October Industry Watch: People

SECO TOOLS INC. (TROY, MI) . . .

appointed Bill Bogue as medical market specialist responsible for providing customer support on technical issues relating to the design, delivery, and product application of cutting tools for the medical industry. "The medical field is a growing market segment for us," said Mike Parker, Seco?s director of marketing & product development. "Having a dedicated specialist like Bill will strengthen our customer relationships in this area and enable us to respond with enhanced solutions that better meet the medical industry needs."

Prior to this appointment, Bogue was technical specialist for the Seco Jabro line of solid carbide tooling, where he has extensive experience in precision applications. Bogue will participate in medical product development and coordinate technological advancement in tandem with the global team, helping to develop solutions for difficult-to-machine materials in the medical industry. Additionally, he will work closely with medical manufacturers to provide technical application and part processing assistance, cost savings documentation and productivity cost analysis, helping customers improve productivity and profitability.

Bogue has a bachelor of science degree from Columbia College along with a journeyman machinist certification from the Newport News Apprentice School. He began his career at Tesco Technologies, known for the Jabro tool line, which was acquired by Seco Tools AB in 2004. He is based out of the Seco Jabro office in Hayes, VA, and lives in Yorktown, VA, with his family.

Seco Tools Inc. is part of Seco Tools AB (Fagersta, Sweden), a leader in metalworking technologies that manufactures a full range of tools for milling, turning, holemaking, and threading applications, as well as service and software solutions. Its cutting tools and related technologies are sold through a network of authorized distributors in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. www.secotools.com/us

BUNTING® MAGNETICS COMPANY

(NEWTON, KS) . . .

appointed Charles Collier as sales director for the European operations, with dual responsibilities to drive the sales strategy for both Bunting® Magnetics and Magnet Applications Limited (MAL), which Bunting® purchased in April 2008 and is based in Berkhamsted, England.

"I am proud to be entrusted with the task of launching Bunting® Magnetics into Europe. By building on the 50 years of experience and history of the company, I believe that the our product range of Magnetic Detection, Separation and Material Handling products will quickly find its rightful place in the rapidly developing European market," stated Collier. "In addition, the Magnet Applications product line, which has an impressive range of magnetic products along with new value added products, will continue to grow in the European market."

Bunting® Magnetics Co. is a manufacturer of magnetic magnetic separation systems, material handling equipment, flexible dies and metal detection equipment. Magnet Applications Limited is a leader in the manufacturing and distribution of bonded magnets and assemblies.

Collier brings extensive sales experience to his new role, primarily with a manufacturing background. This includes time spent in operational and consultancy positions. In the past, he has served as a consultant to MAL. During this time, he assisted MAL with the expansion and improvement of their supply chain partnerships. Charles will be based out of the MAL headquarters in Berkhamsted.

"The addition of Charles as our sales director for Europe is a natural progression stemming from our purchase last year of Magnet Applications," said Robert J. Bunting, the company?s owner and chief executive officer. "Charles has over 30 years of industrial sales experience including over 20 years with Magnetics. His background will be instrumental as we continue to expand our sales in the continent of Europe. Also, his leadership skills will help as we quickly add more personnel in this area." www.buntingmagnetics.com

BYSTRONIC INC. (HAUPPAUGE, NY) . . .

announces the hiring of Darren McCarthy for the position of sales engineer for the states of NC, SC, and VA. He brings twenty three years of extensive experience in sales, sales management, and customer service in the machine tool industry. Seventeen of those years focused on the metal fabrication industry, specifically lasers, laser automated systems, flexible work cells, and press brakes. McCarthy is a highly motivated and dedicated individual in providing strong customer support and service.

Bystronic Inc. manufactures innovative laser cutting, waterjet cutting and press brake systems, system software and comprehensive customer training and support. www.bystronicusa.com

DELCAM PLC (BIRMINGHAM, UK) . . .

recently established an office in California following its acquisition of the assets and goodwill of its reseller Vizion Technologies (Pasadina, CA). All of the Vizion staff will become direct employees to ensure continuity of service to the many users of Delcam software in the state.

Vizion was founded in 1998 by Jerry Sanders to sell and support the Delcam products in the western USA. He was joined by Sheila Cullers in May 2000 to develop further the sales in the region. The company has built up a customer base of hundreds of clients, including internationally-known names in the aerospace, mould and die, medical, dental, consumer products, athletic shoes and sports equipment industries.

Commenting on the decision to move to a direct office, Delcam managing director Clive Martell said, "Vizion?s staff have enjoyed considerable success in building up and supporting a large and diverse customer base for Delcam?s products. To expand the organization and achieve even more business in the state, we felt that considerable investment was needed."

"California is regularly reported to have an economy equal to many of the world?s leading industrial nations," he continued. "It is particularly strong in areas such as the aerospace, healthcare and energy industries, which are all sectors where we are keen to expand our business. I am very pleased that all the Vizion staff have decided to join the Delcam organization and so give us a very firm foundation to support our expansion plans."

Jerry Sanders was confident that the change in status would benefit his customers. "All of us at Vizion are extremely excited about the opportunities that will come from our closer relationship with Delcam," he said. "As part of a leading specialist CAM company, we will be able to provide our loyal customers with even stronger support."

He was also keen to stress the continuity that will be maintained for his clients. "Our team will continue to work out of our Pasadena office as Delcam plans its expansion on the West Coast," he stated. "Our customers will still call the same numbers and still talk to the same people for all their sales and support needs." www.delcam.com

ALLOY ENGINEERING CO. (BEREA, OH) . . .

was recognized as one of Ohio?s outstanding exporting firms at the Ohio Global Summit 2009 in ceremonies in Columbus in August. The company designs and manufactures heat and corrosion-resistant metal products.

The Governor?s Excellence in Exporting Award was presented by Ohio governor Ted Strickland to Alloy Engineering president and CEO Louis Petonovich. Since 1986 the awards have recognized companies of all sizes that have shown superior performance or heightened awareness of exporting as a vital component of Ohio?s economy. Ohio is the country's seventh-largest exporter, shipping more than $45 billion in goods last year. With a seven percent increase in sales from 2007, it's the only state to report increases in exports every year since 1998.

Alloy Engineering had record sales in recent years, with half of these sales from exports. The company has experienced exceptional international growth in supplying products for the power-generation, petrochemical and agricultural industries ? fundamental industries that are necessary to serve expanding populations with rising standards of living and growing industrial infrastructures.

In 2008, Alloy Engineering joined a Global Alliance to provide fabrications used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The alliance consists of companies in England, Germany, Japan and Finland that participate in the Carbon Credit Trading Market. It is Alloy Engineering?s job to ensure the fabrications sent to Alliance members meet the standards set by the industry.

For 65 years, Alloy Engineering has been the premier designer and manufacturer of high-quality, alloy equipment for furnace and high-temperature and corrosive industrial applications. The company distinguishes itself from its competitors, both domestically and internationally, because of its design engineering focus and alloy materials selection and fabrication expertise.

"Our industry is populated with other suppliers who simply fabricate replacement products and components that are identical to those they replace," Petonovich said. "The result is no process improvement. Alloy Engineering?s approach is to analyze each application and, when appropriate, apply a fresh design approach, or new technology, to upgrade the process. The result is a more productive and dependable process with reduced operating costs. When we export products, we also export the technical expertise that has made us a leader in our industry. The trend with our domestic customers is that, as they expand globally, they look to us for the same technology and service we have supplied in the past."

In 1974 Alloy Engineering became the first business in Ohio and the third in the country to adopt an Employee Stock Ownership/Option Plan (ESOP). "This program of extending ownership to all employees, involving them in managing the business and tying compensation to profits was a key turning point," said Petonovich, chief architect of the plan. "Alloy Engineering belongs to all of us and each of us has a direct impact in making the company successful."

Since 1943, The Alloy Engineering Company has pioneered the design and manufacture of a wide range of alloy products for high-temperature furnace and corrosive applications throughout the automotive, aerospace, petrochemical, power generation, primary metals and general manufacturing industries. Our capabilities have proved to be a valuable resource by providing our worldwide customers with fabrications for today?s world. www.alloyengineering.com

HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

(TROY, OH) . . .

recently announced five area high school students as winners of the Hobart Brothers Company Scholarship, which is offered in conjunction with the Troy Foundation, that provides the students with $2,000 in funds that can be applied toward their tuition at HIWT during the upcoming academic year. This year?s winners are: Brandon Livingston of New Weston; Treg Hutchinson of Versailles; Fred Noe, Jr. of Dayton; Zachary Cox of Troy; and Jerry Strain of Union, Ohio.

The Hobart Brothers Company Scholarship, one of several available through the Troy Foundation, was established to support area students interested in pursuing welding skills at the HIWT. Five $2,000 scholarships are awarded annually. To be eligible for the scholarship, the applying students must hold a high school diploma, submit letters of recommendation, and provide a statement of how and why they are pursuing a welding career, along with what goals they wish to achieve at the HIWT.

Priority for winners is given to children or grandchildren of employees at one of the ITW Welding Companies, such as Hobart Brothers Company, then to a graduate of one of the local high schools, including Miami, Darke, Shelby, Preble, Montgomery or Mercy County, and finally to all other scholarship applicants.

The Hobart Institute of Welding Technology is the one of the largest welding schools in the United States and is an incorporated non-profit organization. The HIWT has trained over 85,000 students from around the world since it was founded in 1930, and its purpose is to help students develop marketable welding skills through quality training at a minimum cost.

Hobart Brothers Company (Troy, OH) is a leading manufacturer of welding filler metals marketed under the brand names Hobart, Tri-Mark, McKay and Corex. Hobart Brothers Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (Glenview, IL). ITW is a multinational manufacturer of a diversified range of value-adding and short lead-time industrial products and equipment. www.welding.org

C&G SYSTEMS (ITASCA, IL) . . .

added Troy Anaya as its director of sales & marketing, responsible for expanding the sales organization, distributor network, and customer training programs. He will also help optimize the company?s current preventive maintenance, retrofit, and upgrade programs.

In his previous position with the Burny division of ITT-Cleveland Motion Controls (Cleveland, OH), Anaya excelled at providing advanced sales, technical support, and training for direct customers, distributors, and OEM partners. His extensive hands-on experience with CNC controls makes him a valuable asset. His expertise gained during his tenure with Burny as a field service engineer and sales manager will be instrumental in supporting new product development and expanding the training programs C&G currently offers its customers.

Anaya has been conducting the basic Burny operator training courses offered by C&G for the last year and a half. Intermediate, Advanced, and Maintenance Training programs are in the works for 2010. C&G is a manufacturer of precision CNC plasma and oxy-fuel shape cutting systems since 1968, including a full line of machines ranging from its economical Aviator and Challenger series, to its premier dual-side precision Crossfire and large-format Taurus systems. Standard machines range in size from 48 in x 48 in to 26 ft x 150 ft effective cutting areas, with custom sizes and configurations available. C&G is an authorized distributor of Hypertherm, Kaliburn, and Thermadyne plasma cutting systems. www.CGSystems.com

INTERNATIONAL TITANIUM ASSOCIATION

(BROOMFIELD, CO) . . .

installed two new board members. Lawrence D. Buhl III, chief executive officer, Lawrence Holdings Inc., and Graham P. Walker, vice president and general manager of Reading Alloys Inc. (an AMETEK Co.), have been tapped to fill two vacancies on the board of directors for the International Titanium Association (ITA) in Broomfield.

Buhl and Walker were voted in at the ITA's September annual meeting of the members in Kona, Hawaii. Paul O. Jones of Reading Alloys stepped down from the ITA board after six years of service, while Terry Perles of Stratcor Inc. left after four years.

A specialty metals distributor, Lawrence Holdings manages Snappy Materials LLC, TICO Titanium Inc., Supra Alloys Inc. and Alloy Metals. Those business units have distribution operations in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan and Texas. Buhl has a bachelor's degree in science and finance and a masters of business administration degree from Babson College, Babson Park, MA.

George J. Esseff, Jr., the president of Lawrence's Supra Alloys unit, in a letter of recommendation to the ITA, said Buhl's business experience "puts him in a good position to provide the perspective of the distribution side of our industry." Esseff went on to say Buhl is committed to developing new markets for the titanium business.

Walker, who has more than 30 years of experience in the metals industry, is also keen on expanding titanium applications. He is a metallurgist with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Leeds, UK, and a masters of business administration degree from Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, OH. Jones, in another letter of recommendation, praised Walker for his leadership, intellect and dedication to the titanium business. "(Walker) has an international perspective and has served in the titanium industry since joining Reading Alloys nine years ago. He has volunteer for and served on various ITA committees, demonstrating his commitment to our organization."

Jennifer Simpson is the ITA's executive director, while Frank L. Perryman, president and chief executive officer of Perryman Co. (Houston, PA), is the president of the ITA. Michael Metz, president of VSMPO Tirus US (Highlands Ranch, CO), is the vice president of the ITA. Brett Paddock, the president and chief operating officer of Titanium Industries Inc. (Rockaway, NJ), is the ITA secretary and treasurer. Edward F. Sobota Sr., president and chief executive officer of TSI Titanium (Derry, PA), is the past president of the ITA.

Other ITA board members include James M. Buch, vice president, commercial, Titanium Metals Corp. (Timet; Dallas, TX); Hunter Dalton, president of ATI Allvac (Monroe, NC); Dawne S. Hickton, vice chairman and chief executive officer of RTI International Metals Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA); William Kent, vice president, Dynamet Inc. and Carpenter Powder Products (Wyomissing, PA); Dr. Markus Holz, chief executive officer, ThyssenKrupp Titanium Group (Essen, Germany); Edward J. Newman, senior vice president, Keywell LLC VacAir Division (Frewsburg, NY); and Daniel Buwalda, plant manager of the Howmet Titanium Ingot Operation, Alcoa Power & Propulsion, a business unit of Alcoa Investment Cast and Forged Products, (Cleveland, OH). www.titanium.org

WELDING STUDENT WINS SILVER MEDAL AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION . . .

Joe Young of Heartland, MI, a student of Hartland High School, won the Silver Medal representing the United States in Calgary, Canada, in the four-day welding competition at the WorldSkills Competition. Young competed as a member of the U.S. "WorldTeam" at the 40th international event held in September.

Young is a member of SkillsUSA, the organization that represents the United States in the WorldSkills Competition. He earned the right to be a member of WorldTeam by winning local, district and national contests in welding under the SkillsUSA program. Competitors must be under the age of 23. There are 16 members of WorldTeam. Other occupational areas in which the U.S. competed include Autobody Repair, Cabinetmaking, Car Painting, CNC Milling, CNC Turning, Cooking, Hairdressing, Industrial Electronics, IT/PC Networking, Mechatronics, Plumbing, Printing, Refrigeration and Welding.

Every two years, hundreds of young people from 51 countries compete in the prestigious WorldSkills Competition. Member countries include Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Brazil, and many others. Considered "the best of the best" these contestants compete for four days in 45 occupational skill areas from economic sectors including manufacturing, information technology, transportation, construction and services.

Accompanied by their teachers, trainers and industry technical committee experts, these young people compete before the public in contests that are run by and judged by industry using demanding international standards. According to WorldSkills International, welding competitors must be able to understand welding drawings, standards and markings, apply the required welding processes and understand the characteristics of the materials. Knowledge of welding work safety is also required.

Over its 55-year history, WorldSkills International has come to symbolize the pinnacle of excellence in technical training. This year, in Calgary, more than 1,000 competitors tested their skills. Five thousand international experts, delegates and judges from around the world, 3,000 volunteers, and 150,000 student and public spectators attended the competition at Stampede Park situated on 193 acres with 800,000 square feet of competition space.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. The organization helps students excel by augmenting their technical education with training in leadership, team-working skills and in citizenship and character development. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors annually. The organization has 16,693 teachers and school administrators who serve as professional SkillsUSA members and instructors. More than 1,100 businesses, industry and labor sponsors actively support SkillsUSA at the national level through financial aid, in-kind contributions, and involvement of their people in SkillsUSA activities.

Organizations supporting U.S. participation in the WorldSkills Competition include Lowe?s Companies, Inc., American Welding Society, Lincoln Electric Co., Miller Electric Mfg. Co. Inc., and the National Welding Technical Committee. www.worldskills.org