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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Help, I've Been Nerded
October 13, 2009 8:59 am | by by David Mantey, Editor, PD&D | Blogs | CommentsI suppose that the hair would be parted on the other side and I’d be wearing a lavender vest rather than a kindergarten blazer featuring an assortment of arts and crafts, but the photo could just as easily come as the result of an evil motherly plot to sabotage my cool factor (pause for guttural laugh), as it did from a few minutes of Photoshop 101.
Simple Tube Cutting
October 13, 2009 8:07 am | Product Releases | CommentsReed Manufacturing Co . (Erie, PA) offers an easy-to-grip Spring-Loaded Tubing Cutter. The spring-loaded cutter wheel self-feeds with constant pressure as the tool is rotated around the tubing, which means operators only have to turn the cutter in the direction of the marked arrow.
Breathe Easy
October 13, 2009 8:07 am | Product Releases | CommentsFarr Air Pollution Control (APC, Jonesboro, AR) introduces an updated portable dust and fume collector that combines three-stage filtration with versatility. The Zephyr® III collector comes with a choice of three main filters, and is ideal for welding fumes, grinding dusts, or soldering fumes.
Have A HART
October 13, 2009 8:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe FL3100H UV/IR and FL3101H UV Flame Detectors from General Monitors (Lake Forest, CA) are now compatible with the HART communication protocol. The flame detectors are designed to detect fires over a wide field of view and provide alarm outputs directly. The FL3100H uses both the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) spectral ranges, making it resistant to false alarms caused by lightning or arc welding.
Diesel-Powered For Efficiency
October 13, 2009 8:05 am | Product Releases | CommentsMTU Onsite Energy (Mankato, MN) has developed a new MTU diesel-powered generator set, covering a range of 250 to 3,250 kW. The Series 1600 engine is new for MTU, and is the smallest the company produces, yet it combines reliability, high power density, and fuel efficiency.
Accurate Light Meter
October 13, 2009 5:18 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Traceable Light Meter Pen from Control Company (Friendswood, TX) reads from 0 to 1,860 foot-candles with a resolution of .01, and from 0 to 20,000 Lux with a resolution of 1. Tough ABS plastic housing, an O-ring seal, and membrane keypad help keep dirt and dust out, which makes the product ideal in harsh plant environments.
Flame-Proof Clothing
October 13, 2009 5:17 am | Product Releases | CommentsFlamesafe Workwear (Caulfield, Victoria, Australia) has released the Flamesafe Maxisoft FR Cotton apparel range, which includes undergarments, polo shirts, T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoods, gloves, jackets, and more. All products meet and exceed international safety performance standards, according to the company.
Get Online, Anywhere
October 13, 2009 5:17 am | Product Releases | CommentsProSoft Technology (Bakersfield, CA) has announced the release of the RadioLinx Intelligent Cellular solution, designed to provide global wireless connectivity for industrial devices. The RadioLinx gateways utilize the existing cellular infrastructure to connect devices across geographically diverse locations, and can connect devices through the Internet.
Easy Coupling
October 13, 2009 5:16 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Style 177 QuickVic Flexible Coupling from Victaulic (Easton, PA) offers a flame-free pipe joining solution that reduces installation time and cost. The new coupling is an extension of the patented installation-ready line, and with no loose parts and no requirement to disassemble before installation, this line provides a competitive edge.
GM Trimming Fat With Opel, Hummer Sales
October 13, 2009 4:24 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — General Motors could finalize the sale of its German auto unit Opel as early as this week, the U.S. automaker's CEO said Tuesday. Fritz Henderson, visiting China for the first time since GM was restructured last summer, was also upbeat about the prospects for the sale of the company's Hummer unit to Chinese buyer Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Corp.
Siemens Nabs $888m Turbine Deal With Four States
October 13, 2009 4:07 am | News | CommentsFRANKFURT (AP) — Siemens AG has won orders worth some euro600 million ($888 million) to supply 250 wind turbines in the United States and Canada, the German-based industrial conglomerate said Tuesday. A quarter of the order is destined for the Canadian province of Ontario, while the rest of the turbines will go to California, Oklahoma, Washington and Wyoming, Munich-based Siemens said.
China Poisons Another 1,000 Children
October 13, 2009 3:57 am | News | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — Nearly 1,000 children in a central Chinese province have tested positive for excessive lead in their blood, state media reported Tuesday, the latest of several lead poisoning cases involving thousands of children across the country. After reports of large-scale lead poisoning in neighboring Shaanxi province, the health bureau in Jiyuan City, Henan province, conducted blood tests on 2,743 children under the age of 14, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted the bureau's director, Wei Zongchang, as saying.
Cap & Gown Co. Sued For Hispanic Discrimination
October 13, 2009 3:56 am | by Margery A. Beck, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha cap-and-gown manufacturer has been accused in federal court of discriminating against its Hispanic employees. Three lawsuits filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Omaha allege that Willsie Cap & Gown routinely offered better hours, more desirable work, more breaks and even better lighting to non-Hispanic employees.
Iowa Slaughterhouse Exec On Trial In SD
October 13, 2009 3:54 am | by Nigel Duara, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The first trial for a former manager of an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse that was the site of a massive immigration raid gets under way Tuesday in South Dakota. Sholom Rubashkin's trials were moved from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Sioux Falls, S.D., after a federal judge ruled last month that a "prodigious" amount of negative pretrial publicity caused potential jurors to develop a bias against Rubashkin and Agriprocessors, Inc.
Detroit Mayor Considers Selling Bing Steel Plant
October 13, 2009 3:52 am | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Mayor Dave Bing says he is weighing whether to sell the steel company that bears his name and employs about 600 people. Bing tells WWJ-AM that The Bing Group has been caught up in the auto industry downturn that has depressed sales of the stamped and processed steel. He says he'll likely decide by early 2010 whether to sell the Detroit-based company.
