Technology to improve air quality

Bertrand Rotagnon of Carrier – a leading global provider of innovative HVAC and other automation technologies joined acumen7’s March session to explain that Carrier has developed technology to manage the air quality in buildings to ensure that they are healthy buildings. Poor air quality impacts individuals’ health and productivity, and of course is currently a focus given the pandemic as well. There are three elements to the technology – effectively an air purifier, an air source pump which also helps manage the moisture in the air and UV lighting. The system is effective at removing COVID-19 virus particles, amongst other things, from the air being brought into the building from outside. (It’s good news for hay fever sufferers too.) Further, there is a system that can manage entrances and exits, to ensure a building remains clean. This GPS technology has been available in the USA for the last 10 years and all of the technology can be retrofitted to existing buildings. Five hospitals in France are currently utilising it and it has also been rolled out across classrooms in the USA. There may also be the opportunity to install in on trains and underground systems, the latter being home to some of poorest air quality we breathe. 

For more information on Carrier, visit: https://www.carrier.com/carrier/en/worldwide/

Probably the greatest military unit you’ve never heard of…

At acumen7’s virtual Christmas cocktail party, the guest speaker Colonel Gary Sullivan OBE gave an informative overview of The Staff Corps, which is a part of the Royal Engineers in the British Army Reserve. The Staff Corps is intended to provide advisers on engineering and logistics to the British Army at a senior level. Following its work creating the NHS Nightingale Hospitals the Corps was described as ‘probably the greatest military unit you’ve never heard of. Established in 1865, the current officers are mainly chief executives, directors and senior managers of 60 different engineering, transport and logistics organisations, which together employ 100,000 people. As well as explaining the background to The Staff Corps, Gary also gave overview of operations it has been involved with including the NHS Nightingale Hospitals, the forthcoming mass vaccination programme, the Beirut Port recovery and Whaley Bridge.

How businesses are responding to the current crisis

Three acumen7 members gave their initial observations on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on business. Robert Williams spoke about how many have responded to the crisis, Aecom’s Giles Price spoke about the logistics of returning to work in practice and Team Animation’s Donnie MacNicol revisited the Delivery Manifesto. 

For more information on Aecom, visit: https://aecom.com/

For more information on Team Animation, visit: http://www.teamanimation.co.uk/

 

The UK ventilator challenge and what’s happening in the aerospace sector

Nick Goss, Lead Project Engineer at GKN Aerospace gave an overview of the UK Ventilator Challenge to assist with the current increase in use during the pandemic. Nick also spoke about what’s happening in the UK aerospace sector, what’s planned for the future, the importance of STEM in education and the value of apprenticeships compared with uni education and info on the eVTOL project. 

For more information on GKN Aerospace, visit: https://www.gknaerospace.com/.

 

 

Building the NHS Nightingale Hospital in nine days

acumen7 member Gary Sullivan is also the Commanding Officer at The Staff Corps 77th Brigade and Chairman of Wilson James. Gary specialises in Construction Logistics, Security, Supply Chain Development and Regeneration, and has over 30 years’ experience in the planning and operation of the logistics of complex critical infrastructure projects. In addition, Gary has served in the British Army and worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Gary helped to develop Wilson James from a standing start and they currently have 5,000 employees. Gary gave a confidential presentation around the transformation of the ExCeL into the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, which happened in just nine days.

For more information on The Staff Corps 77th Brigade, visit: https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/formations-divisions-brigades/6th-united-kingdom-division/77-brigade/groups/

For more information on Wilson James, visit: https://wilsonjames.co.uk/