Calibration equipment, calibration instrument news, calibration products and test and measurement equipment news from eCalibration.com

TRANSCAT Opens State-of-the-Art Calibration Laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

TRANSCAT Inc., a provider of calibration services and test and measurement instruments, has opened its latest state-of-the-art calibration laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The new lab is part of a network of TRANSCAT calibration laboratories located across North America. The Ottawa laboratory will specialize in calibration services to the telecommunications industry with specific capabilities in electronics, telecommunications and fiber optics instrumentation. In addition, the full-service lab can calibrate test instruments used for temperature, RF, electronic, pressure, electrical, speed, voltage and many other general parameters.

Instruments can be sent directly to the new Ottawa laboratory, or TRANSCAT can provide calibration services on site at a customer's location. The laboratory has been audited and recommended for ISO 9002 registration by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL file 1059) and is currently pursuing accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025. All calibration standards are traceable to NIST, and calibration certificates are compliant with ANSI/NCSL Z-540-1-1994 (Section 13.2).

Tektronix and GE Vendor Financial Services Provide Customers with Alternative Financing Program

Tektronix, Inc., a leading manufacturer of test and measurement equipment announced a new leasing program through Tektronix eQuip Finance(TM) that will provide its customers with a variety of options for leasing or financing acquisitions of Tektronix' full line of test and measurement products and services.

Offered jointly with GE Vendor Financial Services (GE VFS), a global provider of financing solutions to manufacturers, dealers and end-users, Tektronix eQuip Finance will provide a variety of custom-designed programs to its U.S. customers including lease lines of credit, flexible payment schedules and the ability to upgrade equipment to current technologies without excessive financial burden. As the program grows, GE VFS has the resources and locations to extend these services to Tektronix customers across the globe.

"Despite the economic downturn, our customers continue to invest in developing products. However, smaller capital equipment budgets have made financing options a key consideration for many of our customers considering an investment in test and measurement equipment," said Rich McBee, Vice-President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Tektronix. "GE VFS's depth of experience in working with high-tech companies and its back-office infrastructure assure our customers receive prompt financing options at market-competitive rates in one easy step."

Established in 1999, Tektronix eQuip Finance, the captive lease financing program for Tektronix, Inc. provides customers with quick, easy access to the most innovative test and measurement technology available. The Tektronix eQuip Finance(TM) program offers a variety of lease types to match the total solution to each customer's specific equipment and financial needs. Highly competitive leasing rates and flexible financing options are available to customers on all test and measurement equipment, service contracts, installation and software. The program includes cost-saving bundling of maintenance agreements, software and integration. The financial considerations of tax advantages, cash conservation and preservation of credit lines make the Tektronix eQuip Finance(TM) program a sound, smart, cost-savings program for virtually all Tektronix customers.

Canadian Standards Association (CSA) held a grand opening ceremony on October 4, 2002 for its new headquarters located at 5060 Spectrum Way in Mississauga, Ontario. Pat Keindel, President, Standards, Canadian Standards Association presided over the opening ceremony.

"The new facility is more than a building to Canadian Standards Association. It symbolizes our care, commitment, integrity, and excellence in everything we do, and our ability to serve business, consumers, and government in Canada," said Pat Keindel, President, Standards, CSA. "It is a vote of confidence for the future…the future of standards developed for, and by Canadians".

The Honourable Minister Carl DeFaria, Minister of Citizenship and Minister Responsible for Seniors, for the Province of Ontario and Member of the Provincial Parliament representing Mississauga East, V. Lynne Pearson, Chair of the Board for the CSA Group, and Dean of the College of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan, and Rob M. Griffin, President and CEO, CSA Group attended and spoke at the opening ceremony.

CSA's new facility is open, inviting, and utilizes leading-edge technologies. The innovative interior incorporates the features of CSA's ergonomic and barrier-free design standards. The new facility creates an environment, which is geared to increase productivity, creativity and effectiveness for members and staff. It also houses CSA's Learning Centre, which offers a full-range of seminars and other products to help organizations understand and apply standards.

Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is a membership association serving industry, government, consumers and other interested parties in Canada and the global marketplace. A leading developer of standards and codes, CSA aims to enhance public safety, improve quality of life, preserve the environment and facilitate trade. To help people understand and apply standards, CSA offers information products and training. Canadian Standards Association is a division of CSA Group, which consists of CSA, CSA International for product testing and certification, and, QMI for management systems registration.

When it comes to the perfect application for excimer lasers, the eyes have it. Excimer lasers (lasers that produce short bursts of energy) are used widely to perform LASIK and PRK vision correction surgery. They also are important in the production of computer chips.

To create excimer lasers that are suitable for precision applications like eye surgery, manufacturers must measure accurately the amount of laser power and pulse energy their devices emit. Energy detectors are used for this evaluation; however, if the detector has problems with non-linearity (deviation from the correct measurement depicted graphically as a curving away from a straight line), the readings will be too high or too low.

Help for this problem is available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which now offers a service to test the non-linearity of excimer laser energy detectors. This service provides an accurate measurement of a detector's response over a large energy range. Most detectors cover an energy range that is too large to be measured at any single energy level. Testing of typical detectors shows non-linearities as large as 8 percent. In addition to inherent non-linearities, other electronic effects (such as range discontinuity and background) can contribute to the non-linearity of the detector.

NIST is now offering detector non-linearity measurements at the exact wavelength of the excimer laser, 193 nanometers, pending full documentation. Additional excimer wavelengths will be added to this service in the near future. For more information on NIST's testing service for excimer laser detectors, contact Marla Dowell, (303) 497-7455, marla.dowell@nist.gov.

New Policy for Accredited Laboratories
At the June meeting of the A2LA Board of Directors, a new policy was issued requiring all laboratories to have an official copy of ISO/IEC 17025. Laboratories are being asked to confirm, in writing to A2LA, that the official copy is available on-site. To view and print the ISO/IEC 17025 confirmation form visit www.a2la2.net/forms/17025_Confirmation_fax_form.pdf

Common Deficiency Study
At the request of the A2LA Board of Directors, Teresa C. Adams, A2LA Operations Manager, conducted a study to determine the most common deficiencies cited during A2LA assessments. To accomplish this, data from 299 assessment reports, covering all fields and from 81 different assessors were collected and analyzed from March through September 2002. These assessments included solo assessor assignments, assessor team assignments as well as surveillance assignments.
Deficiencies cited during each assessment were collected for ISO/IEC 17025, the A2LA Traceability Policy, the A2LA Advertising Policy, the A2LA Conditions for Accreditation, and the A2LA Requirements for Proficiency Testing Participation, all of which are applicable to all laboratories, across all fields.

There was an indication that several sections of ISO/IEC 17025 pose a problem with regard to a basic understanding of the meaning or intent of the section. In other words, when findings were noted, they were typically noted for the entire section, not merely a specific clause or two within the section.

The information provided in this report can be extremely useful to laboratories and assessors alike. It points to several key areas where problems, misunderstandings and misinterpretations commonly occur and it can be used as a training tool to ensure a more thorough understanding of the requirements for accreditation. It is understood that many of these problem areas may be attributed to issues that are to be expected with the implementation of a new standard. However, bringing these specific issues to the forefront can only serve to make everyone more aware of areas where further attention should be directed.
To view this PDF visit http://www.a2la2.net/guidance/Common_17025_Defs.pdf.

A new edition of the standard reference temperature is expected to help minimize thermal variations of mechanical products during the production process. Originally published by ISO in 1951 under the title, Standard reference temperature for industrial length measurement, the document specifies a global default temperature of 20°C which is intended to be used for the production of virtually all industrial mechanical products. The new edition, which still maintains the reference temperature at 20°C, has been updated to take into account the more precise definition of the metre (revised in 1983)* and gives greater importance to the designers' technical drawing which controls the conditions of measurement.

ISO 1:2002, Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) - Standard reference temperature for geometrical product specifications and verification, costs 33 Swiss francs and is available from ANSI and from ISO Central Secretariat. The new edition is the work of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 213, Dimensional and geometrical product specifications and verifications.

According to Dr. Per Bennich, Chair of ISO/TC 213, ISO 1 still continues to play a key role in today's global business environment and is perhaps now more important than ever before. "Influenced by the competitive drive for improved quality, efficiency and manufacturing techniques, tolerances have been steadily getting tighter. As these tolerances become increasingly tight, however, even a small temperature variation from the ISO standard will cause significant gauging error."

The new ISO standard provides a default temperature of 20°C which can be specified on a designers' technical drawing in order to notify the production floor that tolerances are critical to the part feature and thermal variation should be minimized. The standard will serve as a reminder to producers to consider the effects of temperature on work pieces, with a view to maintaining high quality and process capability of manufactured parts.

"ISO 1 is extremely important in an industrial world of globalization where so many different materials with very different temperature expansion coefficients are used and function together in the same product such as steel, aluminium, and polymers," further noted Dr. Bennich.

"The standard is also important in meeting the needs of a worldwide business environment where out-sourcing of production tasks and the use of sub-contractors are common and steadily increasing. In such an environment, the global standard reference temperature is the only stable means of communication."

Because it minimizes thermal variations, ISO 1 is expected to reduce potential gauging error and measurement uncertainties by implementing the specifications desired by the designer which could be otherwise overlooked, ignored or unknown by the production personnel. The standard is also expected to maximize performance and quality of tight fitting parts throughout the production process.

The standard is aimed at a variety of industry sectors and in particular, those segments of industry producing mechanical parts. It can also be used by the developers of computer engineering software, such as CAD/CAM/CAQ-software and systems as well as manufacturers of measuring equipment.

* In order to increase the precision of realization of the metre, the 17th Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures (CGPM) in 1983 replaced the previous definition of the metre (based upon the wavelength of a krypton-86 radiation) by the following: The metre is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second (17th CGPM (1983), Resolution 1)

Latest Calibration Technician Certification (CCT) Body of Knowledge (BOK) Information

More information regarding the CCT Body of Knowledge (BOK), Exam Dates, and CCT Requirements is available at www.measurementquality.org.

Calibration Technician Certification (CCT) Requirements
Education and/or Experience -- You must have five years of on-the-job experience in one or more of the areas of the Certified Calibration Body of Knowledge. If you have completed a degree* from a college, university, or technical school with accreditation accepted by ASQ, part of the five-year experience requirement will be waived, as follows (only one of these waivers may be claimed):
· Diploma from a technical, military, or trade school-two years waived
· Associate degree-two year waived
· Bachelor's degree-two years waived
· Master's or doctorate-two years waived
*Degrees/diplomas from educational institutions outside the United States must be equivalent to degrees from U.S. educational institutions.

Proof of Professionalism -- Proof of professionalism may be demonstrated in one of three ways:
1. Membership in ASQ, an international affiliate society of ASQ, or another society that is a member of the American Association of Engineering Societies or the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
2. Registration as a Professional Engineer
3. The signatures of two persons-ASQ members, members of an international affiliate society, or members of another recognized professional society-verifying that you are a qualified practitioner of the quality sciences

Examination
Each certification candidate is required to pass a written examination that consists of multiple-choice questions that measure comprehension of the Body of Knowledge. The Calibration Technician examination is a one-part, 125-question, four-hour exam and is offered in the English language only. Examinations are conducted twice a year, in June and December, by local ASQ sections and international organizations. All examinations are open-book. Each participant must bring his or her own reference materials. Use of reference materials and calculators is explained in the seating letter provided to applicants.

Fluke has made available their upcoming 2003 training schedule for their Principles of Metrology class and their Calibration Laboratory Management class. Both classes are 5 days in length and are being offered around the country.

The Principles of Metrology class will help professionals become more productive in making electrical/electronic measurements and calibrating test instrumentation. The course is recommended for engineers and technicians whose work involves measurements and calibration. A basic electronics background and an understanding of calibration and measurement theory is recommended. The first Principles of Metrology class scheduled in 2003 is January 27-31, 2003 in Orlando, Florida.

The Calibration Laboratory Management class will help professionals organize, develop, and arrange a calibration laboratory. The course is recommended for managers and technicians who are setting up a new cal lab, and cal lab managers looking for fresh ideas or a new problem-solving perspective. The first Calibration Laboratory Management class scheduled in 2003 is March 17-21, 2003 in Seattle, Washington.

Ginny Burnell, formerly the Vice President & General Manager for the Energy Strategic Business Enterprise at Honeywell Industry Solutions, has joined Plant Automation Services (PAS), Inc. as a managing partner responsible for the Performance.Plus Strategic Business Unit (SBU). The Performance.Plus SBU within PAS is focused on asset optimization through the application of real-time software and people technologies solving abnormal situation and transition management problems for process plants. Ginny's primary responsibility in this role will be to guide PAS to a dominant position as the leader in asset optimization solutions to the process industries worldwide.

Ginny has extensive executive management experience including twenty-four years at Honeywell. In her previous position, Ginny was responsible for complete business management of all Honeywell Industrial business to Energy companies worldwide. Prior to that, Ginny was Vice President of Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions, Honeywell's advanced application software and services business unit where she was responsible for complete business management including technology and software development, sales and marketing, and projects delivery for this business.

PAS is a leading supplier of asset management and asset optimization solutions to the process industries worldwide. PAS software products include DOC3000®, TuneWizard®, AMO Suite®, AMO Plus®, PRO Display®, PlantState Suite(tm), and Integrity.MOC(tm). For more information visit our web site at: www.pas.com.

The Award will be presented for outstanding contributions in electrical measurements. The award may be presented to an individual or a team of not more than three. It consists of a bronze medal, certificate and cash honorarium. Nomination deadline is Jan. 31st 2003. More information and the nomination form are available by seaching "Keithley" on the IEEE web site. www.ieee.org

Wescan Calibration Services Inc. (Wescan) announces that it has completed the purchase of calibration and repair assets of Telus Communications Inc. TELUS has reviewed its repair and calibration activities with a focus on rationalizing current product and service lines. Wescan will offer services to former TELUS calibration customers. Effective immediately TELUS will limit the scope of its Calibration Laboratory activities to include TELUS internal work only.

According to Dr. Malcolm Smith, President of Wescan Calibration Services, " This is good news for customers. Our organization is entirely dedicated to providing calibration and repair service. This is our only business. We intend to carry on the excellent work that TELUS has done in the past. Now customers can access a full range of calibration services from a single source and often from a mobile laboratory. This will enhance the infrastructure that supports industry in Western Canada. It is an important milestone in the industrial development of Western Canada." Wescan is a privately held Canadian corporation and an affiliate of NCS Laboratories (NCS). NCS serves the U.S. Pacific Northwest from calibration laboratories in Seattle and Portland.

Wescan provides calibration services for most types of measuring and test equipment in use in Canada. The company emphasizes maintaining extremely high quality standards while providing a superior level of customer service. Wescan is an ISO 17025 accredited calibration laboratory and an ISO 9002 registered company.

Already a leader in the industry, this acquisition will significantly increase the scope of Wescan operations. In particular Wescan will be providing enhanced services to RF(radio frequency) and Avionics equipment. RF capability will extend to 26.5 Gigahertz. The company will offer electronic repair capability in addition to the calibration services. Over 5000 models of electronic test equipment can now be calibrated and repaired by Wescan staff operating out of laboratories in Richmond, B.C. According to Dr. Smith, "This purchase has allowed us to build our capabilities faster than we planned. Many of our existing customers were sending their high frequency equipment back East. Now they will be able to use Wescan to meet all their needs. For these customers we can develop programs designed to work with their quality management systems and to meet their individual requirements. Its just one more step in making Canadian industry more efficient."

Wescan will begin providing these services immediately. The company intends to add staff to accommodate the increased workload.

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. announced net earnings of $23.0 million, or $0.51 per share on a diluted basis, for the quarter ended September 30, 2002. This compares with 2001 third quarter earnings per share of $0.52, after adjusting last year for the new goodwill accounting standard. Earnings per share increased 6% over last year's reported amount of $0.48 per share.

For the nine months ending September 30, 2002, earnings per share before non-recurring items on a diluted basis was $1.46, a 2% increase over the prior year amount of $1.43, which is before non-recurring items and adjusted for the new goodwill accounting standard. It represents an 11% increase over last year's reported net earnings of $1.32 per share before non-recurring items. Sales for the quarter were $307.0 million, compared with $285.1 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2001. This represents an increase of 4% in local currency sales and an 8% increase in reported sales. The Company's operating income before amortization amounted to $40.2 million, or 13.1% of sales, compared with $38.9 million, or 13.6% of sales, in the same period of 2001.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2002, the Company reported sales of $876.4 million, compared with $829.7 million for 2001. This represents an increase of 4% in local currency sales and a 6% increase in reported sales. Operating income before amortization and restructuring charges for the same period was $113.8 million, or 13.0% of sales, compared with $109.6 million, or 13.2% of sales, in the prior period.

Robert F. Spoerry, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Our financial performance in the quarter was well on track, even as we dealt with the challenges of a tough economic environment and the decline of European food retailing business following completion of the euro conversion at the end of last year. I am pleased that our cash flow continues to be excellent, as we achieved a 24% increase in the quarter versus the prior year. Our operating margins were down slightly; however, this is principally the result of adverse currency movements. Finally, we made measurable progress on our cost-reduction programs; for example, we initiated the closure of two manufacturing facilities and the transfer of production to our Chinese operations, which will be completed within the next 12 months."

Spoerry continued, "In spite of difficult global economic conditions, we have many signs of strength within our markets. Asia continues to produce strong results driven by growth in that region and our expanded product offering. In our service area, we are experiencing heightened demand from our pharmaceutical customers, who are seeking assistance in complying with FDA regulations. Finally, our significant R&D spending over the past few years is yielding results as we launch a record level of new products, particularly in the laboratory area, in the second half of 2002 and into 2003."

Spoerry concluded, "As we look to next year, we have taken necessary measures to continue earnings growth, even if the economy remains challenging. At the same time, I am convinced that our franchise continues to get stronger, as evidenced by our market-leading positions, our excellent product pipeline and the improvements we have made to our cost structure." For the nine months ended September 30, 2002, the Company reported local currency sales growth of 18% in the Americas and 8% in Asia and the Rest of World and a sales decline of 10% in Europe.

Carl Zeiss Industrial Measuring Technology Becomes Major Shareholder in Wolf & Beck

Carl Zeiss Industrial Measuring Technology (IMT) has purchased 75 percent of shares of Dr. Wolf & Beck GmbH, a leading manufacturer of optoelectronic distance measuring sensors located in Wangen/Göppingen (Germany). With over fifteen years of experience and technical know how in the manufacturing and application of optical measuring technology, Wolf & Beck completes the extensive product portfolio of Carl Zeiss Industrial Measuring Technology. "This strategic move gives Carl Zeiss Industrial Measuring Technology access to the leading products and integration technologies of the optical sensor industry and reinforces our position as the market and technology leader," explains Ralf Dieter, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the IMT Business Group.

The core competence of Wolf & Beck is the development, production and marketing of non-contact optoelectronic distance measuring sensors for coordinate measuring machines, milling machine manufacturers and data acquisition and integration software for optical measuring technology. Wolf and Beck also develops fully integrated specialized measuring solutions that use their laser sensor as a key component. The company also offers consulting services and training for OEM customers. This includes task related user training, general technological training, integration of sensors into measuring machines and the development of specialized distance measuring and color recognition systems. Wolf & Beck employs a staff of 20 and generates revenue of about EURO 2 million.

Founder Rolf Beck will continue in his role as Managing Director of Wolf & Beck. Combining the strength of both companies and offering the best to the market is the goal of this alliance. "The fundamental optical research of the Carl Zeiss Group will contribute to create visible progress for the optoelectronic measuring technology and expand the product portfolio in the coming years. The sales network and global presence of Carl Zeiss Industrial Measuring Technology guarantee worldwide market penetration", says Rolf Beck

Keithley Instruments Reports Results for Fiscal 2002 Fourth Quarter and Year

Keithley Instruments, Inc., a leader in solutions for emerging measurement needs, announced results for its fourth quarter and year that ended September 30, 2002.

Fourth Quarter Results -- Net sales of $28.4 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002 increased 9 percent from the third quarter, and 10 percent from the prior year's fourth quarter sales of $25.7 million. The company returned to profitability in the fourth quarter with net income of $0.8 million, or $0.05 per share. Last year's fourth quarter net income was $1.3 million, or $0.08 per share.

Orders of $26.3 million for the fourth quarter increased 22 percent from the prior year's fourth quarter. Orders increased in every major geographic segment, with orders up 5 percent in the United States, 32 percent in the Pacific Basin and 7 percent in Europe. Compared to the prior year's fourth quarter, orders from semiconductor customers increased 34 percent, wireless communications customers increased 93 percent, and research and education orders increased 29 percent, while optoelectronics customer orders decreased 62 percent and accounted for less than 5 percent of total orders. Sequentially, orders decreased 15 percent from the third quarter. The decrease is due primarily to the inclusion of a $5 million order from a single semiconductor industry customer in the third quarter. Order backlog decreased $2.2 million during the quarter to $14.8 million at September 30, 2002.

Fiscal Year Results -- Net sales for fiscal 2002 were $96.9 million, down 35 percent from $149.7 million in fiscal 2001. The net loss for the year was $3.1 million, or $0.20 per share. Excluding severance charges recorded in the third quarter, the net loss was $2.1 million or $0.14 per share. Last year, the company reported net income of $17.4 million, or $1.05 per share. Orders for fiscal 2002 were $100.0 million, down 26 percent from the prior year.

Orders from the semiconductor industry decreased 29 percent, wireless industry orders decreased 8 percent, optoelectronics industry orders were down 84 percent, while research and education customer orders increased 6 percent. For fiscal year 2002, semiconductor orders comprised approximately 30 percent of the total, wireless orders accounted for about 15 percent, optoelectronics orders were less than 5 percent, while research and education comprised approximately 20 percent of total orders.

The company's financial position at September 30, 2002 was very strong. Cash generated from operations for the year was $8 million. Cash and short-term investments totaled $49.9 million, while debt was $0.5 million at year end. Inventory of $10.1 million decreased $5.6 million from September 30, 2001, and turns improved almost two turns to 4.2 at September 30, 2002. Days sales outstanding were 42 at September 30, 2002 compared to 52 at the end of last year. The total number of employees at September 30, 2002 was 612 compared to approximately 650 people at the end of the previous quarter and the end of the last fiscal year.

FARO Technologies, Inc. reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2002, reflecting a return to profitability in the third quarter of 2002. Sales for the quarter were approximately $11.8 million, a 40.5% increase from approximately $8.4 million in the third quarter of 2001. Net income for the quarter was approximately $72,000, or one cent per share, compared to a net loss of approximately $699,000, or six cents per share in the year-ago quarter.

The third quarter's results were impacted by assembly line start-ups for two major new product introductions. Production of the new FARO Laser Tracker, and the new Platinum and Titanium models of the Faro Arm were started in April and August, respectively, with both lines reaching near capacity production levels in September. Gross margin for the third quarter of 2002 was 53.0% compared to 63.0% in the third quarter of 2001. For the first nine months of 2002 gross margin was 52.2% compared to 60.1% in 2001. Gross margin has been negatively affected by the assembly line start-ups in April and August. In September, gross margin already showed some improvement as the plants neared capacity, and further improvements are expected in the fourth quarter.

Sales growth in the third quarter and year to date has primarily been from sales of the Company's new Laser Tracker product. The initial positive customer response to this new product, combined with the relatively low introductory period production volume, resulted in an increase in backlog of this product to approximately $5.2 million at September 30, 2002, compared to $4.1 million at June 30, 2002.

Regionally, sales in the USA increased 85.3% to approximately $6.3 million in the third quarter of 2002, from approximately $3.4 million in the same period in 2001, primarily as a result of sales of the new Laser Tracker product. Sales in Europe were approximately $3.4 million in the third quarter of 2002, unchanged from the year-ago quarter. There was approximately $250,000 in Laser Tracker sales in Europe in the quarter, which offset a corresponding drop in FaroArm sales there. Sales in the rest of the world increased 31.3% to approximately $2.1 million in the third quarter of 2002 from approximately $1.6 million in 2001. Approximately half of this increase resulted from sales of the new Laser Tracker product. The Company expects sales outside the USA to experience growth in 2003 resulting from product demonstrations of the new Laser Tracker in the second half of 2002.

"I am pleased with the year-over-year and sequential quarter increases in sales which, combined with our cost cutting efforts -- particularly in selling expenses as a percentage of sales -- returned us to profitability in the third quarter," said Simon Raab, Faro's President and CEO. "As our gross margin returns to historical levels, and we hold our fixed operating expenses at current levels, we should have stronger, sustainable earnings, barring any further downturn in an already sluggish manufacturing sector of the economy."

The company also announced the naming of John E. Caldwell to its board of directors. Most recently Mr. Caldwell was President and CEO of Toronto-based Geac Computer Corporation, an ERP software company. Previously, Mr. Caldwell was the President and CEO of CAE Inc., the world leader in advanced simulation and training systems for civil and military aerospace applications. "John's extensive general and financial management experience in advanced technology businesses, particularly in the worldwide aerospace industry, as well as his record of profitable growth, fit very well with the Company's strategy," said Raab.

Mark McClellan will be sworn in as FDA commissioner Nov. 8. But even before stepping into the commissioner role, McClellan has played an important role at the agency by helping create a recent proposed rule that would make it more difficult for brand-name drug companies to extend their patents. McClellan was involved in writing a proposed rule that would limit brand-name drug companies to one 30-month stay on generic approvals that now occurs when a generic firm challenges a brand drug's patent and the brand manufacturer files an infringement lawsuit.

NACLA Evaluators Class Scheduled

The National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA) will hold a Training Session for potential NACLA evaluators from January 27 to 30, 2003, at the headquarters of the American Assn. for Laboratory Accreditation in Frederick, MD.

NACLA evaluators serve on teams that evaluate accreditation bodies (ABs) which apply to NACLA for recognition. Lead moderator for the course will be Pete Unger, President of A2LA and Chair of NACLA's Training Subcommittee.

It will focus on the details of the international standard for the competence of ABs (ISO-IEC Guide 58) and other aspects of the NACLA recognition procedure. There is no charge for the training course. It is open to representatives of accreditation bodies, Government agencies and industrial firms, with an interest in NACLA and a willingness to serve on evaluation teams. Would-be attendees should be familiar with laboratory accreditation and with ISO-IEC 17025, the standard for accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories. At the conclusion of the course, a test will be administered. Those who pass the exam will become eligible to be included on evaluation teams. (NOTE: NACLA evaluation team members have their out-of-pocket expenses reimbursed but they are not paid for the time.)

Accommodations are available at the Hampton Inn (special NACLA rate of $69) located next to A2LA, near the intersection of Rtes. 70 and 270. Phone is 301-698-2500. Shuttle service from BWI Airport is available. Persons interested in attending the Evaluators Training Course or who wish more details about it are encouraged to notify the NACLA Assistant Administrator, gerry.funk@nist.gov, 301-975-6472.

Wildhack Award Winner

Dr. Howard Castrup, founder and CEO of Integrated Sciences Group, in Bakersfield, CA has received the 2002 William Wildhack Award from the NCSL International. The award was presented by NCSLI Past President John Ragsdale, at the organization's Annual Conference and Workshop in San Diego, CA held this past August.

The award is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions to the field of metrology and measurement science, consistent with the goals of NCSLI. Dr. Castrup was recognized for significant contributions to the mathematics of calibration interval analysis and software solutions to this important problem. Castrup has been developing advanced measurement science techniques and methods for over twenty five years. He is one of the founders of uncertainty growth modeling, is the author of Type II censored data analysis, and is the originator of statistical measurement process control (SMPC).

For more information about the Wildhack Award and Dr. Castrup visit http://www.ncsli.org/current_events/wildhack.cfm.

ISA Presents Honorary Membership to Dr. James Truchard

James Truchard, Ph.D., president, CEO, and co-founder of National Instruments Corp., has received the Honorary Member Award, the most prestigious award conferred by ISA - The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society.

Truchard received the award at the Honors and Awards Banquet in Chicago Sunday evening, held in conjunction with ISA 2002. The Society presents honorary membership to individuals who have shown a high level of support of, and contributions to, the advancement of instrumentation, systems, and automation. Honors and Awards master of ceremonies Perry L. Grady, ISA's president in 2000, announced, "Honorary Member is the highest honor bestowed by the Society. An Honorary Member has the rights and privileges of a Senior Member. The citation reads, 'In recognition of contributions to the arts and sciences of instrumentation, systems, and automation as an innovative chief executive of an outstanding company.'"

"It is truly an honor to be recognized by ISA for advancing instrumentation, systems, and automation," said James Truchard, National Instruments President and CEO. "At National Instruments, we remain dedicated to improving the productivity of our customers by continually extending our vision for LabVIEW and virtual instrumentation into all areas of the design cycle, from research to design to the most demanding industrial manufacturing environments."

PerkinElmer Reports Third Quarter 2002 Results

PerkinElmer Inc., a maker of scientific instruments, reported sharply lower quarterly profit amid weak demand in some key markets and higher selling and administrative expenses. PerkinElmer, which makes analytical instruments for the medical and communications industries, posted earnings from continuing operations of $9.75 million, or 8 cents a share, compared with a profit of $33.99 million, or 33 cents a share last year. Including discontinued operations, the profit declined to 6 cents per share from 30 cents per share.

PerkinElmer said its quarterly sales rose to $366 million from $348.3 million. But selling, general and administrative expenses jumped to $109.6 million from $87 million. The company said it received a commitment from Merrill Lynch for a new $445 million credit facility.

PerkinElmer also said it would combine its Life Sciences and Analytical Instruments business units into a new integrated business named Life and Analytical Sciences. The new business will leverage the strengths of the respective sales, service, and R&D organizations along with operational scale to better serve customers. Peter B. Coggins, PhD., formerly president of PerkinElmer Life Sciences, will serve as president of the new organization, effective immediately. The new organization has approximately $1 billion in revenue, more than 2,000 sales, service and applications support personnel, and an annual R&D budget of $65 million.

NIST's Advanced Measurement Laboratory Construction Progress

To continue to respond to U.S. science and industry's needs for more sophisticated measurements and standards in the face of heightened global competition, NIST is beginning construction of what will be one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the world-the Advanced Measurement Laboratory, or AML.

For almost 100 years, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed the measurements and standards necessary for the United States to excel in technology innovation. For example, the telecommunications industry relies on NIST standards for the speed and efficiency of calls relayed on optical fiber. U.S. auto makers and parts manufacturers rely on NIST calibrations, standards, and technology to ensure the quality and reliability of their products. Semiconductor chip makers need an array of NIST measurements to produce ever smaller and faster electronics.

Check out the progress of NIST's Advanced Measurement Lab (AML). This link provides daily pictures of the construction. http://aml.nist.gov/photos/daily/year2002/oct2002/101502.html

Link for brochure: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/amlbrochure.htm