Conway, AR — Snap-on Equipment officially dedicated its new Jack D. Michaels Training Center at a ceremony May 8 in honor of Snap-on Incorporated’s Board Chairman and past CEO and President, Jack D. Michaels. The day celebrated Michaels’ contribution to the productivity and innovation that have long been a part of Snap-on Incorporated’s corporate identity.
The official dedication was followed by a tour of the new facility, lunch and product demonstrations showcasing the latest innovative technology from Snap-on Equipment.
The new center offers training on automotive service equipment, customer service and effective sales strategies. Classes are available to direct sales agents, distributors and end-users of Snap-on Equipment products worldwide. The state-of-the-art facility includes classrooms equipped with the latest computer technology, an expansive service training area and an engineering lab.
The center operates 42 weeks a year with classes accommodating up to 20 trainees.
GearWrench Signs On as Hand Tool Sponsor of ‘Chop Cut Rebuild’
Baltimore — GearWrench announced its sponsorship of Speed TV’s “Chop Cut Rebuild,” the popular reality series that chronicles the restoration and customization of classic automobiles. During the show’s fifth season, experts and volunteers will rebuild a 1970 Plymouth Cuda and the world’s first crate-built 1953 Chevy pick-up truck.
As the official hand tool sponsor, GearWrench will provide tools to be used during the projects. The Chevy pick-up truck will be built by a team of volunteers at Classic Industries, and the Cuda relic will be restored by veteran builders at PG Custom Cars in Huntington Beach, CA.
The new season of “Chop Cut Rebuild” premiers this summer on Speed TV.
Makita Accelerates Racing Partnerships
La Mirada, CA — Makita U.S.A., Inc. has become the Official Power Tool Sponsor of Championship Off Road Racing (CORR). Makita has also become a sponsor of longtime CORR Series racers Team LeDuc, creating Rockstar Makita Team LeDuc Racing. Both sponsorships are an extension of the brand’s growing presence in live race events. The 2008 CORR season includes eight events at tracks in Los Angeles/Pomona, San Diego/Chula Vista and Las Vegas/Primm. The 2008 CORR races are scheduled to be broadcast on the NBC and SPEED networks.
In the second sponsorship, Makita has joined Rockstar Energy Drink and LeDuc Racing to form Rockstar Makita Team LeDuc Racing. The new Rockstar Makita Team LeDuc Racing will consist of drivers Curt and Kyle LeDuc in the Pro-4 class, Todd LeDuc in the Pro-2 class, and Brian Deegan in the Pro-LITE class. The family race team has been a fixture in CORR with 16 wins and 11 championships in the CORR Pro-4 class.
ETI Announces 2008-’09 Officers, New Directors
Rochester, MI — ETI congratulates the new 2008-’09 Officers and Board Members on their election to office beginning May 1, 2008:
Officers (one-year term): President – Dave Schaar (SPX Service Solutions);
Vice President, Programs – Randy Gard (Chief Automotive Technologies);
Vice President, Marketing – Steve Gill (ALLDATA);
Secretary/Treasurer – Mike Cable (Hickok);
and Immediate Past President – John Wiedemann (JS Products).
Directors: Ben Johnson (Delphi), Dan Brass (JS Products), Neil Davis (Snap-on Diagnostics), Richard Amador (Innova Electronics Corp.), Garret Miller (SPX Service Solutions), Sylvain Julien (Celette North America), Don Vanderheyden (Hennessy Industries) and Alan Tecmire (ETAS).
Bionic Wrench Receives Universal Design Award
Chicago — LoggerHead Tools has received an IF (International Forum Design GmbH) Universal Design Award for its Bionic Wrench product line, a new class of adjustable ergonomic wrenches, with a patented, mechanically efficient mechanism that distributes force equally around a nut or bolt. This is the only product manufactured in America to receive a 2008 IF Universal Design Award.
Since its launch in May 2005, LoggerHead has received 12 other international new product design awards for the Bionic Wrench and its other inventive product lines. The Universal Design Award is the first competition to focus on the principles of universal design exclusively, striving beyond the traditional attributes of form and function normally associated with award-winning product design.
The award winners were dominated by Asian and European companies, but the three U.S. companies that received awards were: Apple, Inc., Cupertino, CA; OXO International, New York, NY; and LoggerHead Tools, Chicago, IL with the Bionic Wrench being the only awarded product to be both designed and manufactured in the United States.
Dan Brown, designer and inventor of the Bionic Wrench, commented, “I am honored to receive this award. I believe the principles of universal and sustainable design are the foundation of future products. I am proud that we can continue to maintain our growth strategy as an American-made product in this hyper-competitive marketplace.”
Lincoln Electric Supports Welding Society in Campaign to Relieve Welder Shortage
Miami — The American Welding Society (AWS) announced that The Lincoln Electric Company will donate $300,000 to the AWS Foundation to help relieve a nationwide shortage of welders. In association with this donation, Lincoln and the AWS Foundation will collaborate on new marketing initiatives to promote welding careers and help bolster the ranks of welders.
Lincoln will donate the funds over a two-year period beginning this year. In addition, this donation will support the AWS Foundation’s Welder Workforce Development Program.
In other AWS news, the society has published it first-ever aluminum welding Q & A resource guide. Welding Aluminum – Questions and Answers includes a comprehensive listing of frequently asked questions and answers, general information and guidelines, and feature articles on welding aluminum.
The guide contains 192 pages, and includes 10 reference tables and 77 figures. The price is $124. A reduced rate of $93 is available to AWS individual members.
AWS publications may be purchased by calling toll-free 888-WELDING (888-935-3464); elsewhere, call 305-824-1177, fax to 305-826-6195, or order online at www.awspubs.com. A catalog listing all AWS standards and other documents is available for download from the AWS website, www.aws.org/catalogs.
YELLOW JACKET Announces RoHS-Compliant Refrigerant
Management Systems
Bloomington, MN — Ritchie Engineering Company, Inc. announced that its 230-volt automotive refrigerant management systems are now RoHS and SAE J2788 compliant.
RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) is a European Directive requiring that electrical and electronic equipment sold in Europe after 2006 must comply with the strict directive regulations limiting presence of mercury, cadmium, haxavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, or lead, including lead solders to certain levels. RoHS regulations have been adopted by many countries in addition to the European Union, including China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Canada.
“It was important to us as a global company to comply with the RoHS directive,” said Brian Flynn, Ritchie Engineering executive vice president. “We understand the global environmental impact of these banned substances and plan to do everything we can to limit our impact on the environment.”
