Help

MAY 2006 INDUSTRY NEWS

 

Last Call to Take Part in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing’s Annual Benchmarking Survey

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, in conjunction with Control magazine, is surveying readers to learn how process control is advancing at pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities today.

PharmaManufacturing.com and ControlGlobal.com are co-hosting a benchmarking survey on process control in the pharmaceutical industry. Participate in our survey to help answer these questions for yourself and your colleagues: What control and automation issues are keeping you up at night? Are they the same as those perplexing your competitors? How effectively are drug makers using PAT and harnessing the process automation tools now available to them?

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey, results from which will be interpreted in June's issue of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing magazine and on PharmaManufacturing.com and ControlGlobal.com.

If you would like to have benchmarking data from the survey sent directly to you, please provide your name and contact information at the end of the survey.

Ten respondents will be chosen at random to receive a $100.00 American Express gift certificate. Winners will be notified via e-mail.

This information will not be used for any other purposes or given to other parties.

Visit www.pharmamanufacturing.com to find the Survey Link.

 

Trade-In Your Weight(s)

Troemner is now offering a trade-in promotion that can save customers up to 40% on a new weight set. Coupled with the company’s Lifetime Guarantee, Troemner is providing customers even more assurances that the weights being used in their laboratory are the finest available to meet all their needs.

Trade-in a 100 g – 1 mg weight set(s) of any class or manufacturer and receive 40% off a new Troemner Alloy 8 Stainless Steel UltraClass or Class 1, 200 g – 1 mg two piece weight set(s) with two 200 g weights. Include a Traceable, NVLAP or UKAS Weight Calibration Certificate that meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 with the new Alloy 8 Stainless Steel UltraClass or Class 1, 200 g – 1 mg two piece weight set(s) with two 200 g weights and receive 40% off the certificate when ordered with this trade-in offer.

Trade-in any other weight set(s) or individual weight(s) of any class, denomination or manufacturer and receive a 30% discount off the equivalent replacement weight or weight set. Include a Traceable, NVLAP or UKAS Weight Calibration Certificate that meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 with the new Alloy 8 Stainless Steel, UltraClass or Class 1 weight set(s) or individual weight(s) and receive 30% off the certificate when ordered with this trade-in offer.

Troemner’s Lifetime Guarantee assures customers that if any Troemner Alloy 8 Stainless Steel weight is discovered to contain magnetic properties, it will be replaced with an equivalent, NEW Alloy 8 Stainless Steel weight at no charge. Troemner’s unique Alloy 8 Stainless Steel weights possess low magnetic susceptibility properties, uniform density and a high resistance to corrosion.

For additional information, visit www.troemner.com/trade_in_promotion.php or call Troemner’s Inside Sales Department at 1.800.352.7718.

 

Hexagon Metrology’s Lake Forest Precision Center Moves and Expands

Hexagon Metrology has moved into an all-new precision center in the Los Angeles area. The new center, less than a mile from the present Lake Forest, California location consolidates the former precision center with the Leica Geosystems metrology service center formerly in Huntington Beach, CA.

The center offers hands-on PC-DMIS training classes for customers of all Hexagon Metrology brands, including Brown & Sharpe, Sheffield, DEA, Leitz, plus any customers who purchased PC-DMIS as a retrofit or with a pre-owned machine. "The new center offers our customers an enhanced environment for training classes, a greatly expanded showroom with room to effectively demonstrate Brown & Sharpe CMMs and Leica laser tracker products" said Hexagon Metrology Regional Director Angus Taylor.

"This region has been growing very quickly for us; in fact, this is our second expansion here in just over two years. Our contract inspection business here has also been very successful, and with our new facility we will be able to offer more of these types of services than before."

As of 4/25/06 the new contact information is:
7 Orchard Suite 102
Lake Forest, CA 92630
800 Number: 800-955-5200
Main Line: 949-916-4490
Sales Fax: 949-916-4499
Service Fax: 949-916-4498

 

FDA Centennial Public Events

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2006. Events commemorating the FDA centennial will be held throughout the year.
The FDA has planned a nationwide program of commemorative events to:

  • 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 FDA’s Centennial Page at http://www.fda.gov/centennial/cenevents.html to review the remaining activities scheduled to commemorate the event. Read the FDA Consumer Magazine’s Centennial Edition with feature articles highlighting the past 100 years of the various FDA divisions. The magazine can be viewed at http://www.fda.gov/fdac/106_toc.html.

 

Davis Inotek Completes GE Instrumentation Services Acquisition

Davis Inotek, (www.DavisCalibration.com) a world leader in the calibration and distribution of test, measurement and control instrumentation, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of GE Instrumentation Services. The acquisition of GE Instrumentation Services is another key component of Davis Inotek's strategy to deliver global services to the manufacturing, process and life sciences industries.

The combined company is the largest instrument calibration provider in the United States, offering a network of 28 coast to coast laboratories. According to President and CEO, Lee Rudow, "This acquisition will enable the company to support a broader scope of capabilities and add flexibility to an already comprehensive array of service options."

Moving forward, Davis Inotek's investment in the acquisition of GE Instrumentation Services means current customers will benefit from GE's calibration technology and market expertise. Stu Hopkins, VP of Calibration Services, states "with the acquisition of GE's Instrumentation Services, our value proposition is unmatched in the industrial marketplace."

 

Transcat Announces Fiscal Year 2006 and Fourth Quarter Results

Transcat, Inc., a leading global distributor of professional grade test, measurement, and calibration instruments and a provider of calibration and repair services, announced financial results for fiscal year 2006 and the fourth quarter ended March 25, 2006.

Fiscal Year 2006 and Fourth Quarter Overview

  • Net sales increased 9.3% to $60.5 million in fiscal year 2006 and 3.2% to $16.1 million in the fiscal year 2006 fourth quarter.
  • Gross profit ratio for fiscal year 2006 decreased 0.1 points to 25.0% from fiscal year 2005. Gross profit ratio for the fiscal year 2006 fourth quarter decreased 2.8 points to 25.1% from the fiscal year 2005 fourth quarter, primarily because of the timing of purchase rebates earned in the fiscal year 2005 fourth quarter.
  • Calibration Services – Net sales increased 7.9% to $19.7 million in fiscal year 2006 from $18.2 million in fiscal year 2005. Net sales slightly increased 0.7% to $5.54 million in the fiscal year 2006 fourth quarter from $5.50 million in the fiscal year 2005 fourth quarter. Calibration Services gross profit ratio for fiscal year 2006 decreased 1.2 points to 26.9% from fiscal year 2005. Calibration Services gross profit ratio for the fiscal year 2006 fourth quarter decreased 3.3 points to 28.9% from the fiscal year 2005 fourth quarter, impacted by ongoing investments in service infrastructure and sales mix.

 

New Program Managers for NVLAP’s ECT and Calibration LAPs

NVLAP is pleased to announce the addition of two new Program Managers to its staff.

Kurt Fischer
Mr. Kurt Fischer has been named Program Manager of the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Telecommunications Laboratory Accreditation Program (LAP), replacing Mr. Jon Crickenberger who has assumed management responsibility for the Information Technology and Security Testing LAP. Mr. Fischer has over twenty years experience in conformity assessment services for high technology electronics, automotive electronic systems, and both wired and wireless telecommunications devices.

Mr. Fischer's background includes a wide array of management and technical work experience. Prior to joining the NVLAP staff, he served as an assessor for numerous U.S. Accreditation Bodies, including NVLAP. He has performed over 200 assessments worldwide to the ISO/IEC Guide 65 (Product Certification) and ISO/IEC 17025 (Laboratory Accreditation) standards. He is a NARTE Certified Senior EMC Engineer, an ANSI and NIST Telecommunications Certification Body assessor, and a Senior Member of the IEEE (EMC, Communications, and Standards Societies).

David Todd
On May 1, 2006, Mr. David Todd joined NVLAP as a Program Manager in the Calibration Laboratories Accreditation Program group, replacing Ms. Sally Bruce who was promoted to Chief of NVLAP. Mr. Todd comes to NVLAP from the Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic, U.S. Naval Submarine Support Base in Kings Bay, GA, where he served as the Metrology Division Head. In this position, he was responsible for the timely delivery of calibrated test equipment to submarines, and for the oversight and monitoring of the contractor-operated Navy Calibration Laboratory. From 1975 to 2005, he worked in the fluid flow and flowmeter calibration section of the U.S. Navy Primary Standards Laboratory (NPSL) located at the Naval Air Depot, North Island in San Diego, CA.

For more information visit http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/214/whatsnew.htm#staff.

 

New NVLAP Chief

NVLAP is pleased to announce that, effective May 1, 2006, Sally Bruce became the new Chief of NVLAP. Sally brings a wealth of experience to the position and we are confident that she will lead NVLAP to even greater heights in terms of quality of service and international recognition.

Ms. Bruce joined the Calibration Program staff of the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program in the fall of 2003, initially working full-time to support the implementation of the NIST quality system. With the departure of Steve Doty, Sally took on responsibilities as a member of the calibration laboratory accreditation team, while continuing her work with the NIST laboratories on the NIST quality system in support of NIST measurement services.

Ms. Bruce came to the Standard Services Division from the Physics Laboratory’s Optical Technology Division, where she was the primary driving force for the successful adoption of an ISO/IEC Guide 25-compliant quality system in the division. This pioneering effort served as a model in the subsequent adoption by NIST of a quality system for all of its calibration services.

Ms. Bruce is the official NIST representative to the System Interamericana de Metrologia (SIM-Spanish for Interamerican Metrology System) Quality System Task Force (QS TF). SIM is the regional metrology organization for the Americas. The SIM QS TF is composed of representatives from the SIM countries that are signatories to the International Committee on Weights and Measures (Comité International des Poids et Mesures, or CIPM) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA). The SIM QS TF reviews and votes on the approval of each National Metrology Institute's (NMI) Quality System, a necessary step for final approval of NMI capabilities in the measurement areas under the CIPM MRA.

She is also the Chair of the Subcommittee for Laboratory Accreditation and Quality Assurance for the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN). The ICLN operates under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by senior officials of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, and State, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The ICLN was established to improve the coordination and response of the nation’s laboratories to potential multifaceted and multipronged terrorist attacks and other threats to homeland security. It consists of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Laboratory Response Network, the Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network and National Plant Diagnostic Network, the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Emergency Response Network, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Laboratory Response Network.

To read more visit http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/214/whatsnew.htm#staff.

 

New Consortium To Address Major Metrology Issues

In today’s environment, standards are essential to national and international economies, to world trade, and to the success of individual companies. Lack of interoperability between manufacturing automation systems is known to waste many hundred millions of dollars every year. A new consortium, the Dimensional Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC), Inc., has been established which recognizes the critical importance of industrial manufacturing and metrology standards. The objective of the consortium is to take an active role in the establishment and coordination of these standards. The mission of the DMSC is to identify, promote, foster, and encourage the rapid development and interoperability of needed and emerging national and international standards important to the field of dimensional metrology. This includes not only metrology specific standards but also related standards that are used by metrologists to perform jobs such as product and tolerance exchange.

The consortium would like to recognize a number of organizations that have emerged around the world whose major purpose is to address component interoperability problems for the dimensional metrology (DM) community. Several of these organizations* have identified their specific focus and goals and have enjoyed notable successes and achievements. However, many have experienced some technical and/or business limitations, such as limited industrial sector support. A key objective of the DMSC is to provide a common forum where all of these organizations may team together, complementing each other in related endeavors, harmonize potentially conflicting standards and duplication of efforts. An additional objective of the DMSC is to help establish volunteer committees to facilitate, prove-in, and progress existing specifications to standards.

The DMSC has evolved from the DMIS Standards Committee (DSC), (formerly the DMIS National Standards Committee – DMIS: Dimensional Measuring Interface Standard), comprised primarily of a North American organization of DM users and vendors, and a strong European DMIS User group. It was formerly a committee under CAM-I, Inc., but is now organized as a committee under the new DMSC, Inc. The DSC has maintained and enhanced the DMIS metrology standard and promoted specifications to both national and international standards. The committee has recently completed a mature version (5.0) of the DMIS standard as an American National Standard and is addressing other challenges in the Dimensional Metrology Standards domain. The long-term successful experience of the DSC in standards development and its substantial user support from aerospace, defense, automotive, and agriculture/construction sectors indicate a strong team that can potentially play an important role for dimensional metrology.

Membership in the consortium is open to any individual, company, organization, corporation, or government entity that has a direct and material interest in the development and support of metrology-related and industrial automation standards. Visit the Dimensional Metrology Standards Consortium website at: http://www.dmisstandards.org/ for further information.

 

Mettler Toledo First Quarter: Strong Sales Growth and Operating Performance

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. announced net earnings of $23.7 million, or $0.57 per share on a diluted basis, for the quarter ended March 31, 2006. The first quarter 2006 results include $0.03 per diluted share of share-based compensation expense. In the first quarter of 2005, net earnings per diluted share were $0.47 and did not include any share-based compensation expense. Excluding the effect of share-based compensation expense, net earnings per diluted share would have increased 28% in the quarter.

Sales for the quarter were $346.2 million, compared with $337.2 million in the prior year, an increase of 7% in local currency sales. Reported sales growth in the quarter was 3% and includes a 4% unfavorable currency impact. By region, local currency sales growth was 10% in Europe, 1% in the Americas and 11% in Asia / Rest of World. In the quarter, adjusted operating income, which does not include share-based compensation expense, amounted to $40.4 million, a 13% increase over the prior year amount of $35.7 million.

Robert F. Spoerry, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are pleased with all key aspects of our financial performance in the quarter. Our sales growth was driven by strong performance in our laboratory products while food retailing also had good growth.

For more information visit Mettler Toledo at: http://us.mt.com/mt/homepage/Xindex.jsp/mettlertoledo.asp.

 

Agilent Technologies Reports Second Quarter 2006 Results

Agilent Technologies Inc. reported orders of $1.59 billion for the second fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2006, 21 percent above one year ago. Revenues during the quarter were $1.43 billion, 12 percent above last year. Second quarter GAAP income from continuing operations was $131 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, compared with $53 million, or $0.11 per share, in last year's second quarter.

"Agilent continued to deliver on its operating and strategic commitments during the second quarter of 2006," said Bill Sullivan, Agilent president and chief executive officer. "Both revenues and adjusted earnings per share were at the high end of our expectations. Preparations for a spinoff of STS are on schedule. As of mid-year, we have successfully reduced Agilent's global infrastructure to a level commensurate with a pure-play measurement company. Despite the separation and restructuring costs associated with these actions, Agilent generated approximately $300 million in cash from operating activities during the second quarter."

Bio-Analytical Measurement orders of $401 million were 4 percent above last year's very strong performance, and up 7 percent in local currency terms. Life Sciences orders were up 4 percent, with demand from traditional pharmaceutical customers down in the U.S., up modestly in Europe and up double digits in Asia compared to one year ago. Demand for proteomics and genomics products was up more than 20 percent from last year. Chemical Analysis orders also rose 4 percent, with fairly uniform strength across chemical and petrochemical firms, academic institutions and government agencies focused on improving food, air and water quality. Revenues of $372 million were up 8 percent from last year. Segment book-to-bill was 1.08, the seventh consecutive quarter above parity.

Electronic Measurement second quarter orders of $875 million were up 5 percent from last year; excluding the impact of a higher dollar, local currency orders were up 7 percent from one year ago. Communications test orders were up 2 percent, with strength in wireless partially offset by a 9-percent decline in wireline test orders. General purpose test orders were up 11 percent from one year ago, with sustained strength in Aerospace/Defense, across the oscilloscope product line, and in electronic manufacturing test. Revenues of $867 million were up 4 percent from last year.
Agilent Technologies Inc. is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 20,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2005. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

 

Fluke Precision Measurement Seminars
Free "webinars" coming up in June

The Fluke Precision Measurement Seminar Series is a series of free seminars on topics of interest to calibration professionals. Two web-based seminars are being offered in the month of June.

Replacing Analog Null Detecting Meters in Voltage Reference Intercomparisons
The digital multimeter's role as a modern digital "null detector"
June 7, 2006 11:00 am to 12:00 pm Pacific Time

What you will learn:
Proper metrology practices promote using intercomparison of voltage references for both formal certification as well as standard's maintenance activities. This seminar compares the traditional method of intercomparing 10 volt reference standards using the analog null detector with the more modern method of comparing references using a digital voltmeter.

These topics are included in the seminar:

  • The analog null detector used in comparing voltage standards
  • Voltage reference comparisons using a DMM
  • Best recommended practices for voltage intercomparisons
  • Measurement error and uncertainty details
  • Working with multiple voltage reference standards
  • A summary comparison of digital meters vs. analog null detectors

Who should attend:
Calibration and standards laboratory managers, engineers, and technicians who must certify or maintain voltage reference standards should consider attending. Additionally, persons who are considering implementing these practices and understanding these techniques should also consider attending.

Tools to Financially Justify Calibration
June 8, 2006 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Pacific Time

This free seminar will help you learn to make a sound financial argument for justifying in-house calibration. You'll learn what's important to consider and how to put these factors into a proper format for management review. We'll walk step-by-step through one company's transition from outside calibration services to in-house operation. We'll also look at what it takes for an existing lab to justify new equipment purchases.

Topics included in the seminar

  • Cost justification: management's perspective
  • Costs of calibrating test instruments
  • Cost of ownership of calibration equipment
  • Spreadsheet tool for cost analysis
  • Sample capital appropriation request form

This seminar includes a free spreadsheet tool that you can use to calculate your own financial justifications.

Who should attend
Calibration laboratory managers, quality managers, engineers, and technicians who need tools to help justify the purchase of new calibration equipment.

Visit http://us.fluke.com/usen/apps/PM/events/Courses/Webinars.htm for details and online registration.

 

Lifetime Guarantee now offered on all Troemner Alloy 8 Stainless Steel Weights

Troemner is proud to announce that it is now offering a lifetime guarantee on all Troemner Alloy 8 Stainless Steel Weights. For the life of your weights, Troemner will assure you that if any Troemner Alloy 8 Stainless Steel weight is discovered to contain magnetic properties, it will be replaced with an equivalent, NEW Alloy 8 Stainless Steel weight at no charge. Simply send us your weight for calibration and if the weight does not meet the magnetic properties requirements of ANSI/ASTM E617 or OIML R111, it will be replaced with a new weight at no charge.

Troemner Alloy 8 Stainless Steel is a significantly harder steel than previously used in the manufacture of weights. Not only does this mean that your weight is less susceptible to wear and scratches and less likely to lose enough mass to carry it out of its adjusted tolerance, but it also means that it is more likely to maintain extremely low magnetic properties. This is important because the magnetic field of the weight can react with the balances' magnetic field causing calibration errors. Troemner also utilizes a gaussmeter to measure the magnetic field of Alloy 8 Stainless Steel weights and a susceptometer to measure the susceptibility of the weights to become magnetized, both as another means of assuring you that your weights are of the highest quality and accuracy available. By sending your Troemner Alloy 8 Stainless Steel weights to Troemner for calibration, you can be assured that your weights continue to maintain extremely low magnetic properties and if not, we will replace any affected weights at no charge.

Call our Inside Sales Department now at 1.800.352.7718 to set up your weights for calibration or to ask us more about the Lifetime Guarantee. Visit Troemner’s website at www.troemner.com.

 

Guildline Instruments Limited Announces ISO 17025 Accreditation for Resistance

Richard Timmons, President of Guildline Instruments Limited, announced that Guildline Instruments Limited has received their formal certification for ISO 17025 accreditation.

Mr. Timmons commented, “What makes our accreditation unique is the very wide scope for which we had been audited. We can now offer customers accredited calibration from 1µ? to 10P? (10? 6 ~ 1016), with uncertainties starting as low as 0.2 ppm.”

Nick Allen, Guildline’s Primary Laboratory Metrologist, also emphasized that it is both the wide scope and the traceability that makes Guildline’s accreditation unique. Being a company that does business globally, Guildline Instruments’ calibration services are traceable to the SI Unit through multiple National Measurement Institutes (NMIs) including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Research Council of Canada (NRC), National Physical Laboratory (NPL, UK) and Metrologie und Akkreditierung Schweiz (METAS, Switzerland).

Utilizing the highest order level of primary standards, solid measurement techniques, 50 years of experience manufacturing and calibration laboratory standards, and a newly expanded calibration laboratory, Guildline now provides some of the best resistance uncertainties offered by anyone today.

These very low uncertainties are part of Guildline’s complete service in Resistance Calibration. For example, standard resistor calibration can be conducted not only at multiple voltage or current points, but also at multiple temperature points for both “Air” and in “Oil” based standards. Current shunt calibration is also offered at multiple power levels and temperatures. Guildline can help you determine your standards true performance under your laboratory conditions.

For more information please visit Guildline Instruments Limited at www.guildline.ca or www.guildlineUSA.com.

 

2006 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.Round robin results and planning break-out sessions have been arranged.

Vist NIST’s Lab Metrology home page at http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/230/235/labmetrologypage.htm for more information.

 

Fluke Precision Measurement Seminars

Free "webinars" coming up in May
The Fluke Precision Measurement Seminar Series is a series of free seminars on topics of interest to calibration professionals. Three web-based seminars are being offered in the month of May.

Improving Test Ratios Using Reference Multimeters
This seminar presents an actual case study about how to improve the test specification accuracy of a precision resistance calibrator to levels of three to six times better than the test requirement.
Tuesday, May 9 at 8:00 am Pacific Time
Visit http://us.fluke.com/usen/apps/PM/events/Courses/Webinars.htm for details and online registration.

Monitoring the Performance of Laboratory Standards
A study of techniques for the intermediate checking of standards as required in ISO 17025 with the reference multimeter as a tool for monitoring precision sources Measurement assurance in metrology, supported through lab accreditation and the general application of the ISO 17025 standard for technical competence of a laboratory, requires the practice of monitoring the standards within a laboratory between the formal certifications.
Wednesday, May 10 at 11:00 am Pacific Time
Visit http://us.fluke.com/usen/apps/PM/events/Courses/Webinars.htm for details and online registration.

Tools to Financially Justify Calibration
Learn to make a sound financial argument for justifying in-house calibration and also upgrading existing calibration instrumentation. This seminar includes a free spreadsheet tool that you can use to calculate your own financial justifications.
Thursday, May 11 at 1:00 pm Pacific Time
Visit http://us.fluke.com/usen/apps/PM/events/Courses/Webinars.htm for details and online registration.

 

Fluke Biomedical announces expanded capabilities of calibration and repair services at the Global Calibration Laboratory in Cleveland

Fluke Biomedical has announced that the Global Calibration Laboratory has expanded its capabilities to include both biomedical and radiation test instruments.

“Our customers have been waiting for a one-stop facility that offers highly accurate calibrations for all of their test instrumentation, and now we can provide them with that capability,” said Clare Grehofsky, Director of the Global Calibration Laboratory for Fluke Biomedical. “At the Global Calibration Laboratory, we provide that extra measure of safety and assurance that isn’t available through many smaller regional calibrators.”

The Global Calibration Laboratory consists of a team of highly-qualified physicists, engineers and technicians that calibrate and repair instruments at a high turnaround rate. It is the authorized calibration and service facility for Victoreen®, Nuclear Associates Keithley RMD, Inovision and now all Fluke Biomedicial instrumentation. It also provides expert service for many other industry makes and models. In addition, the lab offers a wide range of contract capabilities for customers who require local on-site calibration services, asset management and calibration contracts.

Highly accredited, the Global Calibration Laboratory is a facility that complies with ISO9001:2000; ISO 13485:2003; and ISO 17025:2005. The NVLAP-accredited lab offers techniques traceable to the PTB and NIST. It is approved by the CNSC for survey meter calibrations and the FDA, through the MQSA for ion chamber calibrations.

Fluke Biomedical, a division of Fluke Corporation, is a manufacturer of quality biomedical test and simulation products and Radiation Management Services, a provider of the latest medical imaging and oncology quality assurance solutions for regulatory compliance. The highly accredited Global Calibration Laboratory is a one-stop service for radiation, calibration, and repair needs. Fluke Corporation is the world leader in compact, professional electronic test tools. Fluke customers are technicians, engineers, electricians and metrologists who install, troubleshoot and manage industrial electrical, biomedical and electronic equipment and calibration processes for quality control.For more information about Fluke Biomedical, visit www.flukebiomedical.com/rms.

 

Sierra Instruments, Inc. Opens Office in Shanghai, P.R. China

Sierra Instruments, Inc. a major US manufacturer of mass flow meters and controllers used in the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, biotech, water/wastewater, facilities management, oil & gas, power generation and various general process control applications worldwide announces the opening of a strategic office based in Shanghai, P.R. China.

The Opening of the Shanghai office signifies Sierra’s continued commitment to support its customers in the Asia-Pacific Region. With an expanded facility and a team of knowledgeable application engineers on staff, Sierra-Asia operates as a sales and technical support center in the Asia-Pacific marketplace with the capability to support all Sierra products and customer needs.

Leading the Sierra-Asia team is Mr. Erwang Song, the Director of Sierra-Asia Operations. Mr. Song brings over 20 years experience in the industrial flow markets Sierra serves in China and provides strong leadership and vision.

For more information about Sierra Asia visit www.sierra-asia.com or www.sierrainstruments.com.

 

First ROHS Catalog Debuts on Newark InOne’s Website

Newark InOne, a subsidiary of global Premier Farnell plc and the leading small-quantity distributor of electronic components and test equipment in North America, announces the launch of its exclusive RoHS catalog as an interactive online vehicle. Located on the home page at http://www.newarkinone.com, the catalog features 40,000 products that are compliant with the EU's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, which takes effect July 1, 2006.

The catalog's advanced functionality allows engineers and component buyers to search by part number or description, evaluate products and buy in one seamless platform. Visually, the catalog is a mirror image of its print counterpart, grouping components by type (rather than brand) for easy comparison, and including a detailed guide to RoHS compliance.

Pages can be turned one by one, or the user may jump to any product category on the index: semiconductors, passive components, interconnect/wire & cable, electromechanical/power/circuit protection, optoelectronics or soldering. A page can be flagged with an electronic note and emailed to colleagues or purchasing departments.

The catalog also features helpful tool tips. "Most component manufacturers changed their part numbers when they released their RoHS compliant versions," remarks Susan Fischer, senior vice president marketing/eCommerce, Newark InOne. "By scrolling over a part number, a pop-up window with the old part number will appear. This helps our customers to confirm that they are buying the right part."

Hundreds of top manufacturers are represented in the catalog including Texas Instruments, On Semi, Maxim/Dallas, IR, National, Intersil, AMD, Fairchild, Freescale, Avago, Kester, Littelfuse, Honeywell, Tyco, Molex and Amphenol.

Find out how RoHS impacts your company with detailed analyses of the environmental laws, detailed guides to compliance, plus the latest news from around the world by visiting http://www.newark.com/services/rohs/index.html.

 

A2LA Accredited Condenser Microphone Calibrations

PCB® Piezotronics has been approved by A2LA for Type 1 microphone calibrations. PCB recognized the growing requirement among manufacturers and made the investment to be compliant and receive the ISO 17025 accreditation by A2LA. All Type 1 (377 Series) prepolarized and externally polarized microphones, or comparable microphone and preamplifier combinations (when calibrated together as a system) will have a calibration sheet that is ISO 17025 Accredited by A2LA. PCB has a complete line of modern prepolarized (0V) and traditional externally polarized (200V) microphones to go along with the value oriented array electret microphones, to service just about any sound pressure level, NVH or holography application.

For additional information, contact the Vibration Division of PCB Piezotronics, Inc., E-mail: vibration@pcb.com; or fax at 716-685-3886. For other PCB products, visit PCB web site at www.pcb.com.

 

Gazprom and KROHNE to Establish an Industrial Liquid Metrological Center

Gazprom and KROHNE have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at
establishing an Industrial Liquid Metrological Center (ILMC). The calibration facility will be placed in New Urengoy, district of Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Tyumen region), Russia.

Gazprom, as well as its affiliate companies, intend to utilize this center with regard to calibration procedures. The ILMC is meant to be an industrial metrological testing scheme for liquid volume and mass measuring equipment (water, hydrocarbon raw material and inhibitors) of Gazprom according to GOST standards.

KROHNE will not only bring in its extensive know-how in calibration, but also the complete flow instrumentation. KROHNE will deliver the reference meters for the whole ILMC facility in order to guarantee maximum accuracy and reliability. This way KROHNE sets the standard for stationary, mobile and small-sized piston-provers, volume meters, and ultrasonic flow meters for Gazprom and the affiliated companies.

To read more visit http://www.krohne-mar.com/index.php?id=11198.

 

NIST Gears Up to Verify Short Range 3-D Imaging

Three-dimensional imaging devices are becoming important measuring tools in the manufacturing, construction and transportation sectors. Numerous models of the imaging devices, capable of digitally capturing the existing conditions of objects from as small as pipe fittings to as large as an entire bridge, are on the market. A lack of standard tests to verify manufacturers' performance specifications is inhibiting wider market acceptance of these devices.

In response, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently established an indoor, artifact-based facility to create new test protocols and performance measures to evaluate such 3D imaging systems. Several prototype artifacts (e.g., spheres, a stairway, and a slotted-disc) are currently being tested for evaluating both instruments and software.

NIST researchers reported on progress in establishing the new facility at a recent conference.* The new facility is part of a larger effort to provide standard test protocols and associated facilities for evaluating and calibrating these instruments. In addition to the indoor, artifact-based facility, NIST also operates an indoor 60 meter (m) range calibration facility and is developing a separate 3D facility so that manufacturers or research groups can send in instruments for spatial calibrations. Finally, NIST will establish an outdoor ranging facility for evaluating the performance of 3D imaging systems up to 150 m to 200 m.

This summer a consensus-based standards development process will begin. Protocols for evaluating the range performance of imaging devices as well as a draft list of commonly used terminology developed during a series of workshops held at NIST, will be submitted to ASTM International, a standards-development organization.

These standards will provide objective, repeatable comparisons of different 3-D imaging devices, reduce confusion about terminology and increase user confidence in the systems, according to Alan Lytle, leader of the NIST Construction Metrology and Automation Group.
* G.S. Cheok, A M. Lytle and K.S. Saidi. Status of the NIST 3D imaging system performance evaluation facility. April 17-21 2006. SPIE Defense and Security Symposium. Paper 6214-17. For further information about the 60 m calibration range, contact Steven Phillips (steven.phillips@nist.gov).

 

Symmetricom reports third Quarter FY2006 Financial Results

Symmetricom, Inc., a leading worldwide supplier of network synchronization and timing solutions reported financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended March 31, 2006.

Fiscal third quarter revenue was $45.5 million, compared with $47.9 million in the prior quarter and $43.8 million in the third fiscal quarter in the prior year. For the nine-month period ended March 31, 2006, revenue was $137.7 million, compared with $143.7 million for the same period of the prior year.

Timing, Test & Measurement Division revenue for the quarter was $13.3 million, compared with $17.4 million in the prior quarter and $14.7 million in the prior year period. Timing, Test & Measurement Division revenue for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2006, was $45.2 million, compared with $44.1 million in the same period of the prior year. In the third quarter Timing, Test & Measurement Division revenue was affected by funding delays for a number of government programs.

“In the quarter, we had our first success in selling directly into program specific next-generation network deployments at Verizon and BT. The order from Verizon is specifically tied to its fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) program and the order from BT is in support of its 21st Century Network (21CN) deployment,” said Thomas Steipp, president and CEO of Symmetricom. “Additionally, we received initial regional modernization orders from BellSouth and Verizon, which we expect to deliver throughout the calendar year.

“Over the past several quarters, one of our goals has been to position Symmetricom’s synchronization products as an integral part of the overall next-generation network upgrade and as a result, we are now seeing orders from regional, corporate and next-generation network deployment budgets,” Steipp said.

Symmetricom expects fourth quarter FY06 revenue to grow to a range of $47.0 million and $52.0 million. The company expects GAAP earnings to be between $0.01 and $0.05 per share on a fully diluted basis, and non-GAAP earnings to be between $0.06 and $0.11 per share on a fully diluted basis. To learn more visit Symmetricom’s website at www.symmetricom.com.

 

Sypris Reports First Quarter Earnings; Revenue and Earnings Increase

Sypris Solutions, Inc. reported revenue increased 5% to $130.0 million for the first quarter compared to $124.2 million for the prior year period. Net income for the quarter increased 45% to $0.9 million compared to $0.6 million for the first quarter of 2005.

"The results for the first quarter were consistent with our expectations," said Jeffrey T. Gill, president and chief executive officer. "Revenue continued to increase while margins expanded on both a sequential and year-over-year basis. The Company generated $3.3 million of free cash flow during the period despite the unexpected need to invest an additional $9.0 to $10.0 million in working capital to support a customer who filed for bankruptcy protection in March. We will continue to support this customer to meet its ongoing needs."

Revenue for our Electronics Group increased 5% to $37.5 million in the first quarter from $35.6 million for the prior year period, but decreased sequentially from the fourth quarter of last year due to normal seasonality. Gross profit for the quarter increased 34% to $6.7 million compared to $5.0 million for the same period in 2005, reflecting favorable program mix and improvements in productivity. Net orders increased 15% sequentially to $30.8 million for the quarter, with strong bookings posted for both products and EMS services.

Revenue for the Aerospace & Defense segment increased 8% to $26.0 million from $24.0 million for the prior year period. Revenue for the Test & Measurement segment decreased slightly to $11.5 million in the first quarter compared to $11.6 million for the prior year. Gross profit for the Aerospace & Defense segment increased 65% to $4.0 million from $2.4 million for the prior year period. Gross profit for the Test & Measurement segment increased 6% to $2.7 million from $2.6 million for the same period in 2005.

Gill added, "Looking forward, our outlook remains unchanged despite the impact associated with the customer issue mentioned earlier. We expect revenue for the second quarter of 2006 to be in the range of $130 to $135 million compared to $126 million for the prior year period, which represents a 5% increase at the midpoint of our guidance. Earnings for the second quarter are forecast to be in the range of $0.10 to $0.12 per diluted share compared to $0.11 per diluted share for the prior year period."

"Revenue for 2006 is forecast to be in the range of $555 to $565 million compared to $523 million for 2005, which represents a 7% increase in revenue for 2006 at the midpoint of the range. Earnings for 2006 are forecast to be in the range of $0.45 to $0.55 per diluted share compared to $0.29 per diluted share for 2005, which represents a 72% increase for 2006 at the midpoint of the range."

Sypris Solutions is a diversified provider of technology-based outsourced services and specialty products. The Company performs a wide range of manufacturing and technical services, typically under multi-year, sole-source contracts with major corporations and government agencies in the markets for aerospace and defense electronics, truck components and assemblies, and test and measurement services. For more information about Sypris Solutions, visit its Web site at www.sypris.com.

ARCHIVED NEWS

2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000

 


eCalibration.com
PO Box 830 ~ State College, PA 16804
P: 800-982-2388 ~ P: 814-234-2417 ~ F: 814-234-7077
editor@ecalibration.com
News ~ Events ~ Directories ~ Careers ~ Resources ~ Global ~ Life Sciences ~ Home
Terms of Use ~ Privacy Statement
© Blue Mountain Quality Resources
eCalibration and The Premier Calibration Resource are Trademarks of Blue Mountain Quality Resources