BC Bearings Demo by bcbearings

a publication of BC Bearing Engineers Ltd. | fall 2007

Sustainability CREATING a BETTER FUTURE

market segment focus:

FOOD & BEVERAGE

introduction

The Sustainable Path A MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT & COO

A AS

Courtesy the BC Bearing Group.

A C O M PA N Y, W E A R E O F T E N A S K E D A B O U T O U R sustainability policy. We believe that to maintain our position as a world-class distributor of industrial products, The BCB Group must lead not only economically, but also environmentally and socially as well. We understand that we are in a prominent position to affect the environment in all countries where we do business. Our objective is not only to sustain our environment for our descendants, but also to rehabilitate the damage previously done. BC Bearing has put together a sustainability team at head office here in Burnaby. This is a group of eight people from different departments, headed up by Ron Kerr, who works in our computer department. The sustainability team examines all the issues and comes up with recommendations for us to implement. Dermot Strong, The team looks at how we deal with day-to-day sustainability President & COO, concerns like recycling, waste reduction, water management proThe BC Bearing grams, and even our coffee service. We are looking at issues like the Group. origin of the beverages we serve in order to make sure that we are not violating the human rights of the workers that produce them. We’re not there yet, but ultimately, we’d like to get to the stage where all of the products that we serve are ethically produced. For the moment, we follow the Metro Vancouver (formerly the GVRD) sustainability program within our building. Overall, sustainability analysis helps guide larger corporate changes, such as reducing vehicular pollution by optimizing our supply chain and ensuring green purchasing wherever possible. Taking the sustainable path and reducing waste also improves our bottom line. As our program continues to develop, we will take a look at how we can expand it throughout the company. We do have some novel recycling programs in place and we recycle all our cardboards and papers. Sustainability is not just a trend that’s in vogue right now – it’s something that is absolutely necessary for us to deal with from now on. In this issue of the BCB Communicator, we report on a number of innovative sustainability solutions in diverse industries from forestry and mining to agriculture and waste disposal. In our Market Segment Focus, we highlight the Food & Beverage sector by profiling Golden West Baking Co. and Canadian Malting Ltd. In addition, we feature two key suppliers to the industry: Rexnord provides self-lubricating chains for high-speed material handling applications, while SEW-Eurodrive offers customized solutions from their wide selection of components such as mechanical drives and advanced frequency inverters.

C O R P O R AT E O F F I C E

Tel: Fax: E-mail: Web:

8985 Fraserwood Court Burnaby, BC V5J 5E8 604.433.6711 604.433.5473 bcbinfo@bearings.com www.bearings.com

EXECUTIVES

Wendy B. McDonald Chairman Robert S. MacPherson Vice-Chairman & CEO Dermot Strong President & COO W. Penny Omnès VP, External Affairs & Corporate Relations W.M.(Bill) Dix VP, International Gary G. Hill VP, Sales & Marketing Mike Ashworth VP, Information Services Lloyd Germaine VP, Finance Tom Dielschneider VP, Supply Chain Terry Duncan VP, People Engagement Bob Lewis Director of Corporate Training DIRECTORS

Wendy B. McDonald Chairman Robert S. MacPherson Vice-Chairman Grace M. McCarthy Robert J. Stocks Wynne Powell Dermot Strong Darcy E. Rezac W.M.(Bill) Dix A. Allan Skidmore Scott A. MacPherson Gordon W. Steele W. Penny Omnès T H E B C B C O M M U N I C AT O R

KLJ Publications Co-publisher W. Penny Omnès Co-publisher Gary G. Hill Editor-in-Chief Lance Ross Project Consultant, LDR Marketing The BCB Communicator is a publication focusing on clients, suppliers, and general information about BC Bearing’s technical services and products as well as general editorial for the enjoyment of its customers. Please direct all communications to: Gary Hill, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, BC Bearing Engineers Ltd., or Sandy Crawford, VP/General Manager,KLJ Publications Ltd.

Tel: 604.473.0379 E-mail: scrawford@canadawide.com

Sandy Crawford VP/General Manager Tom Ruffen Editor, Senior Writer Robert Grey Art Director Brooks+Grey Design Production Cover photo ©iStockphoto/ Michael “Fuzz” Martin Dermot Strong, President & COO, The BC Bearing Group

2 The BCB Communicator

contents

fall 2007 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2 a publication of BC Bearing Engineers Ltd. The Sustainable Path

A Message from the President & COO, The BC Bearing Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Leaving Lighter Footprints Sustainable Travel International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8 Remediation at Idarado Newmont Creates Lasting Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13 SKF Celebrates 100th Anniversary in 2007 In Göteborg, Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16 Oceans Alive Aquarium of the Paciﬁc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-20, 22-23 High School Robots Students Build Working Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25, 27 Brent Pope Director of Sales & Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Market Segment Focus: Food & Beverage

5 18

Canada Malting Co. Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Golden West Baking Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Rexnord Goes Platinum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Speed, Precision, Flexibility: SEW-Eurodrive . . . . . . . 36 Tech Tips Conveyor Chain Lubrication for Food and Beverage Processing Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31-33

15 42

Visionary Series Innovative Supply Chain Management . . . . . . 38-39, 41 The Enhanced Forestry Lab At the Forefront of Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-46 VaporTech Energy Services VTES a Leader in Vapour Recovery Services . . . . 47-48 The Seeds of Sustainability Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Company . . . . . . . . . . . 50-56 Eureka Recycling Reduce and Re-use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58-61 Our People Make the Difference BC Bearing Engineers Product Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

50 directory of BC Bearing Engineers strategic marketing partners

AR Thomson Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Atra-Flex Flexible Couplings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Baldor, a division of Baldor/Dodge/Reliance . . . . . . 23

Mac Chain Company Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Canadian Timken, Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Martin Sprocket and Gear Canada, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Schroeder Industries LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Cooper-Grainger Canada Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Norcan Fluid Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

SEW-Eurodrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Dodge, a division of Baldor/Dodge/Reliance . . . . . . 21

NSK Canada Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

SKF Canada Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Dow Corning Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

NTN Bearing Corp. of Canada Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

SMC Pneumatics (Canada) Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Emerson Power Transmission Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Optibelt (Canada) Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

TB Wood’s Canada Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

INA/FAG, Schaefﬂer Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Rexnord Canada Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Tsubaki of Canada Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

ITW Devcon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Ringfeder Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

United Gear & Machine Works Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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travel

Leaving Lighter Footprints S U S T A I N A B L E T R AV E L I N T E R N AT I O N A L

©Tom Ruffen.

AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST industries, travel and tourism generates a large percentage of our total greenhouse gas emissions. “Any travel, whether it’s public transit, individual automobiles or commercial airliners, significantly impacts global climate change,” says Brian Mullis, Co-Founder and President of Colorado-based Sustainable Travel International, known as STI. “Tourism generates about 10 percent of total world GDP and employs over 10 percent of the global workforce, and it’s on the verge of tremendous growth. Only a small fraction of travel and tourism businesses are actively engaged

in sustainability, but now, as more people become educated about the fact there are market-driven means for global climate change, we’re seeing an increasing interest in the work that we’re doing.” According to Mullis, sustainable travel addresses not only environmental concerns, but the socio-economic and cultural impacts of tourism as well. “Among the most severe environmental effects of travel are pollution, intensified or unsustainable use of land, the depletion of natural resources and alteration of ecosystems. I was a tour operator for 10 years, offering adventure and active travel experiences. We did our best to

The Unisphere, an enduring symbol of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair in the borough of Queens, New York City.

incorporate eco-tourism into our operations in terms of utilizing local guides and trying to economically benefit the places that we visited, but it was clear we could do more, which is what inspired the founding of Sustainable Travel International.” Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Sustainable Travel International is a nonprofit organization with more than 200 members from 60 different countries. “STI was established in September 2002 to fill a void in terms of providing con-

www.bearings.com 5

travel

Carbon Offsets and Green Tags

sumers and travel and tourism providers as well as related organizations with the tools and resources they need to protect the places they visit and the planet at large,” says Mullis. “We have a full-time staff of five people, who are engaged in finance, marketing, administration and so on. We also have a dozen volunteers and interns working for us during any given quarter of the year. STI has a full executive board of directors as well as an advisory board. In terms of our staff, most of us are focused on education

6 The BCB Communicator

©Jessica Ruffen.

and outreach – getting the word out as to how easy it is to get involved in sustainable tourism development.” The organization promotes sustainability through fair trade and travel philanthropy initiatives as well as through volunteerism and carbon offsets. The organization’s Sustainable Tourism EcoCertification Program™ (STEP) is designed to help travel providers measure and manage their impacts, demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and lower costs through resource productivity and waste reduction while contributing to environmental conservation and the well being of local people. Through its travel philanthropy program, STI facilitates donations of financial resources, time and talent to help ©Tom Ruffen.

Sustainable Travel International is helping to reduce tourism’s carbon footprint by partnering with organizations such as MyClimate and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. BEF is a non-profit marketer of renewables. They market renewable energy certificates called “green tags” and reinvest all net revenues from the sale of the tags into the development of renewable energy projects across North America. MyClimate is a Switzerland-based not-for-profit company that markets verified emission reductions called “carbon offsets.” Through these partnerships, STI offers carbon offsets and green tags to consumers, tourism providers, corporations and other concerned organizations, affording them an opportunity to offset unavoidable travel-related emissions. By purchasing carbon offsets, companies and consumers can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels used for power with renewable energy; one carbon offset is produced for every metric ton of CO2 that does not go into the atmosphere. Carbon offsets can include renewable energy projects such as wind and wave energy, solar power and reforestation. MyClimate reinvests a minimum of 80 percent of all gross revenues from the sale of carbon offsets into the development of renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects in Africa, Asia and Central America. These projects contribute to local sustainable development, improved quality of life, transfer of knowledge and technology, local job generation and reductions in air and water pollution.

of Paris as seen from ^ The streetsNotre Dame Cathedral.

travellers and travel providers protect and positively impact cultures and environments around the world. “The program supports community development, biodiversity conservation, and other environmental, socio-cultural and economic improvements,” says Mullis. “It provides jobs, educational and professional training opportunities, health care and environmental stewardship. We also educate travel providers on how to create successful volunteerism programs and travel philanthropy proj-

^ The Grand Palace is an architectural treasure in Bangkok.

ects that support environmental conservation and community development while generating good publicity.” The STI website lists a growing number of tourism operators who offer sustainable travel options. More than 500,000 people now visit STI’s website monthly, reflecting an active marketplace of conscientious consumers and responsible travellers. Over the past few years, STI has also been successful in rallying corporate support. STI’s most notable clients include Coca Cola, Whole Foods Market, Ben & Jerry’s, HSBC Bank, Marriott, Continental Airlines and The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd. “Marriott is very focused on limiting their environmental footprint and we’re working with them to address their greenhouse gas emissions,” says Mullis. “They’re also very interested in getting involved in certification and setting up environmental management systems to identify, measure and manage their environmental, socio-economic and cultural impacts. Although they already have a

number of programs that support sustainability, it’s clear that they want to take a lead in developing and implementing best practices.” Working in partnership with its hotel owners and operators, Marriott implements sustainable practices such as water and energy conservation, waste management, wildlife preservation, cleanup campaigns and clean-air initiatives. The hotel chain received the 2007 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for three years of outstanding performance. In April 2007, the largest global luxury hotel brand, The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd., partnered with STI in launching its carbon neutral program, the Leading Green Initiative. As part of this program, the luxury hotel brand is investing in renewable energy by directly absorbing the cost of offsetting all its guests’ energy consumption for stays at any of its 440 member hotels around the world. The company also makes a dona-

tion to STI whenever anyone books a room mentioning the Green Initiative. The Leading Hotels of the World (www.lhw.com) has a prestigious roster of establishments including the Ritz London and Ritz Paris, the Beverly Wilshire and the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and Hôtel Le St-James in Montreal. “We are excited to be partnering with The Leading Hotels of the World,” says Mullis. “It’s a great opportunity to educate their member hotels and their guests about how to reduce their environmental footprint by the efficient use of energy and minimization of waste.” STI offers custom education and training programs in cooperation with the University of Colorado’s Center for Sustainable Tourism. The organization is also collaborating with George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies to offer lifelong and distance learning programs as well as a Tourism Destination Management certificate program. In addition, STI edu-

travel cates meeting planners and corporate travel decision-makers across a wide range of industries. “We offer everything from customized training courses to weekend workshops,” says Mullis. “It’s important information that informs them step-by-step how they can green their operations – everything from establishing zero waste systems to offsetting their GHG emissions.” Mullis noted that STI is also proactive in local green initiatives. “We have offices in the Rockies and Pacific Northwest, and we’re helping numerous businesses in the region to support environmental conservation and protect cultural heritage while promoting crosscultural understanding and economic development.” F O R I N F O R M AT I O N Sustainable Travel International PO Box 1313 Boulder, CO 80306 Tel: 720.273.2975 www.sustainabletravelinternational.org

©Tom Ruffen.

^ The unspoiled Malaysian jungle on the island of Penang.

environment

Remediation at Idarado N E W M O N T C R E A T E S L A S T I N G VA L U E

G OLD AND SILVER MINING BEGAN in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado in the 1870s. With lofty peaks as high as 13,000 feet/4,000 metres, the rugged mountain wilderness became renowned for its spectacular beauty and rich ore deposits. As word of the mineral wealth spread throughout the land, mining shafts and milling operations sprang up throughout the area, spawning frontier towns like Telluride, Ouray, and Silverton. By the 1930s, local mining was in decline, but with the coming of the Second World War, raw materials were in high demand, creating another mining boom. In 1939, the Idarado Mining Company purchased and consolidated a number of mining operations in the Telluride and Red Mountain districts. Over the next 40 years, Idarado would be a significant producer of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc. In 1978, the last ore was mined from the underground workings, and milling operations closed down. By that time, more than 80 years of mineral extraction had taken its toll. Tailings were stored in a number of facilities on Idarado’s property, several at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet above sea level. Waste materials had been disposed of in ponds, lagoons and tailing piles. Some of these waste materials were acid generating and were leaching heavy metals such as zinc, copper and lead cadmium. Then in the 1990s, the Idarado Mining Company developed an innovative program that now serves as a shining example in the field of environmental remediation. The cleanup involved stabilizing and revegetating the 11 large tailing piles, clearing sediments from the underground mine, diverting surface runoff around mine wastes and re-routing internal mine waters away from highly mineralized regions in the underground workings. In recognition of the role the Idarado project played in sustainable development of the region, the U.S. Depart-

Courtesy Newmont Mining Corporation.

ment of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management named Idarado as the recipient of the BLM’s inaugural 2006 Hardrock Mineral Director’s Award. The Idarado Mining Company is a subsidiary of the Denver-based Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM), which owns 80.1 percent. With operations on five continents, Newmont is the world’s second largest producer of gold. This is the second consecutive year a Newmont operation has won a Bureau of Land Management award. Newmont’s Nevada Operations received the Hardrock Mineral Community Outreach and Economic Security Award in 2005. “Newmont is committed to sustainability through the creation of long-term value, not just for our shareholders, but for our key stakeholders in the communities that host our operations,” comments David Baker, the company’s Vice Presi-

The San Juan Mountains of southwestern ^Colorado have yielded high volumes of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc.

dent, Environment and Social Responsibility. “The Director’s Award is a tribute to Idarado’s success in achieving a balance among historic preservation, environmental protection and value creation for local communities. I think there’s been a focus on sustainability beyond the mine life for a long time. What I think we’re seeing with this kind of award is an emphasis on recognizing certain companies or certain projects or programs that have demonstrated performance at an exceptional level. It’s one of the ways the federal government, the regulatory community and public land managers are trying to act as catalysts for the exchange of best practices. In this case, Idarado’s water management and vegetation

www.bearings.com 9

environment procedures have become industry standards and have benefited our mining operations worldwide.” Working collaboratively with the state of Colorado, county and town governments, and with local communities, Idarado and parent company Newmont developed a five-year plan. Completed in 1997, the $20-million project consisted of the remediation of large tailing piles as well as the diversion of water from historic mine waste rock and portals. The result is that Idarado has transformed a barren landscape of tailing piles into mountain greenery by successfully regenerating native grasses. Here in the high country, migrating deer and elk have returned to browse the grassy meadows. “The very act of growing plants on mine tailings makes Idarado unusual,” says Baker. “The customary practice is to put a soil growth medium on top of the tailings of dirt and rock, and then amend that as needed. Idarado

sought a better solution by converting the tailing material into a viable soil mixture that would support the growth of native grasses. The soil is there as part of a normal cap to provide the structural framework for the roots to grow and to hold the plants and carry the nutrients.” During the project, 150 acres of tailings were turned into fertile ground by the addition of 40 tonnes per acre of manure, 20 tonnes per acre of hay or straw, and a mixture of limestone and lime, which were added to the substrate to neutralize potential acid generation. The mixture was tilled to a depth of 18 inches and planted with a scientifically selected blend of grasses. The coarse sand of the tailing is used to accommodate the plants’ roots. In turn, the plants absorb moisture and prevent erosion of the tailings. This natural cover serves to resist the effects of wind and water. This allows the land to return to nature with the thriving new

grasses blending in with the natural beauty of the wilderness. “Often, in these situations, historic waste rock and mine tailings are buried to avoid contact with water, resulting in acid drainage and the leaching of metals,” says Baker. “This method often requires large amounts of soil to be brought in to be put on the tailings pond, but what we call the ‘borrow material’ also impacts the area where the soil was taken from. “On the Idarado project, at the upper end of this valley, the tailings facility was at the end of a box canyon, so there weren’t a lot of sources of material except in areas where removing the soil would have created other negative consequences. To find the necessary soil, we would have had to go down the valley and haul that material up to the tailings facility. We would have had to haul all this material right through the town of Telluride – right down Main Street – in the summer months. Telluride was a mining town when it started and that was the economic engine for the area until the mine closed in the late ’70s. Now the local

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economy is driven by tourism. Telluride has about 40 festivals a year, and they go on all spring, summer and fall. So, having all these trucks driving up and down Main Street was not an outcome that the community wanted. So, we had to figure out something we could use that was already up in the high country, and the answer was ‘tailings.’ We had all this material that might be used as a growth medium, but what these tailings didn’t have was enough organics and nutrients to provide a self-sustaining cover. Working with the university and the state of Colorado and with the local communities, we developed this proposal to use the direct re-vegetation of tailings. That was innovative, and it’s been incredibly successful.” Ed Redente, a professor of rangeland ecosystem science at Colorado State University, developed the seed mix used by Idarado. He also assisted with selecting plant species that would best adapt to the local geographic and climatic conditions. “The university helped us design the appropriate seed mix and the right amount of nutrients and other things

such as lime to neutralize acid-generating potential into the soil amendments,” says Baker. “Their knowledge served to provide an optimum species selection to grow in very extreme conditions in the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains with its long, cold winters and relatively short growing seasons. “The plants are intended to do two things – one is to provide a physical stability to the surface so that it doesn’t erode, either via water or wind. The second thing was to have an appropriate diversity mix so that the cover itself is self-sustaining. As things grow, sometimes certain plants do better in some years than others, so it was designed to provide what we call ‘engineered vegetative covers’ that are sustainable over the long term. “We didn’t plant trees. At some point, we might, or trees may naturally encroach. One of the challenges we found with trees is that they are not necessarily conducive to providing a stable surface, because sometimes plants don’t do well growing under a tree. We tested trees in pilot plots, but we did not put them into the mix. We found

that trees over-compete with the grasses, and if you lose your cover on the tailing proper, you lose some of your ability to control erosion. The most important thing was to have that root mat of the grasses there to physically anchor the tailings surface together and make it less vulnerable.” In addition to re-vegetation of tailing piles, 10 miles of concrete diversion and interceptor-control channels were built to divert water off waste rock and tailings from mines that were in existence before Idarado. Prior to construction, Idarado had conducted extensive underground surveys and analysis to identify and design diversion structures within the 450 miles/725 kilometres of historic underground mine workings contained within the Telluride and Red Mountain mining districts. Mine shafts were scattered through the property. This allowed water to seep inside and pick up metals before discharging out of the lower workings of the mines. As part of Idarado’s remediation, the water within the workings has been diverted to areas with little mineralization and discharged through

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environment

At the Idarado mine site, a reclaimed tailings storage area is now a natural meadow with native grasses and other vegetation.

tunnels. The water was then placed in ponds containing material that acts as a natural filter for any residual metals. Once the water is filtered, it is released and becomes groundwater. These source control water-management systems have substantially improved the water quality of local streams while preserving the historic mining facilities. In the San Juan range, the high elevations presented a particular challenge, as Baker explains. “There is limited road access to much of the area where the lined channels were constructed. We asked ourselves, ‘What is the most costeffective way to approach and execute a program, and what are the impacts within the community?’ This area is very rugged. In the high country, we were putting a number of channels or ditches to divert water on the surface around these historic mine openings, which date back to the 1800s. It’s what people come here to see in terms of the mining history of the area, along with the absolute beauty of the mountains. So, we were trying to be as minimally invasive as we could, and yet achieve these environmental outcomes, which was to pro-

Courtesy Newmont Mining Corporation.

tect, then improve the quality of water at that end of the valley. So we needed to get all this concrete and gravel and bring it up into the high country, which is only accessible via these narrow fourwheel-drive jeep roads.” Although helicopter use for such activities is common today, Idarado’s helicopter use during the early 1990s was a pioneering feat for mine reclamation and high-country construction. “It was a novel idea to use a helicopter at that time,” says Baker. “We decided that we could use a helicopter to move the material from the staging area, so we could have ready access with larger trucks and stage it, and then lift it into remote

locations in the high country in a costeffective manner, as opposed to trying to get it into little pick-up trucks, or onetonne dump trucks and haul all this up these narrow, incredibly rough roads. “The helicopter we used was the Scorsky Sky Crane, which is often used to fight forest fires. The helicopter was used to sling the cement and the aggregate. We had it lifted up in these big heavyduty bags with loops. They look like big shopping bags. You can put 2,000 pounds of cement or rock in it. The helicopter would come in, hover over the bags, and then lift up to six of these bags at one time, and then take all that material straight up to the top of the moun-

DOW JONES SUSTAINABILITY INDEX Launched in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are the first global indexes tracking the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. In 2006, Newmont became a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America. The DJSI North America captures the leading 20 percent in terms of sustainability out of the largest 600 North American companies of the Dow Jones Global Index. Companies are selected according to a systematic corporate sustainability assessment that identifies leaders based on a variety of criteria including climate change strategies, energy consumption, human resources development, knowledge management, stakeholder relations and corporate governance. “The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes assess relative aspects of your sustainability development,” states Dave Baker, Newmont’s Vice President, Environment and Social Responsibility. “It’s very objective and appears to be consistently applied; it’s relevant and has traction within the investment community and with industry because of its balance and objectivity. The index is one of the many things we use to help provide an external window of what we do, so that our shareholders and potential shareholders have that ability to have that independent objective view of what we do as a business. The reality is that in the natural resource industries, and mining in particular, it’s not something you can move from community to community.

12 The BCB Communicator

“You have to go in and understand how to develop an ore body – wherever that ore body might be, whatever country it’s in, or whatever the climate is, or the workforce you might have. Those are things you have no control over, so the programs that you have in place have to be able to be successful in operating in any kind of political, social and environmental climate. Sustainability is important because what people want to know when you’re done and your mine is closed is: ‘What are you going to leave behind?’ So we look at that from an environmental perspective and a social perspective. “What people are saying is: ‘If you’re going to come in and have impacts on our community, we recognize that there will be some negative impacts as well as positive ones, but no matter what, there’s going to be change, and we want to make sure that this change creates long-term value. We want to understand how that’s going to happen and want to be a part of that, and have a voice in it.’ “So, it’s important for our company to have a real appreciation of the need to balance the interests of all stakeholders while protecting the environment and creating long-term economic value for the region. Sustainability is all about the longterm value creation, not just for our shareholders, but for the stakeholders in the communities that host our operations.”

Main Street of the historic mining town of Telluride, Colorado, with a snow-covered tailing storage area in the background.

tain, drop it at the job site, and then come back to get another load. Over the course of the project, we used the helicopter on several occasions. We figured it would take about two and a half months to haul all the material up there with the small trucks, but by airlifting in the materials, that part of the operation actually took less than a week.” Beginning in 2000, after the closure and reclamation processes were complete, Idarado began working with the non-profit organization, the Trust for Public Land, in order to return the majority of its 8,000 acres of private land back to publicly owned open space. “The famous Million Dollar Highway goes right through our former property,” said Baker. “We sold most of that property and returned it to public open space under the control of the U.S. Forest Service.” Idarado has preserved 5,500 acres of

Courtesy Newmont Mining Corporation.

land, which includes an enhanced stream habitat and public lands that now provide access to hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing trails and rock climbing destinations. In addition, a portion of Idarado’s former mining property was also developed into sites for residential properties, including 37 unique home sites with stunning views of the scenic San Miguel Valley. The company also set

aside a tract of land designated for affordable housing in Telluride. F O R I N F O R M AT I O N Newmont Mining Corporation 1700 Lincoln Street Denver, CO 80203 Tel: 303.863.7414 www.newmont.com

www.bearings.com 13

business

Workplace Stability R E T A I N I N G VA L U E D E M P L O Y E E S

14 The BCB Communicator

celebration

SKF Celebrates 100th Anniversary in 2007

I n G Ö T E B O R G, S W E D E N

Photos courtesy The SKF Group.

F ROM JUNE 27 TO JULY 1, 2007 IN Göteborg Sweden, SKF hosted over 1,500 distributor executive personnel at the first-ever SKF Global Distributor Convention. This convention was held during SKF’s 100th-anniversary celebrations and consisted of various presentations to highlight the company’s history, product developments, knowledge engineering

Below: A world cabaret entertains a full house.

capabilities, as well as the “More with SKF and Documented Solutions” programs. Representing The BC Bearing Group were Wendy McDonald, Chair; Dermot Strong, President & COO; Penny Omnès, VP External Affairs and Corporate Relations; Scott MacPherson, President & COO of US Bearings and Drives, and from the Canadian operations were Gerry Brownrigg, Vice President of Purchasing and Vendor Relations and Gary Hill, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Upon her return, McDonald said, “It was humbling to be part of what was truly a unique lifetime event with SKF and meet so many great people from throughout the world.” The keynote address was given by Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to walk on the moon. In part, Armstrong spoke about leaving a camera behind on

Below: Penny Omnès (left) and Wendy McDonald of The BC Bearing Group with Jan Lindhe, President, SKF Canada. The car is a Formula One Scuderia Ferrari racer; SKF has been an ofﬁcial supplier to and technical partner with Ferrari since 1947.

ﬁrst astronaut to walk on the ^ Neil Armstrong, moon, gave the keynote address to 1500 distributor executive personnel.

the moon – to reduce weight on the return flight home. The camera left behind has an SKF bearing in it! In 2007, SKF celebrates 100 years of international business providing innovative, value-adding solutions to many of the world’s industries. SKF was established on February 16, 1907, in Göteborg, Sweden. While starting life as a bearing manufacturer and developing into a leader in the field through the years, it is transforming itself into a knowledge engineering company solving customer problems from its vast industry experience incorporating its five technology platforms (Bearings, Seals, Lubrication, Services and Mechatronics). SKF started with a unique invention, the self-aligning ball bearing and 100 years later its market offerings, based on the five technology platforms, are equally unique. The world today is much different than it was 100 years ago and SKF’s company focus has changed to meet the needs of its customers and those of a modern world. That means that as well as supplying high-performing, innovative solutions, SKF must play its part in setting an example and supporting sus-

www.bearings.com 15

celebration

Courtesy The SKF Group.

Entertainment included performances of ABBA songs, another of Sweden’s most popular exports.

Courtesy The BC Bearing Group.

Johnstone, President & CEO, SKF, ^ Above, from left: Mrs. and Mr.withTomWendy McDonald and Penny Omnès. Courtesy The SKF Group.

tainability for future generations. Its “Beyond Zero” initiative is targeted toward achieving environmental excellence in its aim to be the role model for sustainability in the industry. SKF is challenging the limitation of conventional environmental targets, which drive for zero negative impacts on nature. In 2005, it launched Beyond Zero – an ambitious and challenging program. In combination with internal efforts on reducing negative

Courtesy The BC Bearing Group.

From left: François Cliche, SKF Regional Manager – Eastern Canada; Uwe Hildebrandt, SKF Regional Manager – Western Canada; with Gary Hill, Gerry Brownrigg and Dermot Strong of The BC Bearing Group.

environmental impacts, SKF aims to exceed the “zero” target. In essence, it intends to contribute positively to the environment by going beyond the zero target. To learn more about SKF’s 100th anniversary or Beyond Zero initiatives, please visit www.skf.ca.

16 The BCB Communicator

Below, from left: Penny Omnès, Wendy McDonald, Scott MacPherson and Cheryl MacPherson sightseeing aboard the 18th-century Swedish sailing vessel Götheborg, one of the largest full-rigged sailing ships in the world.

FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, OUR STANDARDS HAVE SET THE STANDARD.

In virtually every industry… for virtually every application, companies rely on Timken to help them run their business better. For example, our full line of spherical roller bearings is specifically designed for extended life and improved performance. The fact is, with more than 100 years of

experience in bearings and steel, Timken is where customers turn for quality spherical roller bearings. To find out more about our expertise in friction management, materials science, and application and design knowledge, please visit us at timken.com/spherical.

Bearings • Steel • Precision Components • Lubrication • Seals • Remanufacture and Repair • Industrial Services Timken® is the registered trademark of The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR). www.timken.com

science

Oceans Alive AQUARIUM of the PACIFIC

Photos courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific.

^ Above: Aquarium of the^Paciﬁc is located in Long Beach, California. Shark Lagoon is a series of shark-petting pools. Below: Nectar for the birds: Aquarium visitors can feed the friendly Australian lorikeets.

I IN

A SHALLOW LAGOON IN LONG Beach, California, the sharks come out to play. Here, at the spectacular Aquarium of the Pacific, you’ll find one of the world’s most unusual petting zoos with more than 200 sharks swimming in the touch pools. “We were the first aquarium to create a shark-petting pool on this scale,” says Cecile Fisher, Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “Shark Lagoon is a series of low pools we’ve built for various species like the bamboo, zebra and epaulette sharks. The animals that are in the lagoon are tropical sharks from off the coast of Australia. Some of them are as much as four feet long. Most sharks are very docile, so we allow people to reach in and touch these animals. The

18 The BCB Communicator

You can purchase a little cup of nectar, and the lorikeets will land on your arm and drink the nectar out of the cup.

^ The pufﬁn is a diving bird that inhabits the aquarium’s North Paciﬁc Gallery. Courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific.

aquarium also has a large exhibit featuring some of the toothier kind of sharks. Looking through a viewing window, our guests can see several species including sand tiger, sandbar, nurse and white tip sharks. We’re also the only aquarium on the West Coast to have a bull shark.” Visitors can get up close and personal with a variety of stingrays, and live to tell the tale. The sting can be deadly, but not at the Aquarium of the Pacific. “We have a touch pool for the rays,” says Fisher. “Each stinger is like a fingernail and it grows at the base of the tail. It can be painlessly clipped, and we do that so there is no concern that our guests will get stung. You can reach in and touch the stingrays to see what they feel like. We use it as an educational tool to show that the rays only sting in self-defence.” Interacting with the animals is a recurring theme at the aquarium, says Fisher. “Lorikeet Forest is a walkthrough aviary that has a waterfall and the path is lined with trees, which are home to dozens of Australian lorikeets. They’re relatives of parrots – quite colourful and very loud.

Because they’re nectar drinkers, they have a specialized tongue and beak that’s not meant for biting hard food such as nuts, so they’re very gentle and appropriate for interacting with guests.” The Aquarium of the Pacific opened in 1998 and has become a prime Southern California tourist attraction with 1.4 million visitors a year. In addition to exhibits and presentations, the organization offers whale-watching tours and naturalist-led kayaking excursions into wetlands. “What makes us unique is that we’re the only aquarium in the country that is focused on the Pacific Ocean,” says Fisher. “Exhibits at the aquarium represent three distinct climatic areas, the North Pacific, the Tropical Pacific and the Southern California/Baja Mexico region.” The North Pacific Gallery focuses on the cold-water ecosystems of the Bering Sea, which separates Alaska and Siberia. This area of the Pacific is home to over 450 species of fish and invertebrates, 50 bird species and 25 species of marine mammals, including the giant Pacific octopus. The aquarium’s resident giant Pacific

www.bearings.com 19

science octopus is four feet in length, but the species can grow to more than 20 feet long. The Sea Otter habitat is an entertaining attraction as these playful animals frolic to the delight of visitors, while the Diving Birds exhibit provides a rare opportunity to see puffins feeding underwater. “Puffins live on remote mainland cliffs and islands,” says Fisher.

The colourful garabaldi ﬁsh has been designated as “the state ﬁsh” of California.

“In the exhibit, you can see the puffins fly above the water, and you can also see them dive in, ‘flying’ underwater to catch their food.” The habitats of Micronesia and Australia are featured in the Tropical Pacific galleries. Fisher notes that visitors are introduced to a coral lagoon with colourful fish inhabiting warm waters of 80˚F/27˚C. “Our Tropical Reef Habitat is specifically modelled after the island of Palau. You’ll see coral reef fishes like triggerfish, parrotfish and colourful bright fishes of all different shapes and varieties as well as sea horses, sea snakes and weedy sea dragons, which we’ve been able to breed in captivity. We were

^ The ruddy duck is at home at the aquarium’s Shorebird Sanctuary.

20 The BCB Communicator

the first aquarium to do so, and now that breeding program has been replicated at another aquarium. Weedy sea dragons are bony fish in the family that includes seahorses and pipe fishes. The sea dragons are about six to 11 inches long. Their appendages look like plants in order to blend in with their natural habitat and confuse predators.” The Southern California/Baja Mexico Gallery showcases a variety of animals and ecosystems. East of the Baja is a body of water known as the Gulf of California, or the Photos courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific. Sea of Cortez. The gulf Three storeys high, the Blue Cavern displays coast includes warm bays the marine life found off Catalina Island. and lagoons, mangrove forests and giant kelp forests. “The Sea of Cortez is a very special place,” says Fisher. “Many animals that live there are found nowhere Guests can also enjoy intertidal and else on the planet. Our exhibit includes wetlands exhibits, including Shorebird large silvery fish called ‘Mexican lookSanctuary, an outdoor experience with downs’ as well as unique species of butbirds, fish and native plants from the terfly fishes. local wetland habitat. Designed to “The Southern California/Baja Mexico resemble a wetland such as the Bolsa Gallery includes the Blue Cavern, an Chica Ecological Reserve, the exhibit impressive exhibit three storeys high, features several micro-ecosystems and featuring ocean inhabitants found off shelters for birds such as black-necked the coast of Catalina Island. There is a stilts, black-bellied plovers, western beautiful bed of giant swaying kelp, and snowy plovers, killdeer and ruddy ducks. swimming through that are giant sea Fisher noted that most aquarium visibass, leopard sharks and rays. If you tors are surprised to learn that only 5 perwere to go diving off Catalina, you cent of California’s coastal wetlands would see the same kind of marine life.” remain. “Wetlands are prime coastal An indoor/outdoor exhibit, the Seal development areas because they’re near and Sea Lion Habitat features a tunnel the beach. We have only a few wetlands that allows visitors to view the animals left that are now preserved. They are underwater. vital, not only to the local bird popula“You can also go upstairs to get an tion, but to migratory waterfowl as well. above-water It is pretty scary how quickly we can take view,” says Fisher. away such an important habitat and “This is where we not realize what we’ve done.” have our seal and The aquarium hosts a variety of consea lion shows, so servation and education programs, people can sit including a Junior Biologist program down and enjoy a where children can learn what it’s like to performance and be a marine biologist. The Ocean Learnsee how we train ing Center is an online resource that can our animals.” continued on page 22

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science

OCEAN WISE IN BC

In January 2005, the Vancouver Aquarium launched the concept of Ocean Wise at a local eatery, C Restaurant, the founding restaurant partner of this sustainable seafood initiative. The aquarium created the program to help restaurants and their customers make environmentally friendly seafood choices. The Ocean Wise program released its first Dining Guide on Earth Day, April 22, 2005, with 16 restaurants participating. In order to join the program, restaurants had to remove at least one item from their menu and commit to promoting at least one sustainable option. Each restaurant also agreed to remove at least one additional unsustainable seafood choice from the menu every six months. The Vancouver Aquarium works with each restaurant to identify sustainable seafood options on their menus. The sustainability of each species that is harvested for seafood is evaluated individually. Input from various research sources is considered with each recommendation. Much of the information on individual fisheries comes from the Vancouver Aquarium’s own fisheries research, as well as the aquarium’s connections with research bodies in Canada. In addition to founding partner C Restaurant, more than 30 notable establishments in BC have joined the program including The Fish House in Stanley Park, The Observatory Restaurant on Grouse Mountain, various locations of popular chains, Cactus Club and The Boathouse, and fine dining rooms at hotels such as the Hyatt Vancouver. For consumers, sustainable seafood items are branded on the menu as Ocean Wise selections, so that they can be readily identified. Learn more at: www.oceanwisecanada.org

22 The BCB Communicator

Museums, the interactive kiosk exhibit, Whales: Voices in the Sea enables visitors to listen to and identify the sounds of humpback, sperm, gray, blue, beaked and Northern right whales. An online version offers everyone the opportunity to listen to whale calls, watch videos about whales and see interviews with scientists. The Aquarium of the Pacific is located on a five-acre site on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach at the mouth of the Los Angeles River in the vicinity of the Long Beach Convention Center, the Shoreline Village shopping district, and the original Queen Mary cruise ship, now a hotel and tourist attraction.

Sustainable Seafood APPETITE FOR AQUACULTURE “The goal of the Sustainable Seafood Forum is to ensure that we will have sustainable wild stocks and sustainable sources of aquaculture-grown seafood,” states Jerry Schubel, CEO and President of the Aquarium of the Pacific. “The only way we can meet the demand and protect wild stocks is to have well-managed, environmentally sustainable aquaculture operations. “Four years ago, the Aquarium of the Pacific created the Sustainable Seafood Forum along with King Seafoods, the largest seafood restaurant chain in Southern California. The other members of the

seafood is served at the ^ Sustainable Aquarium of the Paciﬁc.

group include Santa Monica Seafood, which is a large wholesaler. We have SMG, our own food service that has some 80 operations across the U.S. and the U.K. as well as Shaw’s Crab House out of Chicago and the Plitt Company in the Midwest. We are open to having others join us. “We have three criteria for what we consider sustainable sources: The food has to be healthy and the business practices have to be environmentally and socially responsible. If you have an aquaculture enterprise, it has to pay fair wages and provide health benefits to workers. The commitment that we have from all of our members is that they will always provide sustainable choices. Every day in our Aquarium restaurant, there is a seafood choice that we know is sustainable, and it’s always identified as such on the menu.” The organization presents special Sustainable Seafood Days at the aquarium, and provides information through lectures, presentations, expert panels and workshops. “There are seafoods that we are going to lose access to unless we

^ A diver entertains children in the Coral Garden.

Photos courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific.

continued from page 20 be used to identify creatures in the aquarium’s collection. It’s available at: www.aquariumofthepacific.org/learningcenter In the Honda Theatre, 3-D movies are shown. A Fish Story introduces children to undersea friends and ways to help the environment, while Monsters of the Abyss uses digital animation to discover the strange creatures that live in the deep ocean, beyond the reach of sunlight. A winner of the 2005 MUSE Silver Award from the American Association of

develop sustainable aquaculture,” says Schubel. “Something like two-thirds of all the wild fish stocks are fished at, or above, sustainable levels. People are very health-conscious now and they know eating seafood is good for them, so the demand keeps going up. Lots of species are at risk of being commercially extinct, as opposed to biologically extinct. The question is: Will there be enough individuals in the population so that you can economically harvest them? We’ve seen that with Chilean sea bass, because it became a very popular fish and still is, but it was severely over-fished and had to be put on a protected list. “Tilefish on the East Coast is a wonderful fish that became very popular, but it occurs only in very limited habitats at the heads of submarine canyons. It also takes a long time for this type of fish to get to a reproductive age. So, this species was almost fished out in a short period of time. Technology has allowed us to find more fish and to catch them, no matter where they are. Because of that, we have to figure out ways to protect fish populations with sustainable fishing practices by protecting the habitats they depend upon and by supplementing the supply with aquaculture. “With the exception of highly migratory species like blue fin tuna, it is possible to grow most kinds of seafood we eat – not only fin fish, but shellfish such as oysters, clams, scallops, crabs and lobsters are now being grown through aquaculture.” Does this mean that West Coast aquaculture can develop farms for delicacies like East Coast lobster? “Biologically you could perhaps make it work, growing lobster off the coast of California, but that’s not what we’re advocating,” says Schubel. “We believe it’s better to concentrate on species that are local to the region. Then, if you have escapes from the farms, you won’t have interbreeding with undesirable effects. Some of the criticisms of aquaculture may have been well founded in the past, but there have been many major advances made in the last decade. So I think a lot of the arguments are out of date. “If you compare the feeding efficiency of farm-grown fish to the feeding of chickens, pigs and cattle, you’ll find

that fish are far more efficient to raise, and with much less impact on the environment. Of all of the industries on the planet, agriculture probably takes the largest environmental toll, but we couldn’t get by without agriculture. We couldn’t feed 6.6 billion people if we hadn’t made agriculture a high-tech industry. So, now it’s important that we do aquaculture right. The only way we’re going

to meet the growing demand for seafood is through responsible aquaculture.” F O R I N F O R M AT I O N The Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Way Long Beach, CA 90802 Tel: 562.590.3100 www.aquariumofpacific.org

www.bearings.com 23

technology

High School Robots

THE OLD METALWORKING SHOP HAS been converted into an electronics lab at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Vancouver. Under the direction of electronics teacher Trevor Gibbens, robotics is offered as an elective, beginning in Grade 10.

From left: Calvin Li, Michael Man and Michael Fung built robots at Churchill.

“Students do not have to build robots,” says Gibbens. “They can choose from a wide variety of other projects. This year, students constructed a nerd

From left: Thompson Chan, Hong Wang ^ and Zion Au display electronic wizardry.

tester, door alarm, headphone amplifier and low-wattage transmitter. The first robot built at Churchill was constructed by a student seven years ago. Only within the past four years has interest in this subject mushroomed. Robots are now by far the most popular project in my senior classes.” The students may choose from three basic types of robots, the Gnat, the Insectronic and the Serpentronic. “The Gnat and Insectronic models are walking robots, while the Serpentronic crawls like a snake,” says Gibbens. “I have produced a construction manual and designed an original printed circuit board for the Gnat, which can be manufactured in our classroom by my students. Students use basic materials and common electronic parts to construct their robots. This experience is distinct from assembling projects from modules that were pre-assembled at the factory. “Students write, compile and install their software programs on the computer. While constructing their projects, Churchill students develop a wide range of important skills. They learn to read and apply information provided in engineering drawings. They measure and lay out the size and shape of the parts. They cut, saw, drill, punch, file, form, shape and connect the parts using power machinery and hand tools. They work with a high degree of precision and they learn to work safely. Each operation, each machine tool and hand tool requires a specific safety routine. Not least, students develop an appreciation of the personal commitment required to complete a complicated project. These robots take most of the school year to finish. In a time of near instantaneous, electronically mediated results, it is reassuring when students choose a project which will take nearly a school year to complete.” Last term, Grade 11 student Michael Man chose a robotic arm. “This challeng-

Photos courtesy Sir Winston Churchill Secondary.

STUDENTS BUILD WORKING MODELS

^ Michael Man and his robotic arm. ing project is made of aluminum sheet metal, basic parts and ordinary components,” says Gibbens. “It will be programmed in Visual Basic. The controller board uses a PIC microprocessor. To build a robotic arm is a complex undertaking. This process replicates the actual engineering experience: review, change and simplify.” The robotic arm that Man is building is designed to have five degrees of freedom. “In robotics, a degree of freedom is the movement that a part can make in a single plane and in a single direction,” Gibbens explains. “Compare the robotic arm to a human arm and wrist. A bend in the human elbow is one degree of freedom. A bend at the wrist is a second degree. The wrist rotates for a third degree. The rotation of the forearm constitutes a fourth degree. Hold the index finger and the thumb rigid, and close them in a gripping motion – this comprises a fifth degree of freedom. “Michael’s robot rotates on a fixed base for one degree of freedom. Its first and second joints are like elbows. Each additional joint is another degree. The wrist rotates for a fourth degree. The grasping movement of the gripper is a fifth degree of freedom. Each of these movements is produced by a servo that is controlled by a microprocessor. continued on page 27

www.bearings.com 25

profiles in management

Brent Pope

Brent Pope, Director of Sales & Marketing, BC Bearing Engineers Ltd.

DIRECTOR of SALES & MARKETING

O VER THE PAST 27 YEARS AT BCB, Brent Pope has worked his way up through the ranks with many years of experience at the branch level. Along the way, he also acquired his MBA from Athabasca University in Edmonton. “Working for BC Bearing in Edmonton was my first job in the industry,” says Pope. “I had worked on the oil rigs as a young guy and thought that it wasn’t the kind of work I wanted to be doing as I grew older. I actually came to BC Bearing because there was an ad in the paper for shipper/receiver. From there, I worked in various capacities as a CSR, office manager, outside salesman, and then branch manager in Fort McMurray, and later in Kamloops.” For the past two years, Brent Pope has

1983 before they gave me an apple and a road map,” Pope recalls. “I played a total of about seven minbeen working as Director of utes in the exhibition seaSales and Marketing. He is son, but hung around for one of the three Directors Courtesy The BC Bearing Group. most of the year on the along with Mick van practice squad. Berkel, Branch Operations, and Dale “You certainly learn what it takes to Sandboe, Value and Performance. work toward the same goal. Teamwork “I guess that’s the beauty of our team. comes from each individual making a If there is an operational question at a personal commitment to the team. I branch, I feel comfortable to answer it. If see a lot of parallels to that with BC BearMick or Dale is in a branch and there is a ing. We have a good team led by Gary sales question, they feel comfortable Hill [Vice President, Sales & Marketing] addressing it, so there is a lot of crossover and we’re committed to working well there. What makes our team so strong is together. We have a playbook, which is the interchangeability.” our Strategy Map, and it is very specific Pope knows a lot about teamwork. in its goals. It is driven by continuous After playing football at Fort Hays State improvement of personnel through University, he spent a season with the ongoing training in order to deliver the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL. “I was on best possible value.” the practice roster for the Eskimos in

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technology

> Aram Grigoryan built his own six-legged robot.

continued from page 25 “The design for the controller board was copied from the Karl Williams book. Michael produced it with the aid of an application program, Proteus Ares. He used Ares, a computer-assisted design program, to exactly reproduce all of the features of this printed circuit board. The board was drilled and populated with capacitors, resistors, a DIL socket for the microprocessor, LEDs, connectors, headers and so forth, and then soldered. “My chief role was to check the accuracy of each step and ensure that the work was performed safely. I also directed many hours toward identifying a suitable bearing, including discussions with an engineer, machinists and suppliers. This frustrating pursuit continued for several months.” Eventually the search for product solutions and technical support led Gibbens to BC Bearing. “I visited with Dermot Strong [President and COO], who had kindly agreed to discuss how best to identify the type of bearing that was needed for the robotic arm. Dermot directed me to BC Bearing’s Technical Services. After investigating the matter, they recommended a bearing. They also provided photocopies of relevant technical descriptions and illustrations from a printed SKF catalogue.The bearing selected was an SKF 6900 Series NICE, double-composition sealed radial bearing with an extended inner race. The bearing allows the elbow assembly of the robotic arm to articulate with the shoulder assembly.” As the academic year begins this fall, Gibbens welcomes 120 students to the five classes he teaches in electronics and robotics. The new students will benefit from new equipment recently donated by Black and Decker Canada. “With their generous donation of a new 12inch drill press, Black and Decker has increased our capacity,” says Gibbens. “Two years ago we had only a single drill press, now we have three. Precision drilling is central to building successful robots. This expanded capacity responds to an expanding demand by students to build more challenging projects.”

Courtesy Sir Winston Churchill Secondary.

CHURCHILL ELECTRONICS

“The most complex project in my experience at Churchill was designed and built by Kenneth Wong, who graduated in 2006,” says electronics teacher Trevor Gibbens. “His was a two-year endeavour which included constructing a series of antennae, and building and programming an instrument package that would detect and analyze radio frequency transmissions on the same band at which cell phones transmit. Kenneth won two bronze medals at the Canada-Wide Science Fair competition. “Most of the students who build robots choose from among three basic types. The Gnat and the Insectronic are walking robots, while the Serpentronic is a robotic snake that moves by slithering and inch-worming. The Insectronic and Serpentronic use a programmable integrated circuit called a PIC. The electronic circuit for the Gnat is hard-wired, so it cannot be reprogrammed. “The Gnat uses tactile sensors to detect objects in its path. These sensors are made from brass tubing, stainless-steel surgical tubing and ring connectors. They are simple switches. When the ends of the tactile sensors touch an object, the switch closes, sending an electronic signal to the control centre. The Gnat will back up and turn slightly to avoid the obstacle when it moves forward. “The Gnat uses two geared clutch motors to power the legs. When the legs make contact with the body, the clutch allows the motor to continue to rotate – until the direction of the current is changed by the BEAM circuit. When the current changes polarity, the direction of the motor reverses. For example, instead of the left leg moving forward, the current reversal makes it move backward. During the past term, Vaughn Cherrin, a French immersion student, was one of a small number of Grade 10 students who built a Gnat. After finishing his robot, he began to learn how to write programs in PIC BASIC. “Aram Grigoryan and Kael Quet each built their own six-legged robot this year. The project is described in detail in Karl Williams’ book, Insectronics: Build Your Own Walking Robot [McGraw-Hill, 2003]. The Insectronic uses infrared sensors to detect obstacles, as does the Serpentronic, so that special LEDs send out beams of infrared light, which are invisible to the human eye. When the IR sensors detect a strong beam of reflected infrared light, they signal the control circuit. The robot takes evasive action by backing up and moving around the object. “The Insectronic and Serpentronic use servos. Servos are motors that can be made to move back and forth in precise increments. The servos that we use have special self-contained electronic circuits that increase our ability to control them. Linda Zhang built a Serpentronic robot last year. She plans to become an architect and engineer. With a small group of girls, Linda received a first place in a ChicTech competition at Simon Fraser University. The number of girls who enroll in electronics is small, but those who do join in enjoy the subject, and they are just as successful as boys.”

www.bearings.com 27

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FOOD & BEVERAGE

Canada Malting Co. Limited Q U A L I T Y M A LT f o r t h e B R E W I N G I N D U S T R Y

WITH MALTING PLANTS LOCATED IN Calgary, Thunder Bay and Montreal, the Canada Malting Company employs approximately 180 people. “We are a rather unusual industry in many respects,” says Don Gilhooly, the Maintenance Manager of the Calgary facility. “Instead of tens of thousands of customers, we sell directly to the major brewers and micro-brewers of the world. Our plants supply malt, not only across Canada, but also to dozens of countries around the world.” At the Calgary plant they purchase top-quality barley, primarily grown in Alberta and Saskatchewan. They clean it, grade it, and store it by variety and other quality characteristics. The grade of barley that they purchase is referred to as “malting barley,” and is the best grade you can achieve if you are a farmer. The most important aspect that they are looking for is the barley’s ability to germinate. Gilhooly says, “If you were going to purchase feed barley for the livestock industry, the viability and vigour of the individual seed is not very important. In order to malt barley, however, it is critical that virtually every seed germinates and grows. In addition to the actual variety of barley, we’re looking for specific protein profiles and moisture content. We are a huge player in the Canadian malt barley industry. At the Calgary plant alone, we take in well over a quarter of a million tonnes of barley annually.” Canada Malting, which has been in continuous operation in Calgary since 1912, is meeting the challenges of today’s business environment head on. “We’re always looking for new efficiencies and better ways to deliver quality products to our customers,” says Gilhooly. “Driving down production costs while maintaining quality is the best way for us to increase profitability and open up new markets. As a company we are passionately committed to the

concept of continuous improvement. To this end, we began forming strategic partnerships in 2003 with some of our key suppliers. We entered into national buying agreements whereby suppliers would guarantee us the best price on their entire range of products, and we Courtesy Canada Malting Co. Limited. would agree to buy At its Calgary plant, Canada Malting handles exclusively from them. over 250,000 tonnes of barley each year. This arrangement has proved to be a win-win situation for both parties. Suppliers enjoy increased gross sales, and we no longer have to put resources into tive steps along the way. He personally sourcing ‘best price’ for everything from checks our inventory once a week, and tools, safety equipment and consumkeeps it stocked to previously agreed ables to belts, bearings and couplings.” amounts. When a shipment arrives from Gilhooly believes that to be successful BC Bearing, virtually every item on the in the future, suppliers will have to work packing slip includes personalized informore closely with their clients, slowly mation just for our plant. This includes building a feeling of mutual trust. “At not only the description and number of our plant we strongly believe in the conthe part, but also a word description of cepts of innovation and prototyping. which piece of equipment it is used on, We take suggestions from our suppliers as well as the shelf and bin number on everything from controlling water where it fits into our inventory. This consumption to the best method of corsaves a lot of time for our millwrights rosion control and the use of newly engiwhen they stock the parts on our shelves. neered plastic alternatives. We work with Ken basically took it upon himself to set these suppliers to prototype and fine that system up, and we really appreciattune an idea until it has proven its worth. ed the effort. Anything that helps conOnly then do we ramp it up to full use. trol our bottom line enhances our abiliSuppliers have to be willing to put that ty to maintain our leadership position as extra effort into helping us do our jobs the preferred supplier of quality malt to better if they want a shot at our business. the brewers of the world.” National agreements tend to strengthen F O R I N F O R M AT I O N this partnership arrangement. “One of our national partnership supCanada Malting Co. Limited pliers is BC Bearing. Their people have Calgary Plant been great, particularly Ken Spring [Tech3316 Bonnybrook Road S.E. nical Sales Rep, BCB Calgary]. During the Calgary, AB past two years Ken has really gone that Tel: 403.571.7000 extra mile in helping us set up our invenwww.canadamalting.com tory, and he’s taken some very innova-

www.bearings.com 29

market segment focus:

FOOD & BEVERAGE

GoldenWest Baking Company S U P P LY I N G t h e F O O D C H A I N S

P RODUCING HIGH-QUALITY HAMburger buns and English muffins for the food service and retail industry, Golden West Baking Co. is thriving in Delta, BC. The company began operations in 1984 after receiving confirmation of a significant opportunity to supply a major fast-food chain. “Right now, we have major customers in Western Canada, the U.S. and Asia, that require a high volume of product,” comments Grant Candy, the company’s Engineering Manager. “We also take on overflow business for other bakeries. “Golden West Baking Co. is owned by Mr. Rene Fluri, who also owns Gizella Pastry Ltd., a confectionery bakery in Vancouver, and Les Boulangeries Rene, a bakery very similar to ours in Montreal. Mr. Fluri has won numerous business awards and was runner-up in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.” As a wholesale bakery, Golden West Baking Co. operates with an array of industrial equipment. Candy noted that some of the machinery dates back to the 1980s. “We have many different types of machines, from the mid-’80s to current models with leading-edge technologies. Regardless of their vintage, we need to regularly replace components, following a thorough program of preventative and predictive maintenance. The older technologies may employ gear reducers, sprockets and chains, whereas the more modern equipment utilizes belts, motors and VFDs. In all these instances, we look to our part suppliers to be able to supply all those technologies from current and previous decades. The ’80s machines can still produce a batch in 20 minutes, but at a certain point, when the equipment becomes a real money pit, the decision to replace it with something more modern becomes inevitable. We just replaced a machine that was one of our main dough mixers. The old mixer from 1983 could mix 2,000 pounds of 30 The BCB Communicator

Courtesy Golden West Bakery Ltd.

dough in 20 minutes, just like our new one can, but with our new machine, we are able to control the product much better. The old machine’s product-cooling design utilized only a portion of the bowl surface that was in contact with the product, making product control a challenge in hotter weather. “The new machine has been designed so that all bowl surfaces in contact with the product are cooled, as well as the agitator that is actually doing the mixing inside the bowl. This results in more than twice as much cooling on the new machine. We have therefore gained much more control over our product, enhancing the quality. We are now able to always produce a consistent product in every batch made, regardless of external factors such as ambient temperature. The new machine is much easier to operate, utilizing an operator MMI and touchscreen technology. It is electrically more efficient, utilizing VFD and PLC technology. Overall, a new machine costs less to maintain and run. Consistency and reliability are the keys to our success.” Golden West Baking Co. is a 24-hour operation, so the plant chooses its suppliers with great care, says Candy. “We

dough in ^ Large mixers produce a tonne 20of minutes.

rely on our suppliers to support us with machine parts or upgrades and even new machines. Our selected suppliers are reliable and accurate with their deliveries. Over the years, if we find a supplier has remained very consistent, knowledgeable, reliable and most importantly, they follow up with requests, complaints, problems or questions, we tend to use them more than the others. “I joined Golden West Baking Co. in 1996 and have been working with BC Bearing ever since. If I am designing something and I’m not sure what would be most suitable in that application, the guys at BC Bearing will give me a good idea of what I might select in this range of products available to get the job done.” F O R I N F O R M AT I O N Golden West Bakery Ltd. 1111 Derwent Way Annacis Island Delta, BC V4C 7N5 Tel: 604.525.2491 Fax: 604.525.4027

TECH TIPS

techtips Tech Tips is intended to be a source of easy-to-read information on common problems encountered in virtually any industrial operation.

Conveyor Chain Lubrication for Food and Beverage Processing Operations by Uriel Velazquez, Senior Application Engineer, Rexnord

RUNNING CONVEYORS WITHOUT SOAP OR WATER (RUNNING DRY)

ONVEYORS THAT RUN DRY OR with reduced lubrication lower the cost for lubricants, eliminate slippery floors, and reduce exposure to tough water pollution regulations. In many industries, conveyors have been running dry successfully for over 20 years using Rexnord® superior materials such as the patented LF acetal chain and, more recently, HP™ and PS™ acetal chain. Platinum Series ® PS ™ material is a specially formulated material specifically suited to reduce wear at high speeds by as much as 5 times. Side-flexing chain moulded in PS™ can be run 200% faster than the same chain in plain acetal, or 150% faster than the same chain in HP™! Low coefficients of friction reduce product backline pressures and minimize pulsations; enhancing the product integrity and reducing its damage. To assist in your decision-making process, Rexnord® has developed a program for analysis that enables you to evaluate each conveyor in your particular plant and determine its ability to be run dry or with limited lubrication. Various combinations of factors affect each conveyor’s ability to be run economically without lubrication or with reduced lubrication. Before attempting to run with reduced or no lube, contact Rexnord® for a free Run Dry Survey. The system design (layout, speeds,

controls, etc.) in addition to proper chain and wearstrips selection is critical to controlling the overall performance. Consult Rexnord® Application Engineering Department to review your specific conveyor application (Phone: 262.376.4800). RUNNING CONVEYOR CHAINS WITH PLAIN WATER? Lubricating conveyor chains with water may seem a good idea since it saves the cost of soap lubricants. Debris or spilled product is flushed away continuously. However, the reduction of the coefficient of friction by water is limited. Moreover, water does not reduce bacterial growth. As described in more detail below, water always contains minerals such as calcium. The higher the concentration the harder the water is. Before running conveyor chains with only water lubrication, Rexnord recommends measuring water hardness to assess potential wear performance. It is important to monitor the mineral concentration in the water to determine if it is becoming an abrasive element for the chain and sprockets, and to consider alternatives to reduce its hardness. Rexnord® has many beverage customers that run successfully using only water lubrication, here are some guidelines to follow. WHAT IS IN HARD WATER? Hard water is a term used for water that has a high mineral content. This usually consists of high levels of metal ions, mainly calcium (Ca) and magnesium

(Mg) in the form of carbonates, but may include several other metals as well as bicarbonates and sulphates. • All fresh water sources contain calcium and magnesium in varying quantities because water has a natural tendency to dissolve, suspend, and/or exchange trace elements and compounds, releasing ions into suspension. • Total water hardness (including both Ca and Mg) is reported as ppm w/v (or mg/L) of CaCO3. Water hardness usually measures the total concentration of Ca and Mg – the two most prevalent divalent metal ions – although in some geographical locations iron, aluminum and manganese may also be present at elevated levels. Calcium usually enters the water from either CaCO3 as limestone or from mineral deposits of CaSO4. The predominant source of magnesium is dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. • Water hardness is controlled by the addition of chemicals and by largescale softening with zeolite resins. PROBLEMS CAUSED BY HARD WATER Excessively hard water causes scaling, which is the precipitation of minerals that form hard deposits also called limescale. In industry, hard water contributes to scaling in boilers, cooling towers, and other industrial equipment. In these industrial settings, water hardness must be constantly monitored to avoid costly breakdowns. Scale is caused by water evaporating and leaving behind

www.bearings.com 31

Photos courtesy Rexnord Industries, LLC.

TECH TIPS

LEVELS OF HARD WATER

There are several different scales used to describe the hardness of water in different contexts. The units most commonly used are: • mg/L CaCO3 Eq. (Calcium carbonate equivalent)

Others include: • mmol/L • grains/gallon (gpg) • 1 gr/U.S. gal = 17.11 mg/L • parts per million weight/volume (ppm w/v or ppm m/v) Descriptions of hardness correspond roughly with ranges of mineral concentrations: • Soft: 0 - 20 mg/L CaCO3 Eq. • Moderately soft: 20 -40 mg/L CaCO3 Eq. • Slightly hard: 40 - 60 mg/L CaCO3 Eq. • Moderately hard: 60 - 80 mg/L CaCO3 Eq. • Hard: 80 - 120 mg/L CaCO3 Eq. • Very Hard: >120 mg/L CaCO3 Eq. The precise mixture of minerals dissolved in the water, together with the water's acidity or alkalinity (pH) and temperature, will determine the behaviour of the hardness, so a single number on a scale does not give a full description. Accelerated wear problems are expected due to hard water when the CaCO3 present is more than 250ppm (250 mg/L CaCO3 Eq. or higher than 20 French degrees), and the pH is higher than 7. Elevated temperatures will also increase the crystal size. Conversion factor: milligram per litre (mg/L) = parts per million (ppm).

32 The BCB Communicator

Once water evaporates, the minerals sit and build up on the chain, sprockets and conveyor components. The picture shows how the limescale has dramatically built up on the converyor structure.

the mineral deposits. This scale can decrease the life of the chain and other wear components (sprockets, wearstrips, etc.) because deposits will build up around the link, and the pin and the deposits in the pin area will become the main abrasive component for the chain (thus accelerating the joint wear and chain elongation). Sprocket teeth wear can also be expected due to the abrasion. SOLUTIONS TO PREVENT SCALING ON THE CONVEYORS AND CONVEYING CHAIN a) Water Softening Water softeners are also called ion exchange units. They work on the principle of ion exchange where ions of the Pros • Relatively inexpensive • Removes ions from water prior to being sprayed on the chain • If water is efficiently recycled, recharging of the softening tank will be required very infrequently

minerals are exchanged for sodium or potassium ions, effectively reducing the concentration of hardness minerals to tolerable levels. The ion exchange happens when a physical and chemical process filters the water through an exchange media known as resin or zeolite. Typically, the resin is a synthetic or natural sand-like material coated with positively charged sodium ions. As the calcium and magnesium dissolves into positively charged ions, an ion exchange environment is created. The water flows through the unit while the unit releases its sodium ions and readily trades them for the calcium and magnesium ions. The water flowing out of the device is now considered soft. Cons • Additional salt to the wash water could cause secondary issues at the plant or with the groundwater • Softening tank will need occasional maintenance to add a salt block for cleaning • The resin is not an inexhaustible exchange site; it will have to be run on an alternate backwash cycle

b) Water Treatment Lubricant suppliers have different additives to help in the water treatment as an alternative to water softening: the use of chelating agents that can be added to the lubrication water for prevention of hard water deposits. It increases lubrication (it is basically a surfactant that is been enhanced with EDTA – Ethylene Diamine Tetracetic Acid – to chelate the minerals) and is mixed into the lubrication water at a concentration based on the hardness conditions of the water. It is recommended to consult the lubricant supplier for more information. Past experience has shown that when a lubricant has been applied, it has been amine based, resultant pH between 6 and 7 (slightly acidic), to maintain carbonates in solution.

Pros • Increases chain life due to reduced friction • The pH of spray water is unaffected • If spray water is efficiently recycled, a minimal amount would be necessary to maintain mineral-free water c) Soap Lubricant Soap lubricants have been used to help keep the mineral deposits in suspension, and to prevent the formation of deposits.

Cons • Can be costly • Requires constant refilling of the chemical additive

Depending on the hardness of the water, a soap solution might be the most efficient way to control the calcium deposits.

Disclaimer: Every plant is different as to the water used in their processes. These are general recommendations, and resolutions must be determined by contacting the water softener, lubricant supplier, or a specialized water treatment company. The final selection is generally based on cost, water quality, and owner or operator preference.

Photos courtesy Rexnord Industries, LLC.

The amount of hard water deposits that accumulate between wear components can also increase wear rates.

The BCB Communicator 33

Copperhead takes the “crash” out of crushers

SKF® Copperhead fault detection kits warn of problems, offer uptime solutions

SKF Copperhead kits are the solution for a reliable, easy to install and use, cost-effective means of monitoring critical equipment and avoiding unplanned downtime and unnecessary costly repairs.

Benefits:

Typical Applications:

• Early warning system protects critical equipment

• Impactors

• Motors

• Avoids costly unplanned downtime

• Crushers

• Grinding mills

• Reduces maintenance costs

• Fans

• Hoists

nywhere vibration • Pumps • Easily integrated into new or existing automation systems • A causes machinery problems • Rugged construction, easy installation The Copperhead kit (CPHD 1C/10) consists of a CMPT 2310 vibration sensor and CMPT CTU transmitter. This simple system provides an output signal proportional to the machinery vibration for monitoring by the automation system (PLC / DCS).

For more information on SKF products and services please e-mail us at marketing@skf.ca, or visit our website www.skf.ca

Celebrating 100 Years!

With 100 years of application experience in virtually every industry. SKF is the leading supplier of products, solutions and services. Trust in SKF to help you deliver results.

market segment focus:

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Rexnord Goes Platinum P S ® TA B L E T O P ® a n d M AT T O P ® C H A I N S

AS BEVERAGE FILLING LINES BECOME more and more efficient, conveyor speeds continue to increase. The Rexnord® Platinum Series® Chains are designed to accommodate the increasingly high speeds of today’s material handling applications. “PS Chains deliver increased wear resistance and long chain life – up to five times longer life than existing acetal materials,” states Chris Wimmer, Director of Engineered Customer Solutions at Rexnord Industries. “The Platinum Series is just one example of how Rexnord is working to continuously improve customer productivity through superior material-handling solutions. “In the beverage and container filling industry, line speeds are getting faster and faster. That’s why we’ve introduced the Platinum Series. In the 1970s through the 1980s, line speeds were running approximately 700 to 800 cans per minute and now they are running at about 2,400 cans per minute. Line speeds have tripled. “As a manufacturer of self-lubricated chains, Rexnord is part of that continuous improvement. The fact is that the materials have to advance with the new technology and the customers need to handle higher speeds. Most existing conveyor chain and belt materials cannot handle these higher speeds, especially in side-flexing applications. The new PS material addresses these escalating conveyor and high speed needs, minimizing wear and insuring product stability. “With its high-speed capabilities, the side-flexing Platinum Series chains can run dry up to 500 FPM or 150MPM, while straight running chains are capable of speeds in excess of 1,000 FPM or 30 MPM. “Rexnord’s PS Chain is a specially formulated, internally lubricated acetal material that allows high-speed chains to run dry, which results in lowering the

Courtesy Rexnord FlatTop North America.

cost for lubricants, eliminates slippery floors and reduces exposure to tough water pollution regulations. “In the past, the only way that a customer could run a side-flexing conveyor at high speeds was if the corner was lubricated with water, oil, or soap and water. Rexnord’s PS Chains essentially allow conveyors to run at those high speeds dry, and minimize wear without melting the chain. The PS is a very special proprietary patented formulation of thermoplastic that offers lower friction and allows it to handle those high speeds.” Bottling plants are an important part of Rexnord’s customer base, says Wimmer. “Some of our major global customers are large breweries, soft drink or bottled water plants. Our customers have

PS Chains allow side-ﬂexing ^ Rexnord’s conveyors to run dry at high speeds.

miles and miles of this chain within their conveyor lines. A typical plant may have four or five lines and sometimes as many as 11 lines. Experts from Rexnord FlatTop Group can help to review a conveyor line to determine where our PS material can assist in improving productivity. With Rexnord’s wide variety of materials and chains we can meet every customer need.” F O R I N F O R M AT I O N Rexnord FlatTop North America 1272 Dakota Drive Grafton, WI 53024 Tel: 262.376.4800

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market segment focus:

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Speed, Precison, Flexibility SEW-EURODRIVE

< The MOVIFIT

drive control system is the latest innovation from SEW-Eurodrive.

F OR

N E A R LY F O U R D E C A D E S I N Canada and 75 years globally, SEW-Eurodrive has been powering wet and dry applications in the food and beverage industry – making drive systems and electrical controls for everything from conveyors and washers to fillers and labellers to stackers and palletizers. “The production process in the beverage industry is characterized by a wide range of extremely varied tasks and very different demands,” comments Graham Simpson, Marketing Manager for SEWEurodrive Co. of Canada Ltd. “From start to finish, we do the whole cycle – removing materials from the pallets, unpacking, glass transportation, PET air transport, filling and closing, wet transportation, bottle washing, labelling, packing and palletizing. “SEW-Eurodrive offers a total solution that combines reliable mechanical components with powerful drive electronics and matching control elements. We offer customized drive solutions for food and beverage applications from our vast selection of mechanical drives to our advanced frequency inverters. SEW-Eurodrive product offerings include a huge selection of modular drive technology that is unique in the drive industry. We provide everything from mechanical adjustable-speed drives to sophisticated multi-axis servobased motion controllers. “There are more than 1.2 million custom configurations available, so you get an Integrated Drive Solution that is truly optimized for your application. Our mechanical drives are sized in small increments, so you buy only the horsepower you need. Our advanced frequency inverters feature phase-angle synchronization control for handling electronic gearing applications. This offers a more costeffective solution than servo when speed and accuracy are not prime concerns.” Simpson notes that the latest innova-

36 The BCB Communicator

Courtesy SEW-Eurodrive.

tion from the company is the MOVIFIT® drive control system. “MOVIFIT is a part of our decentralized controls with frequency inverter or motor starter. The product was recently introduced to the market, beginning in Europe, but it is now catching on in North America. The MOVIFIT system unites the well-known advantages of the decentralized building services engineering of SEW-Eurodrive with modern, application-oriented drive and communication functions. “You can have the controller and the communication system to control the drives and the motors all in one package – and that would sit as close to the application as possible. So, what you don’t have is huge inverter panels down the line and hundreds of metres of cabling running to each and every one of the gear motors or the inverters on the line. With the decentralizing, it’s right there on the application, so if something goes wrong, you know exactly what the situation is. “The MOVIFIT unit series includes the functions of a double motor starter, reversing starter or open-loop frequency inverter – together with existing fieldbus interfaces and power distribution functions. The new MOVIFIT product range was developed in hygienic design for the drive electronics. For these components, SEW-Eurodrive has taken the familiar advantages of decentralized installation technology like short wiring distances and modular machine design, and combined them with the beverage industry’s more exacting requirements in terms of leak-tightness and cleaning.

“The drives used in areas of wet application are exposed to many corrosive effects in the industrial environment. Moisture, oils, dirt and chemicals can attack the surfaces of the drives, so another advantage of MOVIFIT is that it has an IP69K housing, which is watertight. The enclosure is made of cast aluminium, so it’s rugged and can handle mild caustic conditions. “The power electronics are also protected against moisture by means of the internal double-chamber design in which the electronics and the connection technology are physically separate. This design also makes for quick replacement of electronics without wiring work, which means increased system availability.” SEW-Eurodrive’s leading-edge products are the result of decades of experience in the beverage industry. More than just a component supplier, the company offers a high level of customer service. “With assembly plants in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, we stock more product inventory than all our competitors combined,” says Simpson. “We also have 35 technical sales offices across the country. So, no matter where you are located in Canada, there is a team of SEW-Eurodrive engineers and support specialists available 24/7 to meet your needs. Installation and start-up are performed on-site quickly and individually to optimize efficiency. SEW-Eurodrive also serves its customers through preventative maintenance for long-term, trouble-free operation.” F O R I N F O R M AT I O N SEW-Eurodrive Co. of Canada Ltd. 7188 Honeyman Street Tilbury Industrial Park Delta, BC V4G 1G1 Tel: 604.946.5535 www.sew-eurodrive.ca

visionary series

Innovative Supply Chain Management An INTERVIEW with JOHN LANGLEY by Penny Omnès

I IN

©Dave Roels.

Penny Omnès is Vice President, External Affairs & Corporate Relations, for The BC Bearing Group.

Courtesy John Langley.

Dr. John Langley Jr., Ph.D., is Professor of Supply Chain Management & Director of Supply Chain Executive Programs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.

TODAY’S GLOBAL ECONOMY, issues in supply chain management are becoming increasingly complex. Now more than ever, business and academia are working together to develop new methodologies to improve the flow of goods and information throughout the supply channel. The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, is a recognized leader in this type of research. The Atlanta-based university boasts the largest number of logistics-oriented engineering graduates at the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. level of any university in the world. Dr. John Langley Jr. is a professor of Supply Chain Management and the Director of Supply Chain Executive Programs. He teaches in the Executive Masters in International Logistics program, and serves as Faculty Director of the Georgia Tech Supply Chain Executive Forum. He is an active member of several professional associations and serves on the Boards of Directors of Averitt Express, Inc., Forward Air Corporation and UTi Worldwide, Inc., and also participates as an advisory board member to a number of firms in the supply chain technology business. Dr. Langley received his B.S., M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Penn State University in mathematics, finance and business logistics. He has co-authored three major textbooks.

Penny: Dr. Langley, you’ve been involved in the theory and practice of logistics for about 35 years. As you began your career, what attracted you to this field of study? Langley: I thought the idea of trying to

38 The BCB Communicator

obtain competency in distribution and logistics for companies’ products was something that would create a great competitive advantage. This was in the early 1970s when it really became apparent that this was going to be a new area of corporate responsibility and that it would grow to be extremely important. This emphasis on the integration of activities grew from just transportation and warehousing into what we began to call “distribution” and then “logistics,” and ultimately “supply chain management.” At each stage in the development of this concept, companies began to place greater and greater importance on trying to effectively manage the activities that are part of these different aspects of the value chain.

Penny: At this stage of evolution, how would you characterize supply chain management? Langley: In its broadest sense, supply chain management really impacts how a company works with its suppliers and customers. It is a set of processes that create value for the customer through the effective management of different activities and other process areas including logistics, manufacturing, operations management and sourcing. The objective of the integration of these elements is to provide a higher level of service to the customer. The term “supply chain management” is so inclusive. People find the name very attractive. There is something about the term that is much more appealing to people than the word “logistics.” I think that’s helped the concept of supply chain to become much more marketable than logistics ever was.

Penny: That being said, logistics is certainly one of the critical elements you address in your supply chain management programs. Langley: Yes, logistics primarily focuses on the movement and storage of goods, yet there are three or four critical flows that are implied. To begin with, there are the goods, flowing in both a forward and a reverse direction. Another element is the flow of information from customers and suppliers, so you have information flowing in all directions. Finally, there are flows of capital, because you always have working capital expenditures and investment capital expenditures in the supply chain. One of the regular decisions companies have to make is: Who puts up the investment capital to make the supply chain function? A good example of that is deciding who is to take responsibility for locating and building a distribution centre, and determining who benefits from the centre, and to what extent. Sometimes the parties that bear the expense and the parties that receive the benefits are two different entities. Your supply chain needs to be able to have a mechanism to equate the benefits and the costs, so those who spend to create the resources are adequately compensated for their expenditures. Penny: In your work, you’ve stressed the need for increased collaboration throughout the supply channel. Langley : The word “collaboration” expresses what the perfect world would be like. That’s where companies are willing to collaborate with one another for the sake of having a supply chain function as efficiently as possible. One of the major impediments to effective collaboration is the fact that individual companies have their own objectives, their own profit motives, their own set of stakeholders and so on. The challenging part is to make people realize that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If there is an organization in the supply chain that doesn’t function as effectively as it should, this will impede the operation of the whole supply chain. And yet, companies still find it very challenging to collaborate effec-

tively because of their own interests. When you have any number of different businesses along the supply channel, you normally don’t have to look too far to find at least one or more that do things that suggest their own objectives come first. The problem is that the objectives of the supply chain need to come first. To make that happen, you need to have mechanisms for sharing benefits and costs throughout the supply chain. Given how many organizations you find in a lot of supply chains, it’s really challenging to get them all moving in the same direction at the same time. One of the keys to success in any of these logistics businesses is being able to structure relationships with other parties.

Penny: What would you cite as an example of developing a relationship that impacts the supply chain? Langley: Well, say if you’re a manufacturer, it means you’re giving your suppliers as much advance information as you possibly can give them about your future manufacturing needs. If you are a customer, it means giving your suppliers the very best sales forecast that you have. Sharing the information is important, but the real key is using it. A lot of people slip up on that crucial step. They have access to shared information, but they don’t do anything with it. Also, there is a disinclination on the part of so many companies to share anything because they are concerned about sensitivity and security. This occurs even within individual companies. There are people managing logistics activities who can’t find out what kind of products their own company is going to manufacture next month, which seems counter-productive to me. Penny: What are some of your primary research interests at the Supply Chain & Logistics Institute? Langley: The areas we are looking closely at these days include: outsourcing of logistics services, measuring and understanding transit time variability, strategic sourcing and collaboration. Outsourcing of logistics services has

grown in popularity in recent years, and providers of outsourced logistics services are expanding in terms of services offered, regions served and industries in which they are involved. The global 3PL [third party logistics] industry has become a key resource to customers having logistics needs. Another area of great interest is that of the length and variability of shipment transit times. When you consider the various modes of transportation that are available like truck, rail, ocean, air and so on, it is exceptionally important that shipment transit times and their variability be acceptable and predictable. Otherwise, shippers may incur significant unexpected costs in terms of stockouts or other forms of customer service failures, in addition to the extra costs of carrying inventory. Generally, the causes of these types of uncertainty may be due to various reasons: variability of global shipment times; general uncertainty for a lot of different reasons, including bad weather, labour disputes, etc. Just the fact that if you moved something from point A to B more than once, that doesn’t mean it will always happen as planned. And, on occasion, it’s probably going to take a different amount of time. Also, you have other factors, especially the enhanced security measures that are coming into play. What you have to determine is: “How do you abide by the existing regulations and have your products move predictably and smoothly through the supply chain?” I think a number of ways are now evolving that will help companies to be fully compliant with the regulations and also be able to achieve a level of consistency in effectiveness in terms of moving their products. That’s going to be a huge area where the third-party logistics providers can help, because if you are sourcing something from China and it needs to end up in Atlanta, the customers really don’t care how it all takes place. Customers just want to make sure that their performance requirements are met. So, these thirdparty logistics providers are becoming much better at finding solutions that end up meeting those objectives. continued on page 41

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visionary series continued from page 39 Penny: When it comes to strategic sourcing, what are some of the key issues?

Langley: Essentially, strategic sourcing might involve reducing the numbers of suppliers that you use. By reducing the numbers of suppliers and more effectively working with a smaller number of suppliers, it’s going to help to simplify the network. The objective would be to design the supply chain whenever possible to reduce complexity, but that’s not always achievable. Sometimes you’ve got to rely upon your ability to analyze and understand your supply chain and deal with the complexity. The best example of that is when you look at companies engaged in global activities that are going on now like sourcing from literally all over the world. You might have a company that manufactures in China, but deals with components manufacturers in 30 or 40 different countries. Then, once they manufacture whatever it is they make, they’ve got to get the product to all the other countries in the world, so you have a huge complexity issue, and the question we look at is: “How do you manage all that?” For every bit of attention directed toward simplifying the chain, there is an equal amount of attention directed toward trying to solve other problems that are becoming increasingly complex. Also, we are doing serious research into the topic of collaboration. While most people think of collaboration in terms of organizations “working together” and “sharing” information, the key is that this type of interaction actually results in measurable improvement in terms of key supply chain metrics. In addition, there is a developing science that deals with the quantitative benefits of collaboration, and how companies can further optimize their operations through collaboration. Penny: You began your academic career at the University of Tennessee, where you co-founded the Center for Logistics Research, the Supply Chain Forum, and Office of Corporate Partnerships. What can you tell us about your transition to Georgia Tech? Langley: This is a great place for me

because I am basically a business school professor, and Georgia Tech is an engineering school environment. I spent 28 years at the University of Tennessee in the business school, where I was a member of the Faculty of the Department of Marketing and Logistics. For the past seven years, I have been a faculty member at Georgia Tech in the school of Industrial and Systems Engineering. I work with about 50 or 60 other faculty members. Georgia Tech is a world-class university in the field of Industrial and Systems Engineering. We are regarded among the very best, along with universities such as MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, California and Michigan.

Penny: For the last six consecutive years, U.S. News and World Report has ranked the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech as the best in the world. What accounts for this level of excellence? Langley: There is a very significant critical mass of faculty at Georgia Tech who have a deep interest in logistics and supply chain management. About 15 faculty members are regularly doing research in logistics and supply chain issues – everything from people who do routing and scheduling to network optimization and optimization through collaboration. They’re extremely well equipped mathematically and statistically. Part of what I enjoy about being on the Tech faculty is that while I don’t have the same level of quantitative expertise as do my colleagues, I do have a pretty good understanding of what problems companies are trying to solve. So, one of the ways I meaningfully interact with my colleagues here is to help them understand the practicality and the relevance to some of the problems they are working on. Penny: How would you describe the university’s Executive Master’s and International Logistics Program? Langley: I think it’s the finest program of its type anywhere. It’s a program designed for the working executive. The people who are enrolled in this Master’s

course have between 13 to 15 years’ experience in business. These are very experienced people representing global companies, and they have global responsibilities. We usually have a number of vicepresidents in there, and what the Executive Master’s program is designed to do is to enhance their understanding of logistics and supply chain as it occurs throughout the world. The program involves travel to Asia, Europe and Latin America, not so much to visit one facility after another, but to have intellectual exchanges with planners and decision-makers in those cultures and geographies. It includes a tremendous amount of presentations and live case studies as well as brainstorming sessions. Essentially, what we’re doing is taking people who are already very accomplished professionally, and providing them with a deeper, more global perspective than maybe their actual job responsibilities have allowed them to experience.

Penny: In what ways does the university’s Supply Chain Executive Forum help companies achieve their business objectives? Langley: The Forum represents the most relevant and valuable opportunity for senior supply chain executives to identify new and compelling ways to streamline operations and integrate supply chain strategy with corporate strategy. One of the unique aspects of the Supply Chain Executive Forum is that the membership includes companies who span the entire supply chain. If you come to one of our meetings and you look around the room you find retailers, manufacturers, third-party logistics providers, IT firms, executives and consultants, so anybody that would have any involvement with the supply chain ideally would be part of a membership of the forum. The theory is that if you have most of the major players represented, then when you have a problem or an issue or a question that comes up, you have somebody in the group that will be there to provide a solution. It usually works out pretty well. www.bearings.com 41

research

The Enhanced Forestry Lab At the FOREFRONT of RESEARCH Photos courtesy University of Northern British Columbia.

The main entrance to the University of Northern British Columbia, featuring the research laboratory and the Geoffrey R. Weller Library.

R REGARDED

AS A RESEARCH LEADER among Canada’s smaller universities, the University of Northern British Columbia is the home of the I.K. Barber Enhanced Forestry Lab, a facility heavily used by faculty in the UNBC Natural Resources and Environmental Studies department. “The lab’s primary purpose is developing and sharing knowledge that will be used for responsible stewardship of natural resources and the environment, particularly in the North and other rural and remote regions,” comments Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations for UNBC. “Greenhouse technicians work closely with faculty, students and external users in support of research and teaching initiatives.” The Enhanced Forestry Lab is comprised of four greenhouse compartments and a header house, which contains a clean lab, a soil lab and a large instructional lab. The EFL also has a soil mixing, sterilizing and potting area as well as an indoor Tree Ring Lab. Each greenhouse compartment features temperature con-

42 The BCB Communicator

(MSc NRES) analyzes tree ^ Doug Thompson rings in the Enhanced Forestry Lab.

trol, HPS lighting control, heating/venting control and humidity sensing. Tw o o f t h e c o m p a r t m e n t s a r e equipped with automated watering/fertigation booms and one portable fogging

system that can be deployed in any pod. A special dust-suppression room is available for conducting wood quality work along with soils characterization research. All environmental controls are monitored by a central in-house computer system. The facility boasts an X-Ray Densitometer, which uses X-rays to gain insight into the wood fibre properties of entire trees, just by analyzing cores from standing trees. It provides information on tree growth rates, fibre density and wood quality. To assess the timber quality of standing trees, the lab uses the Portable Acoustic Tree Assessment Tool. This device uses sound waves between two probes. The speed that the sound wave takes to travel from one probe to the other is used to detect internal cracks and/or rot and to measure properties such as wood strength. “When the EFL was established in

©Ron Long, Simon Fraser University, Bugwood.org.

2000, Ike Barber – and what was then Slocan – were major funders,” van Adrichem says. “Ike had a famous line that his objective in funding that facility was to be able ‘to grow trees faster and better.’ Since then, the forestry industry has gone through a number of changes. And now the questions are: ‘How do we harvest trees faster and better and how do we maximize their use?’ With the pine beetle infestation, fibre quality has become a major issue. So, increasingly, the lab has become involved in research on wood fibre and the shelf life of infected trees.” The beetle infestation compromises the wood quality of affected trees over time. The deteriorating fibre affects its economic potential, so that harvesting must be prioritized in order to gain the best possible value for the wood. “We have a Tree Ring Lab that can provide critical information when it comes to the planning of harvesting operations,” says van Adrichem. “Equipment in the lab can be used to precisely date

The view of the campus from the roof of the laboratory.

Courtesy University of Northern British Columbia.

the mortality of pine beetle trees in order to determine their shelf life. You can take trees from the same area and match up their rings, just like a bar code. The shelf life of the wood depends on what it’s being used for. So, the EFL can monitor and report on what’s happening in the trees. That way, it’s up to the pulp people, lumber people, pellet makers and even the violin-makers to say, ‘We need this quality of fibre or that kind of fibre.’ For one product the shelf life may be ten years, while the shelf life for another product may be two years. The Enhanced Forestry Lab is focused primarily on forestry management, as was the original intent, but increasingly our work involves the mountain pine beetle infestation. “People think they need to get the trees harvested as quickly as possible but it really depends on what the trees will eventually be used for: lumber, pellets, ethanol production, etc. We also need to start thinking about new products, and R&D is vital to that. This is why having a university here is so important. Prince George is among the best in the world at making 2x4s, plywood and

BEETLEMANIA Dendroctonus ponderosae

Over the past 10 years, the mountain pine beetle epidemic in British Columbia has become the largest insect infestation in the history of North America. Less than half an inch long, the voracious beetle has damaged the extensive lodgepole pine forests of the northern BC interior with the lumber town of Prince George at the epicentre of the crisis. Beetles are ﬁrst attracted to older and diseased or damaged trees, drilling through the bark to the sapwood. There the beetles mate and the females lay their eggs. The trees ﬁght back, increasing their production of resin to ward off the attack. The beetles respond by producing pheromones that attract swarms of beetles to launch an overwhelming attack on the tree and the entire pine forest, infecting healthy trees as well. Using a blue fungi that results in a blue stain in the wood, the beetles block the trees from taking in water and nutrients. As the trees slowly die, the pine needles turn a distinctive reddish colour. The larvae continue to develop under bark during winter then emerge as adult beetles in the spring when they launch new attacks on live trees. By the beginning of 2007, the pine beetle had already infected more than 21 million acres of forest, an area larger than the state of Maine. Experts attribute the mountain pine beetle infestation to the milder winters and hotter, drier summers. Although a natural phenomenon that helps to renew the forest, the beetle population is normally held in check by the region’s frigid winters, which historically dip below minus 30°C to minus 40°C (-22°F to -40°F). The beetle infestation has yet to impact Alberta because of colder temperatures in the Rocky Mountains, but scientists fear that global climate change may cause warmer winters that will enable the beetle to thrive there. The worry is that the beetles will make their way across the Rockies and decimate the forests encompassed by the popular tourist destination of Jasper National Park and continue to spread to the vast boreal forests to the east.

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research

Courtesy University of Northern British Columbia.

mixes ^ UNBC president Dr. Don Cozzetto with students.

OSB, but it’s important that we can come up with ideas here that will help diversify the industry and the communi-

ties that rely on it.” In addition to responding to the pine beetle crisis, the laboratory is used to

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Photos courtesy University of Northern British Columbia.

^ Forestry student Donald Andre from Inuvik. study the impact of global warming on forest productivity. “When it comes to global warming, we’re living it,” says van Adrichem. “The pine beetle has really brought people together in terms of discussing climate change. It’s been well documented by researchers here and elsewhere that the North has generally been experiencing climate change at a level higher than the mid latitudes. Winters aren’t as cold, and that has been a major factor in the pine beetle explosion. “The pine beetle has drawn a lot of attention because it’s an emergency issue, but going forward, there is the whole question of what will happen if the air is 2 , 3, or 4 degrees warmer over the next 50 years. What does that mean for our composition of forests? If you’ve developed an industry that’s very focused on spruce, pine, fir, and all of a sudden climatic conditions are not conductive to their growth, what does that mean for industry, and how does it respond? “The lab is engaged in measuring the effect of climate change on growth rates in the forest with different light and temperature regimes, and studying the difference between southern or northern slope exposure and comparing today’s findings with historical data as well as projecting into the future. EFL supports the work of the people in looking at the multiple issues, pressures, demands that are confronting the landscape, including forestry. We’re also looking at issues involving land use and resource extraction, eco-tourism and our First Nations communities. More than almost any-

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research

> The atrium of the administration building, featuring banners painted by Bill Reid.

thing ever happened in this area, the creation of this university gives the region the ability to come up with our own solutions.” Van Adrichem notes that a number of the major resource industry companies are in corporate partnerships with the university. “This would include Husky Energy, Spectra (formerly Duke Energy), Canfor, West Fraser, and Slocan, which is now part Canfor. Often, the funding is for research that’s directly related to their operations, but more often than not, our corporate partners are supporting initiatives at UNBC that are for the sustainability of the communities in our region. For example, Canfor has supported a number of scholarships for forestry students and for research on various topics related to forestry, but they’ve also been a major corporate contributor to the Northern Medical Program.” Located on campus in the Dr. Donald Rix Northern Health Sciences Centre, the Northern Medical Program is part of an innovative approach to addressing the physician shortage in British Columbia’s northern and rural communities by expanding the delivery of medical education in the province. In this program, UNBC works in conjunction with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. The Northern Medical Programs Trust has attracted major donations from Alcan, CN, EnCana Corporation and BMO Bank of Montreal. F O R I N F O R M AT I O N University of Northern British Columbia 3333 University Way Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9 Tel: 250.960.5620 www.unbc.ca

> Students Sameera Leekha and Josh Gordon. 46 The BCB Communicator

Photos courtesy University of Northern British Columbia.

UNBC Serving the North

Officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1994, the University of Northern British Columbia is located in the north central interior of the province. Today the university has a faculty of 350 and more than 4,000 full- and part-time students. The university has satellite campuses in Fort St. John, Quesnel and Terrace. UNBC is a research-intensive institution that focuses primarily on the social, economic, environmental and cultural issues of the North. In 2006, for the second year in a row, Maclean’s magazine named UNBC “the best small university in Western Canada.”

The curriculum at UNBC is divided into Thematic Academic Clusters: • Natural Resources and the Environment • Health and Human Development • Commerce and Community Sustainability • Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledge • Global Processes and Perspectives • Artistic and Cultural Expression UNBC has the distinction of being the first university in North America to have fibre-optic cable connecting every classroom and laboratory on campus. UNBC also features campus-wide high-speed wireless Internet access along with a one-gigabit per second network that allows for live lectures between medical classrooms in Vancouver, Victoria and Prince George.

client profile

VaporTech Energy Services Courtesy VaporTech Energy Services.

V T E S a L E A D E R i n VA P O U R R E C O V E R Y S E R V I C E S

5106 OGI – Single train 2 stage Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) c/w 400 hp motor. Designed and fabricated in Edmonton for the overseas market.

AS ONE OF THE LEADING DEVELOPERS of new technology and applications in the arena of vapour recovery and conservation of fugitive emissions, VaporTech Energy Services (VTES) offers complete design, fabrication, project management, installation and commissioning services. The company is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with a design and fabrication facility in Edmonton. VTES’s compressor packages designed for vapour recovery and the conservation of fugitive emissions that escape from tanks. We also provide general field booster compression solutions. VTES supplies variety of compression solutions, such as single- or two-stage

compressors in single or dual-train packages. With horsepower ranging from 5 to 700, VaporTech packages are specially designed to fit any vapour recovery or fugitive emission problem from landfill gas to difficult SAGD combined vapour recovery problems. Tank farms, separation equipment, loading facilities and SAGD operations all present unique vapour recovery problems. VaporTech can apply a current design, or develop a unique approach, or re-engineer existing systems to resolve a variety of vapour recovery issues. As a leader in rotary vane, reciprocating, and screw compressor package technology, VaporTech works closely with its

OEM partners. Kobelco is our screw compressor, Blackmer is our recip compressor, and GE & Fuller provide our rotary vane compressors. In the near future VTES will be developing a liquid-ring product line. We use CAT/Arrow/Cummins engine drivers. For electric drivers TECO W. is our standard motor, but any other motor can use installed as per the customer requirement. On variable speed electric motors, speed control is accomplished by way of Variable Frequency Drives. VaporTech also offers the end-user a product called “the Maximizer,” which is used for well optimization applications where gas flow is cyclical or unpre-

www.bearings.com 47

Courtesy VaporTech Energy Services.

client profile

dictable. For difficult field and battery/ plant compression situations where suction pressure and volume are not constant, or are expected to change without warning, then the Maximizer design is the perfect fit. Using proprietary engine driven hydrodynamic drive and controls, the Maximizer can exactly match the right compressor speed and slidevalve position with available HP to ensure the maximum throughput – without human intervention. VaporTech offers a complete field commissioning and start-up service. Our technicians install the equipment, providing a turnkey solution. We build and test these packages in our shop in Edmonton, and we ship them all over the world. Our technicians are sent to the customer’s location to perform the start-up and optimization, and are able to resolve any technical issues which may be identified at site. The company maintains a fleet of field service vehicles and highly trained service technicians skilled in the diagnosis of compressor, driver and control prob-

48 The BCB Communicator

designed with 2 x 125 hp ^ 5235 CRNL – Dual train single stage sour service Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) motors for the Alberta market.

lems. In addition, VaporTech keeps a complete inventory of overhaul and repair parts for most recip, screw and rotary vane compressors. Parts are available 24/7 from the Edmonton plant. Right now the majority of our packages go to Alberta, but we are expanding into the overseas market. VTES has been venturing more regularly in the overseas market with proven designs, breaking new ground and enjoying the success of our efforts. We just shipped three larger units to Iraq, and we have markets in other Middle-Eastern countries as well as in Africa. Due to strict environmental laws, Vapour recovery packages are increasing in popularity. Every single one of our compressor packages is unique. Each one can be customized according to the client’s needs. VTES not only provides the solution for a clean environment but also saves the money that is wasted by flaring the gas.

Established in 1980, VaporTech has a wealth of experience in serving multinational energy producers as well as thirdparty service providers. Some companies come directly to us, but about 50% of our business is with third-party Engineering and Procurement Companies. F O R I N F O R M AT I O N VaporTech Energy Services Toll-free: 1.800.485.7175 www.vaportechinc.com Administrative and sales office: 308 - 1235 17 Avenue S.W. Calgary, AB T2T 0C2 Tel: 403.228.3012 Edmonton operations centre and manufacturing plant: 20711 - 107 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5S 1W5 Tel: 780.485.1906

technology

The Seeds of Sustainability P I O N E E R H I - B R E D, A D U P O N T B U S I N E S S by Tom Ruffen

Courtesy Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

T TH E

World demand for agricultural products is at an all-time high, and with a rapidly growing population, the need for food, ďŹ bre and fuel will continue to escalate. Experts predict that by 2050 the number of people on the planet will double, and the

demand for foodstuffs will triple. As the new market economies mature in densely populated countries such as China, India and Russia, millions upon millions of upwardly mobile consumers will demand greater variety and higher-quality foods. 50 The BCB Communicator

N E E D T O D R A M AT I C A L LY increase food production presents a great scientific challenge. Most of the arable land on earth is already being used for farming, and the possibilities for further agricultural expansion are limited by the environmental trade-offs that are always part of the equation when growing crops or raising livestock. Issues such as urban expansion, land use and water management, and the impacts of pesticides and herbicides on natural ecosystems are just some of the constraints on farming and ranching. At this juncture of human history, the goal of agricultural sustainability is to meet this dramatic increase in demand by producing crops more efficiently on the existing farm land we have. The key to developing an adequate food supply is to find ways to produce higher yields â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to grow more bushels per acre. To help meet the demands of the

Courtesy Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

next generation of consumers, Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, has more than 1,800 researchers working in 25 countries around the world. They are engaged in the ongoing development of products and practices that increase agricultural productivity. With the development of hybrid seed corn more than 80 years ago, Henry Wallace changed the way we grow our staple food crops. Wallace, an Iowa farm journalist, conducted successful experiments in plant genetics and launched the first company to market hybrid seeds. Established in 1926, the Hi-Bred Corn Company enabled farmers to more efficiently produce quality food products for domestic and world markets. Today, Wallace’s original venture has evolved into Pioneer Hi-Bred. Headquartered in Johnston, Iowa, the company is the worldwide leader in developing and supplying hybrid seeds to farmers. “Henry A. Wallace was the first to successfully develop and market hybrid corn and that was a revolutionary concept back then,” comments Julie Kenney, a Pioneer Hi-Bred spokesperson. “His understanding of corn genetics enabled him to increase farmers’ yields. He led Pioneer from its beginning, and we’ve transformed since that time. Certainly, we continue to work on developing the best hybrid seed, but now we’re also using the tools of biotechnology to create the best products to help farmers increase their productivity and profitability and to develop a sustainable agricultural system for people around the world.” Pioneer enjoys a leadership position in North American market share for corn seed and soybean seed. Pioneer also markets hybrids or improved varieties of sunflower, canola, rice, sorghum, alfalfa and wheat, as well as forage and grain additives. A DuPont company since 1999, Pioneer continues in its proud

HENRY A. WALLACE

Raised on an Iowa farm, Henry A. Wallace (1888– 1965) launched an agricultural revolution with his great scientific breakthrough – the development of hybrid seed corn, enabling farmers to produce higher crop yields per acre. In 1926, he founded the Hi-Bred Corn Company and led it to international prominence. Like his father before him, Wallace would go on to serve as Secretary of Agriculture. He later was elected as the Vice President of the United States, serving under Franklin Roosevelt from January 1941 to January 1945. He ran as a thirdparty presidential candidate in the 1948 election.

tradition in the advancement of plant breeding and crop management sciences. The company has more than 70 production locations around the world, which grow, condition and distribute seed products. “We’ve seen a lot of benefits from joining DuPont and bio-fuels is one example,” says Kenney. “DuPont is very heavily involved in delivering new technologies to the bio-fuels arena and Pioneer is also very involved in bio-fuels in terms of increasing the corn yield per acre as well as ethanol yield per bushel of corn.” Since the 1920s, as the result of genetic research, new technologies and improved farming practices, crop yields have largely been able to keep pace with world population growth. Progress and innovation have accelerated in the past 10 years with advances in science and biotechnology. Once again, Pioneer is on the leading edge of a new agricultural revolution that is challenging farmers to

deliver not only food, but also a stable, sustainable fuel supply through ethanol, bio-diesel and other bio-fuel production. The desired result of the advancing technology is to deliver more bushels per acre with reduced water and fertilizer resources per unit of production. INCREASING CORN YIELD When it comes to corn, Pioneer is king. The company has developed 240 unique corn hybrids that are now commercially available in North America. “The different varieties are adapted to different geographies so the same hybrid wouldn’t be used in Texas as would be used in Minnesota,” says Kenney. “It’s all about adapting the best products to meet local needs. We have research centres all over the country and the world. That localized research leads to products with traits for the top yield potential. These traits specifically address the different needs of all the major corn-growing regions in the world.” In the past year, Pioneer Hi-Bred has increased its seed corn yield advantage by 50 percent and has significantly increased the number of products with yield-enhancing biotech traits. After 80 years of continuous corn breeding, Pioneer has amassed the world’s largest collection of corn breeding germplasm – more than 40,000 lines. Advances in plant breeding techniques are enabling plant scientists to analyze this vast collection on the molecular level. Molecular breeding or “market assisted selection” involves finding a trait that occurs naturally and marking a DNA fragment, and then following it through the breeding process. Once a desired characteristic or trait is selected, then the researchers build a probe that will seek out and attach itself to the DNA marker that is unique to that gene. The marker is used as a way to monitor crop-breeding efforts, letting breeders

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technology

Courtesy Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

ENHANCED ETHANOL YIELD

In response to the high cost of petroleum-based fuels and the growing need to reduce the overall carbon footprint, industrialized nations are increasingly turning to renewable fuels such as ethanol. In 2006, over five billion gallons of ethanol were produced in the United States, utilizing 20 percent of the nation’s corn crop. One consequence of using corn crops to create ethanol is that it has placed upward pressures on the price of that commodity, causing negative economic impacts in developing nations that depend on corn as an inexpensive food staple. “Our efforts are geared toward improving the productivity on every acre, whether it’s to meet food, feed, fuel or fibre needs,” says Pioneer’s Julie Kenney. “It’s all about getting the best yield off an acre

see early on whether or not a given plant has inherited the desired trait. There is no need to wait until the plant matures. Once the breeder sees that the genetic trait is developing, he can construct hybrid seed products to improve the potential yield of the crop. Researchers use molecular breeding to identify traits for benefits such as drought tolerance, disease resistance or stalk and root strength. Anthracnose

52 The BCB Communicator

of land and that’s what our research efforts are focused on, whether that be through the biotech traits or through using molecular breeding to get the best products. It’s all part of doing that research to increase productivity to meet the demands for all those markets.” Ranchers and farmers are using dry distillers grain, a co-product of ethanol, to feed livestock. It’s a way of using what’s left over from the ethanol process. Pioneer characterizes all of its corn hybrids for dry grind ethanol yield potential. These high total fermentable ethanol corn hybrids can help ethanol processors realize a two to four percent ethanol yield gain. Researchers at Pioneer are working to develop crops that have added value in the bio-diesel industry. Canola hybrids have been developed that have substantially higher levels of oil, the primary ingredient in bio-diesel production. Pioneer has charac-

stalk rot is the most common disease faced by corn growers worldwide. Yield losses due to stalk rot can reach as high as 40 percent. The estimated value of yield loss to diseases like anthracnose is more than $1 billion in North and South America alone. “Pioneer hybrids in North America will soon contain a novel gene that brings a new level of resistance to the fungus that causes anthracnose stalk

terized high-yielding soybean products for higher oil and protein levels with the intent of addressing the needs of the soy bio-diesel market. “DuPont and its Pioneer business are focused on delivering new technologies to the growing bio-fuels market,” says Kenney. “Through corn yield increases, cellulosic production and ethanol production efficiencies, we hope to double our per acre ethanol output in 10 years.” In addition to improving corn for ethanol production, DuPont is developing and supplying new technologies to allow conversion of cellulose to biofuels. The company is also developing biobutanol as a next-generation bio-fuel with improved performance characteristics, which will include enhanced fuel efficiency. More efficient ethanol production will serve to stimulate further growth in the biofuels industry.

rot,” says Kenney. “We have commercialized hybrids with the gene for anthracnose stalk rot resistance in Latin America. We are rapidly incorporating this gene into elite corn hybrids, adapting these seeds to fit the geography and climate of the Northern Hemisphere. The trait should be commercially available in North America in 2008.” Insects such as the European corn borer, the corn rootworm and the West-

Courtesy Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

ern bean cutworm cause in excess of $2 billion in losses in American cornfields each year. Pioneer is creating new hybrids to improve the corn plant’s ability to repel the Western bean cutworm, which can cut yields by as much as 30 to 40 percent. “It’s definitely a significant problem, and we are seeing that it can increasingly be a problem when it comes to ethanol production,” says Kenney. “Heavy infestation of Western bean cutworm can increase the mycotoxins in the grain, which then is detrimental for ethanol production. Pioneer and Dow AgroSciences have developed the Herculex trait to control Western bean cutworm and other insects that feed on

^ Pioneer

brand soybean varieties have been developed with molecular markers.

corn. We are definitely seeing the benefits of Herculex in terms of the grain quality for ethanol production as well as the dry distiller’s grain or the other coproducts that come out of that ethanol production that are used for animal feed.”

IMPROVED SOYBEAN VARIETIES At Pioneer, laborator y and field researchers work together to improve resistance to pressures such as soybean cyst nematode, brown stem rot, and Asian soybean rust. Researchers are also extending molecular marker research to track genes associated with enhanced crop yield. Continuous improvement is a way of life at Pioneer. The company has introduced over 60 new varieties of soybean seed in North America in the last three years. Pioneer® brand soybean varieties developed with molecular markers have shown average yield increases of 1.4 bushels per acre, per year during the past seven years.

www.bearings.com 53

technology

Photos courtesy Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

WEED CONTROL Weed management is another important factor addressed by Pioneer research. The company is currently developing the Optimum™ GAT™ trait that helps maximize yield and productivity while improving crop safety and weed control options. Pioneer anticipates U.S. commercialization of this proprietary trait in soybeans by 2009 and corn by 2010. “The herbicide-resistant Optimum GAT trait is being developed as a weed management system for corn and soybean fields,” says Kenney. “In the case of soybeans, the trait in the seed would make the soybean plant resistant to the herbicide, so when you spray herbicide on your field to get rid of the weeds your plants will continue to prosper. “The method that we are using to develop the trait is called ‘gene shuffling.’ This is a proprietary technology unique to DuPont. This approach optimizes desired traits by multiplying the effectiveness of beneficial genes. Gene shuffling technology is highly sophisticated, yet based on traditional breeding

54 The BCB Communicator

principles that use genetic diversity to select for improved genes with high value. Gene sequencing data allows our researchers to understand the function of specific genes, a process that previously took years of research and testing. The technology helps us to improve plant

Pioneer develops hybrids or improved varieties of corn, soybean, sunﬂower, canola, rice, sorghum, alfalfa and wheat, as well as forage and grain additives.

breeding and product development systems.” SURVIVING DROUGHT Plant tolerance to drought is a key sustainability issue, particularly in the face of global climate change. Currently, worldwide losses to drought for growers are approximately $8 billion annually. “Drought tolerance is not about growing corn where corn shouldn’t be grown,” says Kenney. “The research is focused on using water more efficiently where corn is already being grown. Pioneer researchers are working on solutions to reduce irrigation needs around the world by enabling farmers to use available water more efficiently.” According to Kenney, farmers can potentially reduce yield loss during temporary water stress and maintain maximum yield potential under optimal con-

REDUCING NITROGEN Nitrogen fertilizer is one of the key reasons why corn yields have increased steadily during the past half century. Proper use of fertilizer can double or even triple corn yields. However, not all the fertilizer that is applied is taken up through roots to be utilized by the plant. As a result, agriculture adds significant amounts of nitrogen to natural ecosystems, negatively impacting the environment. “If less nitrogen is used to produce corn, it would definitely be a great sustainability story,” says Kenney. “Pioneer is pursuing enhanced efficiency in nitrogen use – applying both transgenic and traditional research methods to future hybrid improvement. Pioneer is in the discovery phase of developing its high nitrogen-efficiency hybrids and anticipates having a product ready for the commercial market in the next 10 years.” BETTER PRODUCTS FASTER In the past, plant breeders needed several years to produce new inbred lines of seed. Recent advancements in plant breeding such as Doubled Haploid technology are making it possible to substantially reduce development time. Doubled haploid technology improves plant breeding efficiency and effectiveness by generating inbred lines with 100 percent purity in just one generation. In more traditional breeding, it takes seven generations to do this.

Courtesy Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

ditions using Pioneer drought-tolerant corn. Pioneer already offers a number of drought-tolerant corn hybrids developed through conventional breeding using native genetic variation and continues to improve upon these hybrids. During the next decade, Pioneer will use its molecular breeding capabilities to isolate drought-resistant genes in its vast corn germplasm collection to develop more drought-tolerant hybrids.

FAST Corn Technology refers to Functional Analysis System for Traits, which allows breeders to accelerate plant growth. Before FAST Corn technology, Pioneer researchers had to wait for traditional corn plants to grow to maturity before fully studying how new traits affected the plants. “With our FAST Corn technology, we grow actual plants in a fraction of the time of the normal growing cycle,” says Kenney. “These corn plants are used

Corn Technology enables plant breeders ^ FAST to grow corn quickly for research purposes.

only for research. Automated digital imaging speeds up the gene exploration process by precisely measuring the physical traits of each FAST Corn plant. We have a machine that cycles the corn plant through and takes a photograph of it so we can test the physical characteristics of the plant, tracking its development.”

www.bearings.com 55

technology

Bearing Group have the power transmission solutions that will get

Pioneer can help farmers in planting the right products on the right acres to maximize their return on investment. “Farmers using GPS systems can send their information to Pioneer,” says Kenney. “Using our field mapping software, we can give them a read-out map that shows them how their products are performing relative to their other products. These are detailed maps so they can see what’s performing well and where.” The use of GPS systems and new types of equipment enable growers to get the maximum output from the various soil types and terrains within a single mapped field. Not only can growers tailor their fertilizer applications to match the soil conditions, they can vary the types of hybrid seeds they plant within a field. “Yield mapping provides farmers with an opportunity to analyze their results based on the products they used and the management practices they employed,” says Kenney. “This will help improve overall harvest efficiency and increase overall farm profitability.”

you connected. Please call The BC Bearing Group

F O R I N F O R M AT I O N

TOWARD PRECISION FARMING Pioneer has developed an online reference library containing crop management advice. This library, known as the Agricultural Information System, contains information on crop sciences, animal nutrition and new products developed from biotechnology. The Enclass® System Technology was developed by Pioneer to help researchers

place corn hybrids into environments where they are most likely to perform well. The EnClass system looks at a number of different environmental factors such as weather, soil condition and insect pressures, and categorizes them into groupings of conditions called “environmental classes.” It is designed to select and position products on a fieldby-field basis. Through this technology,

GET CONNECTED WITH

QUALITY

COMPONENTS

Ringfeder® and RFC power transmission components have long been regarded as the best in the business. Our 30 year relationship with the BC Bearing Group and wide range of quality products, combined with unparalleled expertise and product support will help you get the job done. Whatever the application,

Ringfeder Corporation and The BC

during the planning phase of your next project at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. 7100 NW 62nd Avenue PO Box 1000 Johnston, IA 50131-1000 Tel: 515.270.3200

604-433-6711 or log onto www.ringfeder.com.

DuPont is a Delaware-based science company engaged in leading-edge research in a wide variety of industries including food and nutrition, health care, apparel, construction, electronics and transportation. Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited 7398 Queen’s Line County Road 2 Highway W Chatham, ON N7M 5L1, Canada Tel: 519.352.6350

RINGFEDER®

RFC COMPONENTS ARE RINGFEDER CORPORATION.

AND

PRODUCTS OF

This is a wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. Business activities include plant and microbial genetic research, seed production, marketing and sales. www.dupont.com

56 The BCB Communicator

environment

Eureka Recycling REDUCE and RE-USE

58 The BCB Communicator

Photos courtesy Eureka Recycling.

National Alliance for Sustainability Award. “We’ve won awards on the national level from the American Forests and Paper for Recycler of the Year,” notes Hubbard. “Eureka was also honoured

WHILE WORKING OVER THE COURSE of several winters in the Florida Keys, Susan Hubbard became interested in community-based recycling because she became aware of a local incinerator that was shipping five truckloads per week of toxic ash to Miami to be buried in a landfill that was just at sea level. Upon returning to Arkansas, where she was living most of the time in the late 1980s, Hubbard joined with other like-minded citizens and received a grant to develop the state’s first-ever curbside recycling program. She worked for 15 years developing recycling programs in private, non-profit and government organizations in Arkansas. During that time, she served on the board of the National Recycling Coalition and eventually as the President of the NRC. Meanwhile, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a community-based non-profit was looking to take its burgeoning energy conservation program to the next level. In the mid-’80s, a group of citizens formed the Saint Paul Neighborhood Energy Consortium to implement energy conservation programs in the community. NEC instituted Saint Paul’s recycling program in 1986 and has significantly expanded operations since that time, gaining national recognition as one of the few municipal recycling programs run by a non-profit organization. “Basically NEC recruited me to direct their recycling and waste reduction programs,” says Hubbard, CEO and Co-President of Eureka Recycling. “I never thought I’d end up moving to Minnesota, but when I came up to Saint Paul and saw what NEC was doing, I could see there was a real opportunity to do something important, so I couldn’t say no, even though I have an aversion to cold weather.” By 2001, NEC would create another non-profit, Eureka Recycling, an organization that has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2006

Susan Hubbard, CEO and Co-President of Eureka Recycling, with Saint Paul city council member Lee Helgen, Earth Day 2006, accepting the Environmental Roundtable recommendations, including Saint Paul’s goal to be a waste-free city by 2020.

on a state level as Recycler of the Year. We were also named the Nonprofit Advocacy Organization of the Year. We’ve been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for the best apartment-recycling program in the country. We’ve even won a national award for the best-looking trucks from a well-known trade magazine. But we didn’t win any of those awards alone – it’s always the folks participating in the programs that make them successful.” Under a long-term contract with the city, Eureka provides recycling services to Saint Paul’s homes and apartments. Recycling is mandatory for all residential and commercial properties in Saint Paul. Soon after Hubbard stepped into the leadership role at NEC, she was faced with a major challenge that threatened the viability of the recycling operation. “After I came on board to lead the program, there were several consolidations in the solid waste industry, followed by a huge consolidation in the recycling industry,” says Hubbard. “In our situation in Saint Paul, we had been subcontracting with haulers who were private recyclers that collected recyclables for us and brought them to a facility that was

owned by the county, but operated by a private recycler, not a garbage hauler. We never contracted with garbage haulers. We contracted with private recyclers that did not have any ownership in landfills. Their motivation was to not pick up garbage, because in order to make a profit, they had to make sure that whatever they picked up could be recycled. “Meanwhile, the garbage haulers were buying out a lot of the private recyclers. Then after a large waste hauler bought out the small independent recycler we were working with, they came to us and said that there was going to be a 40 percent increase in our recycling costs. We thought that this was ridiculous. There was nothing to justify that kind of increase. So it created a huge opportunity. At that time, my partner, Tim Brownell, now the Co-President at Eureka Recycling and COO, was just moving to the Twin Cities from Ann Arbor where he had been running a recycling program. Together we had run recycling programs for over 25 years. We knew with the kind of margin this hauler was proposing, anybody could make a profit – we could do it ourselves. So, we went to the City of Saint Paul, which had been our partners for many years. We had a contract with them to provide these recycling services as well as education and outreach programs. “The city agreed with us that the increase was out of line, and we looked around for alternatives. We found that nobody was really reflecting the fact that recycling was now a mature, economically developed industry. So, we decided to put together a couple of partnerships and go out on our own as Eureka Recycling. Through the partnerships we developed, we were able to guarantee the city that there would be no increase in their recycling fees for 10 years. Six years into that we have not raised the cost a dime, and they are getting more revenues back from the sale of recyclables than ever before.” Eureka was also able to secure funding to launch its own fleet of environmentally friendly trucks for collecting recyclables, says Hubbard. “We wanted to introduce even greener trucks but five years ago when we launched them, there

weren’t as many options. We went to a diesel truck and committed to running the trucks on a soybean fuel. It’s more costly in terms of straight-up economics,

it would do, but we don’t take any grant money for collections and processing – that’s all contract fees. We don’t take a penny in subsidy for recycling. What

Courtesy Eureka Recycling.

but it fits completely into our business plan, and we still weren’t losing money operating in an environmental way. We added additional air-cleaning equipment to the diesel trucks, because there are still emissions, no matter what fuel you’re burning, although much less than with gasoline. In the next round, we plan to purchase trucks that are even greener.” Local businesses sponsored the trucks to show their support of communitybased recycling. Reaching out to capture the imagination of schoolchildren and the public at-large, Eureka held a contest that produced colourful names for the trucks like Early E. Bird, Green Gene, Flip the Frog, Sparkle and Curbie. Eureka also opened a new recycling material recovery facility or MRF, which now processes up to 60,000 tonnes of residential recycling materials per year, including newspapers, junk mail, cans, bottles and boxes. Although the organization is a nonprofit, Eureka operates on the principle that recycling must pay its own way. “We don’t really act like a lot of the traditional non-profit organizations,” says Hubbard. “We do collection and processing of recyclables. We also do education and advocacy and a lot of things a non-prof-

outreach programs include ^ Eureka’s educating children about recycling.

we’re trying to do, as part of our mission, is to demonstrate that waste is preventable, and that means it has to pay for itself and not be subsidized. If we want this to be a model, then recycling has to be run like a business. “Eureka generates 96 percent of its income from recycling services. The remainder is grant money that is only used to fund education and outreach. We’re just like any other business – we go out and get work. We have contracts with cities, counties, businesses, colleges, and school districts. In Minneapolis we work with individual businesses, but we are not currently working with the city, although we hope to in the future. We work with smaller cities and towns, predominantly in the eastern metro area. “In Ramsey County, where Saint Paul is, there is a 28 percent waste tax for residential and a 56 percent waste tax for businesses. This tax becomes a huge incentive for recycling when a business is looking at a garbage rate of $300 per month, and then the tax puts it over $450. This creates an opportunity for us,

www.bearings.com 59

environment because Eureka Recycling can go in there and look at their garbage and tell them that 75 percent of what they’re throwing away is recyclable. We say, ‘Eureka can help you to educate your employees on how to sort it. We’re going to have to charge you to pick it up, but it’s going to cost you significantly less because there’s absolutely no tax at all. Let’s reduce the size of your dumpster to about a quarter of what it is, or reduce the service by 25 percent and also take the tax off that.’ Generally, just reducing the dumpster size more than pays for the recycling, and they often save more money, because there is no tax on recycling.” Eureka works in conjunction with companies such as the papermaker

Abitibi-Consolidated and with TetraPak, which manufactures milk cartons and juice boxes, as well as local haulers, non-profit organizations and businesses. “We work with local and national companies who recognize the value of putting some of the proceeds back into education and the support and structure of recycling,” says Hubbard. “Our mission is to reduce waste today through innovative resource management and to reach a waste-free tomorrow by demonstrating that waste is preventable not inevitable. “Sustainability isn’t about just recycling; it’s also about waste reduction. We’re working with local businesses by showing them how to start using com-

For additional information, contact Dow Corning directly at 800.248.2481.

60 The BCB Communicator

postable products in place of things like polystyrene cups. We’re working with them to change over to alternatives that can go into compost. We offer compostable plates, bowls and cups made from bagasse, which is sugarcane fibre that is left over after the sugar refining process. We also offer compostable forks, spoons and knives made from PLA, which stands for ‘polylactic acid.’ It’s a bio-plastic resin made from renewable resources such as corn or potato starch. The substance is very similar to petroleum-derived plastic, and can be moulded into different shapes like forks and spoons, but it can be composted after use.” Hubbard notes that Eureka Recycling has introduced many innovative ways to promote recycling in the community over the years, including the popular Free Market. “The program began in 1998, and now exchanges over 300 items a week. That is a lot of reusable goods that have been saved from landfills and incinerators. The Free Market was the first Internet-based exchange program in the country. People can go online and get rid of a couch and another person can find a couch. This started before everyone had a computer in the home. People were going to the library to get on the Internet. What’s innovative about it now is that it’s the only program in the country that can actually track how much material is being diverted from waste in each community. Currently, we receive 500 listings a week, and about half of those listings are actually exchanged every single week, so it’s a huge volume.” Eureka provides local residents with Internet portals that identify the best options for getting rid of used or unwanted goods. The A-Z Recycling and Safe Disposal Guides provide comprehensive online listings that are specific to each neighbourhood. The organization also operates the Saint Paul Recycling Hotline and the Ramsey County Solid Waste and Recycling Hotline. “With our hotlines, we get 60,000 calls every year,” says Hubbard. “People can call in and talk to someone one-onone about how to handle specific materials like batteries or aerosol cans. It’s a free service we provide to people.”

In an effort to reduce waste, Hubbard also implemented a program that shows consumers how to avoid junk mail. “I did my first Junk Mail Kit back in Arkansas. People are frustrated by junk mail and want it to stop. We’ve done the research. We understand how it works and we have set it up so it’s an easy process for anyone to stop junk mail. We send out little packets with stickers, and we show them exactly how to communicate with these people so that they won’t send junk anymore.” Hubbard also points to another innovation developed by Eureka, the MultiFamily Toolkit. “All apartments in Saint Paul are doing recycling, whereas very few other cities are doing apartment recycling because they don’t know how. The toolkit is an assessment tool that looks at all the issues that need to be dealt with in order for multi-family programs to succeed. With the support of some people who really wanted to get this done, we put together a toolkit, and then we went around and presented it to a lot of different places nationally so

that people can start doing it. Now people from all over are using the toolkit to implement multi-family recycling. “We’ve also created a series of roundtables for many of the people in Saint Paul who are interested in the environment. We selected six topics to address and worked on them for a couple of years. There were huge numbers of people involved in this public process to come up with recommendations for how to improve specific areas of the environment like local food production, water quality, zero waste, green spaces, etc. We made very specific recommendations to the City of Saint Paul with very specific timelines, and they unanimously adopted these recommendations. The city has agreed that they’re going to report annually to the community on how they are progressing on each topic. That’s the most innovative thing that is being done anywhere in the country by an environmental non-profit.” While Saint Paul’s recycling effort has strong support at the grassroots level, Hubbard says there is still a need for the

business community to improve recycling and waste reduction programs. “Business leaders set the direction for their companies, so the question is: ‘Do they see waste as inevitable, or can they possibly see to the point where all of the waste within their companies or communities is really a resource that we’re throwing away that is making us less competitive?’ The way we see it, there is tremendous value in what is called ‘garbage.’ The real crunch is with small business. This is one area where we need to do more. The problem is that small businesses don’t have the resources of large corporations, and they are often excluded from being able to use the household waste programs, so that makes it very difficult. We need to find ways to address that.” F O R I N F O R M AT I O N Eureka Recycling 2828 Kennedy Street NE Minneapolis, MN 55413 Tel: 651.222.7678 www.eurekarecycling.org

www.bearings.com 61

O u r

P e o p l e

BEARINGS

POWER TRANSMISSION

AETNA ALINABAL AMERICAN ANDREWS ANSON AURORA BARDEN • BOSTON BOWER-BCA BROWNING COOPER DODGE ELGES FAFNIR FAG • GARLOCK-DU HEIM HUB CITY IKO INA KAYDON KILIAN KINGSBURY KOYO LINKBELT MATHEWS McGILL MPB MRC NACHI NICE NSK NTN OSBORN RBC REXNORD RHP ROLLWAY ROTEK SCHATZ SCHEERER SEALMASTER SKF THOMSON TIMKEN TORRINGTON

CHAIN and SPROCKETS BROWNING • DIAMOND LINKBELT MARTIN MORSE • RENOLD REXNORD TSUBAKI • WEBSTER

GEAR REDUCERS • BOSTON

• • •

CLUTCHES DODGE FORMSPRAG • NEXEN (HORTON) • MARLAND MORSE WARNER

COUPLINGS • ATRA-FLEX BROWNING DECK-POOLE DODGE • FALK KOP-FLEX LINKBELT LOVEJOY MORSE REX-OMEGA REX-THOMAS SIERBATH TSCHAN VOITH WOODS SURE-FLEX

M a k e

• • •

BROOK HANSEN BROWNING DODGE EURODRIVE FALK FLENDER HAMILTON HUB CITY LINKBELT MORSE PLANETGEAR RADICON RAPID GEAR RENOLD SM CYCLO UNITED GEAR

VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES BROWNING EURODRIVE LINKBELT SPEED SELECTOR T.B. WOOD’S

V-BELTS and SHEAVES BROWNING DAYCO DODGE • GOODYEAR JASON MBL OPTIBELT T.B. WOOD’S

CR GACO GARLOCK J/M CLIPPER NATIONAL O-RINGS SHAMBAN STEMCO TCM

• Not necessarily all branches.

ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS

MATERIAL HANDLING

ELECTRIC CLUTCHES and BRAKES

BELT CONVEYOR • B-LOC

DODGE DYNACORP EURODRIVE MORSE • STEARNS WARNER

DODGE FMC GOODMAN LUFF PRECISION REXNORD • RINGFEDER VAN GORP

ELECTRIC MOTORS ABB BALDOR EURODRIVE RELIANCE TECO • WEG

LINEAR MOTION INA NSK THK THOMSON WARNER

SENSORS and SWITCHES WARNER

VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES ABB BALDOR BROWNING EMERSON EURODRIVE SYNERGY T.B. WOOD’S

PACKING and GASKETING • ANCHOR • CHESTERTON GARLOCK

SPECIALT Y LUBRICANTS DOW CORNING LUBRIPLATE OPTIMOL SKF

BC RUBBER BEARING BRONZE BEARING PULLERS CASTERS DEVCON DOW CORNING FLEXTECH • HOSE & FITTINGS INDUSTRIAL PLASTICS KEYSTOCK LOCTITE LPS MARINE BEARINGS

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PACKAGE and UNIT HANDLING MATHEWS CONVEYOR

SCREW CONVEYOR DODGE FMC GOODMAN MARTIN THOMAS CONVEYOR

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS

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t h e

OILITE PERMATEX POSILOCK RETAINING RINGS • ROYAL AIR CYLINDERS SAFEMATIC SCHROEDER FILTERS SHAFT COLLARS SHIMSTOCK • SMC SNAP IDLE SYMMCO THORDON

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the way we conduct business in industrial distribution… POWER TRANSMISSION

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These are just some of the reasons why clients in industry rely on

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BC Bearing Engineers.

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