Industry Watch: Business

BRILEX INDUSTRIES, INC. (YOUNGSTOWN, OH) . . .
raised its quality control standards by purchasing state-of-the-art measurement devices and software technology from FARO Technologies (Lake Mary, FL), in order to ensure high quality products to their growing clientele. “The ability to measure complex geometry, in a quick and accurate fashion anywhere on the shop floor, makes this technology far superior to having a CMM,” said Brian Benyo, the president of Brilex. “With this user-friendly technology, we are now able to validate results during the manufacturing process, make adjustments and know that dimensional part requirements are met on the machine tool or at the fitting table. Having this ability is a total game changer.”

Founded in 1996, the manufacturer has established itself as a worldwide leader for fabricating, machining, and complete machine assembly services to many OEMs and end users in the aerospace, metals, rubber, plastics, power generation, and other capital equipment industries.

Brilex enhanced their capabilities with the purchase of the FaroArm and Laser Tracker ION measurement equipment. The new equipment enables the shop to accurately and efficiently measure complex and very large items that they were previously unable to easily identify. “The most significant advantage of a Laser tracker versus a conventional laser is that we can ‘leap-frog’ the Tracker around the work piece,” said Robert Walters, the director of quality atBrilex. “Doing this allows the user to measure relationships between features that  would otherwise not be possible.”

Walters added that the equipment has improved speed and accuracy of measurement over greater distances. FARO experts provided extensive training to the shop quality control technicians, who have learned the proper techniques and knowledge to fully utilize the capabilities of the new equipment. www.brilex.com

ABSOLUTE MACHINE TOOLS, INC. (MASON, OH) . . .
opened a new, modern 40,000 sq ft Technical Center in Mason, just outside Cincinnati, and invites all of its customers, prospects, and curious well-wishers to share in a Grand Opening Celebration on Tuesday, October 25, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. The theme of the Grand Opening is a German Oktoberfest, complete with authentic foods, beers, Bavarian costumes, and music.

For people familiar with the area, the facility was formerly the Central Light Building. It faces 1-71 southbound near King’s Island Amusement Park, and its friendly neighbor is Fanuc Robotics. “It promises to be a fun time for visitors, and touring our new space and capabilities will underscore our commitment to them,” says Steve Ortner, the president of Absolute Machine Tools and AccuteX EDM. “Taking care of our customers is what has always made us stand out. We are excited to be in a new facility where we can present all of our machine tool lines under one roof.”

According to Ortner, the new Technical Center was well-built in 2007 with the latest electronic infrastructure, modern business offices and engineering departments, ample assembly and inventory areas, two large showrooms, quality control laboratory, and training center. Pete Intihar, the general manager of AccuteX EDM, adds that “the extra inventory space in the new location allows us to stock more EDM spare parts and consumables and ship them out the same day a customer places an order.” Intihar reports that sales of spare EDM components have increased significantly in the last year. www.absolutemachine.com, www.accutexedm.com

HYPERTHERM, INC. (HANOVER, NH) . . .
was recently selected as a 2011 Business of the Year by Business New Hampshire Magazine. The award recognizes businesses for outstanding business and civic contributions. One of nine New Hampshire businesses honored, Hypertherm was selected for its performance in the Manufacturing and Technology category. Other categories included Education and Nonprofit, Health Care, Financial Services and Insurance, Retail and Wholesale, as well as Tourism and Hospitality.

“We are honored by our selection as the best manufacturer and technology company in the Granite State,” said Dick Couch, the company’s founder and president. “New Hampshire has been home for our entire 43-year history, and the state’s commitment to a skilled and educated workforce ensures our continued success here for years to come.”

A screening committee made up of members of the New Hampshire Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (NHACCE) pared the noteworthy field of applicants to three semifinalists in each category. From there, a Panel of Excellence comprised of executives from the 2010 Business of the Decade winning companies selected this year’s recipients. www.hypertherm.com

BARTON MINES COMPANY, LLC (GLENS FALLS, NY) . . .
has been renamed and now conducts its business under the name Barton International. As Barton International, the company will continue to manufacture and distribute garnet abrasives for industrial waterjet and other applications.

In making the announcement, board chairman Charles H. Bracken, Jr. said, “Barton International better represents the company’s renewed international focus and growing worldwide customer base. Since 1878, our family-owned company has continuously evolved to serve new and growing markets and to better service our customers. Meeting the growing global demand for garnet abrasives with the highest quality and most innovative abrasive solutions and services is our goal. While our company name is changing, all core elements of the organization will remain the same.”

In addition to a very strong domestic market, the company has identified and is actively pursuing growth opportunities throughout Europe. Distributors have been established in numerous countries including Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. “The name Barton International fits our planned expansion into the European and Asian markets,” said R. Randolph Rapple, the president. The company name change is effective immediately, and all future business activity will be undertaken with the new identity. www.barton.com

MECSOFT CORPORATION (IRVINE, CA) . . .
announced the availability of Brazilian Portuguese language versions of their software. “Working in tandem with our master distributor, we are happy to offer Portuguese versions of our VisualMILL software,” stated Jerry Hiller, the director of international sales. “Brazil has a rapidly growing and dynamic manufacturing community and demand for a localized version has never been higher.”

The Brazilian Portuguese versions of VisualMILL and VisualMILL for SolidWorks are available exclusively through MAX3D, a value added distributor. MAX3D is also an authorized sales partner for a number of other globally branded software products: SolidWorks, 3DVIDIA and PDMEnterprise. www.mecsoft.com