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DECEMBER 2002 INDUSTRY NEWS

 

National Instruments and Tektronix Host Joint Hands-On Seminars Throughout 2003

Industry leaders demonstrate virtual instrumentation using open Windows oscilloscopes. National Instruments and Tektronix, Inc. continue their collaboration to solve design engineers' application challenges with a series of hands-on technical seminars demonstrating NI LabVIEW development software running on Tektronix open Windows® oscilloscopes. The companies began the joint road show last week in California and plan to extend the seminars worldwide throughout 2003.

A leader in measurement and automation software for more than 15 years, NI recently teamed up with Tektronix, the worldwide oscilloscope leader, to create an unmatched, integrated solution for design engineers. By integrating NI LabVIEW with Tektronix open Windows oscilloscopes, engineers optimize productivity while taking advantage of maximum system flexibility.

"The NI and Tektronix road show gives engineers the opportunity to learn how they can extend the capabilities of our open Windows oscilloscopes using LabVIEW," said Colin Shepard, vice president and general manager, oscilloscope products, Tektronix. "By combining the advanced analysis and automation capabilities of the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment with the exceptional signal fidelity of Tektronix' oscilloscopes, engineers can create custom measurement applications and more efficiently automate tests."

The hands-on seminars feature product demonstrations by NI and Tektronix technical experts and an opportunity for engineers to use the LabVIEW-enabled oscilloscopes. Engineers learn to create custom analysis and custom user interfaces for specific oscilloscopes; automatically monitor and control NI LabVIEW virtual instruments (VIs) across the Internet; and instantly publish data to Microsoft Office applications, HTML or XML reports, and databases.

"Integrating with Tektronix oscilloscopes is just one way LabVIEW eases the transition of a design as it moves from research to production," said John Graff, NI vice president of marketing. "By integrating with leading design tools, such as the latest Tektronix high-performance oscilloscopes, LabVIEW analysis, visualization, and report generation capabilities help engineers more efficiently solve design challenges."

To learn more about LabVIEW running on open Windows oscilloscopes or to download an evaluation version of NI LabVIEW, scope-specific example VIs, and a ready-to-run LabVIEW application for use on Tektronix open Windows oscilloscopes, visit ni.com/tek.

 

PITTCON 2003

Also known as the Pittsburgh Conference - is the largest and most inclusive conference and exposition on laboratory science and instrumentation in the world. The annual event brings together more than 25,000 conferees and exhibitors from more than 120 countries. It all happens in Orlando, Florida on March 9-14, 2003.

World's Largest Lab Products & Instrumentation Expo - If a company supplies laboratory instrumentation, equipment, supplies, or services, chances are you'll find them at PITTCON 2003. There's no better place to see the "latest and greatest," to comparison shop and to speak directly with your suppliers' technical and sales people. The exposition is also a great place to get together with other equipment users to share knowledge and trade operating tips for specific techniques and applications.

Short Courses for Professional Development - With more than 80 topics to choose from, PITTCON's in-depth, professional-quality Short Courses can be valuable, yet affordable, opportunities for continuing education. Topics include many areas of physical science, computer applications, quality assurance, statistics, food, pharmaceutical science and other technical areas.

The PITTCON program has grown to include nearly 3000 technical presentations in various formats. The program will kick off with a Sunday afternoon Plenary Lecture presented by Fred McLafferty. Over the next five days, nearly 250 of the world's leading analytical scientists, representing academia, industry, and government, will give award addresses and invited talks. A wide selection of contributed oral and poster presentations will complement numerous workshops, UMIX sessions, and short course offerings.

Pre-registration deadline is February 2, 2003. Visit www.pittcon.org for more information.

 

A2LA Signs IAAC Recognition Arrangement

On October 24, 2002, A2LA joined INMETRO of Brazil and SCC of Canada in signing the newly established Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA).

The Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation is a relatively new regional cooperation of accreditation, certification and inspection bodies, as well as representatives from testing and calibration laboratories and other interested parties from countries in North and South America. Similar to APLAC and EA, IAAC's main objective is to facilitate commercial exchange among the member nations or blocs of nations in the economies it serves through a system of recognition arrangements of various types of conformity assessment bodies.

By signing the arrangement, A2LA, SCC and INMETRO agree to formally recognize and promote the equivalency of each other's laboratory accreditations. Since these three bodies already recognize each other under the ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), this first signing is largely symbolic but forms the foundation for expanding recognition in the Americas. Additional IAAC member accreditation bodies in the Americas are preparing for formal IAAC on-site evaluations and expect to be invited to sign the MLA once all requirements are met. Once this happens, A2LA accreditations will become more widely recognized.

To learn more about IAAC visit the IAAC web site at http://www.ibpinetsp.com.br/iaac/.

 

ISA Technical Conference Series - Using the GAMP Model for cGMP Compliance

ISA's Food & Pharmaceutical Industries Division, ISA's Computer Technology Division and the Tarheel Capital Area Section are sponsoring a Using the GAMP Model for cGMP Compliance training seminar, conference and product showcase on January 14-15, 2003 at ISA Headquarters in Research Triangle Park, NC.

GAMP (Good Automated Manufacturing Practices) ensure the safety and quality of products, equipment and services for the Food & Pharmaceutical Industries. GAMP provides a guideline for cGMP Compliance (Current Good Manufacturing Practices). cGMAP is a set of regulations that are mandated by the FDA.

Who should attend: Process Control Engineers
Validation Specialists
 QA Experts
Anyone involved in the installation of PLC, SCADA, DCS, or MES
Project Managers
Integrators
Consultants

Conference speakers will share some of their real case experiences and participate in a lively panel session on January 15. Topics for discussion will include GMP Audits, Keys for Compliance, Validation and much more. The co-chairs are Dennis Brandl & John Clark.

The Product Showcase on January 15 will feature software, equipment, and publications that can help you comply with cGMP. For availability contact Richard Arriola at rarriola@isa.org. The last day to pre-register online is January 14, 2003.

For more information visit www.isa.org.

 

New NIST Color Reference More Than a Shade Improved

A new reference instrument for measuring the surface color of materials with high accuracy has been developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Optical Technology Division, which plans to offer a calibration service for 0 degrees/45 degrees industrial color standards starting in January 2003. Because color often plays a major role in the acceptability of a product, this service is designed to meet a demand for improved measurements and standards to enhance the color matching of products.

The new reference colorimeter measures with the best possible accuracy a non-fluorescent sample's spectral reflectance properties, from which color quantities are calculated. The instrument design can perform measurements at all possible combinations of illumination and viewing angles, which is important for accurate image rendering. In addition, the standard 0 degrees/45 degrees geometry (illumination at 0 degrees and viewing at 45 degrees) is highly automated through the use of a sample wheel with a capacity of 20 samples.

The new calibration service will be NIST's first for color measurement in many years, a response to needs articulated in recent reports of the Council for Optical Radiation Measurements. This new service complements ongoing services in reflectance, transmittance, and specular gloss. Industrial customers are expected to send samples (typically colored tiles) to NIST for measurement, and then use these samples as standards to calibrate their own instruments. Users then typically convert a spectral reflectance measurement into the color coordinate system used by that particular industry.

For more information, contact Maria Nadal, (301) 975-4632, maria.nadal@nist.gov.

 

Ruska Opens Service Center in Germany

Ruska, a leading provider of pressure test and calibration instruments and service is pleased to announce that European customers can now take advantage of the Ruska parts and service center recently opened in their office in Germany. This particular center has a full time staff of certified, fully trained engineers and technicians available to support Ruska products in addition to a substantial inventory of replacement parts.

For additional information, contact Ruska, or the European Service Center directly at:
GE Druck
Messtechnik GmbH
Auf dem Hohenstein 7 61231 Bad Nauheim
Tel: +49 6032 93300 Fax: +49 6032 933080
druck.gmbh@druck.com

The establishment of this Service Center is a reflection of Ruska's continuous effort to provide the highest level of support and service to their customers around the world.

 

News From NVLAP

Barbara Belzer has joined NVLAP to serve as a Program Manager in the Calibration Laboratories Accreditation Program. She comes to NVLAP from NIST's Semiconductor Electronics Division in the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory where, for 16 years, she was responsible for the measurements and certification of a Standard Reference Material (SRM). Her experience has included not only the measurements, but the technical interaction with the SRM customers.

Barbara also coordinated an interlaboratory study and was the NIST principal investigator in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, both of which expanded the range or traceability to NIST of thin dielectric films. She recently worked with the staff of the Office of Microelectronics Programs at NIST, which coordinates the semiconductor metrology efforts across NIST, in meeting the challenges of the International Technical Roadmap for Semiconductors.

Barbara is a veteran of the United States Navy where she was responsible for the maintenance and repair of Navy Tactical Data Systems. She will share responsibilities with Stephen Doty for the day-to-day handling of the assessment of Calibration Laboratories.

 

Quametec Proficiency Testing Services Available January 1, 2003

Quametec Corporation is proud to announce the opening of "Quametec Proficiency Testing Services" (QPTS). Starting January 1, 2003 QPTS will be open for business. An application for Proficiency Testing Accreditation has been submitted to A2LA.

Located in Columbia City, Indiana, QPTS will be providing Proficiency Testing Services for Calibration, Testing, and Inspection Laboratories. With an aggressive plan to offer a large battery of available tests, QPTS will begin by offering at least the following proficiency tests: Capacitance 100, 300pF (100Hz - 100kHz)
Inductance 500 mH, 5H (100Hz - 1kHz)
Resistance 100 ohm
Frequency 10MHz Rubidium
PRT Thermometers 0-400C
Torque Wrenches, Dial, Click, and Electronic, 20 in lb - 100 ft lb
Micrometers and Calipers
Thermocouples
Temperature Controller (thermocouple)
Multi-meters (up to 8.5 digit)
Many others to be added soon

For more information visit Quametec online at www.quametec-pt.com.

 

New Leasing Program Announced

GE Druck, Ruska and Pressurements, leading manufacturers of pressure measurement, test and calibration equipment are pleased to announce a new leasing program. Through our new relationship with General Electric (GE Druck, Ruska and Pressurements are now part of GE Measurement and Sensing Technologies), we can provide customers with a variety of options for leasing or financing their purchase of our full line of test and calibration instrumentation.

The new leasing option is available on a variety of products including precision digital pressure indicators, automated digital pressure controller/calibrators, in addition to portable and laboratory primary pressure standards to US customers. As the leasing program is expanded, this option will be available to customers around the world.

GE Vendor Financial Services (GE VFS), a global provider of leasing solutions to manufacturers and end users, offers very competitive rates and flexible terms. This will allow customers to purchase new instruments and upgrade older equipment to the latest technology, thus taking advantage of improved performance and additional features without incurring large, up-font capital expenditures.

Contact GE Druck, Ruska or Pressurements for additional information on this exciting new program.

 

ANSI Online Relaunch Set for January 2, 2003

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has had a presence on the Internet for many years, utilizing the speed and convenience of electronic communication to provide current, practical and powerful standards-relevant information and services. On January 2, 2003, ANSI members and the World Wide Web community will see the results of a year-long overhaul of ANSI Online, redesigned to bring greater benefit and services to all visitors to the Institute's website.

Besides a new look and feel and greatly improved navigation, the renovation will add both functionality and content. A new document library and archive system featuring excellent search and browsing capabilities allows for ANSI members or the general public, as appropriate, to retrieve electronic copies of meeting minutes, reports or other publications at their convenience. This is enabled by an improved security system facilitating access to critical information for the designated representatives of ANSI members and members of certain ANSI boards, committees or forums. A new voting module within the Members Only sections will expedite voting and comment submission procedures.

"Given the ever-increasing importance of the Internet as an information resource, the entire ANSI staff has been devoting time and effort to the development of a new version of the ANSI Online website," said Dr. Mark W. Hurwitz, ANSI president and CEO. "We look forward to its launch and the enhanced functionality it will offer ANSI's constituents and members."

Site access information (including individual user identification codes and passwords) will be sent via e-mail to all registered ANSI member contacts in mid-December. For more information, or to arrange access for additional member representatives, please e-mail ANSI member services at membership@ansi.org.

The new site will go live on January 2, 2003 at www.ansi.org.

 

Alan Bryden appointed Secretary-General of ISO

Alan Bryden, currently Director General of France's national standardization institute, AFNOR, has been appointed Secretary-General of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) by the unanimous decision of ISO Council, meeting in Geneva on 14-15 November 2002.

His designation comes at a point when international standardization is called on to respond to the globalization of trade, the issues posed by new challenges such as sustainable development, and the requirements of the information society.

ISO is in a unique position to provide International Standards based on consensus among the economic stakeholders, while taking into account the needs of developing countries. Today, there are nearly 14 000 ISO standards addressing all economic sectors. ISO is composed of the national standards institutes of 145 countries large and small, industrialized and developing, in all regions of the world. AFNOR is the member for France.

Since Alan Bryden took up the leadership of AFNOR in October 1999, he has undertaken a thorough transformation of the organization. AFNOR today is a group of services with an extended scope of standardization and a wide-ranging participation in international standardization. In addition to the creation of certification, and training and consulting subsidiaries, AFNOR has become a true "e-enterprise" in all its business activities.

Alan Bryden takes up the post of ISO Secretary-General on 1 March 2003.

The post of Secretary-General of ISO became vacant after the death of Dr. Lawrence D. Eicher on 21 March. Dr. Christian J. Favre, who has been serving as Acting Secretary-General, has been appointed Secretary-General until Mr. Alan Bryden takes office.

 

Presenters at First Annual Thomas Weisel Partners Test & Measurement Conference

Presentations at the Thomas Weisel Partners Test & Measurement Conference will be broadcast live over the Internet on December 11 at 2:05 p.m. (ET). The test and measurement companies LeCroy Corporation, Newport Corporation and National Instruments will be presenting at the conference.

The Webcast can be accessed at the following: http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/twp/testing-measurement-2002/77109118.cfm.

LeCroy President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Reslewic and Chief Financial Officer Raymond Kunzmann will discuss plans to leverage the Company's technology advantage in WaveShape Analysis - the acquisition and analysis of complex electronic signals - into state-of- the-art products for the billion-dollar oscilloscope market. To access a live Webcast of the presentation on December 11, visit LeCroy's investor relations section at www.lecroy.com at least 15 minutes prior to the event broadcast.

The webcasts will also be available on Newport's website at www.newport.com/investors and National's site at http://www.ni.com/nati/factsheet/calendar.htm.

 

Quametec chosen By World Bank For Special Project

Quametec Corporation has been chosen by the World Bank and the Government of Ghana, Africa to assist the Ghana Standards Board in achieving ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. This is the first step in an on-going program managed by Quametec. The program will also include the establishment of a National Accreditation Body, ISO9000 Registar and a Product Certification body under the control of the Ghanaian government.

Several sub-contractors will be assisting Quametec in this project, such as the Assay and Gemology Office of the UK, whom will manage the development of the Gold Hallmarking Program for Ghana.

Quametec is pleased to be able to assist countries in overcoming trade barriers related to ISO/IEC 17025.

 

Accreditation and Quality Assurance Journal

The Accreditation and Quality Journal publishes, in a strictly practice-oriented manner, scientific and technical contributions, short communications, discussion and position papers as well as other information on all aspects relevant to quality and reliability in chemical measurement.

The journal gives special attention to border crossing and transnational problems and to problem solving for practitioners, e. g. accreditation practice and implementation of quality assurance schemes in all laboratories involved in chemical measurement.

The journal also aims at providing an information forum for the exchange of views and to foster cooperation between all national and international bodies operating in the fields of accreditation, certification, validation, quality assurance and traceability. The journal will focus on the following topics: - accreditation - certification - ISO/IEC 17025 - ISO 9000 series - GLP/GMP - quality assurance - traceability - measurement uncertainty - validation - calibration - proficiency testing - reference materials - definitions - quantities and units.

For additional information on the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Journal, please visit: http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/00769/aims.htm.

 

Innovations to Improve Industrial Temperature Measurement

How hot (or cold) is your industrial processing environment? Thermodynamic temperatures are difficult to measure, and new techniques are continually being developed to make the mathematical formulas in the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) more closely represent the laws of nature. Recent innovations by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Physics and Chemical Science and Technology (CSTL) laboratories are among the advances working toward new and improved reference thermometers for industry and research.

One of the new CSTL techniques uses acoustic thermometry, which involves measuring the speed of sound waves in a basketball-sized acoustic resonator filled with gas, and then using this value and fundamental physical properties to calculate temperature. The result will be a two-fold reduction in uncertainty in future temperature scales-over the range 273 to 800 Kelvin (roughly from 0 degrees Celsius to 530 degrees Celsius)-improving NIST's calibrations of the standard platinum resistance thermometers widely used in industry.

In an effort to reduce uncertainties at much higher temperatures, NIST's Physics Laboratory is developing sensors and methods to improve radiation (or non-contact) thermometry. The sensors under development, called absolute pyrometers, are calibrated in a process that determines optical power by comparison to electrical power. Planned improvements in radiation thermometry will be achieved by accurately measuring the temperature of a "blackbody" (a test source that absorbs almost all radiant energy with no reflection) operating at the freezing point of a particular metal.

These techniques were among the many topics discussed at the recent 8th International Temperature Symposium, which was co-sponsored by NIST and the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society. The symposium has been held about every 10 years since 1919. Participants from 32 countries made more than 210 presentations on real-world measurement problems, new techniques and improved understanding of established techniques.

Proceedings from the meeting will be published in the near future. For more information, contact Dean Ripple, (301) 975-4801, dean.ripple@nist.gov.

 

Web-Based Vibration Training Update

I would like to thank those of you who participated in my first session last October 15. It turned to be a great success, although we learned that we had a limit of 100 people per session. If you missed the October 15 program, please visit http://www.vibrationandshock.com/course2.htm.

My next sessions will happen on: December 3, 2002 - Measurement and Analysis
Jan 21, 2003 - Vibration Aspects of Reliability Enhancement via HALT, ESS and HASS

All the programs will be presented at 10:00 a.m. central time.

These live, interactive 30-45 minute free sessions are offered by The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) in conjunction with Bruel & Kjaer.

In order to participate you only need a computer with Internet access. If you would like to interact in the live programs, you will also need a telephone to call in. You can participate from your office, home or wherever you might be. You will receive a certificate from IEST indicating your participation in the training.

In order to join the sessions, first download the software. Please login to bkhome.webex.com (no www). Then go to set up, to download the software (it may take between 2 and 15 minutes). Clear your temporary Internet files, before you login, to avoid any conflicts. It's best to have a fast Internet connection rather than a modem. However, a modem will work. Follow the on-screen instructions to participate in scheduled, ongoing, web-based training sessions. You don't need to register in advance. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection to login and participate in the sessions. To interact via voice, you'll need to call in. A telephone number to call will appear on the screen when you login.

Please check our websites (www.equipment-reliability.com and www.vibrationandshock.com) for updates on these mini-training sessions. I hope to meet you there!
Best wishes, Wayne Tustin

 

Agilent Technologies Reports Fourth Quarter Results At Breakeven

Agilent Technologies Inc. reported orders of $1.50 billion and net revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter ended Oct. 31, 2002. On an operating earnings-before-goodwill (EBG) basis, the company lost $2 million, or $0.00 per share. This compares with prior company expectations of an EBG loss of $0.10 to breakeven per share on revenues of $1.60 to $1.70 billion. After $92 million of non-cash goodwill and amortization charges and $256 million of restructuring expenses, the net fourth quarter GAAP loss was $236 million, or $0.51 per share.

"Our fourth quarter breakeven performance demonstrates that our drive to restore Agilent to financial health is succeeding," said Ned Barnholt, Agilent president and chief executive officer. "I'm gratified by these results, which are at the top end of our expectations, and I couldn't be more proud of our Agilent employees who made this happen. These results demonstrate that the disruptions in the third quarter from the implementation of our new company-wide ERP system are behind us."

Barnholt noted that fourth quarter performance improvements were widespread. "Our Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis and our Semiconductor Products groups were solidly profitable, as was our Automated Test Group. The operating loss in the rest of our test and measurement businesses was reduced by more than $130 million compared to last year or the prior quarter."

Order cancellations were stable again in the fourth quarter at about $90 million and were well below last year's $250 million. Balance sheet improvements also continued in the fourth quarter, with inventories lower by about 25 and 30 days, compared to last year and the prior quarter, respectively. Capital spending in the quarter was about $90 million, bringing full year spending to only $300 million, compared to $880 million in 2001.

"We achieved about $1.2 billion of annualized savings from our prior restructuring programs and finished the year with a normalized quarterly breakeven cost structure of about $1.65 billion," Barnholt said. "However, as we indicated three months ago, the wireline telecom markets are continuing to decline and a recovery in that market is not expected for some time. We have also seen at least a pause in the recovery of the semiconductor and associated semiconductor capital equipment markets. In August we announced we would initiate additional actions in the fourth quarter to further reduce structural costs while ensuring we protect those programs critical to future growth."

As a result, in the fourth quarter the company accrued about $133 million of cash restructuring expenses and took asset impairment charges of about $123 million. Agilent expects additional charges of about $20 million in the first quarter. The savings from these steps should drive Agilent's breakeven below $1.6 billion by the middle of 2003.

"At the same time, we are continuing to invest in the future," said Barnholt."We spent $1.1 billion on R&D in fiscal 2002, introduced a record number of new products, and substantially outpaced the growth of our markets. This year, we'll spend another $1 billion on R&D, leveraging our share gains and taking full advantage of any recovery in our markets."

"The outlook for fiscal 2003 is highly dependent on the pace of recovery in our markets," Barnholt said. "The most recent industry forecasts, along with our continued new product successes, would suggest a revenue increase of 5 to 10 percent, consistent with the range of most analyst projections. While we're comfortable with the consensus earnings projections for 2003, there may be some slight upside based on Agilent's success in reducing structural costs and in beginning to realize the benefits of our IT systems investments.

"We expect Agilent to be cash flow positive in 2003, which will enable us to remain focused on generating the new products that create value for our customers and our shareholders." Fourth quarter test and measurement orders were up 22 percent from one year ago and were up 3 percent sequentially. Within the segment, Automated Test Group (ATG) orders were double those of one year earlier but fell about 30 percent from the third quarter because of lower semiconductor test orders. Other test and measurement orders were up 12 percent from last year and grew by 14 percent sequentially. Fourth quarter revenues of $967 million were up 3 percent from last year and 35 percent sequentially. The operating loss of $111 million was a third of the level of last year because of restructuring benefits and no significant inventory charges in the current quarter. Compared to the third quarter, the operating loss improved by about $170 million on the $252 million improvement in revenues.

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