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November
2007
You’ll see below that, as ever, our projects are varied across all the markets we serve, such is the breadth of fields benefited by acoustical engineering. A case in point - our Young Persons’ Award for Innovation this year has been won by a young biomedical researcher at Oxford university – a big thank you to Trevor Baylis OBE who was a great guest at the Awards. We appreciate your continued faith in IAC’s products and services. Thank you. Best regards. Brian Quarendon
IAC’S WINCHESTER SITE AWARDED BS EN ISO 14001
Customers increasingly prefer companies with an uncompromising respect for the environment and so over the past two years a system has been designed and implemented to gain this environmental certification. Ian Woolf was promoted to the role of Health and Safety/Environmental Manager and undertook the whole process right from the initial site survey and impact assessment based upon any potential environmental threat. Controls for significant issues were then developed and written into existing procedures/work instructions and many new ones were developed to ensure compliance with relevant environmental laws. Ian then drew up an environmental policy and manual and an awareness campaign was launched among staff. It was important for the workforce to have information on the standard itself but also on the environmental issues we face as a business – and ongoing training will reinforce the environmental message. The third party certification body assessed all aspects of the process and then carried out the final stage in early September. IAC was awarded our certificate following a 4-day audit. Ian Woolf said: “Developing the system has been challenging but rewarding. As a company, though, we must all remain focused on continual compliance and as time goes on I shall be driving further improvements in environmental performance. The good thing is that this will not only help minimise our environmental impact but will also reduce our business operating costs.”
IAC WINS RBS INTERNATIONAL TRADE AWARD IAC has won the coveted RBS International Trade Award in this year’s Hampshire Business Awards. IAC beat numerous companies across the south of England who all had strong international growth.
TALKING BOOKS CHARITY CHOOSES IAC STUDIO SUITE
Over 2 million people in the UK have sight loss and last year the RNIB sent out two million audio books to 41,000 people and added 450 books to their stock. The new IAC studios will mean even more books to benefit and entertain visually impaired people.
The studios are being designed using IAC’s Moduline prefabricated acoustic panels, which form the floor, walls and roofs. The studios will have full air conditioning, carpets and stretch fabric wall covering. Ian Rich is IAC’s studios manager: “This is the latest in a number of similar jobs we’ve done for the RNIB over the years at their centres in London, Peterborough, Tarporley in Cheshire and Ivybridge in Devon. It’s great that IAC is helping Talking Books in this way – they are also enjoyed by sighted people, of course, especially those who spend a lot of time on the road, like me!” For further information on IAC studios contact Ian Rich on 01962 873025 ianr@iacl.co.uk
TOP BRITISH INVENTOR PRESENTS ‘YOUNG PERSONS’ AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN ACOUSTICAL ENGINEERING’
The Awards dinner formed part of the Institute of Acoustics autumn conference. Brilliant, young acoustician Dr Constantin Coussios of Oxford University, scooped top prize for his cancer therapy using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).
Trevor Baylis presented Constantin with the heavyweight silver trophy. Trevor shot to fame with the invention of his Freeplay Wind Up Radio in 1996, and since then has been a flag-flyer for innovation. He said: “I was delighted to officiate and be able to share some words of wisdom with delegates on how they can protect their intellectual property.” In addition to a solid silver replica of the trophy, Constantin receives a weekend for two in Barcelona, concert tickets, and lunch with Spain’s Institute of Acoustics. He generously donated his prize cheque for £500 for the best technical paper by a young acoustician to be presented at the IOA’s next conference in the Spring 2008. Frederic Cegla of Imperial College London won First Runner Up for his project on Ultrasonic Thickness Monitoring in Harsh Environments. Second Runner Up was Lara Harris of the ISVR in Southampton for her work on Bass Reproduction Quality in Loudspeakers. Brian Quarendon said: “As a global leader in acoustical engineering applications we are once again delighted to be supporting the Institute in sponsoring this Award. The standard of entries was very high again this time, and I wish the winners the very best in their future careers.”
DIGITAL MEDIA COMPANIES SELECT IAC’S VOICE OVER BOOTHS IAC has won contracts for the supply of four voice-over booths, from a top video maker for ITV Regions and a post production house both in London.
Anthony Pike, is the Product Manager: “IAC has an excellent reputation in the digital media sector – we build studios and similar environments for the best in the business, worldwide. We are good listeners and go the extra mile when it comes to giving the customer exactly what they want and in the cases of such companies as TNS and UNIT, this can often mean special interior finishes to match their stylish interiors.” For further information on studios and voice over booths contact Anthony Pike on 01962 873000 anthonyp@iacl.co.uk
IAC ATTRACTS PAN-EUROPEAN INTEREST AT TOP AUDIOLOGY CONGRESS
Jason Saunders, Architectural Business Manager, from the UK attended along with Ian Rich IAC UK and Doris Gohs of IAC GmbH in Germany.
Sales leads from across Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands, France, Germany and the Middle East augur well for an expanded order book for IAC GmbH, IAC Boet Stopson in France and our own UK based operations for the year ahead.
GRAND OPENING OF IAC ACOUSTIC LABS AT SALFORD UNIVERSITY The University of Salford’s £2.5M state-of-the art acoustics laboratories held its Grand Opening opened on 25th October. IAC’s full anechoic chamber in the complex played host to choristers from Salford Cathedral who ably demonstrated how the chamber could make them sound as if they were in their cathedral.
The event hit the headlines and the story was covered by the Manchester Evening News, one of the UK’s largest regional daily newspapers. Ian Rich, Business Manager studios attended the Grand Opening along with over 100 other distinguished guests. “It’s great that IAC’s expertise and technology is contributing to such world-leading facilities. Choristers in a chamber was a first for me, but it certainly got the message across!”
In total IAC supplied one Full Anechoic Chamber, two Semi-Anechoic Chambers – both super-quiet environments designed to absorb echoes and muffle sound - and an acoustic suite of four Recording Studios with Control Rooms. For further information on acoustic test facilities contact Ian Rich on ianr@iacl.co.uk or 01962 873025.
IAC AVIATION RELOCATES AERO-ENGINE TEST FACILITY FOR ITALIAN AIR FORCE
TOP FRENCH DAILY NEWSPAPER FEATURES IAC BOET STOPSON AS INDUSTRY LEADER
The article gives a glowing report of IAC Boet Stopson’s range of current projects. These include noise control for several large energy production plants, Caterpillar and Bombardier engines, and a Coca Cola production line, as well as 50 silencers destined for a gas pipeline in Asia. With a 25% growth forecast for next year, taking annual turnover to over 20million Euros, IAC Boet Stopson, is one of the success stories of manufacturing industry in northern France. Vincent Masse, General Manager said: “This excellent coverage has created considerable interest in the company and acoustics and sales professionals have been sending us their CVs seeking positions. To get the endorsement from a respected daily paper has saved us thousands of euros in recruitment fees.”
IAC AMERICA WINS MERCY SHIPS CONTRACT FOR GENERATOR ENCLOSURES
The world’s largest charity hospital ship, the Africa Mercy is 499 feet long and as well as accommodation for more than 450 volunteer crew members, she has six operating theatres, and a 78-bed patient ward. The ship will bring ‘continued hope and healing to the people of Africa’. For the comfort of crew, clinicians and patients, the IAC acoustic treatment will isolate the noise from the four B&W main engines rated at 3120KW at 775 RPMs as well as from the harbour generators when dockside. IAC engineers took both noise and physical measurements while the ship was docked in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, on the western tip of Africa and installation of the enclosures will take place in January 2008 while the ship is docked in the Canary Islands, off the south of Spain. Mercy Ships has its principal offices in Texas, USA and has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.
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The awards are the annual search for Hampshire’s best businesses. IAC was chosen as the winner due to our carefully-planned and well-executed strategy of using international trade to turn the UK company around from a loss-making UK business to a substantial part of the world's largest noise control business. 
The Awards gala dinner took place within Portsmouth’s Dockyard. Brian Quarendon, CEO and Group President said: “We are delighted to have won this award. Exports have certainly been the key in our success. Since 2003 our UK sales have increased from £22M with only £1.8M of export/overseas sales to over £40M in 2006 with £22.4M of export/overseas sales. This is forecast to grow to over £49M with an even greater share of export sales this year. This strategy has not only preserved our 150 Hampshire-based jobs but has allowed us to create more jobs in the UK and across the globe.”
The RNIB works with professional actors, authors and many volunteer narrators to bring audio books to life. IAC’s studios will be used for these recordings and will be accessible to people with sight problems.
Dr Coussios, a biomedical engineering researcher, said: “[.] I feel honoured and encouraged by this Award. Acoustics enabled many life-changing developments in the course of the last century.. .[In] my view, the biggest acoustics challenge of the 21st century [is] the understanding and harnessing of the many potentially beneficial interactions between acoustic waves and biological tissue.” 
Video-maker for ITV regions, Technicolour Network Services has commissioned three IAC Voice Over Booths for their high tech premises housed within the acclaimed Richard Rogers-designed Chiswick Business Park. TNS is a world-leading digital media distribution company with offices in North America, France, Japan, Singapore and The Netherlands. These new voice over facilities are part of a refurbishment programme in the hands of GPS Architects. 
The other Booth is being installed at UNIT Post Production - in its own words ‘Soho's all-online, all-Apple, all-HD post house’. UNIT makes everything from commercials to promos; from documentaries to features for clients that include the BBC, National Geographic; Channel 5; Academy; Jetix; Believe Media; and CNN. 
Jason said: “As specialist designers and manufacturers of audiometric rooms the professionals and clinicians we met at the show were generally very interested in our specialist understanding of their acoustical requirements and our impressive client list. The fact that we build facilities for many of the world’s leading hospitals and hearing research centres such as University College London is proof that we are among the world’s best providers of specialist environments for hearing professionals.”
The Chamber’s lining of foam wedges is ideal for the general purpose testing of the mid- to high frequencies typically generated by high spec electronic equipment rather than choristers!
Professor Andy Moorhouse, the facility director, and a judge in our Young Persons’ Award in 2005, said: "These labs are unique. [..] here we combine research, teaching and enterprise - working for industry. We integrate those strands in a way no one else does. …I've been to laboratories all over the world but there's nowhere like this."
IAC Aviation is undertaking the relocation of one of the Italian Air Force’s RB199 aero-engine Test Facilities. It was originally designed and built by IAC on a modular basis to support this type of operational redeployment requirement. 
All the Italian Air Force’s Tornado aircraft engines are kept in optimum condition through testing in their IAC provided test facilities to keep their fleet in a state of active readiness. 
The relocation project will be completed in approximately three months from decommissioning to being reinstated as fully operational again.
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