PLANT WEST, September/October 2013

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Volume 8, No. 03 >> Supplement, PLANT >> September/October 2013

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SUPER Computer D-Wave takes a quantum leap

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NEW TECHNOLOGY SECTION

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HIGHLIGHTS Apprenticeship program needs work SiteSense finds MIA equipment Reliability gets a rethink An automation upgrade for CNRL 13-10-10 7:12 AM

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Editorial

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About that energy strategy…

D

o you know what Canada could use? A national energy strategy.

Alberta premier Alison Redford sure thinks so and she has been pushing hard for one. The premiers of the other provinces seem to think so too, and unveiled a blueprint for one in the summer, although Quebec and BC didn’t sign on, pending resolution of various energy-related beefs and concerns.

Curiously distant from the discussion is the federal government, under the current direction of the Harper Tories, which is pushing resource development across the country, but has little to say about the premiers’ project, and is apparently focused instead (so it says) on its Economic Action Plan. The “action” involves dishing out funding across the country to manufacturers and others, to create a few jobs here and there as a salve to the economic wound inflicted by the 2008-09 recession.

There are several reasons why Canada would benefit from a national energy strategy. Much of our oil and gas is inland and without access to world markets. The US is Canada’s biggest energy customer, but becoming less interested in our fossil fuels. It’s forecast to become the world’s largest oil producer in four years and a net exporter by 2025, one of several points made by Senator Doug Black to the Senate Chamber earlier this year.

Black, who is also president of the pro-strategy Energy Policy Institute of Canada (EPIC), also noted Canada is losing $75 million a day because of inadequate energy infrastructure, while federal and provincial governments are losing $4 billion from discounted energy prices, with a projected loss of $50 billion over the next three years.

These factors make market diversification a particularly urgent matter.

To achieve diversification, oil has to get to the east and west coasts, but BC and Alberta are hung up on conditions related to Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway pipeline, while Quebec is going to hold its own review of Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline reversal.

Neither of these interprovincial disputes will be resolved within the framework of the province’s roughed-in blueprint.

And there are other key issues to resolve, which the non-profit EPIC has detailed in a framework report issued last year. For example, there needs to be a national effort to untangle regulations from both levels of government that are redundant and discourage investment in energy development. Canada also has an opportunity to become a leader in energy innovation. And it makes sense that the provinces and Ottawa are on the same page concerning matters related to conservation and carbon management.

Critics will say an energy strategy smacks of “industrial policy,” which they describe as government, bankrolled by the taxpayer, playing favourites and meddling in markets, all of it leading to limited benefits. Yet evidence suggests that sometimes an industrial-strength boost from government is a good thing. The Confederation-building, cross-Canada rail link comes to mind, despite some of the dubious aspects of its execution.

How does the Economic Action Plan that requires so much Harper focus stack up as a strategy compared to a national vision for the development of Canada’s energy resources?

Lots of photo ops for MPs and ministers. But a recent report from The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary offers evidence based on more than 30 years of labour data that regions are affected differently during recessionary periods. Such national programs are much less effective than measures already in place to stabilize employment in regions experiencing lows in their business cycles.

So as an inefficient job creation program, the action plan is doing very well, but the Harper regime’s silence on an energy strategy does not speak well of its priorities.

Joe Terrett, Editor Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

Vol. 8, No. 03, September/October 2013 A supplement to PLANT Executive Publisher: Tim Dimopoulos 416-510-5100 tdimopoulos@bizinfogroup.ca Publisher: Michael King 416-510-5107 mking@plant.ca, mking@cienmagazine.com Group Editorial Director: Lisa Wichmann 416-510-5101 lwichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com

Market Production: Barb Vowles 416-510-5103 vowlesb@bizinfogroup.ca

Editor: Joe Terrett 416-442-5600 ext. 3219 jterrett@plant.ca

Circulation Manager: Diane Rakoff 416-510-5216 drakoff@bizinfogroup.ca

Assistant Editor: Matt Powell 416-510-5145 mpowell@plant.ca

Editorial Advisory Board: Robert Hattin, Hattin Holdings • Ron Harper, Cogent Power • Greg MacDonald, Wentworth International Services • Roy Verstraete, Anchor Danly

Contributing Editors: Ron Richardson, Steve Gahbauer Art Director: Kathy Smith 416-442-5600 ext. 3215 ksmith@plant.ca

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District Sales Managers: Amanda Bottomley 416-859-4527 abottomley@canadianmanufacturing.com Catherine Martineau (Quebec) 647-988-5559 cmartineau@bizinfogroup.ca Deborah St. Lawrence 416-510-6844 dstLawrence@canadianmanufacturing.com Derek Morrison 416-510-5224 dmorrison@canadianmanufacturing.com Ilana Fawcett 416-510-5202 ifawcett@canadianmanufacturing.com

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BIG MAGAZINES LP Vice-President of Canadian Publishing: Alex Papanou President of Business Information Group: Bruce Creighton

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6 COVER IMAGE: D-WAVE SYSTEMS INC.

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Features

>> INNOVATION

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OPTIMIZATION D-Wave’s quantum computer technology helps Lockheed Martin solve problems far beyond the capabilities of digital systems.

>> MANAGEMENT 7

SKILLS Alberta’s labour market needs to rebalance the supply and demand of apprentices.

>> OPERATIONS 8

MAINTENANCE Speak the same language as management and align asset value with business goals.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT There’s still time to cash in on savings from SaskEnergy programs.

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TRACKING Intelliwave’s SiteSense keeps track of assets that might otherwise be missing in action.

>> INDUSTRY

10 SCADA CNRL upgrades monitoring and control of its oil and gas operations with pcVue SCADA and FrontVue.

>> TECHNOLOGY

11 CONTROLLERS Siemens’ S7-1500 Simatic controller family steps up performance and efficiency.

PLANTWARE Hardware and software for managing plant operations.

12 PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT What’s new in industrial products, equipment and machinery.

Departments 4 Industry View 4 Pulse

13 Events 14 Postscript

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Departments

>> Industry View

Energy East will boost the economy

>> Pulse

Pipeline would create 11,000 jobs and boost GDP

thousands 17,900 17,700 17,500 17,300 17,100 16,900 16,700 16,500

A J 2008

2009

J

2010

J

2011

J

2012

J

A 2013

Productivity and real output grow at the same pace.

Source: Statistics Canada

ProDucTiviTy riSES iN Q2 Labour productivity rose 0.5% in the second quarter following 0.1% increases in each of the previous two quarters, according to Statistics Canada.

Real gross domestic product grew 0.5%, after gaining 0.6% in the first quarter.

A 0.4% gain in hours worked in services was offset by a 0.8% decline in goods-producing businesses. Extensive flooding in Southern Alberta and the construction strike in Quebec in the last two weeks of the second quarter contributed a 0.2% to the change.

Productivity increased in both goods-producing (0.3%) and service-producing (0.6%) businesses. The largest gains were in arts and entertainment (3.7%), utilities (1.7%), finance and insurance (1.5%) and agriculture (1.5%).

Declines occurred in mining and oil and gas extraction (1%), transportation and warehousing (0.5%) and real estate services (0.5%).

Labour costs per unit of production increased 0.6%, with the growth of average compensation per hour worked (1.1%) outpacing productivity.

Unit labour costs slipped 0.9%, a second consecutive quarterly decline. The average value of the Canadian dollar expressed in US dollars was down 1.4%, a second straight quarter of depreciation. US businesses rose 0.4%, following a 1.4% first quarter decline.

cAPAciTy uSE SLiPS 0.2% Industrial capacity utilization was down slightly by 0.2% to 80.6% in the second quarter thanks to losses in both the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors.

Statistics Canada reports declines in oil and gas extraction and primary metals more than offset advances in transportation equipment manufacturing and chemical product manufacturing.

Lower crude petroleum extraction pulled the oil and gas extraction industry’s rate down 1.4% to 85.7%.

Construction operated at a 80.2% rate, down 0.3% mostly as the result of diminished activity in non-residential construction.

Mining and the quarrying sector slipped 0.1% to 65.5%.

A decline in coal extraction more than offset an increase in the production of metallic and non-metallic minerals.

Primary metals industry drove down capacity use in manufacturing, which operated at 79.2%, 0.2% lower than in the previous quarter.

The rate was up in 11 industries, particularly transportation equipment manufacturing and chemical product manufacturing.

ENErgy ExPENDiTurES DEcLiNE Statistics Canada reports capital expenditures by the conventional oil and gas extraction industry decreased 1.1% from 2011 to $39.2 billion in 2012.

Non-conventional capital expenditures increased 18.7% to $27.7 billion in 2012.

Operating expenses in the conventional sector fell 4.9% from 2011 to $26.3 billion, mainly the result of lower royalty payments. The non-conventional sector increased 4.9% from 2011 to $23.9 billion, mostly as a result of higher operating costs.

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CALGARY: TransCanada Corp.’s Energy East Pipeline project would deliver significant economic benefits to the Canadian economy, with the six provinces along projected route seeing new jobs, economic growth and increased tax revenues, according to a report by Deloitte & Touche LLP. The project would convert a portion Hardisty of natural gas capacity in about 3,000 kilometres of TransCanada’s existing Québec City Saint John mainline to crude oil service and inMontréal New Pipeline Construction Terminals volve the construction of approximately Existing Pipeline Conversion 1,400 kilometres of new pipeline.

The pipeline will transport crude oil from receipt points in Alberta and Proposed route for the Energy East pipeline.

PHOTO: TRANSCANADA Saskatchewan to delivery points in Montréal, the Québec City region and full-time jobs will be created during development and Saint John, NB, improving access to eastern Canadian construction between 2013 and 2018, plus another 1,000 and international markets. TransCanada and Irving Oil full-time jobs once the pipeline begins service. will build, own and operate the new deep-water marine Deloitte also found an additional $10 billion in tax terminal in Saint John as a joint venture. revenues will be generated for all levels of government The Deloitte analysis estimates Energy East will genover the life of the project. erate $35 billion in additional gross domestic product Energy East is to be in service by late-2017 for deliverduring six years of development and construction, ies in Québec and 2018 for deliveries to New Brunswick. and more than 40 years of operation. More than 10,000

Feds dish out $4.2M to Winnipeg’s cic

WINNIPEG: The federal government is providing funding for a Winnipegbased non-profit organization it says will help expand the aerospace composites sector in Canada’s west.

The $4.2-million will go to the Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) for the purchase of composites equipment and the hiring of specialized staff.

The investment is to provide research and development opportunities for Canadian companies leading to the integration of new composites in commercial products.

Established in 2003, the CIC is a non-profit organization that focuses on industry-driven applied research and the development of industrial applications for advanced bio-composite materials.

The funding was provided through the Western Diversification Program.

CanadianManufacturing Online

Mantra deal further develops Erc BURNABY, BC: Mantra Venture Group Ltd. and its subsidiary Mantra Energy Alternatives Ltd. have reached a new phase of technology development with an unnamed collaborator in the energy field.

The two companies will work on further developing Mantra’s current electro-reduction of carbon dioxide (ERC) technology, and new processes that will see the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into other useful chemical products.

Mantra said primary research

activities will take place at its Burnaby, BC laboratory. The energy company will work closely with Mantra on the design, construction and operation of an ERC pilot plant at the Lafarge cement operation in Richmond, BC. ERC is a form of carbon capture and use that converts CO2 into formic acid and formate salts. By using clean electricity, the process has the potential to reduce a plant’s CO2 emissions while generating a saleable product and a profit.

No steel wire dumping: ciTT oTTAWA: The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) has found the subsidizing of galvanized steel wire from China, Israel and Spain has not harmed the domestic industry and therefore should not be subject to countervailing duties.

Tree Island Steel Ltd. of Richmond, BC had initiated the complaint, alleging the dumping and subsidizing of cold-drawn carbon or alloy steel wire was causing a loss of market share, price erosion and jobs losses.

Next up is an inquiry into the alleged dumping of circular copper tube from Brazil, Greece, China, South Korea and Mexico, and subsidizing from China.

A decision is expected Dec. 18.

>> Careers Dr. Esteban chornet, Enerkem Inc.’s co-founder and chief technology officer, was presented with the 2013 Don Klass Award for Excellence in Thermochemical Conversion Science.

The award recognizes his pioneering innovations in bioenergy. Enerkem is a waste-to-biofuels and renewable chemicals company based in Montreal with a plant in Edmonton.

Catalyst Paper is adding Joe Nemeth to the executive management team as president and CEO. Nemeth has held executive positions in sales, marketing and operations and was, most recently, president and CEO of Canfor Pulp. Catalyst Paper, based in Richmond, BC, manufactures specialty mechanical printing papers, newsprint and pulp.

Westport Innovations, a Vancouverbased developer and manufacturer of engines that use fuels such as compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, hydrogen and renewable natural gas fuels, has appointed Nancy gougarty as its president and COO. She comes from automotive parts maker TRW Automotive Corp. where she was vice-president for the Asia-Pacific region from January 2008 until last year.

Bruce rintoul, COO of Empire Iron Works Ltd., has left the subsidiary of Empire Industries Ltd. in Winnipeg. No reason for his departure was released. guy Nelson, CEO, has assumed the responsibilities of the COO and will delegate specific responsibilities to key members of the operational management team.

September/October 2013

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Industry View << Departments

Acquisition extends Bri-chem’s uS reach

>> Feedback

EDMONTON: Bri-Chem Corp. has acquired the cement blending business assets of Sun Coast Materials Co. and some transportation assets from its affiliate Acme Trucking Inc. for $6.5 million.

Bri-Chem, a North American wholesale distributor and manufacturer of oil and gas drilling fluids and steel pipe, said the acquisition will extend its product offerings in the US market.

Sun Coast, a blending and transportation company located in Bakersfield, Calf., generated US$6.7 million in revenue last year, $4.8 million for the unaudited seven-month period ending Aug. 31.

It has the bulk capacity for materials and provides custom blending, bagging, and transportation for all of its products using a fleet of 10 tractors and 28 pneumatic truck trailers.

BioteQ plant destined for yinshan Mine vANcouvEr: BioteQ Environmental Technologies Inc. has signed an agreement with joint venture partner Jiangxi Copper Co., the largest copper mining company in China, to build a water treatment plant at the Yinshan Mine site.

The active copper mine is located in southeast China approximately 30 kilometres from the Dexing site where the joint venture has existing metals recovery water treatment plants.

BioteQ, an industrial wastewater treatment company based in Vancouver, said the mine’s water treatment plant will process up to 17,000 cubic metres of water per day, and recover approximately 930,000 pounds of copper concentrate per year that will be sold to JCC’s refinery at market prices.

The joint venture partners have committed $2.4 million to build the plant.

EMiSSioNS: A LoST oPPorTuNiTy Thank you for printing this article (Al Gore’s reckless spewing, Plant West, May/June 2013).

We have enough Jed Clampett fuel beneath our province to supply Canada for at least a century, and there are ways now available to refine oil, or even use coal as an energy, that don’t damage the environment.

A test was done in Hartney, Man. some years ago by a private concern. The folks from the area were invited to a mock plant and asked to stick their faces in the stack.

All they detected was some dampness (water droplets). The comment from the company executive was, “Don’t worry about this ever changing; your NDP government will police this vigorously.” Sadly, the government of the day did not approve the project, which would have created 200 to 250 short-term jobs, and at least 40 to 50 permanent ones. Hartney barely has 200 permanent residents.

Had governments done what they should have and called big energy on poor emissions practices back in the late 1940s through the late 1980s, we wouldn’t be in this mess, and we’d be refining all the fossil fuel we could get our hands on – for Canada, and the global community.

Walt Cross Winnipeg, Man. We’d like to hear from you. Send letters to j.terrett@plant.ca with your name, address and phone number. Letters will be edited.

info@alpswelding.com

Siemens’ S200 LRTs destined for Calgary Transit.

PHOTO: SIEMENS

Siemens to supply calgary with 60 LrTs They’ll replace some current U2 vehicles from the 1980s OAKVILLE, Ont.: Siemens Canada has been awarded an order for 60 new S200 high-floor, light rail vehicles by the City of Calgary.

The new trains will replace a portion of the current fleet of Siemens U2 LRTs supplied to Calgary Transit in the 1980s.

The company said the LRTs have been designed to withstand Calgary’s weather with increased thermal insulation in walls, triplepane side windows with low solar transmittance, and electric floor heating combined with forced air heating and cooling.

The vehicles are also fitted with advanced

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corrosion protection coatings.

Maintenance is helped along with diagnostic data transmitted automatically and wirelessly to wayside operations, allowing the source of any issues to be detected and resolved quickly.

Calgary’s LRT system averages more than 300,000 passengers daily.

Siemens Canada, based in Oakville, Ont., employs more than 4,500 people at 53 offices and 14 manufacturing and assembly plants across Canada that work in industry, energy, healthcare and infrastructure-related business.

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Innovation

>> optimization

Quantum

leap

d-wAve PuTS The SuPer iNTo coMPLex coMPuTiNG

The world’s first commercial quantum computer helps Lockheed Martin, Google and NASA solve complex optimization problems.

By MATT PoweLL, ASSiSTANT ediTor

A

n advanced technology company in BC has successfully executed a quantum leap in the computing universe that has the potential to solve problems far beyond the capabilities of digital systems.

D-Wave Systems Inc. makes “quantum” computers: 10 square-metre super instruments that perform mindboggling (to non physicists) computing in a fraction of the time a conventional system would do it.

The Burnaby, BC-based company’s list of clients include Lockheed Martin, Google and NASA, and they’re producing results showing their system does the math at an incredible speed. Lockheed, a global aerospace, defence, IT and advanced technology manufacturer, is using the system to speed up complex computation tests.

D-Wave’s innovative computer makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superpositioning and entanglement, to perform operations on data. It’s different from a digital computer based on transistors that requires data to be encoded in binary digits (1 and 0). The quantum computer employs qubits, which exist in two states – on and off, simultaneously – to speed up calculations. It’s actually an adiabatic computer that reads out the ground state of its qubits to find a solution. The model is well suited to solving optimization problems where any number of criterion is examined simultaneously.

To put things into perspective, such a super computer would figure out all the factors of a 2,000-bit number in about 16 hours – that’s 3,600 times faster than a conventional computer doing the job in about 10 years.

The systems can also be taught to recognize specific objects in images.

The D-Wave innovation has its critics who have been dissatisfied with the company’s experimental proof of quantum entanglement inside the devices, but deals with giants such as Google, NASA and Lockheed Martin seem to have cooled some of the heated skepticism.

Scott Aaronson, a professor at MIT, originally said D-Wave’s demonstrations didn’t prove anything about the workings of the computer, and that a quantum computer would require a major breakthrough in physics.

After a 2012 visit to D-Wave’s headquarters, he retired his self-described title of “Chief D-Wave Skeptic.”

“We’ve invited those skeptics to our facility to kick the tires and talk to our scientists, and a lot of them leave excited about the prospects of our technology,” says Jeremy Hilton, D-Wave’s vice-president of processor development. “There’s still a lot of unknowns in

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The D-Wave system fridge with cryogenic packaging chilling the processor to absolute zero or -273.15 degrees C.

what we do, and that’s part of the challenge, but we’ve seen enough success that our investors are still excited about what we’re doing and we’ve kept the doors open.”

D-Wave was founded in 1999 by Haig Farris, Bob Weins, Alexandre Zagoskin and Geordie Rose, the company’s current chief technology officer. It originally operated as an offshoot of the University of British Columbia, maintaining ties with the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and funding academic research in quantum computing. With only a handful of employees, all PhDs and theoretical physicists, the company was set on exploring the idea that quantum computers could solve the unsolvable.

Breakthrough technology Until 2004, D-Wave focused on uncovering the best applications for the technology, says Hilton. “That’s when we had a breakthrough.”

The team committed to an application-specific processor technology that would solve one particular problem.

The D-Wave One system came equipped with a 128-qubit processor that performed discrete optimization operations using quantum annealing.

The first processors were manufactured at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab where semiconductor fabrication capabilities are advanced.

PHOTOS: D-WAVE SYSTEMS INC.

By 2006, D-Wave had partnered with a Silicon Valley semiconductor producer with enough capability to handle the complex parts. Manufacturing is still performed in California, but the testing and qualification of the processors keeps 70 employees busy at D-Wave’s Burnaby headquarters.

“The chips in conventional computers are based on transistors, but ours are like tunnel junctions. By the time we got to the 128-qubit processor, it housed 24,000 tunnel junctions – that’s a huge jump in the manufacturing and production of these things,” says Hilton. “These processors are mixed analogue and digital circuits which present exceptional production challenges.”

Quantum annealing is a mathematical operation where the extreme points of a function are determined from a given set of discrete candidate solutions, a process that’s similar to quantum fluctuations, which is a phenomenon predicted by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.

The computer is housed in a seven-by-11-foot shield room with a refrigeration component (which keeps the processor cooled to a chilly absolute zero degrees or -273.15 degrees C), and peripheral electronics to control the processor. Three 19-inch racks support the data server and fridge control infrastructure.

“Most people wanted to build a universal machine that

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Management

solved every issue, but that made us a little nervous,” says Hilton. “Once we started researching optimization, we realized a lot of the problems we were looking at … are difficult, even impossible to solve so people make approximations that render the solution meaningless.”

Such problems are exactly what Lockheed Martin is tackling with D-Wave’s quantum computers. It signed a multi-year contract with D-Wave to uncover the benefits of such advanced computing using the D-Wave One 128-qubit system to address the verification of validation.

“When you design a system that has millions of lines of code, it takes an incredible amount of time to validate it,” says Brad Pietras, vice-president of corporate engineering and technology at Lockheed Martin.

An early generation of the 512-qubit processor.

“Testing can take years or decades on the best system, but if you can test them simultaneously, it cuts that time significantly.”

In April, Lockheed upgraded its D-Wave One system to a 512-qubit D-Wave Two, said to be 500,000 times faster than its predecessor. The computer, reported by a US media outlet to have been purchased for $10 million (although this number is not confirmed by Lockheed or D-Wave), will be installed at the aerospace giant’s new Quantum Computation Centre at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The processor is made from a lattice of minute superconducting wires, then programmed with a set of mathematical equations. It speeds through a nearinfinite number of possibilities to determine the lowest energy required to form a relationship, which produces an optimal outcome.

“Building a new plane, which is almost completely driven by software processes and interacting with automated mechanical systems, [requires a tremendous] amount of code so having the ability to validate that code in a shorter amount of time not only speeds up testing, it also makes those systems safer and gets new products to market faster,” explains Hilton.

While Pietras won’t divulge specific applications, Ray Johnson, Lockheed’s chief technical officer, told The New York Times the company is exploring ways the technology could create and test complex radar, space and aerospace systems. An extreme example would be telling how the millions of lines of software running a network of satellites react to a sudden solar burst or a pulse from a nuclear explosion in hours instead of days.

Potential for manufacturers

Inside the D-Wave Two’s cryogentic packaging.

The D-Wave Two: doors open into the dilution refrigerator where the processor, cryogenic cooling packaging and payload are housed.

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So far, Pietras says the computer has perfomed as it’s supposed too. “The challenge now is understanding how the computer works and the boundaries of its performance, but D-Wave’s done a good job with its 512-qubit processors at identifying that trajectory of performance.”

Hilton is confident Lockheed won’t be D-Wave’s only manufacturing customer, suggesting the system is able to solve more than super-complex back-end code issues.

Other functions for manufacturers include: • Classification and anomaly detection that permits a predominantly machine-based monitoring infrastructure to independently detect significant events and respond accordingly, which could be user-defined or data driven.

• The efficiency of scheduling and logistics. Classic examples include courier delivery optimization (minimizing fuel costs and resource time), airline scheduling and responsiveness to change events, or even inventory use and management.

• Software verification and validation. “This can involve anything from individual processes (such as operation of a temperature bath or specific-purpose tool/ machine), or infrastructural software that coordinates and monitors overall factory performance,” says Hilton.

• Network analysis and optimization. “This type of static or adaptive optimization is used to manage network distribution or flow, and is a major challenge in areas such as power or water management,” says Hilton.

D-Wave’s progress to date brings the company to the starting line. The computer’s applications will continue to evolve as more customers get their hands on it to unleash hidden value in their operations.

“If you look at technology’s feedback cycle, new technologies will always be absolutely crucial and innovation is always possible,” says Hilton, who is fond of an Isaac Newton quote, ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’”

>> Skills

An Examination of Alberta’s Labour Markets study offers a roadmap to rebalance supply and demand of apprentices. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Dropping out Alberta’s apprenticeship program needs a makeover By roBerT ASchA ANd JASoN BriSBoiS

I

t is a bit of an understatement to say that Alberta’s labour market is a complex affair.

Shortages during boom times and under-utilization in the bust times frustrate employers and employees. Among the complexities are the differing roles the federal and provincial governments play in, for example, immigration; the role of the independent board that governs technical and academic institutions; and the competition for available resources, which increases the price of labour.

A study by the institute for Public economics and produced by the western centre for economic research, Applications Management consulting Ltd. and the conference Board of canada, identifies a number of factors affecting Alberta’s apprenticeship program, such as the uneven record of registrations. There were significant declines during the 2007 to 2010 downturn compared with the 2004 to 2007 boom period. in four of the five categories analyzed in the report, the 15year trend shows a decline in completions, most notably in mechanical trades. The most common reasons for drop-outs are personal or family issues, and employment. if completion rates attained in 1995 and 1996 had continued in subsequent years, the supply of Alberta-trained and certified skilled trades people would be some 38,000 higher than it is today. what is the solution? The An Examination of Alberta’s Labour Markets recommends three changes: • The adoption of a provincially-funded mentorship initiative through industry associations that emphasizes reducing the dropout rate of first-year apprentices.

• Establishing an advanced database for the apprenticeship programs to eliminate serious knowledge gaps. For example, there is a need to know the demographics of those who drop out of the program and their reasons for doing so. how many employers did the apprentice work for and the duration of that employment? how many spells of unemployment has the apprentice experienced? And what is the apprentice completion rate for smaller businesses compared to larger ones?

• Pursuit of apprentice eligibility for the student loan program in Alberta. This eligibility will assist with overcoming the financial impediments many face because of the costs of tuition and tool acquisition.

These suggestions, along with recommendations covering aboriginal people, older workers and workers with disabilities, offer a promising roadmap to a better balance of supply and demand in Alberta’s labour markets. visit www.ipe.ualberta.ca for a copy of the study.

Bob Ascah is the director of the Institute for Public Economics and Jason Brisbois is the former director of the Western Centre for Economic Research at the University of Alberta. This article is distributed by Troy Media. Visit www.troymedia.com.

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca

Comments? E-mail mpowell@plant.ca.

PLANT WEST 7

13-09-19 11:23 AM

Operations

>> Maintenance

Speak the same language as management, which is based on ROI, cash flow, risk and project payback.

By Steve GahBaueR

I

n manufacturing, what counts is the quality of the product and how much you can get out the door, which depends on how well equipment maintenance is managed. To do that efficiently, cost-effectively and reliably, asset management must be aligned with business strategies and corporate goals.

But when it comes to defining value, maintenance managers and executives have different ideas. To maintenance people, value is a practical concept.

The language of business executives is mainly financial – return on investment, cash flow, risk and project payback. To bridge the perception gap, maintenance decision-makers and staff must learn to speak management’s language and understand financial objectives.

There are many reliability tools to improve maintenance processes. Bjarni Ellert Isleifsson, manager of consulting at PwC Canada, and a presenter at a recent Federated Press maintenance conference, recommends reliabilitycentred maintenance (RCM), but it must start with seven questions: 1. To which machines must RCM be applied?

2. In what ways can machines fail to provide the required functions?

3. Which events cause failure?

4. What happens when failure occurs?

5. How does each failure matter?

6. What systematic task can be performed proactively to prevent, or diminish to a satisfactory degree, the consequences of failure?

7. How can we capture knowledge derived from practical experience and ensure it updates the RCM analysis and the work orders?

By now, the majority of maintenance departments are managing plant assets with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), which assesses machine health, plans maintenance tasks and makes optimal replacement decisions.

Any CMMS will track random maintenance repairs, schedule labour and parts, assign parts to tasks, create and track work orders, control inventory and generate purchase orders, produce analyses and reports, and document breakdowns, spending and cost. But it will also schedule preventive maintenance (PM) tasks.

When developing a PM program and a computer field to implement and monitor it, include: the identification of problems and opportunities; the development of a solid business case, classifying equipment and performing criticality analyses; and engagement of the workforce through steering committees and empowered change management.

Be sure to review the PM’s content from time to time. You need to know what specific failure the action prevents or delays.

It’s also worth noting that RCM has

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Rethinking

reliability

alIGnInG aSSet value wIth BuSIneSS GOalS

Position maintenance in line with business and financial objectives.

morphed into RCM II and Living RCM – more sophisticated evolutions of the original methodology. But there are pitfalls. Randy Grant, senior reliability specialist at uranium giant Cameco in Saskatoon, said the right maintenance is seldom obvious from raw data. Interpreting data requires an intimate understanding of failure behaviour. Such knowledge derives from intensive information management and analysis. He claims the Living RCM process tames the data beast and makes a CMMS, condition-based maintenance and related information systems yield verifiable, optimal and model-based decisions.

Evolving your CMMS A robust, accurate CMMS database facilitates root cause failure analysis through life cycle costing, mean time between failures and mean time-to-repair reporting, says Richard Beer, founder and president of TRO Maintenance Solutions in Mississauga, Ont. And the growth of the CMMS never stops. It will always evolve as the use and understanding of the software matures.

Meanwhile, maintenance is coping with reduced budgets, increased expense scrutiny and requests for fewer downtimes. To respond to these challenges the care and management of a plant’s machinery, equipment and facilities has to be viewed as a business.

Priorities should be selected based on key performance indicators (KPIs). For example, maintenance can now propose a financial calculation that measures risk – the probability of failure times the cost of

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK/ DAVID DE LOSSY

failure. Match this against the cost of preventing the failure, then use basic business principles to arrive at the right decision.

So is run-to-failure a good maintenance practice? Tracking, predicting and preventing failure of light bulbs may be feasible, but it’s a waste of time and money, so we let them fail. If you want to replace a piece of capital equipment, saying it’s worn out won’t make the case.

You have to “sell” this decision. You have

to show the current annual cost of operation and maintenance is higher than the average annual cost – which means keeping the machine is wasting money.

You also need to project the ROI of the replacement program.

Charles Knight, an engineer and maintenance leader who works for the Kapuskasing, Ont. operations of forest products company Tembec Inc. as engineering and maintenance manager, is a proponent of applying nontraditional tools. He recommends using tools such as theory of constraint, branch and bound technique, queuing theory, Kurtosis analysis, the Markov chain and computer science – all tools for significant cost savings.

Jet Singh, engineering and maintenance manager at Patheon Inc. in Whitby, Ont. where he is responsible for overall plant maintenance and projects, insists that KPIs flag issues, warn of deviations from target, and provide a challenge for improvement. They must be aligned with goals, quantifiable, tied to a target, easily measurable, comparable over time, and they must be communicated through postings on boards or charts. But Singh says there are risks with KPIs, such as too many indicators, taking too much time to get data, KPIs that are too simple and do not produce effective results, and some indicators are more important than others. Review them as improvements are made and change them with continuous improvement. If a KPI doesn’t prompt a change in behaviour, replace it.

In today’s industrial environment, there will always be challenges, but the tools are there to demonstrate that maintenance means business.

Steve Gahbauer, an engineer and Toronto-based freelance writer, is the former engineering editor of PLANT and a regular contributing editor. Email gahbauer@rogers.com.

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

>> energy Management

Savings from SaskEnergy

Still time for boiler and hvaC retrofit incentives

W

ith current growth, the Saskatchewan’s natural gas utility, Saskenergy, has been anticipating greater demand for high-efficiency equipment for building retrofits and installations in new construction projects. But time is running out on the Commercial Boiler and the Commercial hvaC incentive programs, available until nov. 30. an eligible boiler plant must have an input rating of 400,000 Btu or higher to qualify. Participants will receive $14 per 1,000 Btu/hr for the first 600,000 Btu/hr. and $3 per 1,000 Btu/hr above 600,000 Btu/hr for the upgrades of condensing boilers. near-condensing boilers, when used with at least one condensing boiler, will be incented at $3 per 1,000 Btu/hr. “typical incentives for pumps have been between $1,000 and $2,000 per pump,” says James Gates, a senior engineer, customer technology with Saskenergy, noting manufacturers claim electronically commutated motor (eCM) pump retrofits that can result in energy savings of up to 80%. the Commercial hvaC Program encourages the use of high-efficiency natural gas furnaces, boilers, and rooftop units. Participants can receive $650 for each eligible furnace retrofit and $300 for each eligible furnace in new construction.

Boilers must be high-efficiency natural gas condensing with a 90% or greater annual fuel utilization efficiency (aFue) with an input rating of less than 400,000 Btu/hr. they’re incented at $500 for eligible plants, plus $5 per 1,000 Btu/hr of total plant input.

Saskenergy provides $500 for each hvaC rooftop unit, plus $100 per tonne. visit saskenergy.com for more information.

Source: Natural Resources Canada.

September/October 2013

13-09-19 11:24 AM

tracking << SiteSense, an internetbased tracking system, helps large assembly sites locate equipment, material and even personnel.

power-generation, oil, and gas, and oil sands facilities – here and as far away as Australia. Given its cost, Beard sees the system as ideally suited for large projects and suggests the sweet spot is likely projects valued at more than $500 million. Vale’s Voisey Bay nickel development under construction in northern Labrador is currently using it.

By nORDahl FlaKStaD

I

t’s not unheard of in billion dollar-plus industrial projects, such as oil sands installations, that up to $20-millionworth in equipment and material goes missing – at least temporarily. Typically, it’s not through malfeasance or theft but simply because it got “lost” or somehow shifted on site. At best, staff time – and ultimately money – is spent on searching for the missing pieces; at worst, critical components might have to be reordered, creating delays and added costs.

“That kind of thing has added to costover-runs and delays on big projects such as the oil sands,” says Dale Beard, president of Intelliwave Technologies Inc., an Edmonton company that developed an innovative electronic and internet-based system for locating equipment, material and even personnel at large industrial sites.

Beard demonstrates SiteSense at the expansive JV Driver fabrication yards in Nisku, just south of Edmonton. Actually, it turns into somewhat of a self-guided tour. The tag number identifying a mobile, electric generator located “somewhere” in the 80-acre Driver site, is punched in on a rugged, rubber-encased, tablet device. An arrow on the screen then points in a general northwest direction. Navigating past pipe racks under construction, pipe spools and other components stored in the yard, the screen tallies the distance in yards from the target. Soon Geiger-counter-like clicking and visuals indicate the target is close.

Major construction organizations in Canada and abroad are using SiteSense to provide relief from the days when inventory tracking relied on a piece of paper tucked in a foreman’s back pocket or whatever recollection resided in the recesses of his brain.

Advancing RFID Beard foresees the customized handheld device becoming less prominent as a platform for SiteSense with iPads or other mobile devices taking over; however, it will likely retain a role in detecting equipment under snow, tarps or other cover. Additional users may integrate Dale Beard on the hunt SiteSense into existing track-and-trace with SiteSense at the JV systems rather than tossing aside legacy Driver fabrication yards. systems already familiar to staff.

PHOTOS: NORDAHL FLAKSTAD Pat McGowan, Intelliwave’s vice-president of business development based in Ann Arbor, Mich., is involved in spreading the word and developing markets for the system. McGowan’s corporate title belies his technical expertise in RFID, which spans three decades.

While working for an Austrian RFID firm, he began looking into applications of the technology within the construction industry. The company never really warmed up to the idea, but McGowan pursued the concept with the Construction Industry Institute, a consortium of owners, engineering and construction contractors and suppliers. He’s assisted by a number of research institues – including Ontario’s University of Waterloo, the University of Kentucky and the University of Texas in Austin.

Relatively speaking, applying RFID as a locating tool is considerably easier in fields such as auto Intelliwave, a developer of software and professional manufacturing, where operations are typically situated services provider, and a finalist for the 2012 Canadian within a fairly predictable, defined space, and similar Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) regional award in the processes and components are used repeatedly. Contrast new technology category, does not manufacture equipthat with the diverse environment of a construction site ment. It does, however, supply several forms of auxilthat is typically a one-off, unique location spread over iary equipment, including gate reader stations, portable hectares or sometimes several square kilometres. solar-powered reader stations for isolated locations and Construction is a growing customer base for Intellicameras for remote viewing. Unique to Intelliwave’s suite wave. “We’re at a point where people are really beginning is the remote ROVER sensing system, mountable on to realize ‘this really does work,’” says McGowan. mobile equipment such as a loader. As the latter moves Beside supply-chain management, location and about a site performing its regular tasks, it does doublelogistics, the benefits of SiteSense tracking extend into duty by “asking” nearby tags what they are, where they areas such as safety and quality control. Already the are and whether they’ve recently been moved, and then technology has been applied to track and confirm the relays that information back to a database. authenticity and quality of parts in the nuclear industry The same tag that confirms something has not moved where substitution of lower-quality counterfeits could also tracks machinery or components being transportprove disastrous. For McGowan, “It’s a way of securing ed. This provides a web-accessible listing of where and the pedigree of what you are supplying.” when something has been moved. For installed equipThe technology also has a role in maintenance. It ment, a ROVER reading signals when maintenance was alerts personnel in the vicinity about required upkeep as last performed. they walk through a plant or yard. The system may also SiteSense continues to make inroads and spark alert passers-by to workplace hazards, such as nearby interest among owners and builders of major mining, scaffolding or welding activity. With personnel carrying the tags, it will be easier to account for them if they have to muster during an emergency and crane, hoist or other operators could be alerted to tagged personnel moving within a given radius of the equipment.

In effect, SiteSense provides a “sixth sense” amid the seeming disarray of an assembly yard. It helps explain why, for an increasing number of builders, the system makes sense.

Missing in aCtiON

?

IntellIwave’S SySteM KeePS

SiteSense evolves Intelliwave started in 2007 and grew from a fortuitous confluence of ideas and skills. Beard was a fairly recent electrical engineering grad from the University of British Columbia, and friend and co-founder Jordan Williams (and now vice-president, technology) had a computer-science background. Dale’s father Brian, a construction/engineering executive, periodically lamented the time and effort squandered on locating tools, equipment and material at construction sites, so Beard and co-founder Williams responded, the company was born and SiteSense evolved.

Through a connection with the JV Driver Group (with more than 25,000 tagged items), they have been able to use that company’s Nisku location as a proving ground for initial and new concepts. SiteSense incorporates three basic technologies: RFID (radio-frequency identification); GPS (global positioning systems); and barcodes.

The identifying barcode is located on a double-encapsulated tag (the size of a credit card but thicker), which is powered by a long lasting, coin-cell battery. The tag is attached to a specific piece of equipment or component.

The RFID helps identify a specific tag at reasonably close range and GPS images provide a web-based aerial map (through Google, DigitalGlobe or other sources) marking where that tag and target object is located.

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tRaCK OF yOuR aSSetS

Nordahl Flakstad is an Edmonton-based freelance writer. E-mail nflakstad@shaw.ca.

A SiteSense RFID tag with locator barcode.

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

PLANT WEST 9

13-09-19 11:24 AM

>> SCADA

Industry

Canadian Natural Resources Limited’s new system manages process control and monitoring of its oil and gas operations in real time.

CASE STUDY

Automation

UPGRADE

A

s one of Canada’s largest independent crude oil and natural gas producers, Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) – with major assets in Alberta’s oil sands and elsewhere in North America, the North Sea and Offshore Africa – generates a lot of data that’s used by some 2,500 employees.

The Calgary-based company operates its business through three segments: Horizon oil sands production, thermal heavy oil, and conventional oil and gas. To deliver its balanced mix of natural gas, light oil, heavy oil, in situ oil sands production, oil sands mining and associated upgrading facilities, CNRL needed a better way to manage the process control and monitoring of its 300 gathering stations, 800 compressor stations and 150 gas processing facilities.

The answer was an automation project to replace its FactoryLink SCADA systems with pcVue’s SCADA and FrontVue solutions from Arc Informatique, an industrial IT company with global headquarters in Sèvres, near Paris, France.

CNRL has numerous independent, variously branded automation systems and the company’s SCADA specialist Kurtis Jackson wanted to centralize and achieve consistency by integrating as many of them as possible on pcVue. But CNRL also wanted to leverage pcVue’s ability to support multi-station architectures for networking such as Modbus Roc, Roc Talk and BSAP. The migration began with the Smart Generator tool, which automatically converts a very high proportion of existing applications to pcVue, while ensuring maximum compatibility and security.

“For most of our SCADA applications we were converting between 60% to 80% of our FactoryLink applications to pcVue with ease. This saved us a tremendous amount of time not having to reconfigure entire applications and it meant we did not have to retrain our users,” said Jackson.

CNRL currently runs daily production reports and uses real-time and historical trending to generate the data needed to ensure goals and sales contracts are met. So far, eight pcVue servers with remote client access have

CNRL oil pipeline in Alberta.

PHOTO: CNRL

CNRL MIGRATES TO pcVUE’S SCADA AND FrontVUE TO MANAGE DEMANDING DATA NEEDS been deployed and Jackson expects to add about 40 pcVue SCADA systems within the next two years.

CTH Systems Inc., a value-added pcVue reseller, helped to configure and facilitate the migration. Using Smart Generator, the engineers converted all of the graphical elements, local and shared libraries, all sets of variables for the application (including variable tables, alarm configurations and histories) and the database without any rework. TCP/IP communication objects and their links were also converted.

CNRL also uses CTH Systems’ IM-SCADA, a multiprotocol measurement and communication software that allows wells equipped with different automation devices, such as remote terminal units or pump on/off controllers, to talk over a single radio channel to bring the data back to pcVue SCADA. CTH Systems also implemented automatic and remote readings of gas compositions from wells, uploading of corrected gas compositions to each one, and the

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elimination of variances between well meters and the software database.

CNRL’s 178 host servers and 600 remote clients monitor between 5,000 and 6,000 data points per host. Of these there are eight pcVue stations supervise anywhere from 50 to 400 wells and one to three facilities per host, depending on location or region.

Daily monitoring “This translates to thousands of tags and alarm parameters that are being monitored and acknowledged daily,” said Jackson.

As the oil flows out of the well, it passes through a pipe arrangement, which is connected to flow lines that bring the oil and gas to gathering stations, also monitored by pcVue, where sediment, gas, salt water and oil are separated. pcVue SCADA collects I/Os from PLCs and RTUs in production fields and gathering stations that include gas/ oil pressures, ESD, pump start/stop, remote/local pump control, pump speed, pump run/stop, motor operated valves and shut down, choke setpoints/positions, temperature, emergency shutdown and fire alarms.

“One of the most important factors in our industry is safety. At every stage of the process, pcVue monitors our mission critical operations and maintains all of our safety measures to prevent fires, explosions and ecological disasters,” said Jackson.

CNRL wanted to have each automated activity – whether in drilling/production, distribution, transportation or refining – supervised from several of its control centres. Due to the nature of the product, which must be transported from the well to final consumer, and the potential adverse environmental effects of oil/petroleum accidents, SCADA systems are a necessity. A solid and securely designed system must control flooding, leakage, fire, ESD, oil and gas flow rate and accumulated flow, line pressure, wellhead pressure, pump status, tank level, and gathering station equipment status, among others.

Now CNRL is reaping the benefits of its upgraded automation systems that gather more data and achieve greater control.

This article was submitted on behalf of industrial IT company Arc Informatique.

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

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September/October 2013

13-09-19 11:25 AM

Controllers << Technology

>> Plantware EVO PROVIDES INSIGHT Invensys has unveiled its next-generation process automation system.

Foxboro Evo improves operational insight and cyber security integrity with advanced tools and applications delivered across a high-speed, fault-tolerant and cyber-secure hardware platform, and it includes the integration the Triconex safety system.

Evo handles major upgrades without halting operations. It includes a new highspeed controller, field device management tools, a maintenance response centre, an enterprise historian, 1-n redundancy and cyber security hardening. Invensys’ broad portfolio of roles-based engineering tools and productivity applications are integrated within the system to provide visibility into historical, real-time and predictive operating information.

Invensys is a supplier of industrial software based in Houston. www.invensys.com

MACHINE TENDING UPGRADED

Improved performance with a fast backplane bus, high band rate and efficient transmission protocol.

S7-1500 delivers more efficient CONTROL

PHOTO: SIEMENS

A SCALABLE LINE FOR AUTOMATION APPLICATIONS

S

iemens Industry Inc.’s S7-1500 Simatic controller family steps up performance and efficiency in midto high-level automation applications.

The scalable line with its integrated motion control, security and safety functions is easily commissioned with Siemens TIA Portal engineering software and the controllers feature a colour display for complete plant transparency.

The controllers have a fast backplane bus with a high baud rate and efficient transmission protocol, plus two builtin, standard Profinet interfaces. The largest controller in the line has an additional Profinet interface onboard with a separate IP address allowing network isolation to integrate into the corporate network.

With standard motion control functions, analogue and Profidrive-compatible drives don’t need additional modules

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to be connected. The controllers support speed and positioning axes, as well as encoders. PLCopen standardized blocks further simplify connecting Profidrivecompatible drives.

For copy protection, program blocks bind to the serial number of the memory card to ensure the programs run only with the configured memory card and can’t be copied.

Protects configuration Access protection safeguards the application from unauthorized configuration changes by allowing different user groups to be assigned separate rights, based on authorization levels. Special functionality is also included to recognize modified engineering data in order to prohibit unauthorized manipulation of the data transmitted to the controller.

The F-version (failsafe) function of the

new controllers provides both standard and safety-related programs. A central Safety Administration Editor helps define and modify safety parameters. The controllers are certified in accordance with EN 61508 for functional safety and are suitable for use in safety-relevant applications up to SIL 3 according to IEC 62061 and PLe according to ISO 13849.

S7-1500 controllers are integrated into Siemens TIA Portal engineering framework. The software offers standardized operating for controller, HMI and drives, shared data storage and automatic data consistency throughout the project, as well as powerful libraries covering all automation objects.

Siemens Industry Inc. is a manufacturer of industrial technology products and part of Siemens AG. Siemens has plants and offices across Canada. www.siemens.com/entry/ca/en/

ABB’s PC-based RobotStudio Machine Tending PowerPac and the controllerbased RobotWare Machine Tending software simulate, validate and optimize in 3-D for robot cells that are to be used in the real world. It simulates everything from cycle times and post processing capabilities to potential risks for collisions, all to avoid costly mistakes on the factory floor.

Getting a cell up and running in the virtual world is easy with a library of common grippers and station types and built-in support for most machines and peripheral equipment. In addition, safety is simplified with the capability to define safe home position movements in a virtual environment.

Provides simulation, validation and optimization.

RobotWare is a standalone, controllerbased, programming, configuration and operation tool, but it’s also tightly integrated with the RobotStudio Machine Tending PowerPac. The graphical user interface is intuitive and customizable for easy production monitoring and control, as well as automatic program and part selection.

ABB Robotics, based in Auburn Hills, Mich., is a manufacturer of industrial robots. www.abb.com/robotics

PLANT WEST 11

13-09-19 11:28 AM

ciEN Power suPPly MoNiTor hEATiNg ELEMENT coNTroLS NK Technologies’ ATH Series AC current transducer monitors power controlled by phase-angled fired, burst fired or time proportioned silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs) in heating applications, external current transformers or shorting blocks.

The system provides an output signal directly proportional to the RMS amperage to ensure accuracy regardless of the AC current wave shape. The sensor samples AC current continuously, updating its own time base when the current returns to the load after a pause. Output represents the amount of power used by the connected load based on the magnitude of the burst and the time interval between bursts.

Measures wave shapes.

The transducer provides a faster response time than temperature sensors and monitors pulsed or chopped wave forms. Unlike current transformers, the sensor remains installed over the conductor while the heating circuit is energized safely, even if there is no load connected to the output terminals.

It also monitors variable frequency drive applications because the sensor output is proportional to the RMS current used by the load.

Installation is easy via a two-screw panel mount or with optional DIN rail brackets, or it suspends from the conductor in any position.

The transducer comes with 4-20mA,

0-5 VDC and 0-10 VDC outputs. A splitcore case style is externally powered by 24 VDC. NK Technologies is a provider of current sensing, ground fault protection and power products based in San Jose, Calif. www.nktechnologies.com

Ideal for washdowns.

High temperature resistance.

A1203 LENThENS TooL LifE Walter USA’s Tiger·tec Silver aluminum oxide (A1203) coating boosts productivity in milling and turning inserts and it’s now available for Xtra·tec insert drills.

The coating combines high temperature wear resistance with toughness for drilling applications where edges must withstand relatively high cutting speeds and forces.

Cutting materials WKP25S and WKP35S are suitable for all cast iron and steel materials. If extreme toughness at the drill centre is required, a PVD-coated centre indexable insert made of the cutting tool material WXP40 is available as an alternative.

Walter USA is a producer of cutting tools and coatings based in Waukesha, Wis. www.walter-usa.com

safety PALLETizEr ELiMiNATES bAcTEriA groWTh SICK USA’s C4000 palletizer light curtain variant eliminates bacteria growth thanks to a plastic PMMA housing and corrosionresistant, stainless steel end-caps and mouting brackets. It has fitted IP69K housings in lengths up to 1,800 mm and

Milling PrEciSE MAchiNiNg the sK-24-Ms attrition Mill from Munson Machinery reduces friable chemicals and minerals, metal powders, wood flour, fertilizers, insecticides and fibres, producing particles within relatively narrow size ranges from 10 down to Attrition mill reduces 100-mesh. particle sizes. the 61 cm diameter mill is equipped with an outer stationary and inner rotating milling disc that adjusts to vary the gap between them. Material enters the gap through the centre of the outer disc, and is ground between both as it travels radially by the centrifugal force created by the rotating disc, with greater reductions achieved by reducing the gap. capacity depends on the required output size of the reduced material, with coarser products produced at higher rates.

Precise machining and alignment of the discs, together with constant spring pressure, maximizes size uniformity of the reduced material, while static and dynamic balancing of the rotating runner head assembly provides vibration-free operation. Plate patterns are selected to optimize the reduction of specific types of materials.

Quick-release separation of the grinding discs allows thorough washdown between product runs. access panels can be added to the rear of the housing to facilitate cleaning, inspection and maintenance.

Models are available with rotor diameters from 30.5 to 91.4 cm, constructed of carbon steel and are available in 304 or 316 stainless steel to sanitary or industrial standards.

Munson Machinery is a manufacturer of mixers, blenders and size reduction equipment for bulk solid materials based in utica, ny. www.munsonmachinery.com

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has a scanning range up to 14.5 m.

With the IP69K housing, the safety light curtains are resistant to chemicals such as acetic, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids.

SICK USA is a manufacturer of vision and sensor systems based in Minneapolis. www.sickusa.com

lighting

to the rotor and all internal surfaces of the housing without disassembling the endplate or re-aligning the rotor during re-assembly.

Designers have eliminated internal crevices and joints, common with bolttogether designs, where contaminants accumulate.

The inlet/outlet seal is achieved using an eight-vane rotor to eliminate excess pressure loss through the system.

The valves are made from 304 or 316 stainless steel in sizes ranging from 6 in. to 18 in., with pressure differentials up to 20 psig, and temperature tolerance up to 400 degrees C. Rotor configurations include closed-end, metering, shallowpocket, Teflon coated, and adjustabletip. Adjustable rotor tips are available in stainless steel, hardened steel or bronze.

ACS Valves is a manufacturer of rotary valves for metering, feeding and airlock in bulk material processing and pneumatic conveying applications based in Caledonia, Ont. www.acsvalves.com

shaft collars ShAfT coLLAr PoSiTioNS coMPoNENTS AccurATELy Reduces maintenance requirements.

MAxiMizE LuMiNEScENSE Patlite’s CLN LED work lights, rated IP66G, IP67G and IP69K, deliver brilliant 820 lx lighting at 70% of the original brightness for up to 60,000 hours even when subjected to dust, water, oil, chemicals and machine coolants.

At less than 1 in. wide with a 180 degree angle tilt adjustment and a 120 degree rotating adjustment (PT model), these work lights are also one of industry’s thinnest.

They provide warm white light with natural light distribution to illuminate a wider work area, or virtual midday sunlight colour for detailed and fine work. They attach almost anywhere and provide rotation angles that maximize operational flexibility.

An explosion safe version for Zone 2, Zone 22 is also available.

Patlite is a manufacturer of industrial lighting products based in Torrance, Calif. www.patlite.com

ValVes

Ruland Manufacturing Co. Inc. has expanded its quick clamping shaft collar line to accommodate sizes up to 3 in. and 75 mm for light-duty stationary or low-rpm applications that require quick positioning adjustments or frequent set up changes.

Remove and reposition easily.

Quick clamping collars slide on the shaft smoothly and easily access the handle for easy removal or repositioning.

The handle sits flush with the outside diameter for rotating applications. A tension-adjustment screw makes the collar compatible to multiple shaft tolerances.

Shaft collars are available in bore sizes ranging from 0.2500 to 3 in. and 6 to 75 mm.

Ruland Manufacturing Co. is a manufacturer of shaft collars and couplings based in Marlborough, Mass. www.ruland.com

connectors iNTErfAcE ENhANcES boArd STAbiLiTy Pressure differentials up to 20 psig.

AirLock vALvES SiMPLify iNSPEcTioN Quick-Clean rotary valves from ACS Valves reduce cleaning and sanitizing time, and simplify inspection. ACS RotorRail provides full validation access

Samtec’s AFI floating interface system provides acute misalignment compensation.

This three-piece system allows for maximum misalignment compensation up to 0.030-in. radial and 0.040-in. axial float.

The floating bullet adaptor creates a flexible link between two AFI jacks in

September/October 2013

13-09-19 11:29 AM

Products and equipment << Technology

Maximize misalignment compensation.

PCB stacking or motherboard expansion applications. This system is designed for DC to 6 GHz performance with 50Ω impedance.

A PCB-mounted jack provides mixed technology termination to increase stability on the board. A bullet adaptor plug is available in a standard 0.360 in. length.

Due to the 0.040 in. axial float, standard stack height for the system ranges from 1.094 in. fully mated to 1.134 in. when floating.

Samtec is a manufacturer of connectors based in New Albany, Ind. www.samtec.com

and handle washdowns.

They’re available in NPT (imperial) and BSPT (metric) sizes. The push-toconnect male fittings are made with 316 stainless steel bodies and 303 stainless steel gripping collets with an internal Viton o-ring. The rugged fittings withstand pressures up to 290 psi and temperatures up to 200 degrees C. They are compatible with polyurethane, nylon and PTFE tubing. The bodies of elbow and tee fittings with threaded connections rotate to allow for variations in piping direction and are available in configurations that include straight unions, straight reducers, male straight, bulkhead fittings, union elbows, male elbows, union tees, male branch tees and male run tees.

Automation Direct is a supplier of industrial automation products based in Cumming, Ga. www.automationdirect.com

PneuMatics PNEuMATic fiTTiNgS hANdLE hArSh chEMicALS AutomationDirect’s NITRA pneumatic products now include stainless steel fittings that stand up to harsh chemicals

Fittings withstand pressures up to 290 psi.

lubricants

into the containers, and then pulled back out through filters with the transfer units. Product is also pulled from the containers and cycled through the filters and sent back into the containers (kidney loop).

The system is customizable to include containers of virtually any size. Capacities include 500-, 300-, 250-, 130- and 65-g sizes.

The IFH Group is a manufacturer of lubrication storage and dispensing systems based in Rock Falls, Ill. www.ifhgroup.com

forKlifts drivE WiTh PrEciSE coNTroL Eases pumping.

Avoid LubricANT croSS-coNTAMiNATioN Individual lubricant pumping ensures there’s no cross contamination, which is what the Lubrication Storage & Dispensing System from IFH Group does.

It includes two 65-g containers and one 130-g container plus three-way product diverter valve assemblies, individual pumping systems and 10-micron filters. Oils and lubricants are pumped in and out, then kidney looped through the filters.

The three-way diverter valves allow product to be pumped through the filters

the raymond corp.’s 8000 lift trucks have been designed to move more product in less time. components are reinforced for reduced wear and the trucks feature roomy operator compartments with padding and multiple lean points, accessory bars with lights and fans, large storage totes and additional caster options.

Powersteer helps operators reduce steering efforts by up to 90% and provides speed-sensitive steering for precise, smooth control at all speeds. raymond, based in greene, ny, manufactures materials handling equipment. www.raymondcorp.com

>> events NdT in canada 2013 ciNdE/cANSMArT/izfP oct. 7-10, calgary Presented by the canadian institute for nDe (cinDe), the cansmart group (cansMart), and the fraunhofer institute for nondestructive testing (iZfP). the latest developments in nDt, smart materials and structural health monitoring will be discussed with a special emphasis on topics relating to the energy industry. Visit http://events.cinde.ca.

25th National robot Safety conference riA oct. 14-16, indianapolis the robotic industries association’s (ria’s) conference will focus on the new american national robot safety standard (ansi/ria r15.06-2012), the first update to the standard since 1999, which now harmonizes with the international iso 10218:2011 standard for robot manufacturers and integrators. Visit www.robotics.org/safety13.

PTdA industry Summit PTdA oct. 18-20, dallas the Power transmission Distributors association (PtDa) hosts a networking event with educational sessions on economic trends and market opportunities. Visit www.ptda. org/industrysummit.

AME Toronto 2013 AME oct. 21-25, Toronto association for Manufacturing excellence (aMe) presents the breakthrough to your leading edge lean conference. four of the

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world’s leading lean thought leaders are featured: Jim womack, Dan Jones, John shook and Mike rother, plus best practices sessions and plant tours. Visit www.ameconference.org/2013-toronto.

NbSf JuneWarren-Nickle’s Energy group Nov. 12-14, calgary the national buyer seller forum (nbsf) brings together buyers and sellers along the oil sands supply chain, including international delegations, high-level producing companies, key suppliers and government representatives. event partners include Junewarrennickel’s energy group, glacier Media group, canadian Manufacturers & exporters, and the Province of alberta. Visit www.nbsf. jwnevents.com.

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AvEvA World NA user day AvEvA canada Nov. 14, calgary for engineers and designers who operate aVeVa software for ePcs and plants. three workshops cover 3D, instrumentation and electrical, and engineering. Visit www. avevaworld.com and click on aVeVa world community events.

MainTrain calgary 2013 PEMc Nov. 18-21, calgary the Plant engineering and Maintenance association of canada (PeMac) presents workshops, experience-based presentations and case studies focusing on maintenance, reliability and asset management. Visit www. maintrain.ca.

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Departments

>> Postscript

Neil Young’s blurred vision of the oil sands

BY MARK MILKE

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ametoronto.org

n the 20th century, much of the divide in politics and policy was over how best to create jobs, incomes and keep people from starving – in other words, how to create opportunity as part of the good life. Those on the “left” argued for state intervention and often outright state ownership; those on the “right” pointed to open markets and other elements of capitalism as the superior route to avoiding poorer populations.

The outcome of that titanic struggle is

McMurray may not be scintillating but it’s hardly “a Fort wasteland… ” well-known; the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the implosion of the command-and-control Soviet Union two years later cratered support for the most extreme forms of state intervention.

But that was then. These days, a policy divide often opens up in the struggle to convince large chunks of the public, especially in urban areas with little contact with rural life, not to kill off development.

Part of the problem in such an exercise is that not all development comes wrapped in a pretty package.

An example comes from singersongwriter and rocker Neil Young who recently ranted against Canada’s oil sands. In a Washington DC speech, Young said that the northern Albertan oil sands city, Fort McMurray, “looks like Hiroshima.” Young called the city “a wasteland” and asserted that, “The

Indians up there and the native peoples” were “sick and dying of cancer because of this [the oil sands].”

The cancer scare claim originates in a 2006 accusation from Dr. John O’Connor.

The Nova Scotia physician worked in Fort Chipewyan, Alta., and alleged that the oil sands were causing an epidemic of cancer in the north.

But after three other physicians complained to the College of Physicians and Surgeons about O’Connor’s claim, the college investigated and in a leaked 2009 report said he made “a number of inaccurate or untruthful claims with respect to the number of patients with confirmed cancers and the ages of patients dying from cancer.” Furthermore, in 2010, the Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel summarized its findings that, “There is currently no credible evidence of environmental contaminant exposures from oil sands developments reaching downstream communities at levels expected to cause elevated human cancer cases.”

Cheap demagoguery Young’s tirade reveals part of what drives opposition to the oil sands – an aesthetic dislike for their visual appearance.

Fort McMurray may not be scintillating but it’s hardly a wasteland. I’ve been there, as well as to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their atomic bomb museums.

To compare a northern mining town to Hiroshima is cheap demagoguery and displays a profound ignorance about the atomic bomb’s horrific effect upon the Japanese population in 1945. Such invidious comparisons should not be lightly made.

Mining for oil is not pretty, but then neither are mines that extract the metals necessary for bike parts, or any industrial activity that requires disturbing the earth to extract some substance. That is, after all, real life. (It’s also transitory – advances in technology have greatly improved the reclamation of mining sites.)

When artists decry mining, they forget that not every occupation is perfectible or can result in an aesthetic pleasure – be it ditch-digging, setting up a city sewer system or getting minerals and oil out of the ground.

Natural gas heats our homes and oil helps transport food to market. Modernday routine attempts to better the human condition should not be held hostage to idealistic artists who have a misplaced utopian vision about the aesthetic perfectibility of oil-soaked dirt.

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Share•Learn•Grow OCTOBER 21-25, 2013

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Dan Jim Womack Jones

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Mike Rother

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AME TORONTO 2013 is doing. For the first time ever at an AME conference, four of the world’s leading lean thought leaders Jim Womack, Dan Jones, John Shook and Mike Rother will each share real value stream experiences and present these lessons on stage. Don’t miss it!

We pride ourselves in providing a solid learning experience at an unbelievable price. If you don’t learn at least one new idea in Toronto that you can bring back to your organization, we’ll refund your entire registration fee. We have been offering this guarantee for the last three conferences and have never had a single refund request. We think that speaks volumes about the value attendees have received.

For more information and to get an extra 5% on all registration prices, visit ametoronto.org.

With many thanks to our Patron/Cornerstone Sponsors and Collaborating Partners

Mark Milke is a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of five reports on corporate welfare. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org. This column is distributed by Troy Media (www. troymedia.com).

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

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