Plant Engineering articles from February 2006

Plant Engineering archives from February 2006

PE poll.
February 1, 2006... Our January question at www.plantengineering.com: "As we begin 2006, how would you assess the state of manufacturing?" Your responses: Very positive 10.8% Positive 44.2% Neutral 19.2% Negative 18.3% Very negative...

Miss a story? There's two ways to find them.
February 1, 2006... For almost 60 years, PLANT ENGINEERING has provided outstanding technical information to plant managers, and for the last decade, the best of those technical articles are also online. With the creation of the Engineer's Resource Guide, there...

NGLIA launches new Website.(Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance has launched a new Website, www.nglia.com, to provide professionals, government officials and the public with information about the latest developments in the solid state lighting systems industry....

NAM expands blog to add writers.(National Association of Manufacturers)(http://blog.nam.org/archives/the_economy)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The National Association of Manufacturers has added David Huether and Bill Canis as regular blog contributors in expanded coverage of manufacturing news. David Huether, NAM Chief Economist will write on economic matters. His entries are at...

Beyond grief, there's room for rebirth.(rebuiding New Orleans)
February 1, 2006... They say there are four stages of grief: denial, anger, depression and acceptance. The Gulf Coast has reached the final stage--acceptance--yet what residents and business face is unacceptable. When I visited the area in December, I could see...

Better business strategies will drive job growth.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I found it quite ironic that your January issue of PLANT ENGINEERING arrived at my office on Monday Jan. 23. On page 52, Kim Hill has the following quote. "The looming skilled labor shortage is the single most important issue the US...

NAM economist: higher winter heating bills slowing growth, recovery.(National Association of Manufacturers)
February 1, 2006... High winter heating bills have a chilling effect on economic growth, according to the 2006 National Association of Manufacturers' 2006 economic forecast. First quarter growth is expected to slow to 2.6%, the lowest rate since the first...

ARC forum to discuss operational performance.
February 1, 2006... The ARC Advisory Group's 10th annual forum, "Next Generation Manufacturing: Driving Operational Performance through Innovation and Collaboration" will be Feb. 20-24, 2006 at the Rosen Center Hotel in Orlando. PLANT ENGINEERING is a media...

Boeing approves ATS membership in the AMRC.(ATS International, Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... ATS International announced that it will become a member of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, a joint initiative from Britain's University of Sheffield and global aircraft manufacturer Boeing with a mission to create a Centre of...

Ivara boosts RCM2 efforts with Aladon acquisition.(Reliability-Centered Maintenance)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Ivara Corporation has acquired Aladon LLC, a specialist in the application of Reliability-Centered Maintenance. The acquisition was effective Jan. 1. With the acquisition, Ivara is committed to the continued availability and success of RCM...

Hulit: customer knowledge a key to success.(Barbara Hulit)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... As the new president of Fluke Corporation, Barbara Hulit comes in from the outside, but with an insider's knowledge of the company operations. Over the past seven years, Hulit has worked with Fluke on identifying the company's new indoor air...

The most important IR camera event in 45 years!
February 1, 2006... From experts in the field of infrared and through hands-on demonstrations--you'll see and learn all about: * The Latest in Thermal Imaging Technology * The Newest High Quality, Most Affordable Infrared Cameras * The ABC's of...

Home Depot makes a big purchase.(Hughes Supply Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Industry officials are taking note of the announcement by The Home Depot Inc. that it will buy product distributor Hughes Supply Inc. for about $3.2 billion. Hughes Supply is a distributor of construction, repair and maintenance products. While...

Invensys, Energy Solutions form strategic alliance.(Invensys Process Systems, Energy Solutions International Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Invensys Process Systems and Energy Solutions International Inc., a world leader in pipeline management systems will form a strategic alliance and reseller relationship. Energy Solutions and Invensys will collaborate to provide customers with...

Intergraph to supply technology for Chinese reactor project.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Intergraph Corp. announced that Chinergy, the organization commissioned to build the world's first commercial, modular high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor in China's Shandong Province, has selected SmartPlant 3D and SmartPlant Enterprise as...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2006... Cooper Compression was misidentified in the byline of the article written by John Bartos in the January issue of PLANT ENGINEERING. We apologize for the error.

Coordinated value mapping process makes Lean effective for manufacturer.(FALA Technologies)(Hudson Valley Technology Development Center )
February 1, 2006... New York Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue presented Frank Falatyn, president and CEO of FALA Technologies in Kingston, with the 2005 New York State Small Business Person of the Year Award on Nov. 16, 2005. Falatyn heads the semiconductor and...

Motor efficiency goes straight to the bottom line.(energy consumption and economic aspects of motor systems )
February 1, 2006... Energy is on the minds of people all across the nation. The growing demand for energy and the blow from recent hurricanes to domestic oil and gas supplies have spurred escalating costs, and impacts are being felt throughout all sectors of the...

Beware of the fallacy of the bathtub curve.
February 1, 2006... As this title suggests, all may not be totally well with the bathtub curve. True, some devices may follow its general shape, but the fact is that more has been assumed along those lines than has actually been measured and proven to be the case....

Non-contact sensor market touched by innovations.
February 1, 2006... Sensors such as inductive proximity, capacitive proximity, photoelectric and ultrasonic are being used in many applications for which they were never considered previously. These noncontact sensors are available with a variety of output...

Piece by piece: intralox relied on its most important resource to recover from Hurricane Katrina. Here's how they did it.
February 1, 2006... HARAHAN, LA -- They started to return--one and two and four at a time, finding their ways around and through the roadblocks, both human and natural. They returned from Jackson and Baton Rouge and Houston and wherever the 150 mph winds had blown...

Want to manage your assets more effectively? Call in a specialist.(SKF Reliability Systems)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Maybe it's an unclear maintenance strategy, a recurring problem with a specific machine, or insufficient machine or process data. Perhaps it's unacceptable maintenance intervals for semi-critical or critical equipment, or software platforms...

Arc flash hazard calculations require accurate documentation.
February 1, 2006... Accurate documentation of the plant electrical power system is needed for safe, reliable and efficient operation. Maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, design modifications and analysis require accurate documentation. To maintain accurate...

Small plants can benefit from CMMS, too.(AUTOMATIONENGINEERING)
February 1, 2006... Most managers find it increasingly difficult to control rising maintenance costs because of inadequate or outdated procedures. One tool that can help is a computerized maintenance management system. The need for and use of a CMMS is not...

Turbine monitor.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The CSI 4500 Machinery Health Monitor application provides live, continuous monitoring of turbines used for main power and other critical processes during transient conditions. This condition monitoring technology supports predictive and...

Compressed air and vacuum pipework.(NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... HBS is the aluminum modular pipework system with a full range of diamaters (from 1" to 4") and accessories made in Italy. The lightweight, high-tech design offers speed of installation and quick modification, which are advantages over...

Motor control center.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Model 6 Intelligent Motor Control Center (iMCC) provides access to information is provided by Schneider Electric Transparent Ready architecture, which allows users to optimize equipment utilization, increase reliability and reduce energy...

Manual pumps.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A new line of manual pumps are simple to install and are designed to transfer a wide variety of fluids quickly and safely. Since the pumps don't require any air or electricity to operate, they can be used virtually anywhere and are very...

Rotary viscometer.(NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The Mini-Rotary Viscometer model CMRV-4500 incorporates design enhancements to improve precision for apparent viscosity measurements of engine oils per modified ASTM D 4684 in documented industry testing. CMRV-4500 features include additional...

Industrial lighting.(NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The Mercmaster III Induction Luminaire featuring QL Induction technology provides a cost-effective, long-term solution for hazardous and non-hazardous industrial lighting needs, and is especially effective where access for relamping is...

Energy solutions brochure.(NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... A new 14-page, four-color brochure describes ways to reduce electricity costs and gain paybacks when using Baldor premium-efficiency motors and adjustable speed drives. An exploded view of a Super-E is provided and Baldor's BE$T (Baldor Energy...

High-temp epoxy.(NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The Duralco 4700HT epoxy cures at 250[degrees]F without out gassing to provide excellent adhesion, high electrical resistance, high temperature stability, low shrinkage, excellent chemical, solvent and radiation resistance. It provides adhesion...

End rider pallet truck.
February 1, 2006... Models ECR 327 and ECR 336, two new AC-powered end rider pallet trucks can work with a larger, 750 Ah battery, boosting operating hours, reducing downtime, and yielding better efficiency and productivity. A real-time drive-speed monitoring...

Sanitary ball valves.
February 1, 2006... Lee Fluid Transfer's custom jacketed sanitary ball valves maintain the proper temperature of the product using either a heating or cooling medium. The flush-bottom, two-way, and multi-port divert valves are manufactured in sizes ranging...

Vibration analyzer.
February 1, 2006... The Balance Check, a new portable balancing instrument and vibration analyzer, is designed with an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to use. It can detect unbalance, identify the correction capacity required to offset unbalance, and...

Cordless drill/driver.
February 1, 2006... The PowerMaxx is a cordless drill/driver that features a 4.8 volt battery that drives up to 95 #10 x 1" screws on one charge. It is ideal for assembly work, carpentry, electrical work, or any other application that requires getting into tight...

Mounted bearing units.
February 1, 2006... Marathon mounted bearing units offer ideal protection during washdowns. All units are corrosion-resistant, maintenance-free, and feature a patented dual-sealing system to promote extended service life and inhibit potentially damaging...

NEMA 4X-rated housings.
February 1, 2006... NEMA 4X-rated housings are available for the Temposonics R-Series and G-Series "rod-style" sensor models for use in sanitary and washdown environments. Serial communication and a simple PC-based user interface enable remote programmability and...

New filtration technology keeps cooling tower water clean.
February 1, 2006... Every cooling tower has its unique dirt conditions, space constraints, and other special characteristics. Filtration systems must take these into account in order to maintain particle free water. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION...

Antares EPM Systems LLC.
February 1, 2006... The SPMS is the first Project Management System designed from the ground up to support small projects executed by Plant Engineering staff. The SPMS can improve small project on-time/on-budget performance and increase the effective use of...

Integrate your plant floor assets easily.
February 1, 2006... JNIOR provides a cost effective way to connect, monitor and/or control process signals (digital, analog, serial) for asset management via your Ethernet network. Easier to implement than a PLC, the JNIOR has built-in software for monitoring key...

Energy costs.
February 1, 2006... You Can't Manage What You Don't Measure [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] E-Mon D-Mon[R] submeters and RightEnergy[TM] software give you the tools to measure, manage and reduce energy costs. E-Mon D-Mon submeters have been installed nationwide...

Free manual on controlling oil spills.
February 1, 2006... The manual outlines proven solutions to typical applications associated with oil/water problems. Each section discusses points that managers and operators must consider when preparing for and reacting to oil spills. Topics covered include...

The Model 460 Voltage Monitor.
February 1, 2006... The Model 460 Three-Phase Voltage Monitor combines unsurpassed motor protection and control with finger-safe terminals, DIN rail compatibility, and LED fault indication. It can be connected directly to the three-phase lines without fuses,...

System-K[TM] slabs without rebar.
February 1, 2006... System-K[TM] is an improved cement system combining the advantages of Type-K Shrinkage-Compensating Cement with advanced fiber reinforcement technology. Eliminate rebars, saw cutting, curling, and joint filling from your slabs with...

Tekleen[R] stainless steel filters.
February 1, 2006... Tekleen are high quality low cost stainless steel filters at carbon steel prices. Sizes from 1" - 24", up to 12,000 gpm, filtration 3,000[micro] - 5[micro] and from only 2 gallons per rinse. Automatic Filters, Inc,--Tekleen, Los Angeles, CA USA...

OSHA injury forms must be displayed.
February 1, 2006... Beginning Feb. 1, employers were required to post a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred last year. Employers are only required to post the Summary OSHA Form 300A from Feb. 1 to Apr. 30, 2006. The...

OSHA, Georgetown to study safety issues.(Center for Business and Public Policy, Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... OSHA and the Center for Business and Public Policy at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business have formed an alliance to focus on issues important to general industry and small business, such as the economic value of safety and...

Toilet facilities must be made available and accessible.
February 1, 2006... OSHA's sanitation standard for general industry, 29 CFR 1910.141, requires employers to provide their employees with toilet facilities. An April 6, 1998 memorandum to the Agency's regional administrators and State Plan State designees explains...