September 2010 Vol. 65 No. 9
Business
Business Updates For September 2010
Recent business news from Driver Pipeline, Super Products, ISCO Industries, Thompson Pump & Mfg., Inspar Robotic Technologies, Akkerman, Caterpillar, Sheehan Pipe Line Construction Co., ITT, Canberra Pumps, Geospatial Holdings, Interplastic, iRENTequip, Reed Manufacturing and JCB.
Driver Pipeline
James Davis has been promoted to vice president of Drive Pipeline, Dallas, TX. Since joining Driver Pipeline in 2008, Davis served in a business development capacity and in project management. In his new position, Davis’ primary responsibility will be contract administration, project management and special projects.
He has more than 10 years of contracting and management experience. Davis earned a bachelor degree in Construction Science from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Kristi Yarbrough was hired as Haynesville Division Marketing Manager. Yarbrough’s will provide industry leading customer service to the company’s growing customer base working in the Haynesville Shale Field in Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas and eastern Texas.
Yarbrough majored in business at Louisiana State University in Shreveport and Bossier Parish Community College. Much of her professional background has been focused on account management and customer service.
When fully operational, the six-month old Driver Pipeline Haynesville Division is on track to employ between 150 to 200 people. As drilling and production in the Haynesville Shale continues to expand, the need for the pipeline infrastructure that Driver Pipeline supplies will continue to grow. 281.482.4019, www.driverpipeline.com
Super Products
Super Products has recently launched a new web site (www.superproductscorp.com) where visitors can find extensive product information, detailed specifications and photos galleries for each of the company’s main product lines – Supersucker industrial vacuum loaders, Camel sewer and catch basin cleaners, and Mud Dog hydro excavators.
In addition to incorporating the company’s new look and image, the new web site was especially developed to make sure visitors can quickly find a wide variety of product information including feature listings, specifications and available options details. Each product line also has a photo gallery showcasing various units the company has produced throughout the years.
Visitors can learn about the specific uses for the company’s equipment in the Product Applications Section. Categories include industrial cleaning, sewer cleaning and hydro excavation. A Dealer/Rep Locator helps visitors quickly find a company representative serving their area. And an Available Literature section has the latest product brochures and parts catalog and the company’s Camel Chat newsletter.
ISCO Industries
ISCO Industries has received a trademark for its geothermal vault, the ISCO Circuit Maker Vault. The Circuit Maker Vault was officially registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on June 29, 2010.
Comprised of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe, ISCO’s Circuit Maker Vault is used in ground source heat pump applications. Leak proof and easy to install, the Circuit Maker Vault is custom made by ISCO to fit any engineering requirements. Some features of ISCO’s vault include: butt-fused circuitry; a 100 percent leak-free polyethylene structure; H-20 (Highway Traffic) load rating availability; an OSHA compliant access ladder; custom fabrication to customer’s specifications; extrusion welding; Pressure Temperature ports on all outlets; choice of metal or polyethylene valves; quick pressure test of individual circuits; and easy purging and isolation of circuits.
“The Circuit Maker Vault is designed to fit customer specifications,” said ISCO Sales and Marketing Director Cheryl Hofmaier. “It is ready to install when it arrives on site, and ready to fit into a geothermal system without the need to build any additional manifolds.”
Geothermal energy is a safe renewable energy that is stored within the earth. Due to the earth’s constant temperature, energy can be efficiently used for heating and cooling purposes without harm to the environment by using the ground as a heat exchanger. A heat exchanger is typically created by running a series of pipe loops horizon¬tally or vertically throughout the ground, also called “ground loops.” The ground loops are filled with water or water based liquid and connected to a heat pump inside the building. The heat pump circulates the water through the ground loops, thus creating a heat exchanger that is far more efficient, clean and cost effective than most heating and cooling systems. The Circuit Maker Vault is the structure that serves as the connection point for the ground loop and the heat pump.
The trademark classifies the vault for burial and that it is not made of metal. 800.345-ISCO, www.isco-pipe.com
In other ISCO news, McElroy Manufacturing honored ISCO with the President’s Award for the fifth year in a row.
The McElroy President’s Award is given to McElroy distributors that have risen above the rest in terms of sales growth, leadership within the industry, participation in training, continued employee development, actively promoting the pipe fusion industry and overall leadership. McElroy began the award program five years ago. ISCO Industries was one of the first McElroy fusion equipment distributors to receive the award.
Thompson Pump & Mfg.
Thompson Pump & Manufacturing has achieved ISO 9001:2008 quality recertification for their Port Orange manufacturing facility. This certification represents the highest standard attainable for quality management systems and manufacturing capabilities.
The new certification represents an enhancement to the company’s previous ISO 9001:2000 classification. To achieve certification, Thompson Pump demonstrated a comprehensive and effective quality management system that governs all areas of its operation. Thompson Pump was evaluated throughout every phase of the manufacturing process, including design, procurement, production, and testing to accounting, safety, logistics, information systems and human resources. The latest analysis also included a thorough audit of all policies and practices, confirming that they are applied with a commitment towards ongoing improvement. The scope of the audit process doubled when compared to the previous 9001:2000 standard. 800.767.7310, www.thompsonpump.com
Inspar Robotic Technologies
Inspar Robotic Technologies has opened a new manufacturing facility in Venice, FL. This facility will be manufacturing the most recent robotic rig models, ancillary equipment and the facilitation of testing for Inspar’s full line of robotic control systems. The new facility will also serve as a training and certification center for Inspar Technical Alliance Partners. 941.483.3000, www.inspar.com
Akkerman
Recently acknowledged as a Minnesota Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (MNSHARP) certified worksite, Akkerman Inc. was recognized during a ceremony on Aug. 4 at their manufacturing facility.
MNSHARP is a Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) program of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (MNDLI). MNSHARP recognized companies substantiate exemplary health and safety programs that supersede applicable OSHA standards. As one of 40 MNSHARP certified worksites, out of 10,000 plus manufacturers in Minnesota, Akkerman will enjoy the benefits associated with long-term prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses including improved productivity, lower medical treatment costs and reduced worker’s compensation insurance premiums. In addition, MNSHARP compliance entitles Akkerman to an exemption from MNOSHA inspections for two years. 800.533.0386, www.akkerman.com.
Caterpillar
Caterpillar Inc. will be partnering with Mike Rowe, the creator and star of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs and founder of mikeroweWORKS.com.
Rowe will be spending time with Caterpillar customers and dealers to get a real-world perspective on their jobs and how the two collaborate to be successful. These encounters will be featured on cat.com and at Cat Dealerships across the country and will be used to demonstrate the solutions that Cat Dealers provide their customers throughout the lifecycle of their equipment, highlighting their superior parts and service support.
Rowe says his partnership with Caterpillar was “inevitable” because the two share the same work philosophy. “I see Cat equipment and the hard working people operating it around the world, building and creating infrastructure,” said Rowe. “I’m excited to go beyond the machine and talk with the people who are actually making it happen.” www.cat.com
Sheehan Pipe Line Construction Co.
David Sheehan Jr. has resigned as CEO of Sheehan Pipe Line Construction Co. (SPLCC) to better focus on his role as director of Integrated Pipeline Services, the parent company of SPLCC. Sheehan is the fourth generation of Sheehan family to lead the company. Rob Riess will continue to serve as president and COO of SPLCC, and will assume full responsibility of the company’s operations.
ITT, Canberra Pumps
ITT Corp. announced the acquisition of Canberra Pumps do Brasil, expanding the company’s pump manufacturing presence in the Latin America region. Canberra Pumps has an installed base of 20,000 pumps serving customers in the chemical, pulp and paper, and general industry pump markets. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition builds on ITT’s long business experience in Brazil, where its products are used to meet the needs of the growing industrial base, as well as the need for fresh water and for treating wastewater.
Canberra operates a manufacturing facility in Salto, Sao Paulo State, employing 90 people. The company generated approximately BRL19 million (US $10 million) in revenues in 2009. www.itt.com
Geospatial Holdings
Geospatial Holdings Inc. has recently filled three key business development positions with the hiring of the following senior executives. Joseph Lane has joined Geospatial as executive vice president of Operations and Municipal/Utility Sector. He will be responsible for all sales and operations for Geospatial’s municipal and utility group throughout the U.S. and Canada. Lane was formerly the general manager for the Western Region of Insituform Technologies. He is based in Geospatial’s new Sedalia, CO, office.
Tim Story has been hired as manager of Operations and Business Development. Story, who is based out of the Phoenix office, was formerly the director of Business Development with Central Locating Services, a division of United States Infrastructure Corporation.
Ron Peterson, formerly vice president with TWS Technical Services has joined Geospatial as the manager of Midwest Operations. Peterson is the current executive director of the National Utility Locating Contractor’s Association. He is in charge of Geospatial’s new Kansas City, MO, office and is responsible for all sales and operations throughout the Midwestern U.S., under the direction of Joe Lane. 724.353.3400, www.GeospatialCorporation.com.
Interplastic
Interplastic Corporation’s Thermoset Resins Division has achieved ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certification for the division’s Laboratory Services Group in Minneapolis, MN.
The ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certification covers general requirements for competency of testing and calibration of testing laboratories.Achieving this certification ensures that Interplastic’s testing laboratories fully comply with the ISO standard for quality, administrative, and technical operations. 800.736.5497, www.interplastic.com
iRENTequip
Equipment renters and rental providers in the U.S. and Canada can connect to and do business at www.iRENTequip.com. The marketplace serves the rental industry for construction, landscape, agriculture, industrial fork lift and trucking equipment. Included are all of the related tools and attachments rented in these segments.
“The iRENTequip marketplace allows anyone to request a rental with literally every rental provider in their local market simultaneously, and then receive bids for their business, all for free,” said Beau Frank, CEO of iRENTequip.
iRENTequip brings the power of an online bidding tool like eBAY to the equipment rental process, with over 15,000 rental providers. Like eBay, it is simple to use, fast and totally online. There is no calling each store for quotes and availability, no sales calls and no face-to-face negotiating.
In addition to the equipment rental marketplace, users also asked for a marketplace to ship equipment, both as part of the rental process, and to handle general equipment movement. In response, www.iSHIPequip.com, an online equipment shipping marketplace was launched. Anyone can utilize the iSHIPequip marketplace to generate competitive bids to move their equipment from over 130,000 rated providers, both local and long haul. Every dollar spent at iSHIPequip also earns Iron Points, the company’s rewards program. With more than six million rewards to choose from, renters and shippers earn Iron Points for every dollar spent on accepted bids. Iron Points can be redeemed online at www.ironpoints.com, or used to pay for future rentals. www.irentequip.com
Reed Manufacturing
To provide a worldwide welcome to visitors, Reed Manufacturing is developing landing pages in several languages on the company website.
In early July, Reed opened the new landing page for French-speakers at www.reedmfgco.com. Simply click on the map in the upper right of the homepage and choose the French option.
Additionally, the Plastic Pipe Tools chapter (Herramientas para tubos plásticos) is now available in Spanish, providing a Spanish equivalent page for each tool in that category. In early June, Reed opened the Spanish Cutters & Cutter Wheels chapter (Cortadoras y Cuchillas). To access the Spanish section, choose ESPAÑOL from the map in the upper right of Reed’s homepage.
Other planned pages are Chinese, German, Arabic and Italian. 800-666-3691, www.reedmfgco.com
JCB
JCB is continuing its investment in global excavator production capability with the opening of its newest factory in Brazil where the first 20 tonne machine has just rolled off the line.
The JS200LC tracked excavator has been bought by Jorcal Engenharia E Construções S/A, a company based in Sao Paulo State, and owner Renato Rédis says he is “extremely pleased” with the performance of the machine.
The construction of the new Brazilian excavator factory took just seven months to complete. It includes a new training area to enhance the service back up provided to excavator customers in the region. JCB has also recently doubled its backhoe loader production capacity in Brazil to help meet demand for machines in the region.
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