Essex E-Mmerce In the News

In August 2002, Essex Industries put a new data collection system into place at its Essex Manufacturing facility. The system integrates radio frequency data collection terminals with existing IT infrastructure, making receiving, material movement and inventory information available in real-time to managers and point-of-activity users. Site reviews have also been performed at Essex Cryogenics and Essex PB&R to prepare for eventual implementation at those facilities.

While the primary motivation for installing the new data collection system was faster and more accurate labor reporting, it also automates inventory control. Employees can input labor into fixed terminals and inventory can be received, stocked and issued from hand-held RF terminals. All transactions are communicated online, in real-time with the main server. Work order packets are processed and printed with bar codes, allowing users to scan rather than manually key in data when starting and stopping a job or recording move quantities from operation to operation or work center to work center. This results in more precise tracking of productivity and order status.

“Essex Manufacturing is committed to providing the highest possible value to our customers.’

“These online, real-time updates offer better labor and inventory control and more accurate dispatch reports. They also make it possible to monitor how actuals compare to standards as a job is being produced rather than after it is completed. This gives us the ability to review production results in a timely fashion and provides insight into operations that may need changes to improve efficiency.’ notes Roy Williams, Production Control Manager, Essex Manufacturing.

Through the new data collection system, Essex Manufacturing can capture a real-time snapshot of resources, enabling us to better allocate people and equipment. Using this information, issues relating to planning, product availability, employee efficiency, and quality control can be addressed swiftly and efficiently — ultimately saving time and money for our customers.

“Essex Manufacturing is committed to providing the highest possible value to our customers. We will continue to integrate forward-looking processes and systems like Lean Manufacturing, RF data collection and Kanban into our operations as part of an ongoing effort to improve the quality of our products and service,’ notes Williams.

In November 2001, Essex Cryogenics entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Air Liquide of France to utilize their On-Board Oxygen Generating Systems (OBOGS) technology. Our agreement allows us to design, develop, manufacture, test, field repair and generally support our Department of Defense customers in their aircraft retrofit programs and medical gas-generating projects. OBOGS is a revolutionary system that yields a continuous supply of breathing oxygen to an aircraft crew or a patient with no replenishment requirements.

When an unpressurized aircraft is flying above 10,000 feet, the crew must breathe supplemental oxygen to compensate for low air pressure at high altitude. This is critical in preventing hypoxia, a condition where reduced oxygen in the blood supply results in deterioration of a pilot’s motor skills and reasoning ability — a circumstance with devastating results at cruise altitude.

In the past, most supplemental oxygen supply systems were LOX, or Liquid Oxygen. When oxygen is cooled to -297° F, it is converted to liquid. A small amount of oxygen in liquid form converts to a very large amount of oxygen gas. This is an advantage of the LOX system, since on a fighter the goal is to provide the maximum amount of oxygen in the smallest space possible.

OBOGS oxygen concentrator separates nitrogen molecules from the air and allows oxygen gas to pass through to a pilot's chest mounted regulator and into his or her mask.

However, LOX systems require an extensive on-ground infrastructure of personnel and equipment including trucks, tanks, and storage facilities. OBOGS is attractive because it does not require this degree of logistical support since oxygen is actually generated on-board the aircraft. Here’s how it works: bleed air from the turbine engine is captured and fed into the aircraft’s environmental control unit (ECU). It is then filtered and diverted to the OBOGS. There, it enters a molecular sieve bed and the absorbent material in the bed attracts the nitrogen, allowing the oxygen to pass through as product gas. Once the absorbent media in the sieve bed has reached its nitrogen removal capacity, the device reduces the pressure in the beds, releasing the nitrogen gas to an overboard vent. The system then re-pressurizes and is ready for the absorption process and the oxygen gas generation to begin again. The oxygen produced has a concentration of approximately 94% pure with the balance most likely being argon. The oxygen gas is then passed on to crew members through the normal oxygen delivery system. Over the next ten to twelve years, as the Air Force and Navy upgrade existing aircraft, LOX systems will be removed and aircraft will be retrofitted with OBOGS.

Essex Cryogenics has been providing life-supporting oxygen systems to military aircraft crews for almost forty years and we are the worldwide leader in LOX technology. The move to OBOGS is a logical next step in our product development efforts. The ability to produce oxygen gas on demand is an ever-increasing need for many of our customers and they have specifically asked us to develop this technology for a number of large programs just around the corner.

VICTIM RESCUE UNIT (VRU) offers protection from fire, smoke and toxic fumes.

We’ve all seen them: the terrible images of people fleeing through the streets of New York amid thick clouds of smoke and debris in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Events like these have created a heightened sense of awareness and concern about personal safety. Smoke hoods, self-contained devices that provide respiratory and eye protection during fire-related emergencies, are primarily used by pilots, crew and passengers on military aircraft and commercial airliners. But recently, Essex PB&R has seen increasing interest in smoke hood products like the Victim Rescue Unit (VRU) and the Plus 10 from individuals, corporations and government agencies. The VRU is intended for trained individuals in rescue and escape situations for protection from fire, smoke and toxic fumes, including chemical and hazardous material spills. The Plus 10 is designed to protect the layperson in the air, at home, in hotels and when traveling. Since September 11, orders have surged by about 700 percent for the VRU and nearly 1000 percent for the Plus 10.

In an emergency like a fire or plane crash, the primary cause of death is not flames or impact, but inhalation of smoke and toxic fumes. The most important thing one can do to survive a fire is to maintain a source of breathable air. Because Essex PB&R’s smoke hoods were designed for military and commercial use, they provide more extensive and longer-lasting protection than most smoke hoods designed for the consumer market. The VRU provides up to 60 minutes of protection for someone awaiting rescue, up to 18 minutes during moderate walking, and 3-8 minutes during heavy exertion, like running up stairs.

Engineered to withstand high heat, fumes and smoke, the Plus 10 is small enough to fit in a briefcase or purse.

Engineered to withstand high heat, fumes and smoke, the Plus 10 is small enough to fit in a briefcase or purse. Unlike most smoke hoods available in the consumer market, the Plus 10 protects against an array of toxic fumes including carbon monoxide, other dangerous gases and chemical warfare agents. Carbon monoxide is the toxin most responsible for fire-related fatalities. Present in virtually all fires, it is lethal at concentrations as low as 0.5% and disabling at even lower levels. The Plus 10 provides 60 minutes of protection against carbon monoxide and 5 minutes of protection under extreme contamination conditions, regardless of physical activity. The Plus 10 is intended for use in smoke and fire emergencies where oxygen is present. It is not intended for use in an oxygen deficient atmosphere.

PB&R is currently exploring the possibility of developing a less expensive, consumer-oriented product, according to Russ Phinney, Vice President and General Manager of Essex PB&R. “Our goal is to keep protection levels high at a lower price.”

Boeing Integrated Defense Systems recently honored Essex Manufacturing with a Certificate of Recognition in Appreciation of Outstanding Service. Allan Bone, Design Engineer and Ed Wilke, Program Manager, along with their entire team, were recognized by Boeing for their participation and support of the T-45 Forward Flap Control Quadrant project. BoeingÕs Bob Flieg, Crew Systems Team Lead; John Minicky, Crew Systems Project Engineer; and Leonard Gnowjewski, Supplier Manager presented the awards in an informal ceremony at Essex on October 2, 2002. The project utilized EssexÕ superior engineering skills to design and develop the equipment, following BoeingÕs drawing guidelines and release procedures. Boeing was able to accomplish their objectives for the project without adding expensive full-time contract engineering services, demonstrating that these services can successfully be outsourced to a supplierÑwhen the supplier is Essex Manufacturing. The team thanks Boeing for their kind recognition of our know-how and hard work, and looks forward to collaborating with them on future projects.

Two Essex Industries companies, Essex PB&R and Essex Cryogenics, have received honors for their export activities, one at the state and one at the national level.

Essex PB&R, based in Edwardsville, Illinois, was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce with an Export Achievement Certificate at an August 2002 seminar at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Congressman John Shimkus (R-19th District) and Bruce Blakeman, deputy assistant secretary for Domestic Operations with the U.S. Department of Commerce, took part in the seminar, which was sponsored by the SIUE International Trade Center.

The Export Achievement Certificate recognizes companies that are clients of the Commerce Department’s U.S. Commercial Service, and have utilized their services to make their first export sale or open new foreign markets. The agency helps small to mid-size U.S. businesses sell products and services globally, and has a worldwide network of local Export Assistance Centers, including 108 in the U.S. and 150 internationally.

Essex PB&R, a leading provider of emergency portable rescue life-support products, participates in overseas trade shows as part of their export strategy. Exposure at these events has helped them develop export sales that now account for nearly 11 percent of their business.

Essex Cryogenics was named the 2002 Exporter of the Year by Missouri Governor Bob Holden at the 44th Annual Governor’s Economic Development Conference in June. The award was one of ten presented to Missouri businesses, communities and associations for outstanding economic development achievements.

Essex Cryogenics manufactures high pressure and liquid oxygen systems for military and industrial use. Twenty percent of Essex Cryo’s sales are from exports to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. According to Joseph Driscoll, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, while many Missouri companies saw their export sales decline in 2001, Essex Cryo’s international sales actually increased.