February Industry Watch: Business

(CLEVELAND, OH) . . .
unveiled massive new capabilities to roll plates up to 12 in (300 mm) thick and 14 ft (4.3 m) long in single-piece construction. In addition to greater thickness and length capacity, the roll will form cylindrical components to diameters as large as required. The multi-million dollar expansion of rolling capabilities is in response to the increased demand for heavy fabrication in the U.S.

“One of the key areas that has remained consistent since our company was founded in 1940 is our commitment to investing in the largest state-of-the-art equipment available in the marketplace. By installing these 14-ft heavy capacity rolls, we have the ability to roll thicker, longer sections than previously possible for our customer. This will result in significant life cycle cost savings by eliminating weld seams and other non-value-added operations. We can also replace large forgings and castings with high quality, tight tolerance fabrications,” stated Executive Vice President Ken Ripich.

“Many of our clients, including those in the mining, oil and gas, nuclear, and fossil fuel energy sectors, require large scale fabrications,” continued Ripich. “By installing the largest rolls in the world, coupled with our experienced craftsmen and passion for high quality products, we are realizing our goal of being the ‘go to’ fabricator for heavy rolling requirements worldwide.” The massive tonnage equipment for custom shaping and fabricating medium to heavy, long parts is one facet of this comprehensive manufacturing facility.

The service center offers prime materials direct from the mill, and its burning center boasts large tables with full plate capabilities for precision laser, plasma, flame cutting and contour beveling. The forming experts at this plant specialize in cylinders, rings, cones, segments, angles and custom shapes in medium to heavy walls, long lengths, small and large diameters. A complete range of welding processes, all in accordance with the appropriate industry specifications, meets any customer requirement. In-house non-destructive testing, heat-treating and shot-blasting are some of the many other services available. www.atfsteel.com

(MOLINE, IL) . . .
plans to build a new factory in China to manufacture construction equipment for sale in China and for export to other markets. The facility represents an investment of approximately $50 million. The new factory will produce four-wheel-drive loaders and excavators and will be located in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA). The facility will be Deere’s sixth manufacturing location in China, two of which are joint ventures.

“This new factory will enhance our opportunity to serve Chinese customers as well as customers in other markets,” said Samuel R. Allen, chairman and chief executive officer. “This action represents a meaningful expansion of Deere’s construction equipment division in China.” China is considered the world’s largest and fastest growing market for construction equipment. Allen said that Deere’s commitment to doing business in China dates back more than 30 years. John Deere’s long history in the country was mainly in the agricultural equipment sector until 2008, when Deere invested in a construction equipment joint venture to build excavators.

“We continue to pursue opportunities to grow around the world,” Allen said. “We are pleased that we can add to our manufacturing capabilities to serve China’s construction equipment needs as infrastructure improvements continue in the country.” Mike Mack, president of the Worldwide Construction and Forestry Division, said, “This announcement is an example of our strategy to expand our global presence in the construction equipment industry. We believe that we enhance our service to customers when we manufacture products, when possible, in the market where they are sold.”

Mack said the location of the new facility in TEDA is close to an existing Deere factory that manufactures tractor components. “Our experience shows that TEDA has been a good place to do business, with excellent support from public officials, availability of a talented workforce, and access to transportation and logistics – all of which are key factors in deciding where to locate a manufacturing operation,” he said. www.deere.com

and MORI SEIKI (HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL) . . .
began a new business collaboration in Mexico starting January 1 that allows DMG and Mori Seiki users to receive expanded service and support from the combined staff of the existing Mexican technical centers.

DMG/Mori Seiki Mexico now offers comprehensive sales, engineering and customer service for both product lines. Sales staff for will be centrally based in Queretaro, with service and parts personnel located in both Queretaro and Mexico City. The addition of new technical and service personnel will enhance the quality of service available to all customers. The local spare parts supply will be supplemented by a $135 million inventory in Dallas, TX.

Through DMG/Mori Seiki University, customers in Mexico will have unprecedented access to a range of online manufacturing courses in both Spanish and English. Machine?specific training includes service and programming courses for the most popular DMG and Mori Seiki machine tools. www.dmgmoriseiki.com

(RENTON, WA) . . .
installed a Mid Rail Gantry waterjet cutting machine from Jet Edge (St. Michael, MN) at its insulation, refractories and HVAC fabrication facility in Spokane, WA.

Founded in 1923, E.J. Bartells provides thermal and acoustical-related products ranging from minus 350 deg F cryogenics material to 3,000 deg F high-temperature refractory material to contractors and end users in nine Pacific Northwest and Western states. Headquartered in Renton, the company has branch locations in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Utah, Colorado and Montana that offer a diverse range of insulation, refractory and HVAC products and services to the commercial, industrial, specialty fabrication and manufacturing industries.

Rick Smith, president and CEO, noted that his company has used waterjet cutting technology for several years to cut many different types of materials from soft- or light-density to heavy-density products. The company decided to buy this new waterjet cutting system because it was highly recommended by a customer and greatly increased productivity over an existing system. “We chose the Mid Rail Gantry after receiving positive feedback from other users,” Smith said. “The flexibility of the equipment and operational differences compared to other waterjet equipment was very impressive, and the sales and support staff were exceptional. The follow up did not stop after installation.”

“The timeframe for file changeovers and setup were drastically reduced in comparison to our other system,” he said. “A part that once took seven minutes to process now takes only two minutes, including loading, cutting and unloading. The older system uses static nesting that requires backing out of the user interface to set up your next program and shutting down the pump to set up your condition files. It is very time consuming. With this system, your intensifier can be running and it’s a two-click operation to get to the next file.”

Besides rapid file changeovers, the new system cuts at 500 ipm while the older system cuts at only 300 ipm. The new waterjet also utilizes common-line cutting to maximize productivity and can rapid traverse at 800 ipm to move the cutting head out of the way for loading and unloading. Intensifier pump maintenance on the new system consumes less time, with seal changes averaging 45 min versus a half-day on the older system. www.ejbartells.com, www.jetedge.com

(MOUNT AIRY, NC) . . .
is closing its Wilmington, DE, facility and moving the manufacturing operations to its plant in Hazleton, PA, which was acquired in connection with the recent purchase of certain assets of Ivy Steel & Wire, Inc. The consolidation of the plants is expected to result in eliminating 49 positions at the Wilmington facility and adding 15 positions at the Hazleton plant, for a net reduction of 34 positions. It is anticipated that operations at Wilmington will cease by the end of March and the equipment will be redeployed to other Insteel locations.

“We believe consolidating our Northeast manufacturing operations will enhance our competitive position by realigning our capacity and reducing operating costs in what continues to be a challenging market environment,” said H.O. Woltz III, president and chief executive officer. “Our decision was made after thoroughly reviewing other alternatives. We regret having to take these actions, considering the contributions our Wilmington employees have made over the years.”

These actions follow a previous announcement on December 8 that Insteel would consolidate its Texas manufacturing activities at its Dayton plant and cease operations at a leased facility in Houston by the end of February. While further cost reduction initiatives are expected to be pursued, the company does not anticipate any additional plant closings at this time. www.insteel.com

(MINNEAPOLIS, MN) . . .
now resells metrology probes and machine tooling from Renishaw (Hoffman Estates, IL), plus professional “Repair by Exchange” and used equipment.
Offering the Renishaw multi-axis motorized and manual heads and touch-trigger measurement probe systems for CMMs adds another dimension to Laser Design’s extensive product line. These world-class systems provide fast, accurate data acquisition for touch-measurement needs. Along with these systems, thousands of standard and custom Renishaw precision-engineered styli systems from a broad range of manufacturers are also available, where sensitivity modules allow custom probe settings.

Styli specifically designed for high-precision Zeiss machines are easy to set up and change out. There are more than 300 styli and adaptors for the Zeiss range of probe heads. Robust design and construction characterize the styli specifically designed for the FaroArm portable CMMs. The special construction techniques ensure that the joint between the body and stem is extremely rigid and virtually indestructible. www.laserdesign.com, www.renishaw.com

(EAST LONGMEADOW, MA) . . .
was recertified for an additional five years in the prestigious STAR Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) of the U.S. Labor Department Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The manufacturer has maintained this elite health and safety certification for more than 10 years.
OSHA verification for the STAR certification includes an application review and a rigorous onsite evaluation by a team of OSHA safety and health experts. LENOX originally earned this honor in 1997 as the first cutting tool company in the country to receive such an honor. Since then, the company has earned recertification in 2000, 2005 and now again in 2010. Sites that make the grade must submit annual self-evaluations and undergo periodic onsite reevaluations to remain in the programs.

“We take just as much pride in the environment in which our tools are manufactured as we do in the quality of our products,” stated Mike Avery, the director of safety and security. “This prestigious certification recognizes the outstanding efforts of all our employees.” The East Longmeadow plant employs 720 workers that manufacture power tool accessories and band saw blades, hack saws, hole saws, utility knives and reciprocating saw blades. This most recent STAR recertification allows them to remain a part of an elite corps of just more than 2,200 workplaces nationwide that have earned VPP recognition.

VPP promotes effective worksite-based safety and health, where management, labor, and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that implement a comprehensive safety and health management system. Requirements for application include a high degree of management support and employee involvement; a high-quality worksite hazard analysis; prevention and control programs; and comprehensive safety and health training for all employees. Each of these elements must be effective, in place and in operation for at least one year before a company can apply to join the program. www.lenoxtools.com

(CLEVELAND, OH) . . .
signed a definitive agreement to acquire OOO Severstal-metiz: welding consumables, a leading manufacturer of welding consumables in Russia and a subsidiary of OAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and mining companies. The transaction will include acquiring manufacturing operations and exclusive distribution rights of the Severstal brand of welding consumables. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“This acquisition will add to our manufacturing capacity in this fast growing market and complement our recent Mezhgosmetiz-Mtsensk OAO (MGM) Russian acquisition,” said John M. Stropki, chairman and chief executive officer. “Severstal’s extensive stick electrode offering, along with solid wire and flux cored wire products, when combined with solid wire products from MGM, will make us a leading consumables manufacturer in the CIS countries. The two acquisitions complement our imported products offering and will expand our market presence in the region.”

Manufacturing production facilities are based in Orel, Russia, with 283 employees. OOO Severstal-metiz: welding consumables 2010 estimated sales are approximately $40 million. “The sale of OOO Severstal-metiz: welding consumables will allow us to concentrate fully on our core wire and wire products business and continue to provide our clients with competitive product of the highest quality,” said Oleg Veter, chief executive officer of the Severstal-metiz group of companies.

The OOO Severstal-metiz: welding consumables transaction is under review by Russian regulatory authorities and is expected to close during the first half of 2011. The Severstal-metiz group of companies incorporates all of OAO Severstal’s metalware assets and is among the top European producers of wire and wire products. Their production sites are located in Russia, the Ukraine and Europe, with primary customers in the construction, oil and gas, automotive, metallurgy and engineering industries. www.lincolnelectric.com

(WARRINGTON, PA) . . .
recently outfitted Vincennes University with a dual-chamber space-saving furnace for use in its Precision Manufacturing Technology program. The combined hardening furnace is positioned above a drawing oven in one compact unit, making it a good choice for heat treaters with limited space.

This model provides both upper and lower heating chamber dimensions of 12 in x 12 in x 24 in. Insulating fire brick and mineral wool block insure energy efficiency and a low outside shell temperature. Easy-to-replace heating elements are designed with heavy-gauge coiled wire of low watt density. The upper chamber vertical lift counterweighted door operated by a hand crank makes it easier for students to remove parts without having to work around the door. The lower draw chamber has a stainless steel alloy liner to form the work chamber and protect the heating elements.

A heavy-duty belt driven recirculating stainless steel fan directs air circulation in a horizontal pattern for uniform heating. www.luciferfurnaces.com

(WAUKESHA, WI) . . .
a manufacturer of high-value-added metal products and services for nuclear and other performance-based markets, joined forces with Mackson, Inc. (Rock Hill, SC), a leading supplier of nuclear-safety-related and ASME-code materials.

Mackson offers nuclear-certified fasteners, raw materials, structural steel and numerous associated products for immediate delivery and provides sourcing, supply chain management and product upgrade for longer lead time items supporting nuclear power installations. Since 1974, MetalTek has provided ASME-certified cast, machined and fabricated components to the commercial and military nuclear markets. The combined company offers customers a unique opportunity to source their complete bill of material from a single supplier.

“They have an outstanding reputation for servicing their customers and delivering a diverse range of nuclear-certified components quickly,” said Robert Smickley, president and CEO of MetalTek. “We hold ourselves to the same high standards of customer service and technically demanding product. With our broad alloy knowledge and technical expertise supported by more than 50 engineers and metallurgists, we now offer a range of products not available to the nuclear market from any other single source.”

“We intend to continue the Mackson tradition of doing whatever it takes to serve nuclear market customers. We believe we can increase the level of service by expanding the scope of supply and utilizing the existing MetalTek logistical network of plant sites around the U.S. and in Europe.” added Smickley. “We think we can help extend the reach of Mackson beyond its current geography, and help the power generation industry meet their demanding reliability standards through on-time delivery of critical service components.” www.macksoninc.com, www.MetalTek.com

(IRVINE, CA) . . .
announced a VAR partnership with Cogito Software Co. Ltd. (Beijing, China), a value-added reseller of CAD, CAM and digital graphics software in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. They will resell RhinoCAM, a uniquely integrated CAM solution for Rhinoceros 3D modeling software.

“RhinoCAM offers our Rhino3D customers a powerful manufacturing solution that is really easy to use yet extremely powerful,” stated Rich Yu, president of Cogito, which was founded in 2000. “And, since it is integrated directly inside Rhino3D, RhinoCAM offers a logical and truly efficient workflow.”

The company also announced support for SolidWorks 2011. With the recently announced 1.1.0.9 service release for VisualMILL-for-SolidWorks, users can now run inside both the 32 and 64 bit versions of SolidWorks 2011. This service release is available to current VisualMILL-for-SolidWorks users through MecSoft’s VisualServe software licensing portal. www.mecsoft.com, www.cogitosoft.com