Effective January 1, 2008, Heidi Alderman will become senior vice president for NAFTA Procurement for BASF Corp. She replaces Richard Carter who will relocate to Ludwigshafen, Germany, to assume responsibility for the newly created BASF Sales Detergents & Cleaners Industry unit.

Lisa Jane Scheller, chief executive officer of Silberline Manufacturing Co. Inc., Tamaqua, PA, recently led a seven-member delegation of aluminum industry leaders to the 2007 China Aluminum Forum in Chengdu, China.

Amid all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we need to pause and ask ourselves where our priorities truly lie. It can be easy to succumb to the commercialism of gift giving in a relentless quest to sate the materialistic yearnings of family and friends. But the transcendence of time instructs us that the best gifts are often the simplest.

"A few years ago, I spent several days at a very large powder coating manufacturing facility. The plant was doing 'in-mold coating,' in which they took sheets of plastic, placed them in a mold, and closed the mold. I am curious to know if this process is being used elsewhere at this time."

It’s time again to recognize and honor the cutting-edge innovators in our industry. Over the past few months, we received a number of nominations from across the globe for these awards. We’ve set aside this special article to recognize the greatest achievements in new technology in materials, process, instrumentation and equipment. This year, with our expanded coverage of the plating industry, we also have added an award for the greatest advancement in this technology. PLUS, AN ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: A list of the honorable mentions is included here.

Everyone likes to talk about reducing their impact on the environment. But when it comes to installing a water recycling system or any other capital equipment, that equipment has to do more than just benefit the environment and improve plant operations; it also has to make good business sense as an investment. Most decision makers use a tool called a “business case” to evaluate potential capital equipment investments.

Substrates such as wood, plastics and medium density fiberboard (MDF) are sensitive to heat (thermal expansion) and cannot be coated with conventional powder coatings. Consequently liquid coatings, foils and laminates have been used for their decoration and protection, especially in the furniture industry. In recent years, however, the development of ultra-low bake (ULB) and ultraviolet (UV) powder coatings for these substrates has allowed a dramatic reduction or even elimination of these traditional systems, resulting in new benefits for manufacturers.

How can you improve the quality and profitability of your heat treating operation? Try water-based quench coatings. These coatings use the residual heat in the parts to dry them efficiently. The parts are then ready for immediate shipment, bypassing the need for secondary finishing processes that are labor intensive and expensive, and thus expediting the manufacturing process.

Versa-Matic Pump Inc. has introduced a new line of E7 ¾-inch aluminum diaphragm pumps. The pumps have a port size of 0.75 in. and leak-free, bolted construction.

Advanced robot system networking and communications software from Motoman can enable secure connections between remote PCs and Motoman robot solutions on the factory floor, providing simple to sophisticated cell control, monitoring and backup.