November/December

LMT News

EP Editorial Staff | November 1, 2008

News of people and events important to the Lubrication Management community

POLARIS EXPANDS ITS REACH WITH NEW CANADIAN OPERATIONS 
POLARIS Laboratories, one of the three largest fluid analysis laboratories in the United States, has expanded its business operations into Canada with the opening of a new testing laboratory in Edmonton, Alberta. The 4000-square foot facility is the company’s fourth to open since its headquarters began operations in Indianapolis in 1999. The company opened laboratories in Houston in 2003 and in Salt Lake City in 2006.

COASTAL TRAINING ACQUISITION GROWS DUPONT SAFETY OFFERINGS 
DuPont has acquired Coastal Training Technologies Corporation, a leading global producer and marketer of cutting-edge training programs, headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA. The transaction is expected to fuel significant growth for DuPont Safety Resources, a consulting business within the DuPont Safety & Protection segment. Terms of the agreement, which includes transfer of all customer agreements, patents, copyrights, brands, equipment and personnel, were not disclosed. The acquisition will allow DuPont, an established global leader in industrial safety services programs, to provide a broader mix of delivery systems to a growing global audience. Coastal Training Technologies, with offices in the United States, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, India and the Philippines, will gain access to DuPont’s broad customer network for its extensive library of training products.

The Coastal deal is part of DuPont’s strategy to expand its presence in emerging markets and safety industries. It complements the corporation’s current safety training and consulting business, creating a single-source training leader with the greatest variety of safety programs for companies, governments and organizations seeking training and consultation. 

Founded in 1984, Coastal Training Technologies Corporation has developed and markets an extensive offering of award-winning DVDs, e-learning products, print materials and instructor-led courses available in 29 languages. About a third of the company’s 600 employees reside in the United States.

ITT & MERCY CORPS PARTNER FOR WATER-RELATED DISASTER RELIEF 
ITT Corporation has announced a strategic partnership with Mercy Corps as part of ITT Watermark, the industrial giant’s corporate philanthropy program. Mercy Corps, a global relief and development agency, collaborates with the United Nations to implement water and sanitation solutions during worldwide disasters. The new partnership includes a three-year, $1 million commitment to help provide safe water during emergencies created by natural catastrophes such as floods, droughts and earthquakes. Under the arrangement, ITT, a leader in the transport and treatment of water, will support Mercy Corps’ relief and recovery efforts, which include the provision of dewatering and water purification equipment. In addition, ITT will aid Mercy Corps’ on-the-ground staff with rebuilding and recovery of water and sanitation infrastructure long after disaster strikes. As part of the its Watermark initiative, ITT has established an Emergency Response Committee responsible for the coordinated deployment of the corporation’s resources directly to disaster sites during water-related emergencies. The committee will work with Mercy Corps during the balance of 2008 to develop a plan for reducing risks and implementing turnkey emergency response protocol. 

COOPER INDUSTRIES UNVEILS STATE-OF-THE-ART TECH CENTER 
Cooper Industries is helping to celebrate its 175th anniversary with the grand opening of the Cooper Technology Center in Houston, TX. This first-of-its-kind, 35,000-square-foot facility features an auditorium, conference room and multiple training rooms designed to help facilitate industry-specific education and demonstrate the entire line of industrial solutions the company offers. Products from all of the eight Cooper divisions are represented in the Technology Center via dedicated displays and products used in the building design itself. A replica of an industrial operation helps complete the learning experience with more than 250 of Cooper’s industrial offerings installed as they would be in an actual refinery. Coupled with hands-on classrooms and curriculum reflecting the corporation’s vast expertise and global product offerings, the model refinery has been designed to serve as a highly practical learning environment for end-users, distributors and engineering and procurement professionals. 

According to Cooper CEO Kirk Hachigian, the corporation’s vision for the Technology Center came from industry’s thirst to keep current with the latest technology and products that facilitate increased productivity, enhanced energy efficiency and maximum safety for both workers and facilities. “Now,” he says, “professionals who design and build industrial facilities can see our entire industrial offering under one roof, from the newest lighting technologies and electrical fuses to transformers and energy automation solutions to mass notification systems.” In the past, Hachigian notes, a person would have to visit different Cooper facilities located across the country, including those in Syracuse, NY; Milwaukee, WI; Atlanta, GA; and Raleigh, NC; among others, to see the breadth of the company’s offering.

FLOWSERVE PLANT EARNS NQA-1 RATING 
Flowserve reports that its Cookeville, TN plant now has achieved Nuclear Quality Assurance Level 1 (NQA-1) qualification, which allows Flowserve’s valves to be used in the cleanup or remediation of contaminated facilities. The contaminants are collected and pumped to facilities where the vitrification process concentrates and fuses the radioactive materials into impermeable glassy solids, which can then be stored safely for thousands of years as the isotopes decay and ultimately become harmless.

ATP NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE EDITOR 
Rick Carter has joined Applied Technology Publications (ATP) as executive editor. Bringing more than 25 years of magazine experience to his new position, he is expected to play a key role in shaping the organization’s electronic editorial products, as well as its growing seminar and Webinar offerings. He also will support the overall editorial missions of Maintenance Technology and Lubrication Management & Technology magazines. Over the course of his career, Carter has served as editor-in-chief of both Advanced Design and Manufacturing and Industrial Maintenance and Plant Operation magazines, and as editorial director of Reed Business Information’s Manufacturing and Processing publishing group.

ASSOCIATION NEWS: NEW COMPRESSION PACKING MANUAL 
The Fluid Sealing Association (FSA) and European Sealing Association (ESA) have published a 116-page technical manual focused on the handling, installation and use of compression packing. Topics include how compression packing works; advances, types and manufacturing methods; packing materials and lubricants and proper packing selection. Valve, pump and specialty equipment packing, including application recommendations, also are discussed. A technical reference section addresses stuffing box design, valve stem friction and other factors that impact packing performance. Additionally, current standards, regulations and environmental legislation are reviewed. For details, visit www.fluidsealing.com or e-mail info@fluidsealing.com

 

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