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MARCH 2006 INDUSTRY NEWS

 

News from NIST’s Laboratory Metrology2006 Combined Regional Measurement Assurance Program

The 2006 Combined Regional Measurement Assurance Program training sessions will be held October 29, to November 3, 2006 at the Omni Hotel in Broomfield (Denver/Boulder), Colorado. This is a combined meeting for CaMAP, SEMAP, NEMAP, MidMAP, SWAP, and WRAP and is an annual training requirement for State laboratories. Visit NIST’s Laboratory Metrology page http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/230/235/labmetrologypage.htm for more information.

Laboratory Testing Inc. Appoints New Quality Assurance Manager

Frank Peszka of Erdenheim, PA has been appointment to the position of Quality Assurance Manager at Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI). Frank joined Laboratory Testing in October 2004 as Quality Assurance Specialist with over 30 years experience as a quality assurance professional. In his new position, Frank will implement and maintain the Quality Management System, oversee the preparation of certification documents and administer contract review.

Don DiFilippo of Pottstown, PA, the company’s former Quality Assurance Manager, has retired from LTI. He will remain with the company on a part-time basis as a Quality Assurance Specialist performing vendor audits and assisting with the quality program.

Laboratory Testing Inc. is accredited in accordance with the International Standard ISO/IEC 17025, stating “general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”. They are accredited for mechanical, chemical and nondestructive testing services by PRI/Nadcap. Their dimensional inspection and calibration services are covered by A2LA accreditation.

Their accreditations to ISO/IEC 17025 through both PRI/Nadcap and A2LA enhance LTI’s Quality Program by ensuring customers that they can meet or exceed their needs and expectations. In addition, these accreditations allow LTI to meet the requirements of automotive and other industry standards which state that vendor laboratories shall be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by a recognized accreditation body (e.g. PRI/Nadcap, A2LA, NAVLAP or LAB).

Laboratory Testing Inc. specializes in metal and alloy testing, specimen machining, failure analysis and calibration services. The lab is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by PRI/Nadcap and A2LA. Mechanical, chemical, metallurgical and nondestructive testing services are performed on metals and alloys including those found in fasteners, tubular products, bars, plates and castings. The metrology division provides dimensional, pressure, force, torque, mass and vacuum calibrations. Field calibration service is offered for surface plates, hardness testers, optical comparators, balances, hand tools and testing machines. LTI can provide new instruments and replacement parts as a representative for manufacturers such as Mitutoyo, Starrett, Boston Centerless and Vermont Gage. Information on LTI services and accreditations is available at www.labtesting.com.

 

2006 ISWM Conference and Expo

The ISWM will shine its spotlight on the weighing industry's best new products and services at its 2006 Conference and Expo, "New Technologies for a Changing Marketplace," June 6-9, 2006 at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

Weighing equipment manufacturers from the United States and around the world will come together at the ISWM 2006 Conference and Expo to showcase the newest product innovations across all classes of weighing equipment. You won't want to miss this opportunity to see the latest technology, strengthen your business skills and expand your network of industry contacts.

Join us in Dallas, Texas for the weighing industry's premiere trade show and education conference and celebrate, "New Technologies for a Changing Marketplace," June 6-9.

 

Davis Inotek Calibration Laboratory Acquires Precision Metrology

Davis Inotek Calibration Laboratory announced it has acquired Precision Metrology, Inc. (PMI), based near San Diego, CA. The acquisition enables Davis Inotek to more fully address the growing instrument calibration needs of manufacturers in Southern California and Mexico.

"As instrument calibration continues to become increasingly important in Manufacturing, Davis Inotek has differentiated itself by expanding its geographic coverage and delivering complementary services that deliver greater value and efficiency to clients," said Rob Flack, vice president, business development of Davis Inotek. "The acquisition of PMI bolsters this strategy and positions the company for future growth by providing additional lab facilities and an experienced team of calibration personnel.”

PMI is one of the leading West Coast calibration labs. Founded in 1975, it is ISO certified and provides certified, N.I.S.T. traceable calibrations. While serving a broad range of manufacturing clients, PMI also focuses on critical calibration for the aerospace and pharmaceutical industries.

As part of Davis Inotek’s ongoing expansion strategy, this is its second recent acquisition in the San Diego area, acquiring Baja Metrology in October 2004. Financial terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

Davis Inotek Calibration Laboratory is a division of Davis Inotek Instruments, LLC (www.Davis.com).

 

The Food and Drug Administration Celebrates 100 Years of Service to the Nation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2006. In addition to a nation-wide program of commemorative events being held throughout the year, FDA has launched a special Web page at http://www.fda.gov/centennial. The January-February 2006 issue of FDA's bimonthly publication, FDA Consumer, traces the agency's history from the passage of pure food and drug laws at the turn of the last century to the challenges posed today by cutting-edge sciences such as genomic and proteomics, and new initiatives like "personalized medicine."

FDA dates its origin to June 1906, when President Teddy Roosevelt signed the Food and Drugs Act and entrusted implementation of this law to the Bureau of Chemistry of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Bureau, the oldest U.S. consumer protection office, eventually became the FDA, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Over the years, FDA has provided Americans with increasingly comprehensive, science-based protections that ensure the highest quality of products essential for health and survival. Today, these products represent almost 25% of all consumer spending and include 80% of the national food supply and all human drugs, vaccines, medical devices, tissues for transplantation, equipment that emits radiation, cosmetics, and animal drugs and food.

The centennial celebrations have the following aims:

  • Observe FDA's role -- past, present, and future -- in protecting and promoting the health of the public, both in the United States and world-wide;
  • Inspire future efforts to advance science, innovation, and public health through partnerships and alliances with key FDA stakeholders;
  • Attract new generations of regulatory scientists; and
  • Salute the contributions of FDA employees, alumni, legislators, academicians, industry, consumer groups, and public health leaders to fulfilling FDA's mission.

Visit http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01292.html to learn more about events scheduled to highlight the centennial celebration.


Fluke receives TDAP certification from VDE

Fluke Corporation, a supplier of handheld test and measurement equipment, announced that its Safety and Environmental Laboratory is now certified by VDE’s Test Data Acceptance Program (TDAP), becoming one of approximately 50 companies worldwide to receive this certification.

This allows Fluke to conduct comprehensive testing for compliance to EN61010-1 (the IEC standard for safety compliance for Test and Measurement Equipment), EN61010-031 (the IEC standard for handheld probes assemblies) and EN61001-2-032 (the IEC standard for current clamps). VDE (The Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies), headquartered in Germany, was founded in 1893 and has evolved into one of the largest technical and scientific associations and well-regarded regulatory agencies in Europe.

“To qualify for a VDE mark, without TDAP certification, products must be sent to Germany for certification. Now that Fluke has received VDE TDAP certification, we can conduct the entire suite of EN61010-1 requirements within our own laboratory and submit the report for VDE approval,” said Fluke quality manager Larry Eccleston. “This certification is an acknowledgement of Fluke expertise and quality, and enables us to improve efficiency, externally verify our laboratory quality and improve Fluke’s overall product life cycle.”

TDAP certification is a lengthy process requiring demonstrated proficiency prior to admittance into the program. Candidates must demonstrate competency:

  • Through complete knowledge of the standard and test procedures;
  • Bby having a fully equipped laboratory capable of effectively completing the required testing;
  • By keeping calibration eminence records; and,
  • By providing proof of qualified education or training credentials for laboratory staff conducting the tests.

From Reliable Plant Magazine http://www.reliableplant.com/article.asp?articleid=987

 

Mahr Federal Achieves ISO 17025 Accreditation for Field Service Group

Mahr Federal's Scope of Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) has been expanded to include the company's Field Service Group, it was recently announced. This means that qualified Mahr Federal Field Service Group personnel will now be able to provide accreditated calibration services at customer facilities.

'This is an important extension of our calibration capabilities,' said Pat Nugent, Vice President, Metrology Systems, Mahr Federal Inc. 'Now customers can have large measurement systems -- such as form and geometry systems, surface finish systems and length measurement systems -- calibrated onsite with the added benefit of accreditation. Accreditation to do this work in their facilities enables our technicians to better evaluate the affects of environment and other conditions on the quality of their measurement processes.'

Mahr Federal offers an inspection and recalibration program for dimensional standards, and calibration and certification services for a wide range of gages. ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation defines general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. According to Nugent, '17025 assures that labs operate in accordance with ISO 9001, but ISO 9001 alone does not demonstrate the competence of a lab to produce technically valid results. Certification to ISO 17025 provides that evidence.'

'Key to the quality of any measurement is its uncertainty,' said Nugent. 'We have been able to develop mathematical models of how ambient conditions may affect the uncertainty of various measurements compared to those same measurements made in the ideal conditions of our metrology lab. By accounting for variation in conditions such as temperature and vibration at a customer's facility, we can show them empirically how improving control over those conditions can improve their quality process.'

Another benefit of uncertainty values is that they can help manufacturers select the best qualified calibration service provider. 'The uncertainty values in a Scope of Accreditation are a measure of the quality of that service,' Nugent said. 'The educated customer will compare his calibration requirements with the uncertainty rankings for those things among competing service providers and make his selection not just on price, but on quality of service.'

Mahr Federal, a member of the Mahr Group, is known worldwide for its expertise in providing dimensional measurement solutions. The ISO 9001:2000-certified company manufactures and markets a wide variety of dimensional metrology products, and is headquartered in Providence, RI.

Visit http://www.mahr.com/index.php?NodeID=9845&SourceID=9834&
LayerMenuID=2#CID4185 for more information.

 

Tektronix Reports Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2006

Tektronix, Inc. reported net sales of $262.1 million and net earnings from continuing operations of $24.9 million or $0.30 per share for the third quarter ended February 25, 2006. This compares with net sales of $256.3 million and net earnings from continuing operations of $23.4 million or $0.26 per share for the same period last year.

"This was an outstanding quarter for us," said Rick Wills, Tektronix Chairman and CEO. "A modestly improving market, strength in new products and continued success in the communication sector led to strong orders, sales, earnings and cash flow."

"Overall, orders in the quarter grew 14%. Our instruments business orders grew 8% driven by our continued wave of new products - including two new oscilloscope families introduced this quarter. In addition, we again saw solid growth from our two newer instrument product categories, signal sources and real-time spectrum analyzers," said Wills. "We also had excellent year-over-year order growth of 30% in our communications business driven by several significant customer wins in a continued strong market."

"In addition to our strong financial performance, we had a great quarter operationally with the successful introduction and shipment of two new oscilloscope families - the DPO7000 and DPO4000 - both based on next generation ASIC technology and highly-leveraged platforms that will be expanded in the future," Wills continued. "Early response to these exceptional products has been very positive. The DPO7000 delivers unmatched product specifications and eliminates the traditional trade-offs found in other oscilloscopes. The DPO4000 similarly delivers unmatched performance in its category and includes breakthrough innovations such as the Wave Inspector™ search capability. Finally, several of our products were selected for industry awards, highlighting our commitment to innovation and to solving customer problems."

"We continue to deliver on our growth strategy in both our instruments and communications businesses. By continuing to introduce new products and offer new capabilities, we expect to gain share, expand our market and win new customers," concluded Wills. Visit www.tektronix.com to read the entire news release.

 

Transcat, Inc. has acquired N.W. Calibration Inspection, Inc. in Fort Wayne. Indiana

Transcat, Inc., a leading global distributor of professional grade test, measurement, and calibration instruments and a provider of calibration and repair services, today announced that it has acquired N.W. Calibration Inspection, Inc. in Fort Wayne, Indiana, expanding the Transcat Calibration Services Laboratories network to 12 Transcat Calibration Centers of Excellence. The acquisition is expected to add approximately 5% to Transcat's Calibration Services revenues on a yearly basis. Further details of the transaction were not disclosed.

N.W. Calibration Inspection, Inc. (NWCI) (www.nwci-inc.com) provides Dimensional Calibration, First Part Inspection and Reverse Engineering services to the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, Automotive, Nuclear and Aerospace industries. It is ISO/IEC 17025 certified, and is directly traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NWCI is a state-of-the-art lab for both dimensional inspection and metrology services.

Carl E. Sassano, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "N.W. Calibration Inspection is an outstanding business for both Transcat's Calibration Services and Distribution Products.

"This strategic acquisition will expand our service offerings by adding two unique services: First Part Inspection and Reverse Engineering.

-- First Part Inspection -- This service offering verifies that a
manufactured part meets all design specifications; e.g., the first parts of
an injection molding process, casting process, or stamping process.

-- Reverse Engineering -- This service offering generates CAD drawings
from a completed part. An ATOS-II white light system is used to scan the
object from multiple angles in all 3 dimensions, which then constructs a 3-
dimensional CAD model and drawings.

"We will also be able to extend the range of services we offer our customers by providing CMM First Article dimensional inspection of manufactured, cast, steel, rubber, or plastic molded parts on certified (ASME/ANSI B89 Standard) Coordinate Measuring Machines and other metrology equipment.

"With our strategic acquisition of NWCI, Transcat will begin working with our customers' Quality Engineering departments on new product development projects which include First Part Inspection and Reverse Engineering. The addition of these new services will allow Transcat to become a more integral service supplier within our identified target markets."

Newman Maurer, President of N.W. Calibration Inspection, Inc., stated, "We are excited about the opportunity to combine NWCI's business with Transcat, Inc. Together, we have great potential to address the calibration and inspection needs of our combined customers. My customers will continue to receive top-flight service as well as access to all Transcat's Calibration Centers of Excellence.

"Additionally NWCI's customers will now have access to an enhanced level of accredited calibration services, as well as access to Transcat's CalTrak® calibration quality program that manages the documentation, tracking and control of the calibration process and provides uniform certificates and data as calibrations are performed."

About Transcat, Inc.
Transcat, Inc. is a leading global distributor of professional grade test, measurement and calibration instruments and an accredited provider of calibration and repair services primarily to the process, life science and manufacturing industries.


IMACS 2006, International Meeting on Automated Compliance Systems for the Life Science Industry

May 17-18, 2006
Princeton, NJ
The Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village in Princeton, NJ.

VelQuest Corporation is pleased to sponsor the 3rd annual IMACS conference developed to provide a forum to detail IT-based compliance and productivity solutions for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices QC/QA laboratory environments. The IMACS 2006 organizing committee invited industry speakers with topics including: paperless lab initiatives, QC/QA e-notebook's, 21CFR Part 11 and 21st Century cGMP remediation issues, integration of PAT technologies, SOP/method-centric automation platforms and process batch record automation.

IMACS (International Meeting on Automated Compliance Systems), is the definitive conference on IT-based compliance and productivity solutions. The life science industry is challenged with reducing costs and improving productivity throughout the drug development and production process. IMACS is dedicated to providing an information exchange for enabling technologies designed to meet those challenges. IMACS is open to all individuals interested in advances and experiences in automating compliance and will feature implementer experiences and insights. The organizing committee will not accept commercial presentations. IMACS 2006 will take place in Princeton, NJ (USA) on May 17-18, 2006.

IMACS mission is three fold:
1. Provide a stimulating information exchange between automated compliance system users/implementers and managers.
2. Create a respected forum for automated compliance innovators to present and publish their work.
3. Recognize pioneers and visionaries "leading the way" in automated compliance and productivity technologies. in GLP and GMP environments
Presentations discuss the roles and perspectives of laboratory analysts, lab management, IT, QA and executive management involved in late stage development, stability, clinical supply release, in-process and final product QC/QA.

The Preliminary Program for IMACS 2006 is in progress. Several scheduled key 2006 topics include:

"VelQuest's SmartLab Software as Key Component of a Global Quality System" by Eli Lilly and Company
"GMP Electronic Noetbooks in QC Laboratory Operations" by GlaxoSmithKline
"Business Impact Assessments of Going Paperless in QC" by McNeil Consumer Healthcare - Canada
"Development Quality Informatics Using an ELN" by Bristol-Myers Squibb - Imaging
"Compliance and Productivity Initiatives for Global Quality Operations" by AstraZeneca
"A GLP Perspective of SmartLab: One Year In at a CRO" by Tandem Labs
At IMACS 2005, presentations from leading life science companies (pharmaceutical, biotech, generics, CRO's) and industry experts included titles as follows:

“The Paperless Laboratory - Metrology and Analysis in an R&D Environment”
“FDA’S New “Desired State” Enabling Paperless Labs”
“Electronic Laboratory Notebooks - their Application in a High Volume QC Laboratory”
“Operational Impact of an Automated Laboratory Compliance System”
“Developing a Lab IT Strategy for Improved Laboratory Performance”
And many more!

Visit www.imacs-world.com for more information.
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