Press Releases

Albany , OR– May 1, 2009

Analog Devices has presented semiconductor equipment manufacturer and service provider MEI LLC with its sixth consecutive “Supplier Excellence Award” in the Local Site Services category. The “Supplier Excellence Award” is Analog Device’s highest honor, and MEI is honored to have won the award for six consecutive years. Based on an exacting supplier-rating program, MEI was one of just 16 suppliers worldwide to receive the honor from ADI, the global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications, chosen from among a supplier base of more than 2000 vendors. This award recognizes MEI for its consistent, outstanding performance and continuous improvement; strategic contribution to ADI’s technology and market leadership; anticipation and delivery of cost reduction initiatives; and exemplary commitment to manufacturing excellence.

“Receiving a Global Supplier Excellence Award from Analog is an honor particularly given the breadth of products and services we supply to this important customer. We know that in order to maintain this relationship and the level of business it accompanies, we have to re-earn Analog’s trust and loyalty each and every day and our employees are dedicated to that goal.” Said Dan Cappello, CEO of MEI LLC. Liam McCaffrey, Director of purchasing, Worldwide Manufacturing for Analog Devices noted, “MEI LLC is a consistent high performance supplier to ADI, providing multifaceted support as an equipment manufacturer and retrofitter together with providing technical support.”

"Receiving the Analog Devices Supplier Excellence Award for the sixth consecutive year is an honor, and caps off a great year of new products, new markets and productivity for MEI," said Cappello. "Our relationship with Analog Devices continues to evolve as their needs shift and expand. MEI’s capabilities are broad and deep. Our challenge is to constantly anticipate our customers’ needs given that the semiconductor manufacturing landscape is constantly changing”.

About MEI LLC

MEI is a diversified manufacturing and service company serving the semiconductor and high technology industries. The company’s specialties include automated and semi-automated wet process systems and services; chemical delivery systems, control automation software; industrial and process equipment moving, rigging and crating services; clean room safety, ergonomic and support equipment; as well as a variety of manufacturing services, including CNC machining, metal and plastic fabrication and powder coating. MEI has built its reputation upon a commitment to outstanding customer service since 1990. For more information about MEI, visit www.meillc.com.

About Analog Devices

Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers, representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Celebrating over 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts. http://www.analog.com

Editorial contact, Dan Cappello, MEI LLC. Dan.Cappello@meillc.com (541) 704 2427

PR Contact: Katherine Cleland, Cleland Marketing ; Katherine@clelandmarketing.com 541-231-4445

New Technology Controls Moisture In Containerized Cargo.

Contact: Ken Petsch
Tel: 904-696-0010
Email: ken@buffersusa.com

New moisture control technology overcomes limitations of traditional pouch type desiccants to reduce product loss from moisture damage during shipment.

Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 30, 2009 –

Buffers USA is the exclusive supplier of a new line of moisture control products that prevent damaging buildup of moisture in containerized shipments. The products -- based on technology developed by Swedish firm Absortech™ International AB-- remove moisture from the air and trap it in built-in collectors.

According to John Hove, President of Buffers USA, “traditional pouch type desiccants do not permanently remove moisture from inside a container but rather continually absorb moisture until they become oversaturated then release it back into the air. Eventually the pouches loose their absorbing ability and can actually leak water onto the cargo. This new technology incorporates built-in collectors that trap the moisture as it is absorbed, preventing its re-release.”

The technology is available in a variety of product designs that meet the needs of specific container load configurations and types of cargo. ABSORPOLE™ is designed for any type of crated cargo or tightly stuffed containers. ABSORBAG™ is configured for any type of cargo that allows about 4” space (100 mm) between the cargo and the sidewalls and not loaded higher than about 5’ (1500 mm) from the floor. ABSORTOP™ is the most compact unit, designed for very tight bulk or packaged cargo loads. All these products are effective with both bulk and packaged loads, for items ranging from sensitive electronics to household furnishings to agricultural commodities.
Mr. Hove observed, “When moisture damage occurs, the business loses money in two ways. First they lose the value of the spoiled cargo and the money spent on shipping that spoiled cargo. They also incur additional costs since they now have to rework or replace the damaged goods and reship them. In the past, businesses were resigned to absorbing these losses, but with today’s higher transportation costs that is no longer a viable option. Reducing moisture spoilage in the original shipment is the best way to protect revenues and profitability.”

More information about the new technology and its applications is available on the company’s moisture products website (http://www.desiccant-solutions.com) and on a CD available upon request from the company.
About Buffers USA: Buffers USA designs, manufactures and distributes products for the intermodal transportation industry including ship’s lashing and hatch cover parts, container, van trailer and chassis parts, chassis twistlocks and pinlocks, cargo control for trucks and flatbeds, moisture control technology, thermal bulkheads, anti-theft products for containers and packaging and cargo handling products for warehouse operations. It operates through a dealer and distribution network in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. It has warehouses in Florida, Michigan and California. Headquarters are located in Jacksonville, Florida.

Deploy Tech Services has just relaunched WoodenCRATES.org, the first web based community for the wood box and crate industry.

Although this community was conceived for wood box and crate makers, it is expected that more than 80% of the visitors will be from other industries such as transportation and logistics companies as well as large product manufacturers and resellers.

Web based communities are nothing new and some industries have hundreds of them, but they are most effective in small communities such as the packing and crating industry, and are more effective when there is only one community website in the industry.

Jeff Duck, founder of the site says “It’s surprising that in 2006 this is the only place where crate makers can come together with each other and their customers. We are an industry without a trade organization so that puts WoodenCRATES.org in a unique position of responsibility and opportunity.”

The WoodenCRATES.org community concept is based around a discussion forum where crate makers and consumers can discuss issues relating to the industry. What makes this website unique is that a visitor can locate crating companies around the world as well as support service providers such as transportation providers and other representatives.

Having your company listed on WoodenCRATES.org is free and for a small fee, you can add some text and photos to your listing; providing the benefit of a web page right on the site. The site also offers banner advertising and a classified section. WoodenCRATES.org uses these to generate the revenue required to manage the site. Other than paying to place a classified ad, use of the entire site is free for all visitors.

“It was important to us that we keep our products free for everyone” says Jeff, “Anyone who comes to our site can find other companies, read our articles, browse through our standards and diagrams, and have a discussion with crate makers or anyone else who stops by. By keeping the service free, more people will visit and will stay longer. That helps the crating industry and improves communication with everyone we do business with.”

Web communities can be difficult to get started. Most start with little or no content and depend on one person to make it grow. WoodenCRATES.org has taken a different approach. They have recruited top people from inside and outside the crating community to assist in the content expansion.

Carey Smith of Nefab said “This is just what our industry needed and we are glad to be a part of it. Nefab is dedicated to helping our industry grow and I hope my participation can make a major impact.” Jeff has even gotten other industries involved right from the start. Ashley Trewman of Legacy Transportation, a full service logistics firm said “It’s not unusual for us to need to find partners somewhere in the world on short notice. WoodenCRATES.org can provide us with the contact information we need. This is why I got involved. I have no doubt it will grow fast.”

The web site will no doubt be one to watch. Currently the crating industry is only about a $1 billion USD industry in the United States and an estimated $2 billion USD worldwide. Growth has been stagnant for many years while growth of plastic shipping containers has grown steadily. Deploy Tech Services, LLC the parent company of WoodenCRATES.org states that the wood shipping container industry in the US could become a $4 billion USD industry within 15 years and expects most of that growth to come from the plastics side. Jeff Duck feels strongly that wood engineering will improve as consumer awareness of wood recyclability increases. Jeff likes to joke about crating by saying “Wood… It’s the only thing that DOES grow on trees!”

Deploy Tech, the leading provider of technology solutions to small and medium-sized businesses, announced that Jeffrey R. Duck, founder and CEO of Deploy Tech, was invited to present his recommendations and findings for the wooden crating industry at the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) Committee D10 on Packaging’s semi-annual meeting held on October 13-15, 2002 in Norfolk, VA. The ASTM International is a not-for-profit organization that provides a global forum for the development and publication of consensus standards for materials, products, and systems. The Committee D10 on Packaging is the lead entity that holds jurisdiction of over 135 packaging related standards published in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards.

“We are privileged to have such an esteemed colleague in Jeff Duck to present at our meeting,” said, Mr. Roger Young, Chairman of ASTM’s D10.26 Subcommittee. “Our industry has been overwhelmed with a number of issues regarding the lack of common standards and regulations that are easily accessible and transferable. Mr. Duck has offered a set of recommendations that I believe will help to alleviate many of the current issues and improve the transport packaging industry, including wood box and crating, as a whole.”

Mr. Duck is a veteran in the crate packaging industry. He has spent numerous years developing solutions that benefit manufacturers and freighters within the crating industry. His hands-on experience and research within the industry, where 75% of wood box and crate manufacturers do not use terminology set forth by both government and/or military standards, formed the basis of his recommendations to Committee D10. The presentation delivered to a group of 15 top industry professionals that form the influential D10 Committee, focused on simplifying the convoluted classifications and terminology inherited by ASTM International from archaic military specifications, by proposing a new guideline to create a common set of crate definitions. The key recommendations delivered in the presentation included:

1) Providing a new set of standards for wood boxes and crates built outside of current parameters/standards;
2) Redefining standard terminology by simplifying terms and defining acronyms;
3) Developing a common set of classifications for wood box and crate specifications; and
4) Instituting assembly method standards for container applications.

“Jeff’s presentation is a good start in further refining the standards in the packaging industry,” said Elmer Kuhlman, founder of the American Wood Packaging Association. “The D10’s role is to develop and define standards that benefit the industry and I believe Jeff’s hands-on experience provides solid insight for the future. Jeff has always been a visionary in developing new solutions to improve our industry.”

“I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to present my recommendations to the Committee,” said Jeffrey R. Duck, CEO and founder of Deploy Tech. “My presentation was developed based on my research work and experience with manufacturers and freighters, where efficient processes and quality construction is key. My proposal is focused on simplifying manufacturing standards and developing a common ground to ensure the container industry is ‘speaking the same language.’ There are so many different classifications and definitions that the current regulations and standards are rarely instituted in the manufacturing process. I believe my recommendations will be a solid foundation to further strengthening the wood box and crating industries.”

Deploy Tech, the leading provider of technology solutions to small and medium-sized businesses, announced the availability of its much-anticipated Crate Pro 4.0, a product that enables manufacturers, shippers, and freight forwarders to seamlessly design and build custom commercial crates and boxes effectively and consistent with government and/or military specifications. The product, which began shipping earlier this month, addresses one of the most cost-intensive and oft-ignored problems in crate and box building, the lack of industry standardization among specifications to ensure structurally sound constructions. Crate Pro 4.0 replaces the widely adopted group of industry proven software from Deploy Tech including, Crate Generator, Crate Designer and Easy Crate.

“We are very excited about the Crate Pro solution,” said, Mr. Jeff Knapp, president of Industrial Craters and Packers. “By replacing our existing ‘hodge-podge’ system, and installing Crate Pro, we can effectively monitor past job history and customer contact data all in one place. This solution will make an immediate impact in our ability to provide better customer service and improve our quality control quite a bit. Deploy Tech’s 10 year tenure in the crating industry was a huge plus; we really wanted a solution provider with a proven record in our industry.”

“After rigorously testing the product with live data and cut-sheets, I believe Crate Pro can truly help craters build better crates,” said Paul Vieira, Packaging Engineer, Specialized Packaging Solutions, Inc. “The software produced a bill of materials with the essential data we require for designing and building custom crates - in a matter of minutes - something that would have taken us hours or days to develop to ensure structural integrity.”

New Approach Yields Greater Benefits

Deploy Tech’s Crate Pro 4.0 represents the culmination of many years of research and development effort to help effectively improve the current solutions and processes available to crate and box builders. It is the first stand alone product that offers tools and modules that enable single and/or multiple users to manage and maintain a multitude of functions inherent in a crate building business, including material and style control, accurate computer-generated cutting instructions, clear communication and design data history, electronic marketing tools such as email campaigns, and customer collaboration services.

Companies employing Crate Pro 4.0 can benefit in several ways:

• Manufacturers can gain competitive advantage by shortening their development cycles and speeding the transition of a new crate into manufacturing, while improving profitability by cutting design costs.
• Companies can more easily and successfully bid business from a broader set of customers; more efficiently develop custom crates and boxes within government and military standards; and reduce overall inefficiencies within the company.
• Shippers and manufacturers can create crates and boxes through computer generated guides to deliver structurally sound products and improve freight packing and transporting.
• Newly formed companies can more quickly move into crate and box production through a simple and accurate process and optimize relationships with customers and suppliers.

“The release of our Crate Pro 4.0 product is a clear indication of our commitment to the crating industry,” said Mr. Jeffrey Duck, founder of Deploy Tech. “From our initial entry of Easy Crate, 10 years ago, to our most recent addition of Crate Pro 4.0, we are focused on delivering cost-effective solutions that impact the bottom-line for craters, shippers and freight forwarders alike.”