Industry News

Manufacturers contribute $2.17 trillion to the U.S. economy, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), a Washington, D.C.-based association representing small and large manufacturers in 50 states. Up nearly 28 percent since the second quarter of 2009, the amount spent by manufacturers leads off the "Top 20 Facts About Manufacturing" posted on the NAM website.

As Kirtland Community College puts the finishing touches on its new Computer Numerically Controlled lab, the Roscommon, Mich., school is nearly set to launch a certificate program aimed at meeting the growing demand for workers with computerized tooling training.

Hardide Coatings Inc., a U.K.-based provider of advanced surface coating technology, recently opened a new production facility in Martinsville, Va. The $7 million expansion, which began a year ago, allows Hardide to expand its production operations to North America.

HAINBUCH America Corp., which designs and manufactures innovative precision workholding systems, this month appointed John Soukup to serve as the Southeast U.S. regional sales manager for the company.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in December for the second consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 79th consecutive month, according to the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®. The report, issued Jan. 4 by Bradley J. Holcomb, chair of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.

Fives Machining Systems is set to open a service center in Seattle today as the company expands to meet the needs of its customers nationwide, according to a news release issued by the Fives Group. The Seattle center will stock spare parts, repair unit assemblies and dispatch service engineers to customers in the Northwest.

The United States Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI), a leading trade association for the North American cutting tool industry, recently launched Careers In Manufacturing, a website that promotes careers in manufacturing and provides resources for students, educators, parents and manufacturers.

Solar Manufacturing Inc., Souderton, Penn., recently named Adam Jones to the position of Midwest region sales manager for the manufacturer of vacuum heat treating and brazing furnaces. Jones will maintain and promote sales for Solar Manufacturing throughout the Midwest.

Osborn, a leading supplier of industrial brushes, polishing compounds and buffs, recently hired Steve Economos as its Western territory sales manager for its Load Runners® division of idler rollers, cam followers and rail systems. As sales manager, Economos is responsible for managing, motivating and growing Osborn’s sales team in California, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Texas and Montana.

Peter S. Jung, who has specialized in creating and managing marketing and sales tools using emerging technologies, is the new marketing manager for Methods Machine Tools Inc. Jung will be responsible for branding and content creation for the company's digital, print and website media. In addition, Jung will oversee the company's sales collateral, trade shows and open houses.

Haas Automation Inc. will host its semi-annual 4-day HaasTec open house at its Oxnard, Calif., headquarters March 17-20. The event will include machine demos, factory tours and a catered lunch, according to the company. The previous HaasTec in 2013 drew nearly 3,000 attendees from 44 countries, and the company expects this year's event to be even bigger. 

Seco Tools LLC, the North American subsidiary of Sweden’s Seco Tools AB, in October announced organizational changes and employee promotions within its Canadian sales organization. With 24 years of experience in the industry, including 10 years at Seco, Branko Hohnec brings a wealth of expertise to the role of general manager for Seco in Canada. Hohnec worked as a production manager as well as in distribution before joining Seco in 2005. For the past decade, he has been the managing director for Seco in Slovenia.

In October 2015, TRUMPF purchased approximately five acres of land adjacent to Interstate Highway 90 in Hoffman Estates, Ill., a northwestern suburb of Chicago. Located within one of the core zones of the sheet metal business in North America, this site will serve as the future home of the TRUMPF Technology Center and the center of excellence for Industry 4.0, according to the company.

Jergens Inc. announced Nov. 4 that Steve Schmidtke is Group Manager for the Cleveland, Ohio-based company's Workholding Solutions Group. “In his new role, Steve will be responsible for all of the Workholding Group’s activities including Application Engineering, Product Management, New Product and New Market development as well as sales and support of our workholding products through our network of partner distributors,” said Jergens General Manager Robert Rubenstahl.

AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology has a new chief financial officer, Rebecca Stahl, overseeing accounting and human resources. Prior to joining AMT, Stahl served as the chief financial officer at Lightbridge Communications Corp., a multinational wireless engineering company with a presence in more than 80 countries. Stahl recently earned the Private Company Chief Financial Officer of the Year award from the Northern Virginia Technology Council in 2015 for her work at Lightbridge.

Bowling Green, Kentucky, Sept. 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 11 launched the On Track motorsports education initiative in conjunction with the Warren County Area Technology Center, Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, Western Kentucky University and Holley Performance Products.

Industrial material handling equipment manufacturer PRAB Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich., has completed its purchase of Puckmaster Co., manufacturers of briquetting machines for metal compression and coolant collection. 

Flow International Corp., Kent, Wash., a developer and manufacturer of industrial waterjet machines for cutting applications, released an analysis on how ultrahigh-pressure pumps drive cutting efficiency through waterjet velocity. 

Smalley Steel Ring Co., a designer and manufacturer of retaining rings and wave springs, donated an OMAX 2652 to the College of Lake County (CLC) in Grayslake, Ill.. The abrasive waterjet machining center is the college's first and broadens the CNC/Machine Tool Trades Department's ability to offer the waterjet technology skills sought by many employers recruiting CLC graduates, including Smalley. 

Earlier this summer Fastenal installed an additional FAST Solutions industrial vending machine within the Terex Mixer manufacturing plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Given how many vending devices (machines and lockers) Fastenal installs during a typical business day, it was a commonplace event — except in one regard: that particular machine represented the 50,000th FAST Solutions device concurrently installed at Fastenal customer sites worldwide.