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acquired all of the outstanding assets and technical intellectual property of Mahr Multisensor GmbH (Saarlouis, Germany). The manufacturer will reorganize the business and has agreed to employ certain technical service, development and application engineering staff from Mahr Multisensor GmbH.
The vision business unit and products will be integrated into Hexagon Metrology, which incorporates industry brands Brown & Sharpe, CE Johansson, CimCore, CogniTens, DEA, Leica Geosystems (Metrology Division), Leitz, M&H Inprocess Messtechnik, PC-DMIS, ROMER, Sheffield and TESA.
“This acquisition will further enhance our worldwide product offering in multisensor vision technology and confirms Hexagon Metrology’s commitment to offer the widest range of measuring systems for all industrial applications,” said William Gruber, CEO and president of Hexagon Metrology.
Hexagon Metrology, part of the Hexagon AB Group, has a global installed base of millions of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), portable measuring systems and handheld instruments, and tens of thousands of metrology software licenses. www.hexagonmetrology.com
MAKINO (MASON, OH) . . .
opened a new international technology center located in Querétaro, Mexico that offers machine tool and part sales, local service, training and technology support, and application engineering services. The Mexico technology center oversees sales of vertical and horizontal machining centers of 3, 4, and 5-axis configurations, wire and ram EDM machining centers, as well as automation and integration technologies.
“Mexico is the tenth largest exporter in the world and a growing international manufacturing center,” says Eduardo Medrano of Makino Mexico. “Our new technology center connects Mexico-based manufacturers with the applications expertise and high performance machine tool technologies needed to compete globally. Our experienced staff is here to assist manufacturers of every size and industry.”
Local engineering services available at the facility consist of application engineering, global operation support, and project management capabilities. Mexico training services include Spanish language training with local expert engineers, interactive classes, seminars, technical demonstrations, and Spanish webinars.
Makino Mexico also provides local support through dedicated technical service specialists in Saltillo, México City, and Querétaro. Available services include preventive and corrective maintenance, on field option installation, and Spanish maintenance training.
Makino is a global manufacturer of advanced machining technology and application support, with manufacturing and service centers located in the U.S., Japan, Germany, Singapore, Italy, France, Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, China, Mexico, Brazil and India, all supported by a worldwide distributor network. www.makino.com
BLUE GIANT EQUIPMENT CORPORATION (BRAMPTON, ON) . . .
announced a licensing and technology agreement with Kawahara Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Hiroshima-Ken, Japan) to build and market Blue Giant dock levelers for the Asian market. Kawahara Manufacturing licensed the rights to manufacture Blue Giant mechanical and hydraulic pit and edge-of-dock levelers at their Shanghai Kawahara Machine Co., Ltd., facility. These dock levelers will complement Kawahara’s existing line of scissor lift tables and custom application solutions. Shipments of the first Blue Giant dock leveler products are expected to begin in January 2010.
Steve Greco, the director of international sales & marketing for Blue Giant, states that the new partnership “brings together the synergies of two leading companies in the industry. Kawahara has the manufacturing resources and marketing organization to bring our industry-leading loading-dock technology to a growing Asian market. They already manufacture a well-respected line of quality lift tables. With our innovative dock levelers and dock system designs, Kawahara will be able to provide Asian companies with more productive loading dock facilities at a better price point.”
“We are honored to be selected by Blue Giant to be their Asian partner,” said Kengo Kawahara, Shanghai Kawahara managing director. “Blue Giant is highly respected in other parts of the world for their loading dock systems. Now Kawahara will be offering this Blue Giant technology with the cost savings and service of a local, Asian, company. It’s a good arrangement for both companies, and a great deal for our customers.”
Blue Giant is a global manufacturer of loading dock systems, dock levelers, ground-level lifts, vehicle restraints, dock and door guards, door seals and shelters, and driver control and safety systems to a diverse offering of material handling products. Kawahara is a growing Asian designer, producer, and marketer of physical distribution systems, scissor lift tables, machine tools, labor-saving machines, aircraft repair devices, high-reach work platforms, and environmental materials. www.BlueGiant.com
JET EDGE, INC. (ST. MICHAEL, MN) . . .
acquired Calypso Waterjet Systems (Dallas, TX), a leading manufacturer of waterjet cutting systems prior to its departure from the water jet industry in early 2009. Founded in 1992, the company had manufactured waterjet cutting machines, abrasive removal, closed loop water, and automatic height sensing systems, nesting software, plastic water jet cutting bricks, bulk abrasive feeder tanks, and replacement parts for waterjet intensifier pumps, cutting heads, and waterjet tables.
Jet Edge president Jude Lague said he plans to reintroduce much of this equipment under their Calypso brand names. “These waterjets provide an excellent entry-level solution for price-conscious buyers,” he noted. “Through our acquisition we will be able to make precision waterjet cutting capabilities available to a much broader range of customers in the growing entry-level market.”
Established in 1984, Jet Edge is a global manufacturer of waterjet systems for precision cutting, surface preparation and coating removal, with systems used around the world in a broad range of industries ranging from leading airlines to automotive, aerospace, industrial manufacturers, machine and job shops. www.jetedge.com
VOLLMER GROUP (BIBERACH, GERMANY) . . .
proudly celebrates 100 years of success during 2009. The company began in 1909 in a small workshop in Ebingen, Germany with only six employees and grew to be recognized now as an industry leader in the sharpening, production and maintenance of saw blades and diamond tooling.
Today the company employs 700 people working out of 12 subsidiaries in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The employees are ready to meet the variety of demands for manufacture and design of cutting tip processing. More than 30 representatives provide world-wide personal support and onsite service.
A new strategic business orientation began in 2004 formed the basis for this performance. The change from a machine tool manufacturer into a future-oriented technology and service provider reached its latest milestone with the opening of the new Technology and Training Center (TTC) in Biberach.
Within 18 months of laying the foundation stone in September 2007, the impressive new building was completed. The building offers over 3000 sq m of classroom, meeting rooms and machine demonstration areas. It offers and ideal environment for training, customer related events and in-house exhibitions. www.vollmer-us.com
BUSHMAN EQUIPMENT INC. (BUTLER, WI) . . .
is now Bushman AvonTec in a move that brings the parent company and its two divisions (West Bend Equipment and Avon Engineering) together and forms a single source supplier for below-the-hook, floor-based, and slit coil packaging equipment.
The newly restructured company specializes in manufacturing rugged, custom-engineered material handling equipment used in a variety of mill-duty, high capacity/high duty cycle industrial applications. Ralph Deger, owner and president of BushmanAvonTec, said, “This is a strategic move focused on growth and expansion. With our combined expertise and resources we are now in a position of strength as a single source provider of custom-engineered material handling solutions If you make it, we can move it.”
“With Avon’s team of engineers we expand our already deep base of knowledge and experience with even more intellectual capital,” added executive vice president Pete Kerrick. Bushman AvonTec places emphasis on efficiency, safety, and its customers’ return on investment. Historically, the company’s products have benefited from proven designs that minimize maintenance and downtime and are value-engineered to be competitively priced.
Bushman Equipment Inc. manufactures below-the-hook C-hooks, coil grabs, spreader beams, sheet and plate lifters, lifting tongs and other material handling equipment. The West Bend Equipment Division designs custom engineered floor-mounted equipment such as lift tables, upenders, inverters, die & mold handing pieces and more. Avon Engineering (Hamilton, ON) manufactures custom material handling equipment, including strip process machinery and press room automation units. www.BushmanAvonTec.com
NATIONAL TOOLING & MACHINING ASSOCIATION (INDEPENDENCE, OH) . . .
relocated its national headquarters to Independence from Washington, D.C. The board of trustees approved the move in a conference call vote. In announcing their decision, the NTMA Executive Team explained that the move is being made to strengthen the association by reducing operating costs. This allows the association to be more accessible to members and to increase the potential of their “One Voice” for American Manufacturing.
The NTMA is relocating to the building presently owned by the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) in Independence. The two associations will maintain their separate identities but share common staff duties. The plan is to create a new organization that will manage common staff positions such as meeting planning, customer service, accounting, clerical and others so both organizations will save on overhead.
The move was made possible when the two organizations joined forces earlier this year on their political advocacy work by creating the new “One Voice” political advocacy coalition. The NTMA Executive Team believes the success of the One Voice effort has shown us that the two organizations can work together on common issues. They feel that doing more work together will make each organization stronger.
The NTMA was formed in 1943 in Cleveland, but moved to the D.C. area in the mid-1970s when they had their own internal lobbying group. The One Voice coalition shares one lobbying group now in the D.C. area: The Franklin Partnership. NTMA chairman Ron Overton added, “We looked at several cities but felt the move to Independence and co-locating with PMA was the best choice.” The move will take place over the next 12-18 months.
The NTMA is the largest U.S. metalworking trade association. Its mission is to help members of the U.S. precision custom manufacturing industry achieve business success in a global economy through advocacy, advice, networking, information, programs and services. www.ntma.org
KENNAMETAL INC. (LATROBE, PA) . . .
launched the Widia Products Group to complete the migration of all its current brands of metalcutting tools and tooling systems into two distinct portfolios: Widia Products Group and Kennametal Products Group. The Widia Products Group includes the Widia™, Hanita™, Rubig™, Manchester™, Clapp-DiCo™, Greenfield Tap & Die™, and Circle™ brands all dual-branded under the Widia name.
This migration is part of the manufacturer’s longer-term multi-year brand/channel strategy that has been under way to improve access to metalcutting products and services for customers worldwide, focus the company's engineering and marketing investments, decrease the number of stock keeping units (SKUs) and build a robust distribution brand. Tooling systems brands KM™ and Erickson™ will be available in both Kennametal and Widia Products Groups.