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OCTOBER 2004 INDUSTRY NEWS

 

 

Laboratory Testing Inc. Celebrates 20th Anniversary

In 2004, Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI) located in Hatfield, PA celebrates its 20th Anniversary. Over the past 20 years, the company evolved from a small nondestructive testing laboratory to a full-service materials testing, metrology and machining business with ninety employees.

Laboratory Testing Inc. began doing business in 1976 as Carson NDT, a provider of commercial magnetic particle, liquid penetrant, X-ray and ultrasonic inspection services. In 1984, founder, Robert (Bob) W. McVaugh, Sr., changed the company’s name to Laboratory Testing Inc. Since then, Laboratory Testing’s services have grown to also include hydrostatic pressure testing, chemical analysis, dimensional inspection, metallography, mechanical testing, metrology, specimen machining, failure analysis and materials engineering. LTI became accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) in 1989 and by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) in 1992.

Today, LTI is owned by three of the children of Bob McVaugh - Mike, Tom and Joan. The company specializes in the inspection and analysis of metals and alloys found in fasteners, tubular products, bars, plates and castings. The metrology division provides dimensional, mechanical, pressure, force, torque, mass and vacuum calibrations, field services, instrument repair services and replacement parts and instruments. Please call 800-219-9095 to contact LTI.

 

Sypris Test & Measurement Relocates New Jersey Calibration Lab

Sypris Test & Measurement, a subsidiary of Sypris Solutions Inc., has relocated its New Jersey A2LA-accredited calibrations laboratory from Union to Sayreville. The new facility features a 63 percent larger lab to handle increased demand. Moving the lab places the company closer to existing customers in military, aerospace, communications, semiconductor and FDA-regulated markets.

"The relocation of the calibration lab demonstrates our commitment to pursuing growth opportunities in the region," said Ryan Wilde, branch manager. "The financial strength of Sypris has allowed us to invest in expanding the capabilities of the facility, which is designed to facilitate more efficient workflow to better serve customers' high-end electrical calibration needs."

"The new Sayreville location offers some of the most advanced capabilities in our network of convenient service centers located throughout the United States," said Derrell James, Sypris Test & Measurement general manager. "It also provides many of our customers with a more convenient pick-up and delivery location."

Customers with questions about the relocation to 2500 Main Street, Suite 2, Sayreville, NJ 08872 should contact Ryan Wilde at (732) 721-6116 or ryan.wilde@sypris.com.

Sypris Test & Measurement Inc. is a leading provider of calibration services, test and component sourcing services, and specialty products to major corporations and government agencies. Sypris serves customers in a variety of markets, including pharmaceutical, medical, military, aerospace, avionics, telecommunications and more.

 

Electro Rent Corporation Reports Higher Revenue and Net Income for Fiscal 2005 First Quarter Versus Prior Year

Electro Rent Corporation announced higher revenue and net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 compared to the same period of the prior year. "Net income continued to improve, extending the upward trend that began a year ago. The quarter also marked the first positive revenue comparison in several years. Our first quarter performance provides significant evidence that opportunities for Electro Rent that were only on the horizon last year are now taking root in the marketplace," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Greenberg.

For the three months ended August 31, 2004, revenue increased 13% to $25.6 million from $22.7 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2004. Net income increased to $5.6 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, which included $1.8 million (pre-tax) related to funds received from a class action lawsuit. This compares to net income for the same period last year of $2.1 million, or $0.09 per diluted share.

"We are seeing strength across the entire spectrum of our test and measurement business, especially in wireless communications, aerospace/defense and manufacturing. Rental and lease demand and rates in our data products business also improved modestly in the first quarter," Greenberg said.
Greenberg noted that SG&A expenses declined by $439,000, or 5.6%, during the first quarter despite the increase in revenue. "The many steps we took during the difficult past few years to reduce our costs and increase our operating efficiencies, as well as to enhance customer service and prepare for new market opportunities, have come together to serve us in good stead. We believe that we can now significantly increase our volume this year while holding the line on expenses," he said.
"With the improvement in the business climate creating new opportunities for us to profitably deploy our assets, new equipment purchases have increased in recent months and we currently are investing rather than accumulating cash," Greenberg noted. Purchases of new equipment for this year's first quarter increased to $21.8 million, compared to $10.3 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2004, while cash and marketable securities declined to $76.1 million from $82.2 million at May 31, 2004. The book value of Electro Rent's equipment pool rose to $107.0 million at August 31, 2004 compared to $96.3 million at May 31, 2004 and $86.3 million at August 31, 2003.

 

President to Nominate Bement As Science Foundation Director

President George W. Bush announced on September 15 his intention to nominate Arden L. Bement Jr. to be director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the remainder of a six-year term ending August 2, 2010. Bement has been serving as acting director of NSF since Feb. 22, 2004, and is currently the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST Deputy Director Hratch G. Semerjian is currently serving as the NIST acting director. Bement will continue to serve as NIST director pending confirmation of the nomination by the U.S. Senate.

The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.58 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions.

In a statement issued previously, John H. Marburger, science advisor to the President and director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, noted, "Dr. Arden Bement is an ideal candidate for the National Science Foundation Directorship. His depth of experience, long record of accomplishment and proven success as Director of NIST and Acting Director of NSF are sure indicators of future success. I look forward to a speedy confirmation and to working with Dr. Bement in furthering the science goals of the Nation."

In a separate statement, Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans said, "The President has made a great choice in tapping Arden Bement to become the next director of the National Science Foundation. For the past three years, Dr. Bement has served with great distinction as the Director of NIST, displaying an expansive breadth of knowledge of the national science and technology enterprise. And that same breadth of knowledge—coupled with his vast experience in academia, government, and private industry—makes him an ideal candidate to direct the NSF. I am grateful that he has agreed to continue leading NIST until his Senate confirmation and look forward to continuing to work with him in his next leadership role."

 

51st International Instrumentation Symposium

The 51st International Instrumentation Symposium in Knoxville, Tennessee will provide an outstanding opportunity to gain valuable technical information and training in the traditional areas of measurements/sensors, instrumentation systems, data and advanced system/sensor technology as well as innovative papers in many other state of the art areas. The Symposium, cosponsored by the ISA Aerospace and Test Measurement Divisions is being held May 9 - 12, 2005 at the Hilton Hotel.

The symposium will include for the first time paper sessions and presentation sessions (without papers). Papers will be considered for publication in the ISA technical journal. Prospective authors are invited to submit papers and presentations.

Go to www.isa.org/iis or call (919) 549-8411for additional information.

 

Laboratory Accreditation Work of the ISO Committee on Conformity Assessment (CASCO)

The ISO Committee on Conformity Assessment has undertaken a major revision of most of its documents, converting those specifying requirements from guides to standards and renumbering them (the 17000 series). Three of those standards (17025, 17011 and 17000) directly address laboratory accreditation practice.

Amendment of ISO/IEC 17025:1999
The working group (WG 25) met for the fifth time to review the voting results and comments received on ISO/IEC DAM 17025 (DAM = draft amendment). The effort to amend ISO/IEC 17025:1999, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories began in 2002. The DAM received a very high (92%) level of approval from ISO members and 91% approval from IEC national committees. After making some minor changes to the amendment, WG 25 agreed that the revised text be released for the approval stage ballot as the final draft amendment (FDAM).

The scope of the standard is being revised to make it clear that ISO/IEC 17025 is not to be used by certification/registration bodies to certify a laboratory's conformity with the requirements of 17025. Effectively, ISO/IEC 17025 is reserved for accreditation of laboratories or as the basis of peer assessment, but not certification/registration.

Next Steps and Timeframes for the New ISO/IEC 17025
The FDAM text will now be sent for the necessary translations and to the ISO Central Secretariat for final editing. The FDAM should be available for approval stage balloting by October 2004. The approval stage ballot period is 2 months. Assuming a positive vote by ISO member bodies and IEC national committees on the FDAM, the new edition of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 incorporating the approved FDAM is expected to be available by the end of March 2005.

Transition Period to ISO/IEC 17025:2005
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) is expected to decide, in consultation with ISO CASCO, the effective date for implementation of the 2005 version of 17025. Enforcement of new requirements is not expected any earlier than 2006.

 

Testbed to Link Metrology Tools/Software

Continuous inspection of product dimensions is critical in modern manufacturing. A finished product, and all its parts, must fit dimensional specifications. To meet this demand for precision, manufacturers and suppliers regularly use coordinate measuring machines along with inspection planning, execution and analysis programs. Too often, however, these quality control components do not communicate well, particularly when components are mixed and matched from different vendors. The result can be substantial costs to manufacturers who must translate data from one system to another, retrain workers or even buy new machines for their production lines.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has established a testbed at its Gaithersburg, Md., headquarters to help manufacturers improve the interoperability of their dimensional measurement systems. The testbed is using NIST-developed test methods and tools to verify that specific equipment and software conform to new industry standards designed to allow subsystems to "talk" to one another even if they come from different manufacturers.

The NIST testbed was debuted at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago, Sept. 8-15. The demonstration features the use of two draft standard "languages" being used to link together 10 major measuring components.

Successful implementation of such standards throughout manufacturing should save users time and money, avoid code rewriting and measurement errors, and ultimately encourage a more competitive business environment with lower costs.



2005 Measurement Science Conference (MSC) Update

The theme for the 2005 Conference is 35 Years in Education in Measurement Science
The 2005 MSC Conference is being held January 20-21, 2005 in Anaheim, CA.

  • NIST Seminars - January 17 & 18, 2005
  • MSC Tutorial Workshops - January 19, 2005
  • MSC Conference - January 20 & 21, 2005

Exhibiting at the Measurement Science Conference (MSC) is an opportunity to reach a cross section of the metrology, test and precision measurement communities. MSC was founded in 1970 to promote education and professionalism in measurement science and related disciplines and has grown to meet the needs of its attendees, addressing changing measurement technologies as well as pertinent national and global measurement issues. Technical and managerial experts in the measurement sciences are invited to lead sessions, panel discussions, and to present papers or workshops on topics of importance to the global measurement community. Participants range from corporate executives to bench technicians and come from diverse industries to learn and share the most up to date information. Exhibitors at MSC receive a complete listing of all conference participants. To view a list of the 2005 Exhibitors visit www.msc-conf.com.

The 2005 MSC will host the following 2-day NIST Seminars. All Seminars will begin on Monday, January 17, 2005 and end on Tuesday, January 18, 2005.

  • Time and Frequency: Measurements and Applications
  • Hands-On Workshop on Estimating and Reporting Measurment Uncertainty
  • Mass Measurements - Intermediate Topics
  • Experiment Design for Calibration and Interlaboratory Studies
  • NIST Flow Seminar

For more details about the NIST Seminars, click here.

Concurrent Tutorial Workshops will be offered Wednesday, January 19, the day before the regular 2005 MSC Technical Program. In general, each workshop will be 4 hours long and will run once in the morning and once again in the afternoon, making it possible to attend two workshops. Occasionally, an 8-hour workshop is conducted and therefore offered only once during the day. The number of registrations will be limited in some workshops and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Measurement Uncertainty: Fundamentals Applications (full-day program)
  • Laboratory Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025
  • Mass Measurements

For more information about these Tutorial Workshops, click here.


Edison ESI Announces Additional NUPIC Accreditation

Edison ESI Metrology, a subsidiary of Southern California Edison, has recently been approved by the Nuclear Procurement Issues Committee (NUPIC) to provide metrology services to the Nuclear Industry for the calibration of all quality and safety related test and measurement equipment utilized in the Nuclear Energy industry.

Edison Metrology has been the sole supplier of calibration services to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station for over 18 years. Other nuclear customers include Pacific Northwest, Diablo Canyon, Arizona Public Power, and Rocky Flats Nuclear Arsenal. NUPIC accreditation extends these services to the entire nuclear industry.

Edison Metrology offers primary and secondary calibration services in virtually every discipline. These calibrations meet the standards set forth in ANSI/ISO/IEC 17025, ANSI/NCSL Z540-1, MIL-STD-45662A, 10CFR50 Appendix B, and ISO 9002:94.
To learn more about Edison Metrology call them toll-free at 866-SCE-CALS (866-723-2257).

 

Sypris Test & Measurement Relocates Northern Calif. Calibration Lab

Sypris Test & Measurement, a subsidiary of Sypris Solutions Inc., has relocated its San Francisco Bay Area A2LA-accredited calibrations laboratory to Sunnyvale, Calif., from San Jose effective September 2, 2004.

Moving the regional lab places the company closer to existing customers in military, aerospace, communications, semiconductor and FDA-regulated markets, and provides growth opportunities in those markets in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sypris has made investments in increasing the capabilities of the facility, which features a floor plan designed to facilitate more efficient workflow to better serve customers' high-end electrical calibration needs.

"The new Sunnyvale location offers some of the most advanced capabilities in our network of convenient service centers located throughout the United States," said Derrell James, Sypris Test & Measurement general manager. "It also provides many of our customers with a more convenient pick-up and delivery location."

Customers with questions about the relocation to 615 N. Mary Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94085 should contact Alex Jimenez at (408) 720-0006 or alex.jimenez@sypris.com. More information about Sypris Test & Measurement's component and product testing services is available on the Internet at www.calibration.com, or by calling 800-775-2550.

 

2004 Best Paper Awards at NCSLI - August - Salt Lake City

Visit NCSLI.org and review the best paper awards from the August 2004 NCSLI Workshop and Symposium held in Salt Lake City.

Quality & Management Category And Dr. Allen V. Astin Award for Best Paper
NACLA – Who Shot my Horse?
Dr. Malcolm Smith, WESCAN Calibration Services

Applied Category
Irradiance Responsivity Scale Realization Between 1000 nm and 2500 nm
George P. Eppeldauer, NIST

Invited Category
Refractrometry Using A Helium Standard
Jack Stone, NIST

Theoretical Metrology
Beyond Error Bars
Alan Steele, NRC Canada

 

Questions and Answers on Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) for Drugs

As part of the cGMP initiative announced in August of 2002, and to help FDA be more transparent with cGMP policy, FDA has developed a Question and Answer Resource on Current Good Manufacturing Practices. FDA intends to use this format to provide timely answers to questions about the meaning and application of cGMPs for human, animal, and biological drugs, and to share these widely. These questions and answers generally clarify statements of existing requirements or policy, and as such, are considered Level 2 guidance. This resource is being co-sponsored by CDER, CVM, CBER, and ORA.

Guidance documents represent the Agency's current thinking on a particular subject (21 CFR 10.115). They do not create or confer any rights for or on any person and do not operate to bind FDA or the public. You can use an alternative approach if such approach satisfies the requirements of the application statute, regulations, or both. For more information about a specific guidance document, please contact the originating office.

Visit the cGMP Q & A Resource page.


Yokogawa Building New Houston Office to Strengthen Presence in North American Petroleum and Petrochemical Markets

To further accelerate the expansion of its industrial automation (IA) operations in North America, Yokogawa Electric Corporation’s North American subsidiary, Yokogawa Corporation of America, is constructing a new office building in Houston, Texas, and plans to move from its current Houston location to the new premises around June 2005.

In Houston the offices of headquarters and affiliates of major engineering firms stand side by side with those of the global petroleum and petrochemical industry players, making this the center of the world’s energy industry. Making one’s presence seen and felt there, and winning customer trust in this competitive environment is an extremely important business strategy in the IA business. To that end, Yokogawa America opened a Houston branch office in 1983, and it then transferred its control systems business headquarter functions there from the Georgia headquarters in June 2002. The active development of sales and marketing activities to build close customer relationships and win customer confidence has been reaping rewards such as a $50 million order from Shell Chemical LP for an instrumentation equipment renewal project at its chemical plant in Norco, Louisiana.

Teruyoshi Minaki, Director and Executive Vice President, says “Many large-scale projects are being planned in a number of oil and natural gas producing regions around the world, in the oil and natural gas energy related industries and the petrochemical industries. Yokogawa America is actively working to strengthen its share of the North American market and is targeting sales of $350 million by fiscal year 2008, which is twice the figure achieved in 2003. In order to meet this objective, it will be necessary to build up the number of sales, marketing, and engineering personnel. We will strengthen our presence in North America by demonstrating to our customers Yokogawa’s positive approach to the IA business.”


Emerson Awarded $32 Million Contract by Petrobras for Offshore Oil and Gas Automation Upgrade

Emerson Process Management, a business of Emerson, announced that it has been awarded a $32 million contract by Petrobras, one of the world's largest integrated oil and gas companies, to upgrade metering technology aboard nine floating production units. The automation project will ensure reliable measurement of oil and gas production units in the offshore Marlim oil field of Brazil's Campos Basin.

"We are completely committed to this challenge and we are contracting these state-of-the-art measurement and metering services in order to upgrade our installations," said Rudimar Lorenzatto, Marlim Asset Manager, Petrobras. "We are producing around 500,000 barrels per day of oil and 460 million cubic feet per day of gas, and Emerson's technology and metering expertise and experience make them a valuable partner for this sustained production effort."

"Petrobras is adept at meeting the challenges of offshore, deep-water production, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with them on this world class fiscal metering project," said John Berra, president of Emerson Process Management. "It's especially gratifying to employ our expert services from project management and commissioning on the front end, through to maintenance and calibration over the life of the field."

Emerson will also supply metering management services to increase confidence in the accuracy of measurement equipment being used, including maintenance and calibration of all instrumentation. The Emerson team will be responsible for validation and reporting of measurement data, as well as all metering, sampling and test equipment.
Emerson has established a new operation in Macae, the center for the support of the Petrobras Campos Basin fleet of floating units.

For more details visit Emerson Process Management.

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