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EXCITING MAINTRAIN NEWS!

Companies urged to keep older workers on the job

Toronto—Manpower Canada released a survey that shows only 17 percent of employers in Canada have existing strategies in place to recruit older workers (age 50 and above) and only 24 percent have implemented plans to keep them in the workforce.

"Many employers aren’t considering the percentage of their workforce that will retire in the next five to 10 years, as well the potential loss of productivity and intellectual capital," says Lori Rogers, vice-president of operations, Manpower Canada. "Older adults will be one of the most important sources of talent in the future. If employers don't act soon, they will fail to win the war for talent."

The survey involved more than 1,300 Canadian employers and companies in other countries. When it comes to proactively retaining older workers, the survey found that employers in Japan and Singapore are far ahead of their global counterparts. Conversely, in Italy and Spain, far fewer employers have recruiting or retaining strategies in place.

In 19 of the 25 countries where employers were surveyed, retention strategies were more prevalent than recruiting strategies for older workers. This appears to be due to the fact that many of these countries have existing government legislation or programs to encourage employers to retain older workers.

The extent to which employers have addressed the recruitment and retention of older workers depends upon a variety of complex factors. According to Manpower, they include:

• Size of the national labour pool;

• Demographic profile of the labour pool;

• Degree to which talent shortages are being experienced at present; and

• Government legislation or programs that either promote or discourage workforce participation by older employees.

"Employers can no longer ignore the demographic forecasts and evidence of growing talent shortages," says Rogers. "The risk of negative impact on productivity and the company knowledge base is great. As a result, employers may not be able to avoid it unless they take proactive measures to engage the older workforce."

Manpower Canada has also released a white paper: "The New Agenda for an Older Workforce." The paper explores the looming worker shortage and reasons why companies should recruit/retain older employees. The paper includes useful recommendations for companies.

www.manpower.com

Maintaining cleated belting is important because a nearly direct ratio can be drawn between the number of broken cleats and the loss of conveyor efficiency.

Most maintenance managers, along with plant and material handling engineers, know that belt conveyors enhanced with cleats can boost conveyor efficiency, permit faster speeds and allow steeper inclines that use less belt and save floor space. The following are maintenance and repair tips to help users get the most out of their conveyor belt cleats:

Damaged and broken cleats result from a variety of circumstances. Sometimes cleats suffer abuse on the conveyor's return side, banging into the framework and return idlers. In the case of vulcanized or bonded cleats, bonds can simply deteriorate over time. Severe operating environments—such as extreme or wildly fluctuating temperatures, or added drag forces brought on by the conveyor passing through water, etc.—can cause cleats to weaken at the base or lead to vertical cracking. The conveyed products themselves—especially those made of abrasive, jagged and heavy materials, or dropped from hoppers—also can lead to cleat failure.

Maintaining cleated belting is important because a nearly direct ratio can be drawn between the number of broken cleats and the loss of conveyor efficiency. A 10-cleat conveyor loses 10 percent of its potential productivity for each broken cleat. Furthermore, one missing cleat overloads the one immediately behind it, creating a domino effect. Damaged cleats usually become more costly and disruptive the longer they go unrepaired.

Just be careful which action you take. Often when cleats break, conveyor users improvise with a piece of wood, angle-iron or whatever else is handy, crudely attached to the belt where the broken cleat sat. Although such improvised cleats might move product with varying degrees of success, their inflexibility can initiate new problems. In addition to potentially harming conveyed products, a makeshift cleat may also damage the conveyor system. A piece of angle-iron, for instance, will not yield if it catches on framing or return idlers; more likely it will rip out the belt. Angle-iron or wood will not flex going around a pulley, but instead will stress the belt and eventually shear the belt fabric.

Likewise, improper fasteners, such as nails, wire, standard bolts or screws, can tear and weaken the belt's carcass. This contributes to early belt failure and perhaps damaging pulleys or lagging. Though some belt productivity may be temporarily saved, this type of improvisation can easily do more harm than good.

Hot vulcanization, cold bonding and heat welding usually aren’t viable on-site methods for replacing broken or missing cleats because their cost and downtime aren't easily justified. Sometimes the belting is too old or worn to even consider them. In contrast, mechanically attached conveyor-belt cleats provide a fast, easy, economical and dependable method of replacing individual cleats—even on belts initially cleated by moulding or fabrication. Repair downtime is minimal because spare cleats can be stocked in-house for immediate replacement, or delivered off the shelf from distributors that maintain an inventory of attachable cleats.

Replacement time depends largely on the installation method. Bolt and screw-type attachments ensure better stability, and can be completed quickly with common hand tools, such as a carpenter's square, punch or drill, hammer and screwdriver or wrench.

Cleat material is simply cut to the desired length. Holes are punched or drilled through the belt at intervals, corresponding to the holes in the bottom of the cleat or the distance desired between lugs or pegs. Holes can be conveniently made with a hammer-driven belt punch. For easier, faster or higher-volume installation, however, power punches are available for use with square-drive air or electric-impact tools. Most screw-attached cleats have threaded anchors securely moulded into the cleat body at engineered intervals, while some cleats attach with traditional through-bolts and nuts. This allows bolt placement wherever the installer chooses.

With minimal training, in-house maintenance personnel usually can replace a broken or missing cleat within half an hour.

Beth Miller is market manager with Downers Grove, IL-based Flexible Steel Lacing Co. You can reach her by email: bmiller@flexco.com. Also visit: www.flexco.com.

PTDA Canadian conference set for Québec City

Mary Sue Lyon, PTDA executive vice-president.

Chicago, IL—The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) will hold its sixth annual Canadian conference on May 31 to June 2, 2007 at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac Hotel in Québec City. The conference will provide an opportunity for attendees to explore nationally focused industry issues and trends, hear how their peers are tackling industry challenges and connect with potential business partners.

Highlights of this year's PTDA Canadian conference include:

• Keynote presentation by Peter R. Andersen, Ph.D., president, Andersen Economic Research Ltd. He will analyze domestic and global-leading indicators that affect Canadian markets;

• Customer presentations, including: Christian Van Houtte, president, Aluminum Association of Canada; Catherine Swift, president and CEO, Canadian Federation of Independent Business; Buzz Hargrove, president, Canadian Auto Workers; and Sean Whittaker, director policy and technical affairs, Canadian Wind Energy Association.

These industry presentations will offer an overview of both key economic drivers and other industry trends affecting their markets. Each speaker will focus on providing a summary of their industry's growth prospects and the impact on their supplier base;

• The conference closer will feature a motivational presentation titled: "Put Your Heart into It," with Jean-Marc Chaput. Be prepared to have your energy lifted and enthusiasm rejuvenated. Chaput has instilled a passionate philosophy on life into thousands of entrepreneurs;

• Formal and informal networking with important Canadian power transmission/motion control market decision-makers; and

• Social events, including an optional golf outing, dinner at the Musée de la Civilisation and closing dinner at the world famous Château Frontenac.

"The PTDA Canadian conference program continues to be a success every year. We expect the conference in Québec City to be the best yet," says PTDA executive vice-president Mary Sue Lyon. "The PTDA Canadian conference is a tremendous opportunity for both learning and networking. We'll have the leaders of the Canadian power transmission industry in one place at one time."

The conference is open to all PTDA members selling product in Canada (distributors and manufacturers), as well as non-members who qualify for membership. For more information on the conference, contact the PTDA at tel: (312) 876.9461; email: ptda@ptda.org; Web site: www.ptda.org.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, May 31
10:45 a.m. - Golf outing

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Welcome reception

Friday, June 1
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Welcome breakfast

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Canadian economic forecast

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Customer presentations

12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. - Lunch

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Customer presentations

6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Reception and dinner

Saturday, June 2
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Breakfast

9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - PTDA update

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Motivational sesssion

11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Conference wrap up

* Free afternoon to enjoy Québec City

8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - Reception and dinner

www.ptda.org

The show is Quebec's largest marketplace for plant maintenance and design engineering equipment, supplies and services. The show will be held at Place Bonaventure in Montreal. For more information, contact the Society of Manufacturing Engineers toll free at (888) 322-7333.

The PTDA Canadian conference has become the place where the Canadian power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry meets. The PTDA Canadian conference will be held at the Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel in Quebec City. For more information, contact the PTDA at tel: (312) 516-2100; email: ptda@ptda.org; Web site: www.ptda.org.

November 26-29, 2007
MainTrain 2007

Get on board, the MainTrain is roaring back to Toronto! MainTrain is Canada's premier annual learning event and conference for maintenance and reliability professionals from across Canada. MainTrain 2006 was the best yet. Don't miss out this year! MainTrain 2007 will be held at the Toronto Novotel Centre. For more information, contact the Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada (PEMAC) at tel: (905) 823-7255; email: mail@pemac.org; Web site: www.maintrain.ca.