ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
SUCCESS THROUGH INNOVATION
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
CONTENTS MAY 2012
India’s manufacturing sector to grow
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n Wednesday, the government of India said that the manufacturing sector will create around 3-4 million jobs during the 12th five-year plan between 2012-17.
This is a very impressive, ambitious aim - and a staggering figure, especially in these times when economies are starting to slow. Even China’s figures of late are showing a reduction in the manufacturing sector. And if India can indeed reach these figures in manufacturing then we will know that manufacturing is on the rise in Asia. V Narayanasamy, Indian Minister of State for Personal Public Grievances and Pensions said the ‘‘Approach paper to the 12th five year plan (2012-17) focuses on faster, sustainable and more inclusive growth for creating adequate livelihood opportunities. The approach paper estimates that the manufacturing sector will create around 3 to 4 million jobs over and above the pace of job creation in the recent past.” The labour bureau, ministry of labour and employment has been conducting quarterly quick employment survey on changes in employment in selected sectors. ‘‘As per the report for the 13th quarterly survey conducted during October-December 2011, additional new employment opportunities have been reported in different industries including Information Technology and the Business Process Outsourcing sectors in India’’, he said. In this issue of Asia Manufacturing News we look at some of the tools and technology to make manufacturing growth possible. You can read how 3D machine vision (Page 6) is required in automobile manufacturer, semi conductor production and robotics. The advantages of plasma systems are explained (Page 12) including their benefits in repairing welds instead of, say, grinders. A lot of time can be saved using this method. There are lots of developments to read about and we report on the Trans-Pacific trade talks where the current nine member countries are looking to clinch a deal before their current year-end deal.
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MACHINE VISION BECOMING THREEDIMENSIONAL
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ollowing many years of success in the two-dimensional area, industrial machine vision has expanded its world by one more dimension.
NEWS❒❒❒❒❒❒ 4 TRADE FAIRS UNDER STARTER’S ORDERS
8 PRONEST 2012 INCREASES USER
PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFITABILITY
9 GROWING DEMAND FOR DIESEL ENGINES
10 NEW BEVERAGE CAN PLANT FOR SIHANOUKVILLE, CAMBODIA
10 VIETTEL LAUNCHES MOBILE NETWORK IN AFRICA
14 AIR PRODUCTS SIGNS CONTRACT WITH YONGXIN GLASSWARE
15 TNA BUILDS ON 30 YEARS OF INNOVATION
16 KIT DELIVERS A COMPLETE IMPLEMENTATION
17 TRANS-PACIFIC TRADE TALKS CONTINUE
ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
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PLASMA SYSTEMS SAVE TIME AND MONEY IN PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION
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lthough gray skies are promising more snow, Kenny Glaze, member of Pipeliners Union Local 798, is on his way to repair a porous weld bead on Associated Pipe Line Spread 1B, part of the Ruby Pipeline project.
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28 REVOLUTIONARY
ULTRASONIC NOZZLE CHANGES THE WAY WATER CLEANS
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cientists have developed a revolutionary ultrasonic attachment for taps that massively enhances the ability of water to clean.
NEWS❒❒❒❒❒❒
NEWS❒❒❒❒❒❒
18 VOLTAGE DRIVE SOLUTION
34 NEW TOOL HELPS MANUFACTURERS
REDUCES ENERGY CONSUMPTION
20 UNIQUE FLOATING MAINTENANCE SERVICE
35 XSTRATA COAL AND JX NIPPON OIL & ENERGY JOINT VENTURE
22 ROBOTS AND MACHINE TOOLS TOGETHER MORE EFFICIENT
23 MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR NIGERIAN CONTRACT FOR SKILLSTECH AUSTRALIA
24 HOW THE WORLD CAME TOGETHER TO BUILD THE SHARD
26 MORE OPPORTUNITIES IN SINGAPORE-SICHUAN
30 WORLD’S LARGEST WIND-TURBINE TEST SITE TO OPEN
32 SOLAR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY EMPLOYS 17,000 WORKERS
Asia Manufacturing News is published bi-monthly and offers the reader business information and news. Asia Manufacturing News welcomes editorial contributions and encourages readers to share their reflections and views with us. Asia Manufacturing News uses information provided in good faith. We give no guarantee of accuracy of the information. No liability is accepted for the result of any actions taken or not taken on the basis of this information. Those acting on the information and recommendations do so entirely at their own risk. Managing Editor: Doug Green phone: 0061 06 870 9029 Advertising: phone: 0061 06 870 9029 Web Master: Dan Browne. SUBSCRIPTION: NZ $80 per year for the printed version. NZ $40 per year digital. Subscription payment or general contact can be made to: Media Hawkes Bay Ltd, PO Box 1109, Hastings, New Zealand. words@xtra.co.nz Please email or fax us your credit card details. Fax: 06 878 8150 Or by posting a cheque to the above address. Digital Subscription payment available at: words@xtra.co.nz Single copies NZ $8.00
33 CALENDAR OF EVENTS www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
trade fairs
Trade fairs under starter’s orders
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rink technology India (dti) and International PackTech India are under starter’s orders: preparations for both trade fairs are hotting up with the publication and dispatch of registration documents.
From November 6-8, 2012 these tandem events in the Indian city of Mumbai will be the point of contact for the international packaging, packaging printing, processing, beverage and liquid food industries. Two years ago the organisers of the two trade fairs, Messe München (dti) and Messe Düsseldorf (International PackTech India) and their Indian subsidiaries, joined forces for the first time. More than 6,000 trade visitors travelled to Mumbai in November 2010 to find out all about the latest innovations and developments in the packaging, processing, beverage and liquid food industries over the three days of the exhibition. Both exhibitors and visitors benefited from the expertise of two of the world’s leading trade fair organizers and from the synergistic effects between the packaging and the beverage industries. The premiere went so well that the organizers decided to continue working together in the long term. Companies can also register online now, for dti at www. drinktechnology-india.com, for International PackTech India at www.packtech-india.com. The venue is the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Center, where 12,000 square meters of exhibition space are available in Hall 6; this is almost 50% more than in 2010. With the market in India and its neighbouring states continuing to boom, the signs are excellent for further expansion. In about a year from now, well over 260 companies will be presenting their products at the joint trade fair www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
platform. A forum with speakers from exhibiting companies will supplement the presentations on the stands. Also as in 2010 there will be an accompanying conference on packaging themes. German companies have the chance to take part in dti and International PackTech India as an exhibitor in the German pavilion. Much thought has been given to the converting and packaging printing market for the upcoming trade fair. From 2012 there will be two new focus areas in the product categories for International PackTech India, so that companies providing machinery and equipment for finishing packaging materials and packaging and manufacturers of packaging technologies and machinery and equipment for printing packaging will have the chance to raise their profile even further. drink technology India and International PackTech India are active in a market that is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The demand for machinery, equipment and the corresponding accessories cannot be satisfied through domestic production alone, and so interest in state-of-the-art technology from Western Europe, the US or China is correspondingly high. In 2010 imports of machinery for food and packaging increased by 14 percent, their value reaching a total of 560 million US dollars. With a market share of 19 percent, Germany is one of the main supplying countries, behind Italy at 22 percent. (Source: Euromonitor International)
The impetus for the Indian packaging market comes mainly from the growing demand for food and other everyday consumer goods, driven by a growing middle class keen to consume, and the increasingly organized retail trade. Local products in particular are still provided in very simple packaging, but customers increasingly want attractive and hygienic packaging. In addition the range of sizes of packaged goods is getting broader, particularly as quite a number of companies also have their eye on the low earner customer segment. Small packages in particular, for example single-use packs or 50 ml bottles, for shampoo, washing powder, hair oil, hair dye, toothpaste and lightening creams, are greatly in demand. (Source: gtai) The Indian beverage market is still poorly developed in comparison with countries such as China or Japan, and so has great potential. The market researchers at ‘Euromonitor International’ estimate growth rates in double figures in the next five years. Huge increases are expected in non-alcoholic beverages such as bottled water (16.5 percent per year), fruit juice (21.7 percent) and soft drinks (8.6 percent) in particular. In the case of alcoholic drinks India has always been one of the biggest sales markets in the world. Beer is becoming increasingly popular, especially among young people, and the sector is set to grow by up to 12 percent over the next few years. u
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
technology
Machine vision becom
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ollowing many years of success in the two-dimensional area, industrial machine vision has expanded its world by one more dimension. 3D machine vision is increasingly required at the important automation drivers of the automobile industry, semiconductor production and robotics. A robot that sees threedimensionally can interact with its environment more flexibly than it would be possible with a twodimensional one, and the volume of ball-grid arrays on circuit boards or biscuits as well as other foodstuffs can only be determined with 3D data. Detecting persons also functions best three-dimensionally. Many additional, new application possibilities are connected with the use of 3D systems, and consequently suppliers of industrial machine vision expect further increases in growth. Patrick Schwarzkopf, head of the VDMA specialist department Machine Vision, has been observing the development in his industry and especially events in the 3D sector very closely. “In the component sector, for example with cameras, we are seeing increasingly smaller designs with higher resolutions and less energy consumption.” He also sees a change in the area of lighting: “It is still strongly in the range of visible light, but many new applications already use the ultraviolet or infrared spectrum. As a result, machine vision systems can work reliably unobstructed by ambient light.”
Sensors for in-line measurement engineering The automobile industry is an essential driver of innovation in machine vision. It often requires precise 3D measurements – integrated in the process in many www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
cases – because it is a matter of interlinking new and complex process chains optimally with each other in the production of high quality vehicles. Today, modern, highly precise 3D in-line measurement engineering enables fast, process-optimised performance of very different measurement tasks directly in the process on vehicle body shells. The advantage: The recorded measurement data can be used directly in production for optimising quality. Such in-line implementation in such a complex environment represents more or less the
elite class of machine vision. A machine vision partner is required for this, who has a lot of experience and can provide an intelligent tool kit composed of inline measurement engineering and in-process analysis software. Innovative 3D measurement systems suitable for automating production must be compact, so that they can even be used at difficult-to-access spots and be integrated in very cramped spaces. In addition, substantial measurement accuracy and a very short measurement cycle are often required, so that the sensors can also be used for high-speed applications.
Easy to install and operate Regardless of whether highly complex in-line measurement tasks or simpler external surface detection, ease of operation and
ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
technology
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ming three-dimensional fast integration into the process environment are important success factors that can smooth the way into everyday automation. This also applies to 3D scanners. They should not only act as simple image recorders or profile generators today, but provide more. Consequently, suppliers are starting to integrate specially developed methods into 3D cameras, which provide an optimum of scan rate and image quality. For example, preprocessing modules implemented in hardware can reduce data volumes, taking the load off the evaluation PC. Special software helps setting up and parameterising the processes in cameras and supports users in integrating them into the respective process. Application programming interfaces (API) simplify integration into the user world, and integration in various machine vision libraries simplifies operation.
Structured-light 3D scanners for mobile applications Structured-light 3D scanning is already a common optical method to obtain depth information about an object. To this end, various patterns composed of illuminated and unilluminated stripes are projected one after another on an object and recorded by a camera. Using triangulation, it is possible to calculate depth information and reconstruct the object spatially. The trend here is to small, portable devices that are extremely precise, but still inexpensive and easy to operate. Ideally, the projection
lens can be changed fast and easily and adapted to the required measurement field according to needs in a few minutes. Such systems pave the way for new applications, especially in mobile 3D digitalisation of filigree components of smaller to medium sizes. Especially robust structuredlight 3D scanners exist for larger components which can be adapted to customary robot systems. Among other things, the systems offered differ in their respective projection technologies, which are also responsible for the measuring speed. The faster, the better: then you not only save time in recording data, but there is less influence from vibrations with increasing measuring speed.
The future is within grasp Until recently, it was necessary to supply the components required for production unsorted in assembly technology. Production plants could only ensure reliable and unique supply in production processes when they did extra mechanical or manual work, which is very expensive.
New 3D sensor technology equipped with two standard cameras and special laser lighting makes precise determination of the position of unsorted components possible in all depth levels of containers. Thanks to the capability of threedimensional seeing and precise position determination of unsorted objects in all levels, highly flexible removal of unsorted components is possible. Production plants save considerable costs and production time with this solution. At the same time, production flexibility increases significantly.
Meaningful supplement to radar and ultrasound A comparably new 3D measurement procedure is the optical time-of-flight (ToF) technology, which competes with previous sensor technologies such as radar and ultrasound or serving as a supplement to them. Above all, three methods are already being used in sensors and customer applications: the Continues page 9 www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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business news
ProNest 2012 increases user productivity and profitability SINGAPORE:
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ypertherm, a U.S.based manufacturer of advanced cutting systems, has announced a major version update of its ProNest nesting software that allows even greater productivity enhancements and efficiency for metal fabricators and others within the cutting industry. ProNest 2012 contains a number of new features and comprehensive improvements that make it even easier for users to increase the cut quality, productivity, and profitability of their cutting operation—whether it be plasma, laser, oxyfuel, waterjet, or combination punch. New features and enhancements to ProNest 2012 include:
• Work Order Processing module – connects to ERP system; helps maximize material utilization, increase productivity, and achieve better on-time delivery
• Material grade and gauge functionality – increases nesting flexibility and costing accuracy when working with
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parts and plates of varying grades and gauges
• 2D CAD part creation and editing functionality – provides the ability to create new part geometries for nesting and may be used to edit existing geometries imported from an external CAD program “Getting the most from their new or existing cutting system is a must for any business owner today and ProNest 2012 is a critical contributor, helping users run an efficient, profitable operation,” said Derek Weston, Product Marketing Manager for Hypertherm’s software team. “ProNest 2012 incorporates many years of cutting expertise, including feedback from software users around the world. The end-result is a nesting solution that makes it easy to achieve maximum productivity, from every machine on the floor, regardless of the cutting process or machine brand.” ProNest has been the industry’s leading nesting software for two decades, offering best-in-class performance and reliability with a straight-forward, easy-
to-use design. ProNest is also a component of Hypertherm’s Integrated Cutting Solutions, providing support for True Hole™ and Rapid Part™ technologies. Hypertherm designs and manufactures advanced cutting products for use in a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Its product line includes handheld and mechanized plasma and laser systems, consumables, as well as CNC motion and height controls and CAM cutting software. Hypertherm systems are trusted for performance and reliability that results in increased productivity and profitability for tens of thousands of businesses. The New Hampshire, USA, based company’s reputation for metal cutting innovation dates back more than 40 years, to 1968, with Hypertherm’s invention of water injection plasma cutting. The associate owned company, consistently named one of the best places to work in America, has more than 1,200 associates along with operations and partner representation worldwide. u
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
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Growing demand for diesel engines
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orld demand for diesel engines is projected to grow 6.7 percent per year through 2015 to $197.5 billion. Product sales will be driven by an increase in the production of motor vehicles, particularly medium and heavy trucks and buses.
Value gains will also be fueled by the growing use of more technologically advanced, higher value products because of increasingly restrictive emission regulations in a number of regions. These and other trends are presented in World Diesel Engines, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.
stimulate significant increases in diesel engine demand. The medium and heavy vehicle diesel engine segment will experience the greatest gains in this regional market in dollar terms, accounting for 53 percent of total sales for the Asia/Pacific region in 2015.
The Asia/Pacific region was the world’s largest market for diesel engines in 2010 by a wide margin. China and India will be the primary drivers for growth in the region, as expanding output of motor vehicles and off-highway equipment combine with higher levels of fixed investment to From page 7
Machine vision becoming three-dimensional
Continuous Wave (CW) method and the direct and indirect pulse methods. While the CW method is based on determining the phase shift of sent and received waves, the direct pulse method uses the time measured between the sent and received pulse. In indirect time-of-flight measurements, a single light pulse
Demand for diesel engines in the Africa/Mideast region is expected to expand 7.7 percent per year through 2015, spurred by rising output of medium and heavy vehicles and off-highway equipment, in addition to rising fixed investment. Stationary diesel engines will continue to account for a relatively high proportion of the overall market due to the unreliability of electricity in the region, prompting the use of these products as backup generators. The diesel engine markets in Eastern Europe and in Central and South America will also grow at healthy rates from 2010 to 2015. However, each of these regions will still account for less than ten percent of global sales in 2015. Demand for diesel engines in North America and Western Europe will grow with renewed strength following a period of weakness. Continued high levels of off-highway equipment production will maintain proportionally large demand for off-highway diesel engines in North America.
is shot at the object to be detected, and the returning pulse is measured via two differently long integration windows. In another measurement, the background is detected and eliminated “on chip”, which protects use in unfavourable light conditions. The ToF methods are inexpensive, easy to integrate and can be used in many applications. u
In Western Europe, lower diesel fuel prices and differing cultural factors will maintain the popularity of diesel engines used in light vehicles. Market gains in Japan will advance only 2.3 percent per annum through 2015, dampened by slow growth in motor vehicle output, although this will represent an improvement over sales declines recorded between 2005 and 2010. u www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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manufacturing technology
New beverage can plant for Sihanoukville, Cambodia
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rown Holdings a leading supplier of metal packaging products worldwide, is to build a new beverage can plant in Sihanoukville, Cambodia to meet growing demand. Sihanoukville is on the Gulf of Thailand approximately 200 km from the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. It is the country’s primary commercial port and is also enjoying growing tourism.
The new plant will be sized to accommodate multiple can lines and have an initial annual production capacity of 725 million two-piece 33cl aluminium cans. The facility is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2013 and will be Crown’s second beverage can plant in Cambodia including its two line operation in Phnom Penh. “Cambodia is growing at a steady pace and this in turn is driving increased demand for our customers’ products, and we are experiencing a preference on their part for two-piece aluminum
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beverage cans,” commented Jozef Salaerts, President of Crown AsiaPacific. “This newest investment is supported by a long term contract with a major brewer and is consistent with the Company’s growth plans. Crown has been manufacturing beverage cans in Southeast Asia for more than 40 years and this expansion project underscores our commitment to support the growing needs of our global and regional customers and to help them continue to build their brands in the region.” Crown currently operates seven
beverage can plants in Southeast Asia. The company has one plant each in Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as well three plants in Vietnam (one in Hanoi and two in Ho Chi Minh City). Earlier this year the Company announced plans to build a new beverage can plant in Danang, Vietnam which is expected to begin commercial production in second quarter of 2013. u
Viettel launches mobile network in Africa
iettel, one of the world’s fastest growing telecom operators, has launched its first African mobile Network in Mozambique and is seeking opportunities to expand investment in other African countries.
In Just over a year, Viettel has helped propel Mozambique onto the list of Sub-Saharan Africa’s top three countries in terms of fiber optic cable networks. Viettel has become the largest mobile coverage network in Mozambique, right at the launch, doubling the coverage level required by the licensing body.
network and 50% of the country’s mobile stations.
Viettel has been among the first corporations in the world providing free Internet access to all schools.
The system has helped triple the density of Mozambique’s telecom infrastructure (increasing the length of fiber optic cable network and number of mobile stations per one million inhabitants in Mozambique by 2-3 times), making it one of the world’s fastest growing telecommunications networks and placing the country among the top three nations in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of fiber optic cable systems.
In just over a year, Viettel has built 12,600 kilometres of fiber optic cable and 1,800 mobile stations in Mozambique. This network represents 70% of the total Mozambique’s fiber optic cable
With the country’s largest network right at the launch date, Viettel’s Movitel network is the first mobile network operator in Mozambique to have doubled the network coverage level committed
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in its proposal for the license. In addition to expanding the network, Viettel also recruits one to two local people to provide services door-to-door in their own localities. At the launch ceremony, Viettel also officially announced its project of connecting and providing free internet for 4,200 schools as part of the group’s pledge to the Mozambican Government. At present, more than 500 schools have been connected thanks to this project. Viettel has successfully developed and popularised telecom services in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Haiti, Mozambique and Peru. “Mozambique is Viettel’s first market in Africa. Viettel is seeking for new opportunities to expand its investment in other African countries.” a Viettel representative stressed. u
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manufacturing technology
Better Business Throughout Asia www.asiamanufacturingnews.com u
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
manufacturing technology
Plasma systems save time and m
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t is early November and 6,000 feet up in the Wasatch Mountains near Ogden Utah, wet snow has turned the already rough dirt road to half-frozen mud. Although gray skies are promising more snow, Kenny Glaze, member of Pipeliners Union Local 798, is on his way to repair a porous weld bead on Associated Pipe Line Spread 1B, part of the Ruby Pipeline project.
Construction on the Ruby began on July 31, 2010. The approximately $3 billion project includes laying roughly 680 miles of 42-inch natural gas transmission pipeline on a right-of-way through parts of four states: Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon. By the time the pipeline is fully operational, it will carry 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and any delays beyond the target June 30, 2011 completion date will cost considerable time and money. A 20-year pipeline veteran, Glaze has worked on numerous projects throughout the United States. This is the first one where he has used
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plasma to repair welds though. “Before plasma, I had to use a grinder to access the repair area.
under budget.
That generally took 45 minutes or more of hand grinding. But now that I’m using a Powermax45 plasma system, I can gouge down to the repair area in a third of the time.”
For the welders though, time saved is just the beginning. Fatigue and safety come into play as well. The grinder is heavier and harder to hold than the plasma torch and grinding presents safety hazards, such as eye injuries, from flying debris.
Hypertherm plasma systems, like the Powermax unit Glaze used, can remove 6.2 pounds of metal per hour. Another time saving benefit is that the plasma leaves behind a weldable edge, and for Associated Pipe Line Contractors, hired to build sections of the line, every minute saved helps keep the project on its tight schedule and
There are other options, but unfortunately, they aren’t much better. For instance, carbon arc gouging presents a problem because the carbon winds up puddling on the pipe and must then be ground off. On the other hand, the plasma system Glaze is using is highly portable, light weight and can cut mild steel with
ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
manufacturing technology
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money in pipeline construction
By Paula Flanders
working in difficult terrain. The company prides itself on its innovative approach and willingness to use new technology to meet these challenges. “New technology makes the industry much more efficient and works to eliminate hazards, such as those associated with the use of old hand grinders,” states Sonny Weems, Superintendent of Associated Pipe Line Contractors.
ease. Once the path for the pipeline has been cleared and prepared, sections of pipe ranging from 40 to 80 feet long and varying in diameter and coating thickness based on their specific location, are laid out along the path in a process called “stringing the pipe”. The pipes are welded together, contoured, coated, inspected, and tested. The inspection and testing phases may turn up defects in pipe welds that have to be repaired. For example, misalignment of the pipes can lead to inadequate weld penetration in a section of the weld seam. Another common problem is porosity in the weld. Porosity can be scattered, cluster, or hollow-bead, but all types are defects and must be repaired. There are a lot of causes for porosity, which occurs when gas bubbles get trapped in the weld bead as it solidifies. During outdoor projects such as pipelines, windy conditions can cause the shield gas to be blown away while the welding is taking place, resulting in high porosity. While repairing weld defects adds time and cost to a project, the
consequences of not repairing them would be far more severe. In fact, inadequate penetration and high porosity in welds, along with other issues, are actually the suspected cause of a September 2010 pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California. Federal investigators say they found dozens of substandard welds on the pipe; welds that could have been easily repaired with plasma. Another advantage of using plasma is the increased visibility of the repair area. When making a repair, the goal is to remove the weld bead without touching the pipe section. “This is where plasma really pays off for the welder doing the job,” says Glaze. “The welder can see very precisely what he is doing.” A wrong move while gouging or grinding can require the removal of a complete section of pipe at a cost of $60,000 or more. “We’re here to fix things, not to create more problems,” states Glaze. Pipeline construction is a highly technical and regulated industry. Companies like Associated, which has been building pipelines for more than 50 years, have to meet stringent quality demands. In addition, Associated specialises in
Although gouging was the first application Associated found for plasma, they are finding other uses for the cutting method. One such use is for the actual cutting of pipe. The crew has discovered that using another Hypertherm product, the slightly larger Powermax65, with a mechanized torch and a pipe beveller, speeds up the process of cutting pipe for bends and preparing ends of pipe sections for fitting. With a recommended ?” cutting capacity, the system can run at full capacity off of a 15 kW engine-drive generator or at lower amperage off of a 12 kW engine drive. These cuts were traditionally done with oxyfuel, but the faster cut speeds of plasma reduce the amount of time the tie-in crews spend standing around waiting for the pipe to be prepped. Kevin Berryman, the tie-in foreman for Associated, has also found that the cut quality of plasma has reduced or eliminated the need for grinding the weld area after the cut—another time savings. Better cut quality and smoother cuts results in easier “fit ups” of the pipe, which in turn results in better welds and fewer field repairs needed. “Plasma is all about time and efficiency in our line of work,” says Berryman. u www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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developments
Air Products signs contract with Yongxin Glassware
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SHANGHAI:
orosilicate glass is one of China’s focuses for development in its ready-to-release Outline of the 12th Five Year Plan for daily-use glass industry. It is widely used in laboratory glassware and cookware because of its high strength and heat resistance. As such specialty glass melts at a higher temperature, the manufacturing process consumes relatively more energy and fuel.
Air Products (NYSE: APD), a leader in oxy-fuel combustion technology and integrated solution supplier to the global glass industry, recently signed a contract to supply its integrated oxy-fuel solution to Kunshan Yongxin Glassware (hereinafter referred to as “Yongxin”), one of the leaders in heat resistant glass making for microwave oven and the other home appliances in China, to improve productivity and reduce emissions. The integrated oxy-fuel solution includes the supply of Cleanfire(R) HRi (TM) oxy-fuel burners, automatic control skid for burners and PRISM(R) vacuum swing absorption (VSA) oxygen generator which will supply reliable and economical oxygen. In addition, Air Products provides consultation on furnace design, process and technique optimization with operation data analysis and solid experience to Yongxin. “Air Products is honored to have been Yongxin’s long-term supplier from its first trial on oxy-boosting in 2007 through today’s full conversion to oxywww.asiamanufacturingnews.com
Air Products new Rotterdam hydrogen production plant.
fuel combustion”, said Richard Huang, Air Products’ Asia industry manager for Glass.
Air Products has installed more than 1,500 Clean fire burners around the world.
“This is another success story on how our innovative solution and glass experts can help China’s glass makers address increasingly stringent environmental regulations while improving productivity, efficiency and quality.”
The company previously announced contracts for its oxyfuel integrated solution with a fiberglass manufacturer in China and a container and tableware glass manufacturer in Korea.
An innovative combustion technology, Air Products’ integrated oxy-fuel solution brings glass manufacturers various benefits such as about 80% reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions, over 25% increase in productivity, reduction of capitals, 25-60% energy savings and improvement in efficiency and glass quality. With over 50 years of experience in oxy-fuel technology, Air Products offers an integrated oxyfuel solution, from gases supply to oxy-fuel burners and technology, customized control system, technical and design expertise, commissioning service, safety and site training, maintenance contracts and project management.
Air Products provides atmospheric, process and specialty gases; performance materials; equipment; and technology. For over 70 years, the company has enabled customers to become more productive, energy efficient and sustainable. More than 18,000 employees in over 40 countries supply innovative solutions to the energy, environment and emerging markets. These include semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, coal gasification, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. In fiscal 2011, Air Products had sales of $10.1 billion. For more information, visit www. airproducts.com.
developments
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tna builds on 30 years of innovation
eading global packaging solutions specialist, tna announces a programme of bold innovation as it celebrates reaching its 30 year milestone.
2012 will see the company capitalise on its superior technological capability with the addition of next generation vertical form fill and seal (VFFS), conveying and seasoning machines for food production to its world-class portfolio.
programmable product stripping. What better way to celebrate our 30 year history than to raise the industry benchmark again.”
tna’s ambitious enhancements to its existing portfolio are continually being rolled out around the world, offering customers the ability to increase production line output, improving efficiency and reducing u down time still further.
Alf Taylor
The ground-breaking tna robag, first launched in 1982, has long been central to the production lines of many household names, where high-performance bagging is required to deliver high volumes of sweet and savoury snacks, confections, cereals, pasta, powders, meat and poultry and fresh and frozen produce at the end-of-line stage. And the same commitment to VFFS has seen the design and manufacture of the very best performing distribution and seasoning solutions in the industry, with tna roflo and tna intelli-flav providing customers with a complete end-of-line and seamlessly integrated seasoning, weighing and bagging solution. From being a Sydney based start-up, tna now has over 6,000 installed lines operating in more than 120 countries and offers 24/7 project management and support services to customers around the world. “tna is focused on global innovation” commented cofounder Alf Taylor. “We affected a revolution in 1983 when we first introduced the world of packaging to the concept of continuous rotary motion baggers with www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
developments
Kit delivers a complete implementation HONG KONG:
A
vnet Design Services, part of Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia, www.em.avnetasia.com, a business region of Avnet, Inc. avnet.com. NYSE: AVT www. ir.avnet.com, has announced a low-cost Ethernet Powerlink Industrial Networking Kit that delivers a total development platform for industrial networking applications. Co-developed with Xilinx and Texas Instruments with supporting technology from Austria’s B&R Automation, the Spartan-6 FPGA-based kit delivers a complete implementation of the Powerlink protocol (Controlled Node), development tools and other design resources to help developers of industrial networking applications build their systems quickly at the lowest cost. Ethernet Powerlink is an industrial networking protocol standard that was first developed in 2001 by B&R Automation, an Austrian company. Today, the standard has been open-sourced and is managed by the Ethernet Powerlink Standardisation Group (EPSG), an independent association. At the end of 2011, Powerlink was approved as a Chinese nationally recommended standard, GB/T 27960-2011. “Avnet Design Services is delighted to have had the support of the market leaders in their respective segments in the execution of this program,” said Andy Wong, vice president, Asia for Avnet Design Services and Segment Marketing. “This offering underlines our technical strengths in the industrial automation market. The optimized Powerlink protocol meets critical system timing and performance requirements. We believe it will prove easy for engineers to adopt and the advantages of an FPGAbased solution will be clear to them from day one, helping them expedite the development of applications.” Xilinx’s Spartan-6 FPGA has www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
the processing performance and networking capabilities to handle the Powerlink protocol requirements easily while still having resources available to execute user-specific applications. For example, a motor control algorithm could be included within the same FPGA. The level of processing power offers greater integration options and higher performance within a single device. “The Ethernet Powerlink Industrial Networking Kit gives developers a design platform from which they can easily get started and complete development specific to their system’s design,” commented Yvonne Lin, Industrial Marketing Manager, Xilinx. The kit includes two Ethernet DP83630 PHYTER(R) transceivers from Texas Instruments. These are IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol transceivers that deliver the highest level of precision clock synchronization for realtime industrial connectivity applications. PDI (Parallel Digital Interface) connectors are also included to extend connectivity to interface with the industrial components or devices actually controlled. “The Texas Instruments DP83630 PHYTER transceivers provide network packet time stamps for clock synchronization, as well as advanced fault detection features that enable a system designer to identify and address deteriorating link conditions,” said Alexander E. Tan, Product Marketing Manager, Texas Instruments.
The cost of the kit will be US$349.00 and is available now from the Avnet Asia website: www. em.avnetasia.com/promotion/ powerlink_kit. Avnet Design Services is a specialised team in Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia with experienced and technically competent experts to offer customers with design support throughout the product life cycle, from conceptualization to product launch and product life extension. ADS is able to deliver “reference and turnkey system solutions” through seven in-house design centers and third-party design partners (IDHs) in Asia, enabling customers to design with ready solutions for applications of different market segments. Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), has a significant presence in Asia. With its regional headquarters in Singapore, the company has offices in more than 50 locations in Asia. Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia distributes semiconductors, interconnects, passive and electromechanical components to serve a wide range of customers including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers, and small- to mediumsized businesses, and provides associated design-chain and supply-chain services. u
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Trans-Pacific trade talks continue
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egotiations on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership are in full swing in the US state of Texas, with trade observers watching attentively to see if the nine current members might inch closer toward clinching a deal in time to meet their current year-end goal.
The proposed trade pact billed a “21st century” deal by its proponents - currently counts Australia, Brunei, Chile, Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia, Peru, the US, and Vietnam as members. The administration of US President Barack Obama has made the accord one of the centrepieces of its trade agenda, with the White House hoping that negotiators can clinch a deal by the end of 2012. However, that goal has been questioned as overly optimistic by some observers. “The chances of this getting done by the end of the year are very slim,” Washington-based trade lawyer Scott Lincicome commented to Bridges, noting that negotiators are still far from agreement in various areas. However, trade officials say that the year-end goal might still be within reach. “I am still encouraged by how faithfully and diligently [negotiators] are working and taking seriously the challenge of our leaders to see if we can’t wrap it up this year,” US Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk affirmed in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires on Friday. The proposed pact aims to slash tariffs and other barriers to goods and services trade and investment; the goods covered will represent some 11,000 tariff lines. Negotiators also plan to incorporate into the pact issues involving regulatory coherence; competitiveness and business facilitation; small- and mediumsized enterprises; and economic development and governance, according to an outline released in
November. Small and medium-sized enterprises resolved The negotiating group for small and medium-sized enterprises is said to have finished its discussions, according to the Office of the USTR, and will not have to meet in subsequent rounds. Topics under review during the ten-day talks in Dallas, Texas reportedly include e-commerce, textiles, intellectual property, and health measures, among others. Reports emerging from the talks indicate that disagreements persist among negotiators in the traditionally difficult areas of intellectual property rights and state-owned enterprises, among others. Many TPP countries, including Vietnam, have various state-owned enterprises; the US, for its part, has been pushing for the pact to include rules on such companies. “We’re now in the really tough issues, in which a lot of countries have got to make some tough calls,” Kirk said on Friday. Trade ministers from the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries, a grouping that includes all nine TPP members and 13 others, are set to meet in Kazan, Russia next month. Trade ministers of the TPP countries are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Kazan discussions to evaluate progress on the proposed accord. Canada, Japan, and Mexico have also expressed interest in joining the nine-country negotiations; however, while negotiators from
Ottawa, Tokyo, and Mexico City have met with their TPP counterparts in recent months, whether or not the three countries will gain entry to the talks before the deal is concluded remains uncertain. However, the three prospective members do still have a chance of being granted entry, a senior US negotiator told Bloomberg on the sidelines of this week’s discussions, though they will not be able to change any parts of the deal that have already been agreed.
Transparency questions reiterated The level of transparency of the trade talks has long been a point of contention surrounding the negotiations, with advocacy groups calling for a more open negotiating process. Similar concerns were raised again during this current round of talks, with a group of law professors sending a letter to the US Trade Representative criticising the “functional and theoretical impact of the lack of transparency in the TPP and other trade negotiations.” In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Kirk said that Washington is indeed making its best effort to be transparent with the trade talks, while conceding that some level of secrecy is necessary. “I believe… that we have very faithfully operated within the spirit of the Obama administration to have the most engaged and transparent process as we possibly could,” Kirk said. “But there’s a practical reason, for our ability both to preserve negotiating strength and to encourage our partners to be willing to put issues on the table they may not otherwise, that we have to preserve some measure of discretion and confidentiality,” he added. u www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
energy report
Voltage drive solution reduces energy consumption
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ockwell Automation’s medium voltage drive solution helps China’s Daqing Refinery Plant reduce annual energy consumption by 41%.
With the installation of PowerFlex7000, China’s topgrossing petrochemical refinery save big numbers in power consumption and maintenance costs, resulting in the project’s return on investment of 2.5 years. As one of the top ten oil refineries in China, the Daqing Refinery Plant,located in Daqing city, Heilongjiang Province, has a gross-annual revenue of over US$10 million. Established in 1963, the refinery is a part of the Daqing Petrochemical Corporation, a subsidiary of the biggest petroleum production provider in China; PetroChina Group,with a substantial market share of 50%. In terms of volume, the Daqing Refinery produces 600,000 tons per year in gasoline, diesel oil, kerosene, paraffin, and other petroleum products sold throughout China. Since China entered the World Trade Organization in 2001, the drive to compete with less expensive imported products has propelled the country’s industrial sector to meet new challenges in costeffectiveness and production efficiency. More than ever, reduced cost production is a critical factor in offering a low selling price to keep a healthy market share. At the Daqing Petrochemical Refinery plant, the crude oil pump for a 3,500-ton pressure reduction process line maintains a steady flow rate of 8,000 to 10,600 tons per day of crude oil. The crude oil pump, however, consumed a large amount of electrical energy in the process. Finding a more efficient pump control method to reduce wasteful energy consumption was a key value driver at the plant in order to stay competitive and to lower prices. Other issues facing the Daqing plant were maintenance costs and downtime. The existing pump required regular maintenance every 8,000 hours, which led to 2 days of downtime per year with an average economic loss of US$16,438 for each lost day. Such continuous maintenance was largely due to the fact that the pump motor ran at full speed regardless of production output levels. Previously, engineers at Daqing employed a valve throttle control method to manage the nonstop high speed of the pump motor. With this method, a throttling valve, located at the output of the pump, would be adjusted periodically to meet changing load demands in oil flow rate. This system, however, proved to be inefficient as problems of high energy consumption, even at low load demand, as well as wear and tear from the high running speed of the pump, persisted. In addition, the throttling control method created increased pipe pressure, which caused oil to leak and the need to frequently replace seals. www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
To cut back on excessive electric power consumption, a reliable true Medium Voltage (MV) drive solution was essential for the oil pump motor application at the Daqing Refinery. Using a Rockwell Automation PowerFlex7000 MV drive with a 6 KV rectifier and a 6 KV inverter that can be easily fabricated with fewer 6.5 KV power devices without output transformer, the Daqing plant had found a simple and reliable solution. The PowerFlex7000 uses Current Source Inverter-Pulse Width Modulation (CSI-PWM) technology to provide a simplified power structure with a lower power device count. The PowerFlex7000 drive makes this efficiency possible with strong over-current protection capabilities that do not require fuses and electronic fusing circuits to protect the power devices, thus, simplifying the complexity of the drives.
Results Depending on the market requirement, the Daqing Refinery production output varies between three levels (9,000 tons per day, 9,600 tons per day, and 10,500 tons per day). With the Rockwell Automation solution in place, the plant has gone a long way to maintain such significant production numbers while saving money with more efficient energy consumption. For a 9,000 ton production output, 426 KW/h were required for oil pump motor operation compared to after the PowerFlex7000 retrofit power consumption at 250 KW/h. The Daqing Refinery saves 1,533,312 Kwh per year, which reduces their annual energy consumption by 41%. For a 9,600 ton production output, 527 KW/h were required for oil pump motor operation compared to after the Powerflex7000 retrofit power consumption at 370 KW/h, the Daqing Refinery saves 1,370,397 Kwh per year, which reduces their annual energy consumption by 30%. For a 10,500 ton production output, 584.8 KW/h were required for oil pump motor operation compared to after the PowerFlex7000 retrofit power consumption at 400 KW/h, the Daqing Refinery saves 1,609,977 Kwh per year, which reduces their annual energy consumption by 32%. u
ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
partnerships
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
developments
O
Unique floating m
ne of the world’s first offshore exploration safety, survival and technical training centres is maintaining leading service and reliability standards through a unique partnership with Konecranes, for service and maintenance of facilities accessible only by boat.
Alert Disaster Control (Asia) Pte Ltd, a global Emergency Response and Integrated Risk Management Solutions Services company with corporate headquarters in Singapore, enjoys the assurance provided by a service maintenance contract with Konecranes that keeps its vital lifting equipment on its training vessel ALERT 1 - Sri Kresna, in outstanding working order. ALERT was founded in 1988 in response to the need for global emergency response to oilwell fires and blowouts, as well as the necessity for pre-emptive risk management services designed to eliminate the occurrence of such emergencies or, at the very least, alleviate the frequency and severity of such incidents. While worldwide emergency response to oil rig and platform disasters is the company’s principle core competency, unique skill sets to which only a handful of personnel worldwide www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
are recognized, the company has placed a significant importance on passing on the knowledge gained in responding to these events. This has resulted in the development of a world-class safety, survival and technical training centre. Central to the safety, survival and technical training curricula offered by ALERT is the company’s 180 foot training vessel Alert 1 - Sri Kresna, which is used to teach advanced safety and survival-at-sea practices in conjunction with extensive shore-based training facilities. The service contract with Konecranes Pte Ltd of Singapore helps to maintain key lifting technology on the vessel, which is moored off Loyang Offshore Supply Base, a purpose-built industrial estate on the citystate’s eastern shores. The estate supports the offshore oil and gas equipment manufacturing industry, which has experienced tremendous growth, underlining
Singapore’s global position in rig building and ship conversions. “Konecranes, which was established in Singapore in 1970, was one of the very few companies offering this service when we initially established the ALERT regional operations base in the 1980s,” recalled ALERTDirector, Debbie P Allcorn. “We wanted a company that could provide the specialised performance that Konecranes was able to.” The disaster control company’s training vessel, Alert 1 - Sri Kresna, boasts specialised equipment that includes totally-enclosed-motorpropelled-survival-craft (lifeboats) and fast rescue boats, but the pride of its facilities is a full-size helicopter simulator that can be submerged in a tank on the vessel, mimicking a downed helicopter on the ocean surface. Occupants must learn to evacuate from the simulator, deploy inflatable life rafts and implement survival and search and rescue techniques in order to reach safety. Regular visits by maintenance professionals from Konecranes ensure that the other lifting and lowering equipment aboard the vessel, including that used by the lifeboat and rescue craft, is functioning properly and unaffected by heavy usage and the humid salt air. This equipment includes winches, davits, motor propulsion units and electronic remote control systems. Konecranes must be able to respond immediately in the event of an unscheduled equipment service requirement, since the client’s training programs – with attendees from the major oil exploration and production companies and supporting marine and well service industries from
developments
ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
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maintenance service anywhere in the world – cannot be held up. “Konecranes have always been very good at this,” Ms. Allcorn said. “If circumstances dictate, we are able to get them down here within the hour. While this has fortunately only occurred on a rare occasion in the past the Konecranes personnel have performed extremely well. “A further challenge for Konecranes is that we’re located offshore. When we took them on as our service contractor, the fact that our training vessel was reachable only by boat was an impediment to other service providers, but not to Konecranes. They were prepared to service the vessel, despite having to be ferried out to it,” she said. “One of the things I most like about them is the fact that they have been able to maintain continuity of personnel. That’s been very refreshing for us. This has certainly supported our operational interests. “Konecranes are also transparent in their dealings. They fully debrief us on what needs to be serviced or replaced and provide us with a quotation for the same immediately following their site assessment. This has truly supported our ability to continually ensure optimum maintenance and performance of all of our lifting systems. We’ve never had a problem with Konecranes on this,” Ms. Allcorn said. “The company has always made a concerted effort to ensuring that their service and corresponding contractual commitments are met at all times. In fact, we consider Konecranes one of our top five suppliers in terms or service
From left M. Aris Bin Sulaiman – Alert Disaster Control, (Senior Instructor at the ALERT Safety and Survival Training Center); Tan Boon Lee –Konecranes, (Sales Manager for Maintenance Services); Chantal Chan – Konecranes, (Marketing and Communications) Jason E. Dowdy – Alert Disaster Control (Senior Instructor at the ALERT Safety and Survival Training Center)
commitment and reliability. That’s a big compliment indeed, as I’m very demanding of my suppliers and expect optimum performance at all times, nothing less is acceptable. Accordingly, I would certainly recommend Konecranes to any other organization,” she said. ALERT has recently affirmed its relationship with Konecranes through the purchase of a new 3.2-ton Konecranes overhead crane for it’s shore-based operations facilities. According to Tan Boon Lee, Sales Manager, Maintenance Services, Konecranes Singapore, one of the reasons for setting up a preventive maintenance program, other than safety and legislation, is to prevent unscheduled equipment breakdowns. “A crane or winch breakdown will, at the very least, be inconvenient and can be
very expensive. A successful program of preventive or routine maintenance will reduce equipment failures, extend the life of the equipment and reduce the overall operating costs. “Konecranes invest in their technicians to ensure they are upto-date on the latest technologies. Their expertise, combined with Konecranes sophisticated maintenance software and monitoring systems, is designed to cut your costs and protect your investment. “Our goal is to achieve the maximum life-cycle profit from your equipment by increasing the uptime productivity and boosting the equipment lifetime,” Mr Tan said. Konecranes is the world’s largest cranes service organization, with more than 373,000 cranes of all brands under service contracts worldwide. u www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
technology
Robots and machine tools together more efficient
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odern machine tools run at such a speed during machining that the auxiliary times, e.g., loading and unloading, are becoming increasingly important for total performance.
Robots are providing the needed acceleration here. Various robot manufacturers are presenting such solutions and can record substantial growth in this segment. In addition to speeding up work, the link between robot systems and machine tools can also enable completely automatic operation without the involvement of people. Two concepts are above all being pursued for automating tool machines: on one hand, the integration of a robot into the machine tool, and on the other hand the complete automation module including robot on the machine.
Robust robots work in machine tools New robot concepts are available for integration of robots in machine tools that can cope with the adverse ambient operating conditions of shavings, grinding dust, coolants and other corrosive media. Teams of robots and machine vision systems also contribute to the efficiency of automation “behind� machine tools. For example, they handle tasks of quality control, but also take care of further processing and finishing of workpieces. CNC machining is also more widespread, in which inexpensive www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
robot solutions take the place of expensive 5-axis CNC machines. To this end, manufacturers have developed the stability in robots required for machining the hardest materials. Servo stabilisers are mounted on individual robot axes in part to accomplish this. They promise reproducible machining, during which the required dimensional tolerances are maintained. In addition, improved control technologies are provided, which are based on CNCcontrolled movement planning.
Machine vision monitors aluminium weld seams Together, robots and industrial machine vision are providing increasingly more optimised positioning solutions, for example for welding operations. Quality inspections of weld seams are becoming increasingly more precise and faster, thanks to machine vision. This task has already been handled reliably for workpieces made of steel for quite some time. Now, new technologies
are making it possible to monitor weld seams of the optically more demanding material aluminium, which is also becoming increasingly important due to the lightweight construction trend. Because extreme reflections and dark deposits are customary, optical sensors were previously unable to handle this task.
ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
technology
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Finishing is being automated The tasks of machine vision with weld seams go beyond the simple decision “IO” or “NIO”. The sensors can even detect the type, extent and location of the welding defect precisely in the meantime and consequently provide completely automated finishing. To that end, different sensor systems and highly complex evaluation systems are combined. Surface inspection is important not just from aesthetic viewpoints, but also from functional ones. Surface defects on cylinder head gaskets can result in breakdowns later, for example.
lighting and high-resolution linescanning cameras.
Machine vision provides complex inspection systems for this with special test software, customised
In addition, image sensors are becoming increasingly mobile. They can simply be mounted on
robots and equipped with robotcapable gigabit Ethernet lines, which can cope with high stress on one hand and on the other hand provide higher transfer rates. u
business news
Multi-million dollar Nigerian contract for SkillsTech Australia
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killsTech Australia has announced an historic agreement between Nigeria and Queensland’s largest ferry building manufacturer, in which the TAFE institute will provide all trade training requirements. SkillsTech Australia Institute Director Mary Campbell said as sole training provider it is projected up to 400 Nigerian boat operators and maintenance staff would be trained by SkillsTech Australia over a three-year period. “The $150-million-dollar contract won by Queensland’s own Aluminium Boats Australia (ABA) means as sole training provider, we will continue to deliver our world-class training on-site at ABA’s dedicated training facilities,” Mrs Campbell said. “This project is expected to produce approximately 60 eco-
friendly vessels to operate on the lagoons of Lagos, a coastal Nigerian city. “All of the construction and training will take place in Queensland and it is expected to create 140 local jobs for Queenslanders. “All training will be delivered on-site at ABA in dedicated training facilities, including use of workshops, classrooms and a 24-metre ferry due to the needs of the business to train in-house. “It is our flexibility of training delivery that ensures Australian best practice meets industry
needs and in this instance will be exported to Nigeria. “SkillsTech Australia’s services will include apprenticeship services, post-trade training, supervisory training, Computer Aid Drafting, professional development services and Recognition of Prior Learning services. “This new multi-million dollar contract confirms ABA as the largest ferry builder in Queensland and SkillsTech Australia as a lead trade training TAFE institute.”u
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
analysis
How the world came tog
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onstruction workers in London are putting the final touches to Europe’s tallest building, 12 years after the project was conceived, as the last few floors of the Shard take shape.
The workers are completing the massive spire of steel and glass that sits above the 72 floors of offices, hotel rooms and viewing galleries, bringing the Shard’s final height to 1,017 feet (almost 310 metres - some 230ft (70m) higher than the capital’s previous tallest building at Canary Wharf. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano to resemble an iceberg emerging from the Thames, near London Bridge, the Shard is a feat of engineering constructed by workers from across the world. A visit to the site reveals notices for the builders written in English and translated into Polish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Russian, Albanian, Lithuanian and Punjabi. Two-thirds of the 1,600 workers are British, a fifth are from other European nations, while Brazil, Albania and Australia are also well represented. A spokesman for the developers, the Sellar Property Group, says that coordination across the languages has been “second to none”. Lithuanian Simona Visinskyte, aged 23, an administrator for a logistics company, told a London newspaper: “I thought maybe I would study here, but I found myself working in construction. It was interesting to see how from nothing people can build massive skyscrapers. Everything that’s impossible becomes possible in London.” Australian Tony Veal, 33, a project manager, added: “I enjoy looking into the vast changes in history and technological advances over the years that have sculpted this great city. www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
“Now, my friends come from all over the world. Almost every continent is represented here, which makes for some good conversations about past experiences from diverse backgrounds.” The 400?million pounds structure is due to be finished, on schedule, a month before the London 2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games. Billed as a “vertical city”, it will comprise offices up to floor 28, then three floors of restaurants; a five-star 19-storey hotel of 200 rooms; 10 apartments over 12 floors - each several times larger than a semi-detached house and likely to fetch tens of millions of pounds each; and, finally, the observatory and spire. With unparalleled views across south-east England, and located in a busy part of London, the site is in close proximity to London Bridge railway station, a hospital and a bus station, in an area undergoing a massive transformation into a new-look quarter of London and major transport hub. Significant logistical challenges have required innovative solutions at every stage of the project. The main contractor Mace’s role evolved from project to construction management, before a fixed price solution was negotiated with the requirement of completion ahead of the London 2012 Games that start on 27 July. Although there are 800 pieces of steel making up the spire, entire sections have been assembled off-site and then transported to the Shard - rather than individual beams lifted and attached to each
other at the top. It is anticipated that the spire will require a total of about 100 crane lifts to raise all the large floor and facade sections into place. Each facade section measures up to three storeys and these have some servicing floors already attached. During the lifting process the crane driver’s cab will sit at about 280m above ground level - 36m above the Shard’s current height giving a unique panoramic view of London. Developer Sellar, on behalf of LBQ Ltd has worked closely with its main contractor Mace and the structural engineer WSP and steel contractor Severfield Rowan to develop and fine-tune this modular approach. Irvine Sellar, chairman of the Sellar Property Group, said the erection of the spire was “another unique milestone in the development of this global iconic landmark building”. The Shard is already making an impact on London’s skyline and the spire will complement the design of the building and complete a truly stunning piece of architecture. At London Bridge station, a 30-metre-long reproduction of one of Canaletto’s most famous River Thames scenes, and an inspiration for the design of the Shard, has just been unveiled at the newly transformed entrance to the railway station. The painting, The Thames on Lord Mayor’s Day (before 1752), graces a temporary side wall at the new station entrance that was completed recently. Not only is it one of the images on which Renzo Piano drew inspiration for his designs for the Shard, but the original painting will be on loan
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
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gether to build the Shard to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich from 27 April 2012 onwards and forms part of an exhibition celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. Passengers arriving at London Bridge station enjoy a double celebration. Not only do they get pleasure from the masterpiece but also first sight of the station’s continuing transformation into a 21st-century transport interchange as the new station entrance is revealed, designed to integrate with the glass facade of the Shard. The new London quarter adjacent to the station that includes
the Shard is close to seeing completion of the redevelopment of the concourse as part of wider regeneration works. The 50 million commuters and travellers who use London Bridge station every year will now arrive and depart from a concourse that is, for the first time, light, modern and efficient.
will lead seamlessly into the Shard offices lobby, the public piazza and a newly created bus station. For the first time, London Bridge station will be a fully integrated transport hub enabling passengers to flow effortlessly between bus, Underground rail, taxi and pedestrian routes.
Over the past year the transformation of the main station concourse has been taking shape with a new glass roof, new flooring and new realigned ticket barriers being completed.
Modernisation of the station not only makes life easier for current passenger traffic but will accommodate the planned expansion when the full Thames link service becomes operational and as many as 75 million people use London Bridge station every year. u
When London Bridge Quarter is completed, the station concourse
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
business news
More opportunities in Singapore-Sichuan
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CHENGDU:
ingapore-Sichuan HiTech Innovation Park lays the foundation in Chengdu,the capital city of Sichuan province, Southwest China.
Covering 10.34 square kilometers planning construction area at the South Park of Chengdu High Tech Development Zone (CDHT), the completion of the overall project is targeted by 2020. The total investment amounts to over 100billion RMB, while the direct investment of the joint venture company programs archives more than 20 billion RMB. In the construction period, Singapore Temasek Ltd will take the lead in theoperation, which will comprehensively rely on the present industrial foundationand open atmosphere of Chengdu as well as the advanced managerial experience and operation mode of Singapore. It is expected to integrate modern manufacturing, modern services and modern living, which turns the new park into a green community, a major regional business hub and a www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
gateway for businesses expanding into West China. Specifically, the cooperation will focus on IT, digital media, biomedical, education, banking & finance and etc. It is said that more than 120,000 people will choose to work and live there in future. The construction of SingaporeSichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park marks a historical milestone in further collaboration between Sichuan and Singapore. This is not only the first largemodel cooperation in inland China with Singapore, but also the newly major starting project in Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone and Tianfu New Zone, largely supported by both Chinese and the Singapore government. A new report shows that Singapore’s investment in Sichuan, in the recent five years, has reached a tremendous growth, while the trade volume of both sides has increased by 5.5 times. Today, Singapore stays the fourth largest foreign investor in Sichuan and the very important trade
partner from Southeast Asia. Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone and Tianfu New Zone are fully prepared for the further collaboration in SingaporeSichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park. Possibly sharing the same reason with 2013 Fortune Global Forum,Singapore chooses Chengdu for its vast potentials and the unprecedented expansion of western China market. While, China’s new round of “Go West” strategy, undoubtedly, will speed up the development, bringing more opportunities for Sichuan, China, Singapore and the rest of the world. u
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
developments
Revolutionary ultrasonic nozzle
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cientists have developed a revolutionary ultrasonic attachment for taps that massively enhances the ability of water to clean.
Currently, industry uses excessive water, power and additives for cleaning. For example, it can take up to 100 tonnes of water to produce one tonne of clean wool after shearing. Many industrial processes also generate large quantities of contaminated run-off. The water from hosing down an abattoir represents a real health risk and cannot be allowed to enter the water supply. Purifying run-off is costly - each cubic metre of water used for cleaning in the nuclear industry can cost about 10,000 pounds to treat. Professor Tim Leighton and Dr Peter Birkin of the University of Southampton have developed a device that works with cold water, minimal additives and consumes as much electrical power as a light bulb. Its application will be wide licences have already been sold to a number of industries to look at cleaning in food preparation, hospitals, manufacturing and the home. The technology consumes less water and power than the established competitor technologies. Talking about the need for such a technology, Professor Leighton said: “Society runs on its ability to clean. Ineffective cleaning leads to food poisoning, failure of manufactured products such as precision watches and microchips, and poor construction - from shipbuilding to space shuttles since dirty surfaces do not bond. “The impact in healthcare is huge - hospital-acquired www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
infections, from instruments that are not properly cleaned, cost the National Health Service one billion pounds per year. There’s a very obvious need for technologies that improve our ability to clean while saving on our most important resources, water and energy.” In recognition of their invention, Professor Leighton and Dr Birkin were awarded the Royal Society Brian Mercer Award for Innovation in 2011. Using the 250,000 pounds award from the Royal Society, the team is developing products based on an ultrasonic nozzle that can fit on the end of a tap or hose. The device uses less water and power than the equivalent pressure washer - about 2 litres/minute compared with 20 litres/minute and less than 200W compared to 2kW). It is also far less damaging because the stream pressure is less that 1/100th that of a pressure washer. Another advantage is that it generates far less run-off and aerosol (tiny atmospheric particles of water that can carry contaminates into the air to then settle and contaminate other surfaces). Because it is able to use cold water, energy is saved on heating water. Power washing generates large volumes of contaminated run-off and aerosols, presenting a hazard when used, such as cleaning sewage systems or nuclear contamination. One of the main pieces of equipment currently used for industrial cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning baths, can only clean objects small enough to fit in them and the devices to be cleaned sit in a soup of contaminated liquid. Neither power washing (high-
power pressure washing) nor ultrasonic cleaning baths can easily be scaled up and neither can be used on delicate materials such as hands or salad. The new nozzle generates bubbles and ultrasound. Both travel down the water stream to the dirty surface and there the bubbles act as microscopic “smart scrubbers”, seeking and entering crevices to remove dirt there using shear forces in the same way that currents in a babbling brook can strip off riverbank soil. The device can be used at a high-power and a low-power setting - the latter being suitable for delicate products such as hands and foodstuffs. Licences to enable companies to bring the technology into their product lines have been negotiated with several companies to explore cleaning products for hospital hygiene, dentistry, food preparation, manufacturing and the power industries. Dr Birkin said: “The award represents a significant milestone for the development of this technology and its possible exploitation. There is a clear gap in the funding system with ground-breaking technology produced by universities [that is] unexploited by industry. It is also difficult to find other suitable sources to take the technology further. It is in this situation that our invention found itself. “In these trying times for innovative research, the foresight of the Royal Society to regularly sponsor and support these initiatives, should be congratulated. It is also pleasing that a significant ‘blue sky’ research effort within our team, over the last 10 to 15-year period, has led to an understanding of
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e changes the way water cleans
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the basic physical and chemical processes that underpin this technology.”
will face society on the 10-50 year timescale, rather than just responding to today’s problems.”
Professor Leighton added: “Support for step-changing innovation is vital if we are to have marketable technology to address the problems that
The Brian Mercer Awards for Innovation were established by the Royal Society in 2001 following a bequest from the late Dr Brian Mercer, an enthusiastic inventor
and entrepreneur. The awards aim to encourage these qualities in the next generation of scientists and provide a grant of 250,000 pounds to develop an already proven concept or prototype into a nearmarket product. u
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
energy report
World’s largest wind-tu
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ork has started to build what is described as a world-leading facility that will accelerate development for the United Kingdom offshore wind industry, vastly increasing UK expertise in the renewables sector.
The new wind-turbine testing facility costs 35 million pounds and will help next-generation offshore wind turbines get to market faster. The test rig, being built at the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) in north-east England, will be the largest and most advanced in the world for research and development of wind-turbine drive-train technology. The 15-megawatt (MW) capacity facility will allow the whole windturbine nacelle - the structure that contains all the generating
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components, such as the gearbox and drive train - to be tested on land and under cover in a massive steel-framed building. Two 250-tonne cranes will lift test pieces into place. The test rig would “provide Narec with a controlled environment to test the next generation of offshore turbines in accordance with international standards, before they are deployed in large numbers offshore”, said Tony Quinn, Narec’s director of major projects and assets. Narec has invested 150m pounds to create, it says, “the UK’s
national translational research centre for accelerating grid integration of renewable energy systems and catalysing the development and deployment of offshore renewables - wind, wave and tidal energy generation technologies”. Regional development agency One North East has invested 10m pounds in the building to house the rig. When commissioned in summer 2013, the 15MW capacity test facility will be the most advanced of its type in the world, providing six degrees of freedom for applying load forces. The Energy Technologies Institute is a UK-based company formed from global industries and the UK government. The ETI brings together projects and
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urbine test site to open partnerships that create affordable, reliable, clean energy for heat, power, transport and associated infrastructure.
in the UK economy, helping businesses develop relevant and exciting ideas in receptive and invigorating environments.
ETI chief executive Dr David Clarke said: “The test rig that will be housed on the Narec site is the biggest project to date commissioned by the ETI and has seen us invest over 25 million pounds in its design, development and commissioning. It will be a world-leading large-scale engineering project.”
The UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), will oversee the catapult centres, and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult will receive up to 10m pounds each year over five years from the TSB. Opening in summer 2012, the centre will reinforce the UK’s position as the global leader in offshore renewable energy by significantly accelerating the development and market deployment of new technologies in its fields.
The ETI’s six private-sector members are BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E.ON, Rolls-Royce and Shell. The ETI’s public funds are received from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills through the Technology Strategy Board and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council. The ETI will accelerate the deployment of affordable, secure low-carbon energy systems from 2020 to 2050 by demonstrating technologies, developing knowledge, skills and supply chains, and informing the development of regulation, standards and policy. Recently, a UK-wide consortium bid from Narec, the Carbon Trust, and Ocean Energy Innovation was selected to play a pivotal role in setting up the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult funded by 50m pounds. Catapults are centres of excellence that bridge the gap between business, academia, research and government. They are networks of world-leading technology and innovation centres to transform the UK’s capability for innovation in specific technology areas and help drive future economic growth. They are a powerful new element
The first catapult centre, in highvalue manufacturing, opened for business in October 2011, less than a year after Prime Minister David Cameron announced the 200m pounds-plus technology and innovation centre programme. Another catapult centre, in cell therapy, is on target to open by mid-2012, also. The catapults in space applications, and connected digital economy are due to open in autumn 2012. Narec’s chief executive officer Andrew Mill said: “Narec was set up in 2003 to enable economic development through the commercialisation of offshore renewable energy technologies and is therefore well placed to support the growth of these sectors across the UK. The catapult centre will provide national coordination of expertise and funding to fast track offshore wind, wave and tidal renewable technology development through to commercialisation, as quickly and efficiently as possible. “Projects will focus on reducing the cost of energy, accelerating market deployment and maximising the benefit to the
UK economy. There will be close engagement with industry to ensure that they are aligned to key market needs, such as improving the reliability of energy generating devices that are expected to operate for many years in a harsh marine environment. We are looking across the entire supply chains of offshore wind, wave and tidal renewables to focus the programme on areas where there can be maximum benefit for UK business in support of government renewables policy,” he added. Scottish Enterprise is Scotland’s main economic development agency and has worked intensively to lead the Ocean Energy Innovation faction of the consortium; the headquarter function of the catapult will be located within its flagship International Technology & Renewable Energy Zone in Glasgow. Dr Lena Wilson, Scottish Enterprise chief executive, said the ocean energy catapult “comes at a critical time in the evolution of this exciting new industry and will bring together the very best of the public and private sectors to work in partnership to further develop a globally competitive renewable energy business environment that builds on the UK’s academia, industry excellence and existing competitive advantage”. She continued: “Through this collaborative venture we will work strategically, bringing together innovative companies with key research institutions, to support the development of pioneering low carbon technologies, from initial ideas through development, demonstration and testing to fullscale commercial deployment, securing significant economic and environmental benefits for the UK.” u www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
business news
Solar manufacturing industry employs 17,000 workers
M
embership in the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM) has surpassed 200 employers of about 17,000 U.S. workers – 85 percent in downstream businesses to sell and install solar systems, distribute products, and integrate, finance and design projects. Combined with about 20 manufacturing members, this industry-wide coalition stands behind domestic manufacturing, sustainable production and fair, legal solar-industry competition.
The industry support – detailed on the CASM website’s member page – comes as CASM says the industry confronts an anti-competitive trade onslaught of illegally subsidized and dumped photovoltaic (PV) cells and panels from China’s statesponsored industry, which the U.S. government so far has found to benefit from at least 10 categories of illegal subsidy programs. CASM formed to advance anti-subsidy and anti-dumping trade cases against China’s government and industry. “A group of Chinese manufacturers and importers makes demonstrably false claims about the portion of the industry, particularly installation workers, that it represents,” said Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries America Inc., the largest U.S. manufacturer and leader of CASM. “These claims are simply desperate attempts to detract attention from China’s anticompetitive trade practices. “Fully 82 percent of Americans back domestic solar manufacturing. Second, CASM
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represents a clear majority of American solar manufacturing. Third, the 17,000 supporters of CASM comprise nearly one in five of the industry’s estimated 100,000 employees, and many of them work in downstream fields, mainly installation.” CASM members nationwide strongly support the need to hold the Chinese government and its state-underwritten industry accountable to world and U.S. trade laws. Five examples: United Electric Supply, Delaware, 300 jobs: “First and foremost we support U.S. jobs. Secondly, we support fair trade and want a level playing field so high-quality U.S. products can compete in the U.S. marketplace.” Control Alt Energy, Pennsylvania, five jobs: “It isn’t enough to have installation jobs with inferior foreign products. We need to manufacture quality materials that our company installs here, keeping good-paying manufacturing jobs in America!”
Eland Electric Corp., Wisconsin, 30 jobs: “I am in support of this coalition for the simple fact that America needs to become a sustainable country and not dependent on other countries. We have done enough damage to our economy and don’t need the help of other countries demeaning our way of life and our American dollar. It is so easy for every other country to make a lot of money in the American market, yet so hard for Americans to make a decent and respectable living in our own economy.” Eco Solar Solutions, Maryland, five jobs: “I feel strongly that it is important for the U.S. economy to closely monitor what we import as far as PV cells and panels. We must keep as much as possible within the U.S. to secure jobs in this ever-growing industry. All the federal and state incentives will go to waste if we just give the money to Chinese manufacturers who aren’t playing by the rules.” u
calendar
EVENT
ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
DATE
33
VENUE
Manufacturing Surabaya
6-9 June 2012
Indonesia
International Conference on Production, Energy and Reliability (ICPER 2012)
12 June
Kuala Lumpur
Nepcon Malaysia
12-14 June 2012
Penang
ad:tech Singapore
13-14 June 2012
Singapore Exhibition C’tre
International Conference on Advances in Manufacturing Technology
15 June 2012
Chennai
20th International Industrial Machinery Exhibition
19-21 June 2012
Vietnam
Manufacturing Expo 2012
21 June 2012
Bangkok
InterPLAS Thailand 2012
21 June 2012
Bangkok
InterMold Thailand 2012
21 June 2012
Bangkok
Automotive Manufacturing 2012
21 June 2012
Bangkok
Factory Automation 2012
21 June 2012
Bangkok
Fluid Power 2012
21 June 2012
Bangkok
Industrial Energy Efficiency 2012
21 June 2012
Bangkok
Industrial Components & Subcontracting 2012
21 June 2012
Bangkok
Fluid Power
21-24 June
Bangkok
No Vacancy Southeast Asia Bangkok
26 June 2012
Bangkok
WasteMet Asia, Marina Bay Sands
1-4 July 2012
Singapore
International Manufacturing Technology Show
10-15 September
Chicago
Medical Manufacturing Asia
12 September 2012 Singapore
Asia Manufacturing Strategies Summit 2012
15-16 October
Singapore
Medical Fair Asia
12-14 Sept 2012
Suntec Singapore
Medical Manufacturing Asia 2012
12-14 Sept 2012
Suntec Singapore
OS + H Asia 2012
12-14 Sept 2012
Suntec Singapore
FoodTech PackTech Auckland, NZ
25-27 Sept 2012
Auckland
IEW International Energy Week
16 18 Oct 2012
Kuching, Borneo
SouthMach
29-30 May 2013
Christchurch NZ
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
technology
New tool helps manufacturers NORTHBROOK, Ill:
U
L Environment, a business unit of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), has announced the launch of a free webbased tool (http://sustainabilityquotient.questionpro. com) that will help manufacturers assess their corporate sustainability efforts.
Part of UL Environment’s Sustainability Quotient (SQ) Program (http://www. sustainabilityquotient.com), this tool provides manufacturers with a preliminary analysis of their sustainability initiatives relative to the requirements of the UL 880 standard. The tool also aggregates responses from all survey respondents and provides an overall benchmark of sustainability progress to date.
continue on-their sustainability journey,” says Savin. UL Environment’s SQ Program is a comprehensive system of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability initiatives of corporations at an enterprise level. The program addresses enterprise sustainability through five domains: • Environment • Governance for sustainability
“Manufacturers are making great strides when it comes to their own sustainability programs, and this assessment tool will help them identify gaps in standards they are currently using. By using this tool, companies will be able to get a sense of their organisation’s environmental, social, and governance performance, ideally acting as incentive for further innovation,” says Gary Savin, vice president of UL Environment.
• Work force
Based on the criteria in UL 880: Sustainability for Manufacturing Organizations, developed in conjunction with GreenBiz, the SQ
nextSTEP www.sustainabilityquotient. com.
Program’s assessment tool helps a manufacturer evaluate its sustainability profile based on key indicators, such as environmental purchasing policies, greenhouse gas reduction targets, and sustainable supply chain code of conduct. “The online assessment tool takes no more than 15 or 20 minutes to complete, and it generates an insightful, valuable, and actionable report for companies looking to get started on-or www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
• Customers and suppliers • Community engagement and human rights Companies that participate in the SQ Program may pursue certification to an entire enterprise-level standard (“full certification”) or certification to select domains within the standard (“focus area certification”).
To take the complimentary SQ Program readiness assessment tool, visit http:// www.sustainabilityquotient. questionpro.com. UL Environment’s mission is to advance global sustainability, environmental health, and safety by supporting the growth and development of environmentally-preferable products, services, and organizations. They help companies achieve their sustainability goals and
help consumers find products they can trust. UL Environment offers environmental claims validation, multi-attribute product certification, environmental product declarations, indoor air quality certification, product emissions testing, organisational sustainability certification, and consulting. For more information, visit UL is a premier global safety science company with more than 100 years of proven history. Employing nearly 9,000 professionals in 46 countries, UL is evolving the future of safety with five distinct business units – Product Safety, Environment, Life & Health, Verification and Knowledge Services – to meet the expanding needs of customers and the global public. u
business news
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Xstrata Coal and JX Nippon Oil & Energy joint venture
T TOKYO:
he British Columbian Premier, Christy Clark, joined Xstrata Coal and JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (JX Nippon) to announce the joint venture’s investment of $35 million in British Columbia to conduct a pre-feasibility study of the Suska Coal Project, located between Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd.
The announcement was made in Tokyo as part of Premier Clark’s trade mission, which includes stops in Japan, Korea and the Philippines. “Through Canada Starts Here: the BC Jobs Plan, our government is working to grow our economy and this recent investment confirms that we are on the right track,” said Premier Christy Clark. “Our industry partners can feel confident about their investments because of British Columbia’s low taxes, skilled workforce, and a transportation infrastructure that gets products to Asian markets quickly and efficiently.” “Xstrata’s partnership with JX Nippon has put us in a positive position to advance the Suska Coal Project,” said Mark McManus, Executive General Manager, Xstrata Coal Canada. “The pre-feasibility study will involve significant expenditures on exploration and environmental studies to develop the appropriate mining solution for the delivery of vital natural resources and sustainable value for stakeholders.” The pre-feasibility study is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2013. The next step will be to undertake a detailed feasibility study and seek the necessary approvals,
“Premier Christy Clark celebrates the announcement of a $35-million Suska coal project pre-feasibility study with joint venture partners Xstrata Coal Canada and JX Nippon in Tokyo, Japan. (L-R Shunsaku Miyake, Director, Senior Vice President, JX Nippon; Premier Christy Clark; Mark McManus, Executive General Manger, Xstrata Coal Canada). (CNW Group/Xstrata Coal)”.
including assessment by the BC Environmental Assessment Office. “JX is very excited about its US$435 million investment in Xstrata Coal British Columbia,” said Shunsaku Miyake, Director, Senior Vice President, JX Nippon. “We believe that the BC projects, including Suska, have significant potential for steelmaking coal production. This will allow JX to develop a new line of business and further diversify our market interests.” The Suska Coal Project includes areas acquired by Xstrata in 2011 previously held by First Coal Corporation and Cline Mining. The project will produce coal to be used in the manufacturing of steel. Neither the content of the company’s website nor the
content of any other website accessible from hyperlinks on the company’s website is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement. Xstrata Coal is the world’s largest seaborne exporter of high energy thermal coal and a significant producer of steelmaking coal. Xstrata Coal has recently established a significant presence in British Columbia through a series of acquisitions, which together form Xstrata Coal British Columbia. JX Nippon Oil & Energy (JX) is a diversified energy company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of JX Holdings and a core operating company of the JX Group. Xstrata Coal British Columbia and JX Nippon Oil & Energy have created a joint venture to own and deliver the British Columbia projects.u www.asiamanufacturingnews.com
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ASIA MANUFACTURING NEWS • MAY 2012
10THOUSANDTREES.com Continues page 26 www.asiamanufacturingnews.com