Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation articles from November 1999

Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation archives from November 1999

Taking Stock.
November 1, 1999... Unless you're a purchasing manager, supply-related topics probably don't hold your interest. But in these days of workforce reductions and bottom-line thinking, you've probably had to think like a purchasing manager lately more than you ever...

Discriminatory hiring practices cost Kohler $900,000.
November 1, 1999... Plumbing hardware manufacturer Kohler Corp. has agreed to pay almost $900,000 in back pay to more than 2,000 women who were denied employment at the company's Kohler, WI, headquarters plant between 1994 and 1996. According to the U.S....

U.S. indicts McDonnell Douglas over Chinese exports.
November 1, 1999... The U.S. government indicted McDonnell Douglas Corp. last month on charges that it exported sophisticated machine tools to China that could be used for military purposes. The indictment of the St. Louis, MO-based aerospace giant also named...

Some chemical plants will shut down on New Year's Eve.
November 1, 1999... As a precaution against potential Y2K-related uncertainties, some chemical manufacturers said they will temporarily shut down a portion of their operations on New Year's Eve 1999. At least four companies -- Rhone Poulenc, DuPont, Monsanto Co.,...

GE plant receives OSHA's 'Star' award.
November 1, 1999... A General Electric refrigerator plant in Decatur, AL, has been designated a "Star" site by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. The Star award is the highest form of recognition granted by the agency, given to facilities with...

Nissan to close plants, cut jobs in Japan.
November 1, 1999... Nissan Motor Co., Japan's second-largest automaker, said will shut down three assembly plants and cut 21,000 jobs in Japan in an effort to become more competitive. As part of a three-year restructuring plan, the company also announced...

NASSCO awarded $17M R&D contract.
November 1, 1999... National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO), San Diego, CA, has been named the primary contractor in a federally funded $17.4 million research-and-development contract to develop advanced shipbuilding systems. The contract was awarded through...

Ford, GM post record 3Q earnings.
November 1, 1999... Both Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. posted record third-quarter earnings last month. GM posted net income of $877 million, or $1.33 a share compared with a net loss of $309 million, or 52 cents a share in the same period last year....

Real Gross Domestic Product and Related Measures: Percent Change From Preceding Period.
November 1, 1999... Real Gross Domestic Product and Related Measures: Percent Change From Preceding Period (Quarters seasonally adjusted at annual rates) 1Q 98 2Q 98 3Q...

Baldor Electric Co.
November 1, 1999... Baldor Electric Co., a Fort Smith, AR-based manufacturer of electric motors, has received two awards from international market-research firm Frost & Sullivan for its products and services. Baldor received the Product Innovation Award for...

AT&T.
November 1, 1999... In association with AT&T and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), a Minneapolis, MN-based accounting and business consulting firm has announced the winners of its first-ever "Outstanding Web Sites -- Mid-Sized Business Awards."...

National Fire Protection Association.
November 1, 1999... New or updated Web sites have been announced by the following companies: National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA (www.nfpa.org); Iowa Molding Tool Co., Garner, IA (www.imt.com); Insituform Technologies, Chesterfield, MO...

Equipto.
November 1, 1999... Equipto has announced it will sponsor Indy Racing League drivers Buddy Lazier and Johnny Unser through Hemelgarn Racing. The Dallas, TX-based maker of industrial shelving, racks and work tables will outfit Hemelgarn Racing with cabinets,...

Firestone Building Products Co.
November 1, 1999... Firestone Building Products Co., Carmal IN, has announced it will construct a new polyisocyanurate foam insulation plant in DeForest, WI, 10 miles north of Madison. It will be the company's eighth polyisocyanurate plant and will produce flat...

The Sherwin-Williams Co.
November 1, 1999... The Sherwin-Williams Co., Cleveland, OH, now designates its VOC-compliant products as members of the "EnviroSpec" line. The name appears on data pages and containers to alert specifiers and users that the products meet environmental and safety...

Graybar.
November 1, 1999... St. Louis, MO-based Graybar has expanded its distribution network in the following areas: Collinsville, IL (to serve the St. Louis Metro East area); Ocala, FL (to serve Ocala-area builders, acquired from Besco Electric Supply Co); and Stafford,...

U.S. Forest Service.
November 1, 1999... According to a recent U.S. Forest Service study, there are an estimated 1.9 billion wooden pallets in the U.S. Researchers determined that of those, approximately 1 billion pallets are in use, at least 400 million new ones are constructed each...

The Machinery Dealers National Association (MDNA).
November 1, 1999... The Machinery Dealers National Association (MDNA), Alexandria, VA, has distributed $48,000 in grants to 32 students for the 1999-2000 academic year. Through its Austin D. Lucas Scholarship Fund the MDNA has awarded more than $420,000 in grants...

Clopay Building Products Co., Inc.
November 1, 1999... Clopay Building Products Co., Inc., Cincinnati, OH, has announced it will expand its Nesbit, MS, commercial-door manufacturing facility. The 30,000-sq.-ft. expansion will increase manufacturing space by 50% for the company's Atlas Door branded...

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).
November 1, 1999... The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently made Southwest Airlines CEO Herbert Kelleher an honorary lifetime member of the Des Plaines, IL-based Society in recognition of Southwest's superior safety record. According to ASSE, the...

Digital-Factory Software Helps Engineers Design the Optimal Plant.
November 1, 1999... Visualize an automotive production floor alive with activity -- materials move from cell to cell, advancing along a sophisticated network of synchronized conveyors. Inside the cells, robots work at a dizzyingly fast pace, drilling, pressing,...

'Beam Me Up' Service.
November 1, 1999... For most of us, it is helpful to first imagine the future before attempting to get there. Some of us are better at it than others. Call me an unofficial "Trekky," but I have always had a fascination with Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. To an...

Integrated Supply: On the Move.
November 1, 1999... As more manufacturers begin to reap the benefits of integrated supply, the concept continues to evolve for longtime and large-scale participants, furthering demand for more sophisticated distributor services and Internet-based capabilities like...

Integrated Supply Transforms a Traditional Distributor.
November 1, 1999... Fuchs Machinery Corp., a mid-sized Omaha, NE-based distributor, started an integrated-supply program in response to a customer request 14 years ago. It's now the key component of the company's business plan. As Fuchs Machinery president...

IBM / Graybar Contract Brings Large-Scale Integrated Efficiencies.
November 1, 1999... Under terms of a two-year-old agreement, Graybar, the St. Louis, MO-based national distributor, supplies the electrical needs of all IBM manufacturing facilities in the U.S. IBM says it has realized 'significant' savings from the...

Evaluating Welders for Facilities Maintenance.
November 1, 1999... You cannot predict when, where and what equipment will need welding repair in an industrial facility. Fortunately, inverter-based welders with multiple-process capabilities gives you the flexibility to tackle more types of projects. ...

Mechanical Seals Provide an Economical Maintenance Alternative for Processing Plants.
November 1, 1999... Mechanical seals, known for their unique design and long life-span, afford processing plants many benefits over less-sophisticated sealing alternatives. They can extend seal life into planned-maintenance periods and reduce costly and wasteful...

Vacuum Impregnation Process Solves Leaking Cable Problem.
November 1, 1999... Bently-Nevada Corp.'s manufacturing plant in Minden, NV, makes vibration-sensor equipment for rotating machinery used in oil refineries, power generation facilities and petrochemical plants, as well as machinery management software, vibration...