Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation articles from February 2006

Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation archives from February 2006

Switchboard meter.(PRODUCT FOCUS: HVAC Equipment)
February 1, 2006... The DUAL-VUE hybrid switchboard meter features an analog moving pointer for trend information and digital LED display. They are designed for upgrading existing power or control panels, or for indicating applications. The meters are available...

Label applicator.(PRODUCT FOCUS: HVAC Equipment)
February 1, 2006... The industrial-grade ALS 204 pressure-sensitive label applicator features a precision stepper motor to peel and feed labels to targeted items, then rewind the labels' backing strip. Upgradeable to apply RFID labels. The dispensing edge can be...

All-surface cleaner.(PRODUCT FOCUS: HVAC Equipment)
February 1, 2006... Peroxy II fbc is a foaming all-surface cleaner that features a citric acid/hydrogen peroxide blended formula. It removes light rust, mineral deposits and cuts through grease on contact. The sprayer head rotates for product application. ...

Knockout door.(Dock Equipment)
February 1, 2006... The Jr. WelterWeight door is suited for warehouses and other facilities using forklifts, electric pallet jacks and manual loading. It features an impact design with spring-loaded steel guidance pins, plus a wooden core that functions as a...

Dock bridge.(Dock Equipment)
February 1, 2006... The LoadHog modular dock bridge spans the gap between the warehouse and the trailer. It mounts to the warehouse floor with anchor bolts. The bumper-block assembly attaches to the face of the dock. SPX Dock Products Use InfoLINK...

Vinyl door.(Dock Equipment)
February 1, 2006... The Power-Roll is a motorized roll-up vinyl door for rugged dock applications. It is rot-, tear- and mildew-resistant. Fiberglass protrusion tubes bend instead of breaking when loaded. A motor moves the door. All seams are double-locked...

The supplier 411.(EDITORIAL COMMENTS)
February 1, 2006... It's no longer news that for many manufacturers, industrial distributors play key partnership roles. As these segments have both faced upheavals in the way business had been done for years, they've come to appreciate the great value and shared...

ExxonMobil '05 profits break records.(INDUSTRY NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... ExxonMobil Corp. posted record quarterly and annual profits for 2005 last month, reporting $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter and $36.13 billion for the year. Driven by skyrocketing energy prices and strong demand, the figures are the...

DuPont agrees to PFOA phase-out.(INDUSTRY NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... The DuPont company said last month it will comply with an EPA request to stop production of the chemical PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), also known as C8, by 2015. The chemical is used to make Teflon, the widely used non-stick coating, and is...

DOE announces $119 million for fuel-cell research.(INDUSTRY NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... The U.S. Department of Energy announced $119 million in funding last month, to be devoted to hydrogen-powered fuel-cell research. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said the goal of the funding is to develop clean, hydrogen-fuel vehicles in an...

OSHA resumes regular enforcement along Gulf Coast.(INDUSTRY NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said last month it had resumed regular enforcement of job safety and health standards throughout most of the hurricane-impacted U.S. Gulf Coast. As of Jan. 25, normal enforcement began...

Steel at the Super Bowl.(INDUSTRY NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... No, we're not taking sides in this month's Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks. But we thought you'd be interested in this 1962 photo of Pittsburgh Steelers players (John Henry Johnson, #35; Bobby Layne, #22;...

Texas Instruments, Inc.
February 1, 2006... Texas Instruments, Inc., has agreed to sell its Sensors & Controls business to affiliates of Bain Capital, LLC, a global private-equity investment firm, for $3 billion. The Attleboro, MA-based business supplies appliance, climate-control,...

Boeing chief engineer William J. Geary, of Renton. WA, has been elected president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) for 2006.
February 1, 2006... Boeing chief engineer William J. Geary, of Renton. WA, has been elected president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) for 2006. Geary has served on the SME Board of Directors since 2001.

Fieldbus Center.
February 1, 2006... The Fieldbus Center at Lee College, Baytown, TX, will host an Instrumentation Education, Training and Development Conference in Clear Lake, Texas, on August 17-18, 2006. The event will address issues in technology training and development for...

Enterprise software maker Datastream Systems, Inc., Greenville, SC. has agreed to be acquired by Infor.
February 1, 2006... Enterprise software maker Datastream Systems, Inc., Greenville, SC. has agreed to be acquired by Infor, an Atlanta. GA-based maker of ERP and supply-chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors. Infor will pay $10.26 per share in cash to...

The Eraser Co.
February 1, 2006... The Eraser Co., Inc., Syracuse, NY, will celebrate its 95th anniversary in business this year. The company began in 1911 with a typewriter eraser, which evolved into a tool that could be used to strip film insulations from magnet wires. Today,...

Mittal Steel USA.
February 1, 2006... Mittal Steel USA announced plans to permanently close the blast furnace melt shop at its 96-year-old Weirton Steel mill in West Virginia due to lower demand for tin sheet. The mill has not produced steel since May 2005. The shutdown reduces the...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... * Mar. 20-23 * National Manufacturing Week; Rosemont, IL; Reed Exhibitions; 800-840-0678; manufacturingweek.com. * Mar. 21-23 * Interphex 2006 Conference & Exhibition; New York, NY; Reed Exhibitions; 203-840-5648; interphex.com. * Mar....

The art of scheduling: by learning how to schedule projects and complete them, you'll improve maintenance effectiveness.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... I had been invited to sit in on the Cooksville Plant s mandatory, weekly maintenance scheduling meeting, held each Thursday at 10 a.m. (The plant name has been changed to protect the guil... er, innocent.) Cooksville had about 100 maintenance...

Value-added strategies in an online environment: as online purchasing shifts back-office responsibilities to customers, it creates a window of opportunity for the distributor to emerge as a key strategic partner.(Supplier Strategies)
February 1, 2006... Online ordering, forecast to account for more than one third of distributors' revenues by 2008, is changing the traditional distributor/supplier/customer relationship. For example, sourcing, pricing and delivery scheduling--historically...

Software centralizes supply ops for Motorsport Co.(Supplier Strategies: Case Study)
February 1, 2006... On its 65-acre racing complex in Charlotte, NC, Hendrick Motorsports builds more than 700 engines a year for high-performance racing cars. To stay competitive, the company decided to centralize its inventory, purchasing, and warehouse...

The pros and cons of purchase orders.(Opinion)
February 1, 2006... In recent years, many businesses have discontinued their use of purchase orders. This has happened as businesses look to save the time needed to prepare them, and as they turn to purchasing alternatives. But as beneficial as eliminating...

Voice recognition: warehouse, then plant?(IT INSIGHTS)
February 1, 2006... Most business software applications utilize a user interface (UI). Users input and receive application information through some sort of human-machine interface, typically a keyboard and display. This approach is as common in the mobile...

Boiler.(HVAC Equipment)
February 1, 2006... The KNIGHT heating boiler with modulating burner and a cascading feature allows multiple boilers to be controlled by one central boiler. Available in seven models, the boiler offers a simple SMART SYSTEM operating control with a user-friendly...

Ball valve.(HVAC Equipment)
February 1, 2006... The 8100/8111A circulator-flange ball valve for hydronic heating systems, is a two-piece, brass-body, full-port ball valve. It is designed with free-floating and circulator-pump flanges. Features include chrome-plated ball and PTFE packing and...

Heater.(HVAC Equipment)
February 1, 2006... Hybrid, flexible heaters made of silicone rubber with bonded polyimide power flex-lead, feature etched foil silicone to withstand temperature and factory vulcanizing. Moisture- and chemical-resistant, the heater is available in circular or...

Floors fit for the food industry.(TECH CHECK)
February 1, 2006... Food processors face demands for hygienic surfaces across a variety of plant areas, all with differing corrosive conditions, such as for dry storage areas, cold storage rooms, and mixing, canning and slaughtering areas. Floor-coating systems...

Tubing cutter.(Ergonomic Tools)
February 1, 2006... The Model 150 and 150-L constant swing-tubing cutters with ergonomic features, can cut closeto-the-flare on copper, aluminum, brass and stainless steel tubing. It features a quick-change X-CEL wheel-pin change so users can change cutter wheels...

Ratchet.(Ergonomic Tools)
February 1, 2006... The Blackhawk rotator ratchet for tight spaces features a six-degree arc swing. Twisting the handle causes a set of internal gears to engage and turn the socket in the same direction regardless of which way it's twisted. The polymer handle...

High-tension hacksaw.(Ergonomic Tools)
February 1, 2006... The Nicholson Pro Series 4-in-1 hacksaw can be configured in four ways: general use, flush cuts, work in tight spaces, and as a sturdy jab saw. The tool features a cushioned grip for ergonomic comfort and control. Cooper Hand Tools ...