Welcome to this edition of e-news

With the challenges of the global market having quality suppliers is more important than ever. This is exactly our objective here at IAC, both in the UK and on mainland Europe, to remain a quality supplier to you, fuelling your success.

You’ll read below how our French company has successfully renewed the ISO quality mark and how the world’s best known brands continue to trust our quality brand, backed, as it is, by top acoustical design expertise. In our business it isn’t who you know but what you know that counts, and time and again our customers tell us that we do, indeed, solve their noise control problems. I hope our essential Acoustic Reference Guide, now on a free CD, will prove useful in your day-to-day work.

We value your custom – thank you.

Best regards

Brian Quarendon, CEO and Group President

LEAN MANUFACTURING FOR RICH PICKINGS

IAC’s European manufacturing capabilities have increased considerably over the past two years, and by 100% in France. This is due to the introduction of lean manufacturing methods here, and the use of Eastern European partners on mainland Europe.

Having risen to the challenge of growing demand from diverse markets, the overall result is good news for you, our customers, in terms of our ability to respond promptly to your requirements.

Mike Campbell is Group Operations Director: “In the UK, 99% of our products are bespoke and lead-times are short, so manufacturing them here is the only viable way forward. But efficiency is always top of our agenda. Acting on ideas from our fabrication teams, over the past 12 months we’ve streamlined our work processes, switched to single piece flow from batch, and reorganised the panel line and heavy fabrication shop. We have also increased the door line to fulfil rising demand for our acoustic doors.”

In mainland Europe, IAC Boet Stopson’s relationship with our Bulgarian sub-contract partners has flourished since we ‘inherited’ them through acquisition in 2002, and to this we have added companies from the Czech Republic, and from Poland. Constrained by high manufacturing cost, our French company outsources high volume repetitive work to remain competitive and concentrates on more complex, high value bespoke products in the home market.

Mike Campbell again, “Our thanks go to the French team who have spent long periods away from home in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic training workers in our manufacturing methods, and to ensure they reached our high quality standards. It’s been worth it as IAC Boet Stopson is now better resourced than any European competitor and the future is bright.”

DOORS’ NEWS – Excellence Attracts

The Doors team has a lot to celebrate – not least, a large order from the Royal Festival Hall, two new members joining the team and our Fire Door entry onto the European market this autumn.

Classical concert greats benefit from IAC door technology

Ten IAC Acoustic Door Sets are to grace the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank in part of the South Bank’s 2-year multimillion pound refit that is now well underway.

Specified by Architects, Allies and Morrison, working with acousticians Kirkegaard Associates, our Acoustic Doors are to be installed on 3 different floors of the building, including plant and control rooms; dressing rooms; lobbies and the stage entrance.

Opened in 1951 as the flagship of the Festival of Britain, the RFH has hosted the world’s top orchestras and opera stars for over 50 years. In a refit designed to retain the distinctive charm of the 50s original, the interior’s unique walnut wall panels and fittings will be restored and replaced onto 21st century solid, acoustically-tuned walls. Musicians and artistes have long-complained that the auditorium walls sapped all the lower frequency sound - the ‘power’ of the performances - such that the players could not hear each other. The new interior will correct this and allow sound to have ‘bloom’ and ‘warmth’, which comes from a degree of reverberation.

The IAC doorsets will be finished in a stylish 'linen' pattern steel sheeting - from Rimex Metals – for this we are developing a special process at the manufacturing stage to affix this finish. The doors will be fitted in the autumn.

For more information on IAC Acoustic Doors explore www.iacl.co.uk or contact Scott Simmons, Manager Doors on + 44 (0)1962 873016 scotts@iacl.co.uk. For info on the transformation of the RFH visit www.rfh.org.uk

Doors expand the team and the range!

Scott Simmons, Manager, Richard Boden and Steve Foster welcome two new members to the Doors team.

Wayne Connor joins as Project Application Engineer. Wayne brings extensive project management, co-ordination and design skills to his post of from his previous time spent with other door manufacturers.

Welcome, too, to Adrian Foster who joins the team after many years working in manufacture in the Winchester factory. In his new role, he will be assisting brother Steve on the design side of the team, preparing manufacture drawings and releases for the factory.

Scott Simmons said: "Wayne’s work experience and Adrian’s extensive knowledge of the manufacturing processes, make them both very valuable additions to the team."

Fire!

We are soon to be adding to our range of fire tested doors for commercial and industrial buildings.

Whilst we already offer doors fire tested to UK standards, preparations are underway for a fire test, to assure the door’s compliance with the latest European BS EN1614-1 standard. This involves exposing the door to very high heat levels generated by a furnace. With the tests by our nominated test authority Warrington Fire Research scheduled for July, the pair of doors is currently in the engineering and design phase prior to manufacturing. From the autumn, the new IAC Fire Door will provide a fully tested and documented product to all of the mainland European markets not just the UK.

The Blast Barriers business is booming for IAC Stopson in Spain, with orders coming in from Valencia, Zaragoza and Malaga airports totalling nearly 1M Euros.

The Valencia Airport order alone is worth over 400K Euros for the design, manufacture and installation of a 460-metre jet blast barrier for the new international terminal there. Amadeo Garcés is IAC’s Project Manager: "The win was especially exciting as it was in the face of stiff competition. This was both internationally and from a number of local manufacturers, as well as aircraft engineers from the UTE Valencia Platform and Aeropuertos Nacionales - the Spanish airport authority".

Negotiations drew on 3 winning points in our favour. Firstly, our excellent track record in the Spanish barriers market – especially at Barcelona and Madrid airports. Secondly, the stringest testing that all IAC Blast Barriers undergo at INTA – one of Spain’s most respected aerodynamics laboratories and that all barriers come supplied with full acoustic performance data. And thirdly, our barriers match the norms for airport blast barriers as laid down by the ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

At present negotiations are underway on two further contracts: a 350-metre long and 4-metre high Jet Blast Barrier for Zaragoza airport and a 150-metre long barrier for Malaga airport.

The IAC Acoustics Reference tool is now available on a FREE CD, for maximum versatility and portability.

The CD version follows its huge online success on www.iacl.co.uk since its launch in June last year.

Now, whether you have access to the internet or not, this invaluable Acoustics Reference material is available for your use free of charge, 24:7 wherever you are.

As one of the leading companies in the field we receive many requests for information and guidance from engineers – both students and practising.

Geoff Crowhurst, Division Director, Acoustics said: “As one of the longstanding sponsors of the Institute of Acoustics we know just how valuable this reference material is to practising engineers as well as to students, of course. We are giving the CD away at the IOA’s Spring Conference at Southampton University this year, too, as part of the focus of the event is to support young people keen to enter the acoustics workplace.”

To obtain your free CD email your name, company name (if relevant) and mailing address to Susan Ramsden on susanr@iacl.co.uk today.

IAC Boet Stopson, in France, is pleased to announce it has successfully renewed its ISO 9001-v2000 certification.

The process took several weeks and now the certificate is proudly displayed on the wall at our Lille operations.

Olivier Darrieus, Managing Director, said: “The accreditaton body ‘Bureau Veritas Quality International’ particularly commended us on a number of counts not least on the way staff throughout the business here are involved in quality issues. They also praised the way our continual quality improvement processes are integrated into the company's day-to-day operations and the fact that we gear all our business processes towards total customer satisfaction. Our quality management IT system facilitates all this as it’s especially user-friendly and is constantly evaluating our performance across all Quality Management issues. A quality conscious business, is simply a better business, so all the time and effort is well worth it.”

IAC’s German company, IAC gmbH, is now on course to go for greater market share in the noise control market in Germany and Eastern Europe following a successful restructuring.

Heinz Muller relinquished his senior management position in October last year in favour of a consultancy role, and we thank him for his valuable contribution over his long career with us. After 14 years with IAC gmbH, Volker Hörchens took over last November to assume the role of Operations Manager and since that time has spearheaded the company restructuring and strategic planning for the business.

Volker says: “Our primary focus now is to expand our sales team to grow the business mainly in the industrial noise control sector. Germany is a very competitive market place so good sales people are crucial. Southern Germany is a particular focus for us so we are now actively recruiting sales professionals to cover that area.”

Thomas Schmitter has joined the team to help build IAC’s industrial market share in the central region of the country. Thomas also has responsibility for trade press advertising, and regional exhibitions and is already acquiring new business. He joined IAC from within the acoustics industry.

IAC gmbH is also winning more business in Eastern Europe where industry is increasing and demand for noise control products is growing.

For more information visit www.iac-gmbh.de or contact Volker Hörchens on vh@iac-gmbh.de

A suite of three high-performance Audiology Test Rooms both for new-born babies and the elderly is destined for The Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, Greater London.

The new suite comprises three Audiology Test Rooms - two of which are linked by an Observation Room - and a further acoustically-treated room. The three Audiology Test Rooms are constructed using ‘Moduline’: IAC’s patented modular build system.

"I know the clinical team is looking forward to this move from older facilities to new. It’s all going very well at the moment," says Gary Munn, Estates Manager at the Trust. On site installation of the Suite is programmed to take just 25 days and be completed by 28 April.

Dr Alyson Bumby, heads the Audiology team of eight. "We are particularly looking forward to having a smart and comfortable working environment. It will make a huge difference on a day-to-day basis."

Installation will begin on 3 April and take just four weeks.

IAC has supplied many thousands of audiology rooms to hospitals and clinics around the world. Contact Jason Saunders on 01962 873027 or jasons@iacl.co.uk

IAC AVIATION RECRUITS TOP SYSTEMS ENGINEER

IAC welcomes Alan Nash who has joined IAC Aviation as Systems Engineer.

Bringing over 15 years’ experience in electronic and electrical design engineering, Alan’s skills will be applied to developing sales specifications and customising the design of IAC’s test facilities and in-house data acquisition system in line with customers’ requirements.

With expertise in the verification of wiring diagrams and associated drawings and the testing and commissioning of control equipment, Alan will also be involved in developing aeroengine test equipment manuals. Gordon Edwards, General Manager said: "Alan’s design and build experience will be a great complement to the other skillsets in the team. He stands to make a considerable contribution to the further success of the business."