Energy-efficient 1600-hp motor has been developed

Rockwell Automation of Greenville, S.C., recently presented an overview of the company’s energy efficiency initiative to U.S. government delegates at the Rockwell Automation Advanced Development Laboratory in Euclid, Ohio. The presentation included a demonstration of a high-temperature superconducting Reliance motor (HTS), operating at 1,600 hp, the largest motor of its type ever to be demonstrated.

After the tour of the superconducting lab, Rick Payton, director, motor marketing, Rockwell Automation, spoke on the savings associated with the use of energy-efficient systems in industry, as well as the future of superconducting technology.

“We have entered the 21st century with an energy crisis,” commented Payton. “The electric motor consumes over 60 per cent of the total industrial demand for power, as it converts electric energy to the mechanical energy necessary to do work. Improving electric motor efficiency will reduce power costs, and consideration of more efficient mechanical components driven by that motor will reduce them even further.”

Dave Petro, business manager, Reliance Electric drives, Rockwell Automation, revealed another energy-saving opportunity through the use of a variable-speed pump demonstrator. This demonstrator depicts the significant energy consumption reduction possible by varying the speed of a motor to control flow instead of using a valve in the system.

“Pumping is industry’s largest application, and the use of adjustable speed drives to control flow offers industrial users more than energy savings,” Petro explained. “The variable frequency drive scales the system to fit the flow required so no energy is wasted.”

Current Rockwell products include Reliance premium efficient electric motors, Reliance variable-speed drives and high efficiency Dodge helical bevel gear products, along with power and energy management software and services from Rockwell Automation.

SIEMENS CANADA TO MARKET CNC PRODUCTS DIRECTLY

Siemens Canada Ltd., Mississauga, Ont., and Siemens Energy & Automation (USA) have formed a new Canadian-based sales, support and marketing services organization for Computer Numeric Control (CNC) products. It provides Canadian customers with local contacts for orders, service and technical assistance.

“The establishment of local marketing and sales resources reflects a growing CNC business in Canada. This market has previously been served by the Motion Control Systems Group of Siemens Energy & Automation located in Elk Grove Village, Ill., and South Lebanon, Ohio,” said Guenter Brecheis, senior vice-president, Siemens Canada.

He noted that a recent study by the ARC Advisory Group, a manufacturing technology consulting firm, has ranked Siemens AG as the top supplier in the global CNC market. “In Canada we plan to build on this position of leadership to expand the products and services we offer to the Canadian market even further,” said Brecheis.

“We will also benefit from being in close proximity to the worldwide centre of competence for PC-based CNC platforms that Siemens has created in the U.S. This expertise will continue to be available to the Canadian market,” he added.

INTERNET SYSTEM WORKS FOR LOCAL OR REMOTE MONITORING OF EQUIPMENT

Siemens Canada Ltd., Mississauga, Ont., plans tointroduce an embedded web server for its Internet Control System (ICS) known as Procidia. The server is the first to be capable of automatically generating hypertext markup language (HTML) displays that are representative of the controller configuration. It consists of a communications card that can be added to an existing controller.

Automatic generation of displays reduces the engineering time and effort required to develop human/machine interface (HMI) displays for local or remote monitoring. It is also suitable for remote monitoring and control where full details of an application are needed and can thus be provided through the HTML display.

The web server can be used to automatically create standard faceplates for various loops, including controllers, sequencers, analogue displays, pushbuttons, and discrete inputs.

Applications for the server include in-plant remote monitoring over Ethernet, monitoring and control of distant processes via the Internet or using Internet technology with direct dial connections, and remote service and technical support.

The product will be marketed in Canada by the process automation sales unit of Siemens Canada.

SKF AND GOODYEAR CREATE INDUSTRIAL POWER TRANSMISSION ALLIANCE

SKF and Goodyear have created an alliance to provide value-added service to the industrial power transmission market in Brazil.

The Power Transmission Alliance is an association between the two companies with the mission to provide customized solutions to optimize industrial manufacturing performance for their customers. The agreement covers joint activities in products and services, sales, training, logistics and marketing.

Solution kits provided by the alliance aim to create the possibility to improve the performance of industrial machinery and systems involving services and products, such as bearings, seals, aligning and monitoring equipment, lubricants, tools, belts, pulleys and hoses.

“Forming this alliance with Goodyear furthers our initiative in the marketplace to provide industrial customers with a complete range of maintenance services. Goodyear’s leadership brings complementary technical expertise and product knowledge that will allow the alliance to provide a more complete package,” said Alrik Danielson, managing director of SKF do Brasil.

“The Power Transmission Alliance reinforces the strategy of Goodyear and SKF to provide innovative solutions that add value to our customers,” said Renaldo Calderini, managing director, Goodyear Engineered Products Latin America.

IMPACT OF INTEREST RATES ON COMPANY SPENDING VARIES WIDELY, STUDY REPORTS

How are falling interest rates affecting corporate spending? It depends on whom you ask, suggests a new survey by a Calgary consulting firm.

While 36 per cent of Canadian chief financial officers (CFOs) surveyed cited interest rates as having no impact on business expenditures, nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of respondents said prevailing rates are factored into their purchasing decisions. Twenty-six per cent of those polled noted that interest rates have a significant impact on how they spend their firms’ money.

CFOs were asked, “How much of an impact do interest rates have on the purchasing decisions you make for your company?” Their responses:

Significant impact – 26%

Somewhat of an impact – 36%

No impact – 36%

Don’t know/no answer – 2%.

The survey was developed by RHI Management Resources, a Calgary consulting firm used by senior-level accounting and finance professionals on a project basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 295 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with more than 20 employees.

While many consumers are affected by interest rates when acquiring loans or mortgages, so are most businesses when planning for major acquisitions and other purchases, said David King, regional manager of RHI. “Financial executives are continually challenged with projecting company expenses. External factors, such as interest rates, taxes and inflation, are typically considered by CFOs in evaluating expenditures as these additional costs can influence their spending behaviour.”

RHI, based in Menlo Park, Calif., has locations in major cities throughout North America, Europe and Australia, and offers on-line job search services at www.rhimr.com.

MACHINERY OVERHAUL PART OF NAVY SHIP MAINTENANCE CONTRACT IN HALIFAX

A $9.4-million competitive contract for maintenance and repair work on the HMCS Athabaskan has been awarded to Les Chantiers Maritime Irving Shipbuilding Corporation (operating as the Halifax Shipyard).

It will create 85 jobs and maintain an additional 30 until the end of June 2002. The contract was awarded on behalf of the Department of N
ational Defence (DND).

“Government of Canada contracts such as this one for maintenance work on naval ships ensure that these vessels continue to operate efficiently and cost-effectively,” said federal public works and government services minister Alfonso Gagliano.

The HMCS Athabaskan is a command and control ship for a Canadian Naval Task Group and has upgraded air defenses and improved communications and sensor systems. The vessel will be drydocked in Halifax Shipyard. The work, which will commence in early October, includes cleaning and painting the ship’s hull, making specialized equipment repairs, and carrying out a standard machinery overhaul and upgrades to various ship systems.