Tennessee Occupational Health and Safety Administration (TOSHA) officials traveled to Rogersville on Tuesday, March 20, to present the Governor’s Award of Excellence for Workplace Safety and Health to the ABB Rogersville Ball Bearing Plant.

In ways big and small, food manufacturing is tapping into the promise and potential of internet-based tools and applications that address some of the most nettlesome problems in plant operations. At least two makers of AC induction motors are introducing moderately priced sensors for monitoring temperature, current and vibration, a capability reserved in years past for large machinery that would have catastrophic consequences if they went down. One of these condition-monitoring tools, the ABB Smart Sensor, soon will be able to continuously relay data to the cloud for analysis and reporting of maintenance alerts.

Integration is significant step in ABB’s Next Level strategy, rebranding begins March 2018. ABB will integrate the Baldor Electric Company name into its global ABB brand as a part of its Next Level strategy, which includes harmonizing different ABB-owned brands under the global ABB master brand. Beginning March 1, 2018, Baldor Electric Company, a member of the ABB group for more than seven years, will be known as ABB.

On March 1, 2018, ABB, a pioneering technology leader, will unify the Baldor Electric Company name into its global ABB brand. On that date, Baldor Electric Company, a member of the ABB group since 2011, will begin to go to market as ABB.

Capital Rice Company, an affiliate of the STC group, is one of Thailand's top rice exporters, twice receiving the Prime Minister's Export Award. To keep up with the growing demand for its white and jasmine rice products, the company recently completed a two-phase plant expansion of their Chai Nat facility in the Sapphaya district, Chai Nat province of Thailand.

We've now tabulated the Readers' Choice Awards 26 times, for more than a quarter century, and we're starting to see it as an institution—more than a habit, at least a tradition, and we think, a trusted repository of valuable information for process automation professionals who want to know which companies offer the best technology, according to their peers.

Integration is significant step in ABB’s Next Level strategy, rebranding begins March 2018. ABB will integrate the Baldor Electric Company name into its global ABB brand as a part of its Next Level strategy, which includes harmonizing different ABB-owned brands under the global ABB master brand. Beginning March 1, 2018, Baldor Electric Company, a member of the ABB group for more than seven years, will be known as ABB.

On March 1, 2018, ABB, a pioneering technology leader, will unify the Baldor Electric Company name into its global ABB brand. On that date, Baldor Electric Company, a member of the ABB group since 2011, will begin to go to market as ABB.

Capital Rice Company, an affiliate of the STC group, is one of Thailand's top rice exporters, twice receiving the Prime Minister's Export Award. To keep up with the growing demand for its white and jasmine rice products, the company recently completed a two-phase plant expansion of their Chai Nat facility in the Sapphaya district, Chai Nat province of Thailand.

“In the transition year 2017, we shaped a streamlined and strengthened ABB. Now, our digital-first portfolio for customers in utilities, industry and transport and infrastructure is based on two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug, and automating industries from natural resources to finished products,” said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “The annual results include the dampening effect of our massive transformation. With our targeted actions to shift our center of gravity, we have improved competitiveness, addressed higher-growth segments and de-risked ABB. We delivered four consecutive quarters of increasing base-order growth. The momentum we have built in 2017 positions us for profitable growth as the global markets are improving. Today’s proposal to increase the dividend for the 9th consecutive year demonstrates our confidence in the future.”

Mississippi State will recognize retired Baldor Electric Company president and CEO and agricultural economics graduate Dr. R.L. Qualls of Little Rock, Arkansas, as the university’s national alumnus of the year during the Friday [Feb. 2] MSU Alumni Association 2018 awards banquet.

Energy makes up 80 percent of the cost of owning and operating a motor over its lifespan. That’s why motor makers have spent decades trying to build ever more energy-efficient designs. But with standard motors already achieving 96.7 percent efficiency, current technology might be reaching its limits. Some motor manufacturers say it’s impractical to continue making significant design investments in motors if the resulting price increases will outweigh any small efficiency gains. Others are turning to tools, both old and new, that can give motors a helping hand.

We are proud to announce the next generation food safe, stainless steel motor platform for extreme environments within the food and beverage industry. Baldor-Reliance Food Safe motors, designed with smooth contours and advanced sealing, exceed IP69K for water, to maximize motor life in high pressure, sanitary cleaning environments.

The Dodge Hydraulic ISAF (HISAF) mounted spherical roller bearing features a patented built-in hydraulic mounting system that makes this bearing simple to mount and dismount. Hydraulic pressure replaces physical labor, creating a safer and more accurate installation. The ease and precision of installation means less time is spent installing and removing the HISAF, reducing downtime on the equipment and labor costs associated with replacing bearings. Built to the same critical mounting dimensions as the industry standard SAF and SDAF, HISAF is a drop in interchange to existing equipment.

The Quantis product family, a full line of modular gear drives, has expanded to offer four and five stages of gear reduction for all three types of gear arrangements; in-line helical (ILH), offset parallel (MSM) and right angle helical bevel (RHB). Quantis reducers and gearmotors can now be configured in ratios over 7500:1 with an output torque range up to 14,000 Nm, making the new output speed range 20-times greater than before.

We're pleased to announce the expansion of the Raptor tire coupling product line, designed to deliver up to 5.9x longer coupling life, to include sizes E100, E120 and E140, with a maximum torque rating of 340,340 in-lb. The Raptor coupling utilizes patented WingLock™ technology, an optimized elastomeric element designed to provide longer driven equipment life and increased reliability. This technology increases surface area at the most critical regions of the element, resulting in higher bond strength, improved fatigue resistance, and significantly longer coupling life than competitive urethane designs.

Fire Pump motors are for use on fire pumps installed per NFPA-20. All motors meet UL requirements (File # E481231) in open drip proof enclosures designed for relatively clean and dry environments. Foot mounted motors are available from stock in ratings of 10-300 Horsepower and close coupled pump designs are available from stock in rating of 10-100 Horsepower. For custom designs please contact your local Baldor•Reliance sales representative.

We are proud to announce the latest motor technology - achieving efficiency performance two to four efficiency bands above NEMA premium® efficient levels (IE3) by utilizing a hybrid motor design.

Tennessee Occupational Health and Safety Administration (TOSHA) officials traveled to Rogersville on Tuesday, March 20, to present the Governor’s Award of Excellence for Workplace Safety and Health to the ABB Rogersville Ball Bearing Plant.

We've now tabulated the Readers' Choice Awards 26 times, for more than a quarter century, and we're starting to see it as an institution—more than a habit, at least a tradition, and we think, a trusted repository of valuable information for process automation professionals who want to know which companies offer the best technology, according to their peers.

Eighteen South Carolina businesses have been recognized by the SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation's Division of Labor for their commitment to safety. The Division of Labor's Safety Awards Program is open to all South Carolina Employers.

For the 17th straight year, Control Design Magazine has conducted an unaided ballot of their subscribers; more than 18,000 individuals who have buying influence or authority were invited to cast their votes. The ballot was created by these same people, asking them to rank their go-to sources for products and services in machine automation. For the 15th year in a row, readers selected Baldor•Reliance motors as the top choice in the Industrial Electric Motor category.

At a recent industry affairs conference held in Zurich, Switzerland, Baldor Electric Company’s Senior Director of Industry Affairs, John Malinowski, was recognized with the MS’16 Award “for his personal engagement to make IE3 premium efficiency motors the global market standard”.

The Bearing Manufacturer Excellence of Innovation in Product Design Award recognizes companies for innovation and excellence in product design or technology. BSA distributor members reviewed and ranked manufacturer innovation submissions. Among the abundance of innovative product designs submitted, three submissions were chosen to be recognized for their outstanding service to the end use customer.

In ways big and small, food manufacturing is tapping into the promise and potential of internet-based tools and applications that address some of the most nettlesome problems in plant operations. At least two makers of AC induction motors are introducing moderately priced sensors for monitoring temperature, current and vibration, a capability reserved in years past for large machinery that would have catastrophic consequences if they went down. One of these condition-monitoring tools, the ABB Smart Sensor, soon will be able to continuously relay data to the cloud for analysis and reporting of maintenance alerts.

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin takes second place due to strong growth in manufacturing employment over the past few years. From 2010 – 2015, the number of manufacturing jobs in the area grew by 37.8%, a figure beaten by only 5% of metro areas in our study. The growth in jobs is accompanied by growing incomes. From 2014 to 2015 the average income for a manufacturing worker here grew by 14.7%. That’s the 13th-fastest rate.

Element material selection is a critical component in the design process for any elastomeric coupling. This is no different for axially split tire elements. Some manufacturers use a high-load-capacity polyurethane bonded to metal clamp rings. At first glance, this material would appear to be a wise choice; polyurethane is a very strong material, and the primary function of a coupling is to transmit torque.

In all aspects of business, having dependable equipment is crucial to ensuring optimal performance and profitability. This couldn’t be truer in the feed and grain industry where time and productivity is of the essence. However, the conditions to which electric motors are exposed to in this environment are very different from typical electric motor applications like warehouses or manufacturing facilities.

The annual EASA conference & convention is quickly approaching in Tampa, Florida. If your attending this year, be sure and stop by booth #501 to visit your friends from Baldor! We have an exciting lineup for EASA this year and would like nothing more than to share with you. This year’s convention runs from June 25-27 at the Tampa Convention Center.

Always on the lookout for ways to reduce downtime and energy costs, chemical processors are turning to advanced motors and drives to help achieve these goals. Sometimes as integrated systems, sometimes not, new motors designed for premium efficiency and reliability and more sophisticated drives are helping processors increase availability and lower cost of ownership. Fortunately, motor and drive sup- pliers are working hard to provide top-notch equipment with modern features that can withstand the demanding applications found in the chemical processing environment.