If you are in the Wind Power Industry, you probably already get Windpower Engineering.  If you don’t, you really should check it out - it is truly a great resource and is seen by many as the definitive technical publication for the Wind Industry.

In fact, Windpower Engineering recently published an article by ASI’s own Paul Berberian!  It is in the August, 2010 issue, and the article is titled “Precision Alignment in Wind Turbines.”

If you don’t have a copy handy, just follow the link: Precision Alignment.

Let us know what you think!  As always, we welcome all questions, comments, and feedback.

Cheers!

ASI

Today marks Alignment Supplies, Inc.’s 25th anniversary!  This is a major milestone for a company that had started with just one employee and has grown to become the US national distributor of Easy-Laser® precision alignment and measurement systems.  Founded by Greg Knitz in 1985, ASI has grown exponentially over the past several years, adding new Sales, Marketing, and IT executives, a new office with a full training facility, and the addition of a Repair and Calibration department.  We’re positioned for the next quarter-century as one of the premier resources for the precision alignment and measurement community.   It seems fitting that we enter the next quarter-century with a revolutionary new product, our new Easy-Laser E710.  The E710 promises to be the future of shaft alignment, with wireless operation, color graphics, and infinite battery life – all at an industry-best price!         

We asked Greg what his thoughts were upon reaching this milestone, and he told us:  “It’s been a great journey, and every indication says we’re only just getting warmed up.  We’re committed to being the best alignment and measurement resource for our friends and colleagues in the Reliability community – and we have the history to prove it.”

There you have it!  Thank you to all our friends, fans, and colleagues for a wonderful 25 years.  We’ll be sure to keep up the pace, providing you with the BEST alignment equipment, support, pricing, and service for all your alignment needs!

ASI

We hope you all had a fun and relaxing Fourth of July!  As we discussed in our D450 Giveaway, we are awarding not one, but TWO free D450s this year!  The first D450 will be awarded from all the submissions we received up through the end of June, 2010.  The second will be awarded from all the submissions we receive through the end of December, 2010.

We will be making an announcement soon about the winner - so keep your fingers crossed!  And, if you don’t win this time, there is no need to re-enter - everyone that had already submitted an entry for our June drawing is automatically re-entered into the drawing for December!  How’s that for easy?

Of course, individuals can only enter once, but there is NO LIMIT to the number of employees from your company that can enter.  So, if you want to increase your odds, get as many colleagues as you can to fill out our entry form.  It’s easy, takes only a minute, and is totally free!  So what are you waiting for?

Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement from us very soon!

All the best,

ASI

The future of laser shaft alignment is finally here!  ASI announced today the launch of the newest Easy-Laser® product – the E710.  The E710 continues on the development path of the Easy-Laser® E-Series products, which all offer next-generation features like wireless Bluetooth™ operation, crisp, color graphics, and Endurio™ Power Management for infinite operating time.  Our biggest innovation with the E710 is making a next-generation system that is truly affordable.   The E710 is aggressively priced to beat all competitors, and showcases several technical innovations as well! 

It is no secret that the Laser Shaft Alignment market has gradually gone in the direction of next-generation systems, and that features like wireless operation and color screens have become more commonplace among the average user.  Easy-Laser® has taken the time to design a well-thought out product, rather than rush to market with a system that isn’t ready.  And that extra planning benefits you, our customers, directly - and pays off as the most affordable next-generation system on the market.

The E710 boasts a wide range of technological innovations, not just wireless Bluetooth™ operation and a color graphics.  Battery life has been a recurring issue for next-generation laser shaft alignment systems, and Easy-Laser® has taken an important step in eliminating that problem with the Endurio™ Power Management system.  The E710’s integrated battery automatically charges itself from 4 ordinary “C” cell batteries – and makes sure that users never have to stop an alignment because of exhausted battery power. 

The Easy-Laser® E710 also features innovations like Live-Any-Angle 360° alignment, meaning users can make adjustments to their alignment with the laser heads in any position, and still get LIVE updated values.  Additionally, the E710 can be purchased with a barcode scanner accessory.  Now users can label their machines with a barcode so that repeat alignments are faster than ever – simply scan the barcode, and all previously entered data and dimensions for the machine are brought back instantaneously – enabling users to focus their time on the alignment.  The E710 also enables users to develop and save their own custom user profiles, and offers the most comprehensive set of data storage and documentation options ever – including transferring the files to PC with the free EasyLink™ software, saving to a USB flash drive, or as a PDF report saved in the system memory. 

Of course, Easy-Laser® is known for their industry-best 2 Year Warranty, intuitive programs, clean, ergonomic design, upgradeability / expandability, and unmatched durability – all of which carry over into the new E710.  It’s easy to see that this system is the ‘evolution’ of laser shaft alignment – it has all the advanced features and benefits and more at an industry-best price! 

We’re confident the E710 outmatches anything else out there - not just in performance, but also in price.  With the E710 being such an amazing value, we anticipate old customers and new will be eager to join the E-volution!

Got a question?  Want to find out just how affordable we’ve made the E710?  Give us a call, as always, at 419.887.5890, or email us at info@alignmentsupplies.com!

All the best,

ASI

We have some news for you, too!  ASI has partnered with Mobius, a world-class resource for Shaft Alignment and Vibration Analysis Training.  ASI is now an authorized representative for Mobius, and will add Mobius’ award-winning iLearnAlignment Training CDs to ASI’s full spectrum of alignment-related products.

Mobius has been a recognized industry leader in training and certification for both Vibration Analysis and Shaft Alignment, having helped thousands of people worldwide with their computer-based training products and public or on-site training courses.  As you know, we are always looking for new ways to make shaft alignment easier and more accessible to the Maintenance community, and this is a great resource toward that end.

Mobius’ iLearn Alignment Training CD takes people step by step through the principles behind shaft alignment, and teaches how to align shafts with dial indicators and laser alignment systems.  iLearnAlignment uses interactive training, 3D movies, and an excellent simulation program to make shaft alignment easy to learn and easy to understand.

ASI will also offer a special incentive for their Easy-Laser® customers: ASI will offer Mobius’ iLearnAlignment Training CD at a 10% discount when purchased with ANY Easy-Laser® system!  In addition, ASI will retroactively offer this same discount to all previous Easy-Laser® customers until June 30, 2010.  This incentive will help our customers to support their shaft alignment work with a world-class educational resource.  As always, call us at 800.997.4467 or email at info@alignmentsupplies.com with any questions about our new iLearnAlignment Training CDs!

For more information on the iLearnAlignment Training CD, please visit: http://www.ilearninteractive.com/mobius_products_align.html.

We hope you had a great holiday and that the New Year is off to a great start for you.  ASI is happy to announce that we are kick-starting 2010 by unveiling our biggest promotion ever: ASI will be giving away two (2) Easy-Laser D450 shaft alignment systems this year - each D450 is a $6000 value!

You’re probably thinking “yeah, but how much stuff do I have to buy before I’m eligible to win?”  Not a thing.  No purchase is necessary to be eligible to win - simply fill out the form on our Contact Us page, and be sure to check the box “Enter me to win a FREE Easy-Laser D450!”  How’s that for easy?

Or, if you like, you can also enter by visiting ASI at one of our many trade shows this year - take a look at our Events page to see which shows we’ll be at in 2010.  You can also enter by simply calling in to us at 800.997.4467!

There will be two drawings this year - the first drawing is in June and the second drawing is in December.  And you only need to enter once - you will automatically be eligible for both drawings!  For more details and offcial contest rules, visit our newsboard!

We said we had some big plans for 2010… and we meant it!  Winners will be notified by email, and will also be announced right here in The ASI Blog!

Good luck!

ASI

Thanks to everyone that made WEFTEC and Solutions 2.0 great conferences. We enjoyed meeting everyone.

The D90 Giveaway was a huge success! Stay tuned to this blog throughout 2010 to see what we come up with next.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Alignment Supplies / Easy-Laser, and best wishes for 2010!  In the spirit of the season, please enjoy a little holiday music set to a synchronized light show…

Can you believe we’re only a month away from 2010?  The year certainly flew by…  We really appreciate the continued support and trust of our customers, and we are also very grateful for all the new customers who chose Alignment Supplies and our Easy-Laser systems this year.  We pledge to continue to be there to support you, and provide even more useful resources, innovative new products, and special offers in the future.

Speaking of special offers, there’s one coming up around the corner.  Next week, ASI will officially announce our YEAR-END SPECIAL!  Until 12/31/2009, we’ll be giving away a FREE Easy-Laser D90 Belt Alignment System with the purchase of ANY Easy-Laser Shaft Alignment System!  How’s that for getting the most out of your year-end maintenance dollars?  Not only will you get the best shaft alignment system, you’ll be able to save on costly belt replacements and get increased efficiency, too! 

This special offer will be announced through our email newsletter and website early next week, but for those of you following our blog, you’ll have the first crack at this special offer.  Simply mention PROMO CODE: 3674 when ordering any shaft system, and you will receive a FREE D90! (a $680 Value!)

As most of you probably already know, Easy-Laser systems offer the industry’s best warranty - which we can offer because we have less than .5% of our systems that are ever sent in for warranty service.  Talk about a high-quality, built-to-last system!  On top of that, our Easy-Laser systems are already so cost-effectively priced… Why blow your entire budget on our competitors’ alignment systems at TWICE the price of an Easy-Laser®?  Why pay more and still get less?  Just Make It Easy!

This Year-End Special is offered only through Alignment Supplies, Inc. and our local representatives, and is not offered for online purchases.  As always, give us a call at 800.997.4467 (US Only), or 419.887.5890 if you have any questions, or to place your order today.   This offer is good while supplies last, so act soon and be sure to get your FREE D90 Belt Alignment System!

Take care, everyone.  We’ll see you in 2010!

ASI

As Ben Franklin said, “Haste makes waste.”  And when it comes to shaft alignment, I could not agree more. The measurement part of any alignment job, when using lasers, is already the easiest and fastest part of the process, but we should not rush through it.  Taking the prudent time to make sure everything is set-up correctly is important.

If your fixtures are pre-assembled and you need flexibility for a non-standard set-up, then it’s not faster.  If your set-up is wrong and your measurement is wrong, not only is it not faster, but your alignment will be wrong.  The preparations you make prior to alignment are key and rushing through them or skipping steps is, in the end, not faster.

A good plan with good preparation, paying attention to the details and doing it correctly the first time saves time.  Let’s not fall for the “faster” pitch. Let’s do it correctly the first time, every time.  After all, anything worth doing is worth doing right.

ASI