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JULY 2006 NEWS

 


Yokogawa Announces Incorporation of Canada Office

Yokogawa Corporation of America announced that its Calgary, Alberta, Canada office is now an incorporated division of the company known as Yokogawa Canada, Inc.

“We are pleased to be able to officially launch this branch of the company,” said John Bowron, President of Yokogawa Canada, Inc. “Yokogawa has always believed that a commitment made is a commitment kept. We promised when we opened the office a little over a year ago, that we would continue to build the infrastructure required to meet the rapidly growing demands of the Canadian marketplace.”

In alignment with the expansion of its industrial automation (IA) operations in North America, Yokogawa opened an engineering, sales, and service office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on January 15, 2005. The increasing number of Fortune 50 companies purchasing its products and services has validated Yokogawa’s vigilant approach to product quality and customer service in recent years. This approach, combined with Yokogawa’s clear strategy of targeting vertical and geographical markets, has spurred a growth of approximately 60% in the global market in the past six years.

The Yokogawa office is located at 30 Glendeer Circle SE, Suite 110, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2H 2Z7.

Yokogawa Corporation of America is the North American unit of $4 billion Yokogawa Electric Corporation, a global leader in the manufacture and supply of instrumentation, process control, and automation solutions. Headquartered in Newnan, Georgia, Yokogawa Corporation of America serves a diverse customer base with market-leading products including analyzers, flowmeters, transmitters, controllers, recorders, data acquisition products, meters, instruments, distributed control systems, and more.
For more information about Yokogawa Corporation of America, visit www.yokogawa.com/us/.

 

US firm Merck Expanding Singapore Production Facilities

US pharmaceutical giant Merck is expanding its production facilities in Singapore. It will pump in an additional S$100 million into its Singapore operations, bringing its overall investment in Singapore to over S$1 billion.

The new facilities at its existing 49-acre site in Tuas Biomedical Park are in the final stages of construction. They are scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of the year.

The Agency for Science, Technology & Research or A*STAR says Merck's latest investment underscores Singapore's position as a globally competitive strategic manufacturing site for the pharmaceuticals industry. Merck's Tuas plant was opened six years ago, with a 15,000 square metre formulation facility added in 2003.

The latest expansion is intended for the manufacture of new medicines that are currently in late stage development. These include medicines under development for the treatment of elevated cholesterol levels.

Visit Channel NewsAsia at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/index.htm for more Singapore news.

 

Renishaw Launches Czech Website and Thai Office

World leading metrology company Renishaw, has launched a new Czech language website to support the growth of its customer base in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The site contains details on the full range of Renishaw products, including CMM probe systems, touch probes and laser tool setters for CNC machine tools, linear and rotary encoders for position feedback, calibration systems for machine performance analysis, styli for touch probes, Raman spectroscopy systems and 3D digitizing products.

Located in Brno, Renishaw is run by general manager Josef Slama, who commented, “There are few international suppliers in the metalworking industry with Czech websites, serving to highlight Renishaw's commitment to educate and support its global customer base.”

Renishaw has opened a representative office in Bangkok to support its rapidly expanding customer base in Thailand. The company has seen good growth in many Thai industries that it supplies, but will be giving special focus to manufacturing enterprises serving the automotive, disk drive, mould/die and casting industries.

Paul Gallagher, Renishaw's general manager for South East Asia, said: 'Our Thai staff will be supporting the full range of Renishaw's market leading products, including CMM probe systems, touch probes and laser tool setters for CNC machine tools, linear and rotary encoders for position feedback, and calibration systems for machine performance analysis.' Gallagher, who will be responsible for the new operation, has worked with Renishaw in Asia for the last 13 years, and is currently based at Renishaw's Singapore office.

There are Renishaw web sites in 19 different languages. As well as the major European languages, web sites are also available in Korean, Traditional Mandarin, Simplified Mandarin, Russian, Swedish, Polish and Slovenian.

The Renishaw Group currently has 35 offices operating in 28 countries, with total employee numbers now approaching 2,000. Visit www.renishaw.com for more information.

 

Fabricating Carbon Nanotube Nanothermometers

All the other available techniques that are capable to measure temperature at the nanometer scale are limited by either that they are only workable in a very narrow temperature range or that they can only be applied in a special environment.

One particular problem to arise from both the continuing miniaturization of existing technologies and the advent of nanotechnologies is that conventional devices for temperature measurements, such as thermometers and thermocouples, are not capable of measuring the temperatures of these systems at the scale on which they operate. Thus, a pressing scientific problem is the need for a viable technique for measuring temperature at the nanoscale.

A previous approach in using carbon nanothermometers focused on a single nanothermometer and involved preliminary calibration in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) to record the initial level of the liquid Ga. The complexity of this approach is that the same nanothermometer needs to be found again after use to make the final reading in a TEM.

In a novel approach, researchers at the NANO Major National Research Facility based in the Australian Key Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis at the University of Sydney, and the Advanced Materials Laboratory at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan, came up with a one-step procedure without the need for any calibration process. It provides a simpler and, importantly, a far more reliable way to measure temperatures over a moderate temperature range at the nanometer scale.

Read the full story on the Nanowerk website found at www.nanowerk.com. Nanowerk is a leading nanotechnology information portal. Apart from its unique Nanomaterial Database™, with over 1,300 products from 90 suppliers, it provides the most complete nanotech events calendar; hundreds of links to universities, labs, researchers, associations, networks and international initiatives involved in nanotechnology; daily news; downloadable reports; and much more. The site includes a daily “Spotlight” section featuring Nanowerk-exclusive reviews and summaries of cutting-edge nanotechnology research by guest authors and Nanowerk editors. Nanowerk also publishes the nanoRISK newsletter – a constructive contribution to the debate about the potential risks of nanotechnology. (Article source: Newswire Today)

 

GTMA Metrology

2006 has been an 'action-packed' year already for GTMA Metrology Section, with developments including the appointment of a new Metrology chairman, John Adams, National Technical Manager, ASAP Calibration Service, the part-time secondment to GTMA of Colin Harper from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the creation of a new Metrology strategy and the organisation of a Metrology Road Show to be held in the autumn.

Unsurprisingly, with so much activity, the association has also attracted additional metrology members, including leading-light companies such as Coventry Gauge, Hexagon Metrology, PowerKut and Quality Gauging Systems. GTMA CEO Julia Moore, commented: 'Metrology is key to success in manufacturing today, yet it remains too often relegated to obscurity, due in large part to a general lack of understanding of the topic. GTMA is keen to raise the profile of metrology and has been actively pursuing policies that will bring the benefits of this much misunderstood science to a larger section of the engineering world. For some time we have been keen to work with NPL to raise awareness of measurement issues, so we were delighted to be able to arrange for Colin Harper, Industry Sales Manager at NPL, to join us on a part-time secondment, to act in the role of 'metrology champion'.

A workshop was held at NPL, subsequently supported by a GTMA member survey, to establish which areas of measurement technology and measurement related issues should be treated as priorities for the group. To learn more about GTMA visit their website at www.gtma.co.uk.

The GTMA Metrology Roadshow, which will take place later in the year will offer GTMA metrology members the opportunity to promote their products and services to an invited audience of potential purchasers including representatives from OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.

In addition, keynote speakers will be providing additional insights into the benefits of metrology in real world situations.

 

Tektronix Appoints Kuhnert to Vice President of EMEA Sales, Instruments Business

Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, announced that Hans-Peter Kuhnert has been appointed Vice President of Sales for its Instruments Business in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In his new role, Kuhnert will be responsible for managing the sales and support of all Instruments Business products, including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, real time spectrum analyzers, signal sources and video test and measuring instruments, as well as representing the company as a senior executive in the region.
Visit www.tektronix.com for more information.

 

Biohit Liquid Handling granted ISO 13485 Certification

Biohit’s Liquid Handling business has been certified for ISO 13485, the quality management standard for IVD (in vitro diagnostics) medical devices, by a notified body, Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

ISO 13485 quality standard is specific to medical device quality systems and supplements the more generic ISO 9001 standard that applies to many industries. Additional ISO 13485 requirements include those that are critical in the medical device industry (e.g. special processes, design controls, process controls including environmental, traceability, record retention and regulatory actions).

Biohit’s Diagnostics business was granted the ISO 13485 certificate already in 2003. Since then, Biohit has complied with the same quality system principles in the manufacture of our liquid handling products. Now Biohit is one of the few companies that are ISO 13485 audited and certified by a notified body for design, development, manufacture, marketing and sales of liquid handling products, including mechanical and electronic pipettors as well as pipettor tips. Most of the other liquid handling product manufacturers have self-certified their pipettors and tips.

Earning full ISO 13485 certification highlights Biohit´s commitment to manufacturing and delivering highest quality liquid handling and diagnostic products worldwide.

Biohit, as a leading edge, high quality company implements procedures where products and processes fulfill the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001 and ISO 17025 quality standards. All Biohit products are CE/IVD marked and supplied with individual Quality Control (QC) certificates. Visit www.biohit.com for more information.

 

Agilent Technologies Appoints New Distributors for Test and Measurement Products in Europe

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced the appointment of new distributors for its test and measurement products in Europe. These appointments will further strengthen Agilent's sales channel in Europe, especially for the company's expanding range of Basic Instruments.

Distribution agreements have been reached with the following companies in the respective countries:

  • Austria: Elsinger Electronic Handel Gmbh
  • France: Francaise d'Instrumentation-Distrame SA
  • Germany: Datatec Gmbh
  • Italy: Gould G.N. Sistemi srl and Pansystem srl
  • Sweden, Finland, Denmark: Elfa AB
  • Switzerland: Distrelec AG
  • United Kingdom: FarnellInOne, a division of Premier Farnell UK Ltd.
  • For catalog sales in Europe: FarnellInOne, a division of Premier Farnell UK Ltd.

The agreements will initially cover Agilent's range of basic power supplies, bench digital multimeters, connectivity solutions and the 3000 Series of oscilloscopes. Later this year, Agilent will expand the Basic Instruments portfolio with an additional range of products that will also be included in these agreements.

Each distributor will be responsible for sales of Agilent products within its designated country. In addition, FarnellInOne will have responsibility for catalog sales in Europe of Agilent products. Under the terms of the agreements, the designated products will only be sold via the new distributors.

Agilent senior executives and the distributors met to share strategies and plans at a Distribution Partnership Executive Forum hosted by Agilent in Stresa, Italy, June 29 - 30. "We had an excellent meeting with our new distributors at the executive forum," said Ueli Nussbaumer, Agilent distribution channel manager for Europe. "These agreements are an integral part of Agilent's overall channel strategy in Europe. By combining the strengths of Agilent's products with the ability of our distributors to service a broad customer base, we believe we will meet the needs of our customers for high quality products, affordability and rapid delivery."

For additional information about the distributor program contact Agilent at +31 (0) 20 547 2111 or contactcenter_benelux@agilent.com.

 

Commander of the Order of the British Empire - Dr Seton Bennett

Many congratulations to NPL’s Deputy Director, Dr Seton Bennett, who was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to International Metrology in the 2006 Birthday Honours List. The Honours list recognises people from across the UK who have made a real difference to society through exceptional achievement or service. Honours are awarded twice a year, in June and at the New Year.

Visit http://www.npl.co.uk/news-and-events/index.php?type=features&id=756 to learn more about Dr. Seton Bennett

More information about the award can be found at http://www.honours.gov.uk/lists/2006birthday.aspx.

 

Revision of FDA/EU GMP ISO Matrix – ECA Good Practice Guide

The European Compliance Academy (ECA) is announcing the revised ECA Good Practice Guide: "FDA cGMP, EU GMP and ISO 9001 Matrix for a pharmaceutical Quality System - A GMP Roadmap".

The Matrices help answer one of the essential questions within the framework of GMP harmonisation: Where exactly are the common traits and differences of EU GMP, US-FDA cGMP und ISO 9001? That is the question asked by globally operating companies that have to implement all three regulations.

The revised ECA Good Practice Guide is a comprehensive juxtaposition containing the requirements laid down in FDA's cGMP Guide, the EU GMP Guide and ISO 9001.

The Revision was necessary to consider the changes and amendments of the EU GMP Guide in the past months and to address the industry demand for the guidance document, e.g.:

  1. The second edition contains the EC GMP Guide in the new structure (Part I - Basic Requirements for Medicinal Products and Part II - Basic Requirements for Active Substances used as Starting Materials)
  2. EC GMP Guide Part 1 Chapter 1 Quality Management (revision October 2005 including product quality review)
  3. EC GMP Guide Part 1 Chapter 6 Quality Control (revision October 2005 including on-going stability
  4. EC GMP Guide Part 1 Chapter 8 Complaints and Product Recall (revision December 2005)
  5. EC GMP Guide Annex 19 Reference and Retention Samples (December 2005)
  6. The Matrix has been changed to comply with the revised EC GMP Guide

To finish reading the article visit www.gmp-compliance.org and click on the ‘News’ link.

The Good Practice Guide contains 2 Matrices - a FDA cGMP/EU Matrix and a GMP/ISO 9001 Matrix. The Matrix can be ordered from ECA for EUR 149 (Non-ECA Members) or EUR 99 (ECA Members). These prices exclude VAT, postage and packing. If you would like to purchase the GMP Matrix, please click here in order to download a fax form in PDF format.

 


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