November Industry Watch: People

CENTERLINE (WINDSOR) LIMITED
(WINDSOR, CANADA) . . .
hired Steve Markoc as corporate purchasing manager with more than 16 years of experience in the automotive industry, most recently with Concours Mold in their purchasing department. He earlier spent over 12 years as corporate purchasing manager at The Windsor Machine Group, where he concurrently managed the human resources department and assisted in launching six new plant start-ups and negotiating 21 collective agreements in Canada and the U.S. His industry experience will greatly assist CenterLine in its ongoing growth and diversification. www.cntrline.com

CML USA, INC. ERCOLINA (DAVENPORT, IA) . . .

announced that Mike Tarrant of Tarrant Industrial Marketing (Athens, TX) will serve as the Ercolina manufacturer’s representative responsible for selling tube, pipe and profile bending equipment and metalworking machinery in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. www.ercolinacnc.com

DMG/MORI SEIKI USA (CHICAGO, IL) . . .
announced the winners of the 2010 Innovation of the Americas Contest at a dinner reception in their honor during the recent IMTS event in Chicago. The contest, designed to recognize talented machinists in the metalworking industry, displayed their parts at the DMG/Mori Seiki USA exhibit and at the evening awards event. The contest was open to any individual, company, school or research institution located in North, Central and South America that utilizes CNC machine tools to showcase their creativity and machining expertise. All contest participants were invited to attend the announcement of the winners during IMTS.

Five professionals, led by professor Kazuo Yamazaki of the University of California, Davis, judged entries in four categories: Automotive. Aerospace, Die/Mold/Artistic and General/Tool/Toy. The entries represented diverse machining techniques on a range of materials that were submitted from across the Americas. The contest grand prize winners for each category received individual prizes of $2,500 and the second place winners received individual prizes of $1,500:

Automotive Parts
Winner — B&H Engineering; San Carlos, CA
Second Place — F&D Machine Company; Troy, MO
Third Place — CP Pistons; Irvine, CA

Aerospace Parts
Winner — Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA
Second Place — Gamma Engineering; Mansfield, TX
Third Place — Ronlo Engineering; Camarillo, CA

Die/Mold/Artistic Parts
Winner — Biomet Orthopedics PMI; Warsaw, IN
Second Place — Vector Tool & Engineering; Grandview, MO
Third Place — Cidra Precision Services; Wallingford, CT

General/Tool/Toy Group
Winner — S.Himmelstein & Co.; Hoffman Estates, IL
Second Place — Superior Tooling Products, Inc.; Muenster, TX
Third Place — Protomet Corporation; Oak Ridge, TN

With the continuing success of the Innovation of the Americas competition, DMG/Mori Seiki USA plans to continue the contest for a fourth competition in 2012. www.dmgmoriseikiusa.com

MULTICAM, INC. (DALLAS, TX) . . .

promoted Scott Mullis to North American Sales Manager to manage the sales of all product lines through 20 technology centers located throughout U.S. and Canada. A graduate of the University of Southern Indiana, he has managed MultiCam’s Florida Technology Center for the past nine years. Prior to that, Mullis was employed as a CNC router applications engineer with both CMS and Stiles. www.multicam.com

REYNOLDS MACHINERY, INC. (DAYTON, OH) . . .
added John Pfeiffer as a field service engineer for the northern Ohio region. Based in the company’s Cleveland office, he will set up installations and perform repairs and service on all equipment sold by Reynolds Machinery. A veteran machine tool engineer, Pfeiffer is factory trained and has over 30 years of experience in the machine tool business.

“Reynolds started out in Cleveland back in 1938, so the company has deep roots in the northern Ohio region,” Pfeiffer commented on his new position, I’m looking forward to working with Reynolds’ customers and delivering faster and more cost-effective service. Reynolds is a great company to work for because they’re true professionals with the highest integrity and they’re really committed to providing exceptional customer service.”

Scott Mays, president of Reynolds Machinery, said, “We’re really excited about John heading up our service in the northern Ohio region. His extensive experience in the machine tool industry will prove to be a real asset to our customers. And because he’s based in our Cleveland office, we’ll be able to serve the region faster and for less cost.” www.reynoldsmachinery.com

GLOBAL SPECIALTY SOLUTIONS INC.
(SOUTH BELOIT, IL) . . .
appointed James C. Hoyt to director of corporate manufacturing, responsible for developing and implementing operational strategies to strengthen and grow the manufacturing performance of Global Specialty Solutions Inc. companies North American Tool Corporation (South Beloit, IL), Gaylee Saws (Sterling Heights, MI), Bitner Tooling Technologies (Sterling Heights, MI), and Allen Benjamin Inc. (Mesa, AZ).

Hoyt brings a wealth of relevant manufacturing and management experience to his new position. He was previously a consultant with Ingenium Technologies providing strategic, results-oriented productivity improvements to industrial manufacturers. He served as the director of manufacturing that was responsible for all manufacturing and facilities management for the Turbine Systems Division of the Woodward Governor Company, a $1.5 billion provider of energy control systems and components for aircraft and industrial engines and turbines. He also held management level manufacturing engineering positions at Hamilton Sundstrand and Honeywell Aerospace.

Hoyt has a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering technology from Arizona State University and has completed executive management level training programs in Six Sigma strategies, lean manufacturing principles and manufacturing process management. “We look forward to welcoming Jim and adding his strong manufacturing and management leadership to the Global Specialty Solutions family of companies,” stated Curt Lansbery, president and CEO of Global Specialty Solutions. Hoyt will be based at the North American Tool manufacturing, sales and service facility in South Beloit, IL. www.globalspecialtysolutions.com

HYDRO ALUMINUM EXTRUSION NORTH AMERICA (LINTHICUM, MD) . . .
hired industry veteran Michael Stier to lead business operations for the company’s western region. He will be based at the Phoenix facility and report directly to Extrusion North America president Matthew Dionne. Stier will oversee all aspects of safety, growth and performance operations in Phoenix and in Guaymas, Mexico, and also assumes responsibility for extending initiatives in the solar energy field. “We believe Mike can apply his proven skills for business growth and operational improvement to expand Hydro’s presence and provide even better service to customers in the West,” said Dionne. “We have the manufacturing, engineering and service resources in place to lead the region. His leadership will ensure that customers can leverage these assets to their advantage through closer relationships and outstanding support.”

Stier comes to Hydro from Alcoa Electrical and Electronic Solutions (AEES). He joined Alcoa in 1989 and worked his way up to vice president, corporate strategy and development. He has directed international sales, engineering, and manufacturing operations, leading his units to significant growth.

He previously held senior executive positions in the company’s wire, automotive and commercial transportation divisions, and has served on several AEES boards. After earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1986, he joined the Cadillac division of General Motors as a design engineer. He is a graduate of several advanced leadership, management and lean manufacturing programs. www.hydro.com/northamerica

G.W. BECKER, INC. (HERMITAGE, PA) . . .
hired Brian Westerhof as engineering manager. He brings nearly twenty years of crane engineering design experience to his responsibilities of leading all aspects of the company’s engineering requirements, to include product engineering and product development. He is a committee member of ASME B30.2 — Overhead and Gantry Cranes (Top Running Bridge, Single or Multiple Girder, Top Running Trolley Hoist), and is also a qualified engineering delegate to CMAA. www.gwbcrane.com

SODICK INC. (SCHAUMBURG, IL) . . .

named Jim Linke applications engineer for the New Jersey area and Neal Otten applications engineer for the Chicago area. Linke has more than 20 years of industry experience. His previous positions included production nanager for Advanced Precision, Inc., application engineer for Sodick, and EDM manager for Arlington Machine Tool.

“Jim will be a valuable asset to our organization and help us to better support our customers on the east coast,” said Tom Gilbert, applications manager. Linke’s primary responsibilities will be applications support for the east coast. He is stationed in New Jersey and will work directly out of the New Jersey office, providing Sodick with a direct resource to work closely with customers on their projects.

Otten has more than 30 years of industry experience. His previous positions include 14 years as a toolmaker in the tool & die and moldmaking industry and the past 20 years as an applications engineer for other EDM manufacturers. Prior to that Otten completed his journeyman apprenticeship with the Tool & Die Institute.

“We are very excited to have Neal join our team. His years of experience will bring a vast amount of knowledge to the company and will help to further grow our service and applications departments” said Ramiro Perucho, national service manager. Otten’s primary responsibilities will be applications support for the Chicago area as well as nationwide technical phone support. Otten is stationed in the Schaumburg national headquarters. www.sodick.com

ADVANCED MACHINE & ENGINEERING
(ROCKFORD, IL) . . .

appointed Paul Meyer as regional sales engineer to serve customers in Canada with machine tool components, including workholding and spindle interface products and Hennig machine protection products, chip conveyor and coolant filtration systems. AME serves the machine tool industry with precision components and accessories, including spindle interface components, workholding devices, and, through our sister company, Hennig, machine enclosures, chip removal and filtration systems.

The company also announced Engineered Concepts (Elkhart, IN), has joined its sales team to serve the western Michigan area to offer AME machine tool components including workholding and spindle interface products and Hennig machine protection products, chip conveyor and coolant filtration systems. www.ame.com

RELIANCE STEEL & ALUMINUM CO.
(LOS ANGELES, CA) . . .
announced that John G. Figueroa, 47, joined its board of directors effective October 1, 2010. He has served as president of the U.S. Pharmaceutical Group of McKesson Corporation since 2006 and prior to that served in other senior management positions with McKesson Corporation since 1997. Figueroa will sit on the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors. He received an MBA degree from Pepperdine University and BA degrees in Political Science and English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles. www.rsac.com

MORRIS GROUP, INC. (WINDSOR, CT) . . .

named Chris Stine as executive vice president. Formerly of United Grinding, he joins the executive management team, where he will have an active role in both operational and strategic leadership. Stine began his career in 1979 with Landis Tool Company, a division of Litton Industrial, in Waynesboro, PA. After completing Litton’s Industrial Training Program, he gained practical experience in product and sales engineering.

Since 1985, he has been part of Koerber AG, serving in numerous roles. When Koerber AG formed United Grinding in 1994 and consolidated operations in Miamisburg, OH, Stine was promoted to vice president to manage sales, technical and manufacturing staff, and be responsible for marketing strategy, sales channel development, vendor relationship management and key account sales.

“His track record of helping manufacturers benefit from the latest machine tool technology is perfectly in line with our goals,” explains president Brad Morris. “We provide manufacturers with high performance machine tools and the tooling, accessories and process expertise necessary to get the maximum return from them.” Stine will relocate with his family to the Hartford area to work out of the Windsor headquarters. www.morrisgroupinc.com

HENNIG, INC. (MACHESNEY PARK, IL) . . .

added Aaron Scholle to its sales team to offer the full line of machine protection products, chip conveyor and coolant filtration systems to Kentucky, southern Ohio and southern Indiana, and appointed Paul Meyer as regional sales engineer to serve customers in Canada. He will offer machine protection products, chip conveyor and coolant filtration systems and Advanced Machine and Engineering machine tool components, including workholding and spindle interface products. Hennig designs and produces custom machine protection and chip/coolant management products for state-of-the-art machine tools. www.hennigworldwide.com

HYTROL CONVEYOR CO., INC.
(JONESBORO, AR) . . .

added Chuck Waddle as vice president of business development, responsible for expanding brand awareness and capabilities through increased interaction with the integration partners and end users. Providing the leadership in opening new markets, attracting strategic accounts, developing market segmentation, and creating ways to add value to the company’s products and services will be a strong focus for Waddle and his team.

Waddle will also establish strategic growth goals and objectives to further position the company as a major force in the material handling industry. He has been in the material handling industry for over 30 years and has operated at the executive level for the last 16 years. He has been employed with FKI Logistex, Mathews Conveyor, Crisplant and most recently with VanDerLande Industries. www.hytrol.com