July/August

LMT News

EP Editorial Staff | July 1, 2008

News of people and events important to the Lubrication Management community

TRICO CORPORATION ACQUIRES PREDICT USA

Trico has purchased Predict USA, of Cleveland, OH, a leading provider of predictive condition monitoring technologies including ferrography, lubricant analysis and vibration analysis. The acquisition will allow Trico to bring oil analysis and monitoring services in house and now offer a one-stop shop for all predictive lubrication management services to its clients. According to Trico’s president Nick Kroll, his company will strengthen the Predict’s ferrography services “Ferrography and the accompanying instrumentation is one of the niche Predict’s strengths,” he notes. “We’re looking to improve this part of the program, along with a host of other services.”

Predict will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Trico, but continue to operate under its current brand name.

SKF SET TO ACQUIRE PEER BEARING COMPANY

SKF has signed an agreement with the owners of U.S.-based PEER Bearing Company (PEER) to acquire PEER and its manufacturing operations in China and Thailand. Headquartered in Waukegan, IL, PEER primarily manufactures deep groove ball bearings and tapered roller bearings, most of which are sold to North American customers. According to SKF, the acquisition is expected to strengthen the corporation’s presence in certain North American market segments that it doesn’t currently serve, including Mechanical Power Transmission. PEER will continue to operate as a standalone business, acting independently on the market under its existing PEER brand.

The proposed transaction is subject to certain conditions to closing and requires approvals by relevant authorities.

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Bob Asdal, Hydraulic Institute, and Jane Alexander, Editor

Bob Asdal, executive director of the Hydraulic Institute (HI), visits with LUBRICATION MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY editor Jane Alexander, in St. Paul, MN, at the recent Industrial Energy Effi ciency Forum sponsored by Xcel Energy and Pump Systems Matter ™ (PSM). Launched in 2005 by 33 member companies of the Hydraulic Institute, PSM is a national educational initiative that works to help pump users gain competitive advantage through strategic, broad-based energy-management solutions.

The St. Paul forum on May 6 offered multiple presentation tracks focusing on the importance of looking at effi ciency from a systems perspective for Xcel Energy customers across a variety of industries. Incorporating countless real-world examples, the keynote presentations and nine workshops covered a range of issues related to business and reliability strategies, compressed air systems, motors and variable speed drives, life-cycle costing, pump system optimization, mechanical seals optimization, water and wastewater systems and more.

Co-sponsors of the day-long, information-packed event included some of the biggest names in the fi eld of energy-effi cient solutions for industry, including ITT Corporation, Baldor-Dodge-Reliance, Flowserve Corporation, Emerson Motors/US Motors, Emerson Control Techniques-Americas, John Crane International, Sundyne Corporation, AURORA Pump, Armstrong International, Inc. and Sullair Corporation, among others.

For more information on Pump Systems Matter and upcoming educational opportunities for your organization’s energy-effi ciency team, visit www.pumpsystemsmatter.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS: WATER ASSOCIATIONS & EPA RELEASE TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE UTILITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Six associations representing the U.S. water and wastewater sector, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have released a series of tools designed to help water and wastewater utilities advance effective management practices to achieve long-term sustainability. The tools are based on the “10 Attributes of Effectively Managed Utilities” and fi ve “Keys to Management Success” fi rst identifi ed in a report released by the group in May 2007. Since the release of that report, the “Findings and Recommendations for a Water Utility Sector Management Strategy,” the Effective Utility Management Collaborating Associations—the American Public Works Association (APWA), American Water Works Association (AWWA), Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), the Water Environment Federation (WEF)—and EPA have been working together to develop tools aimed at helping utilities assess their current operations and adopt best management strategies for improvement.

“These tools were developed by utility mangers for utility managers,” said WEF executive director Bill Bertera. “The Water Environment Federation is very gratifi ed to have been part of this important effort.” EPA assistant administrator for Water, Ben Grumbles commented that he considers the collaboration among the associations “to be one of the Agency’s most important accomplishments under our Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative” and “appreciates the water associations and utility advisors for their continuing leadership.”

The tools now available include the Effective Utility Management Primer for Water and Wastewater Utilities that is designed to help water and wastewater utility managers make practical, systematic changes to achieve excellence in utility performance. It was produced by water and wastewater utility leaders who also developed a series of suggested Utility Performance Measures focused on the Attributes to help utilities establish a performance baseline and begin to measure their progress. Finally, the group is releasing an online Resource Toolbox that contains links to key resources and tools. The new primer can be downloaded at no charge from each of the collaborating associations’ Websites or at www.watereum.org LMT


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