cnc insurance

A fixed price for five years of insurance cover against mechanical and electrical breakdown, which also includes accidental damage and operator error, is available for Colchester CNC lathes.

A fixed price for five years of insurance cover against mechanical and electrical breakdown, which also includes accidental damage and operator error, for the Colchester range of CNC and combination lathe ranges, is now available from Colchester Sales Technical Centres which provides up to 100 (pounds sterling) a day compensation when the machine is out of action.

Based in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, the 600 Centre in Shepshed for the Midlands and at RK International in Erith, Kent, for the South of England, the customer orientated Colchester Sales Technical Centres provide full demonstration, sales and applications support.

The Colchester Sales 'fixed price' cover can be paid against a monthly premium spread over the five years, added to any cost of finance for the machine or can be paid as a loan in a separate finance package.

For example, to purchase a top of the range Colchester Tornado 120M, three-axis mill/turn lathe worth GBP 49,500 the additional premium over five years would work out toGBP 3,712.50p plus IPT tax at five per cent.

If the premium were paid separately over 60 months, with finance support it would be just GBP 80.75p per month.

Advantages of the scheme include immediate attention to the repair by a Colchester Lathe factory trained engineer and the machine being insured for its full replacement value.

Claims up to GBP 12,500 or 50 per cent of the full value are covered, which ever is the lower.

For machines up to GBP 100,000 in sales value, compensation is included for up to six months when the machine is out of action at GBP 100 per day.

Cover for fire, aircraft and explosion is automatically included for machines worth up to GBP 100,000, which is transferable to new owners when the machine is sold.

This is an important advantage that increases the residual value of the machine.

However, wear and tear is excluded from the policy and the first GBP 250 of each claim is set aside as an excess payment.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/clc/clc130.html

A fixed price for five years of insurance cover against mechanical and electrical breakdown, which also includes accidental damage and operator error, is available for Colchester CNC lathes.

A fixed price for five years of insurance cover against mechanical and electrical breakdown, which also includes accidental damage and operator error, for the Colchester range of CNC and combination lathe ranges, is now available from Colchester Sales Technical Centres which provides up to 100 (pounds sterling) a day compensation when the machine is out of action.

Based in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, the 600 Centre in Shepshed for the Midlands and at RK International in Erith, Kent, for the South of England, the customer orientated Colchester Sales Technical Centres provide full demonstration, sales and applications support.

The Colchester Sales 'fixed price' cover can be paid against a monthly premium spread over the five years, added to any cost of finance for the machine or can be paid as a loan in a separate finance package.

For example, to purchase a top of the range Colchester Tornado 120M, three-axis mill/turn lathe worth GBP 49,500 the additional premium over five years would work out toGBP 3,712.50p plus IPT tax at five per cent.

If the premium were paid separately over 60 months, with finance support it would be just GBP 80.75p per month.

Advantages of the scheme include immediate attention to the repair by a Colchester Lathe factory trained engineer and the machine being insured for its full replacement value.

Claims up to GBP 12,500 or 50 per cent of the full value are covered, which ever is the lower.

For machines up to GBP 100,000 in sales value, compensation is included for up to six months when the machine is out of action at GBP 100 per day.

Cover for fire, aircraft and explosion is automatically included for machines worth up to GBP 100,000, which is transferable to new owners when the machine is sold.

This is an important advantage that increases the residual value of the machine.

However, wear and tear is excluded from the policy and the first GBP 250 of each claim is set aside as an excess payment.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/clc/clc130.html

If you take the national economy and scale it down to city-size, you might get a read on how commerce is functioning at the “street level.”

The Grandview Business Center at 7056 Portal Way, Suite 4, in Ferndale might be a good microcosm to examine.

Founded back in 1993, the Business Center began humbly enough with a single building, and has grown considerably over the years.

“We are now a series of 22 buildings with various industries,” stated Mark Douglas, Business Center general manager and partner. “We have experienced some turnover in the center, but nothing too significant. The businesses closely associated with the construction business, such as electrical suppliers and sub contractors, are affected most.”

Zoned for light industrial and manufacturing uses, there are 64 businesses in all ranges from retail to warehouse and manufacturing in the complex.

Whatcom County has seen a decline in housing starts in general with permits, which has some impact regionally, said Ken Reinschmidt, general manager for local Saratoga Real Estate.

But not all of the tenants are feeling the pinch due to the economy alone.

One of the Business Center’s tenants experiencing virtually no impact from the economy is Alaska General Seafood (AGS).

“The ups and downs of our business are dependent on the fish showing up,” said Karry Lattig, cannery floorman.

Because their business is in Alaska, AGS needed a place they could do the repair and rebuilding of all the equipment needed for fishing, and they selected Ferndale for its convenient location.

Staff bring the equipment down and work on it here from approximately October to April, when Alaska’s weather temperatures are too low, he said. AGS is a supporting business and therefore is a consistent win for the community.

“We are careful to buy local. All our hardware, bearings, welding equipment and fuel are purchased here in the community, either Ferndale or Bellingham,” Lattig commented. “The fishing industry has always experienced fluctuations, as we are now. As such, we have learned how to run lean, as we call it, that way the ups and downs aren’t too extreme.

“Ketchikan, one of our Alaska fishing areas, is struggling right now, but our other location, Bristol Bay, is doing okay. I normally have three to four workers here in the shop but it is a slow fishing year, so I have only two workers here now. About the biggest impact I have noticed has been people calling looking to work on the fishing boats. I have received calls from all along the coast as far away as California. I have to tell them I don’t do that here,” he said.

Another tenant of the center is Key Manufacturing, who supplies parts to the Boeing Company aerospace corporation for aircraft production.

“We are a Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machine shop in the aircraft tooling industry,” said Roger Jenson, president of the company. “After 9/11, aircraft orders were sketchy and we were in a high rent area of Seattle, so it made sense to move to Ferndale to wait things out. It was a cost reduction action and with the proximity to Interstate-5 it was ideal.

“For us, the economy has no impact whatsoever. Boeing has a backlog of more than 3,500 jets, with the Boeing 787 alone accounting for over 927 in backlog. It will take more than 10 years to catch up to the orders; our problem is finding qualified workers,” he said.

Similar to other business areas, there has been a dramatic increase in people looking for jobs, but many lack the specific skills needed, he said.

Prospera Office Interiors represents another type of tenant in the center. They are an office furnishings business that offers new and refurbished office furniture and “cubes.” Their two business showrooms are in Seattle and Canada, so Ferndale was an opportune location for expansions, said owner Ian McKenzie.

By targeting businesses that are essentially recession proof, like non-profit organizations, Prospera has a business strategy that is, itself, resistant to economic downturns, McKenzie said. They also use a unique strategy for their business; a combination of donating and selling.

“Business is very steady. We have targeted markets not affected by the credit crunch, like non-profit organizations,” he said. “They may not have a big budget, but we have a donation program. They may call us and say they have a need for 10 people who are volunteering and they need to house them and would like to upgrade the office. We offer for them to buy office cubes after they are sure the price is outstanding and then we donate the chairs, white boards, break room furniture and other things we have they may need. It is a buy a little get a little donation that has been a winning formula for us.”

In addition, McKenzie’s clients get the benefit of a lifetime warranty on their products.

“We have large clients, like Philips Oral Health, Safeco Insurance, and smaller companies,” he said. “Sometimes they contact us to say, ‘We have used office cubes. Can you buy them or just take them away for us?’ We store them in Ferndale and wait until we find a home for the items, then refurbish them. It’s a no-brainer. If a client calls with a damaged piece to have another one done up, boom, it’s done, and we look like heroes. I have 7,000 square feet of product and we can fix it up for virtually nothing. We are very busy because it makes sense to buy used. The product is refurbished, recycled and reused so it is green and doesn’t find its way to a landfill. We refurbish so it looks new and it’s one-tenth the price of buying new.”

John and Nancy Ellis opened their doggy day care Pooch Palace business in the center in December 2007. Despite the economy, their business continues to flourish.

“I’m surprised at how good business has been,” Nancy said. “Since we opened, we are doing so well; growing every month.”

One might presume that in an economic crisis, something like a doggy day care that grooms dogs and pampers them might be considered a luxury that can be done without, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case.

“I think the word out is that we take really good care of the animals,” she said. “They are in a cage-free environment, which people really like, and we service both small and big dogs. We are also an all-service facility, which probably helps. People bring their dogs to be groomed, then see what else we have to offer and think, ‘I want my dog to stay here when we need that service.’ I thought that people would consider dog care not a priority but they love their pets and they make it a priority.”

All in all, how the economy is treating business is very much dependant on what business one is in.

For more information on the Grandview Business Center, call (360) 380-2907.

http://www.ferndalerecordjournal.com/index.php?goto=2009-02-26%2012:53:15&section=community

ST. LOUIS -- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced that it has closed the acquisition of Celtic Group, Inc., the parent company of Celtic Insurance Company ("Celtic"), effective July 1, 2008. Concurrent with regulatory approval of the transaction, Centene received regulatory approval from the Illinois Division of Insurance to realize an extraordinary dividend.

Celtic is a national individual health insurance provider that provides high-quality, affordable health insurance to individual customers and their families. This acquisition uniquely positions Centene as a national leader in providing government-sponsored and market-driven solutions to increase access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans.

Michael F. Neidorff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Centene, stated, "We are very pleased to close on this transaction because Celtic will play an important role in advancing our 56b goal of building a multi-line healthcare enterprise. Celtic positions us to offer a broad range of coverage solutions customized to the unique needs of each state. This acquisition is consistent with our product diversification strategy to add complementary capabilities that allow us to meet the evolving needs of our state customers."

The transaction is expected to be immaterial to earnings per share in 2008.

About Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation is a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise that provides programs and related services to individuals receiving benefits under Medicaid, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicare (Special Needs Plans). The Company operates health plans in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. In addition, the Company contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral health, life and health management, long-term care, managed vision, nurse triage, pharmacy benefits management and treatment compliance. Information regarding Centene is available via the Internet at www.centene.com.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2008_July_2/ai_n27878541?tag=content;col1

Outdated secondary-operation machines were strangling the productivity of a Chicago-area screw machine shop's impressive battery of CNC screw machines. Now, CNC drilling and tapping machines and turning centers are providing secondary machining efficiency that has raised the firm's performance to a level few competitors can match.

When you drive past the building, with its concave front and narrow, close-set, floor-to-ceiling windows, you would guess an insurance firm, or an engineering or architectural firm, or perhaps an association office. In fact, the distinctive exterior pictured in Figure 1 houses the operations of General Automation, Inc., one of the most impressive screw machine shops in the country.

General Automation specializes in, among other things, Swiss screw machine parts, that is, workpieces with high length-to-diameter ratios. The firm produces them on numerous Swiss-type cam automatic screw machines, arranged like spokes on large wheels, bar feeds toward the center. (The arrangement makes the most efficient use of floor space and makes it easier for the operators to load the machines and tend their operation.)

Although cam-operated screw machines have been around for generations, they remain a very competitive method for producing workpieces in large quantities. They can produce workpieces in less time (a shorter cycle) than by most other methods.

But cam automatics are inefficient when the job involves making a few prototypes, or a small quantity of workpieces, or when machined part dimensions must be accurate to one or two ten-thousandths of an inch. Such jobs are best handled on CNC screw machines.

Advantages Of CNC

Screw machine shops are aware of the advantages of CNC screw machines; many have one or two in order to remain competitive on prototype work, short run jobs, and jobs where fast turnaround and/or high quality are critical. However, few shops are in a position to invest in enough CNC screw machines to comprise a separate department.

General Automation is one of the few. The firm operates some 63 Nomura CNC Swiss-type screw machines--the largest concentration of such machines in the U.S. The CNC Swiss-type screw machine offers a number of advantages over the older cam automatic screw machine. As its name implies, the cam automatic's cutting tool movements are controlled by a set of cams specially made for the workpiece being produced.

The CNC screw machine needs no cams. Tool movements are automatically determined by data from the dimensions of the part, fed into the machine's CNC unit. The workpiece can be programmed on the CNC right at the machine. Or, as is more often the case, the program can be prepared on a programming system located off the shop floor, and loaded in the machine's control when required. The control's "memory" is capable of storing dozens of workpiece programs; preparing the CNC screw machine to produce a different workpiece simply involves calling up the program for the next job, minimizing machine downtime between jobs.

Because CNC machine tools handle job change-overs much faster than manual or automatic machines, they are usually thought of as "short-run machines." By contrast, cam automatics, which are noted for their very rapid cycle times, are considered "production machines," ideal for producing large quantities of workpieces over long periods of time.

However, General Automation's CNC screw machines are faster than its cam automatics, so the company benefits not only from fast, easy machine setups, but from fast workpiece cycle times as well. According to General Automation president Max Starr, the CNC Swiss-type machines are frequently the most economical choice for complex workpieces, regardless of the length of the run.

Other advantages of the CNC screw machines are their greater accuracy and piece-to-piece consistency. Both are important to today's product manufacturers who demand parts machined to finer dimensional tolerances--and that those parts be within tight statistical process control parameters.

Another big advantage of the CNC screw machines--important to any job shop concerned about controlling costs--is that operator responsibilities are reduced to monitoring the machines and keeping their bar feeds filled. This enables General Automation to use less skilled operators at lower hourly rates.

A Weak Link

General Automation's CNC screw machines, added to the firm's other single- and multispindle automatic screw machines, give it a primary turning capability that few, if any, shops can match. But they called attention to a serious shortcoming in another part of General Automation's operation.

The firm's machining requirements typically include milling, drilling, tapping and other hole-making operations, in addition to secondary turning. The secondary turning requirements were met by a number of precision, small-part, turning centers, most equipped with automatic part-loading devices to permit untended operation over long intervals. But hole-making operations (drilling, tapping, and so on) were performed on older manual or automatic machines that were dragging down production times on jobs and compromising dimensional accuracies initially provided by the CNC screw machines.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3101/is_n3_v66/ai_14381205?tag=content;col1

With traders reacting to a report showing a bigger than expected decrease in weekly jobless claims, stocks are turning in a strong performance in late morning trading on Wednesday. The major averages are adding to the strong gains posted in the previous session.

Before the start of trading, the Labor Department said jobless claims in the week ended December 27th fell to 492,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 586,000. Economists had been expecting a more modest pullback to about 550,000.

However, the Labor Department said that the data was impacted by the Christmas Day holiday and the holiday-shortened week and therefore distorted the seasonal adjustments.

Transportation stocks are turning in some of the market's best performances, as the recent weakness in oil prices has eased concerns about fuel costs. Some retail, defense, and wireless stocks are also posting significant gains.

At the other end of the spectrum, health insurance stocks are seeing notable weakness, with Centene (CNC) leading the sector lower on news that Amerigroup (AGP) has ended its agreement to buy Centene's New Jersey Medicaid business.

The major averages have continued to move higher in recent trading, once again reaching new highs for the session. The Dow is currently up 88.33 at 8,756.72, the Nasdaq is up 20.35 at 1,571.05 and the S&P 500 is up 9.14 at 899.78.

by RTT Staff Writer

For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com
http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=813727&SMap=1

Justice Alexander Henderson made an order of discovery last week into whether Cayman National Corporation gave an indemnity to Sagicor General Insurance (Cayman) Ltd. with regard to the lawsuit involving the Windsor Village matter.

Sagicor, which bought a little more than 75 per cent of the stock in the insurance company from CNC, had its name as the plaintiff in an action that alleged fraud and conspiracy against seven defendants. The matter dealt the agreement to repair damage done to the Windsor Village condominium complex by Hurricane Ivan.

Attorney’s for Sagicor last week announced they would not proceed on that action. However, a counterclaim did proceed and Hurlstone Ltd. was award damages and interest amounting to some $943,000. In addition, costs were awarded for all seven of the original defendants, which include Hurlstone Ltd., Hurlstone General Contractors Ltd., John Hurlstone, Robert Hurlstone, Alastair Paterson, Bould Paterson Ltd, and Crawford Adjuster (Cayman) Ltd. The costs are expected to amount to “several million dollars” according to one of the attorneys involved.

The Hurlstone’s and Mr. Paterson have now indicated they will bring separate abuse of process claims and Crawford Adjusters is also claiming hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid fees from Sagicor.

QC Thomas Lowe, who represents the Hurlstones and their companies through the instructions of Myers and Alberga, told Justice Henderson that it was strongly suspected that when CNC sold shares of Cayman General Insurance to Sagicor, the sales agreement contained an indemnity. Such an indemnity agreement could negate Sagicor’s liability in the matter involving the Hurlstones and the other defendants.

Justice Henderson gave his reasoning for issuing the order of discovery.

“If [Sagicor] were being indemnified, it would suggest we have the wrong plaintiff,” he said. “The existence of any indemnity would be relevant. I contemplate an order which directs disclosure to be made.”

Separate action

The Hurlstones’ abuse of process claim will be filed as a separate action and Mr. Lowe said he hoped it could come to court by May 2009.

Attorney Michael Todd QC, who represents Mr. Patterson, Bould Paterson and Crawford Adjusters (Cayman) Ltd. through the instructions of attorney Graham Hampson, attempted to have his clients’ claims for outstanding fees and abuse of process heard as part of the current proceedings. Mr. Henderson was willing to entertain the possibility of allowing the claim for the outstanding fees – which have been owed for more than three years – heard as part of the current proceedings.

Sagicor Attorney Hector Robinson noted that the original counterclaim only included and amount of $72,000 of fees due in relation to the Windsor Village project only. An amended counterclaim filed recently included fees of $399,000 allegedly owed by Sagicor to Crawford Adjustors for work relating to other projects and an amount of $79,000 owed to Bould Paterson for works done on other projects.

The liability for legal action could escalate substantially if the abuse of process claims is successful.

At the time the Hurlstones were locked out of the Windsor Village jobsite, in July 2005, Cayman National Corporation owned a little more than 75 per cent of the shares in Cayman General and the Cayman Islands Government owned the rest of the shares. The Government received its shares as part of the negotiated settlement with Cayman General with respect to its damage claim from Hurricane Ivan.

Sagicor completed the purchase of 51 per cent of Cayman General in November 2005. The lawsuit concerning the Windsor Village matter was filed in February 2006. The insurance company changed its name from Cayman General to Sagicor in September 2006.

Sagicor purchased the remainder of Cayman National Corporation’s shares in October 2007.

The Cayman Islands Government still owns 24 per cent of the shares in Sagicor General. It is unknown what liability, if any, it has in the matter.

Landmark costs awarded

In addition to the indemnity costs awarded to the Hurlstones and their companies, Justice Henderson awarded indemnity costs to Mr. Paterson, Crawford Adjustors and Bould Paterson.

Mr. Robinson argued that, under Grand Court rules, Mr. Paterson should not be entitled to the costs of overseas attorneys before they had been admitted to the Cayman Islands Bar.

However, the Grand Court rules only apply to ordinary costs and not indemnity costs.

In any event, Mr. Paterson attempted to find representation locally through 10 different law firms, but they all declined to act, mainly because they wanted large retainers up front. Mr. Paterson stated he wasn’t in the position to pay a large retainer because the allegations of fraud and conspiracy had negatively affected his business to the point that he had to travel off island to get work.

Mr. Hampson eventually took the case, but, as a single attorney practice, he wasn’t able to shoulder the workload alone on such a complex matter. He enlisted the help of Mr. Todd and his junior, even though they had not yet been called to the Cayman Islands Bar.

Justice Henderson agreed that it seemed like an unwarranted expense to fly people to the Cayman Islands simply to be called to the bar. He noted that the Grand Court rule was designed to prevent the duplication of work by local and overseas attorneys, which was not the case in this matter.

In issuing his order for indemnity costs, Justice Henderson admonished the attorneys who brought the claim, saying they had a responsibility not to pursue cases that alleged fraud and conspiracy unless they were reasonably sure of the facts.

“From the failure of prosecution, I infer they have never been in possession of ample evidence for fraud and conspiracy.”

Justice Henderson ordered indemnity costs so the defendants would not be out of pocket “for these ill–considered and unmeritorious allegations of fraud and conspiracy”.

Mr. Hampson later said he was pleased with the ruling of Justice Henderson on legal costs.

“I think it sends a firm message to all litigants that proceedings in this jurisdiction should not be commenced lightly, especially proceedings, which are not backed up by evidence, which is sufficiently strong enough to support the allegations made,” he said. “The more serious the allegations, the greater the care, which must be taken.”

Mr. Hampson noted that reputations could be made and lost instantaneously. He noted that in the era of the Internet, articles published in the press could be read all over the world

“The article, which appeared in the Caymanian Compass in March of 2006 about this case, which labeled the defendants as dishonest, merely repeated the allegations made by the plaintiffs, so my client cannot and does not criticise the Compass for printing it. However, the publication of the article, which quoted extensively from the Plaintiffs’ statement of claim, was read by people far and wide.

“The fact that the claims have now been dismissed does not take away the years of misery suffered by all these defendants while the allegations were maintained and publicly known. Inevitably many people rushed to judgment about the defendants. I am instructed by my client that people in other jurisdictions who employed Mr. Paterson’s services read this newspaper article. The effects have been devastating. The Plaintiffs allegations were maintained from February 2006 until the 3rd December 2008 and my client and indeed all the defendants have had to live in their shadow for almost three years.”

Mr. Hampson said the process of restoring Mr. Paterson’s professional reputation had at long last commenced.

“However rebuilding his business to the level it was before will be a difficult road,” he said. “I hope he is welcomed back into the community with open arms.”

Mr. Hampson said it was disappointing that the original plaintiffs in the case had not taken the time to apologise to the defendants.

“I think this would be an obvious and appropriate gesture in aiding the rehabilitation of the defendants’ reputations."
http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi?ID=1036075