MT News

News of people and events important to the maintenance and reliability community

EMERSON MAKES NEW EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS

John M. Berra, president of Emerson Process Management, has announced a number of leadership changes in the corporation. Effective Oct. 1, 2008, Steven A. Sonnenberg will become executive vice president of Emerson and business leader of Emerson Process Management, serving as president. Berra, who has been business leader since 2000, is taking a new role as chairman of Emerson Process Management to focus on strategic planning, technology, key customer relationships and organizational planning. Michael H. Train, president of Emerson Process Management Asia Pacific, will return to the United States from Singapore and become president of Rosemount. Train’s former position will be assumed by Sabee Mitra, who currently serves as president of Emerson Process Management Middle East. In turn, David A. Tredinnick, vice president Southeast Asia for Emerson Process Management Asia Pacific, will move to Dubai and replace Mitra as president of Emerson Process Management Middle East.

Gene Shanahan, group vice president for the Emerson Process Management Flow Group will retire Oct. 1, 2008 after 21 years of service to Emerson. He joined Emerson with the Dieterich Standard acquisition in 1996, and has led the Flow Group over the last three years. Larry W. Flatt, who will replace Shanahan, began his career at Emerson in 1979 as an employee relations supervisor for the special products division. Since 2001, Flatt had been serving as president of Emerson Process Management Regulators.

INTEGRATED POWER SERVICES ACQUIRES TRICO TCWIND SERVICES

Integrated Power Services, a leader in the service and repair of electric motors, generators and mechanical power transmission components, has acquired Trico TCWind, a family-owned power-services company, based in Litchfield, MN. Trico TCWind specializes in the North American service and repair of wind generators and turbines, as well as the repair of electric motors and other rotating equipment for the Minnesota regional market. The deal marks the third acquisition for IPS in 2008, following the company’s prior purchase of Electro-Mec and The Monarch Group. Terms were not disclosed. Headquartered in Greenville, SC, IPS now has 16 regional service centers across the country, offering coast-to-coast 24/7 coverage to more than 2000 customers across a wide range of capital-intensive industries. Trico TCWind will operate as an IPS company, enhancing the company’s full-service capabilities, particularly in North American wind energy service and repair markets and providing a presence in the upper Midwest.

ISA RAISES FUNDS FOR HURRICANE RELIEF

In response to the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Ike, which hit the Gulf Coast states as a Category 2 storm on September 13, ISA recently announced a hurricane relief fundraising program to be held in conjunction with ISA EXPO, October 14-16, in Houston, TX. The association also pledged to match funds collected during the event, up to $10,000, and dedicate the EXPO’s Tuesday evening industry reception to the relief effort with a silent auction to raise money for the American Red Cross Hurricane Ike disaster relief fund. Since the catastrophe, the Red Cross has provided shelter, food and emotional support to tens of thousands of residents. With more than 200 shelters across several states, the Red Cross and its partners have, among other things, provided more than 100,000 overnight stays to people affected by Hurricane Ike.

In discussing this relief effort, ISA executive director and CEO Patrick Gouhin said: “The Red Cross can’t do their important work without the support of the community—our community. After all, these are our colleagues, our friends, our customers and our suppliers, and we’ll support them and help them rebuild.” (EDITOR’S NOTE: A list of the largest corporate contributors to the ISA hurricane relief fundraising program will be published in the November 2008 issue of this magazine.)

21ST OPERATIONS CHALLENGE AT WEFTEC.08

More than 200 of the world’s best and brightest wastewater treatment professionals are scheduled to compete in this year’s Operations Challenge, a unique, fast-paced skills competition presented in conjunction with WEFTEC®.08 – the Water Environment Federation’s 81st annual technical exhibition and conference. The first event kicks off on Tuesday, October 21, at 9:15 a.m. in Hall C2 of McCormick Place, in Chicago, IL.

Now celebrating its 21st year, Operations Challenge has grown from a 22-team event into today’s 43-team, two-division format, with each four-member team judged on the best combination of precision, speed and safety. Winners are determined by a weighted point system for five events, including collection systems, laboratory, process control, maintenance and safety. Events are designed to test the diverse skills required for the operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities, their collection systems and laboratories—all vital to the protection of public health and the environment.

WEFTEC.08 is expected to host more than 18,000 of the world’s leading water quality experts and 1000 companies featuring the latest in water-quality technology. For more information, visit www.weftec.org

ASHRAE OFFERS NEW FACILITIES CERTIFICATION

Energy use in buildings can be reduced by 10 to 40 percent by improving operational strategies in buildings, according to a study by the Energy Systems Lab at Texas A & M University. A new certification program from ASHRAE helps building owners know they are hiring and retaining employees and consultants who know how to take advantage of such strategies.

The Operations and Performance Management Professional Certification (OPMP) program helps earners demonstrate their knowledge of the management of facility operations and maintenance and their impact on HVAC&R systems’ performance. The program will launch at the ASHRAE Winter Meeting in Chicago in January and will be available via electronic testing centers worldwide starting in March 2009. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org MT