Industry Watch: People

People making recent headlines in the business of fabricating and metalworking.

CONCISE INTERNATIONAL, INC. (TUCSON, AZ) . . .
appointed J.D. Johnson as chief executive officer and president, along with new leadership team Blackbird Management Group, LLC (Chicago, IL). Johnson, a Blackbird managing director, is the former president of Norgren Americas (Littleton, CO) and was head of North and South America for their industrial business. He also had full P&L accountability for Norgren operations within the commercial vehicles, in‐plant automotive and life sciences markets across the Americas region and commanded the global leadership for its Life Sciences Sector and flagship product line of air filters, regulators and lubricators (FRLs).

Prior to joining Norgren, Johnson was the vice president/general manager for the Power Electronics Division of C&D Technologies (Blue Bell, PA). He was previously with ELDEC and INTERPOINT of the Crane Companies (Stamford, CT), where he held a number of senior leadership positions, including global vice president of operations.

Concise International, through its newly acquired business partner, Concise Fabricators, Inc., is a diversified precision metal fabricator that produces high-quality, close-tolerance products for medical equipment, elevator equipment, and alternative energy such as wind and solar power applications.

With two locations in the Southwest and Mexico and a strategic partnership with O’Hare Metal (Elk Grove, IL) in the Midwest representing more than 200,000 sq ft of manufacturing space, Concise International offers metal fabrication facilities convenient to many manufacturing locations throughout North America. “What started as a small precision manufacturer has grown into a vertically integrated, technology-focused provider of high-quality precision metal parts,” said Jim Mannebach, a founding partner of Blackbird Management. “Through our extensive experience building and improving businesses, we see significant value and opportunity for Concise’s growth in the industry.”

This supplier to precision metal fabrications and complex sub-assemblies is a proponent of lean manufacturing, “Best in the Business” manufacturing, and has capabilities that range from laser and plasma cutting, to turret punching and sheet metal fabrication, to robotic welding and critical CWB welding certification, to a five-stage pretreatment iron phosphate powder paint line with 1000-hr salt spray that is UL approved. www.concisefab.com

FASTEMS, LLC (WEST CHESTER, OH) . . .
appointed Richard “Flip” Bodine, Jr., as its vice president of sales and marketing, responsible for managing and growing the sales team, overseeing marketing efforts, and increasing the awareness of Fastems’ presence and recognition in the North American market.

Bodine has enjoyed an illustrious career in the metalworking industry that spans 30 years. He is probably best known as the former chief executive officer of Bodine Assembly and Test Systems (Bridgeport, CT) from 1995 until the company was sold in 2007. During his tenure he established Bodine Beijing in 2005 and served as its chairman through 2008. He returned to America in 2009 and joined Automation Tooling Systems (Cambridge, ON) as the director of market development before joining Fastems.

Throughout his career, Bodine has been an active member in the major trade associations and a representative of the industry to other world nations. He was a founding member of the Custom Automated Systems Group at AMT (Association for Manufacturing Technology, McLean, VA) and served on its board of directors for nine years. He had the honor of being chosen one of 50 CEOs in the U.S. to represent the country at the first Trans-Atlantic Dialogue in 1995 and continued in this role until 2002. TAB was established by the U.S. Department of Commerce to promote bilateral trade between the U.S. and the European Union and to reach trade agreements without the government’s direct involvement. www.fastems.com

METHODS MACHINE TOOLS, INC. (SUDBURY, MA) . . .
reports that Matsuura Machinery Corporation recently hired John Schwartz as a product manager in the U.S., a newly created position to support increased demand for Matsuura products. “We’re pleased to have John work with the Methods’ team,” commented Bryon Deysher, the president and chief executive officer of Methods. “He is in a strategic position to work closely with customers, while collaborating with their sales and engineering organizations to communicate customer requirements to Matsuura.”

Katsu Matsuura, the president of Matsuura Machinery, added, “Together with Methods, we welcome John and look forward to further strengthening our presence and support in the U.S.” Schwartz brings 25 years of experience in sales, marketing and engineering in the manufacturing industry to his new role. Prior to joining Matsuura, he was the vice president of sales and marketing at IEMCA (Charlotte, NC). www.methodsmachine.com

CAMFIL FARR AIR POLLUTION CONTROL (APC; JONESBORO, AK) . . .
appointed Greg Schreier to the newly created position of metalworking market manager to work with the worldwide sales and distribution network on applications involving ambient weld fume systems, plasma and laser cutting systems and other metalworking processes, and focus on helping customers comply with applicable EPA, OSHA and other governmental regulations affecting the metalworking market.

Schreier brings 26 years of sales, engineering and production management experience in industrial dust collection and air pollution control to the new post. Prior to joining Camfil Farr APC, he was a long-time manufacturer’s representative for the company, serving since 1998 as an owner and general managing partner of Glacier Technology, Inc. (Plymouth, MN), an equipment distribution firm specializing in custom dust collection and air filtration systems for manufacturing and medical products companies. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management (Minneapolis) and a Bachelor of Science degree from Bemidji State University (Bemidji, MN).

In related news, the company recently promoted John Dauber to vice president of sales for the U.S. and Canada and Thomas (Tomm) Frungillo to vice president of sales for Latin America and Focus Markets. Dauber has 19 years of sales engineering and management experience in the dust collection industry. He joined Camfil Farr APC in 1998 as a regional sales manager and served most recently as North American sales manager. As a vice president, he continues to be responsible for dust collection equipment sales throughout the U.S. and Canada and oversees the company’s U.S. regional sales managers, Canadian sales engineers and representative and distributor networks. Dauber is a frequent speaker and author on dust collector selection, safety and compliance issues.

Frungillo worked in the dust collection and air filtration industries for 18 years. He joined Camfil Farr APC in 2000 as a regional sales manager and has held a succession of posts in sales management as well as bio/pharma and other special market management. In his new position, Frungillo has a dual role overseeing focus market programs in the pharmaceutical, mining and thermal spray industries, as well as handling all Latin American sales operations.

He is a member of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) and the International Thermal Spray Association (ITSA) and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. www.camfilfarrapc.com

DE-STA-CO (Auburn Hills, MI) . . .
recently appointed John Podczerwinski to president. “John has a strong track record of success. Within his position at Vehicle Services Group (VSG), he was instrumental in delivering dramatic increases in market share. After thoughtful consideration, we are confident he is the best fit for this position and look forward to his leadership,” said Thomas Giacomini, the president and chief executive officer of Dover Industrial Products (Elgin, IL), a segment within Dover Corporation (Downers Grove, IL).

For more than three years, Podczerwinski has led VSG, North and South Americas, a Dover Company, as vice president and general manager. In 2010 he helped the company attain record sales and earnings, despite the challenging economic state. He also served as project manager for the acquisition and integration of Hanmecson (now VSG Asia), Dover’s first acquisition of a Chinese company that positioned VSG for growth not only in Asia, but also worldwide.

Before joining VSG, Podczerwinski held positions as general manager, chief financial officer and vice president of human resources for furniture manufacturer Schnadig Corporation (Chicago, IL). The certified public accountant holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Dayton and a MBA from the University of Chicago. www.destaco.com

JOINING TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (EAST GRANBY, CT) . . .
recently promoted Salay Stannard to materials engineering manager, involved in setting strategic goals for technical sales and marketing and responsible for creative research strategies for electron beam welding, laser welding and additive manufacturing. Dave Hudson, the company president, stated, “I am delighted to announce Salay’s promotion to this important new position, which was established specifically to extend our leadership role in the industry.”

Ms. Stannard holds a BS in material science and engineering from the University of Connecticut and is currently pursuing an MS in material science and engineering with a focus on laser welding materials and process interactions. She has been a process development engineer at Joining Technologies since 2009 and has been concentrating on laser welding of medical, aerospace and defense components.

She previously worked on laser applications at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (East Hartford, CT), where she provided analysis and material characterization on laser drilling with gated high power fiber lasers. Ms. Stannard is an expert on using laser cladding metal powder alloys to enhance, repair, or free-form material geometry for applications in aerospace, power generation, valve, and OEM-supplied components. She recently participated in cutting edge research in cooperation with Fraunhofer ILT (Aachen, Germany) and the Fraunhofer Cluster of Innovation on qualifying the laser metal deposition (LMD) process for an innovative new green manufacturing method for nickel and titanium alloy-based jet engine parts. www.joiningtech.com

MULTICAM® INC. (DALLAS, TX) . . .
promoted Tony McGrew to operations manager to oversee all departments involved in machine design, production, operation and support. McGrew earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Oregon State University. Since joining the Technical Support Department 16 years ago, he has held several management positions, including technical support manager, quality control manager, engineering manager and, most recently, director of technical services and engineering.

“Tony is a key visionary in growing MultiCam to the next level,” said president and general manager Kris Hanchette. “He brings a new focus on production efficiencies and lean manufacturing. Well-respected by customers, vendors and employees, he possesses excellent problem-solving and team-building skills. We are confident in both his vision for the business and his ability to achieve it.”

McGrew’s vast CNC industry knowledge includes a stint as a MultiCam customer. As owner/operator of an Oregon CNC job shop, he used a MultiCam router. He was a key contributor in developing the MultiCam machine user interface and has installed, serviced and sold platforms in most U.S. states and around the world. Thanks to his extensive international experience and worldly view, McGrew offers insight into customer needs and industry requirements for large-scale export business.

In related news, the company recently appointed Julio Pierre to application specialist. An employee since 2004, he brings 20 years of tech support and software training experience to his new position. “Pierre’s skills in plastic fabrication, CNC cutting machine installation and demonstration plus software training make him the ideal person to join our headquarters tech support team,” said Tony McGrew, the director of engineering and technical services. “In addition to handling software and machine installation tech support, he will present trade show demonstrations.”

For the last seven years, Pierre has been a technician and primary software trainer at MultiCam Florida (Orlando, FL). As plant manager for Diversified Display Products (Miami, FL), he operated the CNC department. He earned an associates degree in electronic engineering technology from ATI Career Training Center in Miami and studied drafting, networking and computer repair at Miami Dade Community College. Pierre is fluent in French, English, Spanish and Creole. www.multicam.com

DEPOSITION SCIENCES, INC. (DSI®; SANTA ROSA, CA) . . .
appointed David L. Favot to senior program manager. Favot is an optical coatings engineer who is also a renowned expert in the design and deposition of longwave infrared (LWIR) thin films. He recently received an award of recognition from NASA for his work in the production of narrow band pass (NBP) filters and dichroic beamsplitters.

President and CEO Lee Bartolomei, notes that, “David is a highly regarded engineer and an experienced veteran in optical coatings.We are delighted to welcome him aboard to assist our efforts in providing creative and successful solutions for highly durable thin film coatings for a wide range of applications.  We look forward to engaging his broad-based experience and knowledge to help expand our sales and services to meet the growing needs of our customers.” DSI provides optical thin film coatings, including multilayer thin films for industrial, commercial, biomedical, test & measurement, solar, military, defense and aerospace applications. www.depsci.com

BUNTING® MAGNETICS CO. (NEWTON, KS) . . .
recently added Jana L. Davis as the chief financial officer (CFO), responsible for all the financial operations for both Bunting and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Magnet Applications Group Ltd. (MAGL). “Jana will strengthen our company in many ways,” stated Robert J. Bunting, the owner and chief executive officer. “First, her financial acumen is ideal for us as we continue to grow and expand internationally. Second, she has a wide range of experience from strategic planning to human resource and information technology management which will be instrumental for us in the next few years. Finally, she has the ability to identify and implement solutions which will help us operate more efficiently.”

Ms. Davis has over 19 years of experience in business and financial management in the aerospace, printing, media and manufacturing industries. She graduated from Wichita State University (WSU) as a Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a certified management accountant (CMA). Previously, Ms. Davis was the CFO for printing company McCormick-Armstrong (Wichita, KS).

The company also added three new design engineers within their Technical Services Department. Matthew Mason, Cory Dreiling and Brandon Bousquet, all recent graduates of Wichita State University (WSU), will initially concentrate on the Material Handling product line. “Beginning in 2010 and continuing this year, we have seen a large increase in sales. This has created a need for additional talent to help balance our workload,” stated Marvin Angleton, the manager of Technical Services and Quality. “It is great to have such a strong local university program to recruit from because WSU gets its graduates trained on the type of programs that we use at our location. Matthew, Cory and Brandon will be key in letting us level set our operations going forward.”

All three additions received their Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical engineering in May 2011. Mason, who also earned a minor in mathematics, worked at the National Institute for Aviation Research (Wichita, KS) as a technician. He focused on the creation of carbon fiber parts and materials for use in business jets. While at WSU, Mason participated in the Emory Lindquist Honors Program that provides unique and innovative opportunities for academically exceptional students.

Dreiling, who was a prestigious Wallace Scholar at WSU, brings a strong background in programming and 3D modeling. He previously served as a draftsman at Kelly Manufacturing Company (Wichita, KS), where he designed parts and assemblies. Dreiling has used AutoCAD, Solid Edge and CATIA programming tools extensively.

Bousquet, who was on the Dean’s List at WSU, worked on several major design projects at the university, including creating a new cabin entry system for small aircraft and a log-splitting machine for the timber industry. He has vast experience with LabVIEW, CATIA and MATLAB programming software and has been trained in Six Sigma Engineering processes. www.buntingmagnetics.com

G.W. BECKER, INC. (HERMITAGE, PA) . . .
recently hired Larry Lynn as training manager, responsible for all aspects of training programs; from authoring training material, classroom presentation to hands-on training. He brings over 20 years of experience in the crane and hoist industry and is developing a first class training program. The initial programs will be Operator Training and Crane Inspection Training.

Lynn started in the crane and hoist industry at Lift-Tech (Muskegon, MI) in 1986 as a product designer, being promoted in 1989 to application engineer.  He also spent time in manufacturing engineering and in 2007 was appointed product trainer for Yale-Lift-Tech Division (Amherst, NY). He has a BS in manufacturing technology, graduating from Western Michigan University in 1987. www.gwbcrane.com

WELD TOOLING CORPORATION (PITTSBURGH, PA) . . .
appointed Norm Sted as sales and marketing director for weld.com. He brings over 30 years of welding and business experience from his position as regional manager for one of the largest manufacturers of arc welding products in the world. He has extensive experience in international markets, especially those in the Caribbean and Latin America where he had responsibility for strategic alliances, business development and market growth.

The company also named Todd Clouser the new marketing and social media specialist for Weld.com. With a broad knowledge of social media and emerging marketing technologies, he is determined to create an Internet resource that proves to be an unrivaled value asset to the industry. www.weld.com

ITW MULLER (ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL) . . .
recently appointed Rob Payne to Industry Manager, responsible for supporting the team in the Western portion of the U.S. and Canada with a specific focus on building relationships with OEMs/integrators and key distributors, and with existing and prospective customers throughout the region. “We are very pleased to have Rob join our team,” says Geoff Gailey, the national sales manager for ITW Muller. “His familiarity with our stretch wrappers, as well as many of our competitors, coupled with his market expertise and knowledge, will undoubtedly be a huge asset to our organization.”

Payne is a past regional sales manager for ITW Muller. Since leaving the company in the 1990s, he has held a number of sales and management positions within the packaging distribution world. Most recently he was a packaging equipment specialist with Unisource Worldwide (Norcross, GA). Prior to that he was a packaging sales manager with Zellerbach (Loveland, OH). He has a degree in accounting, with an RIA from Simon Fraser University. He currently resides near Seattle with his wife and two sons. www.itwmuller.com

BEHRINGER SAWS, INC. (MORGANTOWN, PA) . . .
recently added Kyle Adams to their sales team as the Southwest regional sales manager to handle the territory consisting of TX, NM, OK, AR, LA, MS, TN, and AL. Adams has worked most recently for Heyco Products (Toms River, NJ). Prior to Heyco, he worked in the sawing industry for over six years. This previous industry experience makes him a great addition to the team and a valuable asset to his customer base. www.behringersaws.com

ALUMINUM ASSOCIATION (ARLINGTON, VA) . . .
recently named Heidi Biggs Brock as its new president, effective October 1. She succeeds Steve Larkin, who served as the Association president since 1998 and plans to retire at the end of 2011. “Heidi will be a great asset to the us and a tremendous addition to our leadership team,” said Steve Demetriou, Aleris (Beechwood, OH) chairman and chief executive officer and chairman of the Association. “The Aluminum Association and our staff have accomplished a great deal under Steve Larkin’s leadership during the past 13 years as he successfully led us through the most challenging time in the industry’s history. I am certain that Heidi’s skills, experience and drive will ensure continued success in the years to come as we take the industry’s sustainability message to the next level.”

Ms. Brock most recently served as vice president of Federal and International Affairs for the Weyerhaeuser Company (Federal Way, WA). She currently serves as a member of the executive committee and board of both the National Institute of Building Sciences and the US-Japan Leadership Program. Previously she was Weyerhaeuser’s e-business vice president, where she served on the board of ForestExpress, the industry-backed electronic marketplace formed in 2000 by Weyerhaeuser, Georgia-Pacific (Atlanta, GA) and International Paper (Memphis, TN), now known as Liaison Technologies.

She also held roles in the company’s government affairs group in Washington, D.C., working on public policy issues, and in Weyerhaeuser’s strategic planning organization. Prior to Weyerhaeuser, Ms. Brock served as a legislative assistant to former U.S. Senators Daniel J. Evans and Slade Gorton, responsible for natural resource issues. She has a B.A. from the University of Puget Sound and an MBA from Georgetown University. www.aluminum.org