Switches, sensors and enclosures specialist, Bernstein Ltd, has reported its best trading year to date thanks to increased take-up of the ‘Bernstein Custom’ problem solving service which was introduced to offer customers bespoke solutions for safety issues, as well as additional services designed to save both time and money.
Founded in 1947, Bernstein’s parent company Bernstein AG has an established reputation for providing high-quality products used in a number of machine building and safety applications at the point where man meets machine. The UK division, Bernstein Ltd, was formed in 1985 and was responsible for 6% of all global sales in 2013.
Bernstein Custom – contract manufacturing and assembly
Bernstein Custom was a key factor in the company’s recent growth as Managing Director, Rob Emms explains “The management team took a strategic decision back in 2003 to offer a number of services to enhance the company’s core product offering. We realised that whilst customers appreciated the quality of Bernstein products, there was an identified need to offer a customisation service to tailor our products to specific customer requirements.
“We work closely with customers from various sectors to provide safety solutions to identified problems. An example of this is the products we have introduced aimed specifically at railway safety – we have developed bespoke sensors, switches and enclosures that help to protect rail users from a range of trackside and train borne hazards.”
Bernstein prides itself on constantly listening to feedback from its customers and developing its products and services to accommodate changing market requirements. Rob continues, “Working closely with customers to identify their specific requirements is very much part of the Bernstein ethos – we’ve taken this one step further in the UK by introducing Bernstein Custom.”
Innovation on show at MACH
One of Bernstein’s latest product innovations, the CC-5000 neXt range of Control Enclosures, was introduced to UK manufacturers at MACH 2014 earlier this month, alongside its latest aluminium suspension system, CS-3000 neXt.
CC-5000 neXt is the most slimline range of enclosures Bernstein has ever produced and has been specifically developed to meet an increasing demand for control enclosures that offer great design, as well as high performance – ‘protection in its most beautiful form’.
Rated to IP65, CC-5000 neXt’s modular construction means it can be configured in a number of different ways and customised to match the customer’s corporate identity – corner modules, front and rear panels, as well as the standard version anodised aluminium sections, can all be powder-coated to a wide variety of RAL colours if required.
Suspension system, CS-3000 neXt, components and tubes can also be customised to a wide range of RAL colours – offering the potential to bespoke the whole system.
ISO14119 compliant CSMS
MACH also provided an opportunity for Bernstein to demonstrate its contactless safety monitoring switch, CSMS, which has been specifically developed to protect against machine guard manipulation whilst adhering to the newly revised international standard for the safety of machinery with interlocking devices associated with guards, ISO 14119:2013.
The IP67 rated CSMS is a prime example of a product developed to meet the highest levels of protection possible – the contactless, uniquely coded communication between sensor and actuator uses RFID technology to offer the highest level of protection (high-level coding) and the highest levels of safety (PLe) and protection against manipulation.
Its excellent self-diagnostic capabilities ensure open safety guards and system errors can be located quickly – when the protective device is opened, a signal is generated by the CSMS that stops the machine and prevents a dangerous restart.
ISO14119 has replaced the previous 1998 version and all national standards including EN 1088 in the UK and has been updated to include some of the latest technologies that were not commonplace when the standard was first drafted, including RFID and electromagnetic guard locking, and specifically addresses the issue of ‘defeating’ interlocking guards.
Rob comments, “As a forward-looking company, Bernstein introduced the CSMS to enable customers to future-proof their operations, as well as keeping their operatives safe. It recognised the issue of manipulation and developed the CSMS to offer the highest levels of safety possible.”
Safety seminars
Bernstein’s commitment to safety has also resulted in the company hosting a number of Safety Seminars throughout the year at its West Midlands HQ which cover a range of topics including the latest legislation, diagnostics and specific safety functions.
Bernstein Ltd is accredited to ISO9001 and ISO14001, evidence of both its commitment to quality and the environment in which it operates.
Find out more by visiting www.bernstein-ltd.co.uk or contact the sales team on 01922 744999.
