Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation articles from December 2001

Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation archives from December 2001

Editorial Comments.
December 1, 2001... Rising Stars "They talk about a woman's sphere as though it had a limit," said 19th-century journalist and author Kate Field. "There's not a place in earth or heaven, not a task to mankind given... without a woman in it." Field would be...

Auto sales drive record October spending. (Industry Newsline).
December 1, 2001... U.S. retail sales posted the biggest jump on record in October, rising 7.1% to a seasonally adjusted $306.8 billion. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the activity was largely fueled by no-interest financing offers from automakers....

Phillips/Conoco merger creates third-largest refiner. (Industry Newsline).
December 1, 2001... The mid-November merger of Phillips Petroleum Co. and Conoco, Inc., has created the third largest U.S. refining company, following Exxon Mobile Corp. and Chevron Texaco Corp. Phillips, based in Bartlesville, OK, purchased Houston, TX-based...

EPA study confirms recycling's economic boost. (Industry Newsline).
December 1, 2001... An EPA-commissioned study released last month shows that recycling offers widespread benefits to the U.S. economy. According to the "U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study," the U.S. recycling and reuse industry supports more than...

Senate approves Internet tax-ban extension. (Industry Newsline).
December 1, 2001... The U.S. Senate last month approved a two-year extension of the moratorium on new Internet-specific taxes. The original three-year moratorium, established in 1998, expired in October. The extension continues the ban on any new state taxes...

Alcoa to cut 6,500 amid restructuring. (Industry Newsline).
December 1, 2001... Alcoa, Inc., announced plans last month to cut 6,500 jobs worldwide, or nearly 5% of its work force. The Pittsburgh, PA-based aluminum producer said the cuts were needed to make its manufacturing operations more efficient due to low metal...

New OSHA manual addresses metalworking-fluids safety. (Industry Newsline).
December 1, 2001... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a new safety and health guide last month to help employers provide a safer workplace for workers exposed to metalworking fluids. OSHA said the goal of "Metalworking Fluids: Safety and...

Disciplines of Employed Engineers by Gender, 1999. (Industry Newsline).
December 1, 2001... Disciplines of Employed Engineers By Gender, 1999 Discipline Male Female % Female Aerospace 69,915 9,085 13.0 Chemical 68,634 13,366 19.5 Civil 259,735...

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). (News Briefs).
December 1, 2001... * The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, VA, released its first "NEMA Conformity Assessment Guide" for electrical manufacturers. The publication details practices related to the import and export of electrical...

UCB Chemicals Corp. (News Briefs).
December 1, 2001... * Belgium-based UCB Chemicals Corp. announced last month a $48 million expansion that will create 25 new jobs at its North Augusta, GA, plant by the end of next year. A new 1O,000-sq.-ft. facility will produce synthetic peptides, used by...

The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). (News Briefs).
December 1, 2001... * The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), Rosemont, IL, has been awarded a Susan Harwood Training Grant of nearly $300,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The trade group said the money would be used to...

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has awarded 3M's Decatur, AL, manufacturing plant its Director's Award in Pollution Prevention for superior performance in pollution control had prevention. (News Briefs).
December 1, 2001... * The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has awarded 3M's Decatur, AL, manufacturing plant its Director's Award in Pollution Prevention for superior performance in pollution control had prevention. The ISO 14000-certified plant,...

Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America. (News Briefs).
December 1, 2001... * Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America said last month that by 2002, the company's purchases from minority owned businesses will exceed 6% of its annual purchases from U.S. suppliers. The amount spent with Minority Business Enterprises...

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA). (News Briefs).
December 1, 2001... * Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) began mass production of the Honda Odyssey minivan and its V-6 engine approximately six months ahead of schedule last month at the company's new facility in Lincoln, AL. HMA said it was the quickest-ever...

Calendar.
December 1, 2001... * Jan. 14-16, 2002 * AHR Expo; Atlantic City, NJ; American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers; 203 221-9232. * Mar. 12-15 * 9th Annual ISO 9000/14000 Conference; Indianapolis, IN; American Society for Quality;...

Women in Industry: Five women who have met the challenge of succeeding in a non-traditional environment. (Cover Story).
December 1, 2001... Experts estimate that women make up almost half -- about 46% -- of the U.S. workforce. While it's difficult to get a headcount on the number of females working in "non-traditional" environments like manufacturing and engineering, it is...

Continuous Flex Cables. (Product News).
December 1, 2001... Chainflex continuous-flex cables are designed for use in cable carrier applications. All aspects of design and materials have been optimized for long service life in demanding applications. Chainflex is available from stock in over 400 sizes...

Compact Power Supply. (Product News).
December 1, 2001... The 2-amp/24V-dc power supply unit equipped with automatic restart is the latest addition to this family of DIN rail-mountable switch mode power supplies. It can be connected to most voltage sources; output is electronically protected against...

Tool Chest. (Product News).
December 1, 2001... The Road Warrior is a five-drawer chest constructed of heavy gage steel, designed for transport from job to job. A drop front cover features a neoprene, water-tight seal. Cushion bars attached to the tool chest bottom provide protection and...

Vacuum Tube Lifter. (Product News).
December 1, 2001... The Anver VT200 Vacuum Tube Lifter features a handle with up/down controls that may be adjusted to match a user's hand strength and provides large pads securely mounted to the system control head. Anver Corp., 36 Paramenter Rd., Hudson, MA...

Glue I.Q.: Know your MRO Adhesive Options. (Tech Check).
December 1, 2001... Potentially the most underutilized and misunderstood tool in industrial maintenance today, adhesives can improve equipment reliability, lower operating costs and save large amounts of time and money if used correctly. The "when, where and how"...

Integrating Maintenance into the Enterprise. (CMMS Solutions).
December 1, 2001... Our "e-world" places a premium on flexibility, efficiency and speed. Reacting to these pressures, organizations are investing money in their information systems. These investments address functionality and system interaction. We are...

Digital Indicator. (Product Round-Up).
December 1, 2001... The SD16 is a Multi-Input Indicator that can be built in to the Thermocouple, RTD and Voltage Ranges or Scalable 42MADC. Optional features include high and low alarms and scalable analog output. Vespo Marketing Associates Inc., Box 60, Thompson...

Oscilloscope. (Product Round-Up).
December 1, 2001... ScopeMeter 190 Series oscilloscopes display on-the-spot diagnosis of electrical faults. The tool combines the abilities of an oscilloscope, a multimeter and a paperless recorder. The color feature identifies individual waveforms. Fluke Corp.,...

Clamp-On Meter. (Product Round-Up).
December 1, 2001... The AEMC Model 502 is a TRMS clamp-on meter that provides RMS measurements for non-linear environments. The unit is auto ranging and measures resistance, continuity and frequency. The LCD features low-battery, polarity and overload, and an...

Wheel Weighing Scale. (Product Round-Up).
December 1, 2001... The RW-Series Wheel Weighing Scale can be linked to inspect multi-axle trucks, RVs, aircraft and other vehicles. It features rugged past-aluminum construction and an LCD-illuminated display. This scale provides digital filtering to compensate...