Company Briefs (December 01, 2008)
• Diamond Chain Company, Indianapolis, IN, which designs and manufactures roller chain, has entered into a joint venture with the KMC Group, its long-time strategic partner and China's leading ro...
December 1, 2008 | By MRO Magazine
• Diamond Chain Company, Indianapolis, IN, which designs and manufactures roller chain, has entered into a joint venture with the KMC Group, its long-time strategic partner and China’s leading roller chain supplier. The joint venture, Diamond (Weifang) Power Transmission Company, will substantially expand Diamond Chain’s global operations. “Diamond brand ANSI products continue to be manufactured exclusively at Diamond Chain’s headquarters in Indianapolis, IN,” said Mike Swiderski, president. “Diamond’s British Standard and Sapphire brand products will now be manufactured by the joint-venture operations under the technical and manufacturing control of Diamond Chain management.”
• Pneumequip Inc., Cambridge, ON, has adopted a new operating name: Naylor Compressed Air Systems. The company will continue providing compressed air and vacuum system sales and service to its southern Ontario customer base. “Basically, only the name has changed,” says Naylor Compressed Air Systems president George O’Hearn. “All of our staff remains in place, as do the ISO 9001:2000 systems and procedures that give clients the assurance the job is being done right.” For 20 years, Pneumequip has been an authorized distributor for various brands in compressed air and vacuum systems.
• The Timken Company, Canton, OH, plans to expand production capacity at its Tyger River facility in Union, SC, to serve the wind energy market. The investment is part of a strategy to strengthen Timken’s position to serve growing global demand for highly engineered large-bore bearings that will help customers harness wind power to meet the energy needs of the future. Timken expects demand for large-bore bearings used in main-rotor shafts and gear drives in wind turbines to grow rapidly in the coming years as reliance on renewable energy increases. Expansion work at Timken’s Tyger River location will begin in 2009, with production currently slated for 2010.
• In another related announcement, Timken says it has broken ground on a new joint-venture wind energy plant to be built in China. Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (XEMC) is the other entity that is part of the joint-venture. The new company will produce ultra-large-bore bearings for large scale wind turbines, using advanced technology to help China meet its growing demand for alternative energy. The new US$38- million facility will be located in the city of Xiangtan in China’s Hunan province to manufacture high-performance bearings for the main shafts of wind turbines. Timken holds an 80% ownership stake in the joint venture with XEMC. Bearings produced at the facility are destined solely for the China region and are expected to be available in 2010.
• Drives LLC, Fulton, IL, has named Larry D. Burchfield as national accounts manager, oil and gas distribution, focused on the development of API USA roller chain sales across North America. He has been involved in the power transmission industry for over 38 years; nine years with two major manufacturers and 29 years working for a Fortune 500 power transmission distributor. He brings his experiences as branch manager, outside sales, product specialist and regional manager to the Drives team.
• Fluke Electronics Canada, Mississauga, ON, a provider of handheld electronic test and measurement technology, has taken a step to turn work into fun. The company’s parent, Fluke Corp., has unveiled the Fluke Challenge, an interactive video game set in an imaginary industrial workplace that makes it fun learning how Fluke thermal imaging technology helps solve system maintenance problems. As you scan the rooms and detect problems with the Fluke thermal imager, you can capture and save the images as you would in real life. Then you can report what you found to the boss and fix the problem. There’s a transformer that’s overloaded. Fuses overheated. A valve stuck shut. The more problems you find and fix, the more money you save, the higher your score … and the happier the boss. To try your hand at the Fluke Challenge, go to www.FlukeChallenge.com.
• IRISS Inc., Bradenton, FL, a manufacturer of industrial-grade infrared windows, reports that its VPFR infrared window has successfully passed a 50,000-amp, six-cycle arc resistance test conducted to the required IEC 62271-200 standards on marine switchgear at a test facility in Germany. Arc flash incidents are potentially catastrophic electrical short circuits that can produce temperatures in excess of 35,000F, causing explosions (arc blasts) that produce molten shrapnel carried by pressure waves measured in thousands of pounds of force. Standards organizations such as IEC and IEEE have prescribed test procedures to certify certain types of electrical distribution equipment, such as metal clad switchgear, “for resistance to the effects of arcing due to an internal fault.” Switchgear passing such tests with various accessories (such as infrared windows) in place are termed Arc Resistant by these standards, and are proven to contain the effects of arc blast, thereby minimizing additional destruction of plant assets and human life. For more information about arc ratings as they apply to infrared windows, visit www.iriss.com/arc-resistant.
• Amprobe Test Tools, Everett, WA, has recalled Amprobe brand digital clamp meter models ACD-10 PRO, ACD-10 TRMS-PRO, ACD-14 and ACD-14 TRMS (except those model numbers followed by any other postfix such as Ultra, Super, FX, Plus, etc.). The meters can fail to give an appropriate voltage reading, resulting in the operator believing the electrical power is off, which can pose a risk of shock, electrocution, or a thermal burn hazard. No injuries have been reported. About 5,000 units were sold in Canada by ES Gallagher from January 2002 to December 2006. Users should stop using these meters and contact Amprobe for a free replacement clamp meter at www.amprobe.com/recall or call at 1-800-350-8661.
• Altra IndustrialMotion, Braintree, MA, has published a new white paper entitled CriticalApplications In TheEnergy Industry. It outlines several of the firm’s product offerings for oil and gas drilling, coal production, coal-fired and nuclear power plant operations, and wind power generation. Global energy needs are projected to grow by 55% between 2005 and 2030, according to Altra’s white paper, yet it cites an industry source that estimates 80% of the world’s delivery system — the infrastructure required to gather, secure and distribute energy resources — is “badly in need” of rebuilding. For printed copies of the energy industry white paper, contact Laura Bawinkel at Altra Industrial Motion, 815-389-6336 or e-mail laura. bawinkel@altramotion.com.