Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410260028
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KIMBERLY N. MARTIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Fred Jasper is hawking the latest in industrial technology - a $13,000 black box.
But the toaster-oven-sized device can transform an old metal cutter into a new one.
On old cutters, workers had to use silver-colored cranks to set the measurements for sheet metal being cut. With the computer numeric control in place, all a worker has to do is punch the measurements into a computerized key pad. And voila! The metal is cut - any size, any shape.
It's faster than an old machine and cheaper than a new one, said Jasper, vice president of Roanoke-based Dominion Air & Machinery Co., which is selling the control box to update old metal-cutting machines as well as selling new machines.
Dominion is one of about 175 companies peddling their products this week at the 12th annual Virginia Industrial Show at the Roanoke Civic Center. The show, which is one of the largest in the country with 229 booths, started Tuesday and runs through Thursday afternoon. The show is expected to attract about 9,000 businesspeople but is not intended for the general public.
"These shows allow companies to reach out to customers they'd never come into contact with" otherwise, said Brad Jersey, a national sales manager for Industrial Shows of America, a Timonium, Md., promoter running the event. "They also accelerate sales and give companies a huge marketing advantage."
That's why Williams Supply Inc., a regional electrical wholesale distributer, has gone from having two booths in the show a few years ago to 14 this year.
"We've been very successful here," said Vicki Gardener, Williams Supply's marketing director. "Most companies can use this type of equipment. So it helps that they can come in and see that they can work this equipment."
But with some of the equipment on display, that's easier said than done.
One Williams Supply exhibit features Allen-Bradley's dedicated microprocessors, which are small computers that, when programmed, can control an entire plant's production or the production of a single piece of equipment.
"The show is designed to let companies in the area know what's available to them," said Show Coordinator Jean Williamson.
That means everything from a slew of automated products, which seem to be the order of the day, to more basic equipment like worker uniforms and goggles, batteries and safety equipment.
by CNB