Drill, Baby, Drill!

Here's an article that ought to warm the hearts of PVF manufacturers and distributors tied to the oilfield marketplace. It describes the encouraging shift in public attitudes about oil/gas exploration in previously off-limits U.S. territory, and debunks outmoded environmental concerns.

Left unstated is that stepped-up domestic exploration could greatly diminish our dependence on foreign energy sources, many of which are in the hands of wacko political regimes. Wouldn't it be sweet to send some of the OPEC members back to the Third World status they so richly deserve!

New Personnel At Anvil
Anvil International has named 22-year industry veteran Matt Lux (left) its U.S. director of commodity account sales. He will focus on Anvil's domestic iron fitting and pipe nipple products. Mitch Bevill (right) has been promoted to director of sales, Eastern U.S., for the AnvilStar™ Fire Products Division. Prior to this Bevill was Anvil's territory manager for the Southeastern U.S. Also, Bobby Brown (not shown) has joined Anvil's M echanical/Industrial sales team for the Southwest region, focusing on sales within the Greater Houston area. Brown brings 13 years of industrial and mechanical sales experience to his new position with Anvil.

Cameron To Get Local Funding For Valve Expansion
Cameron International received a boost from Louisiana's Evangeline Parish to issue up to $13 million in industrial revenue bonds to help fund a major expansion of Cameron's valve manufacturing facility in Ville Platte. The state also will contribute  more than $7 million to the project, pending approval from the state Bond Commission. The facility is expected to be running by the end of 2009.

Look For More Steel Price Reductions, Stainless Recovery
Global financial are suppressing demand everywhere, according to British metals analyst MEPS , which doesn't augur well for any boost in steel prices in the foreseeable future. Moreover, hopes that Chinese demand will help boost prices appear to be diminishing. That's the gist of this Wall St. Journal article from earlier this week. MEPS does, however, see in upturn in stainless steel prices starting early next year.

Valero Reduces Capital Spending By Nearly $2 Billion
Major oil refiner Valero Energy Corp. announced that it is cutting back capital spending through 2009 through project delays and maintenance turnarounds. Overall cutbacks in project spending total around $2 billion. The recent sharp drop in crude oil prices was cited as a key consideration.

PVF Roundtable Hosts Another Lively Session
The PVF Roundtable held its most recent quarterly gathering on Oct. 21 in Houston. Keynote speaker was Linda Goldbert of NACE (left), an organization that works closely with key legislative and regulatory bodies to ensure that appropriate corrosion prevention and control standards, training & certifications are being referenced for PVF and various other materials. As one who has attended several PVF Roundtable meetings over the years, this reporter is impressed by the continued growth and interest in this networking and educational organization. Attendance has grown from around 50 people a few years ago to as many as 200+ in recent times. At right, PVF Roundtable President Ron Merrick speaks to the Oct. 21 audience. 

IT Is Responsible For More Intense Competition

This long and complex article from Harvard Business Review makes a compelling case that if you don't keep up with the pack when it comes to IT investment, you'll fall by the wayside.

  Intro to Pipe, Valves & Fittings

This course provides employees new to the PVF/plumbing  industry with an overview of piping products, fittings and valves. It includes definitions of common industry terms, descriptions of basic types of plumbing systems and explanations of specifications for pipe, valves and fittings. $134.00  CLICK HERE to order.

Visit AECstore.com   to view all of our Plumbing resources or all Stephanie at 248-244-1275 with any questions.

Tech Tip #9 by Gregg Marshall
To help you make the most of the Digital Age.

Okay, your network administrator freaked and won't let you use the Aavenu function I discussed last edition.

Ask for a virtual private network (VPN) connection to your network.

A VPN connection works like a network wire using the Internet as the wire. To keep anything going through the VPN connection secure, it is encrypted on both sides before being sent through the Internet.

There's a VPN built into Windows XP and Vista, you just have to enable it. But I figure any program like a VPN that is pre-installed on billions of computers has been hacked.

A free alternative is LogMeIn (http://www.hamachi.cc). They have a paid version that adds capabilities, most of them not needed for simple applications. 

It is possible to be a virtual worker, from anywhere in the world.

Gregg Marshall, CPMR, CSP, is president of Rep Connection Inc. He can be reached by e-mail at gmarshall@repconnection.com, or visit his LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/greggmarshall.

Introduction to Steel, Stainless Steel, Iron Pipe and Fittings

This course reviews the types, classifications and uses of steel, stainless steel, iron pipe and fittings. $134.00 CLICK HERE to order.

Visit AECstore.com   to view all of our Plumbing resources or all Stephanie at 248-244-1275 with any questions.