Williams and White Machine Inc. has history on its side, but it’s thinking about tomorrow. A third-generation family business, the Burnaby, B.C.-based company was founded in 1957 by the grandfather of current chief executive officer Justin Williams.
Mr. Williams oversees three divisions. The oldest and biggest is a manufacturing shop offering services that range from computer numerical control (CNC) machining to fabrication and welding. The manufacturing equipment branch builds machinery for clients such as sawmills. Automation, the smallest and newest division, includes an industrial robotics venture called Remtech Systems.
Business is good for privately held Williams and White, which states its annual revenue as between $5-million and $10-million. In the past two years the company has almost doubled in size, to about 45 employees from 25. “We’ve found areas that were growing,” Mr. Williams says, pointing to mining in particular. “The guys in the mining sector had a really good tear the last few years.”
One of the company’s biggest challenges is how best to use its capital. “There’s a limited resource of funds,” Mr. Williams explains. The manufacturing shop accounts for much of the company’s revenue, but Mr. Williams notes that each piece of big machinery costs about $1-million. “The machine shop probably has a limited amount of growth that it can have, just because it’s such a capital-intensive business.”
In the equipment division, research and development is the main expense. Williams and White spent several hundred thousand dollars on a recent R&D project. “We’re very bullish on it,” says Mr. Williams, an electrical engineer by training. “We think we’ve developed a technology that’s game-changing, but it definitely takes a capital-intensive investment.”
Then there’s robotics, which could be the future – or maybe not. This business started to take off only in the past two years. So far, Williams and White has sold about 20 robots to customers in B.C. and Alberta that include manufacturers and postsecondary institutions.
Although automation has the highest personnel and training costs of the three divisions, it tends to require less capital. But Mr. Williams thinks educating potential customers about robotics would call for a costly marketing effort with no guaranteed results. “Machining tends to be a bit safer,” he says. “Whereas with the marketing, it’s an investment, of course, but it could pay nothing.”
So, where to invest for the future? “It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, put it where it’s making the most amount of money,’” Mr. Williams says. “But that’s not always the most forward-looking way of approaching it. Because something that makes money today might not be the best thing to invest in for tomorrow.”
Murata Machinery's automated turning centers will now be available even more widely in the central United States with the addition of Technical Equipment Sales as a CNC machine tool dealer for the Muratec brand in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
“We couldn't be happier about this new partnership,” said Steve Landrum, Sales Manager at Murata's Turning Division. “Technical Equipment offers decades of experience selling machining products, a stellar reputation in the industry, and a strong core of customers we're eager to work with.”
Technical Equipment Sales was founded in 1952, narrowed their focus to CNC machine tool technology in 1982, and were acquired in 1992 by Morris Group, Inc., “the largest fully integrated supplier of machine tools and related engineering and support services in North America,” according to the company website.
2013年5月15日 星期三
2013年4月21日 星期日
Coal no longer king but still important
Nearly two decades after he was made redundant on his 30th birthday, John Hays still carries around the metal discs that he, his father and grandfather used to clock on and off from shifts in South Yorkshire collieries.
Now 49, the former miner was among the organisers of a mock funeral for Lady Thatcher in Goldthorpe, near Barnsley, last week, giving locals a final chance to protest about the near-destruction of the UK coal industry in the 1980s.
While much of the discussion since Thatcher’s death has focused on the political legacy of her showdown with the miners and its impact on northern economies, less attention has been paid to the implications for energy policy.
“There’s still coal down there but we bring it in from abroad,” says Mr Hays. “What’s the sense in that?”
Britain still has 2.3bn tonnes of underground coal reserves, and 852m tonnes on the surface – equivalent to 60 years’ supply. But much of this has been sealed off as the number of deep-pit mines has fallen from 170 at the start of the 1980s to just four. This will soon become three after the formal closure of Daw Mill colliery in Warwickshire, which was hit by a big fire earlier this year.
Critics point to the survival of large-scale coal mining in the US – sometimes called the Saudi Arabia of coal – as evidence that Britain shut down its industry prematurely.
Despite efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels because of their role in global warming, latest government figures show that coal still accounts for about 40 per cent of electricity generation.
This was up 10 percentage points from a year earlier, reflecting the competitiveness of enduring of coal-fired power compared with natural gas despite the rising cost of environmental regulation.
Nearly 17m tonnes of coal was produced in the UK last year, the bulk from opencast mines. But this was dwarfed by imports of 44.8m tonnes, an increase of more than a third from 2011. Most of this comes from Russia, the US and Colombia.
Despite big productivity gains in surviving UK mines over the past 20 years, imported coal remains cheaper.
Tim Yeo, chairman of the energy and climate change parliamentary committee and former Conservative minister, says the industry has probably been in irreversible decline since the 1970s. Thatcher “may have accelerated the process with her tough line but it did not alter the direction of travel”.
Some pits closed that could have survived for a time – Tower Colliery in south Wales produced successfully for 15 years after a workers’ co-operative bought it.
But Gordon Banham, chief executive of Hargreaves, which closed its Maltby mine this month after geological problems, said: “Unfortunately I don’t see there’s a future for deep mining in the UK long term.”
“When these mines close, they close for ever,” he added. Sinking a new shaft could cost 500m.
However, Hargreaves, a big coal importer, is more optimistic about the outlook for surface mining. The Aim-listed company last week announced a 42m share issue to acquire more UK open cast mining assets. “There’s still a lot close to the surface,” said Mr Banham.
Some power generating companies believe domestic coal production should be encouraged for energy security reasons as North Sea oil and gas output declines. Energy imports exceeded UK production in 2011 for the first time since 1974.
Four power generators agreed last year to write off parts of loans in a restructuring of UK Coal, which supplies 17 per cent of coal-fired electricity needs, to avoid its collapse.
Now 49, the former miner was among the organisers of a mock funeral for Lady Thatcher in Goldthorpe, near Barnsley, last week, giving locals a final chance to protest about the near-destruction of the UK coal industry in the 1980s.
While much of the discussion since Thatcher’s death has focused on the political legacy of her showdown with the miners and its impact on northern economies, less attention has been paid to the implications for energy policy.
“There’s still coal down there but we bring it in from abroad,” says Mr Hays. “What’s the sense in that?”
Britain still has 2.3bn tonnes of underground coal reserves, and 852m tonnes on the surface – equivalent to 60 years’ supply. But much of this has been sealed off as the number of deep-pit mines has fallen from 170 at the start of the 1980s to just four. This will soon become three after the formal closure of Daw Mill colliery in Warwickshire, which was hit by a big fire earlier this year.
Critics point to the survival of large-scale coal mining in the US – sometimes called the Saudi Arabia of coal – as evidence that Britain shut down its industry prematurely.
Despite efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels because of their role in global warming, latest government figures show that coal still accounts for about 40 per cent of electricity generation.
This was up 10 percentage points from a year earlier, reflecting the competitiveness of enduring of coal-fired power compared with natural gas despite the rising cost of environmental regulation.
Nearly 17m tonnes of coal was produced in the UK last year, the bulk from opencast mines. But this was dwarfed by imports of 44.8m tonnes, an increase of more than a third from 2011. Most of this comes from Russia, the US and Colombia.
Despite big productivity gains in surviving UK mines over the past 20 years, imported coal remains cheaper.
Tim Yeo, chairman of the energy and climate change parliamentary committee and former Conservative minister, says the industry has probably been in irreversible decline since the 1970s. Thatcher “may have accelerated the process with her tough line but it did not alter the direction of travel”.
Some pits closed that could have survived for a time – Tower Colliery in south Wales produced successfully for 15 years after a workers’ co-operative bought it.
But Gordon Banham, chief executive of Hargreaves, which closed its Maltby mine this month after geological problems, said: “Unfortunately I don’t see there’s a future for deep mining in the UK long term.”
“When these mines close, they close for ever,” he added. Sinking a new shaft could cost 500m.
However, Hargreaves, a big coal importer, is more optimistic about the outlook for surface mining. The Aim-listed company last week announced a 42m share issue to acquire more UK open cast mining assets. “There’s still a lot close to the surface,” said Mr Banham.
Some power generating companies believe domestic coal production should be encouraged for energy security reasons as North Sea oil and gas output declines. Energy imports exceeded UK production in 2011 for the first time since 1974.
Four power generators agreed last year to write off parts of loans in a restructuring of UK Coal, which supplies 17 per cent of coal-fired electricity needs, to avoid its collapse.
2013年3月17日 星期日
Group comes up with big ideas for city's future
When others wander the streets of Columbus and unleash their imaginations, they see trolleys, trains and monorails; a towering, solar-powered parking lot with robotic arms to lift vehicles; Goodale Park extending south to the river; and more public art, parks, community gardens and farmers markets.
All of these ideas, and scores more, are part of the CBUS Ideabook Project, in which about 250 local architects, designers and others wrote, sketched and collaged their ideas into small, orange-covered books. They are on display at the Center for Architecture and Design through April 30.
“We wanted to create a conversation about design,” said Michael Bongiorno, one of the organizers of the project and an architect with DesignGroup.
And once people start talking about all the different ideas, he said, “The hope is, it will cause people to look around at the city with love and want to make it a little better place to live in.”Everything begins with an idea.
“Even if some of the ideas aren’t doable, they may generate the idea for something that is doable,” said Coleman, whose Ideabook is part of the exhibit. His goal is for Columbus to become known for its design.
“Design impacts people’s lives,” he said. “And cities with great designs have a better quality of life.”A livable, walkable city, filled with amenities and attractions, also makes good economic sense, according to Kenny McDonald, chief economic officer of Columbus 2020, the area’s economic-development organization.
“The more that we can do to embrace new ideas, to challenge ourselves to think differently about the use of our developed areas, and to nurture those areas that remain undeveloped, the better that environment will be,” he said. “It is a critical factor in attracting and retaining talented people to our community.”The ideas range from the practical to the whimsical.
Graphic designer Charmaine Sutton wants to “widen the Scioto River by Berliner Park and create a large lake with a beach.”
Architect George Acock’s book includes several small, beautiful watercolor paintings of his vision for a new and improved Franklinton. Trees line a wide walkway along the river, and new housing and commercial projects line the nearby streets.
The architects at Moody Nolan envision a parking-garage tower with “a robotic system” for hoisting the cars up and down the skyscraper.
This “allows for more vehicle storage in less building footprint,” they wrote. “The tower combines wind-turbine and solar-panel technology to recharge the electric cars of the future, while also feeding electricity back into the city grid.” Members of the Wexner Center’s youth group combined their ideas into one book.
They want to see a trolley on High Street, more interesting buildings, more festivals and community art, as well as “all the buildings to have hair” and “all of Columbus to be indoors and underwater like Atlantis.” Natalee Brown wants to see Columbus covered in art.
This “would beautify the buildings and neighborhoods that need a little love,” the designer wrote. And “establish c’bus as the art capital of the Midwest — take that chi-town!”“People put so much care into the books; I was touched,” the project’s Bongiorno said.
He’d like Columbus to host an annual comic-book convention that would draw thousands of visitors and millions in economic impact. Local companies would be sponsors and affix large-scale superheroes atop their headquarter buildings.
All of these ideas, and scores more, are part of the CBUS Ideabook Project, in which about 250 local architects, designers and others wrote, sketched and collaged their ideas into small, orange-covered books. They are on display at the Center for Architecture and Design through April 30.
“We wanted to create a conversation about design,” said Michael Bongiorno, one of the organizers of the project and an architect with DesignGroup.
And once people start talking about all the different ideas, he said, “The hope is, it will cause people to look around at the city with love and want to make it a little better place to live in.”Everything begins with an idea.
“Even if some of the ideas aren’t doable, they may generate the idea for something that is doable,” said Coleman, whose Ideabook is part of the exhibit. His goal is for Columbus to become known for its design.
“Design impacts people’s lives,” he said. “And cities with great designs have a better quality of life.”A livable, walkable city, filled with amenities and attractions, also makes good economic sense, according to Kenny McDonald, chief economic officer of Columbus 2020, the area’s economic-development organization.
“The more that we can do to embrace new ideas, to challenge ourselves to think differently about the use of our developed areas, and to nurture those areas that remain undeveloped, the better that environment will be,” he said. “It is a critical factor in attracting and retaining talented people to our community.”The ideas range from the practical to the whimsical.
Graphic designer Charmaine Sutton wants to “widen the Scioto River by Berliner Park and create a large lake with a beach.”
Architect George Acock’s book includes several small, beautiful watercolor paintings of his vision for a new and improved Franklinton. Trees line a wide walkway along the river, and new housing and commercial projects line the nearby streets.
The architects at Moody Nolan envision a parking-garage tower with “a robotic system” for hoisting the cars up and down the skyscraper.
This “allows for more vehicle storage in less building footprint,” they wrote. “The tower combines wind-turbine and solar-panel technology to recharge the electric cars of the future, while also feeding electricity back into the city grid.” Members of the Wexner Center’s youth group combined their ideas into one book.
They want to see a trolley on High Street, more interesting buildings, more festivals and community art, as well as “all the buildings to have hair” and “all of Columbus to be indoors and underwater like Atlantis.” Natalee Brown wants to see Columbus covered in art.
This “would beautify the buildings and neighborhoods that need a little love,” the designer wrote. And “establish c’bus as the art capital of the Midwest — take that chi-town!”“People put so much care into the books; I was touched,” the project’s Bongiorno said.
He’d like Columbus to host an annual comic-book convention that would draw thousands of visitors and millions in economic impact. Local companies would be sponsors and affix large-scale superheroes atop their headquarter buildings.
2012年11月6日 星期二
Oberthur Technologies presents two
Oberthur Technologies, one of the world's largest providers of security, identification solutions and services based on smart card technologies, presents at the 2012 Cartes & Identification exhibition, two, new innovative security features for identity documents.
The world's first self-authenticating identity document launched by Oberthur Technologies in 2010, has now been developed into a complete range of structural security features based on transparency effects.
The ID-One(TM) SkyCode, is a transparent window with a decoding function that can be used to authenticate identity cards, thus reducing counterfeiting. The product involves a clever application of steganography, a technology that can be used to hide data within a photograph. During the graphical personalization of each identity card, a piece of simple information relating to the card holder (name, date of birth, etc) is hidden within the photo. By applying the ID-One(TM) SkyCode window, against a card with a treated photo, it is possible to verify the presence of the hidden information. Any attempt to replace or tamper with the photo is easily detected, as the hidden information is destroyed.
The second product in the range is ID-One(TM) SkyClear, a polycarbonate transparent window, compatible with laser engraving. The customized shape and location of the window makes it impossible to forge a document by reusing any other commonly available card as a support. The transparency of ID-One(TM) SkyClear is also a strong protection against counterfeiting because it facilitates the detection of a substitute or altered photo.
"Oberthur Technologies is committed to providing innovations to enhance the security features on all our identity products" said Moise Moyal, Marketing Director of the Identity Business Line at Oberthur Technologies. "ID-One(TM) Sky is our first self-authenticating smart card range with a decoding function that helps protect against counterfeiting".
PrintPixel is a highly secure printing technology that allows color photographs to be permanently embedded into polycarbonate identity cards. The remarkable innovation combines the security of laser engraving, which enables markings deep into the card body, with the quality of color portraits.
Conventional surface printing techniques for applying color portraits to polycarbonate cards are vulnerable to counterfeit as well as simple wear and tear. PrintPixel overcomes these limitations by retaining the deep marking characteristics of grey-scale laser engraving, but improving these with color capabilities. PrintPixel is performed independently of the card production process to provide a greater degree of flexibility for personalization of documents.
We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain and work – anytime, everywhere – in ways that are enjoyable and safe. Gemalto delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile services, payment security, authenticated cloud access, identity and privacy protection, eHealthcare and eGovernment efficiency, convenient ticketing and dependable machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.
Gemalto develops secure embedded software and secure products which we design and personalize. Our platforms and services manage these secure products, the confidential data they contain and the trusted end-user services they enable. Our innovations offer more ways for our clients to enhance the convenience and security of people’s digital lives.
The world's first self-authenticating identity document launched by Oberthur Technologies in 2010, has now been developed into a complete range of structural security features based on transparency effects.
The ID-One(TM) SkyCode, is a transparent window with a decoding function that can be used to authenticate identity cards, thus reducing counterfeiting. The product involves a clever application of steganography, a technology that can be used to hide data within a photograph. During the graphical personalization of each identity card, a piece of simple information relating to the card holder (name, date of birth, etc) is hidden within the photo. By applying the ID-One(TM) SkyCode window, against a card with a treated photo, it is possible to verify the presence of the hidden information. Any attempt to replace or tamper with the photo is easily detected, as the hidden information is destroyed.
The second product in the range is ID-One(TM) SkyClear, a polycarbonate transparent window, compatible with laser engraving. The customized shape and location of the window makes it impossible to forge a document by reusing any other commonly available card as a support. The transparency of ID-One(TM) SkyClear is also a strong protection against counterfeiting because it facilitates the detection of a substitute or altered photo.
"Oberthur Technologies is committed to providing innovations to enhance the security features on all our identity products" said Moise Moyal, Marketing Director of the Identity Business Line at Oberthur Technologies. "ID-One(TM) Sky is our first self-authenticating smart card range with a decoding function that helps protect against counterfeiting".
PrintPixel is a highly secure printing technology that allows color photographs to be permanently embedded into polycarbonate identity cards. The remarkable innovation combines the security of laser engraving, which enables markings deep into the card body, with the quality of color portraits.
Conventional surface printing techniques for applying color portraits to polycarbonate cards are vulnerable to counterfeit as well as simple wear and tear. PrintPixel overcomes these limitations by retaining the deep marking characteristics of grey-scale laser engraving, but improving these with color capabilities. PrintPixel is performed independently of the card production process to provide a greater degree of flexibility for personalization of documents.
We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain and work – anytime, everywhere – in ways that are enjoyable and safe. Gemalto delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile services, payment security, authenticated cloud access, identity and privacy protection, eHealthcare and eGovernment efficiency, convenient ticketing and dependable machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.
Gemalto develops secure embedded software and secure products which we design and personalize. Our platforms and services manage these secure products, the confidential data they contain and the trusted end-user services they enable. Our innovations offer more ways for our clients to enhance the convenience and security of people’s digital lives.
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