Is The EU All It's Cracked Up To Be?

by Jim Olsztynski

With the Euro riding high and many EU economies in the best shape they've been in years, it may seem to some that the European Union is on its way to becoming the dominant global economic power, as many economists predicted when it was formed. This diamond still has plenty of flaws, however.

The story reported here by Bloomberg News is about the EU getting ready to follow the lead of U.S. companies in filing antidumping complaints against China's steel imports. To this reporter, though, the key sentence in the article is ... 

"Any punitive measures proposed by (EU Trade Commissioner) Mandelson will probably spark a split among the EU's 27 governments, mirroring what happened when he called for anti-dumping duties to punish Chinese and Vietnamese exporters of leather shoes."

Imagine if U.S. trade policies required ratification by our 50 states. The EU has a long way to go before it lives up to the second half of its name.

 F.W. Webb's Coutermarsh Honored By A-D
Ernie Coutermarsh, the popular senior vice president of F.W. Webb's industrial division, was honored by Affiliated Distributors as the 2007 "Affiliate of the Year for Leadership." Countermarsh is shown on the left, with President Bill Weisberg of A-D.

Stokes To Replace Retiring Koenig At NW Pipe
Northwest Pipe Co. announced that effective Jan. 1, 2008, Gary Stokes, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Water Transmission Group, will assume the new role of senior vice president, Water Transmission Group. He will replace Charles Koenig, senior vice president operations of the Water Transmission Group, who is retiring.

Tyco Flow Control Enjoys Banner Year
Tyco Flow Control finished its fiscal year and 4th quarter in grand fashion, according to parent Tyco International. Revenue for the Flow Control Div. increased 23% in the quarter with organic revenue growth of 16% driven by double-digit growth across all businesses, including industrial valves, water and thermal controls.  For the full year, division revenue increased 20% to $3.8 billion, with organic revenue growth of 14%. Tyco Flow Control designs, manufactures, sells and services valves, pipes, fittings, valve automation and heat tracing products for the water and wastewater markets, the energy markets and other process industries.

Penn Machine Works Gains ISO 9001
Pennsylvania Machine Works, Inc. successfully completed the ISO 9001 certification process with Lloyds of London.  The ISO Certificate is available for downloading at the company's website and  covers all three of its facilities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Texas.  In addition, the company's forging division has achieved PED Certification with Lloyds as Registrar.

EMS Hires Rizk To Head Corrosion Services
EMS Group announced that Tony Rizk has joined the company as vice president – corrosion & integrity services, North America. EMS Group’s Corrosion Services Division performs a wide range of pipeline corrosion services to support pipeline operators across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Rizk, who had been working for El Paso Corp., has 20 years of corrosion engineering experience.

Ethanol Is Losing Its Luster

So says this captivating cover article from the Nov. 28, 2007 Wall Street Journal.

A Christmas Story

I penned this article several years ago in Supply House Times and there's still time to follow its lead this holiday season. It may help combat the frenzy and holiday fatigue that strikes so many people at this time of year. (Registration may be required to access our archives, but it's free and takes little time.)

Watch For Your Economic Census Form

Chances are, your business will receive a 2007 Economic Census form from the U.S. Census Bureau in December. Forms go to all but the very smallest businesses in this tally done once every five years.

The forms ask for basic information like your location, employment, payroll, and sales by type of product or service. Businesses that receive a form are required by law (Title 13, U.S. Code) to respond.

Businesses, communities, and governments use Economic Census data for planning and market development. Statistics are published for more than a thousand industries as well as for states, counties, cities and metropolitan areas at business.census.gov.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke has called this census "indispensable to understanding America's economy." Please be sure to participate.

Metal-To-Plastic Transitions Without Cracking
GF Piping Systems’ new DoubleSafe™ transition fittings are designed to provide a leak-proof seal and prevent cracking under high torque when transitioning between metal piping systems and the company’s Schedule 80 plastic piping systems. Applications include chilled water systems, chemical processing, industrial plating, chemical drainage systems, hot water systems, hot acid distribution, and waste systems.