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Eaton Corp. in the U.S. and Linde Hydraulics in Germany have entered into a global strategic alliance. The agreement strengthens product lines, market distribution channels and regional coverage for both companies.

Customers worldwide in construction, agriculture, vocational vehicles, civil engineering, processing and other industrial markets will benefit from expanded access to hydraulic system technologies and services through the new alliance. Eaton will add Linde's range of high-pressure piston pumps, motors and valves to its portfolio, and Linde will offer Eaton's medium-pressure piston products.

In North, Central and South America and in Asia Pacific, Eaton's Hydraulics business will supply Linde Hydraulics products through Eaton's comprehensive sales and services networks and distribution partners. Linde Hydraulics will continue to operate in these regions by providing application support, technical services and cooperation with major international customers. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, sales organizations and distributors for both companies will continue to focus on their core businesses with the mutually expanded product range.

"This important strategic alliance is complementary from a portfolio, market and regional perspective, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead," said William VanArsdale, president, Eaton's hydraulics business. "Both companies bring a wealth of hydraulics experience and industry knowledge into this partnership and will have the opportunity to offer our global customers unique systems solutions by leveraging Eaton's broad portfolio and channel network with Linde's outstanding technologies."
www.linde-hydraulics.com
www.eaton.com

NTN Bearing Corporation of Canada presents an intensive three-day course on the design, application and maintenance of anti-friction bearings from Oct. 19 to 21, 2010, using lectures and hands-on workshops. The workshops have been selected to highlight common maintenance problems which result in premature bearing failure.

In conjunction with classroom lectures, the participants will learn, in a hands-on environment, the correct procedures for mounting the following types of bearings:

• large bore spherical roller bearings (including the use of hydraulics)
• tapered roller bearings (mounting and setting end play)
• deep groove ball bearings
• cylindrical roller bearings
• bearing units
• small bore spherical roller bearing pillow blocks

The participants will learn the fundamentals of current bearing technology including:

• bearing design and materials
• cage configurations and materials: features and benefits
• extra precision: what is required
• bearing life: theory vs. reality

The program ideally is suited to anyone involved in the maintenance of machinery and specifically, those whose duties include the installation and maintenance of anti-friction bearings. The program is structured so that it is not specific to any industry. For more information contact NTN Bearing Corporation of Canada, Rolling Bearing Application and Maintenance Seminar, tel. (905) 564-2700, fax (905) 564-9023, or email us using the following form:

>> Download NTN Roller Bearing Application and Maintenance Seminar Brochure (PDF)

If you have any questions, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

While completing maintenance on a pumpjack in Alberta, a contractor was killed when the arm of the counter weight struck the worker on the side of the head, according to a Safety Alert released last month by Enform, the safety association for Canada's upstream oil and gas industry. No details about the employer were released.

According to the incident description, a contract oilfield maintenance company was hired by the operator to install insulation around the pumpjack header system and fuel gas line. The insulation was to be installed on the piping prior to winter freezing. The fuel gas line that was to be insulated was positioned below the pumpjack base. The pumpjack was elevated above ground level due to ground elevation issues and wellhead placement.

However, during the installation, the worker entered the danger zone and was struck on the head by the pumpjack counter-weight arm.
 
Enform made recommendation for corrective actions to prevent such incidents in the future:

• Maintenance must not be performed on moving equipment.
• Pumpjacks must be properly shut down and locked out prior to any maintenance operations that occur on a pumpjack or in close proximity to the pumpjack. 
• During any maintenance or hazardous tasks being completed by workers, all hazards need to be addressed and properly eliminated or controlled. 
• Recommended equipment modifications: Pumpjacks that are elevated in the field must have additional guarding installed on them to prevent workers from entering the zone where the weights swing. 
• In the case of elevated pumpjacks, the guarding must be positioned so that no worker can access the zone from below. All companies must ensure there are procedures for locking out and securing energy sources and these procedures

The name 'OIS' will be familiar to many readers of NDT News. The final resting place of Incon, Oilfield Inspection Services, MTS, QIS, BIX, Unit Inspection and Inspectorate to mention but a few, OIS is now, of course, known as Oceaneering International.

Software benefits are hard to convey in printed matter so FLIR Systems has posted on its website an introductory video tour of its new FLIR BuildIR for the advanced analysis of building structures.

The Bearing Specialists Association's board of directors has approved a motion embracing an anti-counterfeiting distributor partnership proposal from the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). Counterfeiting represents a US$600-billion-a-year problem, costing U.S. businesses US$200 to US$250 billion annually.

With its approval, BSA agreed to embrace the World Bearing Association (WBA) Awareness Campaign and help market it to end users via the association websites and member e-blast; to market BSA's Top Ten reasons to buy from authorized distributors, and to encourage members to share this with end users. In addition, BSA agreed to publish Organizational Statements and Articles Against Counterfeiting, including denouncing any involvement in counterfeiting throughout the bearing supply chain; voicing support for ABMA and WBA anti-counterfeiting activities; and sharing news on lawsuits, raids and other anti-counterfeiting activities with memberships.

BSA also agreed to create association position papers on various topics against counterfeiting. Finally, if a BSA member is convicted of selling counterfeit bearings, the board will carefully review its BSA membership status in light of that conviction.

BSA's opposition to counterfeit products is well-established. Its Top Ten program of reasons to buy products and services from authorized BSA member distributors was launched in 2007 to help distributors educate end users about the value of authorized distribution. The association welcomed ABMA's Scott Lynch to its 2010 Winter Meeting for an update on anti-counterfeiting efforts. The association also presented its own program on counterfeit bearings at the 2010 Annual Convention.
www.bsahome.org
www.americanbearings.org

Instrumentation specialist Ashtead Technology came to the rescue of a client urgently in need of concrete testing equipment by providing express delivery within a matter of hours.

July 19 2010 will see the first delivery of EN 473/ISO 9712 approved training in Canada under the CSWIP Scheme for advanced UT.

The South West School of NDT has announced the addition of John Hewitt, the former Head of NDT for Airbus UK, to its NDT Level 3 Consultancy team.

Independent industrial consultants AV Technology have been awarded a prestigious five-year condition monitoring (CM) contract by Shell Exploration and Production. The contractual scope of supply includes the provision of CM consultancy, training and equipment to ten offshore platforms and three onshore terminals located throughout the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), mainland UK and Ireland.