Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation articles from November 2001

Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation archives from November 2001

Editorial Comments.
November 1, 2001... Beth's Blues The news that Bethlehem Steel, the nation's second largest steel producer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month should have given pause to industrialists everywhere. (See Newsline, page 6.) Not only is another...

Bethlehem Steel files for Chapter 11. (Industry Newsline).
November 1, 2001... Bethlehem Steel Corp., the second-largest integrated steel manufacturer in the nation, announced on October 15th it had filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code. In a prepared statement, the Bethlehem, PA-based...

Washington-state ergonomics plan under fire. (Industry Newsline).
November 1, 2001... A coalition of employers and business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, sued the state of Washington last month over its new ergonomic rules designed to protect state workers from injury. The lawsuit claims that the...

U.S. backs Northrop Grumman bid for shipyard. (Industry Newsline).
November 1, 2001... Northrop Grumman's bid to buy Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA, the nation's largest private shipyard, was upheld by the federal government last month. The Justice Department agreed with the Los Angeles, CA-based manufacturer's claim...

Auto-industry suppliers hit by downturn. (Industry Newsline).
November 1, 2001... Auto parts suppliers Dana Corp. and TRW, Inc., announced layoffs and plant closures last month, that both companies said were due to slowed auto sales. Dana Corp., a Toledo, OH-based maker of brakes and axles, said it will cut 11,000 jobs, or...

Boeing opens airplane-security unit. (Industry Newsline).
November 1, 2001... Chicago-based Boeing announced last month it will form a new unit called Boeing Security and Safety Services. The division will offer safety improvements to airlines that-will help them prevent hijacking attacks. Improvements will initially be...

Last original Union Carbide plant to close. (Industry Newsline).
November 1, 2001... A plant that was part of Union Carbide's original makeup in Niagara Falls, NY, will close in December after 91 years of service. The carbon-electrode facility, now operated by UCAR Carbon Co., a Union Carbide spinoff based in West Virginia, is...

U.S. Economy at a Glance. (Industry Newsline).
November 1, 2001... U.S. Economy at a Glance Dec 2000 Aug 2001 Sep 2001 Oct 2001 Unemployment rate (1) 4.0 4.9 4.9 5.4 Total employed (2) 135,836 134,393 135,181 134,562 Avg. hourly...

The Boeing Co.. (News Briefs).
November 1, 2001... * The Boeing Co. donated 3,000 computers from its St. Louis, MO, operations last month to the St. Louis City Public Schools. They will be used to teach basic skills such as word processing, to help students become competent in the use of...

Fiskars Consumer Products, Inc.. (News Briefs).
November 1, 2001... * Fiskars Consumer Products, Inc., has said it will expand its scissors manufacturing facility in Sauk City, WI, thanks in part to a state-sponsored economic incentive package. The U.S. subsidiary of Finland-based Fiskars said the state of...

The Snapple Beverage Group. (News Briefs).
November 1, 2001... * The Snapple Beverage Group has converted its 27 New York-area delivery vehicles to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). The company, owned by London, England-based Cadbury Schwepps, opened a CNG fueling station in Brooklyn's Red Hook section...

Deere & Co.. (News Briefs).
November 1, 2001... * Deere & Co., was honored last month with the Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award at the World Standards Day banquet in Washington, D.C. The Moline, IL-based manufacturer was recognized by the American National Standards Institute for...

Remstar International, Inc.. (News Briefs).
November 1, 2001... * Remstar International, Inc., hag completed a 25,000-sq.-ft. expansion of its Westbrook, ME, headquarters office building. The $1.5 million project includes building renovations and the addition of 20,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space, 4,000 sq....

Berkshire Corp.. (News Briefs).
November 1, 2001... * Berkshire Corp., a maker of disposable hazardous-material clean-up products, said it expects to begin operations from a new, 64,OOO-sq.-ft. facility in Whitsett, NC, this month. The facility will consolidate manufacturing operations from a...

CertainTeed Corp.. (News Briefs).
November 1, 2001... * CertainTeed Corp.'s Athens, GA, insulation manufacturing facility and its employees were featured last month in The History Channel program Modem Marvels. The show, themed "The House," detailed home-construction methods and building...

The Evolution of E Commerce: For MRO distributors, E-commerce has been perceived as everything from threat to saving grace. In the process, it has become an integral part of modern supply management. Here's how it got there. (Cover Story).
November 1, 2001... For some time, the $450 billion MRO distribution industry has wrestled with the issue of e-commerce. The concept of using the Web to conduct serious business has been viewed as everything from threat to godsend, depending on whom you ask and...

Advanced Heat Exchanger Design Improves Compressed-Air Dryer Systems. (TechCheck).
November 1, 2001... Moisture oils, vapors, and contaminants in other contaminants in industrial compressed-air systems have long been a costly problem. They negatively affect the efficiency of pneumatically operated appliances, controls, instruments, machinery and...

Vacuum Generators. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... The SEG 05 and SEG 07 miniature venturi vacuum generators with no moving parts are suitable for mounting at the suction pads in applications involving workpieces for assembly, material handling, and packaging applications. The SEG series has no...

Solvent Recyclers. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... The Resolv-R2 ECO Series solvent recyclers complement smaller-capacity solvent recyclers. They may be equipped with air- or water-cooled condensers and can be combined with electric or pneumatic vacuum units for recovery of high boiling...

When Quality Falters, Make it Cost! (Distribution Solutions).
November 1, 2001... When the cost of product quality becomes an equal part of supply value analysis, then -- and perhaps only then -- will we truly understand how purchased quality affects profits. Most of us only see the cost of warranty, which is actually just...

Pallet Truck. (Product Round-Up).
November 1, 2001... The TransRoller Lateral Movement Pallet truck for confined spaces allows the user the option of standard pallet truck operation or 90-degree sideways movement. Additionally, the sideways movement allows sideways transport of loads longer than...

Lifting Equipment. (Product Round-Up).
November 1, 2001... Company's line includes products that can lift up to 4,000 lbs., including bags, boxes, drums and sheets. Designs include VacuHoBags, VacuHoist, ErgoSysRail cranes and the Artic-U-Lift.

Casters With Nylon Wheels. (Product Round-Up).
November 1, 2001... A low-level, twin-wheel caster, the 2SL is designed for a variety of OEM and material handling applications where a caster is required for moving equipment over level surfaces. The black nylon wheels are lightweight, clean and require minimal...

Vertical Conveyors. (Product Round-Up).
November 1, 2001... Stainless Steel Continuous Vertical Conveyors provide high-speed up-and-down service with up to 40 loads a minute. The conveyors are suitable for a variety of applications and are designed to accept a load horizontally, all in a continuous...

PCI Bus Controller. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... A 4-axis PCI Bus motion controller for steppers and digital servos, with a high-speed pulse rate up, predefined home sequences and encoder feedback inputs is available. This controller can program synchronized or independent point-to-point...

Sensor/Actuator. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... The DN-100 and DN-101 consist of a single DC input and output for DeviceNet network attachment of sensor/actuator combinations. They are suitable for position sensing, push-button pendants, enunciators, indicators signalers and valves.

UV Curing System. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... The Cont-trol-cure UV Developer's Kit features a benchtop UV curing system. It includes a universal power supply, a focus lamp housing with lamp holders, and four UV lamps.

Multi-Purpose Snaps. (Products News).
November 1, 2001... A series of snaps are suitable for industrial, factory, sports or marine usage. The snaps are available in a variety of materials and finishes such as rust-proof metal, malleable iron, solid bronze, drop-forged stainless steel and steel wire....

Foundry Expects Savings from New Refractory Material. (Field Report).
November 1, 2001... Switching to a new refractory material, Thermbond, made by Stellar Materials, Inc., Delray Beach, FL, is expected to save General Aluminum Manufacturing and Metalloy, Conneaut, OH, more than $2 million in costs associated with relining its...

Protocol Translator. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... Model FS-B2011 is a protocol translator gateway that enables devices using foreign protocols to communicate with the Lonworks network. All software and instructions for configuration are provided.

Deceleration Lanyard. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... The Klein-Lite twin leg deceleration lanyard is for construction, electrical, and maintenance tie-off fall-arrest systems. It allows one lanyard leg to be connected to an anchorage point.

Gas Rick-Management. (TechBench).
November 1, 2001... The Sentry Gas Risk-Management system is a hazardous-gas detection system that offers digital communications from the sensor to the controller. It features a centralized alarm panel.

Rail Covers. (TechBench).
November 1, 2001... The MAC 2 Rail stainless steel rail cover strip protects the rail surface from corrosion and minimizes damage. It is suitable for machinery where corrosion from coolant spray is a concern.

Traffic-Control Devices. (TechBench).
November 1, 2001... The PST III Barricade is available in a variety of lengths, in kits or individual components. It can be ordered sheeted or plain, and comes with a quick set-up and tear down, which saves labor costs.

Safety Light Curtains. (TechBench).
November 1, 2001... MicroSafe MC4700 Series Safety Light Curtains feature an ultra-compact transmitter and receiver that offer protected heights from 3.94 to 70.87 in. Response time of as fast as 8 msec and resolution to 12 mm allow the MC4700 series to be...

Air-Cleaning System. (TechBench).
November 1, 2001... These air-cleaning systems for laser welding applications handle smoke, dust and fumes in any manufacturing operation. They use dust collectors and ambient air cleaning units.

Breathing Apparatus. (TechBench).
November 1, 2001... The Air-Mate combination escape self-contained breathing apparatus/supplied air respirator offers a high level of respiratory protection for environments that are dangerous to life and health. Interchangeable 5- and 15-mm. cylinders allow for...

Coupling Guards. (TechBench).
November 1, 2001... A solution for new applications and retrofits, Orange Peel guards come in a solid safety orange color with affixed warning labels and fully enclose rotating members, allowing gaps no greater than 6 mm. Guards are hinged and swing open for...

Stormwater System. (TechBench).
November 1, 2001... This stormwater-management system consists of an inceptor/bypass and Oil/Water separator. The inceptor design and volume and separator plate and impingement coalescers are shown.

Hand-Held Meter. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... The PHH-860 pH/mV/temperature meters are rugged, portable units that can recognize and compensate for electrode offset and slope. The meters feature RS232 communication and hold, and relative and average functions. Software is also available.

Protective Eyewear. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... ProLite Series protective eyewear for demanding environments offers an eight-base lens that extends around the face. This design provides workers with more than 180 degrees of eye and face protection while promoting optimum peripheral vision.

Tension-Control Brake. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... The BTB-12 tension-control brake is suitable for corrugating, labeling, printing, and various other web tension-control applications. Designed for mounting on shaftless unwind stands and other shaft-end applications the BTB-12 includes a...

Data-Acquisition Boards. (Product News).
November 1, 2001... The DaqBoard/2000c Series includes CompactPCI boards and signal conditioning options that are multi-functional I/O boards designed for OEMs and end users with industrial-monitoring and test-application needs.

School Chooses TPO Roof for Durability, Energy Efficiency. (Field Report).
November 1, 2001... Computer Dynamics Institute, a private business school in Virginia Beach, VA, has occupied a 17,500-sq.-ft., 20-year-old building for nine years. Recently, the building was experiencing leakage problems with its 20,000 sq. ft built-up roof...