At Intalco Alcoa Works in Ferndale, Wash., operators of cranes at the aluminum smelter have relied upon one manufacturer's radio remote units. Now the aluminum maker is upgrading this remote control system with more than 40 metal keypad controllers from the same maker.

Intalco Alcoa purchased its original controllers for 48 pot line cranes. The cranes control the tapping (or pouring) of hot metal from the pots to a ladle.

"We needed strong, reliable controllers for severe duty operations," says Bill Salter, Intalco Alcoa maintenance supervisor. "We didn't want our operators to get too close to the pots during the tapping of hot metal." The new controllers, he adds, "gave us the safety features we needed."

The new controllers are designed to withstand the daily stresses that come with operating heavy equipment. They contain the i-key, which stores frequency, address, and options programming information. They also carry a lifetime warranty.

Cattron-Theimig

724-962-3511

www.cattron.com