Doug Green

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Kennametal named again among world’s most ethical companies

Kennametal Inc has been named for the second year in a row as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by The Ethisphere Institute, a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Kennametal’s global leadership exemplifies a company culture in which employees put ethics into action with consistent investment and performance toward 100% safety, environmental excellence and community engagement, as well as extensive efforts to advance technical education, material science and industrial technologies indispensable to next-generation manufacturing. In addition to extensive ethics training and communication with employees, Kennametal’s efforts in the past year included a number of new records for the company in: Employee engagement, achieved at levels exceeding peer comparisons; Talent development, delivering technical training and professional development in record numbers to Kennametal employees, customers and supply chain partners worldwide; Safety, including two consecutive months with zero injuries requiring days away or restricted time (DART), key milestones toward the aim of keeping all employees and visitors 100% safe, 100% of the time; Community stewardship, including employee volunteerism and fundraising, from participation and support for the United Way in North America, to educational programs and service to community organisations worldwide; Environmental performance, including ISO 14001 certifications, waste reduction, recycling and management programs across the companyÕs supply chain worldwide; Information technology, including industry-leading execution of standardised enterprise resource systems and processes; and Innovation, including consistently exceeding 40% of sales realized from new products, which offer at least 20% performance improvement. Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. Kennametal showcased exemplary standards in its code of ethics, investment in innovation and sustainable business practices as well as its activities designed to improve corporate citizenship. […]

CEO confidence in growth down

Only 36% of CEOs worldwide are ‘very confident’ of their company’s growth prospects in the next 12 months, according to PwC’s 16th Annual Global CEO Survey. That’s down from 40% who were ‘very confident’ of short term growth last year and 48% in 2011, but still above the lows of 31% and 21% in 2010 and 2009. Looking at the economy generally, 28% of CEOs say the global economy will decline further in 2013, and only 18% predict economic improvement; 52% say it will stay the same. While the CEOs outlook remains gloomy, the forecast is an improvement on last year when 48% of CEOs predicted the global economy would decline in 2012. CEOs in Western Europe were least confident of short term revenue growth. Faced with ongoing recession, just 22% 0f Western European CEOs said they were very confident of growth, down from 27% last year and 39% in 2011. Confidence in short term growth also declined in North America to 33% (42% in 2012) and in Asia Pacific to 36% (42% in 2012). Even in Africa, seen by many as the next high-growth economy, CEO confidence in company growth slipped to 44%, from 57% last year. Latin American CEOs, however, bucked the trend. Their short term confidence rose to 53% of CEOs, up slightly from last year. At the country level, confidence varied widely: CEOs are most confident in Russia where 66% are very confident of revenue growth in 2013, closely followed by India (63%) and Mexico (62%). They were trailed by countries including Brazil (44%), China (40%), Germany (31%), the US (30%), the UK (22%), Japan (18%), France (13%) and finally Korea, where only 6% of CEOs are very confident of revenue growth in the year ahead. Longer term, overall CEO confidence remained stable; 46% of CEOs […]

Hypertherm introduces fibre laser cutting system

SINGAPORE: Hypertherm has released of a new 3 kW fiber laser system- the HyIntensity Fibre Laser HFL030 with a recommended cut capacity of 3/4 inch (20mm) for mild steel, a 1/2 inch (12mm) for stainless steel, and 3/8 inch (10mm) for aluminum. Like all Hypertherm HyIntensity Fiber Laser systems, the HFL030 is specifically optimised for cutting applications. It comes complete with pre-developed cutting processes, and all the needed components for significantly simplified table integration and operation. As a result, the system can cut thicker materials in some cases much faster than many higher powered competitive systems. In other words, HyperthermÕs 3 kW system has the cut capacity of other 4 kW fiber laser systems without sacrificing cut quality. When compared with CO2 laser systems, the fiber laser cutting process significantly simplifies table design requirements and integration. Operating costs, thanks in part to the high energy efficiency of the fiber laser, and maintenance requirements which are virtually nonexistent are also much lower than with CO2 laser for lower total cost of ownership. All of the HyIntensity systems were developed and manufactured by Hypertherm in the United States, making Hypertherm the only company to offer both laser and plasma cutting expertise.

Mobile ERP: Mobilising your competitive advantage in the field, factory and warehouse

By Craig Charlton, senior vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific Epicor Software No longer something that simply offers a competitive edge, having mobility in the workforce today is a competitive necessity; particularly in certain vertical sectors such as the metalworking industry. The vast majority of medium-sized businesses already utilise the benefits of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to optimise and improve organisational processes and cut costs. Enter enterprise mobility, which is all about flexibility, provides easy access to information and processes to employees wherever they are located. It can encompass everything from the integration of mobile phones into a corporate telephone system to vertically oriented solutions involving the quick delivery of productivity enhancing information to people in the field, the factory and in the warehouse. The Internet and ubiquitous mobility play an essential part in the daily lives of the information-hungry global economy, but how do you make ERP mobile? Furthermore, how do you use mobility to the benefit of the metalworking industry and other manufacturers? The image of the traditional ERP system doesn’t match with today’s powerful mobile devices and flexible, scalable software solutions. The traditional image has become outdated. There is a new set of technologies which enable ERP with’ Enterprise Mobility.’ ‘Enterprise Mobility’ improves employee performance and increases productivity by ensuring employees access to data from your ERP system at all times and in all locations. Inventory tracking is improved by labelling and scanning inventory to achieve optimum traceability and to make immediate adjustments during counting, leading to improved confidence in your enterprise data; you know your stock levels are accurate and can therefore make better business decisions when buying and selling products. Material handling and visibility on the plant floor is also improved. The use of mobile solutions allows an organisation to track Work […]

Successful high-altitude testing for volcanic ash-detection technology

With the threat of volcanic eruption to commercial airspace as real as ever, the industry has been testing new methods to stay safe and avoid disruption for business and passengers. easyJet and Nicarnica Aviation have entered a partnership with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus to test the Avoid (Airborne Volcanic Object Imaging Detector) ash-detection equipment on their A340-300 test aircraft at the speed and altitude of commercial aircraft. The first phase of testing took place in July and initial test flights at altitudes of up to 40,000 feet (about 12,200 metres) were successful. The tests included mounting equipment externally on the aircraft fuselage, with recording equipment and real-time monitors placed inside the cabin allowing viewing of the sky ahead. Test flights have been performed near the Airbus home base at Toulouse, France, to first assess the sensor’s physical behaviour when mounted on the aircraft and exposed to flight environment and then the performance of the detection system without the presence of volcanic ash. Plans also included tests in any volcanic activity at Stromboli or Etna with aircraft flown to Italy to test the equipment at commercial jet flight altitudes and speeds. Test aircraft were also flying over the Atlantic Ocean west of Morocco to prove the equipment can detect the fine particles of sand at altitudes of up to 20,000 feet and a distance of up to 50km, using the Saharan air layer as a proxy for volcanic ash. In the event of a volcanic eruption, Avoid gives vital, real-time information on the amounts of ash in the atmosphere. For UK airspace, when incorporated into the safe fly protocols now agreed by the industry and overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority and other ash-measurement data and prediction models operated by theÊMeteorological Office, this could enable aircraft to fly safely to […]

Remanufacturing PIC Singapore establishes PIC

Remanufacturing Centre established

The Advanced Remanufacturing & Technology Centre will drive value-added manufacturing activities here through private-public R&D collaborations. SINGAPORE: The establishment has occurred of the Advanced Remanufacturing & Technology Centre (ARTC), the first centre in Asia to look into research and development (R&D) to develop technologies for remanufacturing that can be readily adopted by industry. These technologies will enable companies and businesses to translate end-of-life products into ‘good as new’ ones for the market through a sustainable process, contributing to greater cost and materials savings and, potentially, higher profit margins. Six industry leaders, namely Boeing, Rolls-Royce plc, Siemens Industry Software, ABB, FUCHS Lubricants and Carl Zeiss, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Centre to look into collaborative R&D to bridge technological gaps in remanufacturing for the aerospace, oil & gas, marine, energy, automotive and engineering industries. In doing so, ARTC will tap on A*STARÍs Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology’s (SIMTech) R&D expertise in automation, manufacturing systems and processes, as well as the strong capabilities of local universities such as Nanyang Technological University, to carry out R&D in production-ready technologies in the areas of repair and restoration, surface enhancement and product verification. Eight local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have also joined the Centre to co-develop technologies along with leading multinational corporations (MNCs). By engaging local SMEs and MNCs, ARTC is encouraging leading companies to develop new high value manufacturing activities in Singapore while cultivating the local supply chain in this new growth area. Said Dr Raj Thampuran, Executive Director of the Science and Engineering Research Council, A*STAR, ‘The Advanced Remanufacturing & Technology Centre will help industries realise remanufacturing’s economic and environmental potential through public-private collaborative R&D. Member companies can leverage on our spectrum of relevant capabilities, advanced infrastructure and high quality talent, while at the same time contribute to value-added […]

Input/Output modules achieve faster speeds

Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 24vdc I/O modules, used with the ControlLogix 5570 family of PACs, can significantly improve total System Response Time (SRT) through new hardware technology and peer-to-peer communication capabilities that significantly reduce the time it takes for modules to communicate with the controller. Since SRT equates to the time required for input module response, controller processing and output module response, reducing I/O latency results in higher machine speeds for increased parts production. For even faster performance, the new modules also function in peer-to-peer mode, bypassing the controller entirely by establishing in-chassis connections that allow I/O modules to communicate directly with each other. Shifting task management to the I/O modules can relieve a controller of the overhead required to process and direct I/O modules, helping improve reliability in program execution and throughput. In peer-to-peer mode, input to output response time can be less than 100 microseconds.The peer-to-peer capabilities are ideal for applications with fast detect-energize sequences, such as high-speed parts rejection. OEMs are tasked with building faster machines as manufacturers seek to increase productivity and throughput. PACs are getting faster, but a controller’s processing capacity is not the only factor influencing throughput. For end users and machine builders with high-speed sequential control applications, our new I/O can increase the speed at which machines can function, resulting in higher parts production per shift for the customer.

High grade steel production technologies made building possible

The world tallest (634 m) sightseeing and TV broad casting tower – Tokyo Sky Tree uses a massive amount of most advanced TMCP steels. Although steel production dates back about 4000 years, exploration of steel’s potential abilities is still advancing. With an output of about 45%, China dominates when it comes to basic steel production. Japan however is shifting towards so called ‘high-grade steels’. Take for example, the water-cooled thermo mechanical control process (TMCP) steels. Relative to traditional water-cooled steel plate processes, TMCP steels offer simultaneous improvements of strength and toughness, while allowing control of the steelÕs microstructure. Nishioka and Ichikawa, researchers from Japan’s largest steel production company, describe recent developments in TMCP Technology in the latest issue of Science and Technology of Advanced Materials Vol. 13 (2012) Issue 2, Page 023001 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1468-6996/13/2/023001). Manipulation of steel plates and early TMCP technologies originated in Japan. TMCP offers many advantages not least because it produces steel that is easier to work with. Compared to other metals, TMCP steel is much easier to weld, for example. Nishioka and Ichikawa also assess developments of equipment and production technologies for TMCP, and theoretical modelling. The latest applications of TMCP steel are seen in various industries such as shipbuilding, offshore structures, building construction, bridges, pipelines, penstocks and cryogenic tanks. The world tallest (634 m) sightseeing and TV broad casting tower, the Tokyo Sky Tree, was constructed in large part using TMCP steels. TMCP technology is also likely to provide solutions for resource savings which is critical in a world trying to reduce its carbon emissions.

Anti reflective plastics to be commercialised

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showing the engineered anti-reflective nanostructures that mimic structures found in a moth’s eye. SINGAPORE: Researchers from A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and their commercial partners have developed a new plastic that reflects just 0.09 – 0.2% of the visible light hitting its surface. This matches or betters existing anti-reflective and anti-glare plastics in the market, which typically have reported reflectivity of around 1% of visible light. Such plastics are used in anything from TV displays to windows and even solar cells. Because of the unique nanotechnology method used, the new plastic developed by IMRE maintains very low reflectivity (<0.7%) at angles up to 45û. This means that TV viewers can have wider viewing angles with less glare and organic solar cells have larger areas for light absorption. “The new plastic was made possible because of the unique nanoimprint expertise that we have developed at IMRE,” said Dr Low Hong Yee, the senior scientist who is leading the research. Several companies are in the process of licensing the anti-reflective nanostructure technology from Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd, the technology transfer arm of A*STAR. “We are also developing complementary research that allows the technology to be easily ramped-up to an industrial scale,” explained Dr Low. This plastic material is the first successful result of the IMRE-led Industrial Consortium On Nanoimprint (ICON), which partners local and overseas companies to promote the manufacturing of nanoimprint technology. Nanoimprinting relies on engineering the physical aspects of the plastics rather than using harmful chemicals to change the properties of the plastic. The technology has allowed the researchers to create very unique, complex hierarchical ‘moth eye-like’ anti-reflective structures where nanometer-sized structures are placed on top of other microstructures – different from how other similar plastics are made. This formed special patterns […]

Ganassi and Kennametal renew partnership

USA:Kennametal has announced a multi-year renewal of its machining technology partnership with Chip Ganassi Teams (CGRT). Kennametal began its relationship with CGRT in 1993. This renewed relationship occurs in the wake of Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon’s dramatic first and second-place finish at the 2012 Indianapolis 500. With cars competing in multiple series – the IZOD Indy Car Series, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and the Rolex GRAND-AM Series – Chip Ganassi Racing holds a record of 15 championships and more than 140 victories, including four Indianapolis 500 wins. This year marks Franchitti’s third win, (one of only 10 drivers in the history of the race to do so), a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, and four Rolex 24 at Daytona victories. RACER Magazine named them its 2010 ‘Team of the Year.’ Kennametal has expanded the 19-year metal cutting partnership by providing Ganassi’s Indy machine shop with proprietary Precision Surface Management Technology by Kennametal Extrude Hone. Kennametal’s advanced surface finishing solutions deliver uniform, repeatable, predictable results by removing the rough cast surfaces that restrict the efficiency of critical engine components and performance competence. “We have been in business for 23 years and for 19 of those, Kennametal has been a partner,” said Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. “Their logo is on every one of our cars across all our teams and series. But what really makes the partnership even more important to the race team is how their expertise even helps us on race day. They come to us with many solutions for different mechanical challenges we face. It is great when you have a partner that can do that.” Kennametal tooling and services deliver high performance throughout the automotive industry, machining such critical components as engine blocks, cylinder heads, pistons, crankshafts, gear boxes, suspension parts, […]

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Doug Green

About Doug Green

Posts by Doug Green: