We are proud to announce that Elite Control Systems was this year’s winner of The Chamber Business Excellence Award for exceptional Innovation.
A huge, huge well done to all the Elite team! and very proud to see all our hard working and highly skilled team recognised in this way.
Last week saw Elite Control Systems Limited join forces with Asset Guardian Solutions Limited to hold their annual Charity Christmas Bake Off whilst raising funds for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health).
Over 15 bakes were brought in by contestants which all came with a Christmas theme and included Christmas cake, chocolate truffles, Christmas Log, Apple Crumble and winning bake: Stem-Ginger Cupcakes as voted the contestants.
Contestants in this year’s Christmas Bake Off
Blaire Mcleod: Winner of the AGSL/ECS Christmas Bake Off 2018
the Christmas Bakes
Elite Control Systems Limited would like to thank everyone for their baking efforts and kind donations. By making a donation to SAMH, those in need this Christmas can access support services including Peer Support, Homelessness, Mental Health Outreach, Suicide prevention and more.
About SAMH
SAMH is a Scottish based charity that was founded in 1923 and operates 60 services in communities throughout Scotland, providing various mental health support services including Employment, Mental Health Outreach, Suicide Prevention and Active Living. More information on the charity and the services it provides can be found here.
Livingston, Scotland- 8th November 2018- Elite Control Systems Limited are pleased to announce that David Holmes has recently been selected as its new Graduate Systems Engineer.
Originally from Dunfermline, David will be based at Elite’s headquarters in Livingston and will report directly to the Engineering Manager, Juan Carlos Di Bella.
David studied Electrical and Electronic Engineering (MEng) at the University of Edinburgh and will now become part of a dedicated team of engineers at Elite. Part of David’s new role involves designing quality software and hardware solutions based on a variety of DCS, PLC and SCADA manufacturers.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the excellent team of engineers at Elite Control Systems. I’m eager to learn and hopefully contribute to the company within my new role at one of the country’s leading system integrators.”
This is David’s first full-time role within the control systems industry. While on industrial placement for his master’s project, he previously worked as an electronics intern with Optos PLC. Optos are a leading provider of devices for eye care professionals.
Elite’s Operations Director, Brian Sneddon commented, “We are confident that David will develop into a first-class engineer for Elite Controls. He has only recently joined us but has already shown a great enthusiasm for the company.”
Building on Success
Elite’s extensive portfolio of Food and Beverage clients include: Edrington, A.G Barr, Diageo, Glenmorangie, North British Distillery, Whyte & Mackay, Quaker Oats, etc. Elite also serve numerous energy providers such as Scottish Power and ScottishPower Renewables along with other major manufacturing companies like Tarmac and Liberty Steel.
About Elite Control Systems Limited
Elite Control Systems was established in 1992 and is based in the new town of Livingston, just outside Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh. Elite is a highly regarded innovative company focused on delivering full engineering support services to the highest standard. The company has expertise and experience delivering full turnkey solutions and engineering support services for clients spanning a range of industries including: Food and Beverage, Bottling and Distilling, Oil and Gas and Energy.
If you would like any more information on our services, please fill out the contact form below and a member of our team will be in contact soon.
Elite Control Systems Limited is pleased to announce that a total of £1744 has been raised for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health). Employees from Elite Controls joined forces with employees from Asset Guardian Solutions Limited (AGSL) to raise money for the charity by taking part in the Edinburgh Tough Mudder 5k.
The event took place at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, and required the team to work together to tackle 10 Obstacles over 5 kilometres, some of which included a Pyramid scheme, Everest, Giant A-Hole and Bale Bonds.
The team then put on a Charity Bake Off to finish off fundraising efforts, with over 20 amazing bakes being made, raising over £170.
Elite Control Systems Limited would like to thank everyone who has kindly donated to the charity. The generous donations have resulted in the team raising £1744 which will be put to use straight away to support those who are experiencing mental health problems.
About SAMH
SAMH is a Scottish based charity that was founded in 1923 and operates 60 services in communities throughout Scotland, providing various mental health support services including Employment, Mental Health Outreach, Suicide Prevention and Active Living. More information on the charity and the services it provides can be found here.
The Macallan’s new distillery is an exceptional architectural landmark with a completely unique design
When Elite Control Systems completed the final commissioning of a turnkey software control system for The Macallan’s new distillery, it represented more than successful completion of a job. It was an engineering achievement carried out on behalf of Edrington for The Macallan, its world-renowned single malt whisky.
“It was a real honour to be given the opportunity to provide the critical software control system for a product that many people regard as the Jewel in the Crown in Edrington’s portfolio,” said Brian Sneddon, General Manager for Elite Control Systems. “There is no other distillery quite like this one. It’s not only an exceptional architectural landmark, it’s a completely unique design. Some of the challenges from a software control point of view actually lay in the uniqueness of that very design.”
Edrington invested a tremendous amount of thought and planning before finalising its vision: to create a visually striking piece of architecture that would blend seamlessly into the Speyside hills, while providing the production capability to meet customer demand for The Macallan for generations to come.
To make certain that its production capability is both reliable and adaptable, Edrington broke from tradition. Instead of constructing a traditional distillery that features one main production facility, The Macallan distillery features three individual production “pods”. There are many advantages to this design. Having three production pods means that production needn’t stop when maintenance schedules demand. The new distillery enables production of The Macallan to increase by one third, if required.
From a controls perspective, the three-pod design means a much more complex system than normal was required. The real challenge, however, was developing a system to manage the production interfaces alongside all the sequencing, interlocking, etc. that is required between each of the pods. These pods operate and interface both individually and collectively with the distillery’s single mash house. “This raised the software control aspect of the project to a much higher level, making it a real engineering challenge,” said Sneddon.
Production pod with several Spirit & Wash Stills on the upper level
Once the commissioning checks were completed, and the control system was deemed fully operational, the distillery was nearly ready to begin production. Given the complexity of a distillery with three production pods, the required control system represented a different way of working for both Edrington and Elite. Throughout the construction of the plant and development of the control system, Elite had a dedicated team of engineers working alongside both the main contractor and Edrington’s engineers. Elite housed their engineering team in their own cottage minutes from the site, helping facilitate communications and teamwork. For months beforehand, Elite had worked closely with Edrington’s engineers to ensure that everyone was fully aware as to how the control system would operate, allowing production to commence as planned.
Production pod with the Spirit & Wash Stills on the upper level in the background, and the production equipment on the lower level
The project progressed and Edrington commenced ready for production in November 2017, running its first spirit in December 2017. Since then, Edrington has operated all aspects of the plant from the main onsite control room. Should Edrington require added assistance, Elite can also monitor the status of the new control system from its base in Livingston. “As part of our standard services, we provide 24-hour support. Although the production process is not managed remotely, should Macallan request assistance, we can login remotely and securely to monitor production and support the automated system,” said Sneddon. “If something untoward were to disrupt operations, we can respond immediately, allowing production to resume without missing a beat.”
The Macallan distillery project is an historic achievement, not only in terms of its innovative design and architecture, but for those involved, it was an exciting, rigorous challenge. “To realise The Macallan vision, it was essential that we work with a trusted systems integrator we could rely upon to operate this innovative, yet extremely complicated distillery,” said George McKenzie, UK Engineering Manager for Edrington. “Elite had worked for The Macallan and other Edrington distilleries previously, so we were confident in their ability to design a reliable control system. In the end, Elite lived up to our expectations, and were both responsive and flexible throughout.”
For Elite, The Macallan project represents a major milestone. “To have contributed successfully to such an innovative distillery, it’s a critical milestone for us in terms of the credibility it lends to us as a respected systems integrator,” said Sneddon.
If you would like information on our services, please fill out our contact form and a member of our team will be in contact with you.
Mud Buds
That was Easy!
Elite Control Systems Limited is pleased to announce the Mud Buds (a team of 11 employees from both Elite Control Systems and Asset Guardian Solutions Limited) have successfully completed the Edinburgh Tough Mudder 5k, whilst raising a generous amount for a fantastic cause – SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health).
The event took place at Holyrood Park on Saturday 25th August, and required the team to tackle 10 obstacles over 5 kilometres, some of which included a Pyramid Scheme, Giant A-Hole, Everest and Bale Bonds, encouraging participants to work in teams to help overcome the obstacles.
Overall, it was a successful day out for everyone, and the generous donations received has resulted in the team raising over £1500 for the charity.
About SAMH
SAMH is a Scottish based charity that was founded in 1923 and operates 60 services in communities throughout Scotland, providing various mental health support services including Employment, Mental Health Outreach, Suicide Prevention and Active Living.
1 in 20 is thinking about Suicide
Mental Health problems can affect the way you think, feel and behave and can feel just as bad or worse than any other illness- only you cannot see it. One of the major challenges today, is the rising suicide rate amongst young males, not only in Scotland but in the UK as a whole. In Scotland, 262,740 people may be thinking about it, and the gender gap is widening.
Despite the challenges faced, it is possible to recover from mental health problems and live a productive and fulfilling life. The team hope to raise as much money as possible so the charity can put the money to use right away and help those in need!
Fundraising efforts to continue with ECS VS AGSL Charity Bake Off
The fundraising efforts will continue for another week, with employees from both companies competing against each other in a Charity Bake Off. Keep an eye out for photos of all the extravagant bakes and results!
It is not too late to support the team. If you would like to donate, click here. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Photos from the day
Last Friday saw the annual Elite Control Systems/North British Distillery Lawn Bowls day which was held at West Calder Bowling Club in aid of Friends of Chernobyl’s Children (FOCC). The charity organises yearly visits for Belarusian children from disadvantaged social backgrounds to the UK, where they stay with host families for temporary recuperative care.
On arrival, the team were treated to hot rolls, with several games of Lawn Bowls throughout the day followed by a dinner and raffle organised by the club, with a total of £200 raised for the charity. It was a very successful day, enjoyed by all.
The winning team, with both ECS/NBD players.
Employees from both NBD and ECS
About the Companies
Elite Control Systems was founded in 1992, and specialises in systems integration and engineering support services. It is known for helping companies within a variety of industries who use fast-moving process control, automation and information technology to achieve their business objectives.
The North British Distillery Company is a Scottish grain whisky distillery, based on the outskirts of Edinburgh was established in 1885 and has produced over 2.5 billion litres of Whisky.