NEWS
Borderless business practices required New distributor preferred in South Africa to drive success To be successful in today’s flat and fast world, auto suppliers must recognize and accept no limits, time zones or market barriers. This was the theme of a presentation by Dr Mohsen Sohi, president and chief executive officer of Freudenberg-NOK, in a presentation at a Management Briefing Seminar. To be successful, companies must adopt and adapt to different ways of thinking, and be open to areas that were once considered borders, he says. In his speech, ‘Beyond here there be dragons,’ Sohi shared his view of a rapidly expanding global business perspective. He urged suppliers to look past their traditional views, to a new level of global cooperation. As a company that maintains a strong global balance, Freudenberg-NOK has attempted to develop and maintain a seamless flow of technology, while coordinating a level of superior service to customers throughout the world. He noted that while some may protest the globalization of business, it can
help enhance trade and help disparities in socioeconomic levels around the world. In the new world of today, markets such as China and India, which were previously valued exclusively for their low cost of labor, are now seen as emerging markets that are sources of demand. This concept, he explained, takes a world perspective to economic activity, and will ultimately raise the standard of living. He also suggested that executives need to conduct a better analysis of where labor fits as a component of the product total cost. As an example, one production facility was faced with significant cost issues. The solution was not to move production overseas, but to adopt lean manufacturing disciplines and improve lead time, delivery and, as a result, customer satisfaction. Contact: Freudenberg-NOK GP, 47690 East Anchor Court, Plymouth, MI 481702455, USA. Tel: +1 734 451 0020, Fax: +1 734 451 0125, Web: www.freudenberg-nok.com
Dow makes major China investment Dow is planning to build a major liquid epoxy resins plant and also an epichlorohydrin facility at Zhangjiagang, China. The 150 000 MTPA world-scale ECH plant, which is expected to start up in 2010, would be the first to use a new Dow proprietary glycerine-to-epichlorohydrin technology. Glycerine is a bio-renewable product generated during bio-diesel production. The use of glycerine as the
primary feedstock in Dow’s ECH manufacturing represents a major technology breakthrough, providing significant cost and environmental advantages compared with the conventional process technologies. Contact: The Dow Chemical Company, 2030 Dow Center, Midland, MI 48674, USA. Tel: +1 989 636 1463, Fax: +1 989 636 1830, Web: www.dow.com
Large order for gaskets from US truck and engine manufacturer ElringKlinger will manufacture cylinder-head gaskets, as well as the oil pan and exhaust tract gaskets, for a newly developed V6 diesel engine for the North American market. Deliveries will start at the end of 2007, with projected annual sales of US$4–5m from 2008. More than half of the worldwide sales for
Sealing Technology October 2006
ElringKlinger are for diesel enginerelated products. In 2005, the company achieved sales of 474.6m. Contact: ElringKlinger AG, Max-Eyth-Strasse 2, D-72581 Dettingen/Erms, Germany. Tel: +49 7123 7240, Fax: +49 7123 724 9006, Email:
[email protected], Web: www.elringklinger.de
Abes Technoseal has become the new preferred distributor for Freudenberg Simrit in South Africa. Established in 1937, Abes Technoseal now has 60 employees, including eight specialists who visit customers personally to advise them on product purchases. The two companies have had a partnering agreement since 1950. The Elandsfontein-based firm belongs
to the Hudaco Group. Products are distributed by a network of more than 50 branch offices run by Bearings International in the Republic of South Africa and other southern African countries. Contact: Freudenberg Simrit, D-69465 Weinheim, Germany. Tel: +49 1805 746748, Fax: +49 1803 746748, Email:
[email protected], Web: www.simrit.de
Conference news Hard chrome alternative team to meet in January The next Program Review for the US Department of Defense (DOD) Hard Chrome Alternatives Team (HCAT) will take place 23–25 January 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The HCAT/JCAT is soliciting presentations that provide results on materials and component testing on alternatives to hard chrome and cadmium. Such technologies should be close to or ready for implementation in
production. Of particular interest are case studies or rig/field testing of alternative coatings on components. Offers of presentations relating to hard chrome replacement should comprise a title and brief summary, sent to Bruce Sartwell at
[email protected]. Full details of the meeting are available on the website. Web: www.materialoptions.com
Call for nanopolymer papers at new international conference Rapra Technology has recently announced the first international Nanopolymers Conference, to be held 12–13 June 2007 in Germany. Nanotechnology is already making a major impact on new product introductions throughout the world, in many industry sectors. Many of these new products are based on the material property changes that may be achieved by incorporation of ingredients, at the nanoscale, into polymeric systems. Papers are now being invited for submission, and potential subject areas include: • Aspects and impact of nanopolymers on specific industry sectors.
• Production challenges. • Property improvements achievable with nanoscale ingredients. • Characterization aspects of incorporating nanoscale ingredients into nanopolymers. • Market data on growth of nanopolymers. • New research and development in the field of nanopolymers. The deadline for offering summaries is 22 December 2006. Contact: Rapra Technology, Shawbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 4NR, UK. Tel: +44 1939 250383, Fax: +44 1939 252416, Email:
[email protected], Web: www.rapra.net
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