Industry News
We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to this month's sponsor -- Taco Inc. Headquartered in Cranston, R.I., Taco, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of hydronic-based HVAC equipment and accessories for use in residential, commercial and institutional buildings worldwide. The company, privately owned and in business since 1920, manufactures a wide range of pumps and circulators, valves, tanks, heat exchangers, electronic controls, accessories and systems. Manufacturing facilities are located in Cranston, R.I. and Fall River, Mass., with a Canadian distribution and sales facility in Mississauga, Ontario. Taco sells through wholesale distributors and also provides select OEMs with product. Visit www.taco-hvac.com for more information.
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Taco makes acquisition
Cranston, R.I. -- Taco, Inc. has announced that it has acquired the assets of Innovex Technologies, a Lewiston, ME-based manufacturer of Intelligent Building Systems products (IBS), that include stand alone control devices and accessories that offer a complete control solution for both residential and commercial buildings.
Announcement of the acquisition was made by Taco President and CEO, John Hazen White, Jr.
White said, “The addition of the Innovex Technologies product line is consistent with Taco’s strategy to expand its electronics product offering and our continued focus on system selling. This is another way in which Taco will create value for our customers, further diversify the Taco product line and continue to move away from the industry’s tendency of simply selling cast iron by the pound.
“This acquisition will provide Taco with a technology platform that will incorporate our existing line of pumps, hydronic controls and electronic control products along with our unique LoadMatch single pipe heating and cooling system into a networked controls solution that provides comfort in an energy efficient and environmentally friendly manner. This is a huge opportunity for Taco, its employees and the industry as a whole,” added Mr. White.
Obama trade plan needs coherence
Rockford, Ill. -- The apparent lack of a cohesive trade policy from President-elect Obama may spell problems for manufacturers striving to survive in today’s economic climate, according to a leading industry economist.
“The subject of trade is controversial under normal circumstances, but it becomes almost toxic during a recession,” said Dr. Chris Kuehl, economic analyst for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), in the new FMA economic update newsletter Fabrinomics.
“U.S. exports have broken records for 22 straight months,” Kuehl said. “For almost a year, it was the export sector that kept the United States out of recession and it will very likely be overseas markets that help manufacturers survive the current recession.
“The Obama plan has a lot of content that relates to domestic activity, but a coherent trade policy will have to emerge if the United States is going to navigate the challenge of trade, other nations’ protective impulses and the tendency of U.S. companies to retreat into isolationist strategies.”
Kuehl believes a creation of a cohesive plan may be a challenge as recent Obama appointments reflect a mix of anti- or lukewarm trade proponents, such as Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and advocates that include Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and trade representative Ron Kirk.
“And, with the withdrawal of Bill Richardson, the post of Secretary of Commerce seems to be a hot potato nobody seems to want,” he said.
NSF develops standard for low lead plumbing products in support of new requirements in California
Ann Arbor, Mich. -- NSF International announced the development of a new compositional standard for products that come in contact with drinking water, including faucets. The new requirements are incorporated into the NSF/ANSI American National Standard for Drinking Water Products to help protect the public from exposure to lead.
Annex G – Weighted Average Lead Content Evaluation Procedure to a 0.25 Percent Lead Requirement allows manufacturers to demonstrate compliance to recently enacted legislation in California that limits the weighted average of lead content in plumbing products, which come in contact with drinking water, to 0.25 percent.
The annex was recently incorporated into NSF/ANSI Standard 61: Drinking Water System Components -- Health Effects, a standard that includes procedures to evaluate products that come in contact with drinking water and to screen out those products that could contribute excessive levels of contaminants into drinking water. Products covered in the standard include: pipes and related products; protective and barrier materials (including cements/coatings); joining and sealing materials (including gaskets, adhesives, lubricants); process media (including carbon, sand, zeolite, ion exchange media); mechanical devices (including water meters, in-line valves, filters, process equipment); mechanical plumbing devices (faucets, drinking fountains, and components); and potable water materials (non-metallic materials).
The inclusion of Annex G (www.nsf.org/media/enews/AnnexG.pdf) is important for manufacturers selling products in California who must comply with the new lead content requirements in addition to the current chemical extraction requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 61. California recently passed legislation that requires manufacturers to meet the 0.25 percent weighted average lead content. Other states are also considering low-lead content legislation.
AHRI releases November water heater shipment data
According to figures released by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), residential electric water heater shipments for November totaled 280,019, a 24.2 percent drop from the same month a year ago. Residential gas water heater shipments totaled 260,443, a 26.8 percent decrease compared with shipments for the same month last year. For the year-to-date, about 3.6 million residential gas water heaters have been shipped, a 7.7 percent drop compared with the same period a year ago. For the year-to-date, about 3.9 million residential electric storage water heaters have been shipped, a 4.2 percent drop compared to the same period last year. Commercial gas water heater shipments for November totaled 4,910, dropping 38.5 percent compared with the same month last year, while commercial electric water heater shipments totaled 4,292, a 26 percent drop compared with the same month a year ago. For the year-to-date, commercial electric water heater shipments (63,842) are 3.3 percent ahead of total shipments of this product during the same period last year (61,800). Commercial gas water heater shipments (82,083) for the year-to-date are up 0.5 percent, compared with the same period a year ago (81,665).
New Products
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Low water cutoff controls www.taco-hvac.com Low water cutoff (LWCO) line of controls with the addition of two new series: the LTA-2 and the LF. Taco now offers three series (LTR, LTA-2 and LF) for reliable protection of all types of boilers, ranging from small residential hot water boilers to large industrial steam boilers. LWCO’s are designed to prevent a boiler from operating if the water level dips below the minimum safe operating level, since in a low water condition heat can rapidly accumulate causing significant damage to the boiler and pose a potential external safety hazard. Taco. |
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Eye/face wash system |
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New 3/8" PEX-AL-PEX |
Movers & Shakers
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East Freetown, Mass. -- Heat Transfer Products (HTP) has appointed solar industry veteran Rod Hyatt to fill the newly created post of solar product manager, with responsibility for marketing HTP’s rapidly expanding line of solar thermal products throughout North America. A native of Utah, he will be based near Salt Lake City. Hyatt brings 16 years of solar product experience to his new assignment, including the launch of two highly successful start-ups in the field: Sun Hydronics and In Hot Water.