auto parts manufacturers,auto parts suppliers

Thursday 1 May 2008

Tomkins, the global engineering and manufacturing group, sets out below its Interim Management Statement in relation to trading to date for the 2008 financial year.

The Company’s Annual General Meeting will be held today at 11.00 a.m. at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE.

James Nicol, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“Tomkins’ performance to date has been resilient. Our managers continue to take steps to mitigate the continuing US headwinds and to offset the impact of rising commodity prices through global sourcing, lean initiatives and price increases to our customers. Our businesses have continued to grow in emerging markets and we have seen strong demand in the global industrial sector. Good progress has been made in our stated Group priorities, including the three-year performance improvement programme, and we have made two bolt-on acquisitions and a joint venture in high-growth markets since the beginning of the year.”

Performance year to date

Industrial & Automotive (”I&A”)
I&A performed in line with expectations during the early months of the year. The business generated good growth in the global industrial and agricultural businesses. I&A’s performance in the oil and gas markets was bolstered at the beginning of March by the acquisition of A.E. Hydraulic (Pte) Ltd., a provider of hydraulic and industrial hose solutions and services for the oil exploration industry in Asia. Latin America, India and China continue to contribute to the overall performance of the I&A business. Stackpole, now a part of the Gates business, formed a joint venture with Halla Group of Korea, which will enable it to enter the attractive Asian markets with a local partner and grow the business through their combined expertise. The positive momentum in emerging markets is offsetting weaker demand from North American automotive equipment manufacturers. The Schrader Electronics business announced a contract to supply breakthrough technology for fuel level sensors to BMW Motorcycles.

Building Products (”BP”)
Air Systems Components (“ASC”) saw a steady performance in the North American non-residential construction market. ASC continues to make good progress with its expansion plans in India and announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Rolastar, a duct profile manufacturer. BP saw a number of contract wins, including two awards for infrastructure projects in Australia and the Middle East. BP’s residential businesses continue to be impacted by the declining US residential housing market and management is taking the required actions to mitigate the impact on performance.

Financial position (unaudited)
There has been no material change in the financial position of the Group during the period. As at 29 March 2008, the Group’s net assets were $2,335.4 million (29 December 2007: $2,254.8 million) and its net debt was $682.6 million (29 December 2007: $591.5 million).

Change of reporting currency
As indicated in the 2007 Preliminary Results Announcement, the Group’s reporting currency was changed from Sterling to the US Dollar with effect from the beginning of 2008. The Group’s primary financial statements and business segment information for 2007, originally reported in Sterling, have been translated into US Dollars and are provided in a separate press release published today.

Outlook for 2008
The majority of the end markets the Group sells into remain reasonably robust, with particular strength in the global industrial and agricultural markets. However, since the date of our results some of the Group’s end markets have weakened further. North American automotive production is now expected to be at 14.1 million units for 2008 compared to the original outlook of 14.4 million units. The US residential housing market continues to soften and US housing starts are now expected to be at around 0.9 million units for 2008, compared to the original outlook of just over 1.0 million units. Our internal action plans are progressing well and accordingly the Group’s outlook for 2008 remains in line with the outlook communicated in the 2007 Preliminary Results Announcement.

Notes to editors
Tomkins is a global engineering and manufacturing group with market and technical leadership across two business groups: Industrial & Automotive and Building Products. Tomkins plc’s ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol TOMK and also trade in ADR form on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TKS.

Let’s begin by describing what a turbo wastegate is. A wastegate is essentially a device that bypasses some exhaust flow around the turbine section of a turbocharger to control maximum boost. A wastegate is usually controlled by a pressure actuator that is connected to manifold pressure. The wastegate is normally closed, held shut by a spring inside the actuator canister. When preset pressure limits are exceeded, the actuator progressively opens the wastegate, allowing exhaust flow to bypass the turbine, thus regulating manifold boost pressure. On the surface, it sounds like a simple premise, and in fact, a wastegate is a simple device. The problem comes from the pressure in the exhaust system, called turbine inlet pressure that can bear against the valve, overpowering the spring in the actuator, and forcing the wastegate open at lower than intended boost levels.

Original equipment turbocharger wastegate actuators are selected or engineered for a specified boost level and turbine inlet pressure. To keep costs down, such actuators are usually just big enough to do the job at the stock boost levels. If the turbocharger boost is increased for additional airflow and performance, the stock wastegate actuator is frequently incapable of holding the wastegate fully closed until the higher boost level is reached. This happens because turbine inlet pressure also increases as boost pressure rises. The fix is to use a bigger spring in the wastegate actuator to hold it closed until the desired peak boost is achieved, however, that also requires a bigger actuator diaphragm to override the heavier spring when the desired boost level is reached. That’s why Banks created the Big Head actuator that’s used on many of its diesel power systems.

The net affect is that the turbocharger comes up to peak boost more quickly and then maintains that boost level throughout the engine’s RPM range for optimum mid-range torque and top end performance. It’s another example of the engineering expertise you get from Gale Banks Engineering. We do it right

first the general defination of Anti-Lock Brakes An Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) (translated from German, Anti-Blockier System) is a safety system on motor vehicles which prevents the wheels from locking while braking. A non-locking braking system allows the driver to maintain steering control under heavy braking, by preventing a skid, and allowing the wheel to continue to forward roll and create lateral control, as directed by driver steering inputs. Disadvantages of the system include increased braking distances under some limited circumstances (ice, snow, gravel, “soft” surfaces), and the creation of a “false sense of security” among drivers who do not understand the operation, and limitations of ABS.

Since it came into widespread use in production cars (with “version 2″ in 1978), ABS has made considerable progress. Recent versions not only handle the ABS function itself (i.e. preventing wheel locking under braking), but also traction control (TCS or ASR), brake assist (BA, EBA or HBA), and electronic stability control (ESP, ESC or DSC), amongst others. Not only that, but the Bosch 8.0 version now weighs less than 1.5 kilograms, compared with the 6.3 kg version 2.0 in 1978.

how Anti-Lock Brakes works?
Since most cars on the road today have some form of Antilock Brakes (ABS) I think we should take a look at how they work and clear up some mis-information about them.

As always, what I describe here is how most systems work in general. Since different manufactures have their own versions of ABS their values, specifications and part names will differ. If you are having a problem with the ABS on your vehicle you should always refer to the specific service and repair manuals for your vehicle.

The ABS is a four-wheel system that prevents wheel lock-up by automatically modulating the brake pressure during an emergency stop. By preventing the wheels from locking, it enables the driver to maintain steering control and to stop in the shortest possible distance under most conditions.

During normal braking, the ABS and non-ABS brake pedal feel will be the same. During ABS operation, a pulsation can be felt in the brake pedal, accompanied by a fall and then rise in brake pedal height and a clicking sound.

Vehicles with ABS are equipped with a pedal-actuated, dual-brake system. The hydraulic system consists of the following:

ABS hydraulic control valves and electronic control unit
Power brake booster
Brake master cylinder
Necessary brake tubes and hoses
The anti-lock brake system consists of the following components:

Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU).
Anti-lock brake control module.
Front anti-lock brake sensors / rear anti-lock brake sensors.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) operates as follows:

When the brakes are applied, fluid is forced from the brake master cylinder outlet ports to the HCU inlet ports. This pressure is transmitted through four normally open solenoid valves contained inside the HCU, then through the outlet ports of the HCU to each wheel.

The primary (rear) circuit of the brake master cylinder feeds the front brakes.

The secondary (front) circuit of the brake master cylinder feeds the rear brakes.

If the anti-lock brake control module senses a wheel is about to lock, based on anti-lock brake sensor data, it closes the normally open solenoid valve for that circuit. This prevents any more fluid from entering that circuit.

The anti-lock brake control module then looks at the anti-lock brake sensor signal from the affected wheel again.

If that wheel is still decelerating, it opens the solenoid valve for that circuit.

Once the affected wheel comes back up to speed, the anti-lock brake control module returns the solenoid valves to their normal condition allowing fluid flow to the affected brake.

The anti-lock brake control module monitors the electromechanical components of the system.

Malfunction of the anti-lock brake system will cause the anti-lock brake control module to shut off or inhibit the system. However, normal power-assisted braking remains.

Loss of hydraulic fluid in the brake master cylinder will disable the anti-lock system.

The 4-wheel anti-lock brake system is self-monitoring. When the ignition switch is turned to the RUN position, the anti-lock brake control module will perform a preliminary self-check on the anti-lock electrical system indicated by a three second illumination of the yellow ABS wanting indicator.

During vehicle operation, including normal and anti-lock braking, the anti-lock brake control module monitors all electrical anti-lock functions and some hydraulic operations.

Each time the vehicle is driven, as soon as vehicle speed reaches approximately 20 km/h (12 mph), the anti-lock brake control module turns on the pump motor for approximately one-half second. At this time, a mechanical noise may be heard. This is a normal function of the self-check by the anti-lock brake control module.

When the vehicle speed goes below 20 km/h (12 mph), the ABS turns off.

Most malfunctions of the anti-lock brake system and traction control system, if equipped, will cause the yellow ABS warning indicator to be illuminated.

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