Private and governmental studies, as well as common sense, tell us the so-called Baby Boomers are exiting the workforce in increasing numbers. For several years it might have been possible to attribute this phenomenon to normal attrition. Since the mid 2000s, however, many in that cohort of maintenance professionals are being forced out of jobs for reasons that have more to do with the state of the corporate economy than with almost anything else.

Supplies at Work: Siemens Sinvert inverter featured in solar-powered aggregate facility

Siemens Industry (www.usa.siemens.com/industry) has added another megawatt (MW) of solar power to its portfolio as Granite Construction Company (GCC www.graniteconstruction.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Granite Construction Inc., recently commissioned one of the nation's first solar-powered aggregate and hot-mix facilities located in Coalinga, California.

It seems that many people are rather concerned about the quantity of carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, fluorocarbons, and other greenhouse gases that a manufacturing plant dumps into that ocean of pristine air we so love to breathe.

Supplies at Work: Honeywell supplies control and safety systems for RWE Dea's North Sea platforms

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) has been selected by RWE Dea to design and install the Integrated Control and Safety Systems (ICSS) at both of RWE Dea's North Sea platforms, Clipper South and Breagh A. The projects will see Honeywell Process Solutions' (HPS) ICSS implemented at the two RWE Dea's North Sea platforms.

The industrial world is an ever-evolving landscape of innovation, collaboration and improvement. In an effort to highlight the companies on the forefront of change, we are introducing a new feature, Supplies at Work. Designed to honor innovation, this regular feature will offer a quick overview of recent MRO achievements. Here are just a few of the companies striving for industrial advancement.

Plant Services is an MRO (maintain, repair, replace, retrofit, overhaul and operations) publication that features problem-solving editorials and articles related to a variety of plant issues. Plant Services magazine features articles, news items and case histories written by industry insiders, including David Berger, Peter Garforth, Sheila Kennedy, Russ Kratowicz, Joel Leonard, Tom Moriarty and Paul Studebaker.

Unless your company has unlimited funding, the thrifty among plant management are normally careful with the capital budget. While some might purchase equipment directly from the OEM to guarantee machinery quality, others on a more restricted budget might opt to purchase used or refurbished equipment to save a few dollars.

The industrial world is an ever-evolving landscape of innovation, collaboration and improvement. In an effort to highlight the companies on the forefront of change, we are introducing a new feature, Supplies at Work. Designed to honor innovation, this regular feature will offer a quick overview of recent MRO achievements. Here are just a few of the companies striving for industrial advancement.

Plant Services is an MRO (maintain, repair, replace, retrofit, overhaul and operations) publication that features problem-solving editorials and articles related to a variety of plant issues. Plant Services magazine features articles, news items and case histories written by industry insiders, including David Berger, Peter Garforth, Sheila Kennedy, Russ Kratowicz, Joel Leonard, Tom Moriarty and Paul Studebaker.

Optimizing your compressed air system and saving energy are both really good ideas. The Compressed Air Challenge is holding a Web-based seminar on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. eastern time with some tips on how to do both. Subsequent classes will be Nov. 16, Nov. 30, and Dec. 7.

Learn how to uncover common issues in compressed air systems in this interactive live seminar. Led by U.S. Department of Energy experts, this course covers a seven-step action plan for affordable system improvements.