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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Time To Align
September 12, 2008 8:13 am | by David Zdrojewski, Founder & CEO, VibrAlign, Inc. | CommentsA well trained aligner can accomplish a precision shaft alignment in one or two moves virtually every time. This is true whether the aligner uses laser tools or dial gauges to measure the misalignment— and I'm talking about making shaft centers collinear to within a few thousandths of an inch.
Opportunities In A Tough Electrical Market
September 12, 2008 8:13 am | by Bob Zak, President, Powerit Solutions | CommentsIndustrial manufacturers consume roughly one-third of the power utilized in the US. This fact is not lost on utilities and energy service providers. Lucrative programs and new incentives exist today for industrial companies as power providers try to find ways to tap into the demand side and create more capacity.
Are We Making Progress?
September 12, 2008 8:13 am | by Mike Collins is the author of Saving American Manufacturing, a comprehensive step-by-step strategy that demonstrates how to ultimately become an organization that will continually find new opportunities in today's fast-changing global economy. | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } Manufacturing is going to have to changes its image before it can attract, much less retain, employees.
Q & A with Mike Seals, Jabezco Industrial Group
August 25, 2008 2:11 pm | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } Mike Seals, President/Principal of Jabezco Industrial Group, Inc.
Customers As Collaborators
August 25, 2008 1:39 pm | by Mike Collins | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } "There is a definite shift away from traditional market research methods to customer collaboration.
Paying It Towards The Future
August 25, 2008 10:01 am | by Anna Wells | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } McClarin Plastics, Hanover, PA, takes lean to the next level, integrating its supply chain, employees, and an emphasis on green benefits.
Q & A With Luis Guimaraes
July 16, 2008 9:14 am | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } Luis Guimarães is General Manager, Marketing, Americas for Shell Lubricants .
Job Quality Over Quantity
July 16, 2008 9:14 am | by Mike Collins | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } "If we turn our backs now and depend on just the post-industrial service economy for the future, we will end up a nation of lawyers, consultants, and temporary workers looking for someone to invoice.
Air Pollution Control Systems And Operating Costs
July 16, 2008 9:14 am | CommentsWhen air pollution controls were first introduced in the 1970s, fuel costs were low, electronic controls and technologies were primitive compared to today’s standards, and the energy efficiency of control devices and their sub-components was not optimized. As the cost of energy continues to increase, choosing a new piece of emission control equipment often becomes as important as choosing the production machinery itself.
Quality, Layer By Layer
July 16, 2008 9:14 am | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } By Anna Wells Metalsa Roanoke's emphasis on technology and long term vision guides the company's recent changes in its IT and CI projects.
Circuit Breaker Replacement & Retrofill For Uptime, Compliance
June 25, 2008 12:47 pm | by Mike Rice, Vice President, Square D Services, Schneider Electric | CommentsCircuit breakers are key to an industrial facility’s power distribution system. That’s why it’s not surprising that several warning signs of an aging system relate to these devices, such as nuisance tripping or a main breaker failure.
An Equipment Approach To Dust Elimination
June 25, 2008 12:10 pm | by Andy Mandell, Marketing Manager, Dynabrade, Inc. | CommentsHigh quality dust collection air tools and accessories are important in today’s workplace. Eliminating dust at the source is not only beneficial for the worker’s health, but it also achieves a clean work environment and extends the life of the tool itself, resulting in reduced costs.
Applying Lean Principles In Process Industries
June 25, 2008 9:45 am | by Herb Lichtenberg, Senior VP Practice Director, Strategic Asset Management, Inc. | CommentsLean manufacturing defines seven types of waste that make a production system inefficient and costly. These are: Over-production: Producing too much, too soon. Inventory: Extra production required to buffer process variability. Transportation: Movement of materials without adding value.
Seeing Is Believing
June 25, 2008 8:16 am | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } Key to the turnaround at Snap-on’s Murphy, NC power tool plant was instilling a clear path outlining what these continuous improvement strategies were targeting, and where they would lead the facility.
Making An IMPACT
June 25, 2008 8:11 am | Commentsh4 { font: bold 14px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000; } .byline { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 4px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 4px; } .sup { position: relative; bottom: 2px; font-size: smaller;" } Dedicated employees and a clear, goal-oriented vision have transformed Snap-on’s Murphy, NC power tool plant into a Shingo Prize winner.
