Classification and labelling for chemicals, automatic transmissions are set for a market boost, while Allison and Cat offer new heavyweight transmissions and worms like synthetic oil.
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The United Nations revealed their full guidelines for classifying and labelling chemicals. The UN document revealed their Globally Harmonised System (GHS). The document provides a detailed explanation of the development, benefits and application of the system, as well as clear illustrations of signage and positioning of labelling.
GHS covers gaseous, liquid and solid chemicals and explosives and outlines both health and environmental hazards and was initially adopted by the UN in 2003 with the aim of standardising labels, language and precautions for the transportation and handling of chemicals worldwide.
The new guidelines gained support from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, who urged adoption of the GHS in the United States, although it stated that there would be practical hurdles to overcome.
The Global Harmonisation System had already received support from Europe with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) issuing two guidance documents at the end of 2008 regarding the implementation of the European Union's regulations for Classifying, Labelling and Packaging products. The documents provide legal details, implementation dates and methods of classification.
Meanwhile, at a European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) meeting in Berlin, ExxonMobil Chemical's President, Stephen Pryor, warned the petrochemical industry to innovate or fail. He stated, "If you don't continue to provide more and more value to customers and society, you will be sidelined". He claimed that ethylene demand would return, but Europe would face tough competition from new Middle Eastern plants. He also stated that energy saving products and processes would stimulate growth.
Pryor's views were reinforced by financial analyst Lewis Gaines, who believes that analysts have missed the significant financial impact of lubricant additives and the benefits they can provide to customer profitability. His opinion is supported by recent positive financial results from Lubrizol and Newmarket and Gaines goes on to say that this financial boost has potential in other areas of the speciality chemical sector and could significantly enhance supplier/customer relationships and the bottom line.
Transmissions were in the news this month, led by a report from Aei online which suggests that dual clutch, automatic transmissions are set to grab a 10% share of the 'traditional' automotive transmission market. The article includes contributions from Getrag Ford, Volkswagen and BorgWarner and discusses the benefits of the latest dual clutch technology.
Allison Transmissions are certainly taking advantage of the upward trend with the launch of their new T375 And T375R Bus Transmissions. The six-speed automatic boxes meet the new Euro 5 engines which demand higher power and torque while reducing emissions.
Caterpillar also announced new transmission technology with the launch of their CX31-P600 and CX35-P800 transmissions for oil and gas market. The technology has already been developed for mining, locomotive and earth moving. The optimisation for oil and gas includes options for integral pump drives, a rear pump drive and third-party PTOs. The CX31 will also include an option for an integral drop box.
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Image:Worm gearboxes in the food processing industry are also seeing the benefit of new technology. The introduction of synthetic lubricants has increased efficiency in the gearboxes of as much as 350%. More importantly, with the gearboxes often being hard to access, the dramatically improved lifecycles mean that disposable gearboxes become economically viable.
And finally, there is good news for ethanol makers who are working with the bio-chemical sector to identify methods of using the existing ethanol infrastructure to make higher-margin chemicals. Having been hit hard by rising corn costs and reduced demand, ethanol producers are seeking alternative sources of revenue closer to home and looking at using refining methods to tap into the green chemical market.