Business Briefs (April 01, 2011)
April 1, 2011 | By MRO Magazine
- For the second year in a row, W.W. Grainger Inc., Chicago, IL, has been named the ‘most admired’ company among diversified wholesalers in Fortune magazine’s annual listing of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Every year, the magazine and the Hay Group, a management consulting firm, survey top executives, directors and financial analysts to identify companies that enjoy the strongest reputations within and across industries. Grainger, a broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products, serves more than two million businesses and institutions in 153 countries. “Acklands-Grainger is a wholly owned subsidiary of Grainger with proud roots in Canada dating back to 1889,” said Sean O’Brien, president, Acklands-Grainger, Richmond Hill, ON. “As the leading distributor of industrial, safety and fasteners products, our team takes great pride in helping businesses of all sizes in 175 communities from coast to coast to coast. This recognition reflects the important role we play helping Canadians stay safe on the job and keeping their facilities running efficiently.” In the 2011 World’s Most Admired Companies survey, participants ranked Grainger number one in the Diversified Wholesalers industry, giving the company the highest marks in all nine reputational criteria. In addition, Grainger ranked in the top 10 in several All-Star Global Categories: Management Quality, Use of Assets, Financial Soundness, and Quality of Products/Services.
- The Sept-Îles Chamber of Commerce presented its ‘Services aux grandes entreprises’ award to Kinecor LP earlier this year. Kinecor qualified for the honour after receiving votes from large enterprises in the region, including Wabush Mines, Aluminerie Alouette and the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC). This award is offered to the company that provides continuous quality service to the large enterprises in the area. “We’re very proud of this distinction and would like to congratulate Alain Labrie, branch manager of Kinecor Sept-Îles, and his team for their outstanding effort,” said Karim Asri, regional manager, Kinecor LP, Eastern Quebec. “It’s the synergy that drives the team to follow their motto: Service comes first!”
- The VRTEX 360, Lincoln Electric’s pioneering virtual reality welding system, has been recognized by the International Institute of Welding (IIW) with its 2011 Heinz Sossenheimer Award. The prize is open to modeling and simulation software covering any aspect of joining and allied processes. It recognizes that which has significantly contributed to the improvement of both the quality and safety of joining, cutting or surfacing operations. The VRTEX 360 is designed to allow students to practice their welding technique in a simulated environment. It promotes the efficient transfer of welding skills to the actual welding training booth while reducing material waste associated with traditional welding training. The combination of a realistic welding puddle simulation and an arc welding sound tied to the welder’s movement provides a realistic hands-on training experience.
- Visitors to www.timken.com, the website of The Timken Company, will find a refreshed design with lighter colours, an easier search function and more intuitive navigation – all resulting from an in-depth study of the site’s users. The update of the website also features an extensive new engineering platform packed with CAD drawings of the products referenced by part numbers that are most frequently requested by design engineers specifying Timken in their machinery.
- The London, ON-based EMC Purchasing Co-op Preferred Supplier for the Maintenance Repair and Operational (MRO) Products Category is IDI Independent Distributors Inc., Mississauga, ON. IDI is Canada’s largest network of Canadian distributors specializing in bearings, fluid power products, industrial supplies, janitorial supplies, power transmission products and safety supplies. The EMC member-owners who participated on the selection committee were impressed by the overall IDI National Accounts program. IDI’s network of industrial distributors, with over 250 branch locations, means most EMC Purchasing Co-op member-owners will have multiple IDI members to choose among in their local areas. “We get what EMC Purchasing Co-op is doing and fully support it,” says Scott Bebenek, IDI president. “We are confident that this initial three-year deal will turn into a much longer-lasting relationship that all will benefit from for many years to come.”
- New Members who have recently joined IDI Independent Distributors Inc. include: Ampro Electric Ltd., London, ON (in the power transmission category); Celtic Industrial Tools & Repair Ltd., Edmonton, AB (industrial supplies and safety); Industrial Sales, Wabush, NL (industrial supplies and safety); Soucie Salo Safety Inc., Sudbury, ON (safety); and Steele Industrial Supplies, North Bay, ON (industrial supplies, power transmission, hose, rubber, fittings and safety).
- With industry under scrutiny as never before over illegal oil and grease discharges, Thordon Bearings has launched a new website giving new technical information, references, success stories and videos, and providing solutions to eliminate oil and grease from bearings. Visitors can view Thordon oil- and grease-free bearing information related to their industry. Also featured is a news section featuring the latest application stories and articles about oil- and grease-free bearing solutions. The site is at www.thordonbearings.com.
- Bosch Rexroth Canada was recently recertified by the Bosch Rexroth manufacturing plants as a Service Centre of Competence. This certification recognizes the facilities located in Welland, ON, Burnaby, BC, Edmonton, AB, Longueuil, QC, and Dartmouth, NS, as the only authorized service facilities for Bosch and Rexroth hydraulic products in Canada.
- Global packaging machinery demand will rise 4.7% yearly through 2014, driven mainly by gains in developing nations. In developed areas, demand will rebound after a period of decline. Beverages will be the fastest growing market, while labelling and coding, and filling and form/fill/seal machines will be the fastest growing products, according to a new Freedonia study that analyzes the $28.6-billion world packaging machinery industry. The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 40 industry players, including Krones, Bosch Packaging Technology and Tetra Laval. For more information, visit www.freedoniagroup.com.
- In June, Viking Pump will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a celetration at its headquarters in Cedar Falls, IA. The company will hold tours of the Viking Pump museum to mark the occasion. In 1886, Jens Nielsen, the founder of the company, invented the ‘internal gear’ pumping principal while designing a pump that would remove excess water from his limestone quarry. The Viking Pump Co. was founded in 1911 to produce pumps based on his designs.
- Peerless Electric, Montreal, QC, has announced that the Lumitech Group, also of Montreal and headed by René Globensky and Jim Adcock, will be the agency representing the Peerless line in the Greater Montreal Area, South Shore to Eastern Townships, including Trois Rivieres and the North Shore to Mont-Tremblant.
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