wrn_aug2011

August 2011www.wireropenews.com

Pioneering fabrics forautomobiles to space stations

story on page 10

Soaring high abovethe earth on zip lines

story on page 20

Advertisers IndexPage 75

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Wire Rope News & Sling Technology August 2011 7

Pioneering woven fabrics for the firstautomobiles to inflatable space stations ........... 10

At 85-plus years old, the Southern Weaving Company has moved to experimenting with new fabrics intended for inflatable space stations.

Zipping along - on Wire Ropes ............................ 20Headquartered in Utah, a small company strives to give it’s customers the feeling of gliding on air high above mountains in locations all over the globe.

SMART PHONES - Pros and Cons .......................... 28Offered here are varied insights from different segments of the wire rope industry on whether the newest breed of phones are really as “smart” as they claim to be.

Nicholson Construction’s geotechnical work atthe World Trade Center construction site ........... 34

This Pennsylvania company has been involved in the progress of one of the most anticipated construction sites in history – the World Trade Center.

Taking the lead - how todeliver bad news to good employees ................. 42

Experts give their advice on the difficult task of announcing staff layoffs or cuts in benefits.

Cover photo:Everett Henry handles a weaving loom beam in the Southern Weaving plant.

August 23, 2011

Publisher & Editorial DirectorEdward J. Bluvias

Contributing EditorBarbara McGrath Spencer

Circulation DirectorPatricia Bluvias

Graphics & LayoutDon Tywoniw - 2D Graphics

Website: www.wireropenews.com

ISSN 0740-1809Wire Rope News & Sling Technology is pub-lished by-monthly by Wire Rope News, LLC, 511 Colonia Blvd., Colonia, New Jersey 07067-2819. (908) 486-3221. Fax No. (732) 396-4215. Address all correspondence con-cerning advertising, production, editorial, and circulation to Wire Rope News, LLC, P.O. Box 871, Clark, New Jersey 07066-0871. Subscription rates: $20 per year, do-mestic: $30 per year foreign: $25 per year, Canadian. Quantity discounts of three or more subscriptions available at $15 each per year, domestic: $25 each per year, for-eign: $18 each per year, Canadian. Single copies $4 per issue, domestic: $6 per issue, foreign; $5 per issue, Canadian. Copyright © 2011 by Wire Rope News, LLC, 511 Co-lonia Blvd., Colonia, New Jersey 07067. All rights reserved. Publisher reserves the right to reject any material for any reason deemed necessary.

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Published bi-monthly; Oct., Dec., Feb., April, June, Aug. Issued 3rd week of month published. Insertion orders, classified, and editorial copy must be received before the 20th of month preceding date of publication (e.g. May 20th for June issue).

Email: [email protected]

Vol. 32, No. 6

Contents

Features

Advertiser’s Index .......................................................75

Steel Industry News ...................................................46

The Inventor’s Corner .................................................58

People in the News ....................................................74

New Products .............................................................72

Classified ....................................................................76

Departments

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Wire Rope News & Sling Technology August 201110

continued on page 12

This 85-plus year old company has moved from offering tradition-bound fibers and constructions to experimenting with new fabrics intended for inflatable space stations – all within the past few years.

Pioneering woven fabrics forthe first automobiles to

inflatable space stations:Southern Weaving Company

By Thomas G. Dolan

“We’ve continually had to reinvent ourselves,” says Richard Guar-

naccia, Vvice Ppresident, Ssales/Mmarketing, of the Greenville, SC-based Southern Weaving Company.

This would appear to be a given since this producer of industrial wo-ven fabrics was founded in 1924 by Jack Burnett and F.L. Murdock to utilize natural fibers such as cotton to provide pads for the braking systems and hood lacing for Model T Fords.

Southern Weaving’s sales team: (from left to right): Jack Miller – Technical Sales Manager, Scott Keeler – Director of Sales, Rick Guarnaccia – VP of Sales & Marketing, Ron Mohling – CEO, Sandy Saye – Market and Sales Director.

In the 1930s the company started making the transition from natural to synthetic fibers, such as nylon and rayon. During the 1940s, as a result of the military requirements of World War II, the company started making the webbing for parachutes. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Southern Weaving was one of the first manu-facturers to develop a two ply weave of nylon and rayon for the new auto-motive seatbelt technology. The com-pany then began utilizing polyester.

“Since polyester has less elongation than other yarns, it limited occupant pelvic excursion,” Guarnaccia says, adding that polyester also provided extended ultraviolet (UV) protection.

As seatbelts became more competi-tive and less profitable, the company phased out of this market, and in the 1980s moved into polyester and nylon sling webs for lifting and tie downs/load binders and cargo control web-bing for trucks, aircraft, rail and


Constant attention to quality has made Southern Weaving a reliable webbing supplier for decades.

continued from page 10cars. Then, in the 1990s, the company moved into manufacturing the pro-tective sleeves that fit over hydraulic hoses to protect against the elements and abrasion. The company also ex-panded into fall pro tection harnesses for the construction, manufacturing and marine industries and transfer belts for the laundry, baking, and battery production industries.

Although nylon and polyester are still the company’s mainstays in terms of lifting slings and other products, Southern Weaving has also adapted other well known advanced fibers, such as Kevlar, Vectran, and Nomex. But the company has not been content to stop here.

“We’re one of only a few companies using Dyneema, a strong synthetic high-tech yarn used for rigging,” Guarnaccia says. “It’s ten times stronger than steel and has incredible chemical resistance.”

Southern Weaving is not only uti-lizing the most up-to-date technolo-gies, but is also, through its research and develop ment activities, moving to some creations of its own. “We’re

looking at ways to identify UV degra-dation,” Guarnaccia says. “This is ex-tremely important. A lot of slings are left in the open, exposed to the sun’s UV rays. A lot of people would love to have a way to take these slings out of service scientifically.”

On the near horizon, Guarnaccia continues, “is a new woven technology, yet to be disclosed, which we be-lieve will be a pioneer in the industrial wo-ven industry.” He adds that the company’s first product uti-lizing this new technology will be announced sometime this year.

S o u t h e r n Weaving is working with NASA and an-other company to move into an entirely new realm. “Basical-ly, we’re looking at a fabric that will replace met-al, which will be much lighter. It will be used for housing, in inflatable living quarters, des-

tined for a space station eventually,” Guarnaccia explains. “Our grandkids may very well be staying in a hotel built and inflated with woven fabrics from Southern Weaving.”

Unlike many businesses which have survived over the years, South-ern Weaving did not continue as a family business. Rather, it has gone through a series of different owner-ships. Although with many inevita-ble ups and downs, the basic process has been the same. A new market is found, capitalized on, then, when, due to competition or other factors, the vi-ability of this market begins to fade, a new one is found and developed. This has been accomplished within the same narrow focus of industrial woven fabrics, starting with natural yarns, and evolving toward ever im-proving synthetics.

Over the past 85-plus years, this evolution has been gradual. But with the new ownership, put in place last September, and under the new CEO Ron Mohling, the momentum forward has accelerated at a terrific pace. A key reason, explains Director of Sales, Scott Keeler, is that the previous ownership, was, not surprisingly, tra-dition bound. It stayed with markets which were profitable, saw little need to develop new products or change marketing efforts which had worked well enough for many years. The com-pany had an established reputation for many years, and word of mouth was enough to keep it profitable.

And it’s not that the tried and true method had failed. For, as Keeler

Lean manufacturing principles keep the Southern Weaving plant running efficiently


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reports, sales were up 15 percent through the recession. Keeler is quick to add, however, that this year sales are up 25 percent.

A key reason, Keeler explains is that the company, instead of shying away from new investments, has al-ready put over $1.5 million this year into capital improvements, including wide looms, new warping and twist-ing equipment, enhancements to dye ranges, as well as new laboratory and testing equipment.

“The new management team felt that, by investing in the company, we could add value and bring it to the next level. Our philosophy is that the wise utilization of capital will result in growth and profitability,” Keeler says.

“Our focus going forward is on qual-ity and new products, new products, and new products,” says Guarnaccia. We’re using a dual approach to this.”

The first, Guarnaccia explains, has to do with serving existing custom-ers. This ranges from providing them with new value added products, to en-hancements on existing ones, allow-ing them to differentiate themselves from domestic and foreign competi-tion. Moreover, we now have an ongo-ing dialog with customers as to how certain prob lems can be solved or what little additions would make the product even more valuable. Resourc-es have been put in place to respond to these customer requests.

The second prong Guarnaccia con-tinues, is developing products in entirely new markets, such as the aerospace inflatable modules, to de-

Southern Weaving has been a leader in the narrow webbing industry since 1924.

veloping whole new sets of customers.To move forward in these new direc-

tions, the company is, of course, rely-ing not only on products, but also its personnel.

For instance, the technical Sales Manager, Jack Miller, who is head-ing up the first prong of adding more value to existing products for our cus-tomers, has been with the company for 52 years and continues to be one of our most knowledgeable experts.

But new managers have been or are in the process of being hired to bring fresh energies to various reorganized depart ments. These include a Man-ager of New Product Development for the second prong of reaching new markets, a New Marketing Director, and, a young MBA to join the market-ing department as a Product Manag-

er. The intent to increase profession-alism while expanding market range is expanding to other fronts as well. A new advertising agency has been re-tained. Also the sales reach has been extended through hiring two rep com-panies, WestRep on the west coast, and A. H. Batchelder & Son, Inc. in the mid-west.

Keeler has been with Southern Weaving for 3 years and Guarnaccia 6, and both bring their special talents and experience to bear. Keeler, with a degree in Marketing and 15 years in both woven and nonwoven products, joined Southern Weaving. Guarnac-cia worked in a number of different industries, having earned a Masters in Business Management, before working in an industrial coated fab-rics business for 12 years that also wove automotive airbag fabrics, then joining Southern Weaving.

Since the new management is so intent on going off in new, even futuristic directions, why has it re-tained the name of Southern Weav-ing which connotes the image of old-fashioned weaving of cotton and other natural fibers?

“We’ve had long debates on whether or not to change the name,” Guarnac-cia responds. “The reason we haven’t changed is that the name still has value. It’s got brand recognition. So we decided, let’s change our image and looks, let’s change every thing about us except the name.”

This change of image incorporates everything from a new logo to sta-tionery to ads. “Previously, the same quarter page ad ran for over 20 years,”

continued from page 12

A warping creel in Southern Weaving’s Greenville, SC manufacturing facility.

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continued from page 14Guarnaccia says. “We were very limit-ed as a marketing and sales company. Basically, the company built relation-ships and stayed with those. Every-body knew us so we relied on that.”

The standard quarter page ad has been replaced by four different full page ads which will run in every issue of three different magazines. The previous ad was two color and mostly words.

The new format is four color. Each one is dominated by a photo which tells a simple story, such as a thread going through a loom, with a brief caption such as “Proof. It’s in the de-tails.” The lower fourth, on a calming background of blue, has a clear con-cise message, concluding “We have you covered” – which conveys the fact that Southern Weaving meets your the central point of these fabrics is, essentially, safety.

But the safety of the employees is also part of the renewed focus of the company. The company inaugurated regular safety meetings, and won a AWRF safety award for achieving a 95% reduction of accidents over a year period. The company has also entered

the process to become ISO certified, and has hired two certified people to implement lean manufacturing. “An-other major emphasis is quality and delivery,” Guarnaccia adds.

The company had already been up-to-date computerized in terms of ev-ery function from ordering to receiv-ing to process to delivery to invoicing.

What the new management has done, however, says Guarnaccia, “is com-pletely updated and modernized our web-site. We did two things. First we gave it a look to reflect our new im-age. And, second, we’ve made it easier to navigate, making it more informa-tive. For instance, we now include

Yarn feeding through an eye board at Southern Weaving’s Greenville, SC plant


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new announcements and news arti-cles, as well as profiles of our senior management so people can see who’s running the company.”

Guarnaccia says the company is not yet concentrated on really using the Internet as a marketing tool but we are rapidly moving in that direction. Also, he adds, “By virtue of our web-site we’ve picked up some new distrib-utors in Europe and South America.

Southern Weaving has three fa-

continued from page 16 cilities, the corporate office in Green-ville, a branch in Anderson, SC, and one in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. All three comprise about 200,000 sq. ft. There are roughly 200 employees.

Still another innovation of the new management is including all of the employees in strategic planning. “Now we’ll have some 30 to 40 people in the room, including associates from the factory floor,” Guarnaccia says. “They now have more input than they ever had before. We’re doing it for two rea-

sons. The first is that it’s a recognition that they have something to offer, so it builds morale. But it also turns out we’re getting more productivity.”

As a key illustration, Guarnac-cia points to the fact that workers often were in a struggle to get dif-ficult jobs done working with older equipment. “Workers never before had a voice in their work processes,” Guarnaccia says.

He adds that the managers have been both surprised and gratified by the extent and value of the work-ers’ input.

For instance, in replacing older equipment with newer, more effi-cient, and safer models, not only has productivity and morale improved, but safety has as well, which prob-ably came from the workers taking charge of their jobs and the regularly scheduled safety meetings.

“The ideas we get are very good,” Guarnaccia says. “We can’t imple-ment them all at once, but the best ideas are soon put into practice. We run a contest once a quarter. The win-ner gets a paid vacation day. There’s a reward system for good ideas.”

And good ideas abound at Southern Weaving these days, as the company continues to build on its 85 plus year history and moves forward into excit-ing new markets with advanced ma-terials to better serve its customers every day. With the company’s goal of ongoing innovation, Southern Weav-ing is a company to watch. WRN

The Southern Weaving facility in Greenville, SC houses several loom types supplying a wide variety of markets.



ZipRider®, a product of Ter-ra-Nova, LLC of

Utah, headquartered in Park City, Utah, is the brainchild of Eric Cylvick, company founder and inventor. Originally from Long Island, New York, Eric had an adventurous childhood and youth, with boating at a young age, and a lot of skiing over the years. He graduated in the late 1980s from Clark-son University, in Potsdam, New York, where he received his degree in electrical and computer engi-neering, despite the fact that he was more mechanically-inclined. After college, Eric was a river guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River during the summers and worked for the Park City Mountain Resort on the ski patrol for a total of 14 years. He worked his way up through the ranks until he reached the position of Snow Safety Director.

His wife, Sarah Cylvick, vice presi-dent, has been an adventurous soul as well. In fact, it was at her urging that the two went on the trip that would change their lives and lead to the founding of their company.

While Sarah and Eric were dating, she talked him into going to Costa Rica with her on a surfing trip. She had heard about a zip line tour at that time in Costa Rica. “That’s really where the whole zip line craze started,” explains

Zipping along - on Wire Ropes

By Peter Hildebrandt

Imagine the feeling of soaring in an open glider. Now take that same sensation but without the glider or anything around you while at the same time plunging toward the bottom of a mountain or cliff, nothing above you but a relatively thin wire rope and slings holding you in place. One small company headquartered in Utah is now hard at work spreading that sensation to the far reaches of the globe, from locations as diverse as New England, the Mountain West, Switzerland and coastal Alaska to South Korea and Siberia.

From left to right: Storme Mathisen, Levi Painter, Brian Brech-wald, Sarah Cylvick, Eric Cylvick, Frank Borrelli and Jim Russell.

Sarah. “I heard about a company called ‘Sky Trek’ which had 14 different ca-bles strung up between trees in the cloud forest, with the longest one 1,400 feet in length. At the time this one was the longest in the world.”

“But it was super primitive and there were no safety redundancies in place. They just used a little pulley and you were suited up in a basic rock-climbing harness. They had no backups and no reliable kind of stopping mechanism at the end; they basically had a Costa Ri-can with a rope tied around the cable that would stop you when you came in. However, what we noticed was that there were teenagers all the way up to grandparents on this tour and everyone was having a great time. Eric worked at Park City Mountain Resort at the

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continued from page 20time and his thought was, ‘I would love to bring this experience to Park City Mountain Resort.’”

Eric reasoned that he would have to basically create a trolley that would be braking the whole way down. The thing with canopy tours in the rain for-est is that you’re not necessarily drop-ping any gradient. You’ll go from one side of a gulley to the other, but maybe you’re only dropping 50 - 150 feet or so. Therefore, with the traditional canopy tour-style zip lines installed at a ski re-sort, it would take hundreds of cable to basically work your way down from the top. Eric’s concept was to create a self-braking trolley that would enable them to put one cable from the top to the bot-tom, fully tensioned with no belly so riders could just go straight down the mountain.Enter ZipRider

Eric and Sarah installed their first ZipRider at the Park City Mountain Re-sort in 2002. Unlike the zip lines down in Costa Rica, riders of the ZipRider are able to take the existing chairlifts at the ski resort to get up the moun-tain. Since the chair lifts are already in place, ready to go, this is why the firm has concentrated on establishing their

systems at ski areas and resorts. The clients ascend the mountain and then walk a very short distance to where the zip line is before riding back down, in fast motion.

The ZipRider uses an automated sys-tem that’s adjustable so that depend-ing upon what particular grade a ride is, adjustments can be made to the trol-

ley to adapt to that percent grade. The systems have multiple safety features. The trolley is self-braking the entire time. In any event of a trolley failing they have multiple redundancies on the trolley itself as well as the harness so it can never ever detach from the cable. There are also individual safety


Riders on the First Flieger ZipRider at Grindelwald, Switzerland.

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backups on each person’s harness. Riders come into the final bottom

stretch of their rides at anywhere from 10-20 miles per hour, depending on the ride. The springs at the bottom are graduated to accommodate for light riders and heavy riders.

Eric created the braking technology, as well as the three different trolleys he’s invented, which have a number of patents on them, including some Eu-ropean patents too. “Riders ride down the entire wire rope and the wire rope is actually part of our braking system,” explains Eric. “Our brake rubs against the wire rope and the trolley system itself that you’re actually hooked to has a braking system. There is a constant brake going down the ca-ble, with the cable enacting 50% of our braking.

“Two mecha-nisms slow the rider down. One is the trolley itself with its passive braking system and the springs at the end. We es-sentially have a trolley that’s basi-cally a governor that slows the rider down as they descend. Then we have, of course, a terminal brake at the bottom acting to decelerate from the speed they’re coming into the terminal brake at, to zero mph.”

The first wire rope they used was a 5/8” diameter wire rope. But as they started looking at the terrain and dif-ferent rides that they were asked to build, the ¾” wire rope seemed to be the most cost effective way to go for the appropriate strength for the distances they wanted to go. With the topog-raphy they were in for the two, three or four thousand-foot long rides, they needed a certain breaking strength. “It seemed like with anything bigger than ¾” inch wire rope, we defeated our pur-pose,” says Eric. “For the amount of weight we were adding to the wire rope we were getting an increased breaking strength; it didn’t pay to go to a one-inch diameter wire rope.”

ZipRider buys their wire rope through Atlas Sales, a wire rope retail-

continued from page 22 er in Salt Lake City, Utah. Atlas sup-plies all their rigging equipment and cable. They’ve had a great relationship with them, according to Sarah. These items are put together into a truck load which is then shipped to the location where the ZipRider system is being installed. This distributor has Chinese and Korean rope and other wire rope that he uses. “Looking at the price and originally not knowing how long these wire ropes were going to last, he decid-ed to go for a more cost effective – but still good quality – product.”

“If you look at some of the original zip lines that were going up, they were just grabbing any type of cable and throwing

it up in the air. We wanted cable that had certifications and that came from a decent wire rope manufacturer; it just turned out to be a Korean rope.”

ZipRider uses ¾ inch wire rope cable for both the ZipRider and the ZipTour, one of the other two trolleys. On their third trolley, the ZipRescue, the speci-fications make it adaptable to 1.2 to 1.6 inch cable and a larger cable, up to 2.1 inch. They have two different brake as-semblies which can be purchased de-pending upon whether the line will be used for a tram or a regular chairlift.

Some ski lift cables have a rubber-type material in the grooves. They do not use that type of cable on their systems, just the straight 6 by 19 cable lines.

Now Eric and Sarah and the five other guys who make up their team have completed 14 installations. Two ZipRiders are opening to the public right now in South Korea. For that

installation they purchased the cable in Korea. The cable they normally get from Atlas Sales is also from Ko-rea. When they did an installation in Switzerland, they ended up purchas-ing Swiss-made cable. They are flexible when they do an installation, especial-ly overseas. If a customer would rather buy the cables themselves or build the towers themselves, ZipRider will work with them.Giving Ski Resorts a Summer Life

“The ZipRider is an especially good fit for old ski resorts and any ski ar-eas looking to increase their revenue streams,” says Sarah. “For instance, at Wildcat Mountain Ski Area in New

Hampshire, we installed the first two cable ZipRid-er in 2007 and it was sold out every day from day one. The next year we expanded the ride to a four cable ride and it continues to sell out every day. The ZipRider took their number of summer visitors from 7,600 people per summer to 58,000. The in-frastructure is already there; all you have to do is have something to do in the summer. The ZipRider is one summer time addition for areas that enable them

to expand from having five months of income to having 12 months of income.”

The option to go year round differs from location to location. Their Park City Mountain Resort location, for in-stance, is a good fit for summer but in the winter that particular location closes down for the ZipRider. The Utah Olympic Park, Wildcat Mountain and their location in Switzerland do oper-ate in the winter.

ZipRider sells their systems to the customer. The ski/resort area in turn uses existing employees to run it. They sign a service contract and agree to visit the installation once each year and inspect the ride. All the parts of their rides are custom-made, so custom spare parts are sent to each location.

Their biggest ride is at a cruise line port of call in Alaska. It has six cables side by side with each cable over a mile

Riders on the ZipRider at Park City Mountain Resort.Courtesy of Park City Mountain Resort


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in length at an astounding 5,400 feet. This is on a little island fifty miles west of Juneau, Alaska.

“We definitely push the envelope,” admits Sarah. “When we built the big ride in Alaska, it became the biggest zipline in the world, and still is. It launches off a cliff. It’s insane. It then drops 1300 feet in vertical elevation over one mile in distance. That location is now sold out every day. It goes for $120 dollars per ride and is a phenom-enal ride,” says Sarah.

“It was probably our scariest instal-lation too, as we were faced with new challenges. But Icy Strait Point works so well because you are literally drop-ping off a cliff. There are no mountains or hills at all to get in the way of the cable sag. The length of the wire rope cable to be used really depends on the individual location’s terrain. The ter-rain is the most limiting factor.” Taking a Tour on the Zip

Their new product is the ZipTour, a trolley that Eric invented and designed. They can make it adapt to any kind of ride that they can build. Riders can be going along at 50 miles per hour down the cable and they are able to come to a stop, even on a 35% grade, whenever they want. The adjustable braking trol-ley is operated by the customer. “It’s re-ally cool,” says Sarah.

The ZipTour is a combination of the technologies used for the ZipRider and the ZipRescue trolleys. For the first time, the riders can control their own speed, and even stop and enjoy some time suspended over a river or other

area of interest.There is a ZipTour video on their web

site (www.ziptourcanopy.com) which they’ve recently completed. Their ZipRider website (www.ziprider.com) is a fun way to spend a few minutes. It has a wide variety of in-the-moment videos of all their sites. (www.zipres-cue.net) has a video of the ZipRescue ski lift rescue trolley in action. This is a trolley used to ride chairlift cables for lift evacuation.

The Cylvicks realized that there weren’t any recognized national stan-dards, set protocols, or procedures for lift evacuation, and each individual resort was having to develop their own methods for lift evacuation. The ZipRescue trolley was created to give patrollers a light weight, safe and ver-satile method of cable transport in the event they needed to get into a chair or gondola cabin for evacuation. ZipRes-cue is an authorized Petzl dealer and now works with resorts to build cus-tom evac gear packs consisting of the ZipRescue trolley and Petzl equipment.

Because it is so light weight, it only requires one trained rescuer to oper-ate it. The automatic braking system gives the rescuer speed control, and be-cause of its efficiency, the rescuers can use their energy better, which means they’ll have more energy to make bet-ter decisions.From Installation to Ride

It usually takes about a month to get a new system installed, and from the time they sign a contract to the time that the ride is opened is typically about five months. “Once onsite they

supervise the installation. By the time we get onsite, the foundations are in the ground already. We’ve designed the foundations and given that to the cus-tomer; the customer hires a contractor to install the foundations and erect the ride. We show up onsite and – depend-ing on the individual ride – it’s prob-ably four to five weeks before the ride is opened up to the public.”

Among the biggest challenges with installation is the fact that the work is being done in a mountain environment and there are all kinds of issues with the weather, the terrain and getting the equipment to the top of the moun-tain. “Working at 9,000 feet elevation in the Rocky Mountains in May is dif-ferent than working in New Jersey in May. In the Rockies you can get five feet of snow in May at a ski resort,” says Eric.

“There are issues with the erection of the towers and the stringing of the wire rope is always a challenge because typ-ically we are trying to keep as many trees in the alignment as possible. Very often we’re not cutting trees down and are trying to string wire rope through trees, getting tension above the trees and that’s always a big challenge.

“We do take some trees down, but not like what happens with the installation of a chairlift, where a wide swath is re-moved. We take trees down that are close to the cables that are potentially a hazard for the riders to hit, but un-like a chairlift we don’t take out all the trees underneath.”

“We have a ride installed in Siberia, so temperature is not really an issue or limiting factor particularly. When we came up with the idea for these systems it was in the tropics, far from snow and the mountains. But here we are, and it’s been an amazing ride. The phrase we’ve come up with to describe the experience our clients have is ‘No sweat adrenaline’ because everyone en-joys the rush but not everyone is will-ing to work for it,” says Sarah. “With the ZipRider you just sit back in our custom harness and enjoy the thrill.”

That adrenaline can still be felt even when you’re a seasoned pro. When Eric rode down their ZipRider in Alaska the first time he witnessed a pair of Bald Eagles soaring just below him. “It’s an incredible feeling hanging on a little single cable when you’re 500 feet off the ground, with birds of prey flying beneath you. Every ride is unique; sim-ilar technology is used but nothing is ever the same with the location, wheth-er it’s Korea, Switzerland or Branson, Missouri. Each is a different ride.” WRN


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How “smart” are smart phones, really? Do they help, get in the way, or maybe a bit of both. Here are the varied opinions from different segments of the wire rope industry.

SMART PHONESPros and Cons

By Thomas G. Dolan

There’s no denying that smart phones are becoming increasingly popular with people, in both their

business and personal lives. Many find smart phones indispensable. Oth-ers find them annoying. And a large number find them both. Here is the feedback on this ubiquitous technology from leaders who play different roles in the wire rope industry.

“The three staples everybody takes with them when they leave their home in the morning are their wallet, keys, and cell or smart phones,” says Drew Merschat, a sales rep for Carpenter Rigging and founder of a smart phone technology for rigging, Riglt LLC, both based in San Francisco, CA. Merschat’s statement that everybody leaves home in the morning only first checking for keys, wallet, and mobile phone, might seem like an exaggeration. But not that much. For he points out that there are 10 million users of iPhone in the U.S. alone, not to mention Apple’s oth-er smart phones such as iPad and IPod, along with, of course all the Blackber-ries, Androids, and the rest.

“I like to think of myself as an entre-preneur,” says Merschat. And, in fact, his work as a salesman for Carpenter and his new high-tech company are in-timately related. “As an outside sales person in rigging for the past ten years, my job has been to go to job sites to give customers information on new products and load capacities for the equipment they are using,” Merschat relates.

Typically, this information, especial-ly in terms of load capacities, has been printed out in a variety of different formats, including posters, lists, and charts. For job site personnel there are stickers for hard hats and cards for the back pocket. “I’ve had customers re-peatedly ask for the same cards,” says Merschat. “I wondered if there might be better way than cards, which tend to get lost, or stickers which require the person to take off his hard hat to figure out a load.”

So, about six months ago, Merschat,

who is not a technician himself, began working with his brother, Chad Mer-schat, to develop this application, “I didn’t want to just enter a bunch of con-fusing data, but just the good usable basics,” he explains. “If you’re lifting 20,000 pounds, you turn on your smart phone, select the type of sling, whether wire rope, chain, nylon, or polyester; then the hitch either vertical choke or basket; and capacity - and that will tell you what size sling to use.”

In addition to providing valuable in-formation for his customers, Merschat adds, “I thought this might be a good way to increase sales for my company. It would be a good contact for a much wider range of customers than the Bay area. It can be global, and translate into millions of smart phones all over the world.” Merschat adds that he plans to gradually add new applications. His

website is www.rigitapp.com.Jeff Susman, president, Slingmax

Rigging Solutions, Aston, PA, is in the experimental stages of an entirely dif-ferent smart phone application. He ex-plains that currently, when he gets a query from a potential buyer, he has no way of knowing whether or not it was in response to an ad, or, if so, which ad, in which media. Even an ad which di-rects a reader to his website doesn’t tell Susman what exact ad it was.

More and more smart phones have scanner programs, Susman continues, which means that a reader having one can touch it to the ad and be instantly connected to the website. “He’ll be less likely to put the magazine down and be distracted by something else,” says Susman. “It’s instant gratification.” As well as instant information for Susman




as to which of his ads are working and which not.

Mike Parnell, president, Industrial Training International, Woodland, WA, says the main benefit of a smart phone “is having immediate access to information in the field. We’re able to see drawings and procedural docu-ments for cranes and rigging. These can come from our own corporate in-ventory or from a client. Also OSHA regulations and rigging audits can be accessed. And eventually we’ll

have some of our private documents in house, resource tables and formu-las that we’ll be able to put into an electronic format. There are super volumes of information that can be brought to the field through a smart phone. That’s it’s biggest plus.”

In terms of downsides, Parnell says, “In some cases and on some days you can be overloaded with information and contacts. You can be in meetings or in other conversations and having all these messages pop up. You feel you have to respond. But at times it feels

almost impolite. You can become dis-tracted, and that’s unprofessional. A smart phone is all right if you use it for a good purpose, but you have to have discipline to use it right.”

Linda Summars, whose First Sling Technology, LLC, is in Mustang, OK, says about her smart phone, “I couldn’t do business without it. The email and texting, with the complete addresses, are available while I am traveling. Though Skype I can talk to Japan with-out long distance charges. I did hear that Microsoft purchased Skype for $9 billion, so I’m not sure how much lon-ger that free benefit will last.”

Summars acknowledges that “it gets personally annoying when I am con-nected all day long. Sometimes I have to turn it off to take a day off.” Nev-ertheless, she maintains that smart phones will become increasingly nec-essary, “For the younger generation is embracing it. The age group that is now starting to enter into management are successors to owners – this is the way they communicate. A friend who works for me is 28 and is very help-ful in guiding me to what’s going on in social networks like Twitter and Face-book. People get messages even if they are not at their desk. There are associa-tion contacts. It’s amazing what smart phones can do. I don’t think they’re go-ing to go away.”

As a consultant for the rigging indus-try, Steven B. Guydos, whose SG Con-sulting is based in Brookhaven, PA, says, “The majority of my clients are on the West Coast, so I spend a lot of time traveling, but my Blackberry al-lows me to not lose any time working on my business.”

Guydos says he has three different email accounts, one for himself, and two for his two employees, so they can be informed on everything that is go-ing on. He also communicates with the managers he consults with, receiving their documents he can look at on his phone. He’s also an auditor for two dif-ferent registrars. “I work 12-14 hours a day, six days a week, and spend a lot of time sitting in airports,” Guydos says. “But my smart phone gives me some-thing to do, and allows me to take care of business.”

Guydos adds that “smart phones are definitely abused. I can’t see why a 14-year old kid needs a smart phone, and it irks me to see someone driving use one. I hate to have my phone ring-ing during a meeting because I forgot to turn it off, and I get a lot of adver-tising calls. But the positives far out-


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continued from page 30weigh the negatives. You just need to be smart about it, and know when to turn it off.”

“Smart phones are wonderful for they have all this information so read-ily available,” says Kathryn Thomas, a principal at the Mount Laurel, NJ-based Distributor Computer Systems. “They allow you to respond quickly to situations, and help put out fires, and that’s all to the good.”

On the other hand, Thomas says, “It aggravates me that now we seem to need to have everything instanta-neously, instant and constant feed-back. And Kindle Books – everybody I know that reads books that way loves it. But I refuse. Now people just click on their phone number. I’ve heard peo-ple ask others what their own phone number was. They don’t even know. It’s unbelievable.

The creation of motorcycles, cars, and trucks, means we don’t have to walk much any more. I wonder if with all the convenience smart phones give us, we might be becoming spoiled, and giving up something we shouldn’t.”

“I see two main drawbacks to cell phones, which is why I don’t use them,” says Dale H. Curtis, president/princi-

pal engineer, Curtis Engineering Cor-poration, San Diego, CA.

The first drawback, Curtis says, “if you’re up 240 feet inspecting a tower crane, you’ve already got your hands full climbing around. Even if you have the $1,500 phone in your pocket and it falls out and hits the floor, it disinte-grates.” Add to that, Curtis continues, he’s already carrying a cell phone, a walkie-talkie, and an instrument mea-suring wind speed. As well as the haz-ards of working ice, snow, or rain, often needing to wear gloves.

The second drawback, Curtis says, “is they cost about $1,500 each, so if you have ten inspectors working for you that’s $15,000, a big expense.”

On the other hand, Curtis says, “There are times I wish I had more than a cell phone. The one I have is capable of taking pictures, but some of the smart phones take much better pictures, and are able to label it and automatically put it into the file you are working on. And some smaller in-spection companies, one to three man operations, use smart phones to their advantage. They do a very good job of documenting inspections for their re-ports. Probably more and more people, when they upgrade their cell phones,

will move into smart phones.” Curtis adds, though, that he won’t be one of them.

Skip Perry, president, Grays Harbor Equipment Company, Aberdeen, WA, also has no use for smart phones. “It might be different if I was a stockbro-ker or traveling salesman,” Perry says. “But my business is local. I don’t want a smart phone to get to the Internet. The screen is too small on the phone. Also, once you buy a smart phone, you have to pay $60 to $100 a month to maintain it. Again, my local service works fine for me. And I rarely get advertising on my land phone. I think smart phone users will be inundated with advertising, for the vendors are counting on consumers being gullible enough to buy into all that. And the more complicated any technology gets, the more complicated it becomes, the more things can go wrong, and the more it costs to repair and maintain it. I have a phone I want to use as a phone, that’s it.”

So, in sum, a smart phone can be a useful tool. But that’s all it is. It’s not “smart.” It’s just a machine. You have to be smart enough to use it for your own purposes, and not someone else’s. WRN

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Nicholson Construction’s geotechnical work at the World Trade Center construction site

By Peter HildebrandtBeing able to work on one of the most anticipated building sites in the U.S. has been an interesting venture for Nicholson Construction, Cuddy, Pennsylvania. Nicholson has been involved in much of the work at the World Trade Center site as it has progressed, especially in the earlier phases.

Nicholson Construction has been involved extensively in the World Trade Center Transpor-

tation Hub and the construction on the foundation for the Memorial site, which is the centerpiece of all the con-struction being done. The Memorial site is scheduled to open in time for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It includes two memorial pools that stand on the exact spots where the North and South Towers once stood. The pools will have parapets with the names of all the peo-ple who were lost on 9/11. They will be the largest manmade fountains in the U.S. and will sit within an eight acre memorial park that will be filled with 400 trees, the first of which were plant-ed in late August.

One World Trade Center, the larg-est building on the site, is rising each day and when finished, will ascend to (including the antenna) 1,776 feet representing the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Na-tional September 11 Museum and the World Trade Center Transportation Hub are in various stages of construc-tion as well. Plans for Towers 2, 3 and 4 and a performing arts center are also in the works.

Nicholson is getting ready to wrap up the work on the support excavation for the Memorial, in addition to a number of other projects they’ve been involved with on the site. Most recently they’ve been working with joint venture part-ner E.E. Cruz, constructing the Vehicle Security Center’s perimeter foundation walls.

The contract also includes the exca-vation of 160,000 cubic yards of rock, soil, and miscellaneous materials, some of which was fill put down many years ago to be part of the landfill that extended the downtown shoreline. One of the interesting parts of the job is, you never know what you might find when you’re excavating.

Drilling equipment on a construction site- a typi-cal application using Miller wire rope swivels.

The swivel is a physically small item on the foun-dation drill rig and it connects the drill string to the end of the wire rope. The swivel supports the load of the drill string and protects the wire rope from being twisted as the drill turns. continued on page 36

For example, on July 13, 2010 the hull of a centuries-old ship was discov-ered at the excavation site. About 60 feet long, the ship is likely a common schooner or dual-masted brigantine from the late 1700’s. It’s believed the vessel was retired and submerged in order to become fill material for an area that, at the time was probably a rela-tively marshy spot. The vessel was evi-dently undisturbed for more than 200 years, as the area had not been dug out for the original trade center.

Work was halted when the discovery was made. The centuries-old ship’s hull was removed from the site quickly by archeologists and workers and sent to a laboratory in Maryland for further examination.

Because of the discovery, the wall and anchors that Nicholson construct-ed can be seen above the hull in the resulting pictures and videos of the dis-covered ship.

Sometimes small things can make a big difference

Amid cranes and grading and exca-vation equipment, a relatively small piece of equipment has helped Nich-olson Construction’s work in chiseling out each of the rock sockets in prepa-ration for the construction of the dia-phragm wall or slurry wall.

They used HH-111 swivels by Miller Lifting Products with a chisel to gouge out the rock sockets at the bottom of the excavation. “The swivels were used to make our connections so we don’t get any twisting on our wire ropes and connections up above,” explains Ryan Streets, project manager for Nicholson on the World Trade Center construc-tion site. “The rope gets transferred all the way back to the drum. To miti-gate any twisting, the idea is to put the swivel in between and keep an eye on that.”

“It is a very durable piece of equip-ment, containing zinc alloy; but we put it in the slurry and we abuse it. It’s one thing dealing with a static load. But in this case it is taking a lot of dynamic

Ad092506_7116x458:3.375 9/26/07 12:59 PM Page 1



continued from page 34load with several forces involved. If a guy drops the chisel down, hits the rock and stops the drum, he doesn’t see much of a load at all. But if he catches short you actually see a dynamic load and the chisel itself is still accelerat-ing, but the swivel is stopped and it takes some of the force.”

The wall of the Vehicle Security Cen-ter was formed using intonate compact-ed right, regular lay, lengths. They had thirty panels to do in their work and the chisel was used for 1,600 square feet of rock. Nicholson Construction was at this site at least six months and in the course of that time went through about twenty of the Miller swivels.

The HH-111 is a 35 ton capacity swivel that handles ropes 1 ½ inches in size. It is about 20 inches in length, five inches in diameter and weighs 78 pounds. “Miller Lifting Products was the first company to develop an an-gular contact bearing design with our Y-link swivel,” explains Holly Jee, cus-tomer service and production planning manager for Miller Lifting Products.

“Others in these standard Y-Link models have Working Load Limits of 0.45 to 300 tons and special versions are available with Working Load Lim-

its over 1,000 tons. In addition to their reliability, long service life and exten-sion in the life of the wire rope, they also feature the lowest starting torque for better responsiveness and higher rotational speeds. Structural compo-nents are machined from forged alloy steel, not cast. Also, zinc plating inside and out increases the protection from corrosion on this swivel.”

Miller purchases the forged bar stock and other raw materials and then ma-chines the product at their Massachu-setts plant before sending them out for zinc plating at another location.

Miller has been in business since 1935. The direction they’ve taken has been a bit unconventional in that they started in the west and moved east in-stead of the other way around. In the early days the company was called Miller Swivel, eventually becoming part of SSP Construction Equipment, Inc. sometime after World War II, ac-cording to Paul Jankovic, Miller Lifting Products president. Over a period of time thereafter the company was sold to two or three different industrial con-glomerates.

Transtechnology Corporation in turn purchased the company and moved the business to Doylestown, Pennsylvania

in1990 and around 1991 they moved it once again, to Worcester, Massa-chusetts. In 1992 current owner GHM Industries, Inc. purchased three differ-ent businesses including Miller from Transtechnology and ever since then Miller has operated in the central Mas-sachusetts area and finally in 2002 moved to its current modern facility in Charlton, Massachusetts.Making use of ‘cottage industries’ in place for generations

The economic downturn has not re-ally affected Miller too much, though business did slow down for them a bit in 2009, according to Jee. “Perhaps be-cause we get orders from all around the world we have not been hit too badly.”

“We also benefit quite a bit from our manufacturing location in Massachu-setts,” explains Jankovic. “The Bay State and the surrounding areas in New England have traditionally had a lot of industry including many machine shops. There aren’t as many anymore, but what there is forms a ‘cottage in-dustry’ of small, diversified special-ists. There are a number of smaller, highly-skilled machine shops in this area which are a great advantage for us. The fact that we have all these

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continued from page 36specialty shops means we can get just about anything we need locally, involv-ing various processes and technologies, and in a short time frame.”

“When we need to source metalwork-ing orders, for example, it definitely helps the local economy here in Mas-sachusetts. Offshore industry projects to be used in the Gulf of Mexico often require special coating requirements for corrosion protection. The complete range of processes we need, including heavy machining, welding, non-de-structive testing, materials analysis, and special coating process are all here.

A significant portion of Miller’s ship-ments go to the Gulf Coast area with Louisiana and Texas leading the way. “During the Offshore Technology Con-ference expo in Houston last May, one of our good customers called us for sup-port from a vessel he was on in the Gulf while supporting the ongoing spill re-sponse operations. We are aware of a few of our products having been used in those response operations,” says Jankovic.

Miller sells through an industrial distribution network nationwide. (One of their distributors, Amick Associates, also headquartered in western Penn-sylvania, furnishes straps and hoisting supplies and they provided the swiv-els to Nicholson.) Though Miller sells worldwide, their distributor network is based predominantly in the U.S. They also sell directly to original equipment manufacturers for such products as hooks used by crane manufacturers.Protecting the huge wire rope in-vestment with a modest swivel

“The durability of our swivels in the foundation drilling industry and at the World Trade Center site and oth-ers is the most important advantage of our product,” says Jankovic. “We also design and manufacture hook blocks for mobile, industrial and shipboard cranes. This also includes hook blocks for heavy industries such a primary metals and mining.”

Miller’s ISO/Link-AC insulating link is a unique product used to insulate the load on a crane from the rest of the crane structure for operations conduct-ed in the vicinity of overhead power lines. Workers handling the loads are protected from dangerous electrical currents in case of accidental crane contact with overhead power lines.

Their swivel helps to avoid undesir-able rope twist and resulting damage to certain kinds of wire ropes, espe-cially in foundation drilling. “You can’t have the drilling process hampered by

rope twist.” “The value of the wire rope on a crane

or rig can be quite significant and hav-ing to change out damaged wire rope means project delay. The swivels are a small investment in comparison to what may have to be expended by not having them. The cost of the swivel depends on the working load involved. Typically our swivels used for foun-dation drilling are in the 5 to 45-ton range.”

“Nicholson had some support issues at the World Trade Center; we jumped on them as fast as we could,” says Jankovic. “Miller is a relatively small company and so we are able to react quickly. If someone needs something modified slightly to fit their rig, we are quick to get to it. We have the larg-est inventory and the largest variety of swivels for immediate shipment in North America. Ninety percent of our swivels are shipped out the same day as ordered, which no one else can do.”Below the ground floor

The World Trade Center site is un-doubtedly the most complex public works project being built anywhere in the United States right now. Just getting cranes and other equipment into the city and where it needs to go is a feat. With a 100,000 square foot museum located under the immense granite clad pools, the construction of what will become the tallest building in New York, and the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, the third-largest transportation center in New York, construction is anything but simple.

Nicholson seems to welcome a chal-lenge. Geotechnical construction work is their specialty. As a geotechnical contractor they do both design and build, according to Brian O’Gara, head of communications with Nicholson Construction. They specialize in deep foundations, earth retention, ground treatment, and ground improvement.

They work on power plants, dams, bridges and skyscrapers. Being in the heart of coal country, they have also done projects for coal companies. Their latest was an earth-retention applica-tion, holding back a wall at a coal mine for a new conveyor being built. “We work in every industry, as long as there is underground construction involved,” says O’Gara. “We are very specialized but it could be in any situation, any-where. The World Trade Center site was a unique and historic opportunity.”

To learn more about the World Trade Center site, visit: www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/ and www.lowermanhat-tan.info/. WRN

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Taking the leadhow to deliver bad news

to good employees

No business leader likes delivering bad news. In difficult economic times, though, it can be especially hard to announce staff layoffs or cuts in benefits. Here, ex-perts tell how to announce bad news without affecting morale.

By Phillip M. Perry

Bad news. Leaders hate deliver-ing it – and no wonder. It makes people feel terrible. And it’s too

easy to make a mistake in tone that can infect the entire workplace with a case of low morale.

Leaders face a special challenge when times are tough. How do you an-nounce budget cuts, layoffs, salary de-creases or benefit reductions and still keep your employees motivated?

The answer is to deliver bad news in good ways. Here are some tips on doing just that.Don’t undercut your authority

Don’t undermine your own authority when you deliver bad news. “It’s impor-tant not to pass the buck,” says Randy Anderson, president of E3 Professional Trainers (www.e3professionaltrain-ers.com). “Avoid saying things like “accounting is making us take these steps.” Or “Yeah, you are right, I can’t believe the ‘powers that be’ are doing this.” Such words communicate that you are not in charge. This undermines

your authority with your employees.“If you create a disconnect between

those who send the message and the person who delivers it, the front line people can turn against the long range strategy,” says Anderson. They will start saying, “The boss doesn’t even believe in this strategy, so why should we?” They lose faith in the leaders of the organization, lock arms and stop cooperating with the management.

Instead of the negative approach, use words such as these: “I have decided we need…” or “It has become clear to me…” This helps build you as a con-nected leader and that builds credibil-ity with your employees.

Empathize with your employees, adds Anderson, but don’t commiserate. In other words, it’s fine to use words such as “I can understand how you would feel discouraged by this news.” But avoid saying “I feel the same way.” Once again, becoming the “naysayer in chief” sepa-rates you from the top decision makers and that undercuts your authority.

Control the bad news“Leaders in tough times often don’t

control the flow of information,” says Anderson. “When there is bad news you want to be the first one your em-ployees hear it from, putting your per-spective on things.”

When you deliver the news you can do so in a way that explains the short term pain in terms of long term gain. Use words such as, “We don’t expect this condition to last forever. But dur-ing the coming three months we have to make the following changes. We are all going to take a small knock now to avoid a big knock a year from now.”

You can also control the impact of bad news by engaging with those employees who are “thought leaders,” or people who influence others in the workforce. You want to avoid letting your thought leaders interpret everything on the neg-ative side, says Anderson. “People will start to look for the next person to be fired or next customer to depart.”

Include your thought leaders in your strategy, suggests Anderson. Ask ques-tions such as, “We are looking for a way to save $50,000. What are your ideas?” This approach has two benefits: “The naysay-er has skin in the game and will be less likely to bad mouth. And also you can test the waters to see if that person can be a leader in a new position at some point.”

Once you have engaged your thought leaders, get input from everyone. “It’s amazing the brainpower you have un-der your management that’s easy to overlook,” says Billy Arcement, a man-agement consultant in Prairieville, Louisiana (www.searchingforsuccess.com). “You build an ownership in the organization when you let employees give birth to ideas. So give people a chance to contribute.”

It’s important to involve everyone in the process of seeking solutions. Put a problem on the table and ask “what do you guys think?” Maybe you won’t use any of their solutions, but keep asking anyhow. “You have to challenge your

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employees to contribute rather than just come to work and collect their pay-checks,” says Anderson. “Let them be-come part of the solution.”Stay positive

Take positive, effective actions, al-ways seeing the glass as half full. “As a leader you need to set the example for everyone,” says Diane Amundson, a management consultant based in Wi-nona, MN (www.dianeamundson.com). “You need to find a balance between buying into the ‘doom and gloom’ of the economy and being in denial, pretend-ing that there is nothing wrong.”

One approach is to say something like this: “We refuse to participate in this recession. However, some of our customers and suppliers are participat-ing so we will have a few bumps. If ev-eryone does their job exceptionally well we will not only survive but thrive.”

“Continue to notice what people do right and acknowledge that immedi-ately,” says Amundsen. “Employee surveys consistently show that people want to ‘do work that is meaningful’ and ‘feel appreciated.’ Focus on what is doing well. This helps with burnout as people are being asked to do more.”Share your progress

Share the steps you are taking to re-

solve the problems and move the com-pany back to a state of full health. To a large extent that will mean uncovering the numbers.

“Share your financial information in the form of your business income statement on a quarterly basis,” says Amundsen. “Report your revenues and your bottom line and educate people on what those things mean. And share with them what you are doing to turn around the numbers.”

Sharing financials will help bring about two good conditions: Your em-ployees will understand why you need to make the painful changes you are making, and they will see how the changes are making a positive effect on the business as the months go by. The process builds trust in both your plan and your organization’s future.

When it comes to maintaining a vig-orous and productive workforce, com-munication is king. “Companies that do employee satisfaction surveys in-variably hear ‘Communication needs to be improved,’” says Amundsen. “I have never met a company that ‘over communicates.’ Especially in a slower economy people want to hear both good and bad news. So be honest in terms of company and employee performance.”

Creative leadership is vital to success in any economic climate. When times are tough, though, a firm hand on the wheel is more important than ever. Keeping the ship of business afloat in rough waters very often means master-ing the skill of delivering bad news in good ways. Tackling tough situations

How can you deliver bad news and keep your employees motivated? Here are some suggestions for handling three common workplace situations.

Situation 1: You need to cut work hours across the board.

“You can handle this problem in one of two ways,” says Randy Anderson, president of E3 Professional Train-ers (www.e3professionaltrainers.com). “The first is to go to your thought lead-ers—those employees who tend to in-fluence the thinking of the group—and tell them first. This has the advantage of investing them in your strategy and obtaining their input.” You can say something like, “I have something to tell the employees and I want you to know it first.”

The second approach is to bring all of the employees into one room and have a single announcement. This reduces

continued on next page

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the risk of having information leak out ahead of time. You can say something like this: “I have something to share and this will be frustrating to hear but this is the real world we are in. I can understand that this will cause un-easiness and frustrations and this will mean we will have to go about things differently.”

Then explain the problem that your business faces, and the new cuts that have to be made. But don’t stop there: Ask for feedback. Say something like “I

want to work with you in any way I can to get a workable structure so we are all more productive and we get back to where we want to be so we are in not in this position forever.”

Finding productive ways to work within your new parameters is critical, says Anderson. “The worst thing you can do is end up not getting all of the work done that the company has to do. Then you have to start cutting people or product lines or commissions or start losing customers. So ask for assistance from your employees in the form of new

ways to get work done in fewer hours.”Situation 2: You need to reduce

health insurance benefits for everyone.“This is a good example of how shar-

ing financial information can help re-solve a problem,” says Diane Amund-son, a management consultant based in Winona, MN (www.dianeamundson.com). “In your quarterly financial pre-sentations you have been sharing how health care costs are going up. So when it comes time to have a tough talk it is not a surprise.”

You can say something like this: “As all of you are aware, health care costs have been skyrocketing. We need to get costs under control so we can keep our jobs here. So here are our options: We can increase deductibles or we can de-crease benefits. But we cannot stay on our present path.”

And what if you have not been hav-ing those critical quarterly talks? “Now is the perfect time to start sharing fi-nances if you have not already,” says Amundsen.

Situation 3: You need to lay off employees.

“If you are going to do layoffs you have to keep it on a personal level,” says Billy Arcement, a management consultant in Prairieville, Louisiana (www.searchingforsuccess.com). “One company was considering emailing em-ployee about layoffs. I love email but that is impersonal and stupid. If you are going to be leader you have to look at people face to face, give them the truth and tell them why.”

Give the terminated individuals rea-sons why their jobs are no longer need-ed. Communicate that the cut is being done for reasons other than fattening the bottom line. Instead, explain why it was necessary that THEIR positions be cut in the grand scheme of things.

“Take an honest approach and even those laid off can understand the ra-tionale,” says Arcement. “You can also help people make their transitions by warning them to be prepared in the event that layoffs become official down the road.” And you can help them find new positions by providing referrals and references.

Doing this the right away is vital. “If you handle layoffs badly there is a big impact on the employees who re-main,” says Arcement. “People become disheartened and have a bad taste in their mouths about the company. Mo-rale and productivity go down. They start to think ‘where should I go, why should I stay?’ They start to ask ‘who’s next?’ Ultimately this can lead to your business demise.” WRN

continued from previous page


of legitimate credits and deductions could actually result in a net increase in taxes to manufacturers, increasing the vulnerability of the manufactur-ing sector, which is still in the midst of a fragile recovery.

In the letter, AISI President and CEO Thomas J. Gibson writes, “Cor-porate tax reform, if properly con-structed, can provide the environ-ment that American companies need to expand and increase production and exports, create jobs, and aid in our economic recovery, which is an essential component to addressing the current fiscal crisis facing the United States.” However, Gibson warns that the Congress must be vigilant in ensuring that any new tax policies would not put our man-ufacturing sector at a competitive disadvantage.

AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI

Preliminary Steel Imports Increase 6% in MayImport Market Share at 21%

Based on preliminary Census Bu-reau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 2,692,000 net tons (NT) of steel in May, includ-ing 1,838,000 NT of finished steel (up 6% and down 5%, respectively, from April final data). Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2011 would be 28.0 and 21.1 million NT, respectively, up 17% and 12% vs. 2010. Finished steel import market share in May was an estimated 21% and is also 21% year-to date.

Key finished steel products with significant import increases in May 2011 compared to April include wire rod (up 35%), plates in coils (up 23%), oil country goods (up 15%) and heavy structural shapes (up 14%). Major products with sig-nificant year-to-date import in-creases vs. the same period last year include reinforcing bar (up 55%), oil country goods (up 41%) and hot rolled bars (up 25%).

In May, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were from South Korea (213,000 NT, down 31%), Japan (131,000 NT, up 16%), China (119,000 NT, up 23%), Germany (78,000 NT up 8%), and Turkey (69,000 NT, down 42%). For the first 5 months of 2011, the larg-est offshore suppliers were South Korea (1,164,000 NT, up 58%), Ja-pan (615,000 NT, up 12%) and Ger-many (415,000 NT, up 6%). Below are charts on estimated steel import market share in recent months and on finished steel imports from off-shore by country.

AISI supports corporate tax reform that will promote growth and investment for manufacturing sector

The American Iron and Steel In-stitute (AISI) sent a letter to House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp and Ranking Member Sander Levin in response to propos-als to eliminate all or most tax cred-its and deductions for manufactur-ers to offset the cost of lowering the statutory corporate tax rate. While AISI supports corporate tax reform, the Institute is concerned that pro-posals focused simply on lowering statutory tax rates at the expense

also plays a lead role in the develop-ment and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 25 member companies, including integrated and electric fur-nace steelmakers, and 118 associate and affiliate members who are sup-pliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI’s member companies represent approximately 80 percent of both U.S. and North American steel capacity. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s Web site at www.steel.org.

AISI supports legislation strengthening OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)

The American Iron and Steel In-stitute (AISI) today released letters endorsing the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Act, recently intro-duced by Sens. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in the Senate (S. 807) and by Reps. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) and Gene Green (D-

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Texas) in the House (H.R 1511).The legislation will codify and

strengthen the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program, a co-operative government-industry effort to improve worker heath and safety. Several AISI member companies are participants in the VPP and the in-dustry recognizes the importance of cooperation between all stakeholders to meeting the shared national goal of workplace safety and health.

“The steel industry places the high-est priority on occupational health and safety (OHS) matters because it is imperative that our valuable work-ers remain safe and healthy at their workplaces,” the letters state. “Our experience has demonstrated that cooperative efforts among company management, employees, and govern-ment can help maximize safety and health. Your legislation to codify and strengthen the Voluntary Protection Program at OSHA is a welcome step towards recognizing the importance of cooperation between all stakehold-ers to maximize safety and health.”

AISI commends WTO panel for finding that China’s Raw Materials export restrictions violate its WTO obligations

The American Iron and Steel In-stitute (AISI) commended a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute resolution panel that publicly re-leased its report in the China – Raw Materials case, finding that China’s restrictions on the exports of nine raw materials violate its interna-tional obligations. AISI welcomed the WTO panel’s decision and com-mended the U.S. Trade Representa-tive (USTR) for its strong advocacy over several years of involvement in the dispute resolution proceeding.

In response to challenges by the United States, the European Union, and Mexico, the WTO panel exam-ined China’s use of export quotas, export taxes, and other measures to limit exports of coke, bauxite, fluor-spar, zinc, silicon carbide, and other materials. The panel’s favorable rul-ing found that China’s imposition of these measures violated WTO rules, including various provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and specific commit-ments China undertook when it joined the WTO.

“This is a strong and decisive rul-ing by the WTO, confirming that Chi-na cannot impose export quotas, ex-

port taxes, and other restrictions on these raw materials,” said Thomas J. Gibson, president and chief execu-tive officer of AISI. “We call on China to immediately remove these export restrictions.” In the event that China decides to appeal the panel’s decision to the WTO Appellate Body, AISI also urged the Appellate Body to affirm the panel’s ruling and reasoning.

Removal of these export barri-ers by China should result in im-proved availability and lower pric-es for the affected raw materials in global markets. AISI will closely monitor the situation in hopes that China will implement the WTO’s ruling as quickly as possible, by eliminating its restrictions on raw materials exports and other trade

restrictive practices.In addition to the raw materials

restrictions found to be WTO-illegal, China maintains various other com-parable export taxes, quotas and restrictions, including those on rare earth elements and other raw mate-rials. AISI called on China to termi-nate all such export restrictions.

May steel shipments up 1.7 percent from AprilUp 6.3 percent Year to Date

The American Iron and Steel In-stitute (AISI) reported that for the month of May 2011, U.S. steel mills shipped 7,380,064 net tons, a 1.7 per-cent increase from the 7,258,534 net tons shipped in the previous month,

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continued from previous pageApril 2011, and a 0.5 percent in-crease from the 7,345,455 net tons shipped in May 2010. Shipments year-to-date in 2011 are 37,140,749 a 6.3 percent increase vs. 2010 ship-ments of 34,940,934 for five months. 2011 shipments through May would annualize at 89 million tons.

A month-to-month comparison of shipments shows the following changes: cold rolled sheet, up 4 per-cent, hot dipped galvanized sheet and strip, up 4 percent and hot rolled sheet, down 0.1 percent.

Finished steel import permits up 15% in JuneImport market share at 23%

Based on the Commerce Depart-ment’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that steel import permit applications for the month of June totaled 2,734,000 net tons (NT). This was a 3% decrease from the 2,807,000 permit tons re-corded in May and a 2% increase from the May preliminary imports total of 2,692,000 NT. Import per-mit tonnage for finished steel in

June was 2,109,000 NT, up 15% from the preliminary imports total of 1,838,000 NT in May. Year-to date (YTD) 2011 total and finished steel import permit tons would annualize at 28,803,000 NT and 21,767,000 NT, up 20% and 15%, respectively, vs. the 23,929,000 NT and 18,857,000 NT imported in 2010. The estimated finished steel import market share in June was 23%, and the year-to-date share increased to 22%.

In June, the largest finished steel import permit applications for off-shore countries were for Korea (318,000 NT, up 49% from May), China (154,000 NT, up 29%), Japan (141,000 NT, up 8%), Russia (100,000 NT, up 102%) and Turkey (94,000 NT, up 36%).

Finished steel import permits for major products that registered in-creases in June vs. the May prelimi-nary include sheet and strip – all other metallic coated (up 90%), re-inforcing bar (up 64%), cut length plates (up 40%), line pipe (up 24%), cold rolled sheets (up 22%), oil coun-try goods (up 17%) and plates in coils (up 17%).

In commenting on the June 2011 SIMA data, Thomas J. Gibson, AISI

president and CEO, stated that, “Finished steel imports were at their highest level in 2011, as China in-creased its market presence and became the second largest offshore supplier behind Korea. There were sharp increases in virtually every major category – led by a 100,000 ton month-over-month increase in tubular products, and increases of approximately 50,000 tons each in plate, bar and sheet products. Tak-ing plate as an example, June import tonnage was the highest since Sep-tember 2008, due in part to signifi-cantly higher tonnages from offshore suppliers Russia and Korea. Domes-tic steelmakers remain concerned that significant volumes of dumped and subsidized imports could threat-en the ongoing U.S. steel market re-covery.”

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At wire 2012, exhibitors from the wire, cable and fiberglass machinery as well as the wire and cable produc-tion sector and wire manufacturers and suppliers will present their prod-ucts in Halls 9 - 12 and 16 and 17. In addition, particular focus will be on two other segments: fastener tech-nology in Hall 15 and spring making

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continued from previous pagein Hall 16. Machinery and equip-ment for spring and fastener manu-facturing will be displayed on about 118,000 square feet of exhibit space. From machinery in operation to fin-ished products - Halls 15 and 16 will feature tomorrow’s technologies.

The companies participating in Tube 2012 will exhibit in Halls 1 - 7 and in Hall 7a. Tube accessories will be located in Halls 1 and 2 while tube manufacturers and suppliers will be featured in parts of Halls 2, 3 and 4

as well as in Hall 7. Hall 5 will be reserved for tube forming technology while tube processing machinery will be on exhibit in Halls 6 and 7a. Ad-ditionally, Hall 7a will also house the latest machinery and equipment.

Tube 2012 will concentrate on its core segments tube manufacturing and tube processing machinery, fas-teners and section technology even more than in 2010. At the 2010 stag-ing, about 10% of the visitors were interested in machinery for process-ing sections, making it a successful

debut for this new exhibit segment.In 2010, a total of 2,391 companies

(1,217 at wire and 1,174 at Tube) showcased the latest technologies and applications on over 1 million square feet of exhibit space at wire and Tube. About 69,000 trade visi-tors (some 37,000 at wire and 32,000 at Tube) from 100 countries travelled to Düsseldorf to gather information, get new business contacts and place orders.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire or Tube 2012, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Av-enue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit our web site http://www.mdna.com; Subscribe to our blog at http://blog.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago.

For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at (866) 674-3476; Fax: (212) 674-3477; E-mail: [email protected]; www.traveltra-deint.com.

20 students earn manu-facturing scholarships from Fabricators &Manufacturers Associa-tion

Twenty students seeking careers in manufacturing each earned $1,500 toward their college or trade school education from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA).

This year FMA awarded manufac-turing scholarships totaling $30,000. The 2011 winners are:

• Nicholas Cullum, Perrysburg, OH• Nick Dahlinger, Eden, WI.• Charles “Chip” Horn, Kouts, IN.• Andrew Klos, Jr., Allenton, MI.• Ethan Lee, Sturgeon, MO.• Austin McCain, Lexington, AL.• Russell Shaner, New Castle, PA.• Corey Trudel, Manchester, NH.• Sara Van Roestel, Kirkland

Lake, Ontario, Canada• Kevin Yell, Hesperia, MI. • Michael Adams, North Canton, OH• Darren Chen, Cerritos, CA.• Jacob Egorov, Fresno, CA.• Jacob Ellenberger, Rockford, IL.• Sarah Lawrence, Canton, GA.• Benjamin Menich, Mount Pros-

pect, IL.• Joseph Rogers, Parkesburg, PA.• Daniel Ronnevik, Fergus Falls, MN.• Cole Shumaker, Oxford, MI.• Andrew Williams, Carriere, MS.

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“We congratulate the students se-lected as 2011 scholarship award winners, and are pleased to assist them in fulfilling their academic goals,” said Gerald Shankel, presi-dent and CEO of the FMA. “These students recognize that working a skilled manufacturing job can be rewarding financially and fulfilling personally, and will help them be more competitive in the 21st century manufacturing job market.

“A 2010 Manpower Talent Shortage Survey report revealed that among the most difficult U.S. jobs to fill to-day are those in the skilled trades and engineering,” added Shankel. “With majors in machine tool tech-nology, advanced manufacturing, welding, computer engineering tech-nology, manufacturing engineering, and industrial technology, these stu-dents will be prepared for the skilled labor openings that American manu-facturers must fill.”

To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants were required to be full-time students meeting a specified minimum GPA, and enrolled in an engineering or manufacturing-re-lated course of study, or a trade or technical program leading to a career

in manufacturing. Students were re-sponsible for submitting academic records and an engineering or man-ufacturing-related program descrip-tion with each application.

In addition to the monetary grant, each scholarship winner also re-ceived from NBT’s industry partner SolidWorks Corporation a copy of its Student Design Kit CAD software package. The Student Design Kit is an easy-to-learn, Windows-based 3D CAD application that gives students the ability to create “real-life” 3D de-signs they can easily manipulate.

Since 1990, FMA’s Foundation has awarded scholarships annually to students in courses of study that will lead to careers in manufacturing. For more information visit www.nutsand-boltsfoundation.org/Scholarships. About SolidWorks Corporation

SolidWorks Corporation, a Das-sault Systèmes S.A. (Nasdaq: DAS-TY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technol-ogy, giving teams intuitive, high-performing software that helps them design better products. For the latest

news, information, or a live online demonstration, visit the company’s Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000. About FMA

Based in Rockford, IL, the Fabrica-tors & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA), is a professional orga-nization with more than 2,100 mem-bers working together to improve the metal forming and fabricating indus-try. Founded in 1970, FMA brings metal fabricators and fabricating equipment manufacturers together through technology councils, educa-tional programs, networking events, and the FABTECH® exposition. FMA also has a technology affiliate, the Tube & Pipe Association, Inter-national (TPA), which focuses on the unique needs of companies engaged in tube and pipe producing and fab-ricating.

Spider spirals around Panama’s Revolution Tower

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continued from previous pagecess solution to enable glass in-stallation on the 48 projecting levels of Panama City’s spiraling Revolution Tower.

Designed by architect Pinzón Lo-zano & Asociados Arquitectos and owned by F & F Properties, this unique 243 m (797 ft) office building presented several suspended access challenges. Contractor Estructuras

Y Remodelaciones selected Spider’s experienced engineering team to de-velop the solution.

A 40 ft platform powered by two SC1000 electric traction hoists and equipped with two outrigger beams positioned two floors above the work-ing floor level enabled the glass in-stallers to safely access protruding levels. A transfer wire rope was con-nected to a third outrigger beam to

facilitate moving from the underside area of the floor to the vertical face. Three additional outrigger beams were used to allow mid-air transfer of suspension points when moving to the next working position.

Additionally, a Spider stage equipped with two ST-180 work bas-kets from the contractor’s own fleet was used to complete the work in the property owner’s tight four-month project timeline.

“Spider has established a strong presence in Panama with expertly engineered solutions and reliable equipment,” said John Daugherty, sales representative Spider de Pan-ama. “With the Revolution Tower project, our local team has demon-strated our ability to plan and exe-cute complex projects, safely and on time. Making the equipment move around this twisting structure with-out any production time lost is an example of the tough jobs Spider is known for.”About Spider:

Founded in 1947, Spider, a divi-sion of SafeWorks, created the pow-ered suspended access business by introducing the well-known Spider basket. Since then, our product and



service offering has expanded greatly to serve the needs of an ever-growing marketplace. Spider is the largest manufacturer and distributor of ac-cess and safety solutions in North America, serving more customers from more locations with a wider va-riety of products and services than any other company. From baskets, traction hoist and platform rental, to safety and training, to specialty-engineered products - Spider has a strong team of professionals, along with a national network of sales, ser-vice and support capabilities to pro-vide you with the most reliable ac-cess solutions available.

wire and Tube China return in 2012

wire China 2012, the 5th All China - International Wire and Cable In-dustry Trade Fair, and Tube China 2012, the 4th All China - Interna-tional Tube and Pipe Trade Fair, will be held concurrently at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from September 25 - 28, 2012. Both events will be organized by Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd., the subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf in Germany – renowned as the organizers of the No. 1 inter-

national trade fairs for the industry, wire and Tube Düsseldorf. Exhibitor applications for both events are now available from the U.S. subsidiary Messe Düsseldorf North America.

wire and Tube China have become Asia’s largest and the world’s sec-ond largest trade fairs for their in-dustries and are considered leading platforms for entering the Chinese market. They will present a com-prehensive overview of the latest developments and highlights from the wire and tube manufacturing sector. Exhibit categories at wire China 2012 will include wire, fas-tener and spring manufacturing and finishing machinery, process technology tools and auxiliary pro-cess technology equipment as well as special wires and cables, mea-suring and control technology and test engineering. Special highlights will include the Chemical Materi-als Zone, the Wire Zone as well as the Wire Products and Spring Fas-teners Zone. Tube China 2012 will feature tube manufacturing ma-chinery, raw materials, tubes and accessories, used machinery, pro-cess technology tools and auxilia-ries as well as test engineering and

measuring and control technology. The Chinese wire and cable mar-

ket is booming and China has be-come the No. 1 wire and cable producing country worldwide with great further development poten-tial. The communication, automo-tive, electric power, nuclear con-struction, offshore oil exploration and rail transit sectors have ex-perienced rapid progress, boosting the need for new wire and cable technology. In addition, the urban and rural modernization projects as part of the 12th Five Year Plan will increase the requirements for wire and cable products.

With an annual growth rate of 15%, China is also one of the world’s lead-ing steel tube producing countries, ranking among the top three mar-kets. As the Chinese government expedites housing and city construc-tion and concentrates on water treat-ment, the market for water supply draining systems, construction heat-ing systems as well as water, gas and heating supply will experience con-siderable growth.

Concurrently held events will in-clude the China International Tube

The Pinnacle of QualityWire rope you can trust.


continued from previous page& Pipe Conference, the China Wire & Cable Industry Conference, the Wire & Cable Raw & Auxiliary Materials Technical Exchange Conference and the Wire & Cable Equipment Tech-nology Seminar.

At the shows’ last staging in 2010, the more than 1,300 exhibitors re-ported remarkable success despite still experiencing the influence of the post-economic crisis. The four-day exhibition attracted 26,035 trade visitors, including 3,473 visitors from abroad. With 801,911 square feet of exhibit space (430,550 square feet at wire China 2010 and 371,350 square feet at Tube China 2010), the 2010 event reached a record high - an in-crease of 30% compared to the 2008 staging.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire China or Tube China 2012, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Tele-phone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit our web site www.mdna.com; Subscribe to our blog at http://blog.mdna.com; Fol-low us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago.

Bishop Lifting Products completes acquisition of West Florida Wire Rope

Bishop Lifting Products, Inc. (BLP) finalized the acquisition of West Florida Wire Rope, a wire rope and rigging shop in Panama City, Florida on June 30, 2011.

West Florida Wire Rope (WFWR) has been serving marine and onshore customers along the Gulf Coast of Florida since 1993, but was founded over 30 years ago as Carolina Chain & Cordage by Bill and Babbs Roch-ester (Rochester Wire Rope family). Ralph Bowdish purchased the com-pany in 1993 and it became WFWR. Specializing in wire rope, cordage, marine rigging hardware, and slings, WFWR will now be able to provide their customers Bishop Lifting Prod-ucts’ extensive line of products, ser-vices and solutions.

This marks BLP’s first expansion into Florida and the eastern end of the Gulf of Mexico. This becomes BLP’s seventh national location. About Bishop Lifting Products, Inc.

Founded in 1984, Bishop Lifting Products, Inc. (BLP) is a leading fab-ricator and distributor of products,

services, and lifting solutions for crane, rigging, marine, and oilfield applications. Our 180+ dedicated em-ployees throughout Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming and Oklahoma supply wire rope, slings, rigging hardware, lift-ing devices, hoists and winches to customers with lifting, oilfield, tow-ing, and hauling applications.

Mazzella Holding Company acquires The Indusco GroupThe company’s portfolio now includes Mazzella Lifting Technologies, Sheffield Metals and The Indusco Group.

Mazzella Holding Company is pleased to announce the acquisition of The Indusco Group. As a result of this acquisition, Mazzella Holding Company nearly doubles in size and employs over 300 individuals. Indus-co and Mazzella Lifting Technologies now form one of the largest indepen-dently-owned companies in the over-head lifting and rigging industries and will provide “one-stop shopping” for customers.

The newly acquired Indusco is a 103-year-old company based in Balti-

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more, MD and was previously owned by Howard Schloss. It also consists of a network of rigging shops locat-ed along the East Coast and in the South that support a diverse cus-tomer base. This network includes Indusco companies, J. Henry Holland Corp., Alabama Sling Center and Tennessee Sling Center. Indusco has built its 100-plus year reputation on quality products and dependable cus-tomer service.

In addition to its headquarters in Baltimore, MD, Indusco has addi-tional locations in Capitol Heights, MD, Chicago, IL, Virginia Beach, VA, Hampton, VA, Birmingham, AL, Chat-tanooga, TN and Memphis, TN.

“Our employees are excited to com-bine forces with another experienced, family-owned industry leader,” said Craig Hayward, president of Indusco. “Personally, I am thrilled for the op-portunity to work with Tony Mazzella and his management team, many of whom I have known for the past ten years. Tony and I share a common vi-sion with respect to building organiza-tional strength through the implemen-tation of best practices and continuing our growth through the acquisition of

other family-owned and operated busi-nesses within our industry.“

Mazzella Lifting Technologies is a 57-year-old family-owned company based in Cleveland, OH. In addition to its status as a major Midwest pro-vider of wire rope and rigging hard-ware, Mazzella Lifting Technologies also engineers and manufacturers below-the-hook lifting devices, man-ufacturers overhead cranes and ser-vices overhead cranes.

In addition to its headquarters in Cleveland, OH, Mazzella Lifting Technologies has additional locations in Canton. OH, Cincinnati, OH, De-troit, MI, Pittsburgh, PA and Char-lotte, NC.

“The organization resulting from this acquisition offers far more than an expanded geographic footprint,” said Tony Mazzella, president and CEO of Mazzella Lifting Technolo-gies. “The enhanced product offering and value-added services will enable our team of experienced personnel an increased opportunity to grow mar-ket share and expand our relation-ships with our customers.”

Tony Mazzella and Craig Hayward will be responsible for running Maz-

zella Holding Companies. To learn more about Mazzella Holding Com-pany, visit these web sites:

• Mazzella Lifting Technologies• The Indusco Group• J. Henry Holland Corp.• Alabama Sling Center• Tennessee Sling Center• Sheffield Metals

About Mazzella Lifting TechnologiesFounded in 1954, Mazzella Lift-

ing Technologies offers all styles of slings, cranes, hoists, engineered lifting devices along with the train-ing and in-field inspection and repair services that support the products. Mazzella serves many market seg-ments, including: steel, construction, energy, vehicle and durable goods. The prestigious Weatherhead School of Business at Case Western Reserve University named Mazzella to its list of the top 100 fastest growing North-eastern Ohio companies in 2001, 2002 and again in 2007. For more informa-tion, visit www.mazzellalifting.com.About The Indusco Group

Founded in 1908, Indusco brings an unmatched level of commitment of dependability and service to cus-

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Manufacturer and supplier of Grade 8, Grade 10 and Stainless Steel lifting accessories like:

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BEES_11107_ADV_aanpassen_DEF.indd 1 07-07-11 16:52Wire Rope News & Sling Technology August 201156

continued from previous pagetomers over 100 years later. In addi-tion to serving contractors and steel erectors, their diverse customer base also encompasses the shipbuilding, mining, military and transportation industries throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.induscowire.com/. About Sheffield Metals

Sheffield Metals International is a leader in the manufacturing and distribution of coated and bare metal products. The company specializes in providing pre-painted galvanized, Galvalume® and aluminum for the

architecturally designed metal panel industry. More than 25 colors are continuously stocked in both Galval-ume® and galvanized steel, compli-mented with several popular colors in aluminum coil. In 2009, Sheffield Metals received a Weatherhead 100 award as one of the top 100 fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio. For more information, visit www.coolrmetal.com/.

WireCo WorldGroup Completes Drumet Acquisition

WireCo WorldGroup Inc. (WireCo), the world’s leading producer and marketer of wire rope, electrome-chanical cable and a major produc-er of wire products announced that it has completed the acquisition of Drumet Liny i Druty Sp.z o.o. (Dru-met), based in Wloclawek, Poland. No terms were disclosed.

The acquisition of Drumet, a lead-ing manufacturer of wire rope, steel wire, and steel wire band in Eastern Europe, is part of WireCo’s ongoing global strategy to manufacture and distribute products to customers

around the globe. The acquisition of Drumet will give WireCo access to new markets in Europe and provide increased wire capacity to support its manufacturing operations.

Drumet has significant capacity to produce both steel wire and steel wire rope. These enhanced capabili-ties in Europe will enable WireCo to enhance and expand the scope of its operation in the entire European theatre. WireCo will now have un-matched wire and rope production capabilities in North America, Asia and Europe.

WireCo CEO Ira Glazer comment-ed, “We invested in this acquisition for two reasons: it enhances our glob-al reach and it creates excellent syn-ergies among our operations. Drumet provides us access into new markets and is a source of high quality, low cost wire production to support our operations.”

Other recent WireCo acquisitions include Oliveira in 2010, Phillystran in 2009, CASAR in 2007 and Aceros Camesa in 2005. In addition, WireCo entered into a joint venture with Wuhan Iron and Steel to build the

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world’s most modern wire rope man-ufacturing facility in China, which started production in 2009.

Glazer believes all WireCo employ-ees will benefit from the acquisition, adding “We have a track record of investing in what we buy. We will incorporate Drumet into our global operations, which will create op-portunities for all our employees to grow, including our newest employ-ees in Poland.”

WireCo is owned by investment funds managed by Paine and Part-ners, LLC, a private equity firm with offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.About WireCo WorldGroup

WireCo® WorldGroup’s products are recognized throughout the world and used in a wide range of market applications including oil and gas ex-ploration, surface and underground mining, construction, and specialty lifting and suspension applications. WireCo® WorldGroup employs ap-proximately 3,300 people and is headquartered in Kansas City, Mis-souri, with manufacturing plants, distribution facilities and research

and development centers in the U.S., Mexico, Germany, Portugal, Poland and China. WireCo® WorldGroup markets the brands of Union®, Mac-Whyte®, Casar®, Camesa®, Olivei-ra®, Wireline Works, Phillystran®, Drumet® and US ReelTM and is the only major wire rope manufacturer in the world to be API certified, Lloyd’s Registered, QPL Qualified, AS9100 certified and ISO-9001 registered. For more information, visit www.wirecoworldgroup.com.

CorrectionIn our last issue (June) we re-

ported that I&I Sling Inc’s New England plant had moved to a larger building at 1400 Provi-dence Highway in Norwood, MA. However, in the headline of the announcement, an error was made indicating that Norwood was located being in Maine.

We apologize to our readers and to I&I Sling Inc. for this error and reiterate, I&I Sling has moved their New England plant to Nor-wood, Massachusetts, not Maine.


Figure 1: Front view showing a barrier system.

Figure 2: Side view showing an end, or terminal, post and foundation structure.

Inventor’sCorner

By William Fischer

Barrier systemPat. 7,942,602 U.S. class 404/6 Int. class E01F 13/00Inventor: Kenneth J. Bunk, Millersville, MD., Wendell B. Leimbach, Baltimore, MD., Michael Lester O’Banion, West-minster, MD., Daniel Stafford O’Bannion, Westminster, MD., William Alan George, Parkton, MD., Robert Somers, Reisterstown, MD., James W. Marshall, Shrewsbury, PA.Assignee: Protectus, LLC.

A barrier system and method for providing a barrier system are disclosed. The barrier system and method relate to a ve-hicle and pedestrian barrier system which can be positioned in vehicle and pedestrian passageways adjacent a protected structure or area to preclude the vehicle or the pedestrian from reaching and engaging the protected structure or area.

Referring now to figure 1, a barrier system 100 includes a pair of spaced foundations 102 and 104, which are located, at least partially, within ground soil 106. An upper surface 108 of each of the foundations 102 and 104 is selectively located at, above, or below ground level 110 of the soil 106. The spaced foundations 102 and 104 may be formed inte-grally with a pair of respective end posts 112 and 114, or, if formed separately, bottom surfaces of the pair of end posts may be situated on the upper surfaces 108 of the pair of re-spective foundations 102 and 104.

The end post 112 is formed with a pair of spaced cham-bers 116 and 118, which are formed with respective open ends 120 and 122 and respective closed ends 124 and 126. In similar fashion, the end post 114 is formed with a pair of spaced chambers 128 and 130, which are formed with re-spective open ends 132 and 134 and respective closed ends 136 and 138.

A plurality of spaced intermediate posts 140 are each formed with an upstanding beam 142, and a foundation, pedestal, or foot 144 which is resting on the soil 106 at ground level 110. The plurality of posts 140 are spaced from, and are located between, the pair of end posts 112 and 114. Each beam 142 of the posts 140 is formed with a first or upper through opening 146, and a second or lower through

opening 148 spaced below the first opening.Opposite ends of a first high-strength wire rope or tension

cable 150 are located within respective ones of the chambers 116 and 128 formed in the respective end posts 112 and 114. The tension cable 150 is threaded through aligned openings of a first plurality of energy absorbers, load absorbers, or shock absorbers 152 within the chamber 116, an opening 154 formed through the end post 112 between the closed end 124 and the adjacent side of the end post, the first openings 146 of the intermediate posts 140, an opening 156 formed through the end post 112 between the closed end 136 and the adjacent side of the end post, and through aligned open-ings of a second plurality of energy absorbers, load absorb-ers, or shock absorbers 158 within the chamber 128. In at least one embodiment, energy absorbers 152 and 158 are stacked, crushable cups.

In similar fashion, a second tension cable 160 is strung between the end posts 112 and 114, with the ends of the cable being located in the respective chambers 128 and 130. The tension cable 160 is threaded through aligned openings of a plurality of energy absorbers, load absorbers, or shock absorbers 162 located in the chamber 128, a through hole 164 formed in the end post 112, the second openings 148 of the intermediate posts 140, a through hole 166 formed in the end post 114, and aligned holes of a plurality of energy absorbers, load absorbers, or shock absorbers 168 located in the chamber 130. Each of the opposite ends of the first and second tension cables 150 and 160 are secured with a large fastener (not shown) to facilitate the retention of the cables in the assembled arrangement of the barrier system 100. In at least one embodiment, energy absorbers 162 and 168 are stacked, crushable cups.

One or more decorative panels 170 can be placed between the end posts 112 and 114 and the respective adjacent inter-mediate posts 140, and between any of the remaining pairs of adjacent intermediate posts. The ends of the panels 170 can be formed to mount into accommodating grooves (not shown)


Figure 3: Front view showing alternate embodiments of securing tension cables directly to a foundation and alternately to an end post integral with the foundation, or to an intermediate post.

Figure 4: Front view showing an end post integrally formed with a foundation with tension cables mounted on the foundation and extending through the end post.

Figure 5: Exposed partial view of a round lifting sling in a non-load condition, such that the dynamic warning markings are concealed by the static non-elongating body of the excessive elongation warning indicator means, the non-elongating body comprising an extended portion of the sling cover.


formed in the end posts 112 and 114, and the intermediate posts 140. Each of the panels 170 can be formed with con-cealed passageways 172, which extend from one end to the op-posite end thereof, to facilitate threading of the tension cables 150 and 160 at the time of threading of the cables.

The foundations 102 and 104 with the respective end posts 112 and 114, the intermediate posts 140, and the tension cables 150 and 160, when assembled as the barrier system 100, form a barrier fence 173, with the inclusion of the pan-els 170 providing enhanced opposition to unauthorized ve-hicle and pedestrian traffic, and pleasing decorativeness.

The tension cables 150 and 160 are stretched to place the cables under tension to meet the requirements and stan-dards noted above, and the ends of the cables are attached to the fasteners to retain the cables in the tensioned state. If a vehicle impacts the barrier system 100, the opposite ends of the tension cables 150 and 160 are drawn inward by the impacting force, whereby the energy absorbers 152, 158, 162 and 168 are crushed to allow a minimal level of slack to develop in the cables. The crushed energy absorbers 152, 158, 162 and 168, any damaged posts 112, 114 and 140, any damaged panels 170, and any damaged tension cables 150 and 160 can be readily replaced.

The energy absorbers 152, 158, 162 and 168 are prefer-ably made of a ductile material. Carbon steel and stainless steel are such materials. Such a material can absorb large amounts of energy as it is stretching between yield and ulti-mate strength. Upon the impact of a vehicle striking a por-tion of the fence, the tension cables 150 and 160 will transfer the tension to end posts 112 and 114. In certain circumstanc-es, the forces may become greater than the strength of the tension cable due to rapid vehicle deceleration. By providing an energy absorbing means, the vehicle will stop in a longer

period of time, thus resulting in a lower force on the tension cables and a substantial portion of the kinetic energy from the vehicle will be absorbed by the energy absorbing means.

As shown in figure 2, the foundation 102 is formed inte-grally with the end post 112, with a tension rod 172 embed-ded in the cured material of the foundation and rod. This arrangement enhances the strength of the integral struc-ture of the foundation 102 and the end post 112 to provide relatively greater opposition to any destructive reaction en-countered by the foundation and the end post. A portion of foundation 102 is subterranean, being adjacent soil 106 and below ground level 110.

In the illustration of figure 3, in a first embodiment, the end post 112 is supported on the foundation 102, with ten-sion cables 150 and 160 extending through the intermediate posts 140. The ends of the cables 150 and 160 extend from the end post 112 and are anchored to the foundation 102 to provide tensioning of the cables. In an alternate or second embodiment, an intermediate post 140a functions as an end post, and the ends of the cables 150 and 160 extend from the post 140a and are anchored to the foundation.

As shown in figure 4, the post 112 extends upward from the foundation 102, with a gusset 175 being located in engage-ment with a vertical side of the post and an adjacent portion of the top of the foundation. The post 112 and the gusset 175 are each formed with communicating through holes for re-ceipt of the tension cables 150 and 160. The ends of the cables 150 and 160 are anchored to the foundation 102.

Lifting sling with excessive elongation warning indicatorPat. 7,938,468 U.S. class 294/74 Int. class B66C 1/12Inventor: DeWayne Mueller, Jacksonville, FL.Assignee: DeWayne Mueller, Jacksonville, FL.

This patent presents a lifting sling having warning mark-ings that indicate if the maximum safe load for the sling has


Figure 6: External partial view of the lifting sling of figure 5 under a load condition that does not exceed the maximum safe load weight for the sling, showing exposure of the dynamic warning markings as the load-bearing components of the sling elongate under load.

Figure 7: Partial view of a lifting sling of any type in a non-load condition showing the static non-elongating body as being an added member affixed to the sling cover.

continued from previous pagebeen exceeded, whereby a visible indicator is provided to the operator at the time of overload. In an embodiment, a fran-gible indicator member connected to the cover of the lifting sling provide a permanent indication of sling overload.

As shown in figure 5, a representative lifting sling 10 com-prises a load bearing core 11 formed of one or more extended fiber bundles 12 that are enclosed within an extended cov-er, jacket, skein, sleeve or the like 14. The fiber bundles 12 comprise fibers, threads, yarn or the like 13 most preferably composed of synthetic material such as polyester, Kevlar, Aramid or the like. The fibers 13 may be multi-filament or monofilament, and may be twisted, braided, interwoven or the like. While a sling 10 having a single core 11 is depicted in the drawings, it is to be understood that the sling of the invention may also comprise multiple cores 11. The round sling 10 depicted in figure 5 has a first end 31 disposed with-in a second end 32 in known manner and the cover 12 of the second end 32 is extended to receive the first end 31. The fiber bundle 12 is secured to the cover 14 both the first end 31 and the second end 32 by suitable bundle joining means 15, such as stitching, mechanical fasteners or the like. The load bearing core 11 and cover 14 are dynamic components of the sling 10, in that they will elongate to some degree when under heavy load.

In this embodiment as depicted in figures 5 and 6, the ex-cessive elongation warning indicator means 20 comprises a static non-elongating body 21 that is composed of the ex-tended sleeve portion of cover 14 on the second end 32, and one or more dynamic warning markings, indicia or similar

visible members 22 disposed on, imprinted upon, attached to or joined in suitable manner to the cover 14 adjacent the first end 31. The dynamic warning markings 22 may be of any shape or configuration, preferably being non-uniform for easier visual recognition, and may for example comprise similar shapes of changing dimensions, shapes of differing configurations, changes in color, wording such as “safe”, “caution” and “overload”, weight percents such as “20%”, “40%”, “60%”, “80%” and “100%”, etc., as long as the mark-ings 22 provide suitable visible indication as to the extent of elongation of the sling 10 relative to its maximum safe load weight.

The indicator means 20 further comprises static demar-cation means 23 to reference a particular warning marking 22, with the demarcation means 23 comprising an edge, end, line, pointer or similar means to designate the marking 22 corresponding to the extent of elongation of the sling 10. In figures 5 and 6, the demarcation means 23 is simply the end of the static non-elongating body 21. The warning mark-ings 22 are dynamic in the sense that they move relative to the static demarcation means 23. The separation distance


Figure 10: Partial cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in figure 9.

Figure 8: Partial view of the lifting sling of figure 7 under a load condition that exceeds the maximum load weight for the sling. continued on next page

between the individual warning markings 22 may remain the same, such as when a non-elongating material is affixed to the cover 14, or may increase due to elongation under load, such as when the warning markings 22 are imprinted directly on the cover 14. Some, all or none of the warning markings 22 may be covered by the non-elongating body 21 and/or exposed by the demarcation means 23. Preferably, the warning marking 22 indicating that the load rating has been exceeded remains covered by the non-elongating body 21 until that condition is reached.

As shown in figure 6, which depicts a typical load condi-tion wherein the sling 10 is elongated under the weight of the object being lifted, the static non-elongating body 21 remains of unchanged dimension even with the sling loaded, since the indicator means body 21 and the demar-cation means 23, here the free end of the non-elongating body 21, are only fixed to the sling 10 by fastener means 24 at one location and are not load bearing components. In other words, relative motion occurs between the dynamic components, cover 14 containing the markings 22, and the static components, non-elongating body 21 and demarca-tion means 23. As the sling 10 elongates under load, the cover 14 elongates such that some or all of the warning markings 22 are moved into an exposed position beyond the demarcation means 23. As depicted in figure 6, the sling 10 has elongated under load such that the maximum safe load weight is being approached but not exceeded, since the maximum load warning marking 22, shown as the longest

of the bars, is not exposed.An alternative embodiment for the invention is shown

in figures 7 and 8, which may comprise a round, flat web or eye-on-eye sling 10. In this embodiment, the exces-sive-elongation warning indicator means 20 comprises a static non-elongating body 21, such as a tubular mem-ber, that is affixed by fastener means 24 to the dynamic cover 14 of the sling 10. Such excessive elongation warn-ing indicator means 20 could also be a post-manufacture addition to slings already in use. In this embodiment, the demarcation means 23 comprises a slot or window, such that the warning markings 22 are visible. When the sling 10 is under load, as shown in figure 8, the cover 14 elongates and the position of the warning markings 22 relative to the demarcation means 23 changes. In this depiction, 100% of the maximum safe load weight has been reached and is indicated by visible exposure of the “100” warning marking 22, and the operator should ei-ther lighten the load or switch to a higher rated sling.

The separation distances of the warning markings 22 on the dynamic load bearing components of the lifting sling 10 will vary depending on the material components of the sling 10, primarily that of the load bearing core 11, since different materials will have different elongation amounts under the same load. More than one excessive elongation warning indicator means 20 may be provided


Figure 11: Partial view of the embodiment shown in figure 9, showing the lifting sling in an excessive load state.

Figure 9: Exposed partial view of an alternative embodiment of the invention showing the lifting sling in the passive or acceptable load state.

continued from previous pageon a single sling 10.

In an alternative embodiment illustrated in figures 9 through 11 and showing an alternative elongation warning indicator means 20, a visible warning marker 46 is disposed on the lifting sling cover 14, such as by attachment through stitching, bonding or the like, direct imprinting, etc. A fran-gible excessive load indicator member 43, such as a cable or wire, having a known and relatively low tensile breaking strength, is extended in slack manner across the surface of the warning marker 46, the frangible indicator member 43 being connected to a first web member 41 and a second web member 42, such as for example straps, affixed to the lifting sling cover 14 and load bearing core 11 by suitable fastener means 24, such as by stitching. Preferably, the second web member 42 is longer than the first web member 41, and the end of the second web member 42 not directly connected to the frangible indicator member 43, i.e., its distal end, is af-fixed to the lifting sling cover 14 and load bearing core 11.

The length of the frangible indicator member 43 is cho-sen such that upon the lifting sling 10 being exposed to a load in excess of its maximum safe load weight, the slack in the frangible indicator member 43 will be taken up and the frangible indicator member 43 will break. This is deter-mined by subjecting the lifting sling 14 to a load at or near its maximum safe load and measuring the amount of elon-gation inherent in the sling 14. For example, if upon testing an elongation of six inches is found to be acceptable, then the length of the frangible indicator member 43 will be ap-proximately six inches, such that any elongation of the sling 14 beyond six inches results in permanent breakage of the frangible indicator member 43.

Cable drive assemblyPat. 7,946,559 U.S. class 254/378 Int. class B66D 5/08Inventor: Henry Vandelinde, Queensville, CA.Assignee: Henry Vandelinde, Queensville, CA.

This patent presents a dismantable hoist for storing and transporting wire rope and for lowering and raising the wire rope from a building roof site including a lightweight frame having a base, lightweight reel, for storing the wire rope, having a central drum and a pair of spaced-apart pe-ripheral rings attached to the drum forming opposed side flanges rotatably mounted in the frame, drive means re-movably attached to the drum for rotating the drum for lowering and raising the wire rope, and brake means op-

Figure 12: Perspective view cable drive hoist assembly of the invention typified in a roof site installation.


Figure 13: Perspective view of the hoist assembly mounted on an outrigger beam with the drive motor axially separated from the hoist drive shaft.

Figure 14: Perspective view of the opposite side of the hoist drum shown in figure 13 with the wire rope connected to the hoist drum.


eratively connected to the spaced-apart peripheral rings and normally biased into braking engagement with the peripheral rings to stop lowering of the wire rope upon re-lease of the brake means. The brake means include a pair of opposed brake shoes pivotably mounted in the frame to engage each of the peripheral rings, biasing means for normally urging each pair of opposed brake shoes towards each other for engaging and braking the peripheral ring therebetween, and a lever pivotably mounted in the frame to operatively engage the brake shoes for disengaging the brake shoes from the peripheral rings upon manually actu-ating the lever, whereby the drum is released for lowering or raising the wire rope.

With reference to figures 12 and 13, the hoist 10 of the invention consists of a base 11 slidably mounted on a outrigger beam 12 normally formed from an aluminum extrusion and locked thereon by pin or bolt 14. The prox-imal end 15 of rail 12 is held down by weights 16 and the distal end 17 which overhangs the building roof supports sheave 18 rotatably mounted to support and guide wire cable 20.

Base 11 supports a frame 22 having spaced-apart upright side members 24 each rigidly supported by diagonal mem-bers 26 welded or bolted to base 11 and to upright members 24. Reel 28 consisting of drum 30 with central shaft 31 hav-ing spaced-apart peripheral rings 32, 33 connected thereto by radial spokes 34 journaled for rotation at each side in upright members 24 by bearing blocks 36, shown in figures


Figure 15: Enlarged exploded perspective view of the bearing block connection of the drum shaft to the frame.


Figure 16: Side elevational view of a mobile lift crane with counterweights.

14 and 15, supporting shaft 31. Each of bearing blocks 36 has a clevis pin 38 for release of reel 28 with shaft 31, as shown in figure 15. Drum 30 has an opening 40 for attach-ment of wire hook 42 to pin 44 which is in radial alignment with shaft 45, as depicted in figure 14, when the wire rope 20 is fully extended.

With reference to figure 13, electric motor and gear box unit 80 is removably mounted on bracket 82 for engage-ment with shaft 45 of drum 30 for selectively unwinding wire rope 20 from or onto drum 30. The present inven-tion provides a number of important advantages. The hoist dismantled components are transported individu-ally to a roof site and assembled with the distal end 17 of outrigger beam having sheave 18 overhanging the side of a building. Weights 16 are mounted on the proximal end 15 of rail 12. Hoist base 11 slidably mounted on rail 12 is locked in position by wing screw or bolt 14. Reel 28 having wire cable 20 is mounted in frame 22 by engage-ment of clevis pins 38 with bearing blocks 36. Wire cable 20 is fed over the side of the building by sheave 18 and lowered by release of deadman brake 50 with or without the aid of electric motor 80.

The portable electric drive motor and gearbox unit 80 can be used to lower and raise wire cable 20. When the cable drive motor is engaged, it provides the driving force to raise or lower the wire ropes. The manually operated brake sys-tem 50 that is designed to grip the tubular rings 32, 33 must be held in the downward released position while the motor is operating. This brake system is spring applied so that in the event of a drive system malfunction the user only needs to release the brake lever to allow the brakes to engage and stop the descent of the wire rope. The brake system can also be used to lower the wire rope without the use of the drive motor. In this instance the operator uses the brake lever to control the descent speed.

Once the wire rope is fully extended, typically up to 700 feet in length, the connection to the drum comes into radial alignment with the drum shaft 45 so that there is no longer any torque delivered to the drive or the brake system. The wire rope once it has been fully led out over sheave 18 to the desired suspension location outboard of the building can be left untended in this position and there is no need for the worker to handle or monitor the wire rope at the roof edge.

Crane hook blockPat. 7,946,560 U.S. class 254/393 Int. class B66D 3/08Inventor: Lambert Drent, Nieuw Buinen, NL., Dirk Albert Stamhuis, Stadskanaal, NL., William J. O’Neil, Green Bay, WI., Alan E. Pleuss, Manitowoc, WI.Assignee: Manitowoc Crane Companies, LLC., Manitowoc, WI.

A hook block for a crane includes a sheave housing con-taining sheaves, extended portions with a hole through each, and a housing frame with a locking surface; a cross beam has multiple brackets each with a hole; a bracket has a plurality of surfaces corresponding to a plurality of angles of relative position between the sheave housing and the first cross beam, wherein the plurality of surfaces correspond to the locking surface and form a gap therebetween at each of the plurality of angles; a shaft rotatably captured within the holes of the extended portions of the housing and of the mul-tiple brackets; and a locking bar sized to be placed in the gap between the locking surface and any of the plurality of sur-faces to immobilize movement of the sheave housing relative

to the cross beam. While the embodiments of the hook block and associated

assemblies will have applicability to hook blocks used on other cranes or machinery, it will be described in connec-tion with a mobile lift crane 10, shown in figure 16. The mo-bile lift crane 10 includes lower works, also referred to as a carbody 12, and moveable ground engaging members in the form of crawlers 14 and 16. There are two front crawl-ers 14 and two rear crawlers 16, only one each of which can be seen from the side view of figure 16. In the crane 10, the ground engaging members could be just one set of crawlers, one crawler on each side.

A rotating bed 20 is rotatably connected to the carbody 12 such that the rotating bed can swing with respect to the ground engaging members. The rotating bed is mounted to the carbody 12 with a slewing ring, such that the rotating bed 20 can swing about an axis with respect to the ground engaging members 14, 16. The rotating bed supports a boom 22 pivotally mounted on a front portion of the rotating bed; a sheave block 23 at the boom top including sheaves; a mast 28 mounted at its first end on the rotating bed 20; a back-hitch 30 connected between the mast and a rear portion of the rotating bed; and a moveable counterweight unit 34 hav-



Figure 17: Perspective view of a hook block.

ing counterweights on a support member.Boom hoist rigging 25 between the top of mast 28 and

boom 22 is used to control the boom angle and transfers load so that the counterweight can be used to balance a load lifted by the crane 10. A load hoist line 24, also referred to herein as wire rope 24, extends from the boom 22, supporting a hook block 100 designed for lifting heavy loads.

The load hoist line 24 passes through the sheave block 23 at the top of the boom 22, and then through the hook block 26. As the hoist line 24 is eventually connected to the rotating bed 20, when the boom 22 booms down (or is lowered), the hook block 100 will be pulled towards the boom end as the hoist line 24 effectively shortens. A “two-block condition” may occur if the hook block runs into the sheave block 23, snap-ping the hoist line 24, and causing the load to drop. This can be prevented by spooling out wire rope (or cable) fast enough to match the extending boom 22. The crane 10 may include mechanical sensors that alert the operator if the two-block condition is imminent, referred to as anti-two-block.

The rotating bed 20 may also include other elements com-monly found on a mobile lift crane, such as an operator’s cab and hoist drums for the rigging 25 and hoist line 24. If desired, the boom 22 may include a luffing jib pivotally mounted to the top of the main boom, or other boom configu-rations. The backhitch 30 is connected adjacent the top of the mast 28, but down the mast far enough that it does not interfere with other items connected to the mast. The back-

hitch 30 may comprise a lattice member designed to carry both compression and tension loads as shown in figure 16. In the crane 10, the mast 28 is held at a fixed angle with respect to the rotating bed during crane operations, such as a pick, move and set operation.

The counterweight unit 34 is moveable with respect to the rest of the rotating bed 20. A tension member 32 connected ad-jacent the top of the mast supports the counterweight unit in a suspended mode. A counterweight movement structure is con-nected between the rotating bed 20 and the counterweight unit 34 such that the counterweight unit 34 may be moved to and held at a first position in front of the top of the mast, and moved to and held at a second position rearward of the top of the mast.

At least one linear actuation device, in this embodiment a rack and pinion assembly 36, and at least one arm pivotally connected at a first end to the rotating bed and at a second end to the a rack and pinion assembly 36, are used in the counterweight movement structure of crane 10 to change the position of the counterweight unit 34. The arm and a rack and pinion assembly 36 are connected between the rotating bed and the counterweight unit 34 such that extension and retraction of the rack and pinion assembly 36 changes the position of the counterweight unit 34 compared to the rotat-ing bed 20. Figure 16 shows the counterweight unit 34 in its most forward position in solid lines and at its farthest back position in dotted lines. The rack and pinion assembly 36 moves the counterweight unit 34 to a mid position, such as when a load is suspended from the hook 26.


Figure 18: Front elevation view of the hook block of figure 17.

Figure 19: Side view of the hook block of figure 17.

continued from previous pageThe pivot frame 40, a solid welded plate structure, is con-

nected between the rotating bed 20 and the second end of the rack and pinion assembly 36. The rear arm 38 is con-nected between the pivot frame 40 and the counterweight unit 34. A set of pins 37 are used to connect the rear arm 38 and the pivot frame 40. The rear arm 38 is also a welded plate structure with an angled portion 39 at the end that connects to the pivot frame 40. This allows the arm 38 to connect directly in line with the pivot frame 40.

The crane 10 is equipped with a counterweight support system 80, which may be required to comply with crane regulations in some countries. Because the counterweight unit 34 can move far forward with respect to the front of the rotating bed, the counterweight supports on the support sys-tem 80 may interfere with swing operations unless they are sufficiently spaced apart. This, however, makes the support structure itself very wide. The crane 10 thus uses a coun-terweight support structure attached to the counterweight unit 34 that includes a telescoping counterweight support system 80. The counterweight unit 34 is constructed so that the counterweight support system 80 can be removed and the crane can function both with and without it.

One of the benefits of the present embodiments is that sev-eral different hook blocks can all be made out of the same set of hook block components. When a crane is sold it includes all

of the components needed to make a hook block used to lift the maximum rated load capacity of the crane. Realizing, how-ever, that the crane will not always be used to lift such large loads, it is beneficial that the hook block components can be assembled to make hook blocks for lifting smaller loads.

In the present embodiments, one set of components can be used to make six different hook block configurations. All of those components are used in the hook block 100 shown in figures 16-19. Those components include: four three-sheave housings and two five-sheave housings 102; two connection beams 112; a main connection beam 113; one each of right and left cross beams 118; two shafts 121; an equalizer beam 140; two hook suspension sideplates 150; a hook suspension 152 without locking, and a hook suspension 154 with locking.

Foliage lifterPat. 7,937,888 U.S. class 47/46 Int. class A01G 17/04Inventor: Hendra Arief, Surabaya, ID., Jason Wan Leong Lee, Enfield, AU., Andreas Prawiro, North Adelaide, AU., Antoni Blazewicz, Adelaide, AU.Assignee: Adelaide Research and Innovation Pty Ltd., AU., Cyril Henschke Pty Ltd., AU

This patent presents a vineyard trellis system that in-cludes a ground anchored upright post, at least one foliage wire passing by the post and having a supporting interen-gagement with the post, and lifting means arranged to effect

The Fastest and Most Reliable Method of SwagingFlemish Eye Wire Rope Slings in the World.

In Stock for Immediate DeliveryWorldwide

Toll Free: 1-877-ONE-PRESS phone: 905-778-1960e-mail: [email protected] fax: 905-775-1424

www.onepress.com


Figure 20: Pictorial representation of a grapevine, with the trellis system in a raised position. continued on next page

a lifting or lowering of the wire in relation to the post where said lifting means include a support member slidably engag-ing with the post and engaging with the foliage wire, and a winch arrangement adapted to assist in a lifting or lowering of the support member to effect a change in height of the foli-age wire with respect to the post.

The lifting means is a first wire rope attached to a winch, and a second wire rope, the second wire rope having a first and second end, wherein the first end is attached to the first wire rope and the second end is attached to the supporting member, such that by applying tension to the first wire rope, tension is applied to the second wire rope.

Referring now to figures 20-22, there is a vineyard trellis system 10, which includes a ground anchored post 20. The post 20 has an upper portion 25 and a lower portion 30 suit-able for anchoring into the ground. The lower portion 30 may be forcibly driven into the ground or otherwise anchored by

placing in a hole and securing with cement or similar.The post 20 is “C”-shaped (shown in figure 21 in outline),

having a slot 40 traversing longitudinally from the upper portion 25 the lower portion 30, punctuated by the bridg-ing section 50, added to increased stability and internal strength of the post 20. The bridging section 50 is positioned within the lower portion 30 of the post. The post 20 is made from a suitable resilient material such as galvanized steel to enable it to withstand repeated exposure to the elements and general agricultural impacts. Other materials may well be employed such as high impact plastics or similar with minor changes in shape to ensure that post 20 remains rigid.

The post 20 has flanges 32 and 34 at either side of the slot 40. The flanges 32 and 34 assist in holding the slider 60 within the confines of the post 20. If required a protective cover may be attached to the post 60 so as to cover the slot 40 to provide better protection to the inside of the post 20 from weather elements such as rain and dirt.

The slider 60 is shaped so as to allow relatively unrestrict-ed vertical movement 231 within the interior of the post 20. The slider 60 has an upper projection 70 positioned on an upper surface 75, and a lower projection 80 positioned on the lower surface 85. The upper projection 70 has an ap-erture 90 through it for receiving a shaft 95 in a rotating manner. The shaft 95 shaped to accommodate pulley wheels 100 and 105 on either side of the upper projection 70. The lower projection 80 has an aperture 86 for receiving an end of a biasing means, such as the hook end 110 of spring 120 in a secure manner. Hook end 125 of spring 120 is inserted in aperture 130 located on the lower portion 30 of post 20.

As shown in figure 22, the slider 60 has recesses 140 and


Figure 21: Pictorial representation of an embodiment of the invention showing a cut away view of the post.

Figure 22: Perspective view of the slider section that fits within the trellis system.


145 on sides 150 and 155 respectively. The recesses 140 and 145 allow for the passage or movement of pulley wires 180. The front surface 190 of the slider 60 has a foliage wire hold-ing portion 200 in an inverted “U”-shape. Located at each remote end 210 and 215 are apertures 220 and 225 for re-ceiving foliage wire 230 there through. It would be well ap-preciated that the shape of the apertures 220 and 225 can vary to other shapes such as slots or recesses that allow for the secure attachment of foliage wire to the ends 210 and 215. In some instances, a slot may be preferable in that it allows for the easy removal of the foliage wire 230 from 200.

It is to be understood that the foliage wires 230 run the entire length of the row and the number of posts 20 required in each row is dependant on the size of each row. The foliage wire holding portion 200 may be a separate member that is welded to the slider 60 or it may be of integral construction such as from a mounding.

The post 20 has apertures 240 and 245 positioned on sides 250 and 260 on the upper portion 25. The apertures 240 and 245 are shaped to receive a shaft 250 that accommodate pulley wheels 260 and 265 within the post 20. Additionally, there are apertures 270 and 275 positioned on sides 250 and 260 located on the lower portion 30. A shaft 280 is received within the apertures 270 and 175 and a pulley wheel 285 is rotatably connected thereto. Note that each pulley wheel has a groove around its circumference shaped to assist in keep-ing the pulley wire 180 in position.

Pulley wire 180 is attached to a winch 185 and passes around pulley wheel 285 through the inside of the post 20, and through the recess 140 to pass to the side of pulley wheel

105. The wire 180 then travels up to pulley wheel 260, down to pass around pulley wheel 105, back up to pulley wheel 265, then back down to pulley wheel 100. Finally, the wire 180 travels to a fixed point 266 located on the upper portion 25 of the post 20. This then describes a pulley system that is commonly referred to as a “block and tackle”, of which the mechanical advantages are well known. Other types of pul-ley systems could also be employed with departing from the scope of the invention, such as systems of six pulley wheels.

In use, the post 20 is securely mounted in the earth, either by forcing the post 20 directly into the earth or by excavat-ing the soil and cementing the post 20 therein. In either case the post 20 must be mounted such that it will be able to withstand the usual forces encountered in an agricultural environment such as bearing the weight of the fully laden vine plant as well as being struck by machinery and so on.

The growing vine plant 300 attaches to the foliage wire 230. As the vine plant 300 grows over time the foliage wire holding portion 200 can be raised so as to open up the vine plant and provide increased exposure of the fruit 310 to the sun. As the vine plant 300 continues to grow, so the foliage wire holding portions 200 can be raised until such a time that harvesting of the fruit occurs and the vines are pruned then the foliage wire holding portions 200 can then be low-ered. The resultant exposure of the fruit 310 further facili-tates the process of mechanical harvesting.

The spring 120 attached to the lower portion 30 of the post 20 and the slider 60 provides a biasing means that assists in the return of the slider 60 to its position when the tension in the wire 180 is released. The vine trellis system 10 can be utilized so that each of the post in a row is capable of lifting a vine plant positioned between each post. That is each post is equipped with a pulley set (or lifting mechanism) and is connected to the winch that is set up at the end of each vine row. The technique employed then would be that each pulley wire 180 is connected to a synchronisation wire 300 by way of a swage connection 310.

The synchronisation wire 300 then passes through the conduit 320 positioned on the post 20 and on to the next post having a pulley mechanism contained therein as described above. In this way as the synchronisation wire 300 is taken up by the winch 185, each of the pulley wires 180 are also pulled thus lifting each of the foliage wire holding portions

C.S. OSBORNE & CO.129 Jersey Street. Harrison, NJ 07029 U.S.A.

Phone 973-483-3232 Fax 973-484-3621Email: [email protected] Web: www.csosborne.com

MARLIN SPIKES

For more information please contact:

MADE IN U.S.A.

Manufactured from HIGH GRADE CARBON STEEL, carefully HARD-ENED and TEMPERED for strength and durability. HAND POLISHED to last for years. PROPER FLATTENED POINTS for easy insertion.

Also available in 30”, 36”, 42” & 48” long.

Available sizes (inches)

4” 6” 8” 10” 12”14” 16” 18” 20” 24”

Osborne No. 276

Special custom sizes upon request.

Pro

per

Fla

ttene

d po

ints


Figure 23: Section through a roof covering with a photovoltaic module and a fixing device with rope.

Figure 24: Fixing device with rope and an apparatus for length adjustment.


200 in unison. Although the wires 300 and 180 are joined together by a swage 310, it is understood that other mecha-nisms of joining the wires can be applied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Fixing device for voltaic modules on sloping roofsPat. 7,963,074 U.S. class 52/173.3 Int. class F24J 2/52Inventor: Sascha Oliver Schwarze, Berlin, DE., Maik Schae-fer, Berlin, DE.Assignee: Solon SE., Berlin, DE.

A fixing device for fixing a photovoltaic module on a sloping roof having a roof structure and a roof covering with individu-al roof covering elements includes a roof-side connecting piece disposable beneath the roof covering and a module-side con-necting piece disposable on an edge of the photovoltaic mod-ule. A flexible retaining element interconnects the roof-side connecting piece and the module-side connecting piece. The flexible retaining element is loadable by pulling and adapted to be guided through the roof covering without altering a posi-tion or shape of the individual roof covering elements.

Figure 23 shows a fixing device 1 for photovoltaic modules 2 in a section through a roof structure 31. In the exemplary embodiment shown, it consists of a roof rafter 4, roof laths 5 and a roof covering 3 made from a sarking membrane 32 and individual elements 30, roofing tiles 6 here. The photovoltaic module 2 frame 7 rests on the roofing tiles 6. Ring eyelets 9 are attached to the upper edge 8 of the frame 7 of the photo-voltaic module 2. The fixing device 1 comprises a retaining element 24 which is a flexible component which can be load-ed by pulling exclusively and which can be guided through the roof covering 3 without changing the position or shape of the individual elements 30, roofing tiles 6 here, of the latter. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the fixing device 1 in-cludes a wire rope 10 which is guided around cable-eye stiff-eners 11 and is secured in this exemplary embodiment with ferrules 12. The rope 10 equipped in this manner is fixed to the roof rafter 4 with its roof-side connecting piece 13 with a screw 14 with a large washer 15 guided through the cable-eye stiffener 11. The rope 10 is then guided through in an approximately straight line between the adjacent roofing tiles 6 and connected to the ring eyelet 9 with its module-

side connecting piece 16 by means of a shackle 17.Figure 24 shows a fixing device 1, wherein the rope 10 is

interrupted by an apparatus for length adjustment 18 in the region of the upper end 13. At the roof-side and module-side connecting pieces 13, 16, the rope 10 is guided around the cable-eye stiffeners 11, which are shown at the upper end 13 in the plan view and at the lower end 16 in the side view, and secured with ferrules 12. The apparatus for length ad-


Figure 25: Module arrangement utilizing fixing devices with steel strips.


Figure 27: General assembly drawing of the anticollision apparatus.

Figure 28: Diagram of the apparatus housing.

justment 18 has a housing 19 and a ring bolt 20 with right-handed thread and a ring bolt 21 with left-handed thread. The fixing of the rope 10 to the ring bolts 20 is not detailed any further here. In the case of a rotation of the housing 19 in the clockwise direction as seen from the upper end 13, the fixing device 1 is shortened, and in the case of a rotation in the counter-clockwise direction, the fixing device 1 is lengthened.

Figure 25 shows a module arrangement with retaining el-ements 24 including steel strips 22 on supporting rails 23. The supporting rails 23 rest on the roof covering 3 and are fixed to steel strips 22 which penetrate upwards under the next laid individual element 30, roofing tile 6 here, through the roof covering 3 and are fixed to the next roof lath 5 of the roof structure 31. Roof laths 5 and the parts of the steel strips 22 which extend underneath the roof covering 3 are indicated with dashed lines. Likewise illustrated with dashed lines are the PV modules 2 which are retained in the supporting rails 23. Further elements for connecting the PV modules 2 to one another are not illustrated.

Figure 26 shows a flat stop plate 26, which can be con-nected to a roof rafter 4, e.g. by means of nails or screws via elongated holes. It has an accommodating element 27 which is a cuboid component which is securely connected to the stop plate 26 in the exemplary embodiment. The accom-modating element 27 includes a continuous longitudinal slot 28 for inserting the retaining element 24. A non-continuous enlarged opening 29 accommodates the thickening 25 of the retaining element 24. In the figure, a round rope is indicated by way of example as retaining element 24 with a ferrule 12 as thickening 25.

Figure 26: Shows a flat stop plate with an accommodating element.

Automobile anticollision decelerating and emergency brake apparatusPat. 7,955,218 U.S. class 477/193 Int. class B60W 10/04Inventor: Dahuai Wang, Hunan, CN., Yue Zhao, Hunan, CN.Assignee: Dahuai Wang, Hunan, CN., Yue Zhao, Hunan, CN.

An anticollision decelerating and emergency brake apparatus of automobile is disclosed. The objects of the invention is realized by the following: an anticollision decelerating and an emergency brake apparatus of automobile constituted by clutch, an energy-storage assembly, a brake force transmission assembly, a com-bined solenoid valve assembly, a housing, a variable diameter assembly, a reset mechanism, and so on. The apparatus of the invention will auto brake to effectively prevent and avoid traffic accidents, and the damage degree can be minimized.

Figure 27 shows the basic structure of the anticollision ap-paratus of the present invention. The apparatus includes: a combined clutch 1, an energy-storage assembly 2, a brake force transmission assembly 3, a combined solenoid valve assembly 4, a housing 5, a variable diameter wheel 6, and a reset structure 7. In accordance with the present invention, when the collision sensor determines the possible occurrence of an imminent col-lision, the anticollision system activates an existing emergency brake, which applies a braking force to wire rope 58 of solenoid valve assembly 4. A variable wheel assembly 6 magnifies the applied emergency brake force to assure that the anticollision apparatus is capable of decelerating or stopping the vehicle. So-lenoid valve assembly 4 then releases and transfers the mag-nified brake force of wire rope 58 to at least one ratchet wheel 160, 64 of the brake force transmission assembly 3. The braking force is subsequently transferred from ratchet wheel 160, 64 to at least one spring 52, 45 of energy energy-storage assembly 2, which enables a vehicle to immediately brake. After the threat of impact has passed, reset mechanism 7 subsequently resets the component of energy-storage assembly 2 by rotating clutch 1.

Housing 5 of the present invention houses and protects the parts, components and assemblies of the anticollision apparatus from water, foreign matter, such as dust, and

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Figure 29: cross section of figure 28

Figure 30: Another cross section of the apparatus.

other forms of contamination. Preferably housing 5 is an air-tight and water-tight container. As shown in figures 28-30, housing 5 may include: at least one micro-switch 126, 138, 142, at least one end cap 127, 135, at least one air proof seal 128, 134, at least one suitable fastener, such as a bolt 129, 136, 137, 139, 141, 143, at least one bearing cap 130, 132, a frame 131, and an air proof casing 140.

As shown in figure 28, frame 131 of housing 5 may be di-vided into three cavities: cavity I 165, cavity II 166, and cav-ity III 167. Cavity I 165 may contain a combined clutch 11. Cavity II 166 may be used to house an energy-storage assem-bly 2. A Brake force transmission assembly 3 and a combined solenoid valve assembly 4 may be placed within cavity III 168. The location of the combined clutch 1, combined solenoid valve assembly 4 and brake force transmission assembly 3 may be interchanged upon suitable modification of housing 5. Semicircle-shaped holes serving as bearing plates may be formed between cavity I 166 and II and between cavity II 167 and III 168, as shown in figures 29 and 30. At least one bear-ing cap 132, 130 may be installed using any suitable fastener, including a bolt 136, 143. Housing 5 may further comprise two end caps 127, 135, one installed at each end of frame 131 using any suitable fastener, including a bolt 129, 133. At least one air proof I seal 128, 134 may be placed tightly adjacent to the end caps 1 127, 127, 135. At least one micro-switch 138, 138, 142 may be installed on a bearing cap 132, 130 using any suitable fastener, such as a bolt 139, 141. Additionally an air proof seal 140 may be installed on frame 131 using any suit-able fastener, such as a bolt 137. WRN

working file 2/2/06 8:59 PM Page 14


product line. The new Walkie Stacker implements a highly efficient 3-phase AC technology drive system, propor-tional lift and lower control, optional electric power steering and a multi-function control tiller head, according to a company release.

Jungheinrich engineers focused on increasing energy efficiency and reduc-ing life cycle costs with the new EJC series 3-phase AC technology drive sys-tem. Enhancements to the advanced drive system, including features such as proprietary software, enhanced electrical components and optimized cable routing, result in longer bat-tery life and more run time. Further advantages include the elimination of wear items such as motor brushes and springs, which can lead to lower life cycle costs, and advanced regenerative braking, which allows energy to be fed back into the battery for longer run times and enhanced productivity.

The new EJC series also integrates quiet performance and premier han-dling, as precise speed and torque con-trol allows for easy maneuvering even in confined warehouse applications. Extremely beneficial for a stacker, the series features variable lift/lower speed control which lowers pull-down and put-away costs while reducing the likelihood of lift truck, rack or product damage.

All forklift truck movement functions are accomplished via the tiller head as it allows for increased operational efficiencies and decreased operator fa-tigue. The tiller head is mounted low and toward the side of the truck. This maximizes the space between the oper-ator and the chassis for increased com-fort and visibility. The controls may be activated with either hand to further increase operational efficiency of the forklift.

Loos & Company announces the LoosCo Stretch Calculator iPhone/iPad app

The LoosCo Stretch Calculator is the first release in the Loos Mechanicals line of mobile applications designed to assist the wire rope and aircraft cable professional in the field. The Stretch Calculator application provides real time wire rope and aircraft cable elas-tic stretch estimates based on construc-tion, diameter, length and load inputs provided by the user. According to the company release, the application al-lows you to calculate the estimated stretch of your assembly or sling right in the palm of your hand.

The LoosCo Stretch Calculator ap-plication is based on the popular down-load available on www.loosco.com, and is available for both the iPhone and iPad. The calculator provides the fol-lowing features:

• Elastic Stretch estimates for 1x7, 1x19, 7x7, 7x19, 6x19, 6x37 Construc-tions Elastic Stretch estimates for Stainless and Galvanized Steel

• Elastic Stretch estimates for Cable Diameters 1/64” to 1-1/4”

You can download your free install-ment of the LoosCo Stretch Calculator on our website, www.loosco.com, by clicking on the “Downloads” link. Se-lect “Mobile Phone Applications” and you will be taken to the official LoosCo Stretch Calculator iTunes page.

For questions concerning the down-load and use of the new LoosCo Stretch

Calculator, contact Robert Davis by calling 860-630-4248.

Loos & Co., Inc. is the world’s lead-ing manufacturer of Military Speci-fication Aircraft Cable and Aircraft Cable assemblies. Loos has over 50 years of experi-ence in the cable industry and sup-plies flight control assemblies to all major aircraft manu-facturers. Refer to our website (www.loosco.com) for a complete listing of capabilities, including: Stainless Steel and Specialty Alloy Wire and Wire Products, Aircraft Cable, Wire Rope, and Military and Commercial Cable Assemblies.

Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA) introduces new Jungheinrich® Walkie Stacker for North America

Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift Amer-ica, Inc. (MCFA) (www.mcfa.com), a leading provider of forklift trucks in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Latin America, announced the addi-tion of a new Jungheinrich® EJC B14/EJC B16 Heavy-Duty Electric Walkie Straddle Stacker to its North American


J.C. Renfroe’s David Matthews guest speaker on product training at Signal Mutual Indemnity Association’s Safety Committee

As an engineer advocating compre-hensive safety procedures for the use of industrial lifting clamps, David Mat-thews, Director of Engineering, Re-search and Development for J.C. Ren-froe & Sons, Inc. will be a guest speaker at the Safety Committee conducted by the Signal Mutual Indemnity Associa-tion in Woodlands, Texas.

Matthews,who has been a mechanical engineer for over 35 years, will outline the detailed safety training program J.C. Renfroe offers to its customers. Renfroe is an international manufac-turer of industrial lifting products. “We cannot emphasize safety enough for our customers,” said Anne Renfroe, President of J.C. Renfroe. “We have de-veloped an extensive program of safety measures for our clients which includes tools such as illustrated instructural manuals, plant safety posters, and our two-day free safety training sessions led by David.”

“David Matthews has an entertaining and effective way of conveying the use of

David Matthews

safety measures involved with our prod-uct line. He is a great representative for safety in our industry,” she added. Mat-thews is responsible for all aspects of research and development for J.C. Ren-froe, including the development of new products for both the Renfroe clamp line and ancillary lifting products.

He was educated as a mechanical en-gineer in Wales and held a number of managerial positions directing the de-

sign, engineering, manufacture and ap-plication of new and existing products in the United Kingdom.

J.C. Renfroe & Sons, Inc., headquar-tered in Jacksonville, Florida, is a lead-ing international manufacturer and marketer of industrial lifting clamps and lifting equipment products.

Harrington Hoists, Inc. Announces new board members

Harrington Hoists, Inc. has announced the appointment of two new members to their Board of Directors. Carlo A. Lonar-di, VP Sales and Marketing and Scott D. Miller, VP of Operations will now serve as directors on the Board and will pro-vide the solid leadership needed for the continued expansion and long-term suc-cess of the company. Other members of the Board include Harrington’s Edward W. Hunter, president & CEO; Yoshio Morita, vice president Administration and Toru Suzuki, Deputy general man-ager Business Division America of Kito Corporation.

Harrington Hoists, Inc. is a Kito Group Company located in Manheim, PA and Corona, CA and is a leading manufacturer and supplier of electric and air powered chain hoists, electric wire rope hoists, lever hoists, manual hand chain hoists, push and geared trol-leys, overhead cranes, crane accessories and a full line of replacement parts.

New Talent in Samson’s Midwest Territory

Samson, a worldwide leader in perfor-mance cordage, is pleased to introduce Donna Poll as its Industrial regional sales manager for the midwest territory.

Donna comes to us with extensive ex-perience in sales and distributor devel-opment. For over eighteen years Donna worked as a technical sales manager in the electronics industry; working di-rectly with manufacturers, OEMs and distributors of cable and wire printed circuit boards .

“We are very excited to have Donna on board to service our midwest custom-ers. They will benefit from the success model Donna has developed to cultivate solid relationships throughout the sales channel. The result is delivering high quality Samson products, engineered specifically for their needs, with world-class customer service” Michael Quinn, sales director – Industrial Division.

Donna has a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communications from the Uni-versity of Missouri and will operate from her office in the greater Chicago area.


Please turn to the pages indicated belowfor a detailed view of

advertisers’ products or services.

Advertisers Index

Accutech .......................................................55

All Material Handling .......................................50

Alps Wire Rope ..............................................54

Associated Wire Rope & Rigging, Inc. .......26, 48

Buffalo Lifting and Testing ..............................65

C. Sherman Johnson Co., Inc. ........................18

Cableway Technical Services ..........................77

Caldwell Company, Inc. ............................36, 80

Chant Engineering Co., Inc. ............................17

Chicago Hardware ..........................................16

Columbus McKinnon ......................................49

The Crosby Group ..........................2, 44, 45, 47

Distributor Computer Systems ........................67

Downs Crane & Hoist Co., Inc. .......................67

Elite Sales ......................................................25

Esco Corporation ...........................................22

Filtec ..............................................................52

Gaylin International Co. Pte. Ltd. .....................79

GBG Industries ...............................................30

Holland 1916 .................................................43

Huskie Tools ..................................................53

Ken Forging, Inc. ............................................32

KWS, Inc. .......................................................57

Landmann Wire Rope Products ........................4

Letellier M.H.E. ...............................................73

Lincoln Hoist ..................................................13

Loos & Co. ....................................................39

Morse-Starrett Products Co. ...........................74

New England Rope .........................................71

C.S. Osborne & Co. ........................................69

Premier Wire Rope ...........................................3

Quality Marine Hardware ................................19

Rope Block/Sea Link .........................................6

Rud Chain, Inc. ..............................................51

Sea Catch ......................................................56

Sea-Fit, Inc. ................................................. 8-9

Sea-land Distributors ................... 27, 31, 35, 37

Slingmax Rigging Products ...............................5

Slinguard Protectors .......................................42

Southern Weaving Company ..........................23

Strider~Resource ..........................................55

Suncor Stainless, Inc. .............................. 40-41

Taylor Chain Company ...................................72

Thern .............................................................33

Van Beest BV .................................................56

Vanguard .......................................................15

Wichard, Inc. .................................................63

Windy Ridge Corporation ................................57

Wirop Industrial Co., Ltd. ................................29

Yale Cordage ..................................................38

Yoke Industrial Corp. ......................................11


HELP WANTEDLooking for an outside sales person for

wire rope shop and fall protection com-pany. Email resume to [email protected] or email [email protected].

Established rigging shops across the U.S. looking for experienced wire rope splicer. Must be able to manufacture flemish eye slings along with hand splicing, both 4 tuck and hidden tuck. Competitive wages, and benefits including 401, health, and paid va-cation. Reply to: Box 10-02, Wire Rope News & Sling Technology, 511 Colonia Blvd., Co-lonia, NJ 07067

Seeking to fill and inside customer ser-vice/sales position with at least 3 years in wire rope and rigging hardware sales ex-perience, aggressive and good communica-tion skill, hard working with integrity. Our company is located in Southern California and has been in business for 15 years. We offer a competitive salary plus commission. Please fax resume to (909) 548-2884.

Established wire rope distributor in the Mid-Atlantic area is looking for an exp. out-side sales representative to cover the Gulf Coast area. Strong background in cranes and wire ropes preferred. Ideal candidate has the ability to establish accounts and build strong business relationships.

Excellent base and commission, comp. vehicle and benefits. Submit qualifications to: [email protected].

Assistant foreman for East Coast’s larg-est importer & sling shop. We stock wire rope, hardware and mfg web slings. Must be “hands-on” and capable of directing shop personnel. Long term position with all ben-efits company paid, including profit shar-ing. The Bilco Group, Bilco-Doran-Shaw, Barry I. Lemberg C.E.O, Phone:(908) 351-7800 Fax: (908) 355-5544, E-mail: [email protected].

We are looking for Sales Rep and Area Sales Manager for US market. YOKE USA, a highly respected brand in Grade 80 chain accessories, aggressively expand-ing its distribution and requires sales per-sonnel. Experience in chain and wire rope sling industries is an asset. Send resume to Steven Hong, President of YOKE GROUP, 12850 Florence Ave., Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. Fax 562-903-1468 eMail: [email protected].

POSITION AVAILABLEExperienced Regional Sales Manager

wanted for KWS Inc., member of the THIELE GmbH & Co. KG.-group.

KWS Inc. is expanding in the USA and Canada markets. Candidate must have a strong understanding of overhead lifting equipment, chains, slings, hooks and acces-sories. A strong sales experience is a must. Candidate must also have basic computer skills that include Microsoft word, excel and PowerPoint.

KWS Inc. offers a competitive salary, profit sharing and many other benefits. Please email resume to THIELE Ger-

many, Mr. Enrique Bermejo, Sales Direc-tor Lifting Department, Germany; Email: [email protected].

Leading manufacturer of below the hook lifting devices seeks a mechanical engineer who has experience with designing below the hook lifters. Experience with motorized control systems is a plus. Excellent work-ing environment, compensation and sched-ule all in a fantastic, southern coastal area! Please send resume to Tandemloc, 824 Highway 101, Havelock, NC 28532, [email protected] or call 252-463-8113.

Sales manager needed for Chicago mar-ket. Must have strong understanding of wire rope, chain, hardware. Must be able to establish goals and achieve desired re-sults. Computer literate, minimal travel. Salesforce knowledge a plus. Competitive salary and benefits. Reply to box 11-4, care of Wire Rope News, 511 Colonia Blvd., Co-lonia, NJ 07067.

58 year old, well respected rigging com-pany in Southern California, seeking very experienced lead rigger, full time. Must have extensive splicing experience, and management skills. Great pay, excellent benefits and bonuses to the right person. Contact Esaul Mota at 310-834-8535.

Experienced Wire Rope Splicer/Fabrica-tor needed. QC21 Lifting Products is seek-ing quality craftsmanship and shop leader-ship for our recently relocated wire rope and synthetic operations in Harrison, OH.

Knowledge of and hands-on ability to fabricate wire rope and chain assemblies, along with ability to direct workflow is required. Only self-starters with a strong work ethic need apply. We offer a smoke/drug-free, results-oriented work environ-ment with excellent wages and benefits.

QC21 Lifting Products is an F&M Mafco, Inc owned company and a leader in the specialty rigging and nylon sling industry. If you are interested in joining our team, credentials can be faxed to (513) 202-8820 or e-mail [email protected] or apply online at www.fmmafco.com (under employment tab). EOE/M/F/V/D

Fabrication manager/customer service. Work in a family oriented business with an opportunity to earn part ownership. Need someone 35-55+ years old who started at the bottom and looking to finish at the top. Need hands on splicing experience, lifting rigging experience, test bed knowledge, able to direct small growing crew. Basic computer knowledge. Willing to train and mentor young employees. Top wages and benefits for the right individual. Problem solver that our customers can depend on. Honesty and integrity a must. Call Chuck Farmer, President, Rouster Wire Rope and Rigging, Inc., 304-228-3722, in confidence.

Outside Sales Representative needed for well established family owned business in Nashville, TN. Contractors & Industrial Supply Co., Inc. founded in 1970 is a dis-tributor of wire rope, rigging hardware,

chain and related industry products is ex-panding our sales team. The qualified in-dividual will possess industry knowledge and the ability to develop new accounts and maintain existing. We offer a competi-tive base salary plus commission and an outstanding benefits package. If qualified, please email your resume with salary his-tory to [email protected].

Outside sales rep. CCISCO of Summer-ville, SC is looking for experienced sales reps for the Carolina & Georgia markets. Computer skills including Microsoft Office and ERP distribution software required. Knowledge of wire rope, rigging, construc-tion and industrial supplies preferred. Traveling required. Company vehicle and expenses along with competitive base sal-ary and commissions. Reply to [email protected].

Established wire rope distributor in North America is expanding into crane/container rope and fabrication. We are looking for an experienced individual that can assist in formulating a marketing and business plan. This position will eventu-ally evolve to a sales manager or general manager. Fax your resume in strict confi-dence to 330-452-2331 attention Kris Lee or email to [email protected].

Texas Wire Rope Company expand-ing inside sales department. Individuals must have a strong technical, mechanical and basic mathematical aptitude, includ-ing basic computer knowledge. Selected candidates must be quality conscious and able to handle multiple tasks. Previous experience in the industrial supply mar-ket is necessary. We offer a drug-free, results-oriented work environment with excellent wages and advancement oppor-tunities. Resumes received confidentially at [email protected].

Outside sales representatives needed Southwest WireRope, the heavy-lift divi-sion of Teleflex, Inc, is a well-established distributor / fabricator of wire rope & re-lated products. We are expanding our sales force and looking for experienced Out-side Sales Professionals. Our ideal candi-date has the ability to establish accounts and build strong business relationships. Knowledge of DCS based computer system, a plus.

We offer a competitive base salary and commission program and vehicle allow-ance. Our excellent benefit package in-cludes medical, dental, life, disability, paid vacation and an excellent 401(k) Plan. Re-location packages are available for candi-dates meeting our eligibility requirements. Visit our website at www.swwrinc.com.

If qualified, please fax your resume with salary history to: (713) 453-1677 or e-mail to [email protected].

POSITION WANTEDFormer Division-Product Manager, Re-

gional Outside Sales Manager desires southeast territory to manage and solicit accounts in the wire rope, chain, fittings,

continued

CABLEWAY TECHNICALSERVICES GRAVITY

RETURNCall Nielsen

Ocala, FL 24 Hour Fax (904) 342-0547


Only $1 per line. Ads answered through private box numbers, $3 extra.Place stamp on envelope, cut along perforation, fold, tape where indicated and drop in the nearest mail box.If you prefer, send no money now, we’ll bill you later.

(Please type or print clearly)

Ad To Read:

NameCompany NameAddressCity State Zip PhoneHeading Ad Is To Appear Under

Please limit each line to 40 characters AND spaces.

Payment enclosed. Please bill us.

Check here and add $3 if you wish to have your ad answered through a private box number.

Published bi-monthly: Dec., Feb., April, June, Aug., Oct. Material must be received by the 20th of month preceding date of publication (e.g. May 20th for the June issue).

Publisher assumes no liability for errors, or, in assigning or forwarding mail for classified advertisers using publication box numbers.

Fax: (1-732) 396-4215

continued

and related industries. Over 25 years ex-perience including District Manager, Beth-lehem Wire Rope, Regional Manager, Wire Rope Ind Product Manager, Rud Chain, Inc. Interested parties reply to M.E. (Mike) Givens [email protected], ph 256-476-7700.

REPS WANTEDKennedy Wire Rope and Sling Company

is seeking a qualified inside sales represen-tative for their South Texas rigging shop located in Corpus Christi, Texas. We ser-vice various markets locally and globally. Solid sales skills working closely and in-teracting with customers directly, on the phone and in e-commerce is paramount. The candidate must have two years ex-perience in sales and marketing of lifting products. Current knowledge of sling man-ufacturing and field use of rigging is very helpful. Basic computer skills are a must. Kennedy Wire Rope and Sling utilizes DCS software. We offer competitive salary and insurance benefits.

If you are interested in a challenging and rewarding career opportunity on the Texas Riviera please send a resume to Box 10-01, c/o Wire Rope News & Sling Technology, 511 Colonia Blvd., Colonia NJ 07067.

Sales rep wanted for an established man-ufacturer of labels and sling tags. We are looking for a sales rep that currently calls on sling makers and rigging companies and is familiar with the business. Etiflex is a registered trademark and manufactures custom sling tags for synthetic and wire

rope slings and has an excellent reputation in the field. We advertise in trade journals and exhibit at industry shows to gener-ate brand awareness. Please contact us at [email protected] or call 866-ETIFLEX for information.

Manufacturer Represtentatives for Lift-ing Equipment & Accessories wanted by ALL MATERIAL HANDLING, Inc. Terri-tories are now available and supported by our 4 USA Warehouses where our highly competitive and top quality products are stocked to the roof. Partner with us as we continue to grow market share. Check us out at www.allmaterialhandling.com and reach us at 877 543-8264, or e-mail [email protected].

Well established manufacturer of wire rope assemblies seeks manufacturer repre-sentatives for most major U.S. and Cana-dian markets. Visit our web site at www.thecableconnection.com. Please contact [email protected] or call Ray at (800) 851-2961

PROFESSIONAL SERVICESDragline range & depth extended using

gravity return. Contact Nielsen by fax for details (fax) 904-342-0547

INVESTMENT OPORTUNITIESOpportunity for investment by a big wire ropes industry, at the center of Europe, partner for installing wires drawing proj-ect, is sought. Reply by email to box 11-2 at: [email protected].

ACQUISITIONS SOUGHTEstd. Int’l firm seeks to acquire small

to med-sized rigging company on the At-lantic seaboard/Gulf Coast. Flexible. Will consider partial buyout, retaining current management. Also open to explore merg-ers, joint ventures or strategic alliances in lieu of acquisition. Pelase reply to [email protected]. Strict confidentiality will be exercised.

Company seeks acquisitions – Well es-tablished thirty year old manufacturer of mechanical cable assemblies, controls and related products seeks to acquire small to mid-sized mechanical cable assembly manufacturers and specialty producers of miniature and small diameter strand and cable. The company has the financial abil-ity to structure a transaction that is re-sponsive to the owner’s needs. Be assured that we will exercise the appropriate confi-dentiality. Interested parties may reply in complete confidence to: P.O. Box 168, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438-0168. In lieu of an acquisi-tion, other potential business opportunities to explore include mergers, joint ventures or strategic alliances with our company.


EQUIPMENT WANTEDWanted: refurbished/used Esco 500 ton

press in good working order. Please contact [email protected] or telephone 868-674-7896/71.

Wanted 600t wire rope swaging press complete with dies in good order, please contact [email protected], or Tele 0064 3 366 1528.

Wanted: used wire rope cable, sizes 1-1/8”, 1”, and 7/8”. Please call for pricing. (740) 452-5770.

FOR SALE3/16" Campbell Chain L3x51 Links-

Zinc; 3200 pieces 48" with 5/16" S Hook; 1100 pieces 15" with 5/16"x2.5" O ring; In NC. Best Offer [email protected], 800-342-9130 x 124, Andy.

New wire rope with galvanized finish, 8 x19, Seale, fiber core, traction grade (1180/1770 N/mm²), right regular lay: 1/2” diameter, 14,900 lbs breaking load, .36 lbs/foot net weight, 25,000 feet; 5/8” diam-eter, 23,700 lbs breaking load, .58 lbs/foot, 16,489 feet. Contact Draka Elevator Prod-ucts at 1-877-372-5237 for pricing.

Excess 3/16” 7x19 GAC non-preformed specs available 150 5000 ft. reels wrapped 12 per pallet FOB IN $250.00 per reel. Also 1/8” stainless 7x7 at 15 cents per foot FOB IL. Also plastic covered GAC. Joe 800-473-0984.

New wire rope 1-1/8” drill line 5000 ft. 6x195 BR RR IFWV $30,000 Aud & freight. Reply to Brayd Gross, Alpha Rig-ging SErvice, 11-13 Gerberte Court, Wur-ruk, Victoria, Australia, 3850. Phone 0011+61351461088. Email: [email protected].

Sleeve hammer used for moving sleeves on cable. Different sizes for different size sleeves. All hand made in use now for use safety purposes for employees. Saves on time. Our product does work guaranteed. Please call us today for use in oilfield. 901-357-4940.

Crosby 7/8” G213 LPA shackles. NEW! 205 pieces available. Contact Gary Lee @ 1-800-844-3517. Fax 251-456-8860.

Impacto Cable cutters and parts available from Windy Ridge Corp. Tamworth, NH, USA. 800-639-2021. Fax 603-323-2322.

WIRE ROPE FOR SALEUsed steel cable for sale. 1-1/8” x 475’,

7/8” x 875’, 5/16” x 320’. Coiled on reels. On-going supply. Call: 561-840-2910. F.O.B. Rivera Beach, FL.

HARDWARE FOR SALE1200 RA2482-4 MFG/ACCO $1.45; 600

RA2482-5 MFG/ACCO $2.99 each; 16500 RA2500-3 MFG/ACCO $.70 each; 200 MS21260-56RH $3.25 each. Call James Currie or Greg Bailey (562) 942-8076.

500 pcs 1-3/4” screw pin anchor shackle –

overstock inventory sale – made in China. $28.00 each SWL 25T FOB Avenel, NJ. Call Art Jeronimo, Steelstran Industries 732-574-0700.

Overstocked inventory for sale, 1-3/8” Shackle, WLL 13½ ton, galvanized, round pin, import. Super savings. Sold in mini-mum lots of 50 at $9 each. Eric Parkerson, Certified Slings, 407-331-6677.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALENational swage 1000 ton press. Excellent

condition, including most dies up to two inch, $110,000. Barry, Bilco Wire Rope & Supply Corp., 908-351-7800 or [email protected].

1-800 ton Esco, 1-500 ton National, 1-500 ton Esco, 1-350 Esco. 713-641-1552.

150 ton, Wirop C-type hydraulic swaging machine for sale. Brand new, with 4 sets of dies. $19,500 or B/O. Call Oscar at 909-548-2884.

Wire Rope Grips for proof test machines. Sizes: 1-1/2”, 2”, 2-1/2”. Load cells & digital read-outs also available. Call Joe Roberts (912) 964-9465.

Prooftesters for sale. Capacities from 20,000 lbs. to 3,000,000 lbs. Call Joe Rob-erts (912) 964-9465.

500 ton National Press, with dies. 15,000 lb. Bessemer coiling machine. Call 800-448-7380, Bill Lindsey.


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