June Industry Watch: People

HYDRO EXTRUSION AMERICAS
(MONETT, MO) . . .

appointed Mark D. Groene to the position of Fabrication Sales Engineer to assist customers with the design, manufacture and use of extruded aluminum components and assemblies. He will help develop fabrication capabilities at the Monett plant, which recently expanded to provide second-stage manufacturing processes, material handling, packaging, loading and shipping services.

Groene has more than 20 years of industrial experience in project management, mechanical engineering and capital equipment sales. He came to Hydro from Hustler Conveyer Company (O'Fallon, MO), where he served as project manager for the company's heavy-duty material handling equipment and complete recycling systems. Prior to Hustler, Groene spent 18 years at Hydromat, Inc. (St. Louis, MO), where he grew from project engineer to senior technical sales manager. Groene received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri Saint Louis. www.hydro.com

SANDVIK COROMANT
(SANDVIKEN, SWEDEN) . . .

promoted Kevin Mayer to Manager of Aerospace. Prior to this appointment, Mayer spent six years as the company's Manager of Sales Channels in the U.S. In his new role, he will be responsible for developing the aerospace segment across the Americas by developing applications at the Aerospace Application Center in Fair Lawn, NJ, coordinating new aerospace projects for development, and establishing and maintaining relationships with end users and supplier partners.

The company also recently sponsored a contest at Vincennes University (Vincennes, IN) where 21 students from the school's Advanced Manufacturing Program used Mastercam software to design and machine a NASCAR-style gearshift lever and knob. The inspiration for the local competition came from Mastercam's Innovator of the Future event, a national student manufacturing contest that was judged by Stewart-Haas Racing's Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Brad Harris and won by Vincennes student Justin Small.

"Though our students participate in the national event each year, we wanted to host a contest that would showcase their talent and ingenuity to the local Vincennes community," said Doug Bowman, Associate Professor and Director of the Haas Technical Education Center (HTEC) at Vincennes University. Judges from Sandvik Coromant, Mastercam and Haas evaluated the entries based on originality, practicality, style and quality of workmanship. The top three overall finishers ? Seth Cook, Mike Weisman and Tom Nuckol ? received Sandvik Coromant Tooling Certificates valued at $1,500, $750 and $500. Other winners were Justin Small (Most Original), Wes Eberhardt (Best Racecar Shifter), Branden Updike (Best Show Car Shifter) and Heath Berry (Best Presentation). www.sandvik.coromant.com

EXCEL GEAR, INC. (ROSCOE, IL) . . .
appointed William "Bill" Powers as Marketing Manager and Denis Bermingham as Manager of Manufacturing Engineering and special projects. Both appointments were made by company president N.K. "Chinn" Chinnusamy, who noted these hirings were made as the result of the company's recent growth and anticipated expansion into new market segments.

Powers brings 30 years of experience in the gear and machine tool business to Excel. Formerly an account manager, project manager and supervisor of customer training with Ingersoll Milling Machine (Rockford, IL), as well as other metalworking/automation systems firms, he has handled various sales, marketing and customer relations functions, giving him a well-rounded perspective on the dynamics of the industry. He has a degree in Business Administration and will oversee all the marketing and business development for Excel.

Bermingham brings a strong engineering background in metalworking and machine tool building to his new position, as well as an extensive knowledge of metallurgy and heat treatment. He will oversee Excel's manufacturing engineering and special projects, as well as continue the company's ongoing implementation of lean manufacturing strategies. Denis brings 30 years of manufacturing and machine tool experience to Excel Gear. He worked the majority of his career at Ingersoll Milling Machine in the Manufacturing Engineering, Assembly, Engineering, and Prototyping departments. He has a degree in Industrial Technology and will be responsible for the various manufacturing functions at Excel. www.excelgear.com

MAGNET APPLICATIONS LIMITED
(NEWTON, KS) . . .

a subsidiary of Bunting® Magnetics Co., recently named Gareth Meese to the position of Export Sales Manager, with dual responsibilities to oversee and develop sales for the product lines for both Bunting® and MAL. "Gareth will be vital to our continued strategic focus on the European Union," said Robert J. Bunting, the company's owner and Chief Executive Officer. "He is aggressive and focused and will rapidly help us to grow our presence throughout the region. Gareth understands the applications of our products very well and that will translate into letting us solve customer issues quickly."

Meese's primary responsibilities will be sales in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the African continent. He is tasked with establishing an extensive network of distributors and engaging original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for long-term partnerships. Gareth, who started with MAL in May 2009, will also be instrumental in new product development and developing new distribution channels.

Meese holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Wales in Cardiff. Gareth has over eight years of sales experience primarily in the financial services, factory automation and industrial equipment industries. Gareth will be based at MAL headquarters in Berkhamsted. Bunting is a U.S.-based manufacturer of magnetic separation systems, material handling equipment, flexible dies and metal detection equipment. www.magnetapplicatons.com

JORGENSEN CONVEYORS, INC. (MEQUON, WI) . . .
welcomed Jimmy Clark as National Sales Manager for OEM-Machine Tool Builders, Importers and Distributors in North America. He brings over 13 years of industry sales experience and has a strong track record for building solid working relationships with his customers. Jorgensen is a major manufacturer for conveyors, coolant filtration and material handling equipment for the metal working industry. Clark will work out of the offices in Mequon and Houston, TX. www.jorgensenconveyors.com

KENNAMETAL, INC. (LATROBE, PA) . . .
announced that Gary W. Weismann is now Vice President and President, Business Groups, assuming responsibility for the two business units worldwide. In this role, he will lead the resources of both the Advanced Materials Solutions Group and the Metalworking Solutions and Services Group to maximize their profitable growth through delivering innovative products to customers. Paul Demand, who served as Vice President and President of MSSG, left the company to pursue other opportunities.

"Gary has demonstrated his leadership ability by continuing to serve our customers and by delivering double-digit EBIT throughout the worst global recession most of us have experienced in our careers," said Chairman, President and CEO Carlos Cardoso. Weismann has more than 21 years of total service with Kennametal, where he has assumed assignments of international marketing, corporate planning and development, and mergers and acquisitions. In 1994, he left the company to join TRINOVA Corporation (San Francisco, CA) before going to Actuant Corporation (Butler, WI) as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Engineered Products Division. He left there in 1999 to be a Managing Partner in Marketing Solutions, a private management and development group. He rejoined Kennametal in 2004 as Vice President and General Manager of the Electronics Products Group, then served as Vice President of Energy, Mining and Construction Solutions Group, and most recently, as Vice President and President, AMSG since August 2007. www.kennametal.com

HUFFMAN CORPORATION (CLOVER, SC) . . .
added Kim Hammar from Charlotte, NC, as Director of Operations to address growth in the flight and industrial gas turbine manufacturing and medical markets. He will be responsible for all aspects of plant operations, including materials, shop floor, facilities, quality and information technology. Kim brings 30 years of global manufacturing plant management experience. He has held positions of progressive responsibility with Okuma and Figgie International.

Roger H. Hayes, president, said, "We are thrilled to have Kim with his depth of world class manufacturing experience join our team." Huffman builds multi-axis superabrasive grinding machine systems, laser powder fusion machine systems, and precision abrasive waterjet machine systems for the flight, industrial gas turbine and medical markets. www.HuffmanCorp.com

MC MACHINERY SYSTEM'S (WOOD DALE, IL) . . .
reported that its West coast dealer, North South Machinery (Brea, CA), named Bob Stewart is its new Vice President of Fabrication. With nearly 30 years of experience in the fabrication industry, his expertise will be a strong complement to North South's west coast reputation and presence. 2010 marks 25 years of partnership for Mitsubishi and North South Machinery, a complete supply chain distributor that sells EDM, laser, waterjet, Roku-Roku and press brake products. www.mitsubishi-world.com

C&G SYSTEMS (LIBERTYVILLE, IL) . . .
announced that Mike Conrad took over responsibilities as Sales Manager. He has been with C&G as a regional sales manager for over 10 years. His knowledge and experience with CNC plasma cutting systems is unsurpassed in the industry. Michael Carpenter is the new Eastern Regional Sales Manager. He has been in the cutting machine tool business for over 15 years, working for Mitsubishi Laser Systems (Wood Dale, IL) and Amada America (Buena Park, CA).

Brent Ankney will represent and provide installation, maintenance, and repair services in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico). He has been involved in the plasma cutting business for many years. Bert Delgado, another long-time C&G Systems employee, accepted sales management responsibilities for Mexico, Central America, and South America. He has extensive knowledge of plasma cutting systems and is fluent in Spanish. www.CGSystems.com

BYSTRONIC CANADA LTD. (MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO) . . .
announced that Michael Cummings has joined the company as a Service Manager for Canada, bringing over 14 years of technical services, R&D and management experience. David Liu joined the service team as a Press Brake Service Engineer based in the Montreal area, bringing over 27 years experience as an electro-mechanical technician with extensive CNC and PLC knowledge. www.bystronic.com

OGIHARA AMERICA CORPORATION (HOWELL, MI) . . .
named Chumpol Rangson as president, replacing Hiroaki Sugiura, who served in the role since 2008. Rangson comes from Thai Summit Autoparts Industry, where he served as Director of Overseas Operations and was responsible for developing and maintaining manufacturing operation's business plans, production quality standards and coordinating activities with all locations and suppliers operating throughout Asia. He had been with Thai Summit since 1980, where he served in many operational management positions within the group. He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Science from the University of Palm Beach (Florida). www.ogihara.com