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| A Semi-Monthly Newsletter for the Gases and Welding Distributors Association |
June 8, 2008
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BREAKING NEWS New Report Shows Big Gains Expected Global demand for industrial gases will grow nearly 7% annually to roughly $37 billion by 2011, according to a new report from The Freedonia Group, a market research firm. Volumetric consumption will rise roughly 5% per year to 300 billion cubic meters, the report says. The fastest growth will be in the emerging industrial markets of the Asia/Pacific region, especially China and India. Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Africa/Mideast region should also experience above-average growth, while highly developed economies, such as the United States', will see demand rise more slowly. Metals production and fabricating will dominate consumption of industrial gases, accounting for 35% of demand by 2011, the report says. To compare more specifically to GAWDA members, read the 2008 GAWDA Industry Forecast in Welding & Gases Today Online.
SAFETY & COMPLIANCE NEWS OSHA Unveils Interlinked System • OSHA and the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association (OSHSPA) jointly developed a new Web page with interlinked information about State Plans' responses to new federal OSHA standards or directives issued since June 2006. Links to charts show the user which State Plans have adopted standards or procedures identical to OSHA's, and which have adopted something different. If different, the chart provides a direct link to the State Plan's document on its Web site or information on how to obtain a copy. In addition, each new Federal standard or directive links back to the specific State response chart. New State charts and cross links to the Federal standard or directive will be posted six months after each new Federal issuance. June Safety & Technology Organizer Online • The June Safety & Technology Organizer is now available at www.gawda.org. Topics include Eye and Face Protection Program, Accident Reporting to OSHA and MCS-90 DOT Proof of Insurance.
NEW MEMBERS GAWDA welcomes new Distributor Member Atlas Welding Supply Company, Inc., of Tuscaloosa, AL.
INDUSTRY
BEAT
ESAB Appoints Vice Presidents (Florence, SC) • ESAB Welding & Cutting Products named David Abe vice president of sales, western zone, and Jerry Gleisner vice president of sales, eastern zone. Working from Denver, Abe will oversee all ESAB sales activity in the western half of the U.S. He has 28 years of management experience, most recently with WIKA Instrument Corporation. Gleisner joined ESAB from Sandvik Coromant, where he was zone manager. He is based in Clayton, NC. Superior Welding Supply Opens Branch (Waterloo, IA) • On June 2, Superior Welding Supply Co. opened a new branch in Marshalltown, IA. The company currently serves northeast Iowa, southwest Wisconsin and northwest Illinois, and the new branch, according to President Steve Christoph, will further expand the 78-year-old company's presence in the region. Greg Miller will manage the Marshalltown store. Hypertherm Wins Communications Award (Hanover, NH) • The ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) Association, which represents 2,500 employee-owned companies, gave its annual award for communications excellence to Hypertherm, which received this top award among companies with 501 to 1,000 employees. The award is based on the quality of communications to employees about the stock ownership plan, the level of employee involvement in the plan, and the extent to which the program has become part of the company's culture. Hypertherm employs nearly 1,000. When the company began its ESOP in 2001, shares were worth $7. Today, the stock is valued at more than $43 per share.
Miller Raises Money for Hospice (Grand Rapids, MI) • Miller Welding Supply and Miller Industrial Gases’ 7th annual barbeque fundraiser brought in a record amount of more than $8,000 to benefit Hospice of Michigan. In addition, Miller was instrumental in helping a 9-year-old pediatric cancer patient throw out the opening pitch at the Tigers-Yankees baseball game on May 11. Miller also sent a team to Hospice of Michigan’s 5K Walk and Remember event. This year, Miller employees raised more than $20,000 when the walk was held May 17, enough to win an award for most money raised per walker. The company is dedicating the award to the memory of Jennifer Nugent, daughter of sales rep Dan Nugent and his wife, Barb. Linde Buys Majority Share of SIGAS (Murray Hill, NJ) • The Linde Group struck a deal to buy a 51% stake in family-owned industrial gases company Saudi Industrial Gas (SIGAS), the second-largest industrial gases company in Saudi Arabia with more than 400 employees and 2007 sales of more than $30 million. The industrial gas market in Saudi Arabia is forecast to grow more than 10% a year, and this acquisition will enable Linde to expand its presence on the Arabian Peninsula, an area the company considers highly attractive. The deal is pending approval of Saudi regulators.
Lincoln Electric Wins at Indy 500 (Cleveland, OH) • Scott Dixon won the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25, and Lincoln Electric was right behind him. As the "Official Welder" of the Indy Racing League, Lincoln provided welding equipment and products to all of the drivers competing in the race, including Dixon and his team at Chip Ganassi Racing. Lincoln has been a presence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the past 20 years. The company and its distributor, Indiana Oxygen, operate the track's designated welding garage where they sponsor free welding services and trackside assistance. Lincoln provides race teams with technical support on and off the track and gives its Hard Charger Award to a driver who moves up through the starting grid to lead the race. The Indy 500 isn't Lincoln's only tie to racing. The company also collaborates with NASCAR, the National Hot Rod Association and the Automobile Racing Club of America. Victor Simplifies Product Identification (St. Louis, MO) • Victor Specialty Products has done away with eight-digit part numbers for specialty gas regulators and replaced them with a simplified identification system. Specialty gas regulators are now identified by their descriptions, such as the model, inlet and outlet connections, outlet pressure and options. "It makes the process simpler and less confusing," says Randy Niederer, marketing manager for Americas gas products. F & M Mafco, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH) • F&M Mafco promoted Stephen Telker to gas fill plant manager at its Cincinnati headquarters. Telker has worked for F&M Mafco for more than two years and has 17 years of industry experience. Red-D-Arc Welderentals (Grimsby, ON, Canada) • Red-D-Arc Welderentals continued to expand its overseas operations by acquiring welding equipment manufacturing and rental firms A&N Plant in the United Kingdom and A&N Europe in the Netherlands. In a related move, Red-D-Arc named Andre Frenette vice president of European Operations. The company also opened a welding equipment rental company, Red-D-Arc Middle East, LLC, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. TWI Lands on Mars (Mechanicsburg, PA) • On Sunday evening, May 25, at 7:38:44 PM EDT, the Phoenix spacecraft successfully landed on Mars and 15 minutes later, at 7:53.44 PM EDT, the first radio signals confirming the landing were received at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
Two carbon-fiber, composite cylinders produced by Structural Composites Industries, a Division of Taylor-Wharton International, were on the Phoenix spacecraft. Phoenix will look for the potential for life to thrive by sampling Martian soil for the next 90 days and then will be covered with a layer of frost as the Martian winter season sets in. The Phoenix mission was launched on August 4, 2007, and SCI's durable model 5129A cylinders traversed the 422 million-mile journey through space without incident. The SCI composite overwrapped cylinders were used to store helium. The helium was channeled through a regulator system to the propellant tanks to maintain constant pressure through the propulsion system to the thrusters. The constant propulsion pressure was one of the key elements of the successful performance of the thrusters during Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) operations. The Phoenix landing marks the first time since 1976, and only the third time in history, that a soft landing has been carried out on Mars. TWI's CEO Bob Gadomski offered his congratulations to all SCI personnel for a job well done. He also commented, "TWI employees throughout the world salute SCI's accomplishment and share in the pride that the quality, craftsmanship and ingenuity of Taylor-Wharton International will be forever preserved on another planet in our solar system." Today's weather forecast on Mars is for clear and sunny skies. The temperature will vary between minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit in the early morning and minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoon. Follow the Phoenix Mars Mission at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html and http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.ed
GAWDA NEWS Conference for Young Executives • Registration is now being taken for the Young Distribution Professionals Conference. This conference is sponsored by GAWDA and other members of the Association Education Alliance (AEA). Designed for career-oriented professionals with fewer than 10 years experience in the area of distribution and manufacturing, the conference will focus on sales, marketing, operations and profitability. Speakers include former distributor and author Gary Moore, sales trainer Don Buttrey, GAWDA Sales Consultant Joe Ellers, and Al Bates, president, Profit Planning Group and frequent GAWDA author and conference presenter. Last year's participants from GAWDA included President Gary Stoneback, President-Elect Britt Lovin, 1st Vice President Jenny McCall and Young Executive Chair Lloyd Robinson. This is a great opportunity for your young professionals to network with peers from other distribution industries. Registration forms and the brochure are located on the front page of the GAWDA Web site under "GAWDA News." Registration for Annual Convention in the Bahamas • Registration forms for the Annual Convention, September 21-24, will be mailed the week of June 9. Online registration will be available starting on June 16. Be sure to check the Web site for travel tips and the schedule of events. GAWDA "GIVES BACK" • GAWDA President Gary Stoneback and his wife, Liliana, have chosen The Ranfurly Home for Children in the Bahamas as the 2008 GAWDA "GIVES BACK" recipient. The mission of the Ranfurly Home for Children is to provide a loving home for children who have been displaced as a result of having been orphaned, abused, neglected or abandoned. The money raised by GAWDA will be earmarked for the construction of a new transitional house that will be used for the younger adults who have graduated from high school or college and are preparing to be transitioned into society. A letter from Gary and Liliana, a Fact Sheet and Donation Forms are available on the Web site – gawda.org. Take Advantage of GAWDA University Online • On May 1, a new member program was launched – GAWDA University Online. Those who attended one of this year's Spring Management Conferences have already seen a preview. GAWDA U is an easy-to-use and inexpensive online training tool for your employees. The educational content of GAWDA U was developed to support GAWDA's primary mission of providing information to assist you in improving your company's safety and compliance. GAWDA U Online will be an ever-changing and growing program. The initial course offerings will concentrate on training for new employees during their first 90 days. The second generation of content will focus on more advanced training that will build upon the earlier basic/elementary courses. This summer, we will be seeking training material from our members that can be adapted to the GAWDA U platform and will expand the program to include supplier-based training on company-specific products and services. Process Step 2: Training Contract — Each participating company will be required to sign a contract with GAWDA that outlines each party’s responsibilities. After you have participated in a webinar and have determined that you wish to enroll in the program, please contact GAWDA Membership Manager Kate Cole (kcole@fernley.com) to receive a copy of the contract. Step 3: Passwords and Training — Once the contract has been executed, the Reporting Manager will be given contact information for training from NORCO on how to access the curricula and maintain the online accounts. Step 4: Billing — Participating companies will receive quarterly invoices from GAWDA based on the number of employees participating in the training. If you have additional questions, please contact Kate Cole at 215-564-3484 ext. 2209. GAWDA Dues Survey 2008-09 • The GAWDA Board of Directors has created a Dues Task Force to revise and implement a new dues schedule for the upcoming fiscal year. As part of this process, we need accurate financial information from each of our members. Please fill out the dues survey that was emailed to all Key Contacts on May 28, 2008. If you did not receive this survey, please contact Kate Cole at kcole@fernley.com. Final Report — GAWDA's 2008 Cross-Industry Employee Compensation Survey • Distributor Members who participated in the survey are now receiving the two-volume report from the completed survey. The survey was sponsored by GAWDA and 30 other organizations in the distribution industry. A total of 1,704 U.S. firms from over 7,000 locations participated in the cross-industry study. Of that total, 57 were members of GAWDA. The complete results of the survey are contained on a CD-ROM. Participants who have not received a copy of the report can contact Malvenia Avery at mavery@fernley.com or at (215) 564-3484. HR Report Available • The June 2008 HR Manager's Legal Reporter is now available for download at www.gawda.org. Deadline Extended through June 15th for 2008 GAWDA Profit Survey • GAWDA Distributor Members are strongly encouraged to participate in the survey. A copy of the survey is available at this link to GAWDA News. Remember to send your completed survey directly to the Profit Planning Group. If you have problems completing the survey, you may contact the Profit Planning Group at (303) 444-6212 or GAWDA Headquarters at (215) 564-3484. GAWDA Clearinghouse Updated • The GAWDA Clearinghouse has been updated for the month.
WORKSHOPS, WEB CONFERENCES & SEMINARS Young Distribution Professionals Conference
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The
GAWDA Connection is distributed on the 8th and 23rd of each
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