Author: Serkadis

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Mini, UAW/Unions

Attention all workers at the Cowley Mini plant in Oxford, England: Do not report to work today unless you know how to repair a door press. According to the Witney Gazette, the historic Mini factory is currently on standby due to a dead door press that has all workers at home early for the Easter break, which lasts until Wednesday, April 7. While we’re sure workers are happy for the extra time off, they will have to use vacation time to make up for the lost production. We’re guessing that solution wouldn’t fly at United Auto Workers headquarters, but then again, union membership here in the States isn’t exactly flourishing.

The vehicle assembly plant doesn’t even make the door panels; that job falls on the Swindon body panel factory. There is no word at this time whether the unscheduled shutdown will affect Mini production long-term.

[Source: Witney Gazette via MotoringFile]

Bring On the Dune Buggy: Mini production reportedly halted over lack of doors originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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California isn’t the only hub for hydrogen car development and deployment. New York State is fast becoming a hub as well.

For instance, General Motors has a plant in Honeoye Falls, (which is near Rochester) where several hundred engineers are working on Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles. For the past couple of years GM has been conducting its Project Driveway program that let’s average people driver their hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) in exchange for user feedback.

Now, once again, not only is GM asking for feedback but marketing advice. MBA students at the University at Buffalo School of Management are being asked to come up with a marketing plan to launch 100,000 FCVs in the year 2015.

According to professor Arun Jain, “So the challenge is to identify where they should be selling it, what should be the market segment they should focus on, and how should they position the car.”

GM brought in an Equinox FCV on campus for some of the students to drive to give them a feel for what the project would be all about. An even better idea in my opinion is to bring the students and guiding faculty members into the Project Driveway program at this point, so that they have access to the past couple year’s worth of consumer feedback on the vehicle.

GM started Project Driveway after all in order to first, test the vehicle, but second, test consumer acceptance of the vehicle. This data would serve the students well in coming up with a plan of action going forward.

Last year, we wrote about the rise of pay-for-delay programs being run by big pharmaceutical firms to use patent lawsuits as a cover to pay off generic drug makers to prevent them from competing in the market. We were pretty disappointed that a part of health care reform that would have outlawed such deals got dropped, but figured that these still seemed like anticompetitive actions that the FTC could deal with.

Well, that might not work either. Joe Mullin points out that one such lawsuit suggesting that some of these deals were anticompetitive has been tossed out. The specifics here are a bit more complex — as the deal that the big pharma, Schering-Plough (now owned by Merck) worked out with two generic drug makers was technically structured as a “license deal” where Schering got to license drugs from those generic drugmakers — even if it never really did so. It still provided some amount of “cover.” Furthermore, the agreement not to introduce the generics in the market only occurred during the time when Schering’s drug was still covered by the patent. So, really, there was some dispute as to whether or not the generic actually violated the patent or not — but since the ruling was not about determining that fact, just whether the actions were anti-competitive, the judge concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence of any anticompetitive behavior.

So, basically, the only reason this wasn’t anticompetitive was because it all happened under a government-granted monopoly. Talk about ironic, right? Because there’s a monopoly, the company doesn’t get labeled a monopolist. Isn’t the patent system great?

This ruling is unfortunate for a variety of reasons. You can see why generic drug makers agree to these deals: it’s either go through an expensive fight to put a drug on the market, or get out of the lawsuit and get paid a ton of money for nothing. Not hard to make that decision. But the end result is anti-competitive, in that it allows big pharma firms to keep the prices jacked up very high on their drugs, much to the detriment of everyone else.

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Camp LeJeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina tried to ban stickers critical of Islam that they deemed inflammatory (like the one pictured above) but a federal judge has now barred them from doing so.

“…The ruling came in the case of a civilian employee who had served 25 years in the Marines including two combat tours in Vietnam before he retired.

Jesse Nieto lost his youngest son, Marc, in the Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole by Islamic terrorists and subsequently carried bumper stickers and decals critical of the violence of Islam, including “We died, they rejoiced,” “Islam = Terrorism” and a picture of Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes cartoon fame, urinating on a cartoon illustration of Muhammad.

The camp base ordered the criticisms of Islam censored, and when Nieto refused, brought court action against him.

Yesterday’s ruling from Senior U.S. District Judge Malcom J. Howard reversed the order.

“Because defendants have applied Base Traffic Regulation BO 5560.2M … in a manner that discriminates against plaintiff’s message, they have violated his individual rights as protected by the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the judge wrote…” (source)

Climatewire: A major new U.N. economic report out this week finds climate change will wither Africa’s agricultural output by at least half, making new coping mechanisms critical to the continent’s survival.

But, the study finds, adaptation measures could cost between 5 and 10 percent of continental gross domestic product, putting many of the solutions out of Africa’s economic reach.

While Africa will be the most affected by climate change … it is the least able to finance mitigation and adaptation measures,” the authors wrote. “There are limited resources available to the international community as a whole, and Africa in particular, for adaptation and mitigation.”

The report, published annually by the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union Commission, was launched yesterday Lilongwe, Malawi. This year’s theme is focused on promoting high-level sustainable growth to reduce unemployment.

While the impacts of climate change are not a focal point, the authors note that rising global temperatures are a serious threat to the continent’s investments in water storage, irrigation and rain-fed agriculture. The authors call on the international community to deliver more financing to African countries to help cope with the impacts, and point to potential economic advantages Africa might reap in developing its own low-carbon energy sources.

Some agriculture yields could be cut in half

The study cites the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2007 report, projecting that yields from rain-fed agriculture would drop as much as 50 percent in various African countries. By the 2080s, it predicts the number of undernourished people will increase by as much as 50 million people to reach about 240 million.

The projections are far more dire than ones found by World Bank economists, who also noted that agriculture-reliant Africa “sees a close association between rainfall and GDP growth.” But the report forecasts that agricultural output could fall about 16 percent by 2080.

Either estimate, economists say, has dire implications for food security. Meanwhile, biodiversity losses of 25 to 40 percent by the end of the century could shatter livelihoods for the 400 million Africans whose livelihoods rely on forest products. Urban dwellers won’t be safe, either. Scientists project increased coastal flooding could be severe for Africa, where an ever-growing population is projected to be living in coastal cities “where flooding will be more frequent and intense.”

‘Huge’ resources gap

The costs of protection will be steep. The report estimates sub-Saharan Africa needs an average of $18.1 billion annually to mitigate climate change, the third-highest figure after East Asia and the Pacific ($25 billion) and Latin America and the Caribbean ($21 billion).

While adaptation costs as a share of GDP are expected to decline over time in all regions — which the authors point to as a sign that as countries grow they gain more ability to adapt — sub-Saharan Africa has the highest share of adaptation costs as a share of GDP.

“Thus, boosting economic growth is imperative for enabling adequate resource allocation to advanced adaptation capacity,” they wrote, and noted a “huge gap” between the resources needed and those already made available. The authors argued that sub-Saharan Africa’s low level of development has something in its favor: It gives Africa the opportunity to pursue sustainable development by embracing low-carbon growth.

Last year, world leaders vowed at a U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen to provide poor countries $30 billion annually by 2012 for climate adaptation and to mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020.

Lisa Friedman, E&E reporter

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Over the last few weeks I’ve had the pleasure to announce three PrimalCon 2010 speakers: Maya White (How to Sit, Stand and Walk Like Grok), Brad Kearns (How to Apply the Primal Blueprint Principles to Endurance Training) and Nicoletta Florio (Green Living and Health). In addition to all the other festivities at this year’s PrimalCon (Primal barbecue dinners, guided sprint and workout beach sessions, mass ocean plunge, local farm tour, ultimate Frisbee, morning hikes, personal massages, organic wine and chocolate sensible indulgence evening, etc.) we’re lucky to have one additional PrimalCon breakout session speaker. PrimalCon attendees will get to participate in a Barefoot Running Clinic lead by Barefoot Ted himself. Read Barefoot Ted’s guest post below and then sign up for PrimalCon 2010 before it’s too late!

__________________________________________________________________________

The friendly and flowing savage, who is he? Is he waiting for civilization, or is he past it, and mastering it? ~Walt Whitman

All this talk about barefoot running lately…what’s up with that?

Well, think about Grok. Think about his footwear. Do you think he needed supportive, cushioned, orthopedic shoe-boots in order to make it through his day? Nope. He was born with the best footwear money could buy…his own bare feet.

Grok’s footwear = self-nourishing, self-healing, get-stronger-and-smarter-with-use material, directly connected to the brain, proprioceptive. Good news, you have the same.

Fast forward to today. A world where most people are completely disconnected from their own feet and the marvelous capacity they contain. So disconnected that an entire generation of Americans have grown up thinking that they could not move without shoes. But is that the case?

My own personal journey for finding a answer to this question is best outlined in Christopher McDougall’s best-selling book “Born to Run”. If you haven’t read it, you should. It is perhaps the best evidence available to help understand why humans are the premiere endurance animal on the planet. Our success as a species is connected to an amazing human capacity called persistence hunting.

Our need for meat is directly connected to our growing brain and our fabulous trotting abilities.  Grok can out trot just about any other land animal when you add distance to the equation.  That ability along with burgeoning brain power turned Grok into an amazing hunter, even before he had mastered some of the weapons that would follow. Grok was able to literally run an animal to death. And some of our ancestors are still doing it today (search YouTube for persistence hunting to see).

Grok was a barefoot trotter. Super efficient movement: fluid, light and smooth…these are hallmarks of animals that can cover territory without waste. Grok was a master at this.

And indeed, my goal is to help you revive this skill sans traditional running shoes. I want to teach you how to reconnect to the very best tools you were ever given for learning how to move well…and it all about reconnecting with your own body…not blocking out the feeling of the world, but rather tuning in to it…like Grok and all other animals that move with grace and fluidity.

By taking off your shoes or wearing some minimal, non-cushioned shoes, you give your body a chance to reuse some amazing systems to help you move in a way that is not jarring, not pounding. It is counter-intuitive, but the truth is, and studies back this up, the more you block out the feeling of impact in your feet, the more impact you can put into your body. The typical shoe ad has made you think you need more padding to protect your body…and all that padding has led to more injuries and more pain. Why?

My Introduction to Barefoot Running Clinic is designed to help answer this question. I have had the opportunity to teach 1000s of folks how to move in a way that is joyful and smooth. I have developed a methodology that gets people to tune into the feeling of running well…which has nothing to do with enduring pain, but rather is all about finding and maintaining a sweet spot of efficient movement that is addictive and primal.

My clinic will leave you with the tools you need to self-analyze your own barefoot trotting progress. Indeed, my goal is to teach you what I call the persistence hunt trot, a trot that once mastered gives the Grok in you the ability to cover large distances efficiently and smoothly when needed.

I look forward to sharing with you.

Barefoot Ted McDonald

An independent athlete committed to re-discovering primal natural human capacities and encouraging others to do the same.

Having spent the last 7 years focused on mastering barefoot long distance running, his personal journey being outlined in the best selling book “Born to Run”, a book he likes to call his quirky PhD thesis that he didn’t have to write.

Ted has been featured in numerous articles focused on the benefits of barefoot running. He also has played a major role in popularizing minimalist footwear including Vibram FiveFingers and huarache sandals.

Ted’s research and adventures have been regularly shared on his popular blog, Barefoot Ted’s Adventures. He also manages an online forum dedicated to minimalist/barefoot running.

These days Ted enjoys coaching and speaking. His Introduction to Barefoot Running clinics are designed to communicate his personal discoveries about barefoot running to individuals and groups.

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1. Barefoot Alternatives
2. PrimalCon 2010 Announcement: Sit, Stand and Walk Like Grok
3. Introducing the Inaugural PrimalCon!

A Hyundai apresentou nessa edição do Salão do Automóvel de Nova Iorque o novo Sonata 2011 como o moderno e surpreendente motor Gdi 2.0 turbo. Surpreendente não pela sua ótima potência de 274 cavalos, mas sim pela sua ótima media de consumo para a sua potencia, de 14,45 km/l na estrada.

Seu novo motor 2.0 da família Theta II conta com a estreia da tecnologia GDI de injeção direta de combustível e com o auxilio do turbocharger que de acordo com a Hyundai, oferece uma potência equivalente a um modelo equipado com motor V8, mas oferecendo um reduzido nível de consumo e de emissões de poluentes.

O novo câmbio também foi adequando a seu motor, oferecendo seis velocidades e oferecendo um escalonamento que permita um equilíbrio entre desempenho e economia. Além disso, o novo Hyundai Sonata 2.0 turbo contará com as versões SE e Limited, no qual a Limited virá com alguns itens adicionais como teto solar panorâmico, sistema de escapamento duplo, rodas esportivas de 18 polegadas e volante com paddle shifters.

Novo Hyundai Sonata 2011 2.0 turbo

Fonte: GlobalMotors

Filed under: Budget, Hybrid, Etc., Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Electric, Diesel

Daimler is looking for a new kind of Renault Alliance, one that includes Nissan. According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, there is a deal pending between Renault–Nissan and Daimler to partner on things like engines and platforms, as well as further development on matters that could help increase fuel efficiency. The two companies feel that partnering in those areas would help develop the technology more effectively while keeping the costs more manageable.

Right off the bat, Daimler will get the key to the Renault-Nissan small-car and small-engine toybox. When was the last time you heard of a cheap, frugal Mercedes-Benz… even a Smart? Renault-Nissan would get the opportunity to fiddle around with Daimler’s hybrid goodies, as well as possibly the German company’s diesels. Any sort of Nissan-Renault alliance with Daimler could fail horribly – after all, these are the raiders that flogged Chrysler badly enough to land it on the heart/lung machine. On the other hand, a vehicle as inexpensive as a Versa that’s as solidly screwed together as an E Class has a certain allure. An announcement may come as soon as early next week.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

WSJ: Daimler and Renault-Nissan in “final stages” of alliance talk originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I will be speaking at CrossFit Chaos (Prescott, AZ)) at 12:30 PM on Saturday, April 3. If you’re in the area come out and say hello!

CrossFit Chaos (map)
3260 Tower Rd
Prescott, AZ 86305

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1. CrossFit Radio Appearance
2. Announcement!
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Provides ratio assurance in a fully configurable system

Applying high solids plural-component coatings efficiently and on-ratio can be a challenge. However, the next evolution in plural-component proportioning equipment from Graco meets the ratio challenge with a whole new set of technologies and features.

The new Graco® XM plural-component sprayer provides precise ratio control, allows users to download historical spraying data and handles a wide range of two-part materials.
The Graco XM is engineered to proportion accurately, even at high flow rates; this allows customers to increase productivity and improve their profitability.

At the heart of the precision ratio assurance is Graco’s revolutionary dosing technology. The main material component (resin) flows constantly, while the minor component (hardener) is injected at higher pressures. Advanced sensing technology allows pumps to compensate for pressure fluctuations, resulting in accurate, on-ratio mixing for a better yield and less waste.
As coating standards evolve, stricter requirements are placed on how a material is applied. A perfect example are the Performance Standards for Protective Coatings adopted by the International Maritime Organization. With data downloads from the Graco XM, operators can verify that they were spraying at the correct ratios and requirements set by the coating’s manufacturer. It’s like having an onboard inspector. They have the confidence that the job was done right.

Fully configurable.
Each Graco XM is configurable. End-users start with a base unit, then select the accessories required for the specific application.
Thanks to the dosing technology (patent pending) and configurable options, the Graco XM can handle a wide range of materials allowing customers to standardize equipment.

Added productivity.
Graco XM plural-component sprayers support multiple spray guns for added productivity and are ideal for corrosion-control applications, such as tank lining, secondary containment, marine ballast storage tank coatings, potable water tank coatings, shipbuilding and marine maintenance, railcar maintenance, wind tower coatings, bridge and infrastructure projects, pipeline coatings, and for coating structural steel.

Zinc coated surfaces are to function as corrosion prevention. But often a humid or wet environment or atmospheric conditions cause this so called wet storage stain. Wet storage stain is a corrosion product of the zinc, which can be removed long-lasting due to a professional treatment.
For this application Lessmann offers a special brush with bronze filament. This hand brush with a 14 mm long, close filament allows an effective cleaning of those areas which are infested with wet storage stain without spoiling the zinc coated surface.
The rounded body out of beech wood has a length of 120 mm and a width of 70 mm, on the long side there are finger channels. With those channels the brush is very handy and ensures a proper hold during the application.
On demand a private label imprint or an individual packaging is possible, so that you can score with a professional appearance.
Please do not hesitate to contact us. We are pleased to make you a convenient offer.

The new moisture sensor HYGROPHIL DT 1500 allows a higher precision and long-term stability than previous sensor systems in this segment. Through innovations and miniaturized construction, BARTEC makes the dew-point mirror technology available to many industries where the measurement with conventional laboratory devices (dew-point mirrors) is too expensive and conventional moisture measurement technology is too imprecise or too instable. The drift-free and low-maintenance operation permits the reliable provision of measurement data for process control, quality monitoring or the application for research purposes.

Some of the advantages offered by the dew-point mirror technology can be found in the monitoring of the pressure dew-point in compressed air pipes for the protection of downstream systems and for the control of cold dryers as well as in paint finishing systems for improving the paint quality by regulating and controlling the supply air climate. The confrontation with aggressive mediums such as H2O2 (decontamination for isolators) and the precise ascertainment of the dew-point/the relative moisture in clean rooms, as well as the moisture measurement in ripening systems or the regulation of drying processes are further application fields of the sensor.

In the fight against surface microbial growth, Priorclave remain the leading autoclave manufacturer whose entire range of autoclaves helps the hospital, biochemical, food and pharmaceutical laboratory environments to reduce their risk of cross contamination. The surface coatings of the cabinets contain silver-based, BioCote® technology, dramatically reducing microbial growth.
BioCote® technology aids the fight against infection by inhibiting the growth of a wide range of micro-organisms, including E.coli, Pseudomonas,and MRSA on the exterior surfaces of the equipment.
BioCote® has been proven to work many times through environmental studies across many disciplines, the most recent of which have been undertaken within the food industry.
At KJ Cooked Meats Ltd, products (e.g. doors) with BioCote® were compared with those without, the combined average reduction in microbe levels was an astonishing 96% fewer on the treated surfaces.
Campylobacter causes more cases of food poisoning than Salmonella and has contributed to cross-contamination of chickens during transportation in crates around the poultry rearing and process system.
In partnership with Anglia Autoflow Ltd, Biocote Ltd conducted trials on treated and non-treated crates at all critical points of the decontamination process to find that only one Campylobacter isolate was collected from the treated crates compared to 44 isolates collected from the untreated crates.
These trials conclude that silver can complement cleaning and hygiene practices, working in-between cleaning, to reduce levels of bacteria on BioCote® protected equipment.

The demagnetizers for engine components and Auto parts are many, according to the specific Customer requirements. The demagnetizers can be in line or off line, fully automatic or manually operated.

Some examples of engine components and auto parts: injectors, parts of injectors, valves, con rods, piston components, camshafts, fuel rails, flywheels, wheel hubs, drives shafts and other parts.

Electronic Demagnetizers, Characteristics and performances:
Minimum residual magnetism, Minimum energy consumption, Absolute reliability and durability, High productivity, Highest demagnetizing values repeatability, Easy movement without magnetic retention, Easy adaptation to the customer’s line.

In a word, it is because Bestact has a very large switching capcity. Conventional reed switches have a switching capacity of only around 50VA(resistive) at the most. Consequently they frequently suffer from contact welding – due to the electrostatic storage(capacitive) capacity of long cable runs or contact sticking the inrush current of inductive loads, which is due to insufficient repulsive force when the circuit is closed. That’s why conventional reed switches normally need contact protection circuits to prevent these faults.

In addition to the switching capacity of 240VAC 30A (7kVA), Bestact mechanically charges the return spring and imparts a hammering effect to open the contacts with a large separating force and at high speeds. Made of newly developed heat-resistant material, Bestact will not contact weld or stick, even without contact protection circuitry such as R/C snubbers or diodes, making it possible to use it like a normal contact.

ShearClean™ – non-contact system is the latest addition to the Witney, UK manufacturer’s line-up of web cleaning systems and is suitable for sectors ranging from narrow web label printing (litho, gravure, flexo) and converting to food packaging and pharmaceutical applications.

The addition of ShearClean™ to the Meech range opens up a whole new range of applications where contact cleaning systems may not be the method of choice. Examples might include scratch-prone finishes, substrates featuring special coatings or decorative labels destined for premium consumer goods.

ShearClean’s™ principle of operation is unique in the markets we are targeting and we believe its ease of installation, its effectiveness in removing dust and debris from an extensive range of materials and its low running costs, will make it attractive to companies operating in a variety of markets who are looking to improve the productivity and quality of their lines. Indeed, pre-launch trials have shown extremely encouraging results.

ShearClean™ can be supplied to match any reel width up to 1.8 metres and equipment speeds of up to 1,000 metres per minute. The system simultaneously cleans both sides of the web and can be used with materials as diverse as paper or film. Printers wanting to remove debris from the web prior to printing could fit ShearClean™ before the first unit, while pre-printed reels could be cleaned before packaging.

ShearClean™ incorporates two cotton-covered rollers, which are positioned 1 mm either side of the web. The rollers spin at high speed – up to 6,000 RPM in the opposite direction to that of the web and the air currents generated break up the boundary layer on the surface of the web, allowing the highly effective vacuum system to remove particles that were held in that layer.

ShearClean™ can be tailored to suit customers’ requirements not just in terms of size but also in sophistication. For instance, Meech can provide various control upgrades to create a fully programmable unit. The company has also made use of its expertise in static control and has incorporated static elimination equipment into ShearClean™, which significantly improves the effectiveness of the cleaning process.