MT News

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

THURMAN IS BALDOR’S NEW EXECUTIVE VP OF ENGINEERING

Baldor Electric Company’s Board of Directors has named R.Wayne Thurman as its new executive vice president of Engineering. Thurman has been with Baldor for more than 20 years, during which time he has held numerous manufacturing and engineering positions including vice president – engineering, plant manager and engineering manager. In his new role, he will be responsible for all of Baldor’s engineering activities.

AZIMA DLI’S DE JESUS IS A HIGH-TECH WOMAN TO WATCH

Global condition monitoring services company Azima DLI has announced that Heather de Jesus has been selected by Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology as one of its 2009 “Women to Watch.” The 6th annual awards honor 10 women executives from New England technology companies who excel in technological innovation, entrepreneurship, community involvement and are viewed as industry leaders of the future. De Jesus currently serves as the director of program management for Azima DLI where she is involved in the design, integration and maintenance of the monitoring systems the company provides to industrial plants, transportation organizations and the military, helping to ensure machinery uptime and lower costs. She has experience working with NASA, the U.S. Navy and the H.B. Robinson Nuclear Station. She translates her passion for math and science education into mentoring young girls as a volunteer with the Girl Scouts and the National Engineers Week Foundation.

ATLAS COPCO LEVERAGES CHICAGO PNEUMATIC BRAND

Atlas Copco’s Industrial Technique business area (the “Group”) has chosen to merge its Chicago Pneumatic Vehicle Service and Industrial divisions. The reorganization follows other measures within the Group to leverage the strength of the Chicago Pneumatic brand on a global scale. Manufacturing, logistics and purchasing resources of both divisions will be combined within the Tooltec division. The commercial resources will be combined within the new organization and dedicated to the success of Chicago Pneumatic in all of its markets. The organizational change, in effect as of March 1, 2009, also offers significant synergies, particularly in the areas of product development and administration. According to Mats Rahmström, Business Area president, the creation of one focused organization will result in a stronger Chicago Pneumatic, serving customers in the vehicle service, light industrial and MRO market segments more efficiently, as well as strengthen the sales force and help the business expand in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

ASSOCIATION NEWS: ARC LAUNCHES ADVISORY SERVICE FOR ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

ARC has launched an advisory service dedicated exclusively to improving the design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance of asset-intensive facilities. This new Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) Service is designed to help companies in the energy, manufacturing, utility and other asset-intensive industries to improve the effectiveness of their manufacturing/ production, information technology (IT) and human assets and reduce asset-related costs across the design, build, operate and maintain stages. The service also focuses on effective asset information management (AIM) across all stakeholders in the capital asset value chain. Subscribers will receive relevant insights, newsletters, reports, and other materials intended to keep them informed on the latest concepts, trends, technology and best practices in the field. These materials are prepared by ARC analysts with deep domain knowledge in the appropriate disciplines, including asset information management, IT solutions and technologies for design and build, and IT solutions and technologies for operations and maintenance. These same analysts are available to serve as personal points of contact, answer specific questions and provide customized consulting to subscribers. A subscription to the new ALM service also includes tickets to ARC’s industry workshops and events. For more information, visit www.arcweb.com/services/pages/alm.aspx

EPRI SEES REDUCED ELECTRICAL DEMAND OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS

According to a report by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), energy efficiency programs in the United States could realistically reduce the rate of growth for electricity consumption by 22% over the next two decades if key barriers can be addressed. Entitled “Assessment of Achievable Savings Potential From Energy Efficiency and Demand Response in the U.S.,” the analysis suggests that the potential energy savings in 2030 would be 236 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 14 New York Cities. Stated differently, demand for electricity over the next two decades could be reduced from the 1.07% annual growth rate projected by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its 2008 Annual Energy Outlook down to 0.83%, slowing the rate of increase by approximately 22%. The research also notes that under an ideal set of conditions conducive to energy efficiency programs, the consumption growth rate could be further reduced to as low as 0.68% annually by 2030. For its baseline assumptions, the study relied on EIA projections of growth in electricity consumption and peak demand for the residential, commercial and industrial sectors from its 2008 Annual Energy Outlook. The report and its executive summary can be downloaded at www.epri.com

PUTTING MORE EYES ON MAINTENANCE

Here at Maintenance Technology, we’re not only encouraging you to put more “eyes” on maintenance these days, we recently put more “i’s” in it (see our February 2009 cover). Furthermore, one eagle-eyed reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, won a free MARTS Conference Package Registration (a $795 value) for being the first person to let us know about it. Look for “more EYES on maintenance” prize-winning challenges coming soon. MT

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