Search results

Ronald L. Ward has been named vice‐president—international activities for Howmet Turbine Components Corporation.

VFP Fluid Power Ltd has established a specialist sales division to serve the company's growing business in hydraulic systems. Barry Johnson, who joined VFP earlier last year as worldwide sales executive, has been promoted to systems sales manager. Mr Johnson will be responsible for all hydraulic systems including those for the automotive, aerospace, mining and steel industries and large civil engineering projects.

Acting through its parent company the Satra Group, Ion Deposition Ltd has purchased the assets of Peatgrange IVD Ltd, its former competitor of Leeds. The negotiations were headed by the managing director, Raymond Palmer, for the purchase of Peatgrange IVD's assets from its parent company, the Cray Group.

The Six Sigma phenomenon has followed the TQM movement as the latest thrust for many companies seeking to improve their performance and effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to review the basic concepts of Six Sigma, its benefits, and successful approaches for implementation. In particular, we benchmark the practices of the General Electric Company, one of the leaders and innovators in implementing the process. We conclude that keys for successful implementation include upper management support and involvement, organizational infrastructure, training, tools, and links to human resources‐based actions.

HOWMET Corporation's Hampton (Virginia) Casting Division recently received a sole source contract from Ishikawajima‐Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (IHI), of Japan, for one‐piece investment‐cast titanium fan frames for IHI's V2500‐A5 jet aircraft engines used in the Airbus A320 family of aircraft. In making the announcement, Thomas E. desEnfants, Howmet's vice president — sales, said the contract for this sophisticated, triple‐wall, state‐of‐the‐art casting represents an important step in the company's efforts to expand international sales of large, complex structural components.

Textron Lycoming turbine engine division and Russia's Aero Engine Scientific Technical Complex Soyuz (AESTC Soyuz) have announced their intention to co‐operate on a variety of engine development and marketing projects targeted at the regional commercial aviation market in Russia and the CIS, China and Eastern Europe. The agreement provides for:

THE European Casting Division of Howmet (UK) Inc based in Exeter is a world leader in the development and production of investment cast aerofoil and structural castings used in turbine rotors and nozzle guide vanes for helicopter engines, aerospace, marine and industrial gas turbines. It produces these precision investment castings in sizes ranging from 100 grams or so to some, so large, that two people could just about lift them.

MAJOR developments in the design of a range of new co‐ordinate measuring machine (CMM) are announced by leading UK manufacturer LK Ltd of Castle Donington, Derbyshire. The new LK range comprises eleven models of large horizontal arm travelling column measuring machines and is designated CF‐90 since they are manufactured primarily from carbon fibre. Additionally, advanced “stalk technology” engineering has been employed in conjunction with invar (nickel/iron alloy) and ceramic guideways to produce machines of high thermal stability and capable of high speed operation.