New infrared thermometers from U.S. company, Raytek Corporation, combine smart digital electronics and fiber optics for efficient operation in harsh environments. Reported by the company to offer the best price/performance standards currently available, the FA models in the Marathon Series have an overall range of 250 to 3000 C. Features include operating software with Windows programs for remote sensor configuration.

Laboratoires Industriels de Vichy (LIDV), a member of the L'Oreal group, is now using Stora Enso Packaging Boards' Ensocoat board. With the new packaging concept, Vichy now has a board with the utmost purity and brightness to protect its skin care products. The company will use Ensocoat in all its board packages.

The Swedish company Linq is now the first company in Europe to present a family of products for building complete company portals. Company portals bring together all the information and other functions that were previously dispersed throughout intranets and in other systems and databases, and makes them manageable and useable. The presentation will take place at Microsoft® Exchange -99 in Hamburg on October 11th - 13th.

Users of a new interactive CD catalog can enter performance specifications for their applications and receive immediate recommendations for the most suitable gas boosters, liquid pumps or air amplifiers from Haskel International. The recommendations are accompanied by full technical information and detailed product illustrations, diagrams and performance charts.

A hydraulic drive system especially for the particular requirements of industrial feeder applications has been launched by Hägglunds Drives in Sweden. The feeder drive is aimed to provide a flexible, economical and easy-to-use system in a single unit tailored specifically to low power users.

A new management study from Amrop International provides insights into selecting senior managers to work successfully in Russia. It is believed to be the first in-depth report of this nature ever undertaken in the Russian working environment.

A range of infrared controlled luminaires has been developed by Scandinavian group, Ensto Oy. These will allow electrical installersgreater flexibility in lighting control of compact fluorescent lamps while offering energy savings of up to 80 per cent according to the company.

The Finnish company Laitosjalkine Oy has introduced a new series of working shoes specially designed for the electronic industry. According to the manufacturer, these so-called ESD shoes efficiently eliminate the problems associated with static electricity.The shoes were presented for the first time at the Helsinki Electronics Exhibiton.

Can you use your empty package of chocolates as a jewel box? Stora Enso Paperboards and Cartotecnica Chierese have started a project to launch a new type of reusable board package on the market. Both companies believe that at the beginning of the 21st century reusability will become a key marketing factor. Even now board is easily recycled, but packages suitable for reuse are not common.

A voice/data multiplexer for point-to-point satellite and ground communications applications has been introduced by U. S. company DNE Technologies. The new SatPlex/2 has eight data ports, a range of 4.8 kbps to 16 kbps voice compression, and a small (2-U) form factor. It weighs less than 15 pounds and is priced under $3,000 in the U. S. A. Potential users include private network facilities serving the banking, financial services, long-distance telephone, distributed manufacturing, energy and transportation industries.