Last month I visited Noise-Con 2007 and had the opportunity to meet with many consultants and noise control engineers. It was refreshing to hear that most of them were encouraged by our efforts to provide unique engineered solutions for more and more special projects. For nearly 60 years, IAC has designed and manufactured noise control and acoustic solutions for industry, government, arts, education, medical, aviation and power, and we look to the future to do more of the same in making the world a quieter place.

Our continued success would not be possible without the incredible support and expertise of our reps, consultants and customers. Winning takes team work and I can think of none better.

Thanks again and enjoy the stories!

Best wishes,

Kenneth DeLasho
President, Sales Division
IAC America

IAC AMERICA TO THE RESCUE OF MERCY SHIPS

Mercy Ships, the largest hospital ship charity, has placed an order with IAC America for two Moduline Generator Enclosures for the latest addition to their fleet, the 16,000-ton Africa Mercy.

The world’s largest charity hospital ship, the Africa Mercy is 499 feet long and as well as accommodation for more than 450 volunteer crew members, she has six operating theatres, and a 78-bed patient ward. The ship will bring ‘continued hope and healing to the people of Africa’.

For the comfort of crew, clinicians and patients, the IAC acoustic treatment will isolate the noise from the four B&W main engines rated at 3120KW at 775 RPMs as well as from the harbour generators when dockside.

IAC engineers took both noise and physical measurements while the ship was docked in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, on the western tip of Africa and installation of the enclosures will take place in January 2008 while the ship is docked in the Canary Islands, off the south of Spain.

Mercy Ships has its principal offices in Texas, USA and has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.

MTV REALITY SHOW GETS IAC STAR TREATMENT

What do you get when you take the pier on the Hudson River, add a rock band, and a ‘bubble building’ containing an IAC sound studio? Well, if you’re MTV, you get a reality TV show.

When MTV wanted to lock the band into a ‘bubble’ for 3 weeks, and not let them out until they produced an album, they turned to studio designer FM Design for a control room. Fran Manzella knew a modular studio from IAC was the only way to score a hit, and meet the aggressive schedule needed to complete the studio on time.

Working closely and quickly with QuietStar Industries, IAC’s New York representative, Fran Manzella (the designer) and Steve Dutton (the rep) laid out a plan for a 13’ x 17’ studio, complete with Full-Glass studio door, Fabric absorption wall panels and RPG Diffusers.

After receiving the order in March ‘07, the booth was installed mid-May, ready for TV. And what were the results of the efforts? Four episodes and a concert for New York City. Last we heard, there was talk of ‘Band in a Bubble 2’. Good thing they bought a modular booth. It’s in storage, ready for an encore.

IAC’S WINCHESTER, UK SITE AWARDED BS EN ISO 14001

Environment has been high on the international agenda for a few years now so gaining certification to the BS EN ISO 14001 international standard for our Winchester, UK site is a source of genuine pride for IAC.

Customers increasingly prefer companies with an uncompromising respect for the environment and so over the past two years a system has been designed and implemented to gain this environmental certification.

Ian Woolf was promoted to the role of Health and Safety/Environmental Manager and undertook the whole process right from the initial site survey and impact assessment based upon any potential environmental threat.

Controls for significant issues were then developed and written into existing procedures/work instructions and many new ones were developed to ensure compliance with relevant environmental laws. Ian then drew up an environmental policy and manual and an awareness campaign was launched among staff. It was important for the workforce to have information on the standard itself but also on the environmental issues we face as a business – and ongoing training will reinforce the environmental message.

The third party certification body assessed all aspects of the process and then carried out the final stage in early September. IAC was awarded our certificate following a 4-day audit.

Ian Woolf, Health and Safety/Environmental Manager said: “Developing the system has been challenging but rewarding. As a company, though, we must all remain focused on continual compliance and as time goes on I shall be driving further improvements in environmental performance. The good thing is that this will not only help minimise our environmental impact but will also reduce our business operating costs.”

IAC UK WINS RBS INTERNATIONAL TRADE AWARD

IAC has won the coveted RBS International Trade Award in this year’s Hampshire Business Awards in the UK. IAC beat numerous companies across the south of England who all had strong international growth.

The awards are the annual search for Hampshire’s best businesses. IAC was chosen as the winner due to our carefully-planned and well-executed strategy of using international trade to turn the UK company around from a loss-making UK business to a substantial part of the world's largest noise control business.

The Awards gala dinner took place within Historic Dockyard at neighbouring Portsmouth. Brian Quarendon, CEO and Group President said: “We are delighted to have won this award. Exports have certainly been the key in our success. Since 2003 our UK sales have increased from $44M with only $3.6M of export/overseas sales to over $80M in 2006 with $44.8M of export/overseas sales. This is forecast to grow to over $98M with an even greater share of export sales this year. This strategy has not only preserved our 150 Hampshire-based jobs but has allowed us to create more jobs in the UK and across the globe.”


MUSIC EDUCATION SOUNDS GREAT

What does this concert of IAC components have in common? IAC Noise-Lock® Side Lites, IAC Noise-Lock® Glass Transom panels, IAC Noishield® Solid Transom Panels, IAC VisionWall®, and of course IAC Noise-Lock® Doors? Answer: The Chautauqua School of Music in Chautauqua, NY.

IAC supplied new exterior door and window systems for the new expansion block at the Chautauqua School of Music. The practice rooms where constructed of traditional building materials and each space enhanced with IAC Noise-Lock® doors and Vision Wall Side Lites and Transoms designed on the basis of guaranteed high in-field noise reduction.

Using a ‘value engineering’ approach the IAC door and window opening components were acoustically rated from STC 43 to STC 55. Each practice space was evaluated according to its location and the type of instruments that were going to be played in each space.

Architecturally the doors and windows were designed using vision panels in the doors and a variety of finishes. The durable Kynar finish for our aluminum extrusions that form part of our Vision Wall assured a perfect match to the existing finishes and we were able to maintain the integrity of the exterior aspect of the building.

This creative combination of IAC components in this project is thanks to the Access System team at IAC America and the IAC technical sales representative Mr Doug Abt of Electrolab in Western New York who worked to bring this project to completion.

IAC is now finalizing its NEW line of AccuTone™2 Concert Series Modular Practice Rooms enhanced with ADR Technology, designed to encourage music education worldwide.

For further information on IAC’s sound-attenuated Music Practices Rooms and Studios contact Dominick Nardi, Business/Product Manager on 718-931-4532 dnardi@industrialacoustics.com

TOP INVENTOR PRESENTS UK ‘YOUNG PERSONS’ AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN ACOUSTICAL ENGINEERING’

World-renowned inventor Trevor Baylis OBE was guest of honour at the dinner to award this year’s ‘UK Young Persons’ Award for Innovation in Acoustical Engineering’ sponsored by IAC.

The Awards dinner formed part of the UK Institute of Acoustics’ autumn conference. Brilliant, young acoustician Dr Constantin Coussios of Oxford University, scooped top prize for his cancer therapy using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

Dr Coussios, a biomedical engineering researcher, said: “[.] I feel honoured and encouraged by this Award. Acoustics enabled many life-changing developments in the course of the last century.. .[In] my view, the biggest acoustics challenge of the 21st century [is] the understanding and harnessing of the many potentially beneficial interactions between acoustic waves and biological tissue.”

Trevor Baylis presented Constantin with the heavyweight silver trophy. Trevor shot to international fame with the invention of his Freeplay Wind Up Radio in 1996. He said: “I was delighted to officiate and be able to share some words of wisdom with delegates on how they can protect their intellectual property.”

In addition to a solid silver replica of the trophy, Constantin receives a weekend for two in Barcelona, Spain, concert tickets, and lunch with Spain’s Institute of Acoustics.

Frederic Cegla of Imperial College London won First Runner Up for his project on Ultrasonic Thickness Monitoring in Harsh Environments. Second Runner Up was Lara Harris of the world-renowned Institute of Sound Vibration Research in Southampton for her work on Bass Reproduction Quality in Loudspeakers.

Brian Quarendon said: “We are once again delighted to be supporting the Institute in sponsoring this Award. The standard of entries was very high again this time, and I wish the winners the very best in their future careers.”

IAC R&D IMPROVES THE WATER PENETRATION CAPABILITIES OF LOUVERS

The purpose of acoustical louvers is to keep noise from emanating from a facility, but allow air flow in and out. Clearly louver design is such that rain penetration is minimised. We are often asked for water penetration data for our louvers so are now undertaking research to enable us to answer such questions.

For many years IAC has designed and manufactured Noishield® and Slimshield® acoustical louvers for use as air inlet/discharge devices for applications such as commercial buildings, manufacturing plants, and power stations. Our state-of-the art R&D facilities allow us to provide Transmission Loss, Noise Reduction and Pressure Drop data so that Architects, Consultants, and Engineers can have the information they need to make correct selection decisions.

In co-operation with our UK associates, and as part of our ongoing co-ordinated Research & Development Plan, we are currently engaged in a project to document and improve the water penetration capabilities of IAC louvers. Frank Zuvich, Product Development Manager for IAC America, has built the test apparatus required. This device replicates, albeit on a smaller scale, the test facility specified by the Air Movement and Control Association International in the US and the Heating, Ventilating & Air Conditioning Manufacturers Assocation in the UK.

With this test facility we will be able to determine relative performance of different louver designs and get an approximation of standard performance.

For further information contact Nathan Clute 718-430-4567 nclute@industrialacoustics.com

IAC WOWS HEARING AID ACOUSTICIANS

IAC exhibited at the International Congress of Hearing Aid Acousticians in Nuremberg, Germany in October. The event attracted hearing professionals from right across Europe and the Middle East. IAC is now building its client base in these areas, and IAC products attracted a great deal of interest at the Congress.

Jason Saunders, Architectural Business Manager, from the UK attended along with Ian Rich IAC UK and Doris Gohs of IAC GmbH, Germany.

Jason said: “As specialist designers and manufacturers of audiometric rooms the professionals and clinicians we met at the show were generally very interested in our specialist understanding of their acoustical requirements and our impressive client list. The fact that we build facilities for many of the world’s leading hospitals and hearing research centres such as University College London is proof that we are among the world’s best providers of specialist environments for hearing professionals.”

Sales leads from across Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands, France, Germany and the Middle East augur well for an expanded order book for IAC GmbH, IAC Boet Stopson in France and UK-based operations for the year ahead.

For further information on Audiometric products contact Dominick Nardi, Business/Product Manager on 718-931-4532 dnardi@industrialacoustics.com

GRAND OPENING OF IAC ACOUSTIC LABS AT TOP EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY

The University of Salford’s $5M state-of-the art acoustics laboratories held its Grand Opening opened on 25th October. IAC’s full anechoic chamber in the complex played host to choristers from Salford Cathedral who ably demonstrated how the chamber could make them sound as if they were in their cathedral.

The Chamber’s lining of foam wedges is ideal for the general purpose testing of the mid- to high frequencies typically generated by high spec electronic equipment rather than choristers!

The event hit the headlines and the story was covered by the Manchester Evening News, one of the UK’s largest regional daily newspapers.

Ian Rich, Business Manager studios attended the Grand Opening along with over 100 other distinguished guests. “It’s great that IAC’s expertise and technology is contributing to such world-leading facilities. Choristers in a chamber was a first for me, but it certainly got the message across!”

Professor Andy Moorhouse, the facility director said: "[] here we combine research, teaching and enterprise - working for industry. We integrate those strands in a way no one else does. …I've been to laboratories all over the world but there's nowhere like this."

In total IAC supplied one Full Anechoic Chamber, two Semi-Anechoic Chambers – both super-quiet environments designed to absorb echoes and muffle sound - and an acoustic suite of four Recording Studios with Control Rooms.

For further information on all IAC’s sound-attenuated Test Chambers and Test Rooms in the USA contact Craig Czapnik, Business/Product Manager 718 430-4529 cczapnik@industrialacoustics.com

IAC AVIATION RELOCATES AERO-ENGINE TEST FACILITY FOR ITALIAN AIR FORCE

IAC Aviation is undertaking the relocation of one of the Italian Air Force’s RB199 aero-engine Test Facilities. It was originally designed and built by IAC on a modular basis to support this type of operational redeployment requirement.

All the Italian Air Force’s Tornado aircraft engines are kept in optimum condition through testing in their IAC provided test facilities to keep their fleet in a state of active readiness.

The project involves decommissioning the facility and then recommissioning it in its new location. Completion will involve hack running and calibration runs during November 2007.

Nigel Spencer, UK Product Support Manager, who is heading the IAC Aviation team, said: “We are pleased with the confidence that the customer has in the facility to require it to be relocated and undertake a new lease of life”

The relocation project will be completed in approximately three months from decommissioning to being reinstated as fully operational again.

IAC Aviation is a global in the supply of new, refurbishments and support of Aero-engine test facilities for most aircraft (both rotary and fixed wing) types.

For more information on IAC Aviation products and services contact Ken DeLasho, 718 931 8000 kdelasho@industrialacoustics.com or visit www.iacaviation.com

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IAC America 1160 Commerce Avenue Bronx, New York 10462
Tel: (718) 931-8000