IEN (Industrial Equipment News) is the leading resource for industrial professionals, providing product technology, trends and solutions impacting the industrial market. IEN reaches manufacturers, designers, distributors & supply chain professionals.
Issue link: http://ien.epubxp.com/i/706116
Today's manufacturer 36 IEN / AUGUST '16 www.ien.com distributor, they can incorporate the vantage point of all the appropriate manufacturer-sup- pliers, so the overall review of the facility is turnkey. "In many cases, we'll utilize the manufacturers and their technical resources to support us in those audits." For example, says Williams, an energy effi ciency audit might incorporate a team who goes into a plant and conducts an audit on air consumption, steam consumption, electric motor effi ciency, effi ciency of drives and other areas where more effi cient systems could produce gains. Likewise with something like an electric motor energy audit, "we'll take in a technical team from one of our electrical motor manufacturers to help pull the data from the motors, get the current being consumed by the motors and then come back with a presentation of what the customer can do to save money on their energy consumption." From a more "value-added" side (read: free or low cost), Motion Industries focuses on in-plant training and maintenance support. "On the industrial products, we may do a safety seminar where we'll bring in a specialist on, say, respirators and they'll do a seminar on fi t- ting people to – and use of – the appropriate respirator," he says."Many of them are just part of what we do for our customers to help them be better at using the products." Addressing Gaps in Labor For John Bernet, Application Specialist for Vibration and Alignment for the Fluke Corpo- ration, there are many needs when it comes to predictive maintenance, as the era of the true vibration analyst working on a manufacturing company's reliability team are dwindling. "Budgets are getting trimmed all the time; everyone is looking for ways to cut costs. Years ago, we had a lot of skilled vibration people – and consultants – in the market. Now it seems the Baby Boomers are retiring and a lot of skilled expertise is going away. A lot of the new generation of maintenance people are technicians that are more generalists instead of spe- cialists. So there is a big void that is getting worse and worse." Fluke has responded by honing their product development to better address a skill defi - ciency, focusing on how "smart" tools can alleviate some challenges. Years ago, explains Bernet, most expert tools were really just data collectors. Once they were used to collect data, an expert would be required to review all that data and do com- parisons and analysis. "Nowadays, these technicians don't have the skills or the knowledge or the experience to be able to take that raw data and turn it into an answer, so they need that smart technology," he says. "90 percent of the machines in the plant can be diagnosed with simple tools that take very little training and the smarts are built into them." As a supplement, Fluke relies on its team of experts to offer input on the kinds of programs their customers need – and, specifi cally, which technologies will support them. "A lot of what our representatives and distributors and sales engineers are doing is they're going out and talking to the customers and saying 'hey, we know you want the benefi ts of vibration analysis and diagnosing faults with machines using these tools. We know that you probably don't have the resources, skill set or team. But you don't have to go through all the training or spend two or three years to become a vibration expert and learn how to do all this. There is a different approach." The Reality And sometimes all a manufacturer needs is a basic vote of confi dence from their tech- nology partners that what they're doing is right. Alternately, it sometimes takes a third party to point out when and where you might be off the mark. Motion Industries' Williams agrees with Bernet that the plant of today is rapidly changing and the needs are becoming more apparent: "The reduction of the plant engineering staff at many manufacturing plants has been dramatic," he says."So they are relying on us and our engineering expertise, to come in and do more of what they used to do in-house." Custom & Stock Conveyors & Material Handling Equipment For 75 years Roll-A-Way Conveyors has manufactured a compre- hensive line of custom and stock conveyor solutions. Our techni- cal support and design team offers the ability to match up qual- ity-made and durable conveyors and components built to spec to meet your specifi c needs and application requirements. Roll-A- Way offers one stop shopping with shipping as quick as 48 hours and also offers a com- plete line of general material handling equipment including trucks, carts and racks. Custom fabrication and modifi cations are available for all models to meet your specifi c needs. Roll-A-Way Conveyors, Inc. 2335 Delaney Rd., Gurnee, IL 60031 847-336-5033 Fax: 847-336-6542 roll-a-way@roll-away.com www.roll-away.com Custom Industrial Rack & Pinions Lomar manufactures custom racks, pinions and gears for industrial applications that meet customer's exact specifi cations. This elimi- nates compromising your design to accommodate standard "off- the-shelf" products. Our standard 4140 alloy steel racks, pinions and gears are stronger, cost effective and last longer. We can also process plastics, aluminum, mild steel, brass, bronze and stainless steel to meet your needs. Depending on your application, several material fi nishing processes are available, including heat treating (including ion nitride), electroplating, passivating and anodizing For more information: www.rack-and-pinion.com; 517-563-8136 Lomar manufactures custom racks, pinions and gears for industrial applications that meet customer's exact specifi cations. This elimi- Sahara Ovens Offer Range of Options Ovens include companion trucks/carts built to your specifi cation, ex- haust vent with damper, interior door latch, outdoor use package, chart recorder, door switch, adjustable timer, Ethernet or serial bus commu- nication, integrated PLC controls with touch screen and more. Electric, steam, natural gas or any type of thermal fl uid may be used for heating. Benko Products, Inc. 440-934-2180 www.benkoproducts.com Ellsworth Adhesives Meter Mix and Dispensing systems precisely measure, blend and dis- pense adhesives and specialty chemicals with uniform accuracy. They work with multiple materials including epoxies, polyurethanes, silicones, acrylics, urethanes, pastes, abrasive- or microsphere-fi lled materials and more. For MMD systems, Ellsworth Adhesives recommends Fluid Research. Their patented Progressive Cavity Pump offers smooth, pulsation-free delivery of materials with minimal maintenance and no delays. To discover more go to ellsworth.com. Ergonomic Seating Since 1947, BEVCO, a family-owned company, has been dedicated to providing customers with safe, ergonomic seating solutions that adhere to the highest quality regulations on the market. BEVCO is proud to manufacture products for: • Schools & universities • Offi ce environments • Industrial work spaces • Laboratory, bioscience, electronics (semi-conductor) and aero- space environments • Pharmaceutical and medical industries Made in the USA, all BEVCO products comply with ANSI/BIFMA & California 117 standards. Some 7000 series chairs comply with CAL 133 standards. BEVCO features static control (ESD) seating and Certifi ed Class 10, 100, 1,000 and 10,000 Cleanroom seating solutions. Most BEVCO products feature an exclusive 12-year warranty. www.Bevco.com Sales@Bevco.com Product Collection