ASSOCIATIONS

By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 6/1/2000

AMTDA forms strategic partnership with Equipp.com.

The American Machine Tool Distributors' Assn. has formed a strategic partnership with Equipp.com, a full-service online machine tool auction marketplace.

Equipp.com and AMTDA will offer a machine tool trade-in system and a value-added services program to AMTDA's members and their customers, using Equipp.com's online auction site. They also will deliver the first used machine tool market pricing index for the machine tool industry.

"The bottom-line benefit to both parties is the ability to more readily facilitate the acquisition of new productivity and capacity enhancing equipment," says Ralph J. Nappi, AMTDA president. "AMTDA members also become more entrenched in their relationships with customers through the ability to provide value-added services beyond the sale of new equipment."

The goal of Equipp.com and AMTDA is to make trading a machine tool simple. They're developing the first-ever e-book pricing index for machine tools, similar to a "blue book" for cars. This information will be developed through an ongoing record of transactions, which will enable machine shops and dealers to track pricing on equipment and better establish the value of the trade-in.

For more information, contact AMTDA at (301) 738-1200.

FCI releases standards.

The Fluid Controls Institute releases the first standard for secondary pressure drainers.

The standard, FCI 97-1, Standard for Production Testing of Secondary Pressure Drainers, provides a uniform method for testing secondary pressure drainers and includes marking requirements and test methods for conducting shell tests and operational checks. The standard applies to secondary pressure drainers, which are typically used to collect and pump condensate.

The FCI is currently developing a performance test standard for secondary pressure drainers, which should be completed and released later this year.

For more information, call the FCI office, 216-241-7333.

Material handling association appoints staff.

The Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) recently announced the appointment of new staff members and the election of the 2000 Board of Governors for its umbrella organization, the Material Handling Industry (MHI).

MHIA staff appointments include: executive vice president-business development, Hal Vandiver; executive vice president-professional development, Dr. Richard Ward, Ph.D. PE; assistant vice president-sales, William Capps; assistant vice president-finance, Michael Laurent; senior director-events, Tom Meinert; senior director-sales, Tom Carbott; member services coordinator, Joan Comerford; and MIS systems administrator, Scott Braun.

MHI Board of Governors members include: executive chairman, William R. Michaels; executive vice chairman and chairman-Material Handling Industry of America, Wilbert J. Persch; last retiring executive chairman, D. Bruce Wise; last retiring chairman-MHIA, Ted Hammond; vice chairmen, James Allred, Ralph Deger, John Hill, Brian McNamara, George Prest, David Reh, James C. Robertson, Art St. Onge, John W. Splude and John B. Nofsinger; MHI general counsel, J. Sherman McLaughlin, Esq.

In addition, MHIA recently published its 2000 Annual Report, which presents both state-of-the-industry and state-of-MHI updates, and its 2000 Material Handling Resource Catalog, which details available educational and technical literature and resource items.

For more information, call MHIA at (704) 676-1190.

Independent Distributors Cooperative makes appointments.

The Independent Distributors Cooperative-USA-a purchasing cooperative of independent distributors of bearing and power transmission products-recently appointed Jack L. Bailey as president and CEO.

The IDC-USA also elected three members to the Board of Directors: Jim Breen, Gulf Coast Bearing & Supply Co.; Alfred Apple, Drives & Conveyors, Inc.; and Dave LaRue, Baldwin Supply Co., who will serve as chairman of the board. Blake Hawk, Edwards Industrial Sales, Inc., was reappointed as treasurer.

The cooperative also recently relocated its headquarters, customer service and distribution center to 933 Western Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46242-0428, near the Indianapolis International Airport.

For more information, call the IDC-USA at (317) 244-9200.

Send Association News to senior editor Susan Srikonda, Industrial Distribution, 275 Washington St., Newton, Mass., 02458; call (617) 558-4722; fax to (617) 558-4327; or e-mail to ssrikonda@cahners.com.