April Industry Watch: People

WILDECK, INC. (WAUKESHA, WI) . . .
announced that shift supervisor Jack Sites was selected by the Wisconsin Chapter of the ESOP Association as its 2010 Employee Owner of the Year. This award is presented annually to an employee who exemplifies the highest standards of employee ownership through their dedication and commitment to their company's success. "This is a high honor for Jack and for the company," said Keith G. Pignolet, president of Wildeck, Inc. "Jack has been with Wildeck for nearly 28 years and is active in many of the company's ESOP activities. He has made significant contributions to improve product quality, our manufacturing methods, and in streamlining many of our production processes. He is truly deserving of this award."

"I never thought I would be an 'owner' in any capacity," stated Sites, "especially in a privately-held company. As an ESOP owner, I try to apply my product and manufacturing knowledge to influence change and make things happen in the easiest, most cost-effective way. At the 'end-of-the-day,' I want to make sure that we remain profitable ? especially during these tough economic times ? and do my part where we all benefit as employee owners." Sites will compete against a competitive field of employee owners from other State and Regional Chapters for the title "National Employee of the Year." The winner of this prestigious award will be announced at the ESOP Association's 32nd Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. in May 2010.

The ESOP Association, founded in 1978, is the national trade association representing over 1,400 companies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) and is the leading voice for employee ownership in the United States. Wildeck is the largest manufacturer of mezzanines, vertical lifts (VRCs), and safety guarding products in North America. www.wildeck.com

ERIE PRESS SYSTEMS (ERIE, PA) . . .
named Mark Sutton as Sales Manager ? Forging Products. He has 34 years of experience in the metal forming industry, having worked in both sales and manufacturing. He has previous mechanical and hydraulic press sales experience. Sutton is a Six-Sigma Blackbelt and he has earned BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Manufacturing from the Lawrence Technical University in Southfield, MI.

Sutton will be responsible for domestic and international sales of application-based forging and bulk forming machinery. He will define projects, apply proper equipment for the project and develop timeline feasibility. Erie Press Systems is a leading manufacturer of custom hydraulic and mechanical presses and machinery for a broad range of metal and non-metal forming applications. Since 1895, ERIE has supplied integrated process solutions for open and closed die forging, sheet and extrusion stretch forming, carbon extrusion and compacting, super plastic forming, cold extrusion, powder metal compacting, composite molding, and other custom applications. www.eriepress.com

UNILUX (SADDLE BROOK, NJ) . . .
named Matthew Runo as a senior engineer, responsible for new product development and upgrades of existing products. "Matt's strong track record in engineering, management and product development will help us meet our customers' more sophisticated inspection needs and help us penetrate new markets where stroboscopic or pulsed lighting can be applied more effectively," said Michael Simonis, president of Unilux.

Runo joins Unilux from Dialogic Corp., where as engineering manager in the physical design group, he was responsible for establishing processes and procedures for product development and manufacturability. Before that, he was a hardware engineer at Intel Corp., where he was responsible for all aspects of hardware design and development including electrical design, working with PCB designers, documentation release, test plan generation and execution. He is a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering.

"I am very impressed with Unilux's strong position in the global marketplace," Runo said. "Upgrading and maintaining our existing products is vital to the company's success because it gives us a base to develop new products and custom design projects. New products are exciting because we get to explore new technology and apply new ideas in creative ways. It's an opportunity to meet with customers and help them succeed by collaborating on solutions to some of their toughest problems."

Runo's hiring is the first step in Unilux's expansion of its engineering department, according to Simonis. "Matt will continue to strengthen our engineering staff by recruiting additional engineers with the specialty skills we will need to enhance our new product lines to meet our customers' needs," he said. "By combining the latest electronics and intelligent control systems with more efficient purchasing and production systems, we'll be able to bring our customers better inspection and maintenance tools, a wider choice of products and lower pricing and life-cycle costs. In short, we will be better able to deliver what the market demands."

Unilux manufactures stroboscopic and pulsed LED inspection lights, ranging from handheld, battery-powered units for spot or narrow-strip/web inspection or maintenance or troubleshooting applications to fixed-mounted units capable of inspecting surfaces up to 36 ft (12 m) wide either individually or in combination. www.unilux.com

RELIANCE STEEL & ALUMINUM CO.
(LOS ANGELES, CA) . . .
appointed Stephen P. Koch to the position of Vice President, Operations. His new responsibilities include overseeing the operations of several Reliance subsidiaries. Reliance president and COO, Gregg J. Mollins cited Koch's achievements in leading one of the company's subsidiaries, Chapel Steel, "Since Steve has been with us we've been impressed by his performance in managing Chapel and its multiple facilities during a turbulent economic period. This, among other things, convinced us that he was the right individual to take on more responsibility in a very important segment of our business."

Koch, 43, came to Reliance when Chapel Steel was purchased from its owners, Jim and Jerry Sutow in 2005. He had joined Chapel in 1988 as a sales representative but quickly rose to the positions of sales manager and executive vice president. He was named president in June of 2007. Once he assumes his corporate-level duties with Reliance, Stanley Altman will succeed Koch at Chapel Steel. The Pennsylvania native is a graduate of the Shippensburg University School of Communications and Journalism, where he majored in public relations with a minor in business administration. Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. is the largest metals service center company in North America. www.rsac.com

SOUTHERN ALUMINUM FINISHING CO., INC.
(ATLANTA, GA) . . .
promoted John B. McClatchey, Jr., to Sales Manager to head SAF's aluminum extrusions, sheet, fabrication, anodizing, paint and powder coating sales. He will continue to work with his established outside sales customers, while overseeing inside sales, regional and representative sales associates nation-wide.

His history with SAF began with part-time shop floor work while in school and includes more recent regional sales management positions. He attended the Henry W. Grady school of Journalism and graduated with an ABJ degree in telecommunications from the University of Georgia. Prior to re-joining SAF, John McClatchey held sales and sales management positions at IT recruiting firm Remington International, and International textiles company Trade Am. SAF is a nation-wide aluminum extrusions and sheet distributor, aluminum fabricator, and aluminum finisher specializing in Kynar painting and architectural anodizing. www.saf.com

MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO., INC.
(MELVILLE, NY) . . .
elected Dr. Jonathan L.S. Byrnes to the Company's Board of Directors, bringing the number of directors on the board to eight, of which five are now independent directors. Byrnes, 61, will serve on the Audit, Compensation and Nominating/Corporate Governance Committees. He is a Senior Lecturer at MIT, where he has taught graduate courses and executive programs on supply chain management, account management, and customer-supplier relationships for nearly twenty years. He is also president and founder of Jonathan Byrnes & Co., a consulting company that has advised over fifty major companies, hospitals, and industry associations on a number of projects, including inventory and supply chain management programs. He also has advised one of the most prominent consulting companies on developing and marketing their practices.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Jonathan to our Board of Directors," said David Sandler, President and Chief Executive Officer. "He is a renowned expert in supply chain and operations management and has advised some of the most prominent companies and organizations on value-creating innovations. We look forward to benefitting from his experience and expertise as we continue to execute our strategy going forward."

Byrnes earned a DBA from Harvard University in 1980 and an MBA from Columbia University in 1974, where he was awarded the Smith Prize for academic distinction and leadership. He is past president of the Harvard Alumni Association, served for two years as vice president of the Harvard Club of Boston, served for five years on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Business School Alumni Association, and for two years on Harvard's Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility.He has authored over one hundred books, articles, cases, notes, and expert submissions and currently serves on the Advisory Boards of OCO, RMG Networks, and WaveMark. He has also served on the Advisory Boards of Autopart International and Objectiva Software, two private companies that were acquired.

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. is one of the largest direct marketers and premier distributors of Metalworking and Maintenance, Repair and Operations ("MRO") supplies to industrial customers throughout the U.S. www.mscdirect.com

METHODS MACHINE TOOLS, INC.
(SUDBURY, MA) . . .
selected Jochen Reichert for Western Regional Technical Sales Manager, covering the U.S. west of the Mississippi River, Mexico and Costa Rica. "Jochen brings a unique skill set to Methods," commented Mr. Dave Lucius, VP of Sales. "Having been an applications manager specializing in five axis CNC machining, in addition to owning his own machine shop, he has an in-depth understanding of the manufacturing process for many different applications and can help customers streamline their processes."

Prior to joining Methods, Reichert spent eight years as Applications Manager at the North American Headquarters for the German-based 5-axis CNC-operated machine tool builder Hermle Machine Company. There he managed all applications projects including turnkeys, time studies, test cuts and training. Reichert specialized in improving manufacturing processes for a variety of turbo machinery products, including impellers, turbines and blisks. Before that, he operated his own machine shop in Alberta, Canada. For seven years, he produced parts for many industries including oil drilling, snowmobile manufacturing, agricultural equipment, the computer industry and more.

Methods Machine Tool, Inc. has been a leading supplier of precision machine tools and accessories for over 50 years, providing installation, parts, service, and training through a network of technology centers and dealers throughout North America. www.methodsmachine.com

MULTICAM, INC. (DALLAS, TX) . . .
named Kris Hanchette as President and General Manager of the company, responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of MultiCam. "Kris is a very strong leader with an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of our business," said former president Ken Koelling. "He has earned the respect of our business partners, customers and the company's employees. In his new role, he will continue to grow the company through product development and disciplined global expansion, while providing the best value, products and services to our customers. On behalf of the board, I congratulate Kris on his new role."

"I am grateful by the confidence that the board has shown," said Hanchette. "I am honored to have the opportunity to lead such a prestigious organization and look forward to working with our customers, employees and business partners to continue to grow the company for many years to come." Hanchette began working for MultiCam in 1993. He held various technical and managerial positions and served for several years as the executive vice president and general manager. Hanchette traveled the world extensively helping to build MultiCam's global network of distribution and has been integral in the design and evolution of the company and the product line.

The company also added Herbert Roland to its technical support team. He was formerly employed at Calypso Waterjet Systems from 2002 until the company closed its doors in 2009. He has extensive machine assembly, field installation, training, applications and customer support experience. In his new position, Roland will assist existing Calypso customers with ongoing maintenance and support as well as field upgrades to their machines, and be actively working with the growing installation base of waterjet customers. Since 1989, MultiCam has manufactured thousands of CNC cutting solutions for a variety of industries around the world. www.multicam.com

WALL COLMONOY (MADISON HEIGHTS, MI) . . .
promoted Joe Hetzer to Director of Manufacturing for Aerobraze, Cincinnati. He was previously engineering manager, with over 23 years of experience working in the aerospace industry. He attended Colerain High Trade School for advanced machining and tool design, and continued his education at Cincinnati State in Manufacturing Engineering, then worked on the Pratt & Whitney Joint Strike Fighter program, developing blades, vanes and shrouds from concept to production.

He is also a major contributor in developing multi-axis EDM drilling machines from concept to world-leading technology. His new responsibilities will include directing and monitoring production and sales, creating innovative ways of manufacturing Aerospace hardware, team building, and establishing goals. Reporting to Joe will be personnel in the manufacturing departments at Aerobraze, Cimncinnati.

The company also added Daria Johnson as Accounting Manager, reporting to the Vice President of Finance & Administration. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Masters Degree in Finance from Walsh College and has over 25 years experience in accounting, most recently serving as controller for a gauge, cable, and adapter manufacturer for the heavy truck and military industries. She has a strong background in cost accounting, and experience in the implementation of various accounting systems. Her responsibilities include streamlining and strengthening internal control and reporting systems. www.wallcolmonoy.com

MC MACHINERY, CANADA
(RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO) . . .
hired Darren Carroll as sales manager to lead sales efforts for multiple Mitsubishi product lines and to provide better support to the entire sales team. He will focus primarily on the Ontario and Quebec markets. Carroll's has an extensive knowledge of Mitsubishi product lines. His previous positions include Hirschmann Engineering and VP of EDM Operations at MC Machinery Canada.

"Darren's knowledge of our company and the industry make him a great resource for manufacturers in Canada. He is a valuable member of our team," comments Mitsubishi EDM/Waterjet VP Nicolas Giannotte. www.mitsubishi-world.com

BECKWOOD PRESS COMPANY
(ST. LOUIS, MO) . . .
added Dan Steinkamp as Hastings Product Manager. Steinkamp joined the company after Beckwood teamed with Hasting Manufacturing to manufacture and support their Heat Transfer and Hot Stamping Equipment. He has a decade of experience in the hot stamping and heat transfer industries, working his way up as a silicone specialist, making dies and rollers, before being promoted to shop foreman. He is currently in charge of manufacturing, assembly, integration and shipping of Hastings equipment. Steinkamp began his career with Engineered Sales, building hydraulic power units and was involved in inside/outside sales.

The company also added Dan Michki to its staff as an electrical engineer. He has over 20 years of experience in electrical engineering and joined the company from Flo-Matix. He was a project engineer at the company, specializing in integrating HMI and designing robotic systems. Michki coordinates the Technical Support Process for all Beckwood products. He has a BS Degree in Electrical Engineering with a wide range of certifications in controls and plant safety. He is a trained electrical instructor and has experience with technical support and troubleshooting issues.

His primary focus is on customer satisfaction and using customer feedback to continually improve the press manufacturing process. A proficient PLC, Operator Interface, and Heating Control programmer, Michki's role at Beckwood includes project engineering and electrical integration. He provides research and development for the company's advances in control technology and product design. The Beckwood Press Company is a leading hydraulic press and automated systems supplier, offering a variety of hydraulic presses (2-2000+ tons), Servo Motion Presses (2-150+ tons) and standardized benchtop presses (3-40+ tons). Beckwood manufactures Triform Sheet Hydroforming Presses for Pryer Technology Group (PTG) and Hot Stamping Presses for Hasting Manufacturing. www.beckwoodpress.com

HYDRO EXTRUSION AMERICAS
(LINTHICUM, MD) . . .

added three experienced sales and fabrication professionals to its growing team to work with current and potential extrusion users to develop fabrication solutions to their component needs and to manage program ramp up and execution. As territory sales manager within Hydro's Midwest region, Mario Di Bello will oversee both fabrication and general sales activity in Ohio, Michigan, and western Pennsylvania. He brings more than 20 years of sales and engineering experience to Hydro, including previous sales positions within the aluminum industry. Di Bello received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University and currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA.

Walter Brown's position as fabrication sales specialist is based in Phoenix, AZ, and his main focus will be to promote and secure projects for Hydro's fabrication centers in Phoenix and Guaymas, Mexico. Brown has more than 30 years of experience in the metals industry and has held positions at numerous aluminum companies, including Vulcan Aluminum (Foley, AL) and Indalex Aluminum (City of Industry, CA). He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.

In Kalamazoo, MI, John Hurry will serve as sales representative and share his extensive experience in the field of fabrication and advanced manufacturing with Hydro customers. He has been involved in the manufacturing and sale of aluminum extrusions for more than 20 years, most recently holding the position of director of sales at Whitehall Industries (Portage, MI.). Hurry earned a bachelor's degree in manufacturing engineering from Western Michigan University, and he continues to hold the position of adjunct professor in the engineering school.

"Hydro is committed to providing its customers the technical expertise they need to design products and parts wisely, so those items are effective and manufactured at the lowest cost possible. This helps them streamline their functions and minimize their raw material costs," said Lynn Brown, Hydro's senior vice president of sales and marketing. "Combined, Di Bello, Brown and Hurry bring more than 70 years of experience to Hydro, which our customers can leverage to streamline projects and improve every step of their aluminum purchase and product manufacturing." Extrusion Americas is a unit of Norsk Hydro, a global supplier of aluminum and aluminum products. www.hydro.com/northamerica

ASTM INTERNATIONAL
(W. CONSHOHOCKEN, PA) . . .
awarded the Kenneth J. Boedecker Jr. Distinguished Service Award to consultant Gary W. Dallin of Burlington, Ontario, Canada, director of the GalvInfo Center, a program of the International Zinc Association. Dallin received the award for his exceptional contributions to ASTM International Committee A05 on Metallic-Coated Iron and Steel Products.

A member of ASTM International since 1985, Dallin served as chair of Committee A05 from 2004 to 2009 and currently works on several A05 subcommittees. The committee has honored him twice before for his contributions, with the Award of Merit, the highest organizational recognition for individual contributions to ASTM standards activities, in 1998, and with the A05 Centennial Award of Appreciation in 2006. In addition to A05, he also serves on Committees A01 on Steel, Stainless Steel and Related Alloys and B02 on Nonferrous Metals and Alloys.

Dallin, who holds a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, spent 36 years at Stelco, Inc. in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where he held several positions in the coated product area including manager, metallurgy and quality assurance, cold roll and coated products; manager of product and service metallurgy; and senior product metallurgist-coated. In 2001, Dallin left Stelco and started his consulting company, Steel Technology Services Inc. In addition to ASTM International, Dallin is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology and ASM International.

ASTM International is one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems and commercial transactions. www.astmnewsroom.org

AMERICAN PIPING (ST. LOUIS, MO) . . .
added J.P. Carrillo as a sales representative based in Houston, TX. He has over 10 years of experience in pipe and steel sales for Latin American markets in the upstream, mid-stream, down-stream, industrial and power generation sectors. Most recently, he worked for the Edgen Murray Corporation. Prior to his six years with Edgen Murray, he provided fabrication services to the O&G industry in Mexico. He and his family reside in Houston.

"We are thrilled to have J.P. join us as we continue to build on our successful American Piping Products platform," said Al Rheinnecker, chief operating officer of American Piping Products. "His experience, energy and customer focus make him a great addition to our team. Further, he will enable APP to expand our presence in the Latin American markets." APP continues to expand its product and service offerings with investment in people, products and technology. The Company maintains the one of largest stocks of carbon and alloy seamless pipe in the US.

"With our diverse product offering, deep pipe inventory and industry leading service, APP continues to grow through this cyclical downturn. We are always eager to add strong performers to our great company," said Mike Phelan, chief executive officer of the company. American Piping Products, Inc. is primarily engaged in the distribution of carbon, stainless steel and chrome moly pipe, tubing, fitting, valves, and flanges used in the processing, energy, manufacturing, fabrication and construction industries. www.amerpipe.com

GOELLNER, INC. (ROCKFORD, IL) . . .
promoted Greg Champion to Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Goellner is the holding company for Advanced Machine & Engineering and Hennig, Inc., two leading suppliers to the machine tool, power gen, primary metals and other industries. Champion has many years of experience with Hennig and over twenty years of experience in a variety of management positions in the machine tool and machine tool accessory industries.

In his new role, he will oversee all sales and marketing activities, which include the strategic direction and management of our worldwide marketing and sales initiatives. He will also be developing new business opportunities, both domestically and globally, and direct the Sales and Marketing Departments of both Advanced Machine & Engineering and Hennig and will work in conjunction with the staff at both locations.

Advanced Machine & Engineering Co. serves the machine tool Industry with precision components and accessories, including spindle interface components and workholding devices. Hennig, Inc. designs and produces custom machine protection and chip/coolant management products for state-of-the-art machine tools. goellner-inc.com, www.ame.com, www.hennigworldwide.com