Ceramic Industry articles from March 2009

Ceramic Industry archives from March 2009

Sweating the small stuff.(INSIDE)(Editorial)
March 1, 2009... I recently ran across an article * about a study that found that people who are more stressed out can have a higher risk of developing dementia. Not fair! I've often said I'm so stressed I feel like I'm losing my mind, but sheesh. I thought I...

Heraeus acquires electronic and decorative materials business from BASF.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Heraeus has entered into an agreement to acquire the BASF Catalysts thick films and ceramic colors business located at BASF's East Newark, N.J., site. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "In addition to strengthening our...

Electro abrasives purchased by U.S. electrofused.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Electro Abrasives Corp. recently announced that it signed a purchase agreement with U.S. Electrofused Minerals Inc./ELFUSA at the end of 2008. As a result, Electro Abrasives will become Electro Abrasives, LLC. U.S. Electrofused Minerals/ELFUSA...

Rio Tinto Alcan curtails production, initiates additional cost savings.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Rio Tinto Alcan plans to implement curtailments to align production with customer demand. In addition to curtailments that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2008, totaling 5% of global production, Rio Tinto Alcan plans to reduce aluminum output...

Lamosa installs robotized glazing line from Sacmi.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... A leading producer of tile, sanitaryware and ceramic adhesives, the Lamosa Group, Monterrey, Mexico, is moving forward with investments aimed at boosting its presence in national and international markets. Lamosa's recent installation and...

Netzsch acquires calorimeter product families from TIAX.(IN THE NEWS)(Netzsch Instruments Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... The NETZSCH Analyzing & Testing Business Unit recently announced its acquisition of TIAX's accelerating rate calorimeters (ARC[R]) and automatic pressure tracking adiabatic calorimeters (APTAC[TM]). These products will be merged with NETZSCH's...

NexTech signs resale agreement with Haiku Tech.(IN THE NEWS)(NexTech Materials Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... NexTech Materials, Ltd. recently appointed Haiku Tech of The Netherlands as an authorized reseller for Europe and India. Haiku Tech will distribute NexTech products sold under the Fuel Cell Materials brand name. In addition, Haiku Tech will...

Thermal Technology enters solar silicon market.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Thermal Technology Enters Solar Silicon Market Thermal Technology, LLC recently signed a long-term agreement to supply over 100 high-temperature furnaces to a domestic solar silicon producer. These newly designed furnaces are capable of...

Alcoa announces major cuts for production, personnel.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Alcoa has detailed a series of specific actions to conserve cash, reduce costs and strengthen its competitiveness during the current economic downturn. Further smelting reductions of more than 135,000 metric tons per year (mtpy) will be...

Battelle announces expansion plans.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Battelle is investing more than $200 million in central Ohio to add, construct, and renovate manufacturing, office, child care, and laboratory facilities in Columbus, Dublin, and West Jefferson. As part of the investment, Battelle will create...

PPG Industries.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PPG Industries recently announced that Gary Danowski, director of global operations for Aerospace, has been named vice president of Performance Glazings. Danowski joined PPG in 1982 as a production engineer. After...

C5 Medical Werks.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Steven Hughes, Ph.D., has joined C5 Medical Werks as sales manager for Orthopaedic and Medical Devices. He will spearhead the company's business development and technical support functions in Europe and Latin...

Rio Tinto Alcan.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Dick Evans, chief executive of Rio Tinto Alcan, has given notice of his intention to retire and step down from the boards of Rio Tinto on April 20, 2009, at the conclusion of the company's annual general meetings. Jacynthe Cote, currently...

NETZSCH Fine Particle Technology LLC.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(appointment of John Hill)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NETZSCH Fine Particle Technology LLC has appointed John Hill application and process advisor. In his new position, Hill will work closely with customers in a variety of industries to solve their most difficult...

KEMET Corp.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Susan (Sue) Barkal has been promoted to vice president of Quality and chief compliance officer for KEMET Corp. Her previous position with the company was director of Product Management and Central Planning. Barkal replaces Donald Aldworth, who...

CARBO Ceramics Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Ernesto Bautista III has been appointed vice president of CARBO Ceramics Inc. He assumes the position of chief financial officer, succeeding Paul G. Vitek, who retired after 20 years with the company.

AMETEK, Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... AMETEK, Inc. has appointed Charles E. Lohwasser to the position of vice president and general manager, Thermal Management Systems within AMETEK Aerospace & Defense. He has been part of AMETEK since 1998, when it acquired the Rotron business...

SEMATECH.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SEMATECH recently announced that Bryan J. Rice, Ph.D., and Stefan Wurm, Ph.D., have been named director and associate director, respectively, of its Lithography Division. They will be...

Cancarb Limited.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Dave Petrie has been appointed president of Cancarb Limited. He replaces David Carmichael, who has left the company to pursue other business interests. Petrie has been with Cancarb since 1996, holding progressively responsible management...

Minerals Technologies Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Minerals Technologies Inc. recently announced that Douglas Mayger will succeed D.J. Monagle as vice president and managing director, Performance Minerals. Monagle was recently named senior vice president and managing director, Paper PCC,...

Cummins Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Cummins Inc. recently announced that Robert J. Bernhard, vice president for research and an engineering professor at the University of Notre Dame, has been elected to the company's board of directors. Prior to joining Notre Dame in 2007,...

Brush Engineered Materials Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Brush Engineered Materials Inc. recently announced the appointment of Vinod M. Khilnani to its board of directors. His appointment expands the Brush Engineered Materials Inc. board to 11 members. Khilnani is president and chief executive...

A plan is not a budget.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
March 1, 2009... A manager has three basic tasks: planning, organizing and controlling. It is through these three activities that the manager directs his business or function. Therefore, if he/she is to be successful, the manager should develop a thorough...

Linking freight charges to the Web.(FREIGHT FOCUS)
March 1, 2009... Manufacturers must stay ahead of the curve to keep costs in line, especially in this economic climate. Extensible markup language (XML) can be used to seamlessly link freight rates to different existing desktop and online applications. The use...

Fritless tile glazes.
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ceramic tile is very often decorated with a glaze coating that seals the body and provides the tile's outer surface with the aesthetic qualities (color, gloss, opacity) and technical characteristics (hardness,...

Refining precious metals: manufacturers should not treat gold, silver, platinum or palladium the same way they would packaging supplies or cardboard for recycling.
March 1, 2009... All too often, pressured business owners run their companies by focusing on shipping product and achieving sales goals, with just a secondary emphasis on what factors impact the gross margin. Caught in a do-more-with-less philosophy, the...

Understanding the CPSIA.
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which originally targeted imported toys from China, significantly overhauls consumer product safety law. Provisions of the most immediate concern to the...

Other regulatory issues.(safe use determination )
March 1, 2009... SGCDpro has learned of two updates to California Proposition 65 information. First, California has encouraged businesses to request a formal opinion from the state as to whether specific products require warning labels. A Safe Use Determination...

Testing compliance.
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which was signed into law August 14, 2008, encompasses a number of new rules for the safe manufacture of children's products. (Editor's note: To learn more about...

Moving toward sustainable decorating.
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The sustainability movement continues to gain momentum. In 2009, it is anticipated that the customer base will continue to ask imagers, including those in the ceramic and glass industries, to report on their efforts...

Custom fusion & milling.(special section / refractories)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Refractories manufacturers in search of special fused minerals often seek a specialist with the skills and equipment to test out new fused mineral products and concepts. Many manufacturers don't have the know-how or...

Improving ilmenite smelting.(special section / refractories)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ilmenite smelting is conducted in both AC and DC electric furnaces. The ilmenite is reduced with a carbonaceous reductant (typically anthracite) to produce a high-titania slag (containing approximately 86%...

That's the ticket.(GLASS innovations)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new TKTS ticket booth on Father Duffy Square in New York City has opened its portholes after several years of design and construction. The new booth, a glass structure in the heart of New York's theatre district,...

Corning announces restructuring plans.(GLASS NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Corning Inc. recently announced that it plans to reduce its workforce by about 3500 employees, or 13%, before the end of the year. The restructuring program will include a selective early retirement program, global workforce reductions and...

Cessna awards cockpit window contract to PPG Aerospace.(GLASS NEWS)
March 1, 2009... PPG Industries' Aerospace Transparencies business has been awarded a contract by Cessna Aircraft Co. to develop and produce all-glass heated cockpit windows for the new Citation Columbus business jet. Terms were not disclosed. PPG will supply...

NSG undertakes profitability improvement initiatives.(GLASS NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... NSG Group is taking action to reduce capacity and output to match the requirements of its customers. In Automotive, production capacity will be reduced in Europe and North America, and a number of other initiatives will also be implemented in...

PGW to close Evart plant.(GLASS NEWS)(Pittsburgh Glass Works L.L.C.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC (PGW) recently announced the closing of its Evart, Mich., facility because of the continuing decline in demand for auto glass brought about by the slump in the U.S. auto industry. Parts currently produced at the...

Gift of glass.(special section / glass manufacturing)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lenox Group Inc. recently created the official inaugural gifts from the American people for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. On January 20, custom-made engraved crystal bowls were presented...

Glass pulverizer.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2009... GLASS PULVERIZER Andela Products [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new model GP Mini glass pulverizer is reportedly ideal for the low-volume processing of glass. Glass containers up to 8 in. in diameter are hand-fed into the pulverizer,...

Compact automatic spray guns.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2009... COMPACT AUTOMATIC SPRAY GUNS DeVilbiss [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new Compact I and X automatic guns are production spray guns suitable for use with automatic and semi-automatic machines. Available for use in all industries, the...

BTU analyzer.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2009... BTU ANALYZER Control Instruments Corp. This company recently renamed its model 690 Btu analyzer the CalorVal BTU Analyzer. The change, complete with a new look and logo, is part of the company's overall strategy to create brand...

Vacuum annealing furnace.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2009... VACUUM ANNEALING FURNACE Centorr Vacuum Industries [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This company recently announced that it is in the process of completing the manufacture of a 28-m-long precision vacuum annealing furnace for straight and...

Screen printing attachment.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2009... SCREEN PRINTING ATTACHMENT Systematic Automation Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This company has announced the development of an attachment for screen printing into recessed areas and pockets. The device is capable of printing as...

Macor[R] material and components.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2009... MACOR [R] MATERIAL AND COMPONENTS Goodfellow/Technical Glass Co. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An enhanced range of MACOR glass ceramic products is available as both machinable material (rods, plates, bars and discs) and finished...