Par Excellence!
Canada Raises the Bar and Wins!

Semi-Automatic Bar Pusher


Yves Leblanc, machinery operator, demonstrates how the 12 foot aluminum bar is inserted into the machine.

T&B's St. Jean sur Richelieu facility in Quebec, Canada, has been recognized by the Commission de la Santé et de la Sécurité au Travail (CSST) for its innovation in automating a time-consuming and injury-prone part of the manufacturing process for industrial fittings. CSST is the Canadian equivalent to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the U.S.

The St. Jean facility is a major manufacturing facility for T&B in Canada. The plant produces more than 1,500 products and employs approximately 400 people.

Teck brand industrial connectors are manufactured on a 'screw machine' which is a type of lathe specialized for the automated production of small threaded parts. A long bar of aluminum or steel is fed through the spindle, where it is shaped, drilled and threaded and the finished part is cut off.

At St. Jean, the old process to insert the aluminum or steel bar was cumbersome, inefficient and often led to repetitive movement that could lead to tendonitis in the arm. Machine operators had to hammer metal bars with a steel rod in order to push the bar forward into the screw machine.

A team made up of machine operators, engineers, and technical resources worked together to design, fabricate and install a new semi-automatic bar advancement system. Now, the operator inserts a bar into the tube and then activates a hydraulic cylinder that automatically pushes the bar forward, eliminating the need of manually hammering the bar. The new system is programmable and includes new guards and safety switches for additional protection. A video of the new process can be found at http://www.csst.qc.ca/asp/innovation/a_2008_rich.html.

"We are very excited that the Semi-Automatic Bar Pusher has been recognized as an innovative and successful project," said Alain Quintal, T&B vice president manufacturing and technology, Canada. "In addition to increasing efficiency, it improves safety for our employees."

Athens Facility Recognized For "Doing the Right Thing"

T&B's facility in Athens, Tenn., has been recognized by the Athens Utilities Board (AUB) and the Kentucky-Tennessee Water Environment Association for initiatives undertaken to reduce waste and the energy required to run the facility.

AUB's Craig Brymer, who oversees environmental compliance issues for the utility, said that the awards highlights how industry and AUB, which must ultimately treat waste streams from manufacturing plants, work as an effective team regarding environmental stewardship.

According to Brymer, T&B has "demonstrated its commitment to 'doing the right thing' to minimize its impact on the environment, particularly local waterways" and that "Thomas & Betts has always done a commendable job treating their process wastewater, which can be challenging considering their processes in metal finishing."

Left to right: Athens Plant Manager Herb Bradshaw, AUB's Craig Brymer, T&B Athens Environmental Compliance Officer Joe McCall , T&B Athens Environmental Engineer Lisa Neisler, and T&B Athens Pollution Control Technician Bobby McLemore.

T&B's Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Facility Celebrates Accident Free Year

Day Shift


Evening Shift


Night Shift

T&B's Pointe Claire, Quebec, facility (also known as the Trans-Can facility) recently celebrated 365 days or 166,400 man-hours without a lost-time accident. Coincidentally, T&B Chairman & CEO Dominic Pileggi was on hand for the celebration ceremony.

"Mr. Pileggi's timing couldn't have been planned better, said Bob Gill, director of operations of Trans-Can. "One year without an accident is an achievement the Trans-Canada facility is extremely proud of and to be congratulated, in person, by our leader makes it that much sweeter."

This is not the first time, the Trans-Can facility was recognized by T&B. In 2006, it was named "Manufacturing Facility of the Year" in Canada. In 2007, they were recognized as "Most Improved Health and Safety Facility" and "Most Improved Manufacturing Facility." They've kept the positive momentum up throughout 2008.

The Trans-Can facility is a plastic injection molding facility which molds and assembles plastic products such as Marrette^® brand wire connectors, NuTekª brand plastic outlet boxes and EMERGI-LITE^® brand components used to manufacture emergency lighting products.

Gadsden, Alabama, Steel Structures Facility Gets SHARP!

Thomas & Betts got another feather in its cap when the Gadsden, Ala., steel structures facility earned a place in the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) prestigious Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program. Gadsden joins the Lancaster, S.C., facility which received SHARP recognition in 2004.

The SHARP program was created by OSHA to provide incentives and support to companies that implement and continuously improve effective safety and health management systems at their worksites. Facilities in the SHARP program are exempt from OSHA programmed inspections for one year

To become certified in the SHARP program is no easy feat. It requires a comprehensive consultation and review by OSHA and a high level of employee involvement.

"We participated in the SHARP program in order to ensure that our employees work in a safe and healthy environment every day," said Debbie Wood, manager of human resources in Gadsden. "Being recognized for this effort is great but it's really more about establishing a pro-active safety culture that will stand the test of time than just winning an award."

Going Green is Good Business Horseheads Facility Receives Grant For Eco-Friendly Efforts

When it comes to waste reduction efforts, Thomas & Betts' Horseheads, N.Y., facility has done such a great job that the State of New York awarded the plant a $160,000 grant to help offset the company's $500,000 investment for new equipment.

The grant is part of New York State's continuing recognition of T&B's program to eliminate cadmium and haxavalent chromium from the electroplating process. Both materials are considered a priority chemical that EPA wants eliminated from manufacturing.

"In addition to eliminating two hazardous chemicals from the electroplating process, we eliminated 1,500 tons of hazardous waste and achieved numerous cost savings," said Roger Phillips, T&B Horseheads general manager. "We've also been inducted into the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) prestigious National Partnership for Environmental Priorities Program.

In order to receive the grant, T&B had to make a significant capital investment, complete the project on time and meet predetermined, stringent benchmarks.

"My hats off to the Thomas & Betts Corporation for their initiative to become a national leader in this effort," said New York State Senator George Winner. "New York State's investment in the quality of corporations like Thomas & Betts clearly serves to strengthen the economic and environmental well-being of the communityat- large.

Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli speaks during a news conference outside T&B's Horseheads facility. With Santulli are, from left, T&B General Manager Roger Phillips, state Senator George H. Winner, Jr. and state Assemblyman Tom OÕMara.