Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation articles from April 2002

Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation archives from April 2002

Mitchell doesn't work here. (Editorial Comments).
April 1, 2002... I've always found shipyards impressive on a number of levels. My interest has early roots, thanks to my father who would take my brother and I to the local Navy yard each Armed Forces Day. Seeing and boarding ships was the highlight, but the...

Court approves EPA's tougher air standards. (Industry Newsline).
April 1, 2002... A federal appeals court gave the Environmental Protection Agency final approval late last month to issue the new, more stringent air-quality standards it first proposed in 1997. The court rejected all remaining industry challenges that have...

NAM poll shows manufacturers guarded about recovery. (Industry Newsline).
April 1, 2002... U.S. manufacturers expect to cut more costs in order to cope with the slow pace of economic recovery, according to a survey released last month by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Washington, D.C. Forty percent of more than 300...

Terrorist attacks boost scrap-rate of U.S. jetliners. (Industry Newsline).
April 1, 2002... According to the Boeing Co., some 1,200 U.S. jetliners are expected to be scrapped this year, due largely to the slump in passenger traffic in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Because the attacks idled so many planes,...

Record number of Shingo Prize winners this year. (Industry Newsline).
April 1, 2002... The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing will be presented to 17 manufacturers this month, a record for the award. Often called the "Nobel prize of manufacturing," the award is named for Dr. Shigeo Shingo, an engineer who helped create...

IMPO stock watch: tariffs boost U.S. steel-industry stocks. (Industry Newsline).
April 1, 2002... The U.S. steel industry got a boost in March when President Bush agreed to impose tariffs on steel imports. The most significant impact occurred in the stock prices for two companies: Nucor Corp., Charlotte, NC, and AK Steel Holding Corp.,...

OSHA introduces e-mail newsletter. (Industry Newsline).
April 1, 2002... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration unveiled the premiere issue of a new e-mail newsletter last month, designed to provide a quick update on OSHA activities. Called Quick Takes, the monthly newsletter summarizes ongoing OSHA...

Eugene Ernst Products Co., Farmingdale, NJ, and Ernst Gage Co., Livingston, NJ, have announced they will merge April 1. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2002... * Eugene Ernst Products Co., Farmingdale, NJ, and Ernst Gage Co., Livingston, NJ, have announced they will merge April 1, and operate as Ernst Flow Industries, Inc., at the Farmingdale location. Manufacturers of liquid level and...

Siemens Solar Industries, L.P. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2002... * Siemens Solar Industries, L.P., and PowerLight Corp., both of California, have formed an alliance to manufacture PowerLight's PowerGuard solar photovoltaic (PV) roof tiles at Siemens' Solar Module facility in Chatsworth, CA. The companies...

Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE). (News Briefs).
April 1, 2002... * The Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE) is accepting entries for its 2002 Facilities Management Excellence (FAME) Awards competition. The contest is open to plant and facility engineering teams in industrial plants, hospitals, office...

Baxter Healthcare Corp. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2002... * Baxter Healthcare Corp.'s Mountain Home, AR, manufacturing facility was named last month as a STAR worksite in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). VPP STAR worksites conduct safety and health programs at a level that can serve as...

Pharmaceutical manufacturer American Home Products Corp. announced last month it had changed its name to Wyeth in order to unify the branding of its subsidiaries. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2002... * Pharmaceutical manufacturer American Home Products Corp. announced last month it had changed its name to Wyeth in order to unify the branding of its subsidiaries. The Madison, NJ-based company manufactures pharmaceuticals, vaccines and...

Data Logger. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... The Event Input Data Logger features a delayed start capability and data storage of 65,024 sample points. The unit can record measurements from 120V to 240V, and is compatible with the manufacturers multipoint monitor, MP100, for remote...

Double tier lockers. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... Vanguard Lockers are suitable for use in employee locker rooms where floor space is limited. Each locker provides enough room for storing light outer wear and personal belongings. Both double-and single-tier lockers have baked-enamel finishes...

Rack Guard. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... Structural Rack Guards with bumper protection are constructed of 6-in. "C" channel with a yellow powdercoat paint finish. The extruded rubber bumper fits on the front of the structural rack guard and helps protect fork trucks and pallet trucks....

TackMaster Air Cleaner. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... The TM1000 TackMaster Air Cleaner allows a single portable air-cleaning unit to remove harmful pollutants from two work stations at once. The dual-articulated arms are 8 ft. long and 3 in. diameter. The Lift Off attachment connection allows the...

Walkway Covers. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... The non-skid Glo-Traction Step and Walkway Covers are available in fiber-reinforced polymer composite, and stainless or galvanized steel. The covers combine slip and fall protection with glow-in-the-dark visibility to highlight escape routes....

Industrial switches. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... Snap- and cam-action rotary industrial switches, as well as tap and knife switches are available. Models feature key lock, gear-driven, and application-specific custom configurations. All perform under severe conditions of shock and vibration....

The Coast Guard goes green: the 103-year-old Baltimore-based Coast Guard Yard became the first shipyard in the nation to obtain ISO 14001 EMS certification two years ago. Here's how a veteran staff made it happen. (Cover).
April 1, 2002... Anyone who has done it can testify that obtaining ISO 14001 certification for an industrial operation is not easy. The world-class environmental management system (EMS) it is designed to quantify requires attention to detail, careful...

Catalytic oxidizers. (Safety & Environmental Control).
April 1, 2002... Catalytic oxidizers destroy Volatile Organic Compounds and/or Hazardous Air Pollutants at temperatures from 500 to 650 degrees F. Either a monolith or bead precious-metal catalyst is used to promote oxidation as process exhaust fumes pass...

Visor. (Safety & Environmental Control).
April 1, 2002... The Magna Visor features a molded frame with removable, washable padding. The acrylic lenses provide precise magnification for working with small items and when hands-free magnification is required. Bausch & Lomb, Sears Industrial, 1204 Asbury,...

Fire-suppression system. (Safety & Environmental Control).
April 1, 2002... An automatic fire detection and suppression system detects and extinguishes a fire inside a computer or instrument enclosure before it can spread and actuate sprinklers. The system features flexible, polymer tubing. When exposed to a flame, it...

Thermal winterwear. (Safety & Environmental Control).
April 1, 2002... A wide range of styles has been designed for protection against cold and wind in environments ranging from moderate to bitter cold temperatures. Headwear for use under all types of safety helmets and caps and hook-and-loop fasteners under the...

Safety Relays. (Safety & Environmental Control).
April 1, 2002... Allen-Bradley 700S Safety Control Relays provide mechanically linked (positively guided) contacts, which are required in feedback circuits for safety applications, such as e-stops, safety gates, light curtains and master control relays. The...

Broom attachment. (Safety & Environmental Control).
April 1, 2002... The SweepEx Pro 720 broom attachment is suitable for cleanup of dirt, material spills and heavy debris. It is built with a 72-in. mainframe and comes standard with a fork hitch. The 720 is available with three-point rigid and bucket-lip...

Anchor Strap. (Safety & Environmental Control).
April 1, 2002... The Miller Disposable Concrete Anchor Strap provides temporary fall-protection anchorage on concrete forms. The anchor strap is positioned on the rebar and concrete is poured over the loop. Once the concrete sets, a safe anchorage exists; a...

Safety-product cleaners. (Safety & Environmental Control).
April 1, 2002... A line of cleaning products for safety glasses, face shields and respirators are now available. The anti-fog lens cleaner features special surfactants to resist lens fogging in workplaces with extreme temperatures. Respirator wipes are...

Blowers. (Fans & Blowers).
April 1, 2002... The Com-PAX-ial ventilation blowers, featuring rugged steel construction offer high output flow rates. They are designed in safety orange with heavy-duty fan blades. Allegro Industries, 7221 Orangewood Ave., Garden Grove, CA 92641;...

Impeller blowers. (Fans & Blowers).
April 1, 2002... These backward, curved-impeller blowers are designed for limited space and high air-flow requirements. Made of plastic or galvanized steel, they feature an external rotor design. Kooltronic, Inc., 30 Pennington-Hopewell Rd., Pennington, NJ...

Fans. (Fans & Blowers).
April 1, 2002... The Multi-Wing Z Series Fans feature an airfoil profile blade design. They are manufactured from injection-molded, engineered thermoplastic or cast aluminum blades and pressure die-cast aluminum hubs. Multi-Wing Z series fans are suited for...

Blower package. (Fans & Blowers).
April 1, 2002... This draft-induced blower package is a single-coil, two-pole shaded-pole model engineered for a C-frame design. The compact motor is available in single- or multi-speed designs. High-temperature ball bearings enable the motor to handle hot air...

Vertical Ladders. (Buildings & Grounds Maintenance).
April 1, 2002... Custom-engineered Vertical Ladders feature hot-rolled steel construction for stability and safety. The ladders are designed to comply with all building codes. Options include a locking safety gate to avoid unauthorized use. W.A. Schmidt, Inc.,...

Drive-on wash pad. (Buildings & Grounds Maintenance).
April 1, 2002... Big Island is an above-ground drive-on wash pad suitable for cleaning large parts as well as vehicles. With a load capacity of 15 tons, the system can accommodate most industrial and commercial equipment. It is designed for use with existing...

Paperless CMMS. (Buildings & Grounds Maintenace).
April 1, 2002... FacilityManager is a paperless computerized maintenance management system that generates work orders, and streamlines preventive maintenance inspections. This CMMS uses hand-held Palm Pilots. TISCOR, 12250 Parkway Centre Drive, Poway, CA 92064;...

Fluorescent luminaire. (Buildings & Grounds Maintenance).
April 1, 2002... The HBS100 Series of industrial fluorescent fixtures can illuminate even the highest warehouse stack, according to the manufacturer. They are made in 3-, 4-, or 5-lamp configurations as an open strip, with a wire guard or with wraparound lens....

Preparation tools. (Buildings & Grounds Maintenance).
April 1, 2002... The BlackMaxx line of preparation tools features electro-coated carbon steel blades. They resist chemicals, corrosion and wear. The tools have a full tang blade construction and soft grip handles. Hyde Tools, 54 Eastford Road, Southbridge, MA...

Telescopic boom lifts. (Buildings & Grounds Maintenance).
April 1, 2002... The 800 Series telescopic boom lifts feature a narrow machine width and low gross vehicle weight for congested, hard-to-reach areas. Extendable axles are not necessary for operation. JLG Industries, Inc., 1 JLG Drive, McConnellsburg, PA 17233;...

Paint Brush. (Buildings & Grounds Maintenance).
April 1, 2002... The Wave Brush features polyester filaments blended with fine natural chain bristles, held in place with a stainless steel ferrule attached to a sealed beechwood handle. It can be used with latex and oil paints. Diversified Brands, a...

Scaling hammers. (Buildings & Grounds Maintenance).
April 1, 2002... Floor/deck scalers and hand-held scaling hammers are suitable for concrete surface preparation. They are offered in regular and heavy-duty versions with threaded tips and pistons for fracturing thick and tough-to-remove materials. Trelawny, 93...

How to optimize equipment-condition information. (Tech Check).
April 1, 2002... In any manufacturing environment, the optimization of equipment assets is essential to increasing profits. To perform optimization, plants require timely access to integrated data. Costs associated with data integration have traditionally...

Large-diameter fans meet manufacturer's cooling needs. (Field Report).
April 1, 2002... When summer arrives and temperatures rise in U.S. industrial facilities, productivity can plummet. A Columbia, SC, manufacturer recently took a hard look at the impact hot weather was having on its ability to maintain production levels and...

Instruments. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... The Bluecat New Horizons Product Preview section of the Data Acquisition Handbook features 90 Dilbert Cartoons and products for the DAS market. Included are Ethernet-Enabled Meters, Controllers and Signal Conditioners; Multifunction, PCI-Bus...

Transducer display. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... The Model 327 digital display with rotatable 360-degree viewing is designed to meet industry requirements for smaller footprint devices. It features an easy-to-read back-lit LCD display, and is suitable for use in high-density modular "block"...