World Copper Prices JUMP to $2.70/LB!

Analysts see signs of higher demand, prices ahead according to Tom Stundza -- Purchasing, 8/5/2009 3:06:33 PM EDT

Copper, being one of the best barometers of economic activity, makes its price an excellent way to gauge the pending recovery in the global economy, suggests metals analyst Michael Gambardella of J.P. Morgan Securities in New York.

At $2.70/lb this week on the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday, spot copper cathode is at the highest level of 2009 and the highest since $3.17 last September. The year-to-date LME average is $1.91 but has boosted the 2010 copper price average forecast to $2.17/lb.

Copper is used in power and construction and the early-August price, up from the $2.36 average in July got a boost from news that pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose at a faster-than-expected pace in June. The housing data followed positive manufacturing data from around the world that bolstered the view that the global economy was pulling out of a steep downturn.

"Everything seems to be in place for continued strength" analyst Joel Crane at Deutsche Bank tells Reuters, noting there is growing sentiment in equity and commodity markets that the economy is improving faster than originally thought." That's why most forecasters now say there will be growth in gross domestic product in July-September after declining in five of the past six quarters.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs suggests to clients in a recent note that copper supply constraints at a time of improved demand this half could mean "that risks to our copper price forecasts are skewed to the upside." The brokerage's 2009 copper price forecast is $2.18, moving to $2.63 in 2010.

Chinese imports of unwrought copper rose to 475,999 metric tons in June from 422,666 metric tons in May, a 12.6% month-over-month growth. So, analyst Jim Lennon at Macquarie Bank in London says "apparent copper demand in the first half was probably up 55-60% year-over-year, suggesting stock building of 400,000-500,000 metric tons, so there remains a widespread expectation of a future slowdown in import demand."

GFCI Plugs Available for Your Appliances!

North American manufacturers can select from several Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)-fitted power cord plugs now available from High Tech Connections. GFCI's are used widely in North America in home appliances, consumer and industrial applications.

A partial listing of products with GFCI power cords include: electric tools, hair dryers, refrigeration equipment, vending machines, stand-alone ATM's, water heaters, wet/dry vacs, submersible pumps, kitchen appliances, outdoor electrical equipment, bench-top lab instruments and many others.

These versatile UL-recognized GFCI plugs shut off power quickly when a "ground-fault" is detected (through a damaged cord), or accidental exposure to water. This action safeguards the user, preventing electrocution.

High Tech Connections' GFCI power cord plugs are available in ampere ratings of 08A, 10A, 13A, and 15A (120V, 50/60Hz). All have an auto-reset feature, meet UL standard Class A (with open-neutral protection) and each incorporates "Test" and "Reset" buttons.

Contact High Tech Connections today for additional information on these versatile GFCI plugs.

Rugged Computing for Demanding Workplaces!

Modern Materials Handling reports on the The Duros 1214 fixed-mount PC. The unit features an ultra-rugged touch screen polysilicon display and all-in-one aluminum housing to withstand the rigors of warehouse and shipping environments.

The Duros 1214 fixed-mount PC features an ultra-rugged touch screen polysilicon display and all-in-one aluminum housing to withstand the rigors of warehouse and shipping environments. It is sealed to IP-65 and exceeds MIL-STD-810F standards for drop, vibration, shock and altitude.

Mountable to forklifts, pallet trucks and automated guided vehicles, the compact unit includes a 12.1-inch SVGA resistive touch screen display. The computer is powered by an Intel Celeron M processor and can run Windows XP, Embedded or Vista, and Linux. Compact flash storage up to 64 GB and four USB 2.0 ports are provided.

A backup battery generates up to 20 minutes of continuous use.

Lego Contest Out West Keeps Going!

Lego is a combination of two Danish words -- "leg" and "godt" -- which, when put together, mean "play well."When she opened Toy Town in downtown Casper, Wyoming during the 1980s, Dalene Lockhart hoped children in the area would play well after shopping at her store.

In 1988, the Lego company sent a promotional contest idea to Lockhart, who decided to try it out. The idea: Hold a Lego contest and see what kids come up with. Encourage creativity. Give prizes.More than 20 years later, Lockhart still helps children play well, and still holds a Lego contest each year.

"It was written up as a promotional thing, so we wanted to try it. And in the '90s we almost quit because there weren't many entries," Lockhart said. "But when we tried to stop it, we got a bunch of calls and decided to keep it going.

"The contest used to be held in July, but when the county fair moved, Lockhart decided to hold it during the last week of summer vacation. This year, judging will be on Aug. 15th.

Now, the contest receives about 80 to 100 entries each year."We've had a little bit of everything," Lockhart said of past contest entries. "We've had baseball games, where people set up a stadium and put in a little baseball scene.

One year someone made a model of a computer. It had the keys and a disk that went in and out, and a monitor made out of black Legos."She's also seen Eiffel Towers, bridges, space ships, cell phone models and birthday cakes."Last year, the winner was a castle," she said. "It was really elaborate."Kids are split into four age groups -- 6 and under, 7 to 9, 10 to 12, and 13 and older.

First-, second- and third-place prizes will be given out for each age group, and every entrant will get some sort of smaller prize as well. An overall best-in-show prize will also be awarded.The only rules require that kids use their own Legos, and the final product can't be more than three square feet at the base, "just because we don't have that much room," Lockhart said.

Kids can work on their projects for as long or as little as they'd like."Some say they've been working all summer. Some go home and come back an hour later," Lockhart said. "Some people, as they get older, if they're really into it, they plan year-round."Most of all, kids need to be creative, she said.

"We look for use of color, stability and overall creativity. We look for kids to not use just a kit."
Author is Megan Lee, Star Tribune.

The Ford Mustang Has Seats of Soy!

After long period of development, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich., and Lear Corp., Southfield, Mich., recently began an industry-first use of functionalized soybean oil in the manufacture of flexible, polyurethane foam for automotive seating. The use of renewable materials as a feedstock for Automotive Soy-Based Seating Foam offers many benefits including reducing environmental footprint, replacing limited petroleum-based products with sustainable materials, and providing an alternative material choice.

Development was not easy, however. Soy-based foams pose various challenges to manufacturers, including low chemical reactivity, blend separation, odor, fogging, and green strength. The team invented and developed new foam formulations to overcome all of these limitations and meet the stringent mechanical requirements of automotive seating, including adequate manufacturing cycle time.

First used in the company’s Mustang car, the seat will soon be added to other automotive lines.

Safety Tip: Outfitting your Distribution Center Workers!

Here's a look at ways to equip your workers to handle the most common distribution center hazards and a few tips to help you choose the right gear.
By James P. Kaletta, Safety Management Solutions --

Modern Materials Handling, 6/1/2009

As you determine how to outfit each type of worker in your facility, start by considering all applicable regulatory requirements. Various standards from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and other organizations can all come into play, depending on the type of work at your facility.

First, consider OSHA's 29 CFR 1910, Standard for General Industry. This is the source of the often-cited General Duty clause, saying that employers will furnish to each of his employees a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. A hazard is any existing or potential physical condition which by itself or by interacting with other variables, can result in death, injury, illness, property damage and/or other losses.

According to OSHA, if a given hazard can't be eliminated, it must be controlled. So, you'll also need to be familiar with OSHA's Personal Protective Equipment standard for those instances where your company cannot eliminate or engineer out the hazards.

This standard requires employers to determine what personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary based on workers' specific activities. To do this, you'll need to conduct a risk assessment of each job.

Luckily, plenty of personal protective equipment is available to meet any need. But that PPE can only protect employees when it's the right gear for the particular task and it's worn correctly at all times.

PPE worn for situations other than those intended by the manufacturer can actually create hazards when worn inappropriately or cared for improperly.

Common hazards in distribution centers include:

Cuts and abrasions
Strains and sprains
Falls from heights
Excessive noise
Electrical work
Extreme temperatures

Cuts and abrasions

Workers need appropriate gloves for such common tasks as cutting boxes or other materials, pallet handling and picking product. Glove materials must be sturdy enough to provide protection for the specific task to gloves that are too small or too large can reduce workers' dexterity and contribute to fatigue. This leaves workers vulnerable to repetitive stress injuries, reduced productivity and seemingly unrelated injuries like dropping heavy objects on themselves or others.

Strains and sprains
Low-back strains continue to be the leading cause of lost-time occupational injuries. There are no substitutes for teaching and enforcing proper lifting techniques.
If your company authorizes the use of back belts, be aware that several large studies conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have shown they can cause back muscles to atrophy if worn tightly for prolonged periods, making the wearer more prone to injury. They may also impart a false sense of confidence. Always seek medical advice when considering the use of back belts.

Falls from heights
Working at height is a common distribution activity for servicing equipment, clearing jams and operating order pickers. According to OSHA 1910 Subpart D, Walking-Working Surfaces, fall protection is required whenever workers conduct activities 4 feet or more above the working surface. When identifying the need for fall protection, always include employee position in your calculations: the 42-inch top rail that is adequate for employees working on the floor becomes inadequate when employees are working on a stepstool in that area.
Be sure you understand the requirements in OSHA 1915.159, Personal Fall Arrest Systems, before you select or install fall-arrest equipment like lanyards, body harnesses (consider flexible harnesses, if possible) and approved tie-off points (temporary, permanent or lifeline). Consider using retractable lanyards, which are designed to engage quickly to limit fall distance, compared to lanyards that engage at a predetermined length. When used properly, retractable lanyards can reduce trauma to the body and force to the tie-off point during a fall.

Excessive noise
OSHA 1910.95, Occupational Noise Exposure, requires employers to provide hearing protection to workers who are exposed to noise with an 8-hour time weight average (TWA) of 85 decibels on an A scale (dbA). Once the noise level reaches 90 dbA or greater on an 8-hour TWA, employees must wear hearing protection. OSHA says that employees who are required to wear hearing protection shall be given the opportunity to select their hearing protectors from a variety of suitable hearing protectors provided by the employer.

Electrical work
Selecting PPE to protect workers from electrical shocks, blasts and arcs will require you to become knowledgeable about OSHA 1910.331-335, Electrical Safety Related Work Practices, and NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, and/or hire an expert vendor. One critical factor in selecting the proper PPE is conducting an arc fault analysis to determine what category you will need to dress to. For example, the following PPE is required using the Category 2 quick method from NFPA 70E:

Flame-resistive clothing (8 cal minimum)
1000 V-rated rubber gloves
Leather glove protectors
EH hard hat and face shield
Safety glasses
Hearing protection (ear plugs)
Head sock
Leather work shoes (consider electrical hazard rated shoes with non-metallic protected toe).

Extreme temperatures
When outfitting workers for refrigerated or frozen-storage areas, you should focus on warmth while limiting bulk. Consider banning hooded clothing when working on or near automated retrieval or powered industrial trucks because they (especially snorkel hoods) can drastically block vision. I am personally aware of one employee who was killed because his hood impaired his vision and he was caught between his lift truck and a rack leg.

Nissan Previews New Electric Vehicle!

According to ECN, Nissan Motor today previewed its electric vehicle (EV) platform on a Tiida-based prototype. It also showcased a sophisticated EV-IT system developed to support electric driving 24/7.

Newly developed EV platform:
The dedicated EV platform is comprised of a highly rigid body, high-performance motor, compact lithium-ion battery with high power output and energy capacity. The in-house developed electric motor delivers 80kW/280Nm for high response and powerful acceleration. Nissan’s unique motor control also contributes to the vehicle’s seamless acceleration.


The 24kWh laminated compact lithium-ion battery pack is placed under the vehicle floor for more efficient packaging, without compromising cabin or cargo space. The battery layout also allows smooth underfloor air-flow which helps reduce drag. Additionally, the regenerative brake system employed to recharge the battery during deceleration and braking extends the driving range to more than 160km*1 under a full charge.

High durability is achieved by employing an additional frame for the battery pack to significantly improve the rigidity of the platform. The combination of a high rigidity platform and electric powertrain minimizes vibration and external sounds to produce a quiet and pleasing drive.


EV-IT support function:
Nissan has developed an sophisticated IT system for its zero-emission EVs, connecting the vehicle’s on-board transmitting unit to a global data center*2 to support EV driving 24 hours 7 days a week. Usability and convenience for EV driving is achieved via the following...


Maximum range display:
* With a simple touch of a button, the navigation map shows the driving radius within range under the current state of charge.
* The system can calculate if the vehicle is within range of a pre-set destination.


Update on charging stations:
* The navigation system points out the latest information on available charging stations within the current driving range.
* Detailed information for each charging station will also be displayed.


Timer function:
* The timer function enables the air-conditioner or battery charging to begin at a specified time. The air-conditioner can be pre-set while the vehicle is plugged-in to cool the cabin to a desirable temperature before driving begins, without taxing the vehicle’s battery. Meanwhile, the battery charging can be set to start at a specified time at night to benefit from more favorable electricity rates.


EV remote control and monitoring function:
* The driver can monitor the state-of-charge of the EV via an online website and a cellular phone. For example, when the battery is fully charged, a message alert is sent to the cellular phone. Additional remote control functions range from switching the charging system ON/OFF or setting the air-conditioner timer.


To be a leader in zero-emission mobility, Nissan is progressing its development for electric vehicles and the key components. The all-electric vehicle slated for launch in 2010 will have a unique design and body.



Nissan plans to unveil the design of the production EV at its new Global Headquarters Opening in Yokohama on August 2nd. A Nissan Zero-emission Website http://www.nissan-zeroemission.com/) will also go live on Aug. 2nd.