and practical application of relevant regulations and standards for their machinery.
Advising and guiding clients on the legal obligations that must be met and at what stage during the project they must be met.
Managing projects along the whole machinery safety lifecycle from initial risk assessment to safety upgrades and implementation.
Advising and guiding clients on the design of functional safety systems in accordance with the relevant standards.
Carrying out PUWER assessment to ensure that machinery is fit for purpose, conforms to relevant product supply laws, is safe to operate and safe to maintain.

Utilising the services of a CMSE will help our clients ensure legal compliance with all relevant directives and standards, as well as reducing maintenance costs and providing increased productivity due to lower machine downtime.

Most importantly, using CMSE services to ensure Machinery Safety will protect the health and safety of our clients’ personnel by providing higher levels of safety.

To find out more information about the CMSE services we offer, please do not hesitate to contact us .

John M Henderson is part of the Otto Simon group, find out more on our group page .

Hydrogen Projects - Business as Usual?

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 08:49:50 GMT

Otto Simon's Process Safety Consultant, Clare Dunkerley, writes about the advances in process safety knowledge gained from recent hydrogen trials.

RoSPA Gold Medal Award 2022

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 10:47:50 GMT

Otto Simon has won the RoSPA Gold Medal Award!

After receiving the RoSPA Gold Award for demonstrating high health and safety standards for the last five years, this year Otto Simon has been awarded the RoSPA Gold Medal Award. This marks a significant achievement in Health and Safety performance and recognises our commitment to ensuring our personnel get home safety to their families at the end of every working day.

The RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, and it receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for health and safety worldwide. Judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Julia Small, RoSPA’s Achievements Director, said: “This is a fantastic and well-deserved accomplishment. All our award entrants demonstrate their unwavering commitment and passion for keeping people safe at work. By receiving this recognition Otto Simon joins like-minded businesses and organisations worldwide, who represent the very best in their approach to Health and Safety. I would like to add my personal thanks for all the work that it has taken to secure this well-deserved award—congratulations to all those involved, who champion and drive-up Health and Safety standards every day. You are a fantastic example to others in your sector.”

Otto Simon is dedicated to embedding safety into our culture, and strives to work safely at all times. Along with our certification to ISO 45001, this award signifies our commitment to ensuring the continued health and safety of all our employees. We recently celebrated passing over 1 million manhours without a RIDDOR reportable accident and want to congratulate our site teams for all their hard work.

Chris Bridgland, Managing Director of Otto Simon, said: “This award demonstrates an excellent of consistency with our safety performance and we’re delighted that our hard work has been recognised by RoSPA. Otto Simon believes health and safety at work is a fundamental right and we never compromise on the safety of our workforce or the public. We will continue working hard to maintaining and improving our safety performance across all of our projects.”

Thank you to all of our personnel for their safe work throughout the year!

For more information about the RoSPA Awards visit www.rospa .com/awards

CNW Awards 2022

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:55:02 GMT

Highly Commended at the CNW Awards 2022!

Otto Simon was delighted to be ‘highly commended’ in the Innovation category at the 2022 Chemicals Northwest Awards for our recent work to facilitate the hydrogen fuel trials at NSG’s plant.

Otto Simon was responsible for developing and implementing modifications to the process to allow NSG’s glass manufacturing plant to run on hydrogen fuel. The use of hydrogen as a substitute fuel to natural gas is seen as an important part of the UK’s move to decarbonising industry; especially the high energy use sectors, like glass manufacture. Hydrogen burns without producing any carbon and, providing it can be produced in a sustainable manner, hydrogen fuel provides a viable alternative to natural gas. The process was successfully trialled, marking an important step in decarbonising UK industry.

We were up against strong competition from Anacarda, Bitrez, CDR Pumps, and Chemical Processing Solutions—and extend our congratulations to Holiferm who won the award for their gravity separation fermentation technology.

We’re delighted that our work with to facilitate hydrogen fuel trials has been highly commended by the Chemicals Northwest association. This project represents a major step towards decarbonising the UK, and the results and experience gained from this project will allow us to support companies in other industries to trial and adapt to using hydrogen as a fuel source.

The awards ceremony was held on 24th March at the Lancashire County Cricket Club, Old Trafford, Manchester. Otto Simon was proud to sponsor the ‘Supplier of the Year’ Award at the event, which was awarded to Axiom Engineering Associates for their work to support their supply chain in the North West and ensure the continued success of the regional economy.

The Benefits of Being an EOT

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 12:02:54 GMT

Don't miss Otto Simon's latest article in Chemicals Northwest's Elements Magazine.

Hazards 31

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 16:47:57 GMT

16–18 November 2021, Virtual Process Safety Conference

Otto Simon's Process Safety Consultant, Clare Dunkerley, presented at the Hazard 31 conference on 17th November 2021.

Clare presented her paper 'Hydrogen Projects – Business at Usual?', which looks at advances in process safety knowledge gained from recent Hydrogen trials.

Hazards is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading process safety conferences. Since 1960, this IChemE run event has provided a platform for sharing sharing good practice, current thinking and lessons learned in process safety, as well as valuable networking opportunities.

Hazards 31 was held virtually on 16–18 November 2021, facilitating knowledge-transfer and reflection in the safest and most accessible way. There was a fully interactive, live programme, and all content will be available to view on-demand during and after the event.

View Clare's presentation here .

For more information and to view the other presentation slides, visit the IChemE Website .

1 Million Manhours

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 10:33:38 GMT

Otto Simon celebrates passing over 1 million manhours without a RIDDOR reportable accident!

Congratulations to our site teams for all their hard work.

Health & Safety is core value for Otto Simon. We prioritise health and safety in the workplace and never compromise on the safety of our workforce or the public. We believe that Health & Safety at work is a fundamental right.

Our continual improvement plan for HSEQ ensures that all projects are delivered to the highest HSEQ standard. For the past four years, OSL has been awarded the RoSPA Gold Award for our outstanding achievements in Health and Safety.

Developing a Hydrogen Economy in North West England

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:17:58 GMT

Read our latest article on developing a hydrogen economy in North West England on the North West Hydrogen Alliance blog or published in the Chemicals North West Elements Magazine Autumn 21 edition .

FutureBay & Otto Simon are IChemE Award Finalists!

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 14:43:17 GMT

We are delighted to announce that FutureBay and Otto Simon are IChemE Award finalists.

FutureBay has developed a new energy storage technology based on a novel thermal cycle that delivers energy storage, cooling, heating, and converts waste heat to electricity. By capturing, storing, and converting heat to electricity, the system allows users to shift the electrical load from peak to off-peak periods, utilising heat that is currently wasted to improve overall energy efficiency and allow the electrical demand to be managed. The technology can be applied to industrial and commercial processes, delivering significant environmental benefits to diverse industries. It can provide users with savings of up to 50% of energy consumption, 100% of energy costs, and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 60%.

The project has been shortlisted for the Energy Award and the Sustainability Award at the IChemE Global Awards 2021. The IChemE Global Awards celebrate chemical, process and biochemical engineering excellence and are widely considered as the world’s most prestigious chemical engineering awards. It is fantastic that this project has been recognised, and we are delighted to be IChemE Award finalists!

Working with Otto Simon, FutureBay built, tested, and operated a full-scale demonstration unit in Oldham which confirmed all aspects of the system’s operation. Otto Simon acted as Principal Designer for the delivery of the demonstration unit; supporting the concept development and managing the detailed design, installation and commissioning. Once the system had been built and commissioned, a number of trials were conducted which proved that the FutureBay system could capture the waste heat from the data centre and deliver 1.2MWht of cooling whilst simultaneously delivering stored electricity; reducing net electrical consumption and shifting electrical and air conditioning loads to off-peak demand.

FutureBay’s containerised system has been designed for easy installation onto existing facilities. The system has been designed with environmental, health and safety benefits in mind; using nontoxic materials, operating at low temperatures and pressures for safe and reliable operation. It provides long duration, lowest levelized cost, energy storage which can be easily and quickly deployed to sites around the world.

The novel thermal cycle displays a practical application for complex process engineering that will help to tackle the growing problems of managing energy demand and lowering carbon emissions. Energy demand is set to increase through the adoption of low carbon technologies and general load growth. With a growing dependence on intermittent renewable energy sources it is important for electricity grids to be able to manage the demand. FutureBay’s system has the potential to save energy and reduce power demand to support the grid.

Otto Simon is proud of our involvement with the development of this project. FutureBay’s novel thermal cycle delivers energy storage capabilities which can benefit a wide range of commercial and industry applications and if the FutureBay system can be widely deployed it will help to achieve the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

The IChemE Global Award winners will be presented in virtual webinars on the 5th October 10 am (Energy Award) and the 12th October 10am (Sustainability Award). Visit the IChemE website for more information and to register your attendance.

Visit FutureBay's webpage for further information about their novel technology.

Continuous Safety Improvements

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 09:18:59 GMT

With all of the controls that working through a global pandemic has required, it would be easy to overlook the day-to-day things that we need to do to stay safe, especially in high hazard industries.

At one of our client’s COMAH sites during the pandemic, Otto Simon introduced an improved Emergency Management System to better enable us to manage our people in the event of an incident on site.

This was proved to work brilliantly when a minor incident on site required us to account for all of our teams. All of our personnel were accounted for in double quick time, allowing us to confirm to our client that our team was safe long before other contractors of a similar size. Otto Simon will now be introducing this improved Emergency Management System across all of our sites.

With the majority of staff now returning to work, we should all consider reviewing and testing our emergency planning procedures, and going over the Toolbox Talks to ensure everyone knows what their part to play is in the event of an incident on site.

Otto Simon is dedicated to embedding safety into our culture, and strives to work safely at all times. In the past eighteen months we have successfully adapted to delivering projects for our clients in line with COVID-19 regulations to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and clients, and will continue to do so as certain restrictions are lifted.

Hydrogen Safety Webinar

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 09:08:32 GMT

Last week, our Process safety Consultant, Clare Dunkerley, spoke at the IChemE Safety & Loss Prevention Webinar on Hydrogen.

Hydrogen is a key area of growth within the energy industry. This webinar is part of a series which aims to raise awareness, and prompt debate, focusing on process safety management as a key area of concern for all projects, particularly when they are in growth areas and involve new technology and processes.

The discussions in this webinar focussed on industrial application of H2 both today as well as future application and the use of liquid H2 including organic carriers such as ammonia.

Clare co-presented with Dr Andrew Keeley from NSG, and discussed the Industrial Fuel Switching project OSL is developing with NSG as part of the HyNet Project, as well as the HyDeploy project OSL delivered at Keele University. You can read more about these projects on our Project References page .

Clare is a Process Safety Consultant with over 12 years’ experience in Process Safety Consultancy. Clare has worked with clients within the onshore gas, petrochemicals, polymers and energy sectors, as well as offshore oil and gas. She has a background in process design engineering and has specialised knowledge in process control and automation and functional safety. Since joining OSL, Clare has provided compliance support to clients in the Energy sector and Innovation businesses. Clare is an experienced HAZOP and LOPA facilitator, and has experience with quantitative risk assessment techniques, including consequence analysis and Fault Tree Analysis.

The webinar was recorded and can be viewed on the IChemE event archive . (‘Register to attend’ and you’ll be taken to the recording).

RoSPA Gold 2021

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 08:22:00 GMT

Otto Simon is delighted to announce that we've won a RoSPA Gold Award for the 4th year in a row!

Otto Simon Ltd is delighted to have received a RoSPA Gold Award for demonstrating high health and safety standards. This is the fourth consecutive year that Otto Simon has been awarded this accolade, marking a significant achievement in Health and Safety performance.

Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, said: “RoSPA is very proud of the achievements of its entrants, and with this award we recognise the best of the best, those organisations that have gone the extra mile, raising the bar for the delivery of safety in the workplace.”

Otto Simon Ltd is dedicated to embedding safety into our culture, and strives to work safely at all times. Along with our certification to ISO 45001, this award signifies our commitment to ensuring the continued health and safety of all our employees. In the past twelve months we have successfully adapted to delivering projects for our clients in line with COVID-19 regulations to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and clients.

Chris Bridgland, Managing Director of Otto Simon Ltd, said: “These past twelve months have been a real challenge for us all and I’d like to thank our teams for adapting to the remote working and social distancing measures which were implemented. It is thanks to everyone’s hard work and dedication to prioritising health and safety that Otto Simon has achieved this high level of safety performance. We are delighted to have been recognised by RoSPA with this award, and will continue working towards improving our level of excellence across projects in the future.”

Thank you to all of our personnel for their safe work throughout the year!

For more information about the RoSPA Awards visit www.rospa.com/awards

Safe Net Zero 2021 - Hydrogen

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 12:06:33 GMT

Otto Simon is proud to be sponsoring ‘Safe Net Zero 2021 – Hydrogen’, an online conference from 2nd-4th March looking at the evolving work that is helping to deploy hydrogen as an energy vector as part of the UK's commitment to reduce carbon emissions and become 'net zero' by 2050.

Process Safety Considerations for Using Hydrogen as a Fuel Source

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 11:29:14 GMT

Process Safety Considerations for Using Hydrogen as a Fuel Source | Don't miss Otto Simon's latest article in Chemicals Northwest's Elements Magazine.

RoSPA Gold 2020

Mon, 18 May 2020 12:10:20 GMT

Otto Simon is delighted to announce that we've won a RoSPA Gold Award for the third year in a row!

Otto Simon Limited has achieved a Gold in the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK.

Having achieved a high level of Health and Safety performance across the past year, Otto Simon is delighted to have been awarded the Gold award in the prestigious annual scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). This is the third consecutive year that Otto Simon has been award this accolade, marking a significant achievement in Health and Safety.

Through the RoSPA Awards scheme, which is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas, judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. The awards are now in its 63rd year.

Otto Simon is dedicated to embedding safety into our culture, and strives to work safely at all times. In the past twelve months we have safely and successfully executed a number of challenging projects in difficult working environments. Along with our certification to OHSAS 18001, this award signifies our commitment to ensuring the continued health and safety of all our employees.

Chris Bridgland, Managing Director of Otto Simon, said: “It is a testament to the continued efforts of our team that Otto Simon has achieved this high level of safety performance. We are delighted to have been recognised by RoSPA with this award, and will continue working towards improving our level of excellence across projects in the future.”

Thank you to all of our personnel for their safe work throughout the year!

For more information about the RoSPA Awards visit www.rospa.com/awards

IChemE Global Awards 2019

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 09:59:54 GMT

On 7th November 2019, more than 400 people from all around the world came together to celebrate engineering excellence at the IChemE Global Awards Dinner.

Otto Simon was once again proud to sponsor the Research Award, which was presented to the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Energy Storage, together with Chinese firm Jinhe Energy for their ‘NexGen-TEST Project’. Their commercial demonstration plant replaces coal-fired heating boilers with environmentally friendly materials that absorb and release thermal energy from wind power. The plant has harnessed approximately 28,920,000kWh of wind power which would have otherwise been wasted, and has reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 10,000 tonnes since it opened in 2016. This novel technology could be the key to solving a fundamental issue of storing surplus clean energy in the climate change debate.

The project also won the Energy Award before going on to be presented with IChemE’s coveted Outstanding Achievement Award.

This year the event was hosted by Warwick Davis (known for his many iconic roles, including appearances in Harry Potter and Star Wars), and held at the DoubleTree Hilton in Hull, UK. As always, it was a fantastic awards evening celebrating excellence, innovation and achievement in the chemical engineering and process industries. As IChemE President Ken Rivers said, “The Global Awards has always managed to distil the best of chemical engineering into one glorious evening, and last night we were able to paint a picture of why and how chemical engineering matters. Congratulations to all the winners.”

Hydrogen Deployment Barriers

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 14:16:00 GMT

TCE Article outlining the barriers to deploying Hydrogen and how they can be overcome.

Otto Simon is dedicated to developing a hydrogen economy in the North West and reducing the UK’s overall carbon emissions. We’re proud to be supporting the pioneering HyDeploy Project and the BEIS Fuel Switching initiative; working on developing hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas.

Achieving a Net Zero target will be a significant national challenge, both culturally and technically, but the following article identifies how some of the barriers can be addressed and overcome.

Read on The Chemical Engineer's website.

One Step Closer to a North West Hydrogen Economy

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 13:09:23 GMT

The HyNet project has been awarded £0.8m by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to undertake further feasibility work in relation to hydrogen supply and use by industry.

HyNet is an integrated low carbon hydrogen production, distribution, and CCUS project. It encompasses and number of programmes aiming to provide hydrogen distribution and CCUS infrastructure across the north west in support of the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy and achievement of the UK’s emissions reduction targets. Hydrogen will be produced from natural gas and sent via a new pipeline to a range of industrial sites, for injection as a blend into the existing natural gas network and for use as a transport fuel. The new BEIS funding has been allocated to support the Hydrogen Supply programme (£0.5m); and the BEIS Industrial Fuel Switching Programme (£0.3m).

Otto Simon is delighted to be supporting the BEIS Industrial Fuel Switching programme which involves Progressive Energy and several major industrial gas users in the North West. The project is investigating the conversion to hydrogen of several major industrial plant, including boilers, kilns, furnaces and heaters for major companies, including Pilkington UK Ltd. The plants will be supplied by low carbon hydrogen by pipelines from the production plant being development at Stanlow under the Hydrogen Supply programme.

Progressive Energy is currently leading the development of bids into the next phases of the Industrial Fuel Switching Competition and hopes to secure up to a further £15m to undertake front-end design studies and demonstrations. OSL is currently supporting the investigations into the feasibility of hydrogen use on each site.

As recently recognised by the Committee on Climate change, low carbon hydrogen has a vital role to play in meeting the UK’s ‘Net Zero’ commitments. With an appropriate policy framework, HyNet could be producing and distributing low carbon hydrogen by 2024.

OSL is proud to be supporting this project and looks forward to the future of developing a Hydrogen Economy in the North West.

Visit the HyNet webpage for more info.

RoSPA Gold Award 2019

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 13:47:41 GMT

Otto Simon Limited picks up a prestigious RoSPA Award.

Otto Simon Limited has achieved a Gold in the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK.

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of qualifications, awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards are the most highly-respected in the health and safety arena, with almost 2,000 entrants every year, and allow organisations to prove excellence in the workplace, demonstrating a commitment to the wellbeing of not only employees but all those who interact with it.”

The award was presented during a ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, June 6, 2019.

Thank you to all of our personnel for their safe work throughout the year!

For more information about the RoSPA Awards visit www.rospa.com/awards

BioSNG Wins Big at IChemE Awards

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:47:41 GMT

APP's BioSNG Project won three awards at the 2018 Global IChemE Awards.

On 1st November 2018, more than 400 people from all around the world came together to celebrate engineering excellence at the IChemE Global Awards Dinner.

Otto Simon was proud to sponsor the Research Award which was presented to Imperial College London for their work on cutting edge Next-Generation Hybrid Solar Systems.

The big winner on the night was the consortium between Advanced Plasma Power, University College London, Cadent Gas and Progressive Energy for their BioSNG demonstration plant which took home the Energy Award and Sustainability Award, and was awarded the overall award of the evening the Outstanding Achievement Award 2018.

The BioSNG demonstration plant converts household waste into green gas and can be used to heat homes or fuel trucks. This pioneering technology has the potential to help decarbonise the energy system and reduce harmful emissions of greenhouse gasses by 5,000 tonnes per year.

Otto Simon supported the delivery of the BioSNG project, acting as Owner’s Engineer for the consortium company, Go Green Fuels, to provide Project Management, Design and Procurement services.

It is fantastic to see this project recognised with three prestigious awards and we hope this will enable to Go Green Fuels to continue developing their technology facility in Swindon as well as moving onto the next level of project.

The event was hosted by comedian Alun Cochrane and held at the Principal Hotel in Manchester. As always, it was a fantastic awards evening celebrating excellence, innovation and achievement in the biochemical and process industries. As IChemE President Ken Rivers said, “The IChemE Global Awards are a clear demonstration of the contribution chemical engineers are making worldwide for the benefit of society. Every finalist is living proof that chemical engineering matters.”

RoSPA Gold Award 2018

Sun, 08 Jul 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Otto Simon Limited picks up a prestigious RoSPA Award.

Otto Simon Limited has achieved a Gold in the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK.

The award was presented during a ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel on Wednesday, 4th July 2018. Andy Smith, Otto Simon’s Health and Safety Manager, and Tahla Johnston, HR Officer, collected the award on behalf of Otto Simon. Andy thanked the hard work of all of Otto Simon's personnel for their safe work throughout the year.

For more information about the RoSPA Awards visit www.rospa.com/awards

Hy Deploy Project

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

OSL is supporting a pioneering energy trial of blended hydrogen and natural gas

Reducing carbon emissions is a top priority for the UK; having committed to an 80% reduction by 2050. By blending hydrogen into the normal gas supply across the UK, 6m tons of carbon could be saved every year; that’s the equivalent of removing 2.5m cars from the road.

For more than a year a consortium of grid operators and technical experts have been working together to develop the technology to produce low-carbon hydrogen and blend it into the gas network. The project will conduct a year-long live trial of blended gas at Keele University; using the campus’ own private gas network to host the trial. As the largest campus in the UK, the university’s private network serves a mixture of residential and commercial buildings, providing an accurate representation of a small town.

The project aims to establish and demonstrate the level of hydrogen that can be safely blended with natural gas for use across the UK, and will provide practical evidence that the hydrogen blended gas can be delivered without any impact to customers. As the existing national gas grid was originally designed for Hydrogen rich gas before the North Sea boom provided a flood of cheap natural gas to burn instead, it is expected that few appliances would need to be replaced to safely work with the hydrogen blend.

HyDeploy is a consortium between Cadent Gas Limited, Northern Gas Networks, Keele University, Health & Safety Laboratory, ITM Power and Progressive Energy, the HyDeploy project is also supported by specialist gas safety testing specialists Kiwa, industry research experts Dave Lander, with technical consultancy provided by Otto Simon.

Read more about this exciting project on the HyDeploy website and in Otto Simon's project reference .

Stem Ambassador

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Guest Blog – Vikas Saxena BEng(Hons) MSc MIET, EC&I Engineer at Otto Simon and STEM Ambassador.

I’ve been a STEM Ambassador for the past 5 years, working with schools and education organisations to encourage enthusiasm and understanding of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, and raising an awareness of careers related to STEM.

Last November, I participated in the Loreto College Engineering & Applied Physics Speed Meet 2017. Now in its third year, this event invited fifty students from Loreto’s Sixth Form and Year 11 Students from local secondary schools across Manchester and Salford to network with engineers from a variety of STEM industries. The event comprised of two ‘speed meets’ for small groups of students to spend 5 minutes chatting with each engineer / physicist about their profession and daily job challenges. The students were then encouraged to continue discussions during networking breaks, asking us everything from types of projects we’ve worked on, to salary, typical job routines, benefits and working hours.

I was proud to participate in this event, as I believe it helps the students to analyse various options available in the job market and make an informed decision about their career. It also helps them to understand what are current challenges and requirements in certain industries so that they can align their educational path in order to suit their professional objective. It was great to see so many STEM industries represented at the event from transport and rail, to specialist equipment manufacturing, applied physics, and process, instrument and electrical engineering.

Later in the year, Otto Simon is hoping to facilitate a site visit to one of our on-going projects, aiming to inspire and engage more young people to enter the world of engineering. This technical site visit will be co-sponsored by IET. Other upcoming events I’m looking forward to being involved with for STEM are: ‘Mentor schools in the Greater Manchester Engineering Challenge’, and ‘Interview an Engineer’. Watch this space for details.

Britain has a proud engineering heritage, but there is a shortfall in qualified engineering graduates and skilled technicians. Every year there is an annual shortfall of 20,000 engineering graduates, and with only one third of parents understanding what the engineering profession is, it is up to the industry to promote STEM careers to the next generation of engineers.

2018 is officially the Year of Engineering, a year-long government campaign to support the engineering profession in recruiting the next generation of engineers. It is fantastic to see the government taking an interest in celebrating UK engineering, and as they work with industry partners, schools and families to offer young people a positive experience of engineering.

Find out more about the role of STEM Ambassadors and how you can get involved: www.stem.org.uk/stem-ambassadors

Or discover the more about the Year of Engineering 2018: www.dft.gov.uk/year-of-engineering-2018/

IChemE Award Winners

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Team of the Year 2017!

Otto Simon, Calysta and CPI win the IChemE Global Team Award 2017!

The IChemE Global Awards recognise excellence, innovation and achievement in the chemical, biochemical and process industries. Otto Simon, in a joint entry with Calysta and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), is delighted to have won the Team Award 2017.

Our project, ‘From Pipe Dream to Pilot Plant’, delivered a new fermentation facility in Teesside, using innovative biotechnology processes. The plant produces feed-quality protein for use as fish and live-stock feed and marks a significant step towards engineering a sustainable food source for a growing global population.

Thanks to excellent engineering collaboration from the project team, the plant was delivered against a fast-tracked construction programme with zero injuries. The facility has been successfully commissioned and samples have been distributed world-wide for feeding trials.

We are proud that our achievement has been recognised with such a prestigious award! The Team Award 2017 was sponsored by The Chemical Engineer (TCE) Magazine, and was presented by TCE Editor, Adam Duckett. Otto Simon, Calysta and CPI were also finalists for the Biotechnology Award.

As ever, the IChemE hosted a fantastic awards evening. Held this year at the Hilton Metrople Hotel in Birmingham on 2nd November, the evening was presented by Chris Barrie (Red Dwarf), and saw more than 400 people from all around the world come together to celebrate engineering excellence.

Read more about our award-winning project in previous blog posts, or in our front page article of The Chemical Engineer.

Go Green Gas

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Otto Simon is working with Advanced Plasma Power to develop a BioSNG technology

Otto Simon is working with Advanced Plasma Power to develop a BioSNG technology that has the potential to use waste to generate 100TWh of bio-synthetic natural gas each year if deployed nationwide.

BioSNG can be used in existing appliances, such as boilers and cookers, as well as for transport and represents a potential for decarbonising the energy system. Whilst the power generation sector has made huge progress towards decarbonisation in recent years, decarbonising heat and transport – worth 74% of energy usage – has proved a more stubborn challenge, and is an established government priority.

This pioneering technology, which has the potential meet one third of the UK’s domestic heat requirements, has been proven in a pilot plant developed by National Grid, Advanced Plasma Power and Progressive Energy. Otto Simon is now working with the team to design and construct the commercial scale demonstration plant in Swindon. Set to begin operation in 2018, the plant will convert 10,000 tonnes of waste from the local area into 22GWh of BioSNG, enough to heat 1,500 homes or fuel 75 trucks. Utilising this waste, which would otherwise be sent to landfill, will help to reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gasses by 5,000 tonnes per annum.

Speaking at the GoGreenGas launch event last week - which hosted more than 100 guests, including representative from project partners, associated industries and MPs - Rolf Stein, CEO of Advanced Plasma Power said that APP is “delighted to be commencing construction of the world’s first commercial gasification plant to produce green gas from household waste. As our technology matures we will be able to convert waste into fuels cost competitively with fossil fuels, helping to achieve an affordable, secure and sustainable low carbon future.”

The £25m facility has been part funded by an £11m grant from the Department for Transport’s Advance Biofuels competition, as well as Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition and project partners. Transport Minister John Hayes said that “Biofuels have an important role to play in keeping Britain moving and will deliver cleaner, greener fuels. Thanks to our £11 million investment this Swindon plant will help make significant carbon savings and deliver a boost to the technology. Advanced biofuels have the potential to save at least 60% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the equivalent fossil fuel – and Advanced Plasma Power are at the forefront of this pioneering technology.”

Turning Fuel to Food

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Calysta Demonstration Plant Opens

Otto Simon has been working with Calysta and the Centre for Process Innovation to deliver a new biotech plant in Teesside, UK. This innovative gas-fed fermentation process provides an alternative protein source for the aquaculture industry and poses and interesting twist to the food vs. fuel debate which has surfaced periodically over the past decade: how about turning fuel into food?

The demonstration-scale plant was opened by Anna Turley MP, Nigel Perry (CEO CPI) and Alan Shaw (CEO Calysta) on 19th September and is intended to produce commercially-representative samples for feeding trials.

This plant represents a significant development in the bio-protein market and Otto Simon is proud to have supported the delivery of this project.

Make sure you catch Otto Simon’s feature in the November 2016 issue of The Chemical Engineer magazine !