Telford's iconsys targets ‘functional safety’ demand with specialist appointments

One of the UK’s leading control and automation specialists is aiming to help UK businesses reduce the £1.4bn cost of injuries and accidents in the workplace by doubling its functional safety team.

Telford-based iconsys, which has decades of safety projects experience, has several new consultants and a growing team of engineers working in this specialist field to support customers with the issue of compliance and safety across more than ten different sectors.

It is now launching a comprehensive consultative safety assessment service that taps into strong relationships with technology providers and a team trained to ISO 13849, IEC61511 and TUV 4414/11 standards.

An initial detailed industrial equipment safety audit will now take place as part of the service, followed by the proven iconsys multi-step functional safety solution, where needed.

This new approach will be offered to existing and future customers in key markets, including automotive, aerospace & defence, construction materials, FMCG, marine & ports, pulp & paper and transportation infrastructure and energy transition sectors.

“When you’re already dealing with day-to-day pressures, the issue of functional safety can seem overwhelming and that’s where we can make a significant difference. We see a lot of management teams suffering from a lack of in-house capability and spiralling legislation and standards - this is where we can help,” explained Leandro Gasparini, Head of Services at iconsys.

“There is an element of meeting compliance and regulations, but getting this side of your business right can also unlock a more productive work environment and operational efficiencies by upgrading obsolete machinery that can be dangerous to the workforce.”

He continued: “Our consultants will start these conversations with companies who don’t know where to turn to for help, as they may not have qualified people in-house, or may need independent advice or verification.

“Our team of TUV trained safety engineers then come into their own and can support firms with their functional safety remediation requirements, where safety issues are identified during the audit.

“The best results often come from early intervention, so the sooner we can start working with management teams, the quicker we can start making a positive impact. Ultimately, we want to facilitate the best route that doesn’t cost them significant downtime and financial pain.”

iconsys’ enhanced functional safety offering is now being reinforced and formalised in its proven 5-step methodology, which has been developed over the last three decades.

It starts with a site-wide machinery assessment and evolves into the development of a structured safety framework that is compliant to ISO 13849 and prevents costly design errors later in the process.

From there, the specialist TUV-trained team will work with the client on the engineering phase, where control system elements are introduced to meet specific safety functions/integrity and system reliability.

The final two steps are verification and on-site validation, using industry-recognised tools such as SISTEMA.

Alongside this more comprehensive functional safety offering, the services division now includes formalised offerings in digitalisation, cybersecurity, site assessments, sustainability and energy management.

Together, these allow iconsys to support the full lifecycle of its clients’ industrial assets, helping to address ageing equipment, compliance challenges and long-term performance improvements.

Leandro continued: “In a nutshell, it’s complete peace of mind. Companies can use us as a single-source safety solution for eliminating ageing equipment issues, optimising technology integration and transforming the workplace culture.

“By the end of the safety service, we know that taking a proactive and positive approach to functional safety will deliver a whole host of operational improvements and cost savings, including reduced downtime, the use of energy efficient technology, and compliance with the latest legislation.

“Our approach is about proactively bringing in the right subject matter experts, at the right time, who talk to the right people.

He concluded: “We have invested heavily in working with the best in the safety business – especially when it comes to understanding functional safety issues, regulations and identifying how to address them.”

iconsys, which works with hundreds of companies to improve productivity, operational efficiency, safety and profitability, is embarking on a major recruitment drive to increase its highly skilled workforce to 115 over the coming twelve months.

Located at its state-of-the-art smart manufacturing facility in Telford, the company is increasing capacity to take advantage of £multi-million opportunities around decarbonisation, safety, energy management, sustainability and cyber security.