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JUNE 2002 INDUSTRY NEWS

 

LTI Metrology Earns A2LA Accreditation

LTI Metrology, the calibration division of Laboratory Testing, Inc., has received accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) in gage blocks, solid rings, outside micrometers, threaded plugs and cylindrical plugs. The lab specializes in dimensional, mass, pressure, vacuum, force, torque, electrical, temperature, flow and humidity calibrations. All calibrations are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Field services, repair services, and instrument replacement are also provided.

Parent company, Laboratory Testing, Inc. is an independent materials testing laboratory specializing in the inspection and analysis of metals and alloys found in fasteners, tubular products, bars, plates and castings. In addition to testing and calibration services, the company also performs specimen machining, failure analysis and materials-engineering services.

For more information please visit www.labtesting.com.

 

Tektronix Reports Results For Fiscal 2002

Tektronix, Inc. reported net sales of $208.5 million and net earnings from continuing operations, before non-recurring items, of $12.2 million or $0.13 per share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2002 ending May 25, 2002. This compares with sales of $305.1 million and net earnings from continuing operations, before non-recurring items, of $34.6 million or $0.37 per share, for the same period last year. Including non-recurring items, net income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2002 was $4.8 million or $0.05 per share, as compared with $35.0 million or $0.37 per share, for the same period a year ago.

For the fiscal year 2002, the company reported sales of $843.3 million, compared to sales of $1.235 billion in fiscal 2001. Net earnings from continuing operations, before non-recurring items, were $47.5 million, or $0.51 per share, compared to net earnings from continuing operations of $132.3 million, or $1.38 per share, excluding non-recurring items for fiscal 2001. Tektronix' consolidated net earnings from continuing operations for fiscal 2002, including non-recurring items, were $30.5 million, or $0.33 per share, compared to $140.1 million, or $1.46 per share for fiscal year 2001.

"Our ability to deliver profits this year given the extreme difficulties in the technology marketplace differentiates Tektronix," said Rick Wills, Tektronix Chairman and CEO. "We developed a strategy for navigating through the downturn that emphasized the preservation of key investments, and a surgical approach to cost management that allowed us to execute new product introduction plans and deliver profits every quarter. We delivered on each of our objectives and are well positioned in our market to emerge stronger."

"In the fourth quarter, we introduced a number of major new products that have been well received in the marketplace, including the TDS1000 and TDS2000 Series, a new benchmark for performance and ease-of-use for low-cost, color oscilloscopes. We also introduced the first Silicon Germanium logic analyzer, the TLA7Axx, which is not only the world's fastest logic analyzer but also incorporates a breakthrough connectorless probing system that enables engineers to test analog and digital designs with unprecedented speed, increased accuracy and reduced cost," continued Wills.

"We reinforced our commitment to expand our presence in the optical communications test market with the introduction of several new optical products and the acquisition of Profile Optische Systeme GmbH, a technology leader in optical parametric test." For the first quarter of fiscal 2003, the company expects sales to be down 10% - 12% over the same period a year ago. Operating margins are expected to be in the low-single digits.

"The markets remain challenging and we are not expecting significant market improvements in this calendar year. However, we are well positioned with new category-leading products, the strongest distribution network in the industry and continued strategic investments. As a management team, we have demonstrated diligence in managing operations to deliver results while maintaining and enhancing our investments in our future," concluded Wills.

 

Mitutoyo Launches a New Website

Mitutoyo America Corporation announces the launch of their new website www.mitutoyo.com.

New features of this site include an updated product catalog, expanded product group information with application specific case studies, and a new section that covers technology trends in metrology and manufacturing. "Something we're very excited about is WebLink," says Izumi. "This is a vehicle that allows our visitors to view a condensed version of our website, with the most current news and information right from their desktop. The Mitutoyo WebLink will be constantly updated with fresh and important information and this WebLink will update itself every time an internet connection is made. This happens seamlessly in the background while you work."

The technology trends section is a forum for Dr. Jim Salsbury, Mitutoyo Corporate Metrologist. He reports on cutting edge topics that affect industry like ISO and accreditation issues, measurement uncertainty and quality standards and what they really mean. The Mitutoyo Global Gateway provides access to Mitutoyo's sites all over the world available in eleven languages.

Mitutoyo America Corporation offers over 6,000 metrology products to serve the quality needs of industry. Mitutoyo's network of Metrology Centers located in Paramus, NJ, Plymouth, MI, Aurora, IL and City of Industry, CA are staffed and equipped to deliver the correct measurement solution to customers' specific requirements.

 

Official Grand Opening Celebration of new North American Headquarters for Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation

Over 300 invited guests attended the memorable event on June 3, 2002, including distinguished guests from Carl Zeiss Oberkochen, the German Consulate, German Chamber of Commerce, key customers, business partners, and various representatives from local and national media. With the inauguration of this new facility, Carl Zeiss underscores its position as the leading global partner for measuring technology and process quality.

Festivities began with a champagne reception and welcome addresses. Greg Lee, President of Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation highlighted IMT Corporation's history and accomplishments from the last 30 years. Diane Knudson, from the Department of Trade and Economic Development, presented a Certificate of Recognition from the State of Minnesota and Governor Jesse Ventura. Ralf Dieter, President & CEO of Carl Zeiss IMT Worldwide, shared the latest product innovations and value services. Dr. Dieter Kurz, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss, emphasized IMT Corporation's key role as a strategic member of the Carl Zeiss portfolio.

Before moving into the new headquarters, Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation was located in a facility formerly owned by Numerex Corporation, a corporation that Carl Zeiss acquired in 1989 to enter the market for small and mid-size bridge-type CMMs. "It was our goal to build the industry's most technologically advanced coordinate measurement machine (CMM) manufacturing facility. The new 90,000-square-foot campus enables us to continue growing our business, while offering customers expanded consulting, specialized training and systems support services," said Greg Lee, President.

With the added technological amenities and space, Carl Zeiss anticipates it will increase manufacturing capacity by 30 percent, increase workflow efficiency and eliminate temporary warehousing of raw materials. Zeiss was also able to move the growing turnkey projects department, previously located off-site, into the facility. The new headquarters houses corporate offices, design engineering departments, a larger manufacturing area, and a customer and state-of-art technician training center. The customer show room will highlight the leading-edge products and capabilities of Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation.

 

Supplement No. 1 to the GUM

A scientific committee (led by NPL) of the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology has produced an advanced draft of Supplement Number 1 to the Guide to Expression of Uncertainty of Measurement (GUM), on the Propagation of Distributions. It contains a procedure based on the use of Monte Carlo Simulation for the evaluation of uncertainty. The Supplement complements the GUM and permits the evaluation of uncertainty in circumstances where the law of propagation of uncertainty may be unreliable or invalid. It is also permits the law of propagation of uncertainty to be validated in any particular instance.

For more information visit www.npl.co.uk/news-and-events/index.php?type=news&id=38

 

Latest Updates From American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)

Visit the new A2LA web site today at www.a2la2.net/index.htm. The A2LA's June 2002 Newsletter is available for viewing online. The Newsletter contains updated information on Exceptions to the "Traceability Policy", details about upcoming Fall 2002 training courses and more. An outline of the Newsletter topics is listed below.

The Future of ILAC
At 2002 Assessors Conclave, Improving the Assessment, Process was Key Theme
International Team Evaluates A2LA
NCSL International Workshop & Symposium
Summary of the March 2002 Board of Directors Meeting
Clarification - Requesting an Exception to the A2LA Traceability Policy
Profile of Assessor Steve Lerman
Nuclear Management Company
ISO/IEC 17025 Alignment Revision Poll
Fall 2002 Training Course Schedule
Subscribe to the A2LA E-mail News Service
A2LA Signs Agreement with Intertek Testing Services (ITS)
A2LA Accreditations as of May 21, 2002
Building Regulator Confidence in Accreditation
Verify Accreditation Status

 

American Society for Precision Engineering Announcements

The American Society for Precision Engineering has a number of events planned for the upcoming year.

The ASPE 2002 Summer Topical Meeting being held July 15-16 at the University of North Carolina will focus on the modeling and representation of tolerances, and their use in the analysis of part function and assembly. The objective of the meeting is to bring together researchers and practitioners from industry, government and academia to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas.

The 17th Annual ASPE Meeting being held October 20-25, 2002 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis will provide a forum for presentation and discussion of the latest technical information and achievements in precision engineering. The meeting will introduce new concepts, processes, equipment, and products while highlighting recent advances in precision measurement, design, control, and fabrication.

A first call for papers for the 2003 Winter Topical Meeting planned for January 22-23, 2003 in Gainesville, FL has been issued. This two day conference will focus on new developments in micro-scale and meso-scale manufacturing processes and equipment.

For further information on these events please visit the ASPE web site at www.aspe.net.

 

Next U.S. Laboratory Accreditation Forum In March, 2003

The second annual U.S. Laboratory Accreditation Forum, sponsored by the National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA), will be held on March 17 and 18, 2003, at the Sheraton Columbia Hotel, in Columbia, MD. The event will bring together representatives of accreditation bodies, testing and calibration laboratories, industrial firms and government agencies - all of which have a stake in the nation's laboratory accreditation system and in the success of NACLA, whose goal is to coordinate and improve that system.

The program for next year's conference is now being developed. It will include a number of panels on a variety of accreditation-related issues, including some matters that are peculiar to the unique accreditation approach in the U.S. The initial NACLA-sponsored Forum, held two months ago, was a huge success with the more than 100 attendees. As was the case this year, the 2003 Forum will conclude with NACLA's Annual General Meeting and Awards Luncheon.

The one complaint about the 2002 conference - an expensive site - has been addressed by moving the venue to the Columbia Sheraton. The hotel offers free parking, is proximate to BWI Airport - which is served by Southwest Airlines and has many economical flights on Southwest and other carriers - and to the BWI Amtrak station. And the NACLA room rate is reasonable for the area - $110 a night. A prelimary program and registration form for next year's Laboratory Accreditation Forum will be available this summer.

To keep posted on more upcoming details visit www.nacla.net.

 

Transmation Reports Fourth Quarter Results

Transmation, Inc. a leading distributor and marketer of test and measurement instrumentation and calibration and repair services, announced preliminary financial results for the fiscal year and fourth quarter ended March 31, 2002.

For fiscal year 2002, the net loss was $7.2 million, or $1.18 per share, on sales of $66.8 million. This compares to net income of $0.5 million, or $0.09 per share, on sales of $75.6 million for fiscal year 2001. The net loss for the year includes the impact of one-time non-cash asset impairment charges of $4.5 million related to the sale of the assets of the Measurement and Control ("MAC") division, a restructuring charge of $0.3 million, an inventory write-off of $0.4 million and insurance proceeds of $0.2 million. Excluding these items, the net loss for the year would have been $2.2 million, or $0.36 per share.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2002, the Company reported a net loss of $1.2 million, or $0.20 per share, on sales of $16.9 million. This compares to net income of $0.7 million or $0.11 per share, on sales of $20.2 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2001.

Commenting on the quarter and fiscal 2002 results, Carl E. Sassano, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "In fiscal 2002 Transmation faced challenging economic and market conditions. In response, the Company implemented several key initiatives including repositioning the Company's business model and realigning internal operations. While we have made significant progress in a short period of time, we must continue to focus on customer acquisition, delivering value to our customers and achieving operating efficiency. The sale of The Products Group and MAC business units were significant events for Transmation in fiscal year 2002. The proceeds from these transactions were used to reduce our debt and ongoing interest expense.

"Strategically, with our exit from manufacturing, our organization is now totally focused on the profitable operation and growth of our products and calibration businesses.

"Our fourth quarter product sales were down 9% from the previous year reflecting the continued effect of a softer economy. We are hopeful that we have seen the bottom of the softness in the industrial market and that fiscal 2003 will show modest growth in our product sales. Calibration service sales were up 8.4% in the fourth quarter over the previous year as a result of new contracts signed in fiscal 2002. We expect our growth in calibration services to continue in fiscal 2003.

"We are pleased that, after excluding one-time charges, the Company's fourth quarter performance nearly achieved break-even and generated a $0.3 million net profit on a pro-forma basis, giving effect to the cost reduction actions implemented by the Company and the implementation of initiatives designed to enhance shareholder value."

 

Hart Scientific's Temperature Metrology Course

Hart Scientific is now accepting enrollment for Temperature Metrology, to be held July 15-17.

This is an intermediate course in practical skills for comparison calibrations of RTDs, thermocouples, thermistors, and other thermometers. You'll learn all the techniques and procedures necessary for high-accuracy temperature calibrations. Temperature Metrology includes practical demonstrations, hands-on work, thorough instruction in theory, Q&A sessions, tours, and some great lunches (this is not your typical seminar food).

This course will be held at our school of temperature measurement, adjacent to our world-class primary standards lab. Registration fee is $1,295. In addition, you can enroll for our two-day add-on Product Training course. This course starts Wednesday, afternoon (July 17) and consists of four sessions covering Hart's own thermometer readouts, fluid baths, industrial calibrators, and software. The course ends at noon so you still get home in time for the weekend. Registration for the Product Training course is $695.

Visit www.hartscientific.com for registration information.

 

Flow Technology Expands Calibration Service Offering

Flow Technology recently expanded its flowmeter calibration service and repair capabilities to include a new, innovative service: permanent, on-site calibration solutions.

The new calibration solution provides all of the resources needed to establish an on-site flowmeter calibration program - without the high cost of ownership required to purchase and operate your own equipment. For users with a large number of flowmeters, Flow Technology can provide and maintain precision, primary standard calibration equipment and trained metrology personnel on a permanent basis at your facility. This service, which is a cost-effective alternative to remote calibration outsourcing, not only eliminates the expense of purchasing calibration equipment and hiring trained metrologists, but provides better on-site control. Similarly, it ensures statistical consistency over flowmeter calibrations and allows calibration techniques to be standardized across multiple locations.

In addition to this service, Flow Technology provides flow calibration systems for customers' facilities, flowmeter calibrations at our laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona, and a choice of flexible flowmeter service and repair programs.

Contact Flow Technology at www.ftimeters.com for more information.

New Publication Highlights Recent NIST Ion Trapping Research

The ability to trap ions for long periods of time allows researchers to "interrogate" these atomic particles and observe changes in their states. Since ions are nearly motionless during the observation period, an ion trap can provide the basis for highly stable and accurate atomic oscillators that could eventually replace today's frequency standards. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been a world leader in the science of ion trapping for years.

Now, the recent efforts of NIST's Time and Frequency Division in the areas of ion trapping and laser cooling are showcased in a new publication that reprints 29 papers published between January 1999 and October 2001. This is the sixth volume of these reprints going back to 1985.

Papers in the latest edition are grouped by the following categories: frequency standards and metrology; laser-cooled non-neutral plasmas; quantum mechanics and quantum metrology; and measurement techniques. They were published originally in journals such as Science, Nature, Physics Today, Physical Review Letters and various conference proceedings. The topics covered range include spectroscopy of trapped ions, optical clocks, experimental entanglement of four particles, and visible lasers with sub-hertz linewidths.

Copies of NIST Technical Note 1524, Trapped Ions and Laser Cooling, VI, edited by James C. Bergquist, John J. Bollinger, Wayne M. Itano and David J. Wineland, may be obtained by contacting the Time and Frequency Division, NIST, MC 847.00, Boulder, Colo. 80305-3328.

 

Update on ASQ's Certified Calibration Technican Program

Date: 18May02 Place: Adam's Mark Hotel, Denver CO

Houston …. We have CCT program certification!!! Being a big NASA fan and living in Houston I just couldn't resist. Yes indeed, all the hard work over these past two years has paid a royal dividend, the creation of the first peer recognized certification program for calibration technicians in the USA!

Let me get down to the specifics. The final written Certified Calibration Technician (CCT) program proposal was forwarded to the American Society for Quality (ASQ) certification board members prior to the May 18th presentation. The presentation given to the ASQ certification board lasted a little over 10 minutes. The presentation was followed by a question and answer session lasting approximately 5-7 minutes. Immediately after the question and answer session a motion was made to give approval to the creation of the CCT program. The motion passed - unanimously! Smiles, hugs and congratulations were in abundance. It was right about this time that a member of ASQ's board of directors seated at the back of the room related that the board was of the opinion that it should not be necessary to present the CCT program proposal to the board. Instead an agenda change motion was going to be presented to the board, which would, if approved, forego the formal CCT presentation and agree to the creation of the CCT program. The board's opinion was based on what was described as the 'thorough, specific and well written' CCT program proposal coupled with the approval of ASQ's certification board and ASQ's professional development council (PDC). About an hour later, ASQ's board of directors voted unanimously to accept the agenda change motion, thereby formally creating the CCT program.

This 'Red Letter' day could not have been accomplished without the hard work and dedication of individuals who truly believe certification for calibration technicians should be a reality and not just wishful thinking. In particular I would like to thank the ASQ Measurement Quality Division's (MQD) CCT committee members and those that participated in the CCT job analysis phone interviews, workshop and survey and those that participated in the CCT market analysis survey. To all of you I sincerely say 'prize to you'.

So what is the next step for the CCT program? First, subject matter experts (SMEs) must be identified who are willing to volunteer on a test specification workshop tentatively scheduled for September of this year. ASQ headquarters will provide reimbursement for reasonable expenses associated with CCT exam development workshops. Workshops are held at ASQ headquarters in Milwaukee, WI, normally on a weekend. The following are the required workshops in the ASQ exam development process:
· Test Specification Workshop
· Item Writing Workshop
· Item Review Workshop
. Exam Review Workshop

If you would like to volunteer as a SME on any of the workshops please E-mail me at: Chris.Grachanen@HP.com CCT program information and updates are available via ASQ MQD's website (currently being overhauled) at: http://www.measurementquality.org

 

Make Plans For IDW 2003

Plans are now completed for next years International Dimensional Workshop 2003. It will be held May 12 - 15, 2003 at the Marriott Hotel at the Airport in Nashville, Tennessee. 16 speakers and 50 exhibitors are scheduled. Training sessions will be on Monday, Thursday and Friday.The theme for IDW 2003 is: "Dimensional Metrology - The Uncertainty of Measurement Uncertainty."

If you would like to be considered to present a paper please contact Ed Pritchard, Workshop Director, at 865-574-4261 or e-mail at pritchardew@y12.doe.gov. Title and abstract are due by November 30, 2002 in order that selections may be made for inclusion in next year's brochure and informational flyers. You will be notified by December 14, 2002 if your paper is selected.

 

Hathaway Reports Sale of its Power and Process Business

Hathaway Corporation announced it has signed an agreement to sell substantially all of its Power and Process segment to a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation for $6,550,000 in cash subject to certain closing adjustments.

The final closing of the transaction will take place immediately after the shareholders of Hathaway approve the sale at a special shareholders' meeting which will be held as soon as possible but no later than July 2002. Hathaway will recognize a pretax gain on the sale of approximately $2,000,000 subject to certain closing adjustments.

"While we believe there was the opportunity to expand the power and process business in the future, we believe that it is in the best interest of shareholders to embark on a new strategy for the Company," commented Dick Smith, CEO of Hathaway. "This strategy is to focus our efforts on expanding the Company's motion control business. This business has been profitable in the past and, while it has recently been adversely affected by the economic downturn, we believe it should continue to be a profitable and growing business in the future. We plan to aggressively pursue acquisition opportunities as well as focus on growing our existing motion control business. We believe this strategy provides an excellent opportunity to maximize our profits in both the short and long term."

Hathaway Power & Process Instrumentation designs, manufactures and sells advanced systems and instrumentation to the worldwide power and process industries. This segment is made up of three businesses: power instrumentation, systems automation and process instrumentation.

The power instrumentation products are sold to power companies throughout the world and are used to monitor and control the power generation, transmission and distribution of electric power. Hathaway's instrumentation assists the electric power system operators in operating and maintaining proper system performance.

The systems automation products are used by both power and process companies to control processes as well as to measure and securely communicate data. Hathaway's systems have been used to fully automate such industrial applications as water and wastewater treatment plants. They have also successfully installed systems in electric power generation and transmission facilities to provide control of, and to gather and communicate data from, power generators and critical instrumentation in transmission and distribution substations. The power business also has three joint venture investments in China that have been successful in developing digital protective relays, control equipment and power instrumentation products for sale in the China power market.

The process instrumentation business develops, manufactures and sells event monitoring, instrument calibration and process measurement devices for industrial applications. The Power & Process Instrumentation segment is comprised of these four companies:
· Hathaway Systems Corporation - sales and service of fault recorders, fault locators, GPS clocks and circuit breaker measurement and test equipment
· Hathaway Automation Technology - designs, manufactures and markets remote terminal units (RTU), sequential event recorders and annunciators
· Hathaway Process Instrumentation Corporation - designs, manufactures and markets calibration and measurement instrumentation for the process and power industries
· Hathaway Industrial Automation - manufacturer of systems automation products
· Hathaway Systems Limited - designs, manufactures and markets fault recorders, fault locators, GPS clocks and circuit breaker measurement and test equipment.

 

DH Instruments, Inc. A2LA Accreditation Maintained and Scope Expanded

The DH Instruments, Inc. Calibration Laboratory underwent the annual survey for A2LA accreditation in April, 2002. As a result, A2LA accreditation of DHI calibration services to ISO/IEC 17025 and ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994 is maintained. The scope of measurement capabilities has been expanded and best measurement capabilities improved in several areas. You may view a pdf of their certificate and scope of accreditation on their home page at www.dhinstruments.com.

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