Food safety compliance demands equipment that can face the challenges of the food and beverage industry. Food safety violations are on the rise, costing companies thousands, if not millions, to resolve; all while posing a health risk to the public and damaging the company’s reputation. This means that all food processing equipment should be designed, used, and maintained with food safety principals in mind. Yet, many products fail prematurely due to corrosion and/or grease washout from the high pressure, caustic washdowns common in achieving the increasingly stringent cleanliness standards.

The last big piece of the multibillion-dollar system built after Hurricane Katrina to protect the New Orleans area from flooding during a hurricane or other severe storm is in place, officials said Thursday, marking the end of construction on a set of enormous pumps that will empty the city's three main drainage canals into Lake Pontchartrain. The three pumping stations, designed to push water out of the 17th Street, Orleans and London Avenue canals during severe storms, form one of the most state-of-the-art flood protection systems in the world. Working together, they can move enough water to fill the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in about an hour and a half.

ABB has been selected to supply its Terra HP charging stations as part of the biggest electric vehicle infrastructure project to date in the United States. The chargers, which can refresh even the largest electric vehicle battery in under 15 minutes, were selected for deployment by Electrify America, which plans to place hundreds of charging stations within and around 17 metropolitan areas and along multiple nationwide highway corridors.

A Dodge Controlled Start Transmission drive delivers increased conveyor reliability and reduced maintenance at one of India’s largest iron ore mines. Reliability was the priority during a 2013 upgrade at Tata Steel’s Noamundi Iron Mine (NIM) in the Eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. This meant replacing an aging gearbox on their longest conveyor. The mine became the first in India to install a Dodge Controlled Start Transmission (CST) drive. Now, after five years of trouble-free performance they are ready to install three more units.

There are two things worth noting on how technology is changing motors. "One is the Internet of Things (IoT) trend," says Michael Offik, PE, director of packaged solutions at ABB. "The motors can be inexpensively monitored. The other is the continued push for power density and efficiency. When talking motors, that means you move from induction to something that uses permanent magnets to reduce losses."

ABB is exhibiting at the largest global event for the oil and gas sector. The Offshore Technology Conference is where the world's energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. It boasts more than 500,000 sq. ft of exhibit space, 70,000+ industry professionals, 2,000+ leading exhibitors, 300+ journalists, and over 100 speakers from around the world.

The last big piece of the multibillion-dollar system built after Hurricane Katrina to protect the New Orleans area from flooding during a hurricane or other severe storm is in place, officials said Thursday, marking the end of construction on a set of enormous pumps that will empty the city's three main drainage canals into Lake Pontchartrain. The three pumping stations, designed to push water out of the 17th Street, Orleans and London Avenue canals during severe storms, form one of the most state-of-the-art flood protection systems in the world. Working together, they can move enough water to fill the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in about an hour and a half.

ABB has been selected to supply its Terra HP charging stations as part of the biggest electric vehicle infrastructure project to date in the United States. The chargers, which can refresh even the largest electric vehicle battery in under 15 minutes, were selected for deployment by Electrify America, which plans to place hundreds of charging stations within and around 17 metropolitan areas and along multiple nationwide highway corridors.

A Dodge Controlled Start Transmission drive delivers increased conveyor reliability and reduced maintenance at one of India’s largest iron ore mines. Reliability was the priority during a 2013 upgrade at Tata Steel’s Noamundi Iron Mine (NIM) in the Eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. This meant replacing an aging gearbox on their longest conveyor. The mine became the first in India to install a Dodge Controlled Start Transmission (CST) drive. Now, after five years of trouble-free performance they are ready to install three more units.

There are two things worth noting on how technology is changing motors. "One is the Internet of Things (IoT) trend," says Michael Offik, PE, director of packaged solutions at ABB. "The motors can be inexpensively monitored. The other is the continued push for power density and efficiency. When talking motors, that means you move from induction to something that uses permanent magnets to reduce losses."

ABB is exhibiting at the largest global event for the oil and gas sector. The Offshore Technology Conference is where the world's energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. It boasts more than 500,000 sq. ft of exhibit space, 70,000+ industry professionals, 2,000+ leading exhibitors, 300+ journalists, and over 100 speakers from around the world.

Advanced automation can mean better, more meaningful jobs for humans. But even countries most ready for the future of work must rethink education and training to prepare people for the jobs of tomorrow, a new study finds.

Powering production in food plants is not as simple as throwing a switch. Peak-time charges, outages, surges and other factors can complicate calculations of cost and reliability and require solutions that go beyond standardizing on premium motors. The good news is that OEMs are delivering solutions on multiple fronts, from systems approaches to power delivery and servo options to sanitary design improvements and smart motors.

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.

Food safety compliance demands equipment that can face the challenges of the food and beverage industry. Food safety violations are on the rise, costing companies thousands, if not millions, to resolve; all while posing a health risk to the public and damaging the company’s reputation. This means that all food processing equipment should be designed, used, and maintained with food safety principals in mind. Yet, many products fail prematurely due to corrosion and/or grease washout from the high pressure, caustic washdowns common in achieving the increasingly stringent cleanliness standards.

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.

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.