March 2011 : In this newsletter:

• Did You Know?
• Hot Products
• Professionally Speaking
• ECO:
• Monthly Specials
• Safety Tip

Efficiency Pays

David Wiedberg, Global Energy Partners
John Murphy, Washington University in St. Louis

In 2008, Gov. Ed Rendell signed legislation intended to help residents and businesses save money by reducing electric consumption. Act 129 requires utilities to develop cost-effective plans to reduce consumption by 1 percent by 2011, and by 3 percent by 2013. To accomplish these goals, electric distribution companies in the state are offering specific conservation and demand response measures and implementing programs, such as Duquesne Light's Watt Choices, (www.wattchoices.com) to help customers take advantage of these rebates and offers.

Customers, and the suppliers and contractors they serve, should investigate the potential for rebates of all energy efficient capital projects underway or planned in the near future.

The Watt Choices program provides rebates for various commercial and industrial energy efficiency measures, such as new lighting, energy efficient air compressors, and high efficiency motors. This program offers an excellent way for manufacturers of this equipment, their dealers, and contractors, to provide value and improve paybacks on common energy efficiency measures.

Duquesne Light has hired a number of conservation service providers (CSPs) to handle the day-to-day tasks associated with this program. Commercial and industrial customers are assigned to specific CSPs based on SIC code. For instance, Global Energy Partners, one of the CSPs, assists Duquesne Light's mixed industrial and chemical customers.

Rebates from the Watt Choices program follow one of two paths, and so can be either prescriptive or custom. Prescriptive rebates are based on a set value for each item rebated, so a 6 bulb T5 high bay fixture replacing a metal halide fixture is given a rebate of $ 93.50 and a energy-star copier is given a $ 100 rebate. As can be seen, the list of prescriptive items is quite extensive, so it is worthwhile to look at the rebate catalog on the Watt Choices website.

Custom rebates are required for more complex measures, such as changes to HVAC controls. In all cases, commercial and industrial customers (and their contractors) must work through their approved CSP rather than Duquesne Light. The program is currently winding up its first of three years, so there is still plenty of time to obtain rebates for energy savings measures.

General program questions, including verification of eligibility, should be directed to David Wiedberg at dweidberg@gepllc.com. Requests for site visits for specific projects should be directed to John Murphy at jmurphy@wustl.edu.



To read the press release from the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission click here.

You can view a similar program run by Allegheny Power by clicking here.

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Say Goodbye to Your Grease Gun

Doug Goldstrohm, Sales and Business Administrator, Wojanis Supply Company

Plotted on a graph, ideal bearing greasing in a typical day would be represented as a straight horizontal line. In reality, periodic daily preventative bearing maintenance fluctuates dramatically. The result: increased wear spawning decreased performance and longevity.

Bearing life is dependent on the amount of grease in the bearing—too much grease can be as bad as not enough. Non-sealed bearings require a precise amount of grease to function properly. The corresponding graph illustrates that over time, scheduled maintenance causes greasing spikes and deficits in the maintenance cycle. As a result, bearings are only receiving the specified lubrication 12.5 percent of the time.

Enter Bravo-a pump with applications in automation, plastics, automotive, heavy equipment and oil and gas fields. Appropriate grease levels can be maintained with an automatic greasing system such as Bravo. The graph shows a slight curve illustrating nearly ideal greasing over an eight-hour shift.

Bravo is a product of the Italian lubrication systems company, DropsA. The compact system is offered in 12/24 VDC and 110/220 VAC configurations. Programming can be adapted to run based on cycle, time or pulse. A standard system is equipped with one pumping element. Two additional elements can be added to increase volume to a maximum of .51 cubic inches/minute. A standard pump is offered with one, 2 liter reservoir, but offers the possibility reservoir expansion. Pumps can be controlled by onboard electronics or dummy controlled by a nearby PLC.

The choice is clear: A BRAVO pump will save time and reduce wear and tear on equipment by guaranteeing scheduled lubrication.

Wojanis Supply is a distributor of the BRAVO pump. For more information on the pump contact Doug Goldstrohm at dougg@wojanis.com or visit www.wojanis.com for details.

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From the Banker
Andrew Hasley, Allegheny Valley Bank

The economy has continued to experience disruption and change. Small businesses will be in need of cash as they work their way back to prosperity. It is very important for businesses to be prepared when they go to their banker in search of credit. Below is a primer to help understand what a bank considers when looking at a lending opportunity. The good news is that banks that stuck to prudent lending practices, like Allegheny Valley Bank, have funds available for distribution and support of local businesses. Since times were so good for so long and credit standards widened so far, many business owners don’t remember the basics of preparing to see their banker. Does anyone remember the five C's of credit? Well here is what you should consider:

Capacity to pay:

• What is the company's borrowing history and record of repayment?
• What is the company’s past, present, and projected future cash flow?
• Are there any secondary sources of repayment?
• How do the company’s financial ratios compare to industry benchmarks?

Capital:

• What is the trend of capital in the business?
• How well-capitalized is the business?
• How much has the owner invested themselves? How much do they have at risk?

Character:

• What is the character of the owners of the company?
• What is management’s reputation in the industry and community?
• What is management’s background – experience, abilities, etc?
• How does management treat their employees, suppliers and customers?

Collateral:

• What assets are available to pledge as an alternate repayment source?
• What personal guarantees will be provided?
• Do the assets available for pledge match the loan request – short-term assets for short-term loan requests?
• Are there any existing liens against the assets?

Conditions:
Industry -

• How is the company affected by the current economic conditions?
• Was the company sensitive to this economic downturn? If so, how were productivity and expenses managed?
• Are there any economic or political hot potatoes that could negatively impact the growth of the business?
• Are there seasonality factors?

Loan Documents – Often banks will consider adding conditions to an approval such as:

• Minimum financial ratio levels may be required.
• Banks will often require levels of financial reporting dependent on loan size either monthly, quarterly, or annually.
• Lines of credit may be on a borrowing base or require a 30-day clearance period.
• Concentration covenants may be a condition requiring the company to report any customers lost over a defined percentage of revenue.

It is important to provide the bank with a well-written business plan so they can clearly understand the vision and mission, history, industry/product or service offering, SWOT, customer base, financial projections, and goals. If a business owner is challenged understanding the numbers or preparing the information, it is highly recommended they partner with a CPA that can provide solid support and insight. Bring these partners to meet with the bank! It can make a huge difference. Most importantly, work with a lender that takes the time to understand your business. If they dedicate the time to understanding who you are and what you do, this is a relationship that will last forever. They will structure your loan in a way you will be able to afford.

Try one of our Business Bankers as they can make a world of difference: April Simile at 412-781-0681 or Robert Addoms at 412-781-5384.

We are problem solvers. We ensure a great customer experience. We deliver the product that is... right for you.

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Rewriting Recycling

There's no excuse this month. We've got a product for you that you can use in your cubical, warehouse or boardroom.

It's a pen and it's getting an A+ rating all around for knowing the three R's : Recycled. Refillable. Really cool. - Oh yeah, retractable too.

Think about all the water bottles you see thrown away throughout the day. I’m sure you’ve already instituted recycling bins but let’s take it one step further. Take a look at this pen by Pilot. The B2P is literally made from a recycled water bottle and it even looks like one, yet smaller of course. Made out of 89% recycled plastic, the B2P ink roller ball writing utensil comes in two sizes (0.7 mm and 0.5 mm), four colors (green, black, blue and red) — and one sleek look.

The manufacturer's list price for the pens is $2.29 each, but Angela Moffatt from D&D Office Plus in North Versailles says the pen retails for $1.69 at the store.

"The Pilot B2P – Bottle to Pen looks cool, saves empty water bottles from hitting the landfill and writes great," she said.

Information for this article was gleaned from the Pilot — B2P website. For more information, visit pilot-b2p.com.

To purchase these pens for your company, call D&D Office Plus at (412) 829-1200.

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Ztek® Safety Glasses
Features a wraparound single lens with panoramic view and rubber temple tips that provide a non-binding fit. Lenses are coated for superior scratch resistance and provide 99% protection from UVA and UVB rays. Mini-Ztek® is ideal for women and people with smaller facial sizes. Meets ANSI Z87.1-2003 High Impact and CSA Z94.3. CE EN 166 Certified.

Learn more!


Please visit ShannonSafety.com to get pricing and many other sale items!

Shannon Safety Products and Shannon Optical have been leaders in the distribution of Personal Protective Equipment and Prescription Safety Glass Programs since 1961. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, both the distribution of industrial safety products and supplies and our full-service optical laboratory are housed in our 30,000-square-foot facility.

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OSHA Adopts Global Harmonization
Aaron Cameron, American Society of Safety Engineers Western PA Chapter President

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) (www.osha.gov) published a proposed rulemaking on September 30, 2009 to align OSHA's Hazard Communication standard (HCS) with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). The primary benefit of the GHS is to increase the quality and consistency of information provided to workers, employers and chemical users by adopting a standardized approach to hazard classification, labels and safety data. The GHS provides a single set of harmonized criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health and physical hazards and specifies hazard communication elements for labeling and safety data sheets. Highlights include a standardized 16-section format for all Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs); Labels must include a harmonized signal word, pictogram and hazard statement for each hazard class and category; provides specific criteria for classification of health and physical hazards and mixtures. This system was approved on an international level by governments, industry and labor and was adopted by the UN in 2002 with a goal of 2008 for implementation. At this point, we don’t know what the public commentary, which ended December 29, 2009, has yielded, but it is expected that employers will have two years to retrain their employees in the new standard after it is approved.

Thank you in advance for supporting your employee's health and well-being.

For more information visit www.asse.org or www.osha.org or contact Aaron Cameron at acameron@harsco.com.