It’s disturbing to see how quickly the oil spill is spreading in the Gulf of Mexico. 70 miles by 130 miles and growing. Our sympathies and best wishes go to the families of the workers killed in the initial explosion at the oil rig, and to those closest to the spill. Millions around the world are anxious about the extent of the damage.

New Pig and our subsidiary companies are supplying cleanup products and exploring other ways to help and learn. I expect to give new information about our efforts next week.

Sheep pigs are in the news this week (see them in the picture below), and people have been asking me whether I’m related to any of these odd beasts.

And I reply, “When you look at a sheep pig, you might think ‘Is it a sheep or is it a pig?’ But look at this PIG® Form-A-Funnel® Flexible Draining Tool …

Is it a funnel?

Or is it a tray?”

And they get caught up in the no-mess-oil-draining-plus wonder that is Form-A-Funnel® and all thoughts of sheep pigs evaporate.

Usually.

Sometimes, the person persists: “So really, are you related to any sheep pigs?”

Then I look the person right in the eye and say: “Yes, in fact, my extended family does include sheep pigs.”

Then I add: “Now let’s talk about YOUR rare and special relatives. Do any of them look like this?” And I show the picture below.

I took this picture in such a way as to give away next to nothing about the state-of-the-art product development area behind world-famous PIG® Absorbents. You don’t get to see in, you only get to see out. I’ve even made the name of the facility utterly indecipherable. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-HAAAAAA.

New Pig did a good thing this week, if I do say so myself, in giving away 35 pallets of our wipers to be used in Red Cross cleanup kits.

If a flood or other emergency has to befall you before you to get to use these particular wipers—then I hope you never get to use them!

Well, we did it for the 20th, 21st and 22nd times.

Yep, we won three more Product of the Year Awards from Plant Engineering magazine! Click here to read about all of this year’s winners, including these three PIG® products:

Maintenance Products, Gold Award

PIG BLUE® Absorbent Mat uses its polypropylene and cellulose blend to increase absorbency and disperse liquid evenly. Containing 70% recycled fibers, the mat’s FiberFusion technology adds strength to the cellulose and absorbency to the polypropylene. The mat meets the NFPA 99 standard for static decay and won’t burn when exposed to flame.

Maintenance Tools and Equipment, Silver Award

PIG® Sheet allows a user to form custom liquid control and containment devices for areas where space is awkward or limiting. The steel mesh core is coated with pliable PVC that can be reshaped without cracking to provide the moldability of metal and the corrosion resistance of plastic. PIG® Sheet can attach to magnets for connection to metal surfaces.

Fluid Handling, Gold Award

The PIG® Vapor-Control Latching Drum Lid helps to convert a 55-gallon drum into a safe collection container for hazardous waste. A nitrile gasket lid with a 5-inch port reduces vapor and odor emissions during and after waste disposal. The lid features latching handles that open with one-hand operation.

All right!!!!

What can you say? Hats off to our Product Development Piggers BUT they are the first to point out that these successes demand snout-standing efforts from across the company: Purchasing, Manufacturing, Customer Service, you name it.

We don’t care about awards just for the sake of winning awards. We appreciate them because they help tell us when we’re on the right track in serving customer needs. And they help us tell our story—that we’re the world’s leading experts in addressing workplace leaks, drips and spills. So if you have a workplace leak, drip or spill, seek us out!

Now we have to find some shelf space for these new additions to our collection. It’s a good problem to have!

P.S. Quick quiz: Which company has won more Plant Engineering Product of the Year Awards than New Pig? Watch for a future post with the answer.