News and views about companies, staff, product lines and more (April 01, 2000)

NTN Bearing Corporation, the ‘official bearing of CASCAR,’ is sponsoring Mark Dilley of Barrie, Ont. Dilley will pilot the NTN CASCAR entry in the national series. He will be a teammate of the Ford Quality Care Car driven by Dave Whitlock of Petrolia, Ont., former two-time national CASCAR champion. In addition to sponsoring CASCAR, the company has been involved in the Atlantic series and P-1 racing, sponsoring Lee Bentham of Newmarket, Ont., from 1995-1996, Rob MacDonald of Keswick, Ont., from 1997-1998, and Jean Francois Veilleux of Boucherville, Que., in 1999. It also has sponsored the Toyota Canadian Superbike Championship and the CSRA/ASRA Snowcross Series. Founded in Japan in 1918, NTN is a leading supplier of industrial and automotive bearings. Its involvement in motorsport goes beyond sponsorship: it also supplies bearings and driveline components to manufacturers of high-performance specialty and production vehicles, including the McLaren F1 and the Chevrolet C5 Corvette. For more information, contact NTN at (905) 564-2700, fax (905) 564-9023.

Peacock Industrial Products has announced the appointment of Alan Voisin as its national sales manager. Voisin will be based in Mississauga, Ont., and will be responsible for the division’s sales activities of industrial process products, such as progressing cavity pumps, metering pumps, filtration media and systems, valves, mixers and related products in all Canadian markets. The company also appointed John McKim as Central Region sales manager and Jeff Densmore as Maritime sales manager. Further information is available by calling (905) 812-7100.

Motion Industries, of Birmingham, Ala., has announced several management changes. Jim Clark has been named group vice-president of Motion-Canada and will be responsible for all Canadian operations. Clark will be the unifying force for Motion Industries’ Eastern and Western Canadian divisions. Prior to this move, he held positions of vice-president and general manager of Motion Industries’ West division, as well as an assignment in Canada. He began his career with Motion in 1973. In addition, Mark Sheehan has been appointed group vice-president, responsible for the North, East and Southeast divisions. Most recently, Sheehan served as general manager of Eastern Canada, as well as vice-president and general manager for the North division. He started his career in 1981 with Bearing Chain and Supply, a company that joined the Motion Industries organization in 1984.

During the Canadian Manufacturing Week 1999 show in Toronto, Grundfos Canada held a draw for a new Toshiba laptop computer. The winner of the laptop was Tom Lazardis, president of Tori Engineering or Thornhill, Ont. Lazardis is a mechanical engineer and provides consulting services to a number of manufacturers, including GMC, Ford and Bombardier.

The 561 silicone transformer fluid from Dow Corning has earned a renewal of the Blue Angel Environmental Label in Germany. The required assessment concluded that silicone insulating and cooling fluids exhibited acceptable low toxicity, low bio-accumulation potential, low bacterial inhibition and no evidence of toxic products when combusted. Created in 1977 to promote environmentally sound products, this eco-labelling program relies on information and voluntary co-operation from manufacturers, as well as the motivation to make a contribution to environmental protection. The certification remains current for four years, after which time the product is reviewed again. The criteria for awarding the Blue Angel classification include the efficient use of fossil fuels, alternative products with less impact on the climate, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and conservation of resources. For additional information, contact Dow Corning at (517) 496-6000, toll-free 1-800-435-7561, fax (517) 496-8026.

Weir Pumps of Scotland has secured a contract in excess of $6 million from Dofasco Inc. of Hamilton, Ont., design, manufacture, supply and commission a descale pumping system for the latter’s No. 2 hot strip mill. The contract forms a part of Dofasco’s $138-million hot band improvement program that will improve quality and production and also provide over $1 million in annual energy savings to the mill. Supplying three 2.5-mW barrel case descale pumps, Weir will design and supply the complete descale facility, including the complex computerized header valve automation and control system.

Parker Hannifin and Commercial Intertech have announced the approval of an agreement to merge in a cash-and-stock transaction with an equity value of approximately US$366 million. In addition, Parker will assume approximately US$107 million of Commercial Intertech debt. This merger furthers Parker’s strategy to offer the most complete range of motion-control systems to customers in its industrial, mobile, commercial and aerospace markets. Those served by the combination will gain the benefits of one-stop shopping and a simplified bill of materials. With their respective, complementary strength–Parker in industrial markets and Commercial in mobile applications–the two companies’ product lines have very little overlap, presenting meaningful growth and cross-selling opportunities for both companies. Duane Collins, Parker chairman and CEO, noted that Parker has acquired 42 businesses in the past six years, totalling US$1.1 billion in first-year sales. “We have a well-tested process for integration and growth. We’re known for building the businesses we buy,” he stated. For more information, visit the web site at www.parker.com.

[ITEM UPDATED 4/2/12] Companies who need to source battery packs for all kinds of electronic systems and equipment may add the name of Belmatic Battery Systems (BBS) of Hanover, Ont., to their list of potential suppliers. BBS manufactures a comprehensive range of battery packs, including single-use packs, as well as a wide range of rechargeable packs, including nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, lithium ion and sealed lead acid. BBS offers sales and service direct and through dealers in Ontario and Eastern Canada. As well as providing off-the-shelf solutions, the company is interested in custom-designing solutions that will meet specific challenges. For more information, contact Belmatic Battery Systems, 638 12^th Avenue Unit 3, Hanover, ON N4N 2V6, tel. 519-364-7029, fax 1-888-318-0832.

Jeff Malinowski is now National Sales Manager for Cooper-Grainger and Technical Bearing Sales of Mississauga, Ont. He has a background in mechanical engineering from Ryerson University and the University of Waterloo, and an MBA from the University of Toronto. He has previously worked in various engineering roles with SKF Canada.