Ceramic Industry articles from January 2003

Ceramic Industry archives from January 2003

Looking back, looking forward. (Inside).(ceramic industry overview and forecast)(Brief Article)(Column)
January 1, 2003... "The U.S. unemployment rate is at its highest level since August 1994;"... "The manufacturing sector declined in November for the third consecutive month;"... "Major [market] indexes down for two straight weeks...." If you've read some...

International Calendar.(ceramic industry events)(Calendar)
January 1, 2003... JANUARY 2003 13-17 Infrared Applications, Level I, Montpelier, Vt., (800) 636-9820 14-16 2003 Advanced Productivity Exposition, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla., (800) 733-4763, www.sme.org/Orlando 18-19 Handcrafted...

Ceramics China 2003 offers expansion opportunities. (In the News).(ceramic industry trade show)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... An estimated 60,000 visitors from around the world are expected to attend Ceramics China, the 17th China International Ceramics Industry Exhibition, May 19-22, 2003, at the China Foreign Trade Center in Gangzhou, China. Endorsed by the China...

Shenango Advanced Ceramics formed. (In the News).(new company Shenango Advanced Ceramics L.L.C. acquires Shenango Refractories)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... On September 30, 2002, Shenango Refractories was sold by The Pfaltzgraff Co. to Shenango Advanced Ceramics, LLC, a new company owned by experienced veterans in the ceramic industry. The new owners are Mike Atkins, Bill Augur, Chand Associates...

Saint-Gobain, Ibiden and Toyota announce opening of joint subsidiary. (In the News).(Saint-Gobain Ceramics and Plastics Inc., Ibiden Company Ltd., Toyota Industries Corp. )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Ibiden Co, Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, and Toyota Industries Co. recently announced the launch of the opening of the production site of their joint subsidiary, Ibiden DPF France SAS, which will undertake mass production of particulate...

Keith acquires KMI Industries. (In the News).(W.P. Keith Co., Inc. recently acquired KMI Industries )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... W.P. Keith Co., Inc. recently acquired KMI Industries and will continue the operation of the company's refractory distribution, custom insulation systems, and Recco furnace business units. Keith manufactures thermal process equipment and...

CoorsTek and C.L. Smith announce agreement to combine strengths. (In the News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... CoorsTek, Inc. has named C.L. Smith Industrial Ceramics, an experienced provider of wear products and installation services, as its exclusive agent in power generation markets. "The alliance simply makes sense," said Mel Glass, Wear Products...

EDAX forms alliance with XRT Limited. (In the News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... EDAX Inc. has finalized an agreement with XRT Limited of Melbourne, Australia, to globally market, sell and distribute XRT's X-ray ultra microscope (XuM). The XuM provides nondestructive, sub-micron X-ray imaging of optically opaque objects,...

Lancaster Colony reports on sales, announces restructuring of Glassware Manufacturing. (In the News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Lancaster Colony Corp. recently reported record high net sales for the first fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2002, of $276 million, up 4% from $265 million in the first quarter last year. Net income reached $20,556,000, level with the...

GE Specialty Materials completes Advanced Ceramics acquisitions. (In the News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... GE Specialty Materials, a unit of General Electric Co., recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of the assets of Advanced Ceramics Corp. and Advanced Ceramics International Corp. A boron nitride producer, the Advanced Ceramics...

Air Products and Johnson Matthey establish alliance. (In the News).(Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. recently announced that a marketing agreement has been signed with Johnson Matthey)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. recently announced that a marketing agreement has been signed with Johnson Matthey to commercialize the monolith loop reactor (MLR), Air Products' proprietary monolith catalyst-based process technology developed...

Insaco expands production facility to meet growing demand. (In the News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Insaco, Inc. recently announced the completion of a 12,000-square-foot expansion to its existing production facility in Quakertown, Pa. The structure will reportedly house new state-of-the-art specialized equipment for ultra-precise fabrication...

SGCD's DECO 2003 set for March. (In the News).(Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators to host annual trade show and seminars)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD) is hosting its annual DECO 2003 show and seminar in Nashville, Tenn., March 29-April 1. The seminar program will focus on marketing with added value in the glass and ceramic decorating...

Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics. (People in the News).(Kevin Paskale, new sales to gas turbine market; Wade Taber, new responsibility for design and sale assistance)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics has restructured its North American marketing and sales organization for Energy Systems. Kevin Paskale, application engineer, now has responsibility for sales to the gas turbine market and certain petrochemical...

Netzsch Instruments, Inc. (People in the News).(Ron Gulka, new executive vice president )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Ron Gulka was recently appointed executive vice president of Netzsch Instruments, Inc. He is a Rutgers University graduate (bachelor's in chemistry, 1977; master's in chemistry, 1979) whose sales experience dates back to 1986. Over the years,...

CeramTec AG. (People in the News).(Walt Dollman, new president and chief executive vice president for North American operations)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... CeramTec AG's executive board of directors has announced the appointment of a new president and chief executive officer for its North American operations. Walt Dollman, a former executive vice president for CeramTec's North American operations,...

Insight Analytical. (People in the News).(Daniel G. Waters, new laboratory manager)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Daniel G. Waters, Ph.D., recently joined Insight Analytical as laboratory manager. He previously worked as a photolithography process engineer at PolarFab. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Minnesota and a master's...

The Refractories Institute. (People in the News).(announces election of officers and members of its board of directors)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Earlier this year, The Refractories Institute announced the election of officers and members of its board of directors, effective April 2002 for two-year terms. Elected officers include John L. Turner, Jr. of Allied Mineral Products, chairman;...

Paar Physica USA. (People in the News).(Pete Wheeler, new consulting rheologist)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Paar Physica USA recently announced the addition of Pete Wheeler as consulting rheologist for the Midwest and Reinhard Eberl as national service manager. Wheeler comes to Paar Physica with over 14 years of experience in rheology, most recently...

Niro Soavi. (People in the News).(Niels Olsen, new division manager of GEA Filtration )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Niels Olsen, division manager of Niro Soavi in North America, has accepted a position as division manager of GEA Filtration in Denmark. Ron Tuckner will assume Olsen's previous position. Tuckner has worked as an engineering manager at Tetra Pak...

Spectrum Control. (People in the News).(Paul Leo, new director of new business development)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Paul Leo has joined Spectrum Control as director of new business development for the company's FSY microwave line of products. In this position, he is responsible for all sales activities and business growth related to that product line. Prior...

Investing in ceramics: a rare opportunity; rare earth supplier PIDC has consolidated its U.S. operations into one new facility to improve customer service and product quality through streamlined processes and increased capabilities.(Pacific Industrial Development Corp.)
January 1, 2003... Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Pacific Industrial Development Corp. (PIDC) has always strived for success. Since its inception a decade ago, the company and Wei Wu, PIDC's founder, president and chief executive officer, have won numerous...

What happened in 2001? (Refractories Review).
January 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Commerce statistics for the refractories industry in 2001, published in the "Current Industrial Report MA327C(01)-1," were issued in November 2002, along with revised data for 2000. (The refractories report for 2002 will...

Silicon carbide producers face continued challenges.(market conditions and Chinese imports pressure silicon carbide producers)
January 1, 2003... Chinese imports and difficult market conditions continue to pressure silicon carbide producers such as Saint-Gobain, but new materials offer potential for future growth. The North American market for silicon carbide is in the region of...

Raw & manufactured materials: 2003 review and forecast.
January 1, 2003... As reported in Ceramic Industry's August 2002 "Giants in Ceramics" issue, 2001 was a difficult year for many ceramic and glass manufacturers. The U.S. economic recession, coupled with the severe decline in demand for technology-related...

2003 Materials Handbook. (Abrasives - Boron Suppliers).(chemicals, minerals, materials listing including properties, suppliers)(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 2003... ABRASIVES. Substances used to grind, shape or polish another material. Abrasives used in the ceramic industry can be classified as either conventional abrasives or superabrasives. The size, shape, hardness and friability of an abrasive particle...

2003 Materials Handbook. (Boron Carbide - Flint Suppliers).(chemicals, minerals, materials listing including properties, suppliers)(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 2003... BORON CARBIDE. [B.sub.4]C. Mol. wt. 55.26; m.p. 2450[degrees]C; b.p. 3500[degrees]C; density 2.52 g/[cm.sup.3]. Black or dark gray, sooty when fine powder, glassy when dense. Theoretical boron content 78.3 wt%. Boron carbide is the third...

2003 Materials Handbook. (Fluorspar - Microsilica Suppliers).(chemicals, minerals, materials listing including properties, suppliers)(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 2003... FLUORSPAR. (Fluorite.) Ca[F.sub.2]. Sp. gr. 2.9-3.3; hardness 4 Mohs; m.p. 1270-1387[degrees]C. Crystalline mineral found in a variety of colors; virtually insoluble in water but attacked by strong acids. When heated, fluorspar usually flies...

2003 Materials Handbook. (Silicones - ZTA Suppliers).(chemicals, minerals, materials listing including properties, suppliers)(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 2003... SILICONES. Silicones can be described as a marriage between sand and oil, the original raw materials. Despite extensive refinement, the final silicone products actually exhibit an amazing correlation of properties to these materials. Silicones...

Dangerous assumptions. (International Business).(strategies for conduting foreign business operations)(Column)
January 1, 2003... I'll never forget the time I walked into a restaurant in China, ordered some meatball soup, and was served the largest bowl of bovine testicles you've ever seen. (Or, if you're like me, the only bowl of bovine testicles you've ever seen.) The...

Expanding the tradition of quality: a new kiln is helping Ochs Brick expand its market share while maintaining its reputation for high quality. (Special Section: Brick & Clay Record).
January 1, 2003... Over its more than 100 year history, Ochs Brick Co. in Springfield, Minn., has established a solid reputation throughout the Midwest for producing exceptional quality face brick for both residential and commercial applications. By the late...

Control your costs by controlling your air: controlling the air in your combustion process is the first step in controlling your product losses and fuel expenses--and maximizing your profits. (Special Section: Brick & Clay Record).
January 1, 2003... How expensive is the air you breathe? You might think that it doesn't cost anything--that it's free for the taking. But when it comes to using that air in your combustion process, it may be far from free. Too little air can damage your product,...

Better clay pavers and other Brick Solutions: a review of the 48th International Brick Plant Operator's Forum. (Special Section: Brick & Clay Record).
January 1, 2003... More than 700 plant managers and other brick industry personnel attended the 2002 International Brick Plant Operator's Forum in Clemson, S.C, September 30-October 2. Although attendance didn't beat the record of 712 attendees set in 1999, it...

The power of proteins. (Special Section: Brick & Clay Record).
January 1, 2003... A difficult raw material is every plant manager's worst nightmare. It can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars per year in equipment wear and product losses, and there is often no easy way to correct the problem. For most plants, changing...

Shaft seals: Woodex Bearing Co., Inc. (New Products).
January 1, 2003... MECO custom shaft seals offer complete containment of dry powders and bulk solids on dryers and other rotating equipment where traditional packings fail to seal. Seals are available fully split to simplify and speed installation and maintenance...

Fiber cements: Thermal Ceramics. (New Products).
January 1, 2003... This company's line of high-temperature fiber cements feature a use limit up to 2300[degrees]F. These air-setting products, which may be used for dip or brush application, include Cera-Kote[R] cement, a light gray, medium-viscosity,...

Sieving software: Retsch, Inc. (New Products).
January 1, 2003... This company's new EasySieve software supports routine sieve analyses and is intuitive and easy to use. EasySieve features direct communication with all well-known analytical balances and offers direct transfer of weighing data, a tabular or...

AP disc configuration: Premier Mill, a Lightnin company. (New Products).
January 1, 2003... This patented AP disc configuration is available for the company's horizontal media mills. The higher media/product shear level obtained with the disc agitator system results in a substantial increase in the rate of product dispersion, due to...

Tube furnace: Orton Ceramic Foundation. (New Products).
January 1, 2003... This vertical tube furnace can be used to study materials during processing under temperature and atmosphere control. The furnace features top and bottom accessibility, as well as motorized lifting mechanisms for both top and bottom atmosphere...

Refractory sheet board: ZIRCAR Refactory Composites, Inc. (New Products).
January 1, 2003... ZIRCAL-18 refractory board is a high-temperature calcium silicate block insulation with excellent mechanical properties and stability up to 1100[degrees]C (2000[degrees]F). Its high thermal insulating value makes it ideal for many fireproofing...

Wall Colmonoy Corp. (People in the News).(Dr. S. "Ranga" Rangaswamy, new director of sales for the product group)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Wall Colmonoy Corp. recently announced that Dr. S. "Ranga" Rangaswamy has been appointed director of technical services-Product Group, and Russ Wilcox has been named director of sales-Product Group. Rangaswamy will serve as the company's...