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Are Importers Ready For The 10 + 2 Rule?

The interim final rule went into effect last January, and during the first 12 months, importers were warned of infractions instead of being fined.

The flexible enforcement period ends Jan. 26, 2010, at which point importers can face fines of up to $5,000 for each violation of an ISF that is incomplete, inaccurately filed or late.

The 10+2 rule is so named because it requires importers to submit 10 types of information about what they are importing and requires two new types of information from shipping companies. Read more about 10 + 2 here.

Charlotte Pipe Rides High
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co.  says that its cast iron soil pipe and fittings have gone into Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.  The Burj Khalifa is more than 2,700 feet high, more than double the height of the Empire State Building, and can be seen from 60 miles away. Charlotte claims to be the only manufacturer that offers a system of ABS, PVC, CPVC, cast iron, FlowGuard Gold®, ChemDrain® and ReUze pipe and fittings for residential and commercial plumbing systems and industrial applications.

Pump Standard Reviewers Wanted
The Hydraulic Institute (HI), under the approval of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is seeking qualified individuals in North America to participate in the review process for the draft of updated Standard ANSI/HI 1.4 Rotodynamic (Centrifugal) Pumps for Manuals Describing Installation, Operation, and Maintenance. This guideline applies to rotodynamic (centrifugal and vertical) pump types. Individuals and organizations located in North America directly and materially affected by this standard are asked to contact Karen Anderson, Administrator, Technical Affairs, at kanderson@Pumps.org or call (973) 267-9700 x123.

Solving America's Fiscal Deficit

Most of what's been written about this subject analyzes the bleak landscape of humongous deficits as far as the eye can see, and the burden that will place on succeeding generations. This Economist article is a little more hopeful in at least offering some guidelines about how to work our way out of such massive debt.

It remains to be seen whether the solutions are practical or politically possible.

BEST SELLERS
for 2009

Piping Databook - $112.95
Whether it's the thermal conductivity of insulation materials or a conversion factor for viscosity, sizes and types of metallic or nonmetallic pipe or fitting dimensions, manufacturers' names or that elusive bit of terminology, the Piping Databook will spare you hours of frustrating fact-hunting. Follow this link for a complete description.

Pocket Guide to Flanges, Fittings, and Piping Data - $60.95
Packed with pictures, definitions, and descriptions of ANSI and API piping materials, such as flanges, fittings, bolts, gaskets, and required wrench sizes. It contains basic information and data to answer common questions that arise in materials handling, pipe fitting, and engineering.  Follow this link for a complete description. 

College of Product Knowledge CD - NOW $89.85
The Best-Read, most highly acclaimed product training series ever published in the plumbing industry has been made available to fill the gaping hole in the plumbing industry's knowledge training.  The College of Product Knowledge  is ideal for wholesalers, manufacturers, agents, designers, contractors, technicians, engineers, architects and other pros that need to understand a variety of plumbing systems and components. Follow this link for a complete description.

History of Plumbing CD -- Sponsored by American Standard - $35.00
PM magazine's wildly popular History of Plumbing Series is available on CD-ROM. History articles cover informative topics such as ancient plumbing, water-borne diseases, early-American innovation, the history of hydronic heating, and more! Follow this link for a complete description.

Visit AECStore.com to view all of our technical resources, CDs and DVDs.

Tech Tip #39 by Gregg Marshall
To help you make the most of the Digital Age.

Pocket Hard Drives Let
You Carry Your Library

I use a scanner to bring home literature without the weight. I also converted my three 5-drawer filing cabinets into PDF files that were OCR'd so I can search and find documents when I need them using Microsoft Desktop Search. I can also carry those 33,458 pages of scanned documents on a pocket sized hard disk.

If I were still a salesman, I'd carry all my literature, technical support documents, manuals, etc. on the same drive. Our salesmen used to have a trunk full of paper to have the information they might need with them while they were on the road.

I also use that pocket-sized hard disk to make daily backups of my notebook computer when I'm traveling. That's all possible with a hard drive that's just a little larger than a deck of cards and connects to your computer via a USB cable (which also supplies its power).

Right now I'm using a Western Digital Passport (http://www.wdc.com/en/), which is frequently on sale for less than $100. My current one is the original black, but I've been tempted by either the red or blue ones. In the past I've used other brands such as Fujitsu.

One new pocket drive that looks really interesting is Seagate's Free Agent (http://freeagent.seagate.com ), which includes a docking station for your desktop computer and can still connect via a USB cable to your notebook. While USB flash drives are available at 16 GB, it's nice these pocket drives hold up to 500 GB. You can even store a few movies on them to make waiting for that next delayed flight much more tolerable.

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.

What's The Industry Buzzing About?

• Barnett Names As Authorized Kohler Distributor 
• Trade Associations Need To Make People Feel Welcome 
• 2009 Wholesaler Of The Year: Robertson Heating Supply

AGS Victaulic Couplings
Victaulic offers rigid and flexible Couplings with the Advanced Groove System (AGS) technology for pipe sizes up to 60 in./1,525mm in diameter for HVAC, mining, water and wastewater and industrial applications. With a two-piece housing and a wedge-shaped groove that delivers pressure ratings up to 350 psi/2,400 kPa, depending on pipe size and wall thickness, these couplings are said to offer exceptional assembly speed and reliability.