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JULY 2004 INDUSTRY NEWS

 


Richard J. Bagan, Inc. Opens New Dimensional Lab

Richard J. Bagan, Inc. has announced the opening of their new physical dimensional lab. The lab houses state-of-the-art equipment to ensure customers of the highest quality and most trusted calibrations and certifications. Measurements may be taken down to 1/10 of a micro-inch. To ensure proper weights and measurements the lab is kept at a brisk 68° F with a variation of +/- 0.5° F. In addition, the lab is controlled to allow no more than 45% humidity.

Richard J. Bagan, Inc. is ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/IEC 17025:1999 certified. Please contact Richard J. Bagan, Inc. for more information.

 

NIST Launches Advanced Measurement Laboratory

Considered the most technically advanced research facility of its kind in the world, the new Advanced Measurement Laboratory (AML) dedicated on June 21, 2004 at the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will support some of the world’s most delicate experiments in nanotechnology and measurement at the atomic level. Commerce General Counsel and Deputy Secretary Designate Theodore W. Kassinger, Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Dr. John H. Marburger III, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, were among the participants in the formal opening ceremony held at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Md.

The $235 million, 49,843 square meter (536,507 square foot) Advanced Measurement Laboratory features five separate wings—two of them buried 12 meters (39 feet) under ground—with stringent environmental controls on air quality, temperature, vibration, and humidity. The new facility allows NIST to provide the sophisticated measurements and standards needed by U.S. industry and the scientific community for key 21st century technologies such as nanotechnology, semiconductors, biotechnology, advanced materials, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing.

NIST research efforts planned for the new facility range from improved calibrations and measurement of fundamental quantities such as mass, length and electrical resistance to the development of quantum computing technology, nanoscale measurement tools, integrated micro-chip-level technologies for measuring individual biological molecules, and experiments in nanoscale chemistry.

More details are on-line at www.nist.gov/public_affairs/amlbrochure.htm. A gallery of AML photos and graphics (with captions and high-resolution versions) is available at www.nist.gov/public_affairs/aml/aml_graphics_gallery.htm.

 


Veriteq Awarded GSA Contract

Veriteq Instruments, a leader in compact precision data logging technology, has announced that it has been awarded a Federal Government General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule contract (number GS-07F-5891PP). Under this contract, Veriteq can now provide its full range of data logging, monitoring, and calibration solutions to all elements of the federal, state, and local governments based on an approved price list.

The GSA's Federal Supply Schedules are contracts that allow federal employees to purchase services and products directly from commercial suppliers at pre-negotiated rates. GSA Contracting Officers award Schedule contracts to companies that meet strict criteria for quality and competitive pricing.

Veriteq's GSA contract enables government agencies to more easily purchase from Veriteq, by simplifying procurement procedures, reducing lead times, and lowering administrative costs. The contract eliminates the cumbersome and lengthy bidding process for awarding government contracts and assures quality and consistency among government vendors.

"We have been working with and selling to the U.S. Government for the past few years" says Kevin Bull, President of Veriteq Instruments, Inc. "Our data logging and monitoring systems have played an important part in many areas, particularly in the military and various research and calibration labs. This contract will allow government agencies facing data acquisition challenges a smooth purchasing solution."

For more information about this contract, please contact Veriteq.

 

AMETEK Posts Record Earnings

Electronic instruments and motors maker Ametek Inc. posted record quarterly sales, operating income, net income and earnings per share for the period ended June 30, driven by internal growth, operational improvements and acquisitions.

Ametek's second quarter earnings were $27.7 million, or 40 cents a share, on revenues of $303.9 million, up from earnings of $21.8 million, or 32 cents a share, on revenues of $276.9 million recorded last year.

Operating earnings in the electronic instruments group were $28 million on revenues of $159.5 million, up from operating earnings of $21.9 million on revenues of $137.4 million a year ago.
In the electromechanical group, operating earnings rose 15 percent to $25 million on revenues of $144.4 million, up 4 percent from a year ago.

Ametek expects third-quarter sales to be up low double-digits from last year's third quarter on internal growth in both segments and the contribution from the Taylor Hobson, Hughes-Treitler and Chandler Instruments acquisitions. The company projects earnings of about 38 cents to 40 cents a share, up 19 percent to 25 percent from the year-ago. The company expects full-year revenues to be up low double-digits on the benefits of its acquisition program and improved internal growth in both groups. Earnings are expected to be approximately $1.54 to $1.58 per diluted share, an increase of approximately 18 percent to 22 percent over 2003.

 

Keithley Instruments Reports 46% Sales Growth in Third Quarter

Keithley Instruments, Inc., a leader in solutions for emerging measurement needs, announced results for its fiscal 2004 third quarter that ended June 30, 2004. Net sales of $36.8 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2004 increased 46 percent from sales of $25.3 million in last year's third quarter. Orders of $36.0 million for the third quarter increased 20 percent from last year's orders of $30.1 million. Geographically, orders were up 5 percent in the United States, up 17 percent in the Pacific Basin and up 49 percent in Europe, when compared to the prior year.

Orders from the company's semiconductor customers were essentially flat, orders from precision electronic components and subassembly manufacturers were up about 15 percent and wireless communications orders increased approximately 120 percent. Research and education customer orders were down approximately 10 percent compared to the prior year's quarter.

"We are very pleased with our results for the quarter, particularly our ability to leverage our costs and grow profits at a higher rate than sales," stated Joseph P. Keithley, the company's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

 

Danaher Corporation Announces Record 2nd Quarter Results

Danaher Corporation, a leading manufacturer of Process/Environmental Controls and Tools and Components, announced that net earnings for its second quarter ended July 2, 2004 were $182 million, 46% higher than its 2003 second quarter net earnings of $125 million. Sales for the 2004 second quarter were $1,621 million, 25% higher than the $1,299 million reported for the 2003 second quarter.

H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are again pleased to report record quarterly earnings. We are particularly pleased to report growth of 10% from existing businesses, also known as core revenues. Total sales growth for the quarter also includes acquisition growth of 13% and currency gains of 2%. Both the Process/Environmental Controls and Tools and Components segments delivered solid results, finishing the quarter with 9.5% and 11% core revenue growth, respectively. Our operating cash flow for the first half of 2004 of $499 million was another record and an 11 % increase over the 2003 first half. The broad-based strength we continue to see across our businesses reinforces our confidence in our ability to deliver positive results for the balance of 2004.”

 


Accreditedlaboratories.com Launched - Searching for a Lab?

Accreditedlaboratories.com LLC, a Washington D.C. based company, launched its Internet site in June 2004. Accreditedlaboratories.com™ was created to fill the large demand of individuals and organizations seeking an accredited laboratory. Searching for an accredited laboratory can be a daunting task. There are an abundant of Accreditation Bodies, federal agencies, and state governments that perform accreditation activities. Searching on Accreditedlaboratories.com™ saves valuable time and resources giving you, as an individual or as an organization, a database of laboratories for every need.

Accreditedlaboratories.com™ covers a broad spectrum of accreditations laboratories have achieved. More importantly, Accreditedlaboratories.com™ is not limited to the current accreditations listed on the web site. As Accreditedlaboratories.com™ evolves and feedback from laboratories, individuals and organizations is gained, more accreditations will be listed. Simply email info@accreditedlaboratories.com or call 1-866-LABFIND, with comments and suggestions on how Accreditedlaboratories.com™ can improve.

Accreditedlaboratories.com™ currently lists the following accreditations:

ISO 17025: General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories. ISO 17025 is an international standard that assesses the technical competency of laboratories.

NELAC/NELAP: National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference standard promotes acceptable performance standards for environmental laboratories. NELAC, a standards body, supports the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP). NELAP is an EPA program that gives accrediting authorities approval to adopt the NELAC standards.

AASHTO: American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials. AASHTO recognizes the competency of testing laboratories in construction materials testing.

ISO 15189: Specifies requirements for quality and competence particular to medical laboratories. This standard is very similar to ISO 17025 except it assesses the technical competency of medical laboratories.

For more information visit www.accreditedlaboratories.com.

 

Faro Hits Record Sales in Second Quarter

FARO Technologies, Inc. reported sales of approximately $24.1 million, a record for any quarter, in the fiscal second quarter ended July 3, 2004, a 48.8% increase from approximately $16.2 million in the second quarter of 2003. The Company reported new order bookings of approximately $21.9 million during the second quarter, an increase of $5.7 million, or 35.2% compared with approximately $16.2 million in the year-ago quarter.

Sales were highest in Europe at $10.8 million, an increase of $3.9 million, or 56.5% compared to $6.9 million in the second quarter of 2003. Sales in the Americas increased 27.2% to $10.3 million compared to $8.1 million in the second quarter of 2003. Sales in the Asia/Pacific region increased 130.8% to $3.0 million from $1.3 million in the second quarter of 2003.

"We are maintaining our sales forecast for 2004 at $90-$93 million, a 25%- 30% increase over $71.8 million in 2003, based on the 35.2% increase in new orders in the second quarter, and our historical cyclical sales pattern," said Simon Raab, Faro's President and CEO. "We intend to review our earnings guidance for 2004 in conjunction with our second quarter earnings release."

The Company expects to issue its complete earnings release for the second quarter of 2004 on August 4, 2004.


Hexagon Acquires Metrology Company

Hexagon has acquired all outstanding shares in the French metrology company Romer S.A. The acquisition will be consolidated as of July 1st 2004 and will generate a positive contribution to Hexagon's earnings from the start.

The company's main product is the "articulated arm" which is used to measure objects in three dimensions in a variety of industries. Romer is the innovator in using portable arms to perform 3 dimensional measurements. R&D and manufacturing is located in Montoire, Loire, France. The products are distributed via external distributors as well as via subsidiaries all over the world. Romers sales turn over were 8 MEUR in 2003 and it has some 40 employees. The seller of the company, Mr Romain Granger, will remain as President and responsible for the continued R&D efforts related to the articulated arms technology.

Hexagon will continue to operate Romer according to today's concept. Synergies will be accomplished by complementing today's distribution channels with Hexagon's channels which in turn should generate additional sales volumes. Furthermore; Hexagon will adapt its software, PCDMIS, to fit Romer's products.

The acquisition will complement Hexagon's portfolio of metrology systems with the so called articulated arms technology. This will in turn lead to a strong presence in a rapidly growing segment of the metrology market. Hexagon's resources in R&D will add a strong metrological know how to Romer's development while Hexagon's strong global sales and service network will sell and service Romer's products. Romer will strengthen the group in several specialty applications.


Transcat Announces Fiscal 2005 First Quarter Results

Transcat, Inc., a leading global distributor of professional grade test, measurement, and calibration instruments and a provider of calibration and repair services, today announced financial results for its fiscal year 2005 first quarter ended June 26, 2004.

Fiscal 2005 First Quarter Highlights --
· Fiscal year 2005 first quarter net sales increased 4.8% to $13.2 million from $12.6 million.
· The net loss for the fiscal year 2005 first quarter was $0.07 per share compared with net earnings of $0.03 per share in fiscal year 2004 first quarter.
· Distribution Products – Net sales increased 11.3% to $8.9 million from $8.0 million in the fiscal year 2005 first quarter on increased order rate; gross profit declined 1.4 points; backlog decreases to $1.5 million.
· Calibration Services – Net sales declined 6.5% from the fiscal year 2004 first quarter to the fiscal year 2005 first quarter; gross profit declined 2.8 points.
· Operating expenses increased by 13.3% principally due to anticipated administrative expenses associated with stock grant expenses, severance costs and prior year reduction in bad debt reserve.

Calibration Services Comments from Carl E. Sassano, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer --
"Our calibration services results for the fiscal 2005 first quarter did not meet our expectations. Calibration is a strategic core competency of our company and we are making investments in marketing and sales to drive growth.
"In particular, we are working with our customers in existing and new industry segments to develop on-going calibration programs that align with customer production planning. Our goal is to have Transcat calibration services become an integral component of a customer's strategic supplier network that supports and enhances their manufacturing, quality and productivity programs. Because this is a strategic initiative for many of our current and targeted customers, we anticipate considerable variation in time-to-adoption.
"We continue to believe that these investments in our calibration services will result in sustained growth over time. Calibration services revenue can be significantly affected by the timing of new customer business and previous year comparisons in any quarter could vary widely."

Visit Transcat for further information.

 

Opportunity to Submit Inputs for the DRAFT 3rd EDITION of the VIM And GUM Supplement

Andrew Wallard, the BIPM Director is soliciting survey inputs for the Draft 3 rd Edition of the VIM (International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology). A Template has been developed by the BIPM for providing comments back to them. Each technical comment should be accompanied by a concrete proposal for change for the VIM Committee (JCGM-WG2) to consider.

Visit NCSLI’s site for further information at www.ncsli.org.

 

Calyx Metrology Receives ISO 9001:2000 Certification for Quality

Calyx Metrology Laboratory, Inc. has earned ISO 9001:2000 certification by demonstrating an effective quality management system and ability to effectively meet customer requirements. The company was assessed and registered by Intertek Testing Services, Inc.

Calyx Metrology Lab is a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable calibration provider specializing in the calibration of precision test and measurement equipment. The company’s broad range of calibration capabilities include: Electronics, Frequency, Mass (weight sets & balances), Mechanical/Dimensional, Temperature, Humidity, Pressure, Torque and Biomedical Electronics. The company plans to further expand its capabilities based on the input and specific needs of the regions technology, manufacturing, research and service companies.

Located in Technology Center at Penn State’s Innovation Park, Calyx Metrology is the first and only full service commercial calibration laboratory to be located in the Centre Region. The Innovation Park location enables the company to offer customers significant cost reduction opportunities and unprecedented service convenience and quality. On-site and free pickup/delivery services are available. Additional information is available on the company’s website at www.calyxmet.com.


Call For Papers For Next Year's IDW2005

The Call for Papers for the 2005 International Dimensional Workshop has been issued. IDW2005 will be held May 9 - 13, 2005 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. IDW2005 will have a dual theme next year with the theme for Tuesday session being:

"Dimensional Measurement Issues and Strategies"

The theme for the Wednesday session will be:

"Multi-Sensor Metrology Platforms"

If you would like to be considered to present a paper at IDW2005 please send your contact information and proposed title of paper to Ed Pritchard, the Workshop Director at the contact information listed below as soon as possible.

Title and Abstract are due to the Workshop Director by December 17, 2004 in order that selections may be made for inclusion in next year's literature. You will be notified by January 7, 2005 if your paper is selected.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me. Hope to see you there!
Ed Pritchard, Workshop Director - Oak Ridge Metrology Center
BWXT Y-12, LLC
Y-12 National Security Complex
Phone: 865-574-4261
Fax: 865-574-2802
Pager: 877-409-3212
pritchardew@y12.doe.gov


Testing Machines Inc's. Field Service Department Accredited to ISO 17025

Testing Machines Inc is pleased to announce that its Field Service Department has been accredited to ISO 17025-1999 by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).

Mike Moore, Quality Manager for TMI, says that this accreditation by an external body underlines TMI's commitment to providing the highest level maintenance and calibration services to industry. A2LA was chosen as the assessment authority because its mutual recognition agreements with accrediting organizations in many countries allow TMI to offer this high level of service to customers worldwide.

The Scope of Accreditation already includes many instrument types commonly used in the pulp, paper and plastics industries but TMI's total calibration capability greatly exceeds this. TMI can offer service and calibration on many instrument types not currently included in the Scope and these will be brought into the accredited system as soon as practicable.

Testing Machines Inc. (TMI) manufactures and markets physical property testing instruments for the paper, pulp, film, foil, ink, coatings, nonwoven, textile and corrugated industries. TMI has a network of sales offices and agents throughout the US and in over 50 countries.

The TMI Group of Companies consists of Testing Machines Inc., New York (Ronkonkoma, NY) Messmer Instruments Ltd., UK, Büchel BV, Netherlands, Adamel Lhomargy, France and TMI Canada.

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