| AEM FORMS UNDERGROUND EQUIPMENT COUNCIL |
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has established the Underground Equipment Manufacturers Council (UEMC) to help its member companies more effectively address safety, regulatory and other issues affecting the underground construction and utility industry. The product-oriented activities of the UEMC will focus on trenching, trenchless, vacuum excavation and underground tracking and locating products, and will cover areas including safety, standards and regulations, statistics and marketing data, education, public policy and the industry’s image. The new AEM product group is a consolidation of four existing association group: the Trencher Equipment Council, Trenchless Equipment Council, Underground Electronics Committee, and the Vacuum Excavation Manufacturers Council. Their members voted to combine operations to more efficiently handle common issues. The four groups will become standing committees of UEMC so manufacturers can continue to address specific needs relating to their individual product lines. UEMC Chairman is Stan Mullins, standards and regulations, Charles Machines Works (Ditch Witch), Perry, Okla. Vice Chair is Tom Haley, manger of engineering services, Vermeer Mfg. Co., Pella, Iowa. |
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The Contractors Pump Bureau (CPB), a product group of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, had developed a voluntary industry standard for measuring sound levels emitted by portable dewatering pumps, including power supply units for hydraulic submersible pumps from different manufacturers, which is especially important when choosing pumps for noise-sensitive applications in both residential and commercial areas.
The CPB standard provides manufacturers with an accurate, repeatable procedure for measuring the noise levels of pumps and related power supply units. Manufacturers can then list these measurements in company informational materials as “pursuant to the CPB Sound Level Measurement Standard for Pump Units.”
“Up until now, there really has been no standard for measuring pump noise levels,” said Don Racer, product development manager for CPB-member Gorman-Rupp Co., Mansfield, Ohio. “Our goal was to allow customers to compare apples to apples when reviewing a manufacturer’s advertised claims.”
REAL-WORLD RESULTS. The standard is the result of cooperative efforts among the group’s manufacturers to develop a uniform method for measuring noise created by their products. Many manufacturers have used a standard originally developed for portable generators, which produce comparatively steady noise levels. However, pump noise levels can change depending on factors such as the rates of material flow and the materials that are flowing, as well as pump surroundings.
“The standard achieves real-world results by specifying such critical factors as pump setup, operating speed and duty conditions,” said Dale Conway, vice president of engineering for CPB-member Thompson Pump & Mfg., Port Orange, Fla. “And, customers will have baseline data to help predict how a pump will fare on the noise meter at a particular jobsite.”
MULTIPLE MEASURMENTS. The CPB Sound Level Measurement Standard for Pump Units establishes a test environment, instrumentation requirements, pump configuration, microphone locations and pump load conditions for measuring noise levels. The standard does not establish maximum allowable noise levels.
The standard calls for an outdoor test side consisting of a hard, flat ground surface, such as asphalt or concrete with no sound-reflecting objects within a distance of 21 meters. Manufacturers must take eight sound level measurements at points seven meters from, and especially around the unit. Measurements must be taken for 15 seconds while the units are pumping at specific speed and load conditions. The average of the eight measurements will then be published in A-weighted decibels or dB(A).
With the standard now in place, manufactures are implementing plans to test their pumps, with measurements to be published in company informational materials. The expected timetable is six to 12 months. The CPB encourages all manufacturers, including non-CPB members, to use the standard for the benefit customers.
SAFETY & EFFICIENCY. The noise measurement standard is the latest achievement of AEM’s Contractors Pump Bureau. Formed in 1938, CPB members include manufacturers of pumps and pump components. The group provides industry services tailored to contractor pump users, as well as pump manufacturers and component suppliers. Its mission is to pursue activities that address cost-effective products processes, improved customer service and the manufacture of safer and more efficient products.
In addition the noise measurement standard, the CPB has developed several safety-related and informational aids. These include a widely-used Pump Selection Guidebook and a “Certified Performance” seal. The bureau also offers a safety manual describing procedures to follow for the safe operation and maintenance of portable pumps, and “The Right Moves,” a video also promoting the safe operation and maintenance of pumps.
For a free copy of the noise measurement standard developed by AEM’s Contractors Pump Bureau, go to the AEM Web site, www.aem.org/CBC/ProdSpec/CPB.
| AEM NAMES NEW DIRECTORS |
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AEM SETS ANNUAL CONFERENCE. "Adapt to Thrive” is the theme of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ annual conference, to be held Nov. 6 to 8, 2005 at the J.W. Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Ariz. The AEM yearly conference provides senior-level equipment manufacturing decision makers with vital tactics and strategies to help manage the complexities of running a successful business in today’s changing marketplace.
The AEM annual conference will feature speakers specifically chosen for their expertise in adapting to, managing and communicating change in dynamic organizations. High-profile presenters include U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp (now co-director of Empower America) and Chairman and CEO Wayne Murdy of Newmont Mining Corp.
Well-known television business journalist Stuart Varney will lead interactive “talk back” sessions to stimulate feedback and discussion among attendees and speakers. The AEM annual conference will also include breakout sessions on agriculture and construction industry trends to provide attendees with data they can use to adapt their businesses to the customer of tomorrow.
All AEM annual conference sessions are geared toward helping attendees thrive in a global competitive environment made more complex by production challenges, evolving distribution channels and the increased demand for manufacturing efficiency.
Continuing an AEM tradition of taking members to unique venues and creating energizing network events, the association’s annual conference includes a special reception and dinner experience at Caterpillar’s Tinaja Hills “proving grounds” facilities, including entertainment by country music star Phil Vassar.
Registration information and complete details for the AEM annual conference are posted online in the “education” section of the association’s Web site, www.aem.org.