Replacing secondary battery systems with DC/DC converters can lead to considerable installation, operation and maintenance savings. The PU 1000 launched by Polyamp AB is the latest and largest of the company's range of DC/DC converters that combines reliability with such savings.

A new generation of saunas and steam rooms is now entering the Japanese market. The manufacturer, Tylö AB in Sweden, believes that its compact range will appeal, in particular, to the specific requirements of Japanese homes, where space is always at a premium.The installations also come in a wide range of designs and finishes. 

Stylish, elegant, well made and fashion-able. According to United Footwear, which manufacturers and markets what has been called the most sophisticated and talked about range of shoes to emerge this season, that’s the best way to describe the new James Bond Footwear Collection. The brand, which is backed by some of the industry’s most respected developers and producers of quality footwear, will be launched at the GDS International Shoe Fair, which will be held in Düsseldorf in March. 

The German company Estelit will startlarge scale prefabrication of light-weight concrete elements for partitionwall panels. By installing a highlyautomated production line from FinnishAcotec, the Dülmen based building firmexpects both to lower costs and to beable to target new customer segmentson the German market. 

The requirement for fresher, individually-adapted publications has led to increased calls for ‘print-on-demand’ technology. Strålfors AB, International Division, has developed an extensive POD system as part of its Lasermax product line, fulfilling a new EU directive. This development will permit efficient and reliable production of short, fast editions of a number of different publications.

The Greek company Papastratos will become the first tobacco producer in the world to use the light-weight paperboard, Enso Performa, for completepackaging for cigarettes. The outer boxes are already produced in grammeweights of 180 g/m2, while the hard flip top boxes are currently made of 195 g/m2 paperboard. According to the manufacturer, Enso Paperboards in Imatra, Finland, the results of stiffness tests, and other properties of Enso Performa were so promising that the company has decided to gradually convert to a lower gramme weight when producing material for flip top boxes.

Practical and wear-resistant ID cardholders are now being introduced on the U.S. market. The holders help facilitate the handling of cards, which often serve both as identification and as an electronic key to open doors. The cardholders, which are made of environment-friendly plastic, increase the life of the cards and help to ward off the detrimental effects of static electricity and electromagnetic interference.

Flexible, compact and inexpensive. According to industrial vacuum equipment manufacturer, Piab AB, that’s the best way to describe its new VacuProcessor control units for multi-channel instal-lations. They are available in two versions; electronically or pneumatically switched. The units have been designed to eliminate leakages in vacuum handling systems by monitoring each individual channel for excessive in-flows of air, shutting down the leaking channel. Replacing expensive to run multi-pump systems, the new units are said to provide high efficiency, thus reducing investment costs.