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May news archive

May 7, 2004
Monthly news archive

May 28, 2004

Liebert and Pentadyne create a partnership

Liebert recently signed an agreement with Pentadyne Power Corp. to integrate the company’s Voltage Support Solution (VSS) flywheel power system with its series 610 and Npower UPS systems. A single model VSS 120 provides sufficient power to support loads up to 150kVA, and multiple units in parallel can provide ride through for power levels as high as 2MW.

May 27, 2004

Electri-Flex gives its Web site a new look

Electri-Flex recently redesigned its Web site at www.electriflex.com. Users now have access to the new Conduit Application Guide where they can select the type of conduit that best fits their needs. The new site also features an OEM page with information for manufacturers that want to incorporate the conduit into their product line, literature downloads that cover products and applications, and current news and events.

May 26, 2004

Transformer Service expands offices

Transformer Service recently announced that it plans to open sales and service offices in Wilmington, Del. and the greater Akron, Ohio area. The company’s headquarters and analytical laboratory will remain in Concord, N.H.

Transformer Service was established in 1952 and provides a variety of installation, maintenance, test, disposal, and sampling services to customers in electrical utility, industrial, municipal educational, and health care sectors.

May 25, 2004

AGC addresses high construction supply prices

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) recently issued a price-adjustment amendment to its fixed-price construction contract, AGC Document No. 200, which will help those in the construction industry that are struggling due to increased prices of steel and other commodities.

The Potentially Time and Price-Impacted Materials amendment will provide owners and contractors with methods for establishing the market price of a construction commodity and the ways to calculate an adjustment in the pricing for that commodity should it experience a significant increase or decrease in price. The amendment also addresses contract time extensions in the event of a project delay caused by scarcity or delivery delay.

May 24, 2004

Osram Sylvania donates products and maintenance to historic building in Boston

Osram Sylvania and the National Trust have teamed up with the Light Boston organization to illuminate the Old State House, which is the oldest public building still standing in Boston. This house, where the Declaration of Independence was originally read in 1776, now has the world’s most advanced exterior lighting system.

Osram Sylvania donated a variety of products for permanent installation, and Sylvania Lighting Services will provide ongoing maintenance at the house. Quality Lighting, a division of JJI Lighting Group, donated fixtures, and Ripman Lighting Consultants designed the project.

The exterior of the house will be lit with Metalarc ceramic metal halide lamps that are mounted in flood fixtures on existing street poles. A mix of Lumalux Plus ecologic high-pressure sodium lamps and 250W metal halide lamps light the eagle on the east side of the building.

May 21, 2004

The Home Depot to acquire White Cap Construction Supply

The Home Depot recently entered into an agreement to acquire Costa Mesa, Calif.-based White Cap Construction Supply, a distributor of specialty hardware, tools, and materials that target medium- and large- sized construction contractors. The acquisition is part of The company’s strategy to expand its professional customer market base.

White Cap operates 70 branch locations throughout the United States and employs 1,720 people. The company has estimated annual sales of $500 million and offers more than 65,000 products like brand-name construction materials, hand tools, fasteners, safety equipment, power tools, work wear, and landscape lighting.

May 20, 2004

Survey shows construction sector ranks first in product price increases

The Institute for Supply Management recently conducted a survey of nonmanufacturing purchasing executives regarding economic growth and industrial price increases. The construction sector ranked first out of the six sectors that reported the highest increase in prices paid.

Some of the items that respondents listed as showing a price increase were aluminum products; cable and cable wire; conduit and fittings; copper products like pipe, cable, tubing, and wire; diesel fuel; welding wire/electrode; and numerous steel items. Copper, steel pipe and fittings, and other steel items were noted as being in short supply.

May 19, 2004

Sea Gull Lighting expands customer service hours

Sea Gull Lighting has expanded the availability of its customer service department to Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST. The company’s trained lighting professionals can be reached toll-free at 1 (800) 347-5483, and additional product information can be found at www.seagulllighting.com.

May 18, 2004

Nation’s largest commercial solar electric system exceeds expectations

In its first year, the solar electric system atop the Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A headquarters in Torrance, Calif., has exceeded expectations. As the nation’s largest green building complex, the system has operated at 100% availability and has produced more than 100% of expected energy.

The system was designed and installed by PowerLight Corp., and it generates enough electricity during the day to power more than 500 homes. The solar array has helped Toyota lower energy costs, reduce pollution, and conserve natural resources, and the grid-connected system reduces the company’s electrical load.

Last spring, the environmentally sensitive building complex received a Gold Level Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.

May 17, 2004

The Watt Stopper gets the word out about green designs

The Watt Stopper recently started the GreenSense program, which offers resources for professionals who want to enhance green design practices through the use of lighting controls. The program includes a Web site and an educational series.

Interested participants can log on to www.wattstopper.com/greensense.html for downloadable sustainability- and LEED-focused technical publications, design practice examples, success stories, and links to organizations that promote green design.

The company will also host an educational series with sessions throughout the United States and Canada on topics like energy codes, the LEED program, and daylighting controls. Some of the sessions qualify for AIA/CES learning units and LCQLP lighting educational units.

May 14, 2004

Survey shows energy managers don’t use rebates

Energy and Power Solutions (EPS) recently conducted a survey of energy and facilities managers at industrial firms across the U.S. to gauge the awareness of utility rebates and incentives. The results of the April 2004 survey show significant knowledge of the availability of such programs for capital projects, but oftentimes, managers don’t seek maximum rebates.

Rebates and incentives are offered by local utilities, PUCs, and government agencies to encourage energy efficiency and conservation through demand on consumption rebates. The survey shows that more than 90% of the managers surveyed routinely evaluate capital projects for rebate opportunities. On the other hand, 75% of the managers recognize that they could be much more effective in identifying and recovering rebates.

EPS recently launched Rebate Xchange, a Web-based service that helps companies maximize rebate recovery for capital projects.

May 13, 2004

ElectricSmarts Network releases E-Smarts NetPricer

The ElectricSmarts Network recently released the E-Smarts NetPricer, an electronic service that allows contractors to get pricing for estimates. In addition, distributors can place negotiated pricing for each of their connected customers in a secure area on the NetPricer server.

When a subscribing contractor creates a bill of materials in his participating estimating package, he can then connect to the Internet and import distributor prices into his software. Distributors are then emailed a link that contains detailed information on the items and prices that are given each time one of their customers request pricing, and they have total control over which customer receives pricing.

May 12, 2004

American Residential Service partners with MEPatWORK.com

American Residential Service (ARS), a nation-wide company that specializes in electrical services among other things, recently decided to partner with MEPatWORK.com. ARS will have direct access to the national resume database, which, in part, focuses on the recruitment of electrical technicians.

May 11, 2004

Almetek Industries revamps Web site

Almetek Industries has launched a new, enhanced global Web site at www.almetek.com. The site focuses on improved navigational capabilities and more extensive descriptions of the company’s line of signs, tags, labels, and identification systems.

User will also find a new informational section with product specifications, four navigational menus, a media section that includes press releases and corporate news, and email addresses of company executives.

May 10, 2004

Schneider Electric transfers Modbus protocol copyright

Schneider Electric recently transferred is copyright of the Modbus protocol to Modbus-IDA, a nonprofit organization formed in 2002 to advance industrial communications. Modbus protocol was originally developed by Modicon, which later became part of Schneider Automation in 1979.

Modbus-IDA is an international organization for suppliers, implementers, and users of the Modbus protocol and its variants.

May 7, 2004

Erico announces the "Crusin with Caddy" contractor-appreciation raffle












To celebrate its second century in business, Erico is holding a 2004 contractor-appreciation contest. Participants can enter to win a leather jacket, denim coat, Caddy merchandise. The grand-prize winner will receive a Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster.

To enter the drawing, contractors need to send in 100 proofs-of-purchase from Caddy fastener boxes and a completed entry form, which can be found at www.erico.com. All entries must be received by noon, Sept. 8, 2004. The drawing will be held Sept. 15, and the winners will be announced in October on the company Web site. Those who enter early will have a chance to win a $100 gift card every month leading up to the drawing and an additional chance at the motorcycle.

May 6, 2004

Cooper Power Systems’ group expands its services

The Systems Integration Group of Cooper Power Systems recently expanded its capabilities to include an Engineer-Procure-Construct (E-P-C) service, designed to help companies manage projects through single sourcing. The service provides systems studies and equipment analysis to maximize power quality, reliability, and protection-improvement projects.

The Systems Integration Group provides assistance through all phases of project planning, design, installation, and operation.

May 5, 2004

S&S Electric Co. named "Dealer of the Year"

S&S Electric Co. was recently named the 2004 “Dealer of the Year” by the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) TechHome Division at the CEA Mark of Excellence Awards in Orlando, Fla. These awards recognize products and companies in the forefront of innovation in the home technology industry.

S&S Electric Co. installs as many as 4,000 home technology systems annually, including electrical distribution; lighting design and control systems; indoor air comfort and quality systems; and audio, video, voice, and data network systems.

May 4, 2004

MGE UPS announces new monitoring service

MGE UPS Systems recently released its PowerSentinel service that gives users access to a real-time view of their UPS systems’ power status via a secure Web site. It’s available to any customer who has a service contract with the manufacturer.

The service includes round-the-clock monitoring by MGE’s customer care center staff and gives the user immediate notification of specified event alarms. It continuously tracks remote diagnostic capabilities, system input and output data, connection information, system configuration, event logs, and alerts.

May 3, 2004

Waldmann Lighting launches redesigned Web Site

Waldmann Lighting recently launched its redesigned Web site, www.waldmannlighting.com. The site now gives access to a downloadable photometric and IES file library, information about each product in the industrial tubular lighting product line, and a brochure and catalog PDF library on the entire range of workplace lighting products for office, industrial, magnification, medical, and architectural lighting.

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