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2017 sees the final stage of EU MEPS, taking IE3 down to 0.75 kW motors. But it looks like this stage is far from being the last leg of the European Commission’s drive to cut energy. Further energy efficiency measures are being considered that could pack an even bigger punch.

The past five years has seen some significant changes in the world of low voltage motor efficiency levels, culminating in January 1, 2017 being the final stage for the European Minimum Energy Performance Standard (EU MEPS). You may be well-aware that from that date motors from 0.75 kW to 375 kW must conform to IE3 - or IE2 if fitted with a variable-speed drive (VSD).

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Yet the energy-efficiency landscape is about to get a lot more interesting. The European Commission (EC) is now focusing on the energy efficiency requirements of a power drive system (PDS) – which comprises VSDs and electric motors. It is even expected to target more extensive systems containing, for example, the load such as a pump. Here’s why.

The EC has some tough energy saving commitments that it must meet. It needs to hit its 2030 greenhouse gas emission levels with cuts of up to 40 percent compared to 1990 levels. It also has to reduce energy consumption by 27 percent by that date. The EC has spotted that by extending electric motor energy-efficiency regulations it could save a further 22.3 TWh per year across the European Union by 2030.

However, while final decisions and dates are still some way off, among possible policy options are to:

  • expand the IE3 requirement for large motors both in LV and MV from 375 to 1000 kW
  • remove the current option of using an IE2 motors with a VSD
  • introduce regulations for smaller motors down to 120 W for both single- and three-phase motors
  • remove low efficiency VSDs from the market
  • expand the types of motors included such as explosion proof and brake motors

It is estimated that some 9.9 TWh/year, or 44 percent of the total being targeted, can be achieved by introducing an IE2 minimum efficiency level for three-phase motors rated from 120 W to 750 W. The intention is to include those motors integrated into products in an attempt to avoid loopholes. A similar measure for single-phase motors in the same power range will save a further 4.6 TWh/year.

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The EC is also targeting both low- and medium- voltage motors rated from 375 kW to 1,000 kW, with the proposal to make IE3 the minimum efficiency. Despite sales of these motors being relatively small, their high power ratings and long operating hours means the potential to save energy is significant. The annual savings from these measures would amount to 3.1 TWh for the LV motors and 1.1 TWh for the MV machines, according to the EC.

The EC wants to remove the current option of using an IE2 motor with a VSD, instead of having to specify an IE3 machine, for motors with ratings from 7.5 kW to 375 kW. This, it is anticipated, will simplify the regulations and market surveillance, as VSDs are not needed in all applications. For instance, with fixed loads, a soft-starter can be a better option. Removing the VSD+IE2 option will save an estimated 2.7TWh/year by 2030. There is even, for the first time, a proposal to bring VSDs within the scope of the EC’s mandatory energy-saving regulations.

The current EU MEPS regulation excludes certain motors such as explosion proof and brake motors. The EC wants to extend the regulations to include these motors. This will save an estimated 0.9 TWh/year by 2030. Brake motors will still be excluded if the brake is an integral part of the motor that cannot be separated for testing purposes.

Among those motors that are likely to be exempt from the regulations are DC machines with mechanical commutators; motors in cordless or battery-operated equipment; motors in hand-held equipment whereby the weight is supported by the hand during use (because high-efficiency motors tend to be heavier and this equipment tends to have shorter operating hours); and motors integrated into machines that cannot practically be tested separately.

“ABB fully supports and backs all the requirements related to high efficiency,” says Marco Veeckman, sales and marketing manager of ABB’s motors and generators business. “We see them as a good, positive development and endorse the Commission’s efforts. However, we understand that LOT 30 and the associated schedule for implementation is delayed, but that shouldn’t stop users getting up to speed with what the current regulations mean.

“With the regulations potentially extending to low- and medium voltage motors and PDS’, there is a lot to consider for users of motor-driven applications. It can be a confusing landscape with the regulations meaning different things to OEMs, machine builders, system integrators and end-users. It’s more important than ever, therefore, to align yourself with a reputable supplier. One than can answer questions like: Which motor is most suitable for your application? When do you need a VSD? Is your application dimensioned correctly? What is the optimum solution for your process or machine?”

While seeking the right advice can be critical, the simplest advice is to ensure you use a well-established motor supplier. The fact is that MEPS is a truly global issue and only those manufacturers with a grasp of all the subtle differences in the regulations are able to supply the right motor. “You need global support and advice as well as solid, reliable products,” argues Veeckman.

About ABB

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. www.abb.com

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The L&W S-Tester is based on a new, quick test method for determining the quality of fluting medium in corrugated packaging material. It expands ABB’s laboratory quality measurement offering to help paper producers improve quality and reduce costs.

The S-test method was developed by a group of fluting producers (CCB-CEPI) to provide a more reliable and easy measurement method than the time-consuming flat crush of corrugating medium CMT test (Concora Medium Test). This new test method can be fully automated.

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ABB’s L&W S-Tester offers a better method for strength classification of medium fluting. Better and easier than the classic corrugating medium test.

The new S-test method correlates well with the compressive yield strength potential of fluting medium in a CMT test. This yield strength is more relevant than standard CMT when predicting the ability of fluting medium to keep the liners apart, without losing its own strength in a corrugated board construction.

The L&W S-Tester will provide quick and accurate feedback; it can also perform automated S-tests in L&W Autoline (complete paper quality measuring system) to add even more impact to mills producing fluting-medium when it comes to saving production costs. These measurements will help to reduce energy consumption through the elimination of over-refining, optimize the use of starch additives, and improve overall quality by generating a uniform paper product.

”This test method, developed by a group of industry partners, is now offered as a fully-supported product only by ABB,” says Thomas Fürst, Global Product Manager, ABB Pulp & Paper products.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 132,000 employees www.abb.com

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ABB’s HPINet WIS dirt count system provides full web width inspection, imaging and identification in real-time to improve pulp quality and production yield, as well as customer satisfaction.

Accurate dirt detection, imaging and classification all play a crucial role in quality control and process improvement for pulp production. ABB’s dirt count web imaging system meets today’s demands for increased quality and runnability, with 100% inspection of pulp and reduced customer claims.

Using high resolution, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) digital cameras together with advanced machine vision tools to improve performance, the dirt count system provides an exceptional level of real-time defect detection on the fastest and widest width modern paper machines. Real-time detection of dirt and shives in pulp allows operators to take corrective actions earlier, resulting in improved production yield and quality and reduced customer claims.

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ABB’s HPINet dirt count web imaging system meets today’s demands for increased quality and runnability with
100 percent inspection of pulp and reduced customer claims

Dirt detection and analysis are performed by specialized, high-speed field-programmable gate array (FPGA) devices. Automated detection and counting yields consistent and repeatable results leading to improved grading of production. Defects as small as 0.02 mm2 (less than half of the width of a human hair) may be detected which enables ABB’s dirt count system to fully comply with all defect size classifications in the ISO/TAPPI/ANSI standards. Connectivity to mill-wide systems and integration with ABB pulp and paper  automation systems ensures that defect data can be acted upon at the quality management and process control levels.

Unlike older technology that attempted to count dirt based on single sheets or narrow webs, ABB’s full web dirt count system can detect and classify information across the entire web in real-time. The system can be configured with either transmission or reflection illumination methods.

ABB’s dirt count system sets the new standards in web imaging systems to optimize product quality for the paper industry. Since the 1970’s, ABB has delivered over 1,300 web imaging systems around the world. The system is backed by ABB’s longstanding commitment to support its products over an extended lifecycle and by ABB’s dedicated global network of highly trained service personnel.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a more than 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. http://www.abb.com

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The Network Platform 800 (NP800) is a completely new scanner design which provides pulp and paper customers with a perpetual foundation on which to evolve their ABB quality control (QCS) systems

NP800 is a high-performance scanner right-sized for today’s small-to-mid size paper machines of up to 6.2 meters (244 inches) sheet width. When combined with ABB’s leading-edge paper sensors and controls, NP800 is a critical component of the QCS system for improving paper quality, optimizing paper machine stability and improving process efficiency.

NP800’s combination of powerful processing and real-time data acquisition provides precise sensor and frame coordination, fast signal processing and world-class measurement accuracy.

ABB has used its extensive Pulp and Paper product and service experience to design a scanner for easy expansion, robustness, reliability and serviceability. All system electronics and moving parts are fully integrated into the end columns and completely accessible from off the paper machine for easy and safe maintenance. No water cooling is required for either the scanner or any of its sensors. These features minimize installation down-time, start-up requirements and utility costs - reducing overall system lifecycle costs.

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NP800 is a right-sized for today’s small-to-mid size paper machines of up to 6.2 meters (244 inches) sheet width.

NP800 is a robust, reliable and stable platform, consisting of reinforced carbon steel “A”-beam construction with rigid end-columns that provide superior vertical, horizontal and torsional rigidity. This stable structure is critical for the precise alignment of sensor source and detector heads in harsh environments without the need for measurement profile compensation. The NP800’s smooth exterior design with no external openings, covers, exposed hardware or cables minimizes the possibilities for external contamination.

Integration with ABB’s 800xA and AC450-based QCS systems is supported along with a full range of engineering tools for configuration, monitoring and local and remote diagnostics. On-board diagnostics include spectral analysis capabilities that can provide further process insight. By studying the frequency of disturbances in the paper machine, changes in the performance can be linked to process upsets, helping customers to identify and eliminate sources of variation.

The NP800 is supported by ABB’s commitment to service our products over an extended lifecycle and by an unmatched global network of highly trained personnel.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leading global technology company in power and automation that enables utility, industry, and transport & infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.

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L&W Freeness Online expands offering for pulp measurements to help improve quality and reduce costs for paper producers.

ABB has launched L&W Freeness Online, a reliable, repeatable and cost-effective online system for measuring, monitoring and controlling key quality variables - Canadian Standard Freeness (CSF) and Schopper-Riegler (SR) - in paper stock preparation. This helps pulp and paper customers to save production costs by reducing energy consumption through elimination of over-refining, and to improve quality by generating uniform pulp furnish for the paper, board or tissue machines.

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L&W Freeness Online measures Canadian Standard Freeness (CSF) and Schopper-Riegler (SR) for full control of the refining process. Well-proven pulp samplers connected to the process automatically take samples before and after refiners to ensure that the set point value is being met.

L&W Freeness Online solves the problem of inconsistent and inaccurate manually-measured results with an automatic and complete measurement cycle, reporting results that are compensated for consistency and temperature, with measurement results that approach laboratory standards.

The system also allows for multiple sampling points with a single instrument, reducing initial investment cost and ongoing maintenance costs.

”Now we can offer a robust and responsive CSF/SR measurement online, which gives our customers an easy way to pinpoint and follow trends on pulp quality while its being made,  and at the same time helps them to reduce refining energy,” says Anna Schärman, Global Product Manager, ABB Pulp & Paper products.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a more than 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. http://www.abb.com

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This coupling’s patented split rubber element allows for easy assembly, reduced maintenance, and significantly decreases total costs.

ABB introduces the Dodge Raptor coupling that features patented WingLockTM technology, a finite-element optimized winged elastomeric design that provides longer driven equipment life and increased reliability. 

WingLock technology increases surface area at the most critical regions of the element, resulting in higher bond strength, improved fatigue resistance, and up to 5.9x longer life than competitive urethane designs. 

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 A non-lubricated flexible natural rubber element yields up to 50% lower stiffness, resulting in improved vibration damping, and industry leading misalignment capabilities. For reduced maintenance, the Raptor offers a split element for easy installation and replacement without moving or re-aligning connected equipment.

 “Slotted clamp ring holes offer 187% extra clearance for mounting hardware, resulting in a noticeably easier installation,” explains Matt Wolford, Product Manager for Dodge couplings. “Raptor is also designed for drop-in interchangeability, ensuring this coupling works in many existing applications without any modifications.  Plus, the Raptor is backed by an industry leading 5-year warranty, even when used with competitor’s components.”

Suitable for a broad range of industrial applications, Raptor is offered with Armored Elements for extra protection in extreme environments.  Raptor couplings are also third-party ATEX Certified for use in hazardous environments. This new coupling can be integrated with ABB’s ATEX Certified motor-drive combination to create a power transmission package ideal for applications where equipment is used in potentially explosive atmospheres.

Available in close-coupled and spacer designs for a wide range of ANSI and ISO shaft gaps, Raptor couplings are offered with finished bore or Taper-Lock bushed hubs with bore sizes up to 229 mm and a torque range up to 38,438 Nm.

About ABB

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. For more than four decades, ABB is writing the future of industrial digitalization. With more than 70 million devices connected through its installed base of more than 70,000 control systems across all customer segments, ABB is ideally positioned to benefit from the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolution. With a heritage of more than 130 years, ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. www.abb.com

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Integrated electrical and automation systems, equipment and services for St. Croix Tissue; single operations environment provides highest level of efficiency, reliability and product quality

ABB recently commissioned the electrical and automation systems and equipment for the two new tissue production machines at St. Croix Tissue’s newly constructed mill in Baileyville, Maine.  The first machine started production earlier this year.

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ABB’s delivery for both machines at the new mill includes quality control systems, tissue machine drive systems, 800xA control systems, collaborative production management, as well as motors, drives, and electrification equipment and infrastructure, and a resident service contract. The integrated systems will provide a single window into all production activities to ensure the highest levels of process efficiency, product quality, power stability, and equipment reliability.

“Our longstanding relationship with this customer, deep pulp and paper industry knowledge and ability to deliver the comprehensive scope of supply needed are important to the continued success of this project,” said Roger Bailey, Managing Director of ABB’s Process Industries business. “We are committed to providing our customers with the technology, products, services and support they need to make their operations efficient from the very first day of production. We are excited to be part of these new machine start-ups in the state of Maine.”

At the new mill, St. Croix Tissue will produce a full range of products for the growing national and international tissue markets, including paper napkins, paper towels, bathroom tissue and facial tissue. Two automated tissue paper manufacturing machines are expected to produce over 120,000 tons of tissue a year. Tissue paper production on one machine began in Q1 2016, and the second machine is scheduled to be up and running in Q3 2016.

St. Croix Tissue (www.stcroixtissue.com) is a new, state-of-the art tissue paper manufacturing company being constructed in Baileyville, Maine. The site is located next to its parent company, Woodland Pulp LLC , which will provide pulp for the new production mill. The new site will supply the growing international tissue paper market using the newest, high-tech equipment and environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leading global technology company in power and automation that enables utility, industry, and transport & infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environ­mental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.

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Add-on to fiber analyzers provides a complete range of fiber measurements, both image-based and non-image based, from one laboratory pulp sample for a truly holistic view of pulp fiber properties.

ABB has launched the first laboratory fiber analyzer that has the capability to accurately detect the amount of crill in any pulp mixture. L&W Crill is an optional module to the portfolio of ABB’s fiber analyzers. It uses a method based on the fact that small particles absorb and scatter light, which makes it possible to detect very small particles in a pulp suspension. It expands ABB’s offering of Lorentzen & Wettre products for fiber testing.

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L&W Fiber Tester Plus – now available with L&W Crill, the option to measure crill

Crill is an important variable to measure in pulp mixtures, as these tiny fibers contribute to overall paper strength and end product quality.

ABB’s popular L&W Fiber Tester and L&W Fiber Tester Plus laboratory fiber analyzers are based on image analysis – there are more than 175 units installed worldwide. The addition of L&W Crill adds another dimension to pulp analysis and makes it possible to measure a new property.

L&W Crill analyzes pulp suspensions to monitor refining and dewatering. Refining the pulp increases the L&W Crill quota. During the refining process, the fibers are affected in different ways. For example, the fibrils of the fiber walls are exposed to a certain degree; these fibrillary particles on the fiber wall are described by crill. With this added capability, the L&W Fiber Tester Plus can now provide all information needed to understand pulp composition, including fiber length, fiber width, shape factor, fines content, fibril index and crill.

Because L&W Crill is not based on image analysis, it is not limited by the resolution of an imaging system. Instead, L&W Crill analyzes how particles with different diameters absorb and scatter light of different wave lengths. By sending UV-light and IR-light through a pulp suspension, it detects if small particles are present in the solution.

”We can now offer a complete range of fiber measurements methods within the same laboratory equipment, so you can get a truly holistic view of your fibers from analyzing only one sample,” says Anna Schärman, Global Product Manager, ABB AB/Lorentzen & Wettre products.

ABB (http://www.abb.com) is a leading global technology company in power and automation that enables utility, industry, and transport & infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environ-mental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.

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ABB has inaugurated a new customer drives test laboratory at its factory in Helsinki, Finland. The facility now enables customers to have their own motors tested with ABB’s variable speed drives (VSDs) to verify their impact on performance and energy consumption.

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ABB’s new customer drives test laboratory has been established to enable customers to evaluate the capability of their own motors when operating in combination with the new generation of ABB drives. The facility incorporates independent equipment for high-precision measurements of drive/motor dynamic performance, load capability and efficiency that enables customers to find the optimal drive system for their application, helping reduce costs, equipment size and energy consumption.

2016 06 13 080142The test laboratory is an entirely new concept that is aimed primarily at high-volume drives customers and ABB partners such as technology companies in the machine building industries and system integrators. It now offers an easy and reliable way for customers to test various motor/drive combinations before introducing a new ABB product into volume production.

”This investment really supports the process of establishing the ideal drive/motor combination and demonstrates how we can help customers test their equipment up to 400 kilowatts (kW) with a minimum amount of effort to verify that ABB’s solution is the best choice for their application,“ explains Morten Wierod, Managing Director of ABB’s Drives and Controls business unit.

ABB’s global drives business also has customer laboratories in the United States, China and India that provide local support. Morten Wierod continued, “This new laboratory in Helsinki is the center of excellence for our business unit from where we support global customers with the most demanding requirements. The main advantage of these laboratories is how we connect them together in a global chain so that all customers always receive the best support available from the most appropriate ABB unit.”

2016 06 13 080207The decision to make the investment to create the new facility was based on ABB’s successful experience with the customer application laboratory for crane and winch applications that opened in 2011. This facility, also located at the drives factory in Helsinki, provides facilities for OEMs to test ABB’s drive compatibility in cranes and winches in a simulated environment corresponding to actual application conditions. The laboratory has played a significant role in helping ABB to grow its business in this sector and it has recently been upgraded to increase its test capacity to cover a wider range of application areas.

Morten Wierod acknowledges that customers are increasingly demanding and ABB wants to offer even better service and application know-how by bringing customers into its own facilities. “We are dedicated to our customers and want to help them achieve the right features and performance in their applications by investing in these facilities. Being able to test the customer’s own equipment together with our drives gives them the confidence that ABB really can support our partners and customers in their day to day operations,” Wierod said.

ABB is the leading drives manufacturer supplying drives and software tools for all applications and industries worldwide. ABB’s drives business employs 6,000 people in over 80 countries.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leading global technology company in power and automation that enables utility, industry, and transport & infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.

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Discrete light emitting diodes (LEDs) provide continuous on-line color measurement for more accurate paper web analysis, at a lower cost of ownership

ABB High Performance Color Measurement is a completely new sensor design that incorporates LED technology for superior on-line measurements of color, brightness, florescence, opacity and whiteness.

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Capable of taking up to 60 measurements per second from the moving web, the sensor offers greater accuracy with lower short-term variability. With more frequent and continuous measurement, paper manufacturers benefit from increased precision leading to more consistent color and improved final product quality. The sensor enables manufacturers to precisely control color while minimizing off-specification production and improving shade consistency as well as reducing the use of expensive fluorescent whitening agents, dye and pigments.

By replacing traditional Xenon and Halogen illumination sources, the LEDs modulate between UV-included and UV-excluded illumination at high speed and without the use of filters. This enables continuous UV-corrected color measurements, reducing color variation, and improving laboratory correlation. LEDs also provide a stable and repeatable illumination leading to better measurement stability.

The sensor features a compact modular design and has no moving parts in the measurement module, thereby enhancing its reliability with lower maintenance and lifecycle costs. It can be applied the top or bottom of the web, or to both sides.

High-Performance Color Measurement is designed for a quick and easy upgrade path. The new measurement module can replace ABB Smart Color sensors in existing ABB QCS systems as part of ABB’s stepwise evolution options for ABB QCS systems.

ABB (http://www.abb.com) is a leading global technology company in power and automation that enables utility, industry, and transport & infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.

For more information please contact:
Gunvor Latva
Communications, Pulp & Paper Solutions
ABB AB / Lorentzen & Wettre 
Phone: +46 8 477 90 00
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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