Original Story: energyglobal.com
Thousands
of chemicals, petroleum products, and corrosive elements like salt
water brine are transported by tanker truck, railcar and distributors,
as well as processed in chemical storage tanks at facilities and refineries, every day.
In
these venues, carbon steel corrosion can require early tank replacement
and maintenance, as well as pose a safety risk in terms of potential
leaks, spills, and even fire and explosion, so effective corrosion
protection is a must.
“We clean just about any tank hauling
product or waste on the road or rail,” said Joe Svehlak, Facility
Manager at DFW Tank Cleaning, a Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas-based full
service tank cleaning facility that specialises in chemical cleaning.
“Protecting against corrosion is vital in such tanks, as it is in our
facility flush tanks.”
According to Svehlak, effective corrosion resistance is essential in the chemical holding tanks
because they hold the wastewater from the first flushes of tanks that
the company cleans, which can include residual chemicals, until it is
treated. This amounts to thousands of different residual chemicals held
in the flush tanks annually – from petroleum products and salt-water
brine to fluoride, caustic soda, and a variety of acids.
Against
such tank corrosion challenges, traditional polymer paints and rubber
type coatings have long been used as physical barriers to keep corrosion
promoters such as water and oxygen away from steel substrates. This
works until the paint is scratched, chipped, or breached and corrosion
promoters enter the gap between the substrate and coating.
However,
truck or rail tankers hauling waste, including sand and sediment, can be
particularly prone to scratches, chips, or breaches. Then the coating
can act like a greenhouse – trapping water, oxygen and other corrosion
promoters – which allows the corrosion to spread. While stainless steel
can be used for tanks to resist corrosion, it can be up to six times
more costly than carbon steel, as well as challenging to weld,
fabricate, and maintain.
Now a new generation of anti-corrosion
coating, called Chemically Bonded Phosphate Ceramics, is poised to stop
such corrosion, improve safety, and extend tank life in the
transportation industry and beyond while minimising maintenance and
downtime.
Rugged anti-corrosion protection
“Our corrosion
protection for our 10 000 gal. flush tanks has to be particularly rugged
because we mix the wastewater so it does not stratify, and sand, rocks,
and even metal shavings can be present from the waste trailers we
service,” said Svehlak. “The corrosion protection also has to withstand
the high-temperature, high pressure water we often work with.”
To control corrosion, the chemical storage tank cleaning
facility chose to have Ennis, Texas-based DC Metal Construction, a
privately owned company specialising in steel construction and
industrial plant building projects, coat the inside of two flush tanks.
The flush tanks were coated with a spray applied inorganic coating
called EonCoat® from the Raleigh, NC-based company of the same name.
EonCoat represents a new category of tough, Chemically Bonded Phosphate
Ceramics (CBPCs) that can stop corrosion.
In contrast to
traditional polymer coatings that sit on top of the substrate, the
corrosion resistant coating bonds through a chemical reaction with the
substrate, and slight surface oxidation actually improves the reaction.
An alloy layer is formed. This makes it impossible for corrosion
promoters like oxygen and humidity to get behind the coating the way
they can with ordinary paints. The corrosion barrier is covered by a
ceramic shell that resists corrosion, fire, water, abrasion, chemicals,
and temperatures up to 400°F.
Although traditional polymer
coatings mechanically bond to substrates that have been extensively
prepared, if gouged, moisture and oxygen will migrate under the
coating’s film from all sides of the gouge.
By contrast, the same
damage to the ceramic-coated substrate will not spread corrosion
because the carbon steel’s surface is turned into an alloy of stable
oxides. Once the steel’s surface is stable (the way noble metals like
gold and silver are stable) it will no longer react with the environment
and corrode.
Visible in scanning electron microscope
photography, EonCoat does not leave a gap between the steel and the
coating because the bond is chemical rather than mechanical. Since there
is no gap, even if moisture was to get through to the steel due to a
gouge, there is nowhere for the moisture to travel. The only spot that
can corrode is the scribe line itself, which eliminates the possibility
of the corrosion migrating.
“Unlike traditional methods, the
corrosion resistant coatings for mild steel have a double layer of
protection,” said Bobby Hobbs, a DC Metal Construction job foreman. “The
tough, outside ceramic coating will not chip like paint and takes
sandblasting to remove. The chemically bonded layer stops corrosion and
will not allow corrosion promoters to spread.”
“EonCoat has stood
up really well to everything from chemicals and salty brine to
abrasion, high-pressure water and heat,” added Svehlak. “I believe it
will double the life of our tanks while significantly lowering
maintenance costs and downtime.”
According to Svehlak, the
coating’s rugged anti-corrosion properties could also benefit a wide
range of transportation-related businesses.
“Tanker truck and rail
operations can benefit from the anti-corrosion coating’s reliability,”
said Svehlak. “Its abrasion resistance would be a big plus to wastewater
haulers or super sucker truck operators with vacuum tanks that may
encounter metal chips, glass shards, etc. when cleaning out sumps. It
would also resist tank corrosion when transporting petroleum products or
even used restaurant waste such as oil, fat, or grease.”
For
transportation companies looking to reduce costs, there are additional
advantages to CBPC coatings beyond corrosion resistance. This includes
quick return to service that minimises equipment downtime, as well as no
VOCs or HAPs, and a flame spread rating of zero which improves safety.
For
corrosion protection projects using typical polymer paints such as
polyurethanes or epoxies, the cure time may be days or weeks before the
next coat of traditional ‘three part systems’ can be applied, depending
on the product. The cure time is necessary to allow each coat to achieve
its full properties, even though it may feel dry to the touch.
In
contrast, a corrosion resistant coating for carbon steel utilising the
ceramic coating in a single coat requires almost no curing time. Return
to service can be achieved in as little as one hour. This kind of speed
in getting a tank, tanker truck, or railcar operating again can save
significantly in reduced downtime.
“After appropriate tank
preparation, we found that if we spray EonCoat in the morning the tank
can be returned to service the same day because it applies in one coat
and dries quickly,” said Hobbs.
EonCoat consists of two,
non-hazardous components that do not interact until applied by a plural
spray system like those commonly used to apply polyurethane foam or
polyurea coatings. Since the coating is inorganic, there are no VOCs, no
HAPs and no odour. This means that the coating can be applied safely,
even in confined spaces.
“Since the corrosion resistant coating
has no VOCs, HAPs or odour we were able to spray during work hours, so
work next to the tanks could continue while we coated them,” concludes
Hobbs. “For any tank, facility, or transportation-related operation with
corrosion issues, it is well worth considering.”
Thursday, June 30, 2016
National list ranks Sarasota region’s top homebuilders
Original Story: businessobserverfl.com
SARASOTA — The top 10 home builders in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton region made up more than 93% of the area’s total market share in 2015, according to Builder Magazine. Find a custom home builder Tampa to build your dream home.
Builder Magazine released its list of the top 10 local home builders in Sarasota-Manatee. The 10 companies closed 3,570 homes in 2015, according to the list.
Lakewood Ranch-based Neal Communities of Southwest Florida topped the list with 747 closings. Here is the full top 10 list of companies and the number of homes they closed in 2015:
1. Neal Communities of Southwest Florida: 747 closings
2. Lennar Corp.: 606 closings
3. D.R. Horton: 529 closings
4. PulteGroup: 529 closings
5. Taylor Morrison: 387 closings
6. WCI Communities: 317 closings
7. CalAtlantic Group: 183 closings
8. Medallion Home: 126 closings
9. Minto Builders: 74 closings
10. Ashton Woods Homes: 72 closings
SARASOTA — The top 10 home builders in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton region made up more than 93% of the area’s total market share in 2015, according to Builder Magazine. Find a custom home builder Tampa to build your dream home.
Builder Magazine released its list of the top 10 local home builders in Sarasota-Manatee. The 10 companies closed 3,570 homes in 2015, according to the list.
Lakewood Ranch-based Neal Communities of Southwest Florida topped the list with 747 closings. Here is the full top 10 list of companies and the number of homes they closed in 2015:
1. Neal Communities of Southwest Florida: 747 closings
2. Lennar Corp.: 606 closings
3. D.R. Horton: 529 closings
4. PulteGroup: 529 closings
5. Taylor Morrison: 387 closings
6. WCI Communities: 317 closings
7. CalAtlantic Group: 183 closings
8. Medallion Home: 126 closings
9. Minto Builders: 74 closings
10. Ashton Woods Homes: 72 closings
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Water Features Flow Through Sun West’s Macdonald Highlands Home
Original Story: ReviewJournal.com
Sun West Custom Homes’ new showcase sits atop a hillside at 647 Cityview Ridge Drive in MacDonald Highlands, a luxury community in Henderson. Owner Daniel Coletti has created a cool, soothing oasis amid the expansive beauty of the Mojave Desert.
The striking see-through pool that visitors see driving to the home is a big jaw-dropper and the star of the show. In fact, water runs throughout this living space that is a tribute to the elements and indoor-outdoor living. Visit Florida today to so Custom Homes in Tampa.
The 8,000-square-foot home updates and expands on an award-winning design concept Coletti built in The Ridges at Summerlin for the 2009 Parade of Homes. One common thread that runs through Sun West custom home designs is an intimate feeling of closeness to nature. His living spaces blend into the surrounding terrain and climate. Sun West architectural designs combine traditional elements of water, air, earth and fire to suggest deep feelings of hearth and home.
Two ponds of flowing water greet visitors at the front entrance. That’s just a hint of the water theme this home carries. After passing through a large glass door into the great room, another pond leads past the right wall, under a fireplace, to an array of glass pocket doors along the back wall of the room. When opened, the wall disappears and the living space seamlessly continues outward to a patio lounge area where the infinity-edge swimming pool and a panoramic view of the Las Vegas Valley are the main attraction.
The open doors also channel air flow to capture breezes coming off the hills of MacDonald Highlands and route the fresh air through the living spaces of the home on the top and bottom floors. When closed, the pocket doors provide a barrier to prevent harsh weather, heat and cold from entering the inner living spaces.
Evaporative cooling from the water features saves energy and adds moisture to the rooms during hot, dry summer days in Southern Nevada.
Wood, metal and stone are the earth elements in the home that also connect occupants to the landscape surrounding them. The choice of colors, textures, furniture, textiles and flooring all complement desert tones. Tampa Custom Homes can have any feature that you can dream up.
Fireplaces are featured in the bedrooms, as well as in the great room, the downstairs guest lounge and outside patios near the infinity-edge swimming pool.
The master bedroom and bath are to the right of the great room entrance, overlooking the pool. Glass pocket doors disappear inside the walls of each room to connect the flowing water outside to the living space and occupants inside. A wooden deck extends through the center of the pool to allow residents to walk over the water to its edge and out toward the skyline.
The master bath tub is positioned directly behind motorized pocket doors that can open to connect the bath to the outside elements while the shower has a direct passageway to the swimming pool. A dressing room behind the shower and tub includes a cavernous closet that extends behind the master bedroom and bath.
On the other side of the closet space, a long hallway leads north past the master bedroom. A sailing mural decorates the wall on the left side while the right side of the hallway leads to an office space enclosed in glass.
At the northwest end of the hallway is a second bed, that includes a full bath and closet space. Two more outdoor patios and water features are nearby.
Return south down the long hallway, past the front door and great room, to the dining room and kitchen area.
Wolf cooking stoves, Sub-Zero refrigerators and Kohler water faucets all gleam with polished metal finishes. A warm air hand-dryer in the kitchen replaces the need for paper towels. The kitchen extends into the outdoor area when the pocket doors are open.
The indoor and outdoor kitchens are built with stone countertops, tiled floors and custom cabinetry. Island bars and strategic furniture serve as gathering places that invite guests to mingle and converse.
A stairway leads from the dining room down to the lower floor, past a wine rack made from hanging chains of cable that are suspended from the ceiling. Large metal rings within the parallel chains display an extensive collection of vintage wine bottles. The rack chains descend from the top floor ceiling to below the staircase where a cocktail serving bar sits.
Comfortable couches and chairs are positioned in front of a fireplace and video entertainment center to the right of the staircase, as well as in a submerged lounge, recessed 4 feet below the floor.
The west wall, beneath the infinity-edge swimming pool, supports a glass window that allows guests to interact with underwater swimmers. During the open house presentation, a live mermaid appeared at the window to showcase the water world inside the infinity-edge pool.
An outdoor pond and patio are just beyond another set of pocket glass doors toward the front of the home. The outer cement wall of the pond and patio space functions as a retaining structure that nestles against the hillside.
On the same level of the home are an extra half-bath behind the cocktail bar and lounge. Near the foot of the stairs are a bedroom and full bath, with its own set of pocket doors that lead outside to a golf-putting green. Beyond the bedroom, a four-car garage opens out to a second street below for easy parking and access to the rear of the home. A Tampa Custom Home Builder can make your dream a reality.
A storage closet near the back door of the garage houses rack-mounted computers and an array of signal-processing modules that enable a Crestron control system for this smart home. The electronic modules are always on and always connected to the Internet where a cloud of servers process the data streaming to and from the building. From the cloud, all this digital information is consolidated and sent to the homeowner’s smartphone. Most of the features in the home can be controlled through a single app. The Crestron system also uses touch screens and switch panels mounted on the walls of every room in the home to activate the same control systems. These include security cameras, electronic locks, motion sensors and proximity sensors for the doors and windows. Smoke and safety alarm sensors are also monitored 24/7.
Residents can select on-demand content via 4K ultra-high-definition video streamed from the Internet to multiple video monitors throughout the home. Extensive cabling for audio speakers and music systems has been routed to every room in the home and to the outdoor patios.
The same Crestron app also controls all the LED lighting throughout the home, as well as motorized glass pocket doors and motorized shades that automatically adjust throughout the day to the position of the sun.
Smart thermostats monitor temperature changes in different rooms and enable zoned climate control through the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.
Miles of low-voltage cables are embedded in the walls of the showcase home alongside the high-voltage AC electric power wiring.
“More of the audio, video, data and control signals have now been combined over the Cat-6 Ethernet cables,” said Kevin Peltier, president of HP Media Group. “We included a second, backup Cat-6 cable in the home wiring bundle for redundancy and future expansion.”
The MacDonald Highlands showcase home highlights many of the design-build lessons learned by Sun West through 38 years of custom project development. It also serves as a laboratory to collect data, in order to evaluate the efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels, energy consumption of the HVAC system, the effectiveness of the sun-tracking shade system, convection air flow, and other new features that may someday be implemented on future design-build projects by the company.
Cynthia Coletti originally founded El Rancho West as a family business with her son, Daniel, in 1978. She passed the exam for a contractor’s license in Florida, then partnered with her son to build their first custom home on a 1-acre parcel of land that they purchased for $10,000. The team built 22 custom homes in Florida, then moved to Colorado, before setting up a business in the Las Vegas Valley as Sun West Custom Homes during 1989.
“God gives us all a little talent, but you don’t know it until you start building something and getting reactions from people,” Cynthia Coletti said. “If you are doing something right, keep doing it and stick with your feelings.”
“The prevailing style of architecture in Las Vegas at that time was Mediterranean, like the Ten Oaks development with its arches and clay-tiled rooftops.” Daniel Coletti said.
During 1998, he traveled to Hawaii and saw how the homes were constructed in the islands to be more open to the outside, as well as inside.
He designed and built the custom Tapestry home for the Seven Hills development in Henderson to include pocket doors that could be hidden in the walls of the building structure to extend the indoor living space. Other innovations in design followed as Coletti developed a desert contemporary style that can be found at The Ridges in Summerlin, MacDonald Highlands and Lake Las Vegas.
The company built six custom homes during 2015 and has two design-build projects ongoing this year.
The “build” part of a Sun West Custom Homes project is led by Carl Martinez, president of residential construction. Martinez and Coletti direct an experienced team that includes a project manager, interior designer, project coordinator and an onsite superintendent who execute the design plans with the help of licensed and insured sub-contractors, many who have worked with the company for more than a decade.
After years of real-world practice, the Sun West team has amassed a quality control checklist that monitors 87 different areas of home construction from “foundation to finish,” Coletti said.
The MacDonald Highlands project began construction in August 2015 and opened is available for public view from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Just tell the guard you want to see the showcase home.
Sun West Custom Homes’ new showcase sits atop a hillside at 647 Cityview Ridge Drive in MacDonald Highlands, a luxury community in Henderson. Owner Daniel Coletti has created a cool, soothing oasis amid the expansive beauty of the Mojave Desert.
The striking see-through pool that visitors see driving to the home is a big jaw-dropper and the star of the show. In fact, water runs throughout this living space that is a tribute to the elements and indoor-outdoor living. Visit Florida today to so Custom Homes in Tampa.
The 8,000-square-foot home updates and expands on an award-winning design concept Coletti built in The Ridges at Summerlin for the 2009 Parade of Homes. One common thread that runs through Sun West custom home designs is an intimate feeling of closeness to nature. His living spaces blend into the surrounding terrain and climate. Sun West architectural designs combine traditional elements of water, air, earth and fire to suggest deep feelings of hearth and home.
Two ponds of flowing water greet visitors at the front entrance. That’s just a hint of the water theme this home carries. After passing through a large glass door into the great room, another pond leads past the right wall, under a fireplace, to an array of glass pocket doors along the back wall of the room. When opened, the wall disappears and the living space seamlessly continues outward to a patio lounge area where the infinity-edge swimming pool and a panoramic view of the Las Vegas Valley are the main attraction.
The open doors also channel air flow to capture breezes coming off the hills of MacDonald Highlands and route the fresh air through the living spaces of the home on the top and bottom floors. When closed, the pocket doors provide a barrier to prevent harsh weather, heat and cold from entering the inner living spaces.
Evaporative cooling from the water features saves energy and adds moisture to the rooms during hot, dry summer days in Southern Nevada.
Wood, metal and stone are the earth elements in the home that also connect occupants to the landscape surrounding them. The choice of colors, textures, furniture, textiles and flooring all complement desert tones. Tampa Custom Homes can have any feature that you can dream up.
Fireplaces are featured in the bedrooms, as well as in the great room, the downstairs guest lounge and outside patios near the infinity-edge swimming pool.
The master bedroom and bath are to the right of the great room entrance, overlooking the pool. Glass pocket doors disappear inside the walls of each room to connect the flowing water outside to the living space and occupants inside. A wooden deck extends through the center of the pool to allow residents to walk over the water to its edge and out toward the skyline.
The master bath tub is positioned directly behind motorized pocket doors that can open to connect the bath to the outside elements while the shower has a direct passageway to the swimming pool. A dressing room behind the shower and tub includes a cavernous closet that extends behind the master bedroom and bath.
On the other side of the closet space, a long hallway leads north past the master bedroom. A sailing mural decorates the wall on the left side while the right side of the hallway leads to an office space enclosed in glass.
At the northwest end of the hallway is a second bed, that includes a full bath and closet space. Two more outdoor patios and water features are nearby.
Return south down the long hallway, past the front door and great room, to the dining room and kitchen area.
Wolf cooking stoves, Sub-Zero refrigerators and Kohler water faucets all gleam with polished metal finishes. A warm air hand-dryer in the kitchen replaces the need for paper towels. The kitchen extends into the outdoor area when the pocket doors are open.
The indoor and outdoor kitchens are built with stone countertops, tiled floors and custom cabinetry. Island bars and strategic furniture serve as gathering places that invite guests to mingle and converse.
A stairway leads from the dining room down to the lower floor, past a wine rack made from hanging chains of cable that are suspended from the ceiling. Large metal rings within the parallel chains display an extensive collection of vintage wine bottles. The rack chains descend from the top floor ceiling to below the staircase where a cocktail serving bar sits.
Comfortable couches and chairs are positioned in front of a fireplace and video entertainment center to the right of the staircase, as well as in a submerged lounge, recessed 4 feet below the floor.
The west wall, beneath the infinity-edge swimming pool, supports a glass window that allows guests to interact with underwater swimmers. During the open house presentation, a live mermaid appeared at the window to showcase the water world inside the infinity-edge pool.
An outdoor pond and patio are just beyond another set of pocket glass doors toward the front of the home. The outer cement wall of the pond and patio space functions as a retaining structure that nestles against the hillside.
On the same level of the home are an extra half-bath behind the cocktail bar and lounge. Near the foot of the stairs are a bedroom and full bath, with its own set of pocket doors that lead outside to a golf-putting green. Beyond the bedroom, a four-car garage opens out to a second street below for easy parking and access to the rear of the home. A Tampa Custom Home Builder can make your dream a reality.
A storage closet near the back door of the garage houses rack-mounted computers and an array of signal-processing modules that enable a Crestron control system for this smart home. The electronic modules are always on and always connected to the Internet where a cloud of servers process the data streaming to and from the building. From the cloud, all this digital information is consolidated and sent to the homeowner’s smartphone. Most of the features in the home can be controlled through a single app. The Crestron system also uses touch screens and switch panels mounted on the walls of every room in the home to activate the same control systems. These include security cameras, electronic locks, motion sensors and proximity sensors for the doors and windows. Smoke and safety alarm sensors are also monitored 24/7.
Residents can select on-demand content via 4K ultra-high-definition video streamed from the Internet to multiple video monitors throughout the home. Extensive cabling for audio speakers and music systems has been routed to every room in the home and to the outdoor patios.
The same Crestron app also controls all the LED lighting throughout the home, as well as motorized glass pocket doors and motorized shades that automatically adjust throughout the day to the position of the sun.
Smart thermostats monitor temperature changes in different rooms and enable zoned climate control through the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.
Miles of low-voltage cables are embedded in the walls of the showcase home alongside the high-voltage AC electric power wiring.
“More of the audio, video, data and control signals have now been combined over the Cat-6 Ethernet cables,” said Kevin Peltier, president of HP Media Group. “We included a second, backup Cat-6 cable in the home wiring bundle for redundancy and future expansion.”
The MacDonald Highlands showcase home highlights many of the design-build lessons learned by Sun West through 38 years of custom project development. It also serves as a laboratory to collect data, in order to evaluate the efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels, energy consumption of the HVAC system, the effectiveness of the sun-tracking shade system, convection air flow, and other new features that may someday be implemented on future design-build projects by the company.
Cynthia Coletti originally founded El Rancho West as a family business with her son, Daniel, in 1978. She passed the exam for a contractor’s license in Florida, then partnered with her son to build their first custom home on a 1-acre parcel of land that they purchased for $10,000. The team built 22 custom homes in Florida, then moved to Colorado, before setting up a business in the Las Vegas Valley as Sun West Custom Homes during 1989.
“God gives us all a little talent, but you don’t know it until you start building something and getting reactions from people,” Cynthia Coletti said. “If you are doing something right, keep doing it and stick with your feelings.”
“The prevailing style of architecture in Las Vegas at that time was Mediterranean, like the Ten Oaks development with its arches and clay-tiled rooftops.” Daniel Coletti said.
During 1998, he traveled to Hawaii and saw how the homes were constructed in the islands to be more open to the outside, as well as inside.
He designed and built the custom Tapestry home for the Seven Hills development in Henderson to include pocket doors that could be hidden in the walls of the building structure to extend the indoor living space. Other innovations in design followed as Coletti developed a desert contemporary style that can be found at The Ridges in Summerlin, MacDonald Highlands and Lake Las Vegas.
The company built six custom homes during 2015 and has two design-build projects ongoing this year.
The “build” part of a Sun West Custom Homes project is led by Carl Martinez, president of residential construction. Martinez and Coletti direct an experienced team that includes a project manager, interior designer, project coordinator and an onsite superintendent who execute the design plans with the help of licensed and insured sub-contractors, many who have worked with the company for more than a decade.
After years of real-world practice, the Sun West team has amassed a quality control checklist that monitors 87 different areas of home construction from “foundation to finish,” Coletti said.
The MacDonald Highlands project began construction in August 2015 and opened is available for public view from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Just tell the guard you want to see the showcase home.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Lightning Likely Cause of Five North Texas Fires
Original Story: nbcdfw.com
Jacksboro
Firefighters said units responded to a call at a tan farm at Silver Creek Resources in the 1500 block of Farm-to-Market Road 1156 at 12:43 a.m.
Jack County and East Jack County firefighters had to wait until heavy lightning stopped before attacking the fire, according to authorities.
Firefighters said the fire damaged four 300-gallon fiberglass tanks, causing about $100,000 in damage.
No injuries were reported.
Jacksboro
Firefighters said units responded to a call at a tan farm at Silver Creek Resources in the 1500 block of Farm-to-Market Road 1156 at 12:43 a.m.
Jack County and East Jack County firefighters had to wait until heavy lightning stopped before attacking the fire, according to authorities.
Firefighters said the fire damaged four 300-gallon fiberglass tanks, causing about $100,000 in damage.
No injuries were reported.
Healthcare Cloud Security Concerns Not Impediment to Usage
Original Story: healthitsecurity.com
A recent study found that 77 percent of healthcare organizations plan to increase the use of public cloud services despite significant healthcare cloud security concerns.
Public and private cloud solutions are gaining popularity in the healthcare industry, especially for data storage and network usage, despite issues surrounding healthcare cloud security and PHI data breaches. Secant Healthcare is looking into these options.
Researchers at HyTrust recently published a study that revealed 77 percent of healthcare organizations plan to move more workloads onto a public cloud service even though healthcare data security was a major concern with cloud usage.
“Without much fanfare, this critical technology advance has become woven into the basic fabric of businesses large and small,” said HyTrust President Eric Chiu. “The potential of virtualization and the cloud was always undeniable, but there was genuine concern over security and skepticism regarding the processes required.”
While organizations across all industries reported security challenges with cloud services, many companies are still migrating additional workloads to private and public clouds, added Chui.
The study found that the healthcare industry is no exception to increased cloud usage and virtualization. Approximately 55 percent of healthcare organizations stated that they have already moved mission critical workloads, such as sensitive patient information, to a cloud or software-defined data center.
Healthcare organizations are also virtualizing other aspects of their infrastructure, reported the study. Fifty-two percent of healthcare organizations have migrated test and development server workloads to a cloud service and 61 percent use a cloud product for storage.
Despite increased cloud usage, healthcare-related participants still said that their organization faced significant healthcare cloud security challenges. About 58 percent of respondents admitted that data security and breach concerns were the biggest worry once migration began.
In addition to data breach concerns, other security challenges across all industries included infrastructure-wide security and control as well as effective monitoring and visibility into cloud infrastructure. Secant Health is watching their IT closely for data breaches.
Additionally, previous healthcare data breaches have not discouraged organizations from implementing cloud services. An estimated 29 percent of respondents from healthcare organizations said that they have experienced a personal data breach.
“The large-scale migrations are particularly interesting in light of the many obstacles that have previously impeded planned moves to virtualized infrastructures,” explained the press release. “In fact, the survey reveals that not all concerns have been eliminated.”
To discover more about implementing healthcare cloud security, researchers asked participants in the industry what types of information needed to be secured in public and private clouds.
For public cloud security requirements, healthcare organizations said that all production data should be encrypted (32 percent), the entire workload should be encrypted (16 percent), and only personally identifiable information should be encrypted (13 percent).
In terms of private cloud services, about one-third of healthcare respondents favored encrypting all production data in a workload.
Software defined-data centers and cloud services are becoming staples in the healthcare industry as more providers transition to value-based care models. These models rely on large volumes of data and meaningful health IT use to increase quality of care and reduce healthcare costs.
While cloud products allow healthcare providers are useful to value-based care delivery, HIPAA rules still apply to data in the cloud.
“Cloud computing outsources technical infrastructure to another entity that essentially focuses all its time on maintaining software, platforms, or infrastructure,” The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) stated in a paper. “But a covered entity… still remains responsible for protecting PHI in accordance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, even in circumstances where the entity has outsourced the performance of core PHI functions.”
However, healthcare organizations have struggled to maintain comprehensive healthcare cloud security. According to the Fall 2015 Netskope Cloud Report, healthcare cloud data loss prevention violations were the most common data loss prevention offenses across all industries studied, accounting for 76.2 percent of all cloud violations.
The report also discussed how healthcare and life sciences averaged 1,017 cloud applications per organization, which was the second highest number of apps behind the technology and IT sector. Yet, PHI was involved in 68.5 percent of violations in cloud applications.
Securing patient and production data can be more difficult when it is managed up in a cloud, but healthcare providers should be aware of several healthcare cloud security measures.
Healthcare organizations should partner with cloud vendors that design healthcare-specific products and can anticipate unique data security requirements, such as HIPAA and HITECH rules.
Regardless of vendor selection, providers should also develop contextual visibility and auditing capabilities. Healthcare cloud security policies should include monitoring alerts, lock-down capabilities, and geo-fencing of users. Intelligent security tools can be helpful for implementing these policies. Secant Healthcare plans on being careful of their vendor selection.
Technology and healthcare are both evolving quickly, but healthcare cloud security concerns could hold back providers from advancing care if they can’t also secure PHI and production data. While the HyTrust study showed healthcare organizations pushing ahead with cloud services despite security challenges, many of these providers may need to review healthcare cloud security measures.
A recent study found that 77 percent of healthcare organizations plan to increase the use of public cloud services despite significant healthcare cloud security concerns.
Public and private cloud solutions are gaining popularity in the healthcare industry, especially for data storage and network usage, despite issues surrounding healthcare cloud security and PHI data breaches. Secant Healthcare is looking into these options.
Researchers at HyTrust recently published a study that revealed 77 percent of healthcare organizations plan to move more workloads onto a public cloud service even though healthcare data security was a major concern with cloud usage.
“Without much fanfare, this critical technology advance has become woven into the basic fabric of businesses large and small,” said HyTrust President Eric Chiu. “The potential of virtualization and the cloud was always undeniable, but there was genuine concern over security and skepticism regarding the processes required.”
While organizations across all industries reported security challenges with cloud services, many companies are still migrating additional workloads to private and public clouds, added Chui.
The study found that the healthcare industry is no exception to increased cloud usage and virtualization. Approximately 55 percent of healthcare organizations stated that they have already moved mission critical workloads, such as sensitive patient information, to a cloud or software-defined data center.
Healthcare organizations are also virtualizing other aspects of their infrastructure, reported the study. Fifty-two percent of healthcare organizations have migrated test and development server workloads to a cloud service and 61 percent use a cloud product for storage.
Despite increased cloud usage, healthcare-related participants still said that their organization faced significant healthcare cloud security challenges. About 58 percent of respondents admitted that data security and breach concerns were the biggest worry once migration began.
In addition to data breach concerns, other security challenges across all industries included infrastructure-wide security and control as well as effective monitoring and visibility into cloud infrastructure. Secant Health is watching their IT closely for data breaches.
Additionally, previous healthcare data breaches have not discouraged organizations from implementing cloud services. An estimated 29 percent of respondents from healthcare organizations said that they have experienced a personal data breach.
“The large-scale migrations are particularly interesting in light of the many obstacles that have previously impeded planned moves to virtualized infrastructures,” explained the press release. “In fact, the survey reveals that not all concerns have been eliminated.”
To discover more about implementing healthcare cloud security, researchers asked participants in the industry what types of information needed to be secured in public and private clouds.
For public cloud security requirements, healthcare organizations said that all production data should be encrypted (32 percent), the entire workload should be encrypted (16 percent), and only personally identifiable information should be encrypted (13 percent).
In terms of private cloud services, about one-third of healthcare respondents favored encrypting all production data in a workload.
Software defined-data centers and cloud services are becoming staples in the healthcare industry as more providers transition to value-based care models. These models rely on large volumes of data and meaningful health IT use to increase quality of care and reduce healthcare costs.
While cloud products allow healthcare providers are useful to value-based care delivery, HIPAA rules still apply to data in the cloud.
“Cloud computing outsources technical infrastructure to another entity that essentially focuses all its time on maintaining software, platforms, or infrastructure,” The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) stated in a paper. “But a covered entity… still remains responsible for protecting PHI in accordance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, even in circumstances where the entity has outsourced the performance of core PHI functions.”
However, healthcare organizations have struggled to maintain comprehensive healthcare cloud security. According to the Fall 2015 Netskope Cloud Report, healthcare cloud data loss prevention violations were the most common data loss prevention offenses across all industries studied, accounting for 76.2 percent of all cloud violations.
The report also discussed how healthcare and life sciences averaged 1,017 cloud applications per organization, which was the second highest number of apps behind the technology and IT sector. Yet, PHI was involved in 68.5 percent of violations in cloud applications.
Securing patient and production data can be more difficult when it is managed up in a cloud, but healthcare providers should be aware of several healthcare cloud security measures.
Healthcare organizations should partner with cloud vendors that design healthcare-specific products and can anticipate unique data security requirements, such as HIPAA and HITECH rules.
Regardless of vendor selection, providers should also develop contextual visibility and auditing capabilities. Healthcare cloud security policies should include monitoring alerts, lock-down capabilities, and geo-fencing of users. Intelligent security tools can be helpful for implementing these policies. Secant Healthcare plans on being careful of their vendor selection.
Technology and healthcare are both evolving quickly, but healthcare cloud security concerns could hold back providers from advancing care if they can’t also secure PHI and production data. While the HyTrust study showed healthcare organizations pushing ahead with cloud services despite security challenges, many of these providers may need to review healthcare cloud security measures.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Masonite Door Business Rides Housing Boom
Original Story: woodworkingnetwork.com
TAMPA, Fla. - Masonite chose a great time to go public in 2013, as the housing market began heading straight up. The door manufacturer will likely find a warm reception next week when it presents at the Deutsche Bank Basic Materials Conference June 8, 2016 in Chicago. A Custom home builder in Tampa plans on attending the conference.
Frederick J. Lynch, CEO, and Russell T. Tiejema, CFO, will provide a status report and forecast, coming off a 13 percent rise in its latest quarterly results for the period ended April 3.
Net sales for that period increased $54.8 million, up 13 percent compared to the first quarter or 2015, reaching $489.3 million. Net sales would have increased 16 percent aside from exchange rates in Masonite's export markets.
Net income rose $48.9 million to $17.8 million - in other words, reversing a loss from the year ago period. Tampa custom homes are using these products.
Masonite operates 64 manufacturing and distribution facilities in 9 countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia, with direct distribution to retail home center customers and direct sales to homebuilders and contractors; and two-step distribution through wholesale distributors. For retail home center customers, Mastonie's Dorfab facilities provide value-added fabrication and logistical services, including pre-finishing and store delivery of pre-hung interior and exterior doors.
North America net sales last year were $1.47 billion, 78.4 percent of the total. Europe, Asia and Latin America amounted to $356.2 million or 19 percent; and Africa 2.6 percent or $48.6 million.
“We were encouraged by the strong market conditions in the first quarter of 2016 during which demand increased across all reportable segments,” said Fred Lynch, President and CEO. A Tampa custom home builder has My Lynch to thank for his masonite products.
North American residential net sales were $328.7 million, a 20 percent rise first quarter. Architectural net sales were $73.5 million, a 10 percent increase over the first quarter of 2015
TAMPA, Fla. - Masonite chose a great time to go public in 2013, as the housing market began heading straight up. The door manufacturer will likely find a warm reception next week when it presents at the Deutsche Bank Basic Materials Conference June 8, 2016 in Chicago. A Custom home builder in Tampa plans on attending the conference.
Frederick J. Lynch, CEO, and Russell T. Tiejema, CFO, will provide a status report and forecast, coming off a 13 percent rise in its latest quarterly results for the period ended April 3.
Net sales for that period increased $54.8 million, up 13 percent compared to the first quarter or 2015, reaching $489.3 million. Net sales would have increased 16 percent aside from exchange rates in Masonite's export markets.
Net income rose $48.9 million to $17.8 million - in other words, reversing a loss from the year ago period. Tampa custom homes are using these products.
Masonite operates 64 manufacturing and distribution facilities in 9 countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia, with direct distribution to retail home center customers and direct sales to homebuilders and contractors; and two-step distribution through wholesale distributors. For retail home center customers, Mastonie's Dorfab facilities provide value-added fabrication and logistical services, including pre-finishing and store delivery of pre-hung interior and exterior doors.
North America net sales last year were $1.47 billion, 78.4 percent of the total. Europe, Asia and Latin America amounted to $356.2 million or 19 percent; and Africa 2.6 percent or $48.6 million.
“We were encouraged by the strong market conditions in the first quarter of 2016 during which demand increased across all reportable segments,” said Fred Lynch, President and CEO. A Tampa custom home builder has My Lynch to thank for his masonite products.
North American residential net sales were $328.7 million, a 20 percent rise first quarter. Architectural net sales were $73.5 million, a 10 percent increase over the first quarter of 2015
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