Airgas Celebrates Grand Opening of Air Separation Unit in Illinois Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company, recently marked the grand opening of its new air separation unit in Minooka, Ill., with a ribbon cutting ceremony and guided tours. This air separation unit has the capability to produce more than 500 tons per day of oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and ultrahigh-purity oxygen, increasing the company’s production capabilities in the Chicago area. It is managed by Airgas’ merchant gases division. “By building a new air separation unit in Minooka, Ill., we are able to increase our capacity to serve our customers throughout the Midwest, while also investing in the longterm growth opportunities of this important region,” said Pascal Vinet, Airgas CEO. In addition to Vinet, event attendees included Illinois State Senator Sue Rezin, Illinois State Representative David Welter, Village of Minooka President Patrick Brennan, CEO of the Grundy County Economic Development Council Nancy Norton Ammer, members of the Grundy County Board, and Chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc., Michael Graff. KimberlyClark Professional, AWS Award Jackson Safety Scholarship Three experienced welding instructors have been selected by the American Welding Society (AWS), Miami, Fla., to receive Jackson Safety Scholarships from Kimberly-Clark Professional, Roswell, Ga. These awards were presented to Adam Lynnes of Lynnes Welding Training, Inc., Fargo, N.D., who plans to use his grant to become a Certified Higher Education Professional; Dayton Block, a teacher with the Edmonton Catholic School Board, St. Joseph High School, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, who plans to use his grant to complete his educational degree and become a fully licensed teacher; and Chad Russell, a welding professor at Merced College, Merced, Calif., who plans to use the grant to take AWS online courses. The scholarships come with a one-time $2500 continuing education grant. They are given to welding educators with a track record of demonstrating safe behaviors, fostering those values in their students, and promoting continuous safety improvements in their schools. “Welding instructors are in the unique position to influence the long-term safety and values of their students. This grant rewards exceptional instructors who truly make a difference in the safety behaviors of the welders training under them,” said Kanchan Patkar, global safety leader, Kimberly- Clark Professional. Gestamp Chooses Ann Arbor Region for New Chassis, Paint, and Laser Welding Lines Madrid, Spain-based Corporación Gestamp, an international supplier of metal parts and assemblies for auto manufacturers, has chosen to locate its new manufacturing facility in Chelsea, Mich. Gestamp Washtenaw, LLC, a new subsidiary of Gestamp, will invest $68 million and create 195 new jobs over the next four years. The company is not only building chassis assembly and electronic coat paint lines but also adding a remote laser welding 3D technology line. Ann Arbor SPARK provided site selection assistance to Gestamp as it looked for a facility in this region and connected the company to resources at Michigan Works that will help find skilled labor. Metal Fatigue Solutions Awarded $250,000 National Science Foundation Grant Metal Fatigue Solutions, Las Vegas, Nev., a producer of advanced nondestructive examination technology systems for civil and industrial infrastructure, has won a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant funds the development and fusion of the company’s patented Fatigue FuseTM system designed to be affixed to a metal structure to give indications of precalibrated percentages of the structure’s fatigue life. Work from this grant will provide a wireless fatigue life indicator for critical structures such as military assets, shipping cranes, accelerated bridge construction assets, wind turbines, and oil/gas industry assets. The company is working with the University of California at Los Angeles to execute this Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer grant. Massachusetts Governor Signs Legislation to Support Public Fire Safety Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed H.4455, An Act creating a special commission studying cutting, welding and hot work processes regulated by the State Fire Code. Under the new law, a special commission will be charged to investigate and study the current requirements for any licensing or permits governing cutting, welding, and other hot work processes to determine if the industry is adequately regulated to protect the public. It will study the use of supervised details and fire watches, adequacy of fees for inspection and oversight, and the deterrent effect of penalties for violations of rules and regulations, along with potential cost recovery and assessment for damages resulting from failure to comply with rules and regulations. PRESS TIME NEWS 8 WELDING JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2016 WJ Pictured at the ribbon cutting for Airgas’s new air separation unit are (from left) Pascal Vinet, CEO, Airgas; Nancy Norton Ammer, CEO, Grundy County Economic Development Council; Tom Stringer, president, bulk and onsite ops, Airgas; Tom Thoman, senior vice president, merchant gases, Airgas; Sue Rezin, Illinois state senator; Michael Graff, chairman and CEO, American Air Liquide Holdings; Patrick Brennan, Village of Minooka president; and David Welter, Illinois state representative.
Welding Journal | December 2016
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