Andy Smith has recently joined ABB from Ricoh UK Products in Telford, where he has spent the last 20 years in a variety of Engineering based roles, with the last 10 years specialising in an Energy Management.  During this time with Ricoh Andy helped reduce energy consumption on site by 49% by implementing numerous energy management systems, controls and new technologies.

Andy is a family man married to Dawn with two young daughters, Olivia aged 1,  and Ella, 4. His hobbies include cycling and camping. Andy is a very practical person and another of his “hobbies” is extreme DIY – he built his own house in 2006/07 (during this time he lived in a caravan on site) but this was prior to the arrival of his daughters.

Andy explained that his move to ABB and more specifically the drive industry was a natural transition from his role at Ricoh, as a large proportion of energy reduction projects implemented at Ricoh were “drive based”.  Andy has a comprehensive knowledge of many industrial processes and the systems within buildings and with his Energy Institute Diploma in Energy Management and Technology training – he completely understands the full process.  He further added that it is only when you understand the bigger picture of how and why a particular system operates that you can you make a real difference, hence the drives and drives systems installations he recommends get very good results every time.

Andy explained that he had only been with ABB since July and that one of his key objectives is to develop the existing  long term relationship between ABB and the team at Sentridge.  By working with the experienced team at Sentridge, he benefits from learning about many innovative projects and a wealth of drive and business knowledge.  Andy went on to say that the team at Sentridge are extremely knowledgeable and have made him feel very much ‘part of the team’.  Glen Hickman, the Technical Director’s electrical knowledge & understanding of drive systems application is remarkable and Brian Dick, Managing Director, has a wealth of experience and knowledge and it is great to work with Sentridge. “I have especially enjoyed my many site visits with Phil Tomkinson.” Andy added.

Andy told us how he was amazed that although many people he meets demonstrate good energy management and knowledge, other priorities often result in little or no concentration on energy reduction activities at all.  With the recent increase in energy prices, Andy further stated that there are plenty of opportunities for significant energy reductions through the implementation of the drive systems to almost all motor driven systems across all manufacturing businesses.

Andy sees his experience and knowledge and understanding of energy regulations, the Carbon Reduction Commitment, and Climate Change Agreements will be used to provide practical help to not only develop the business opportunities for Sentridge Control and ABB, but also save UK manufacturers thousands of pounds of energy costs, whilst simultaneously improving processes.  The expertise that Andy has gained over the years can build on Sentridge’s scope of offering more specialist services, which includes installation, supply and final commissioning

We asked Andy what is the most important thing people should know about him. Andy’s response was: “how to contact me to arrange a site visit”.  If you would like to know more about how you can save energy, reduce your organisations exposure to rising energy costs and improve your plant then please contact Andy Smith on M: 07712 390016 or

E: andrew.p.smith@gb.abb.com

Finally, if your organisation has recently signed a 2013 Climate Change Agreement, you will need to meet regular milestone targets to avoid financial penalties to protect your agreement and exemptions from the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme. Andy is well versed in building Energy Reduction Plans that take account of individual targets, investment and return criteria.  You need to contact Andy directly for help and advice as he fully understands the situation that companies are in and the targets that need to be met.