Product redesign
Spirax Sarco released its half-inch FTS-150 and FTS-300 float and thermostatic steam trap series. The product was redesigned to replace the OK series, which was a mixed material trap with a forged steel cover and stainless body, to an all stainless steel material trap, the company says. These products do not rust and are corrosion resistant, the company adds. With its single seated mechanism, all models of the FTS series are full modulating with 100 percent turn down ratio on both pressure and flow. The series also has a tight shut-off on no load, resulting in instantaneous response to condensate load changes, the company says. The trap operates at saturated steam temperatures with no back up of condensate into the inlet piping. All thermostatic air vents are able to operate up to 572 degrees Fahrenheit and remove air rapidly on start up making it water hammer resistant and capable of withstanding superheat, it says. The standard offering includes two operating ranges 0 to 150 pound-force per square inch gauge (psig) and 0 to 300 psig.

• Spirax Sarco USA, 1150 Northpoint Blvd., Blythewood, S.C. 29016; 800/575-0394; spiraxsarco.com.

Flexible solution
Sidel launched the AQ-File conveyor, a new single-file accumulation system. It can be used on bottling lines with speeds of less than 30,000 bottles an hour, for all types of industries, including wine and spirits and liquid dairy products, the company says. AQ-File is composed of a horizontal chain that winds around a wheel mounted on a mobile carriage. Accumulation is done by varying the length of the accumulation chain: the carriage moves back to create accumulation and advances to discharge the containers. AQ-File therefore operates without transfer and with just a single chain. The design of AQ-File offers optimal accessibility for all of its components at chest height, the company says. In addition, AQ-File retains all of the qualities associated with single-file accumulation: respect for container orientation and first-in, first-out conveying, it says.

• Sidel Group, 5600 Sun Court, Norcross, Ga. 30092; 678/221-3087; sidel.com.

Lightweight cap
SIG Combibloc is expanding its product range by adding a new screw cap. The new closure mechanism weighs 1.85 grams. The screw cap CombiCap is based on a process developed by SIG Combibloc. In this process, the screw cap is applied over an over-coated hole. Later, the closure, which is affixed to the carton pack after the product has been filled, can be opened by the consumer with a single twist, as the cardboard layer has already been removed and only the thin aluminum and polyethylene layers need to be pierced, the company says. The closure consists of a flange with integrated cutting ring and a screw cap. With a single twist of the screw cap, the tamper evidence feature on the original seal is broken with an audible click. At the same time, the twisting motion opens the over-coated hole cleanly and smoothly, the company says. The tamper evidence feature enables the consumer to see whether the carton pack still has its original seal or has already been opened, it says. To reclose, the cap is screwed back on, ensuring the carton pack remains leak-proof.

• SIG Combibloc Inc., 2501 Seaport Drive, Chester, Pa. 19013; 610/546-4200; sig.biz.

Lightweight bottles
Owens-Illinois Inc. (O-I) expanded its line of lightweight glass wine bottles in North America.
The newest bottle weighs 14 ounces. The new line of 750-ml. lightweight claret and Burgundy bottles is part of the O-I Lean+Green initiative designed to create aesthetically pleasing, durable, yet lighter weight bottles using advanced manufacturing techniques, the company says. The Lean+Green line is available in a variety of colors, including champagne green, flint, emerald green and dead leaf green, and will be between 16 and 27 percent lighter than current offerings. With the addition of the new 14-ounce 750-ml. capacity bottle, O-I North America now offers lightweight wine bottles ranging in weight from 11.6 to 16 ounces. Based on the production of 1 million bottles, use of the O-I 14-ounce lightweight bottles will provide carbon dioxide savings of more than 70 metric tons, the company says.

• Owens-Illinois Inc., 1 Michael Owens Way, Perrysburg, Ohio 43551; 567/336-5000; o-i.com.

Electric lift trucks
Yale Materials Handling Corp. unveiled its next generation of electric lift trucks. The ERC-VA series features the following: newly designed operator compartments and comfort; 16 percent more floor space; relocated multifunction displays for enhanced visibility and precise pallet control; improved brake pedal layout; Auto Deceleration Systems; and steel hoods for maximum battery service access, the company says. Yale’s ERC-VA series has lifting capacities of 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. The Yale-designed thermal management system continuously monitors the ERC-VA series’ controller and motor temperature and, upon identifying irregularity, the system protects the component by automatically adjusting truck performance, the company says.

• Yale Materials Handling Corp., 1400 Sullivan Drive, Greenville, N.C. 27834; 252/931-5100; yale.com.

Handheld computer
LXE launched the Tecton, a handheld computer that targets supply chain applications. The IP-65 rated computer accelerates real-time data capture with a PXA 320 806MHz processor that runs on Windows Mobile 6.5 or Windows CE 6.0, the company says. The unit’s multi-range scanning capabilities enable bar code reads from 4 inches to 40 feet, so that operators can perform warehouse moves including receiving and full pallet put-aways with the same version of the computer. Scan-intensive picking can be enabled with the Tecton computer’s available easy-grip removable handle with two-finger trigger, and every Tecton computer comes with LXE’s ToughTalk technology for voice-driven processes. The device also features a scan vibration signal that can be used to verify successful scans in loud warehouses and multiple built-in data entry options.

• LXE Inc., 125 Technology Parkway, Norcross, Ga. 30092; 770/447-4224; lxe.com.

New market system
CFL International LLC introduced the aquablubox, a 3- and 5-gallon pre-filled bottled water vending machine. Sanden Vendo America Inc. manufactured the aquablubox. The machine provides customers with unlimited access and requires no store employees to sell, stock and inventory the large bottles of water, the company says.

• Sanden Vendo America Inc., 10710 Sanden Drive, Dallas, Texas 75238; 800/344-7216; vendoco.com.

Narrow aisle forklift
Crown Equipment Corp. released the Crown RM 6000 Series, a narrow aisle reach truck with a MonoLift mast. The product is a pantograph reach truck that can reach 505 inches and deliver up to 1,000 pounds more capacity at full height, the company says. It is equipped with forks that travel upward at a pace of 153 feet a minute. Visibility has improved on the Crown RM 6000 at height, eye and ground levels, the company says. The MonoLift mast is offset 7 inches to the left of the operator and narrows the higher it goes. Crown also reshaped the reach carriage to create a larger window at eye level giving the operator a better view of fork tips and load, it says. The load backrest was modified by designing a notch in the upper right-hand corner so that operators can scan at ground level from their position in the forklift. Crown RM 6000 also features the Crown OnTrac Anti-Slip Traction Control to assist the truck from slipping on wet, dusty and sealed floors.

• Crown Equipment Corp., 44 South Washington St., New Bremen, Ohio 45869; 419/629-2311; crown.com.

Tubing line
Polyethylene-lined ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) tubing is a co-extruded product now available from NewAge Industries. The tubing combines the functionality of polyethylene with the flexibility of EVA and is used in many applications, including beverage processing, the company says. Polyethylene tubing is typically a semi-rigid product, but the addition of EVA gives it enhanced flexibility and allows its use with economical barb-style fittings. The tubing’s patented manufacturing method ensures a permanent bond between the inner and outer layers. First the core of low density polyethylene is extruded, then farther down the production line, the EVA covering is extruded around the core using a patented process. The result is tubing that offers different performance characteristics for cleanliness inside and flexibility outside of the tube, the company says.

• NewAge Industries Inc., 145 James Way, Southampton, Pa. 18966; 215/526-2300; newageindustries.com.

Online energy management tool
Rockwell Automation developed a free online tool, called the WAGES systems, that gives a manufacturer a complete analysis of its current water, air, gas, electric and steam management performance. It also provides a clear understanding of how its operating strategies compare with peers in both the same industry and across other sectors, the company says. The tool uses a 20-minute online assessment to generate a real-time report outlining a facility’s competitive WAGES management baseline. The tool is based on the Rockwell Automation Industrial GreenPrint methodology, which is designed to provide manufacturers with a customized, strategic roadmap for industrial WAGES resource management. The methodology consists of four stages — awareness, efficiency, optimization and aggregation — and helps companies transform their practices and production, improving profitability and enabling supply chain optimization, it says.

• Rockwell Automation Inc., 1201 S. Second St., Milwaukee, Wis. 53204; 414/382-2000; rockwellautomation.com.

Software additions
Building on the current version of JPRO Fleet Diagnostics software for heavy-duty vehicles, Noregon Systems announced the release of JPRO Fleet Diagnostics version 5.0 that updates diagnostic capabilities for heavy-duty vehicles through the 2010 model year. In addition to the existing heavy-duty package, beginning spring 2011, JPRO Fleet Diagnostics v5.0 will offer diagnostic capabilities for medium-duty platforms with the purchase of OEM specific software modules, the company says. This upgrade will begin with Ford E-series and F-series trucks (model years 2004 and newer) and additional releases in 2011 for GM, Dodge, Hino, Isuzu and MBE-Sprinter. As an added enhancement, JPRO v5.0 software will implement an Internet-based activation and registration process.

• Noregon Systems Inc. 100 North Main St., Suite 2200, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101; 336/768-4337; noregon.com.

Stainless steel motors
Boston Gear launched a new line of stainless steel motors for washdown performance. These stainless steel motors are designed to provide long-lasting performance in harsh washdown environments where high-pressure caustic solvents and cleaners are used to help meet Federal Drug Administration bacteria and food contamination guidelines, the company says. Exterior construction consists of 300 Series stainless steel housing, end bells, output shaft, and conduit box. Motors are Underwriters Laboratories/ULC certified and conform to 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act efficiency standards, the company says. All units feature Class F insulation, Class B rise at 1.15 service factor, and epoxy-encapsulated windings. Internal locked bearings eliminate unwanted axial movement, the company says.

• Boston Gear, 701 Carrier Drive, Charlotte, N.C. 28216; 704/588-5610; bostongear.com.

Outdoor mock beverage display
Safestrap Co. unveiled the Pallet Decoy display for use by beverage brands that are looking to increase brand visibility in convenience stores and gas stations. The Pallet Decoy is a mobile display designed to simulate a full pallet of boxed beer or soda. The mock displays are designed to drive sales without the retailer having to use actual product, which often ends in sacrificing profits to theft and weather-related damage, the company says. The mock display attaches to an empty wooden pallet and can be safely placed in a highly visible outdoor location. Designed to be outdoors, the displays are capable of standing up to harsh sunlight and wind, the company says. Pallet Decoys are available in three sizes in Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Anheuser-Busch products.

• Safestrap Company Inc., 105 W. Dewey Ave., Building D, Wharton, N.J. 07885; 973/422-4623; safestrap.com.

Salient listed in ‘magic quadrant’ for business intelligence
Salient Management Co., an organizational performance management firm that has developed Business Intelligence technology to help beverage companies improve efficiency and profitability, announced that it has been positioned by Gartner Inc. in the “Niche Players” quadrant of the “Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence Platforms.”

In the Gartner research report, Salient was evaluated as a market player based on its “ability to execute” in areas, such as product and service; overall viability; sales execution and pricing; market responsiveness and track record; market and customer experience; as well on its “completeness of vision” in terms of market understanding, product strategy, business model and innovation.

“We believe this recognition confirms our mission of 25 years to enable every decision-maker enterprise-wide to bring value intelligence into any situation in time to impact the business and improve efficiency,” says Guy Amisano, Salient president and chief executive officer. “But we are not resting on our laurels. Our new version, which is due out this spring, will include several new user-driven features that will further enhance our visual data mining and knowledge sharing capabilities.”

To be included in the Magic Quadrant, vendors must deliver at least nine out of 13 capabilities detailed in Gartner’s market definition/description under the categories of integration, information delivery and analysis. Candidates also must be able to obtain a minimum of 20 customer survey responses that use the vendor platform as their enterprise Business Intelligence platform.

The Salient solution allows users to “pull” the information they need as soon as they need it and in the format they require, and lets them continue asking questions and “pulling” answers so that they can achieve peak business performance.

“Our system measures the effect of managerial actions on outcomes, and enables managers to convert this knowledge into better decisions,” Amisano says. “The result is absolute control over resources, which translates into less waste and better performance. It can transform any enterprise into a fact-based, knowledge-driven management environment. We understand economics and we know how business-minded individuals need to relate to business activity in order to measure and improve results.”

Gartner’s Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the “Leaders” quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

• Salient Management Co., 203 Colonial Drive, Horseheads, N.Y., 14845; 607/739-4511; salient.com.

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