Ceramic Industry articles from March 2004

Ceramic Industry archives from March 2004

Taking chances.(Inside CI)(Column)
March 1, 2004... There has been a great deal of discussion lately about the migration of U.S. manufacturing to lower-cost regions. The ceramic industry is no exception-though I am always saddened to learn of yet another plant closing or another company deciding...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2004... It was recently brought to my attention that my February "Inside CI' column seemed to be advocating that U.S. manufacturers should outsource operations to foreign countries as a profitable strategy, That was not my intent. Rather, those...

International calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... MARCH * 14-18 133rd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), Charlotte, N.C, (724) 776-9000, fax (724) 776-3770, e-mail wilson@tms.org, www.tms.org 16- 18 PARTEC 2004: International Congress for...

Prospects for SOFCs highlighted at Cocoa Beach meeting.(Ceramics In The News)
March 1, 2004... The 28th International Conference & Exposition on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, hosted by the American Ceramic Society's (ACerS) Engineering Ceramics Division January 25-30, 2004, in Cocoa Beach, Fla., covered a range of high-tech topics,...

Mohr to handle liquidation of Hitachi Magnetics' ferrite operations.(Ceramics In The News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Hitachi Magnetics, Edmore, Mich., has announced the closure of its ferrite manufacturing operations in Edmore. (The closure of this facility does not affect the company's other ongoing operations at that location.) Mohr Corp. has been awarded...

BC Acquisition Co. to purchase Buffalo China dinnerware factory.(Ceramics In The News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Oneida Ltd. has agreed to sell certain assets of its Buffalo China dinnerware factory in Buffalo, N.Y., to BC Acquisition Co. LLC of Buffalo for $5.5 million in cash. The sale includes the factory buildings and associated equipment, materials,...

FEMS upgrades ISO registration.(Ceramics In The News)(Ferro Electronic Material Systems)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Ferro Electronic Material Systems (FEMS) has celebrated 10 years of ISO certification by earning upgraded registration to ISO-9001:2000 for its Vista, Calif., facility. The original ISO-9002 registration was attained in October 1993 at the...

Malvern acquires Bohlin.(Ceramics In The News; Malvern Instruments Ltd.; Bohlin Instruments Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Malvern Instruments Ltd of Malvern, UK, a leader in particle characterization, has acquired Bohlin Instruments Ltd of Cirencester, UK, a developer and manufacturer of rheology measurement systems. Richard Hall, Bohlin's managing director, has...

Chand Kare technical ceramics acquired by PremaTech.(Ceramics In The News)(PremaTech Chand Advanced Ceramics)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... PremaTech LLC recently acquired the assets of Chand Kare Technical Ceramics. Renamed PremaTech Chand Advanced Ceramics, the company will continue operating in Worcester, Mass. PremaTech LLC, based in Greensburg, Pa., specializes in materials...

Russell Finex Ltd. obtains ATEX certification on sieving and filtration equipment.(Ceramics In The News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ATEX certification is now available for all of Russell Finex Ltd.'s current sieving and filtration equipment, reportedly making it safe to use in potentially explosive gaseous or dusty environments. The ATEX directive's primary function is to...

Carbo Ceramics approves new plant construction.(Ceramics In The News; in Wilkinson County, Ga. )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CARBO Ceramics Inc. recently announced that its board of directors has approved the construction of a new manufacturing plant in Wilkinson County, Ga. The plant is designed to have annual manufacturing capacity of 250 million pounds, an...

Murata to close State College facility.(Ceramics In The News; Murata Electronics North America Inc. State College, Pa.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Murata Electronics North America, Inc. recently announced that its U.S. manufacturing operation in State College, Pa., will close around the end of March 2004. There are currently 300 employees at the facility. Murata Electronics N.A. Inc. is a...

to build new plant.(Ceramics In The News)(Yankee Hill Brick has signed a contract with Swindell Dressler Corp)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Yankee Hill Brick & Tile has announced that it will build a new brick plant at its current site in southwest Lincoln, Neb. The plant will increase the company's production capacity from 22 million brick to over 40 million brick annually. Yankee...

Heinrich Ceramic Decal, Inc.(People In The News)(Melanie Carroll)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Melanie Carroll was recently named vice president of sales for Heinrich Ceramic Decal, Inc. She will focus her efforts on expanding the industrial markets for ceramic and glass transfers. "We have been transferring our traditional high-end...

The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).(People In The News)(Nancy Steinfurth )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) recently announced that it has hired Nancy Steinfurth as its first executive director since its inception in 1967. Steinfurth is responsible for overseeing the well being of the...

CeramTec North America (CTNA).(People In The News)(Steve Robson )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CeramTec North America (CTNA) recently announced the addition of Steve Robson as its business unit sales manager for the SPK cutting tools product line. Previously a key manager for Stellram, where he had been employed for 16 years, Robson will...

Aadvanced Machinery Inc.(People In The News)(Ryan T. Crosson )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Aadvanced Machinery Inc. recently hired Ryan T. Crosson as a sales representative for its North American territory. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Potomac Valley Brick and Supply Co. (PVB).(People In The News)(Paul M. Scott appointed as a vice president)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Paul M. Scott has joined Potomac Valley Brick and Supply Co. (PVB) as vice president, sales. Bringing 34 years of residential and commercial masonry experience to PVB, he will oversee the company's sales activities. Through May 2002, Scott...

Premier Mill.(People In The News)(Stewart Rissley )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Premier Mill, an SPX Process Equipment operation, has named Stewart Rissley its national sales manager, responsible for the management of all sales activities. He attended the Community College of the Air Force and Western Michigan University,...

School of Engineering at Alfred University.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Linda Jones, Ph.D., professor of ceramic engineering, and William LaCourse, Ph.D., professor of glass science, both faculty members in the School of Engineering at Alfred University, were among the 58 individuals recently selected by The State...

Tile Partners for Humanity (TPFH).(People In The News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Tile Partners for Humanity (TPFH) recently announced the formation of its board of directors. The TPFH board includes Rick Church, executive director of the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association; Bob Daniels, president of the board of the...

Eurotherm Controls Inc.(People In The News)(Bill Perry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Eurotherm Controls Inc., a unit of Invensys plc, recently announced the retirement of its president, Bill Perry, effective December 31, 2003. During his tenure as president, the company witnessed periods of growth and change, including the...

NanoDynamics, Inc.(People In The News)(Douglas DuFaux )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NanoDynamics, Inc. recently announced that Douglas DuFaux has joined the organization as director, Intellectual Properties of the ND Innovations business unit. DuFaux received his bachelor's and master's of science degrees in engineering from...

Motion Industries.(People In The News)(Jim MeCullar )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Motion Industries has named Jim MeCullar corporate vice president, Integrated Supply and Services. McCullar has been with Motion Industries since 1976, serving in a variety of positions, including branch and regional manager, general manager of...

The Surface Engineering Coating Association (SECA).(People In the News)(Fred Teeter )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Surface Engineering Coating Association (SECA) recently selected Teeter Marketing Services, LLC (TMS) to manage the association. Fred Teeter, president of TMS, will act as managing director of SECA, which will be based at the University of...

A new name in ceramic tile: Steuben Tile is using state-of-the-art technology to bring high-end tile into the reach of the average consumer.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2004... In February 2004, a new 45,000-square-foot the manufacturing plant began operation. Using state-of-the-art equipment imported from Italy, Steuben Tile is capable of producing 150,000 square feet of glazed, double fired and extruded wall and...

Achieving integrated manufacturing: comprehensive integration of the production process, its component stages and machine operation requires the right technology.
March 1, 2004... Achieving integration in the production of ceramic goods, especially sanitaryware, is coveted because of the numerous advantages it confers, including flexibility, reliability and optimization of the cost/benefit ratio. However, these...

Mason upgrades its firing operation.(Investing In Ceramics)(Mason Color Works, Inc)
March 1, 2004... Mason Color Works, Inc. recently completed installation of a new periodic kiln, as well as an upgrade to an existing kiln, at its East Liverpool, Ohio, facility. As part of the company's plant addition two years ago, a new periodic kiln was...

Glazing with robots: robotic glazing systems can help whiteware manufacturers improve productivity and reduce waste.
March 1, 2004... Improving production efficiency through automation has always been an important topic. Today, with the ever-increasing trend of manufacturing moving to lower-labor-cost markets, it is more important than ever for companies to review strategies...

Pushing the design envelope: a new manufacturing process promises to expand the market for ceramic products by improving capabilities, quality and production efficiency.
March 1, 2004... It is widely accepted that the traditional ceramic industries in the U.S. are experiencing significant pressure from imported products and price competition. These factors, combined with economic uncertainties, have created an atmosphere that...

40 years of decorating innovation; SGCD's DECO 2004, conference and exposition will mark the 40th year of this premier glass and ceramic decorating event.
March 1, 2004... DECO 2004, hosted by the Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD), will give hundreds of professionals in the glass and ceramic decorating field the opportunity to learn about new techniques and technologies, as well as network with...

Proposition 65 allegations filed against tile retailers and importer.(Legislative Update)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A private attorney in California has filed 60-day Proposition 65 notices against several major retailers and a tile importer relating to lead and glazed tile sold at retail stores. California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of...

Correlation analysis in ceramic processing.(Process Control)
March 1, 2004... In the last two "Process Control" columns (April 2003, p. 38; August 2003, p. 28), we discussed control charts and how they are used. Control charts can tell us whether processes--as characterized by various property or process...

Silicon carbide heating element.(New Products)(Kanthal AB)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Kanthal AB The Globar[R] SD is a new grade of silicon carbide heating element that features high mechanical strength, a lower rate of reaction with the process atmosphere, and longer life potential. Designed for maximum performance in a...

Recirculating ovens.(New Products)(Lucifer Furnaces, Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Lucifer Furnaces, Inc. The 4099 V series of high-temperature recirculating ovens is ideal for the tempering, annealing, stress relieving, shrink fitting and heat treating of large workloads. Designed for 1400oF operation, these heavy-duty...

Plastic pails.(New Products)(Century Container Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Century Container Corp. This company's high-density plastic pails are available in 1-, 3 1/2-, 5- and 6-gallon sizes. Accompanying the pails are a variety of industrial lids, including gasketed and tear-tab varieties. The silhouette of the...

Insulating refractory papers.(New Products)(Ziracar Refractory Composites, Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ZIRCAR Refractory Composites, Inc. These non-woven, non asbestos, fiber-based products are engineered as thermal barrier materials for use in high-temperature applications up to 1450[degrees]C (2642[degrees]F). According to the company, its...