December Industry Watch: People

UNITED GRINDING (MIAMISBURG, OH) . . .
appointed Christy Lincoln to Corporate Marketing Manager, responsible for corporate communications and marketing of all UG technologies and services. According to Rodger Pinney, UG president and CEO, “She has the talents, capabilities and experience to lead us in developing and implementing a comprehensive, next-generation marketing program for the organization.”

“Our renewed corporate marketing effort is a type of entrepreneurship where I ensure our marketing activities are consistent with our corporate and strategic goals . . . that ideas, suggestions and direction from our product technology and customer care divisions develop a consistent message for all of UG,” says Lincoln.

Her background includes handling tradeshows and market research at YSI, Inc., recruiting contract engineers for Chrysler, GM and many tier-one suppliers, work for Kelly Engineering Resources onsite at Dow Chemical, then direct for Dow in marketing research. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing, from Central Michigan University, and an MBA from Wright State University.
www.grinding.com

GF AGIECHARMILLES (LINCOLNSHIRE, IL). . .
announced that Harry Moser was named a 2010 inductee into Industry Week‘s Manufacturing Hall of Fame. Individuals are selected for this honor based upon their overall contribution to American manufacturing. With a career spanning four decades in American manufacturing, Moser spent 22 years as president of GF AgieCharmilles (then known as Charmilles Technology Corporation), leading the company from number six to one in market share by establishing itself as a leader in customer service and in 3-axis and 5-axis HSM (High-Speed Milling) machines.

Moser ascribes some of the company’s success to its consistent dedication to the broader needs of the industry. He has dedicated much of his career to working through American trade associations to promote workforce development. He led the company to provide the grand prize for NTMA’s annual National Apprentice Contest for the last twenty years. With significant amounts of manufacturing shifting overseas, Moser became concerned for the stability of the careers he had spent much of his career promoting. As a result, he began the Reshoring Initiative in 2009, an independent program designed to bring back manufacturing jobs by educating companies on how much offshoring really costs them.

He currently serves on the boards of the ISTMA (International Special Tooling & Machining Association) and NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills), and is president of the SMTS (Swiss Machine Tool Society). “I am extremely honored by this recognition,” says Moser. “Reshoring and having the required skilled workforce are absolutely vital issues to American manufacturing. They hold the power to transform our economy. Anything bringing more attention to this cause is good for our country. I encourage anyone in manufacturing to reevaluate their offshoring decisions by using the Reshoring Initiative’s free software to train their workforce so it can competitively handle the rebound in work.”
us.gfac.com, www.industryweek.com, www.reshorenow.org

LINCOLN ELECTRIC (CLEVELAND, OH) . . .
announced that Richard J. Seif and David Fink were elected to the 2010 Class of Counselors of the American Welding Society (AWS). They were honored at the 2010 FABTECH/AWS exposition held in Atlanta, GA, and inducted during the AWS Annual Business meeting on November 1. Election as an AWS Counselor recognizes a career of distinguished organizational leadership that has enhanced the image of welding.

Seif, the Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Development, spent over 39 years in the arc welding industry and is a life member of AWS. Over the past four decades he has served AWS as Michigan section chairman and national committee chairman, Conventions and Expositions. In 2002, he was named to the Board of Trustees of the American Welding Foundation and has been instrumental in launching several welding education programs and initiatives to promote careers in welding and workforce development.

Fink, the Manager of Compliance Engineering, is a recipient of the International Institute of Welding’s (IIW) Thomas Medal for his work with the IIW and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). He has worked in the welding industry for nearly 40 years and remained active with AWS technical committees for almost 35 years. Fink currently chairs the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO/TC 44/SC 3 ? Welding Consumables.
www.lincolnelectric.com, www.aws.org

CINCINNATI INCORPORATED
(HARRISON, OH) . . .
formed a Michigan-based direct sales and service team to support Michigan manufacturing customers with laser cutting and automated load/unload systems; press brakes, tooling and brake backgage upgrades; and shears, conveyor systems and controls. The team includes Matt Garbarino, an 18-year veteran of the metal fabrication industry with the last 12 of those based in Grand Rapids, MI.
www.e-ci.com

REGO-FIX (INDIANAPOLIS, IN) . . .
hiring Nicholas J. Korfias as OEM Account Manager/New Product Development, a newly-created position for developing and maintaining close relationships with machine OEMs and dealers, and working to identify and refine future product line expansions. He has worked in American manufacturing for over 26 years in a broad range of engineering, sales and marketing positions. Most recently Korfias served as senior applications engineer at a metalworking products distributor headquartered in Northeast Illinois. “Over the past several years, the industry has shifted substantially towards producers of complementary technologies working together to provide manufacturers with total solutions,” says Andreas S. Weber, president of REGO-FIX. “The relationships we have built and continue to build with machine tool builders plays a vital role in our future growth, as will our ability to use knowledge of the market to create products that meet ever-changing needs. In this new position, Nicholas will be a valuable asset in helping maximize our future success.”
www.rego-fix.com

SANDVIK COROMANT USA (FAIR LAWN, NJ) . . .
named Mike Verkamp as Director, Business Services to track manufacturers’ changing needs for services and establish processes, projects and programs that address these needs. “The challenges facing today’s manufacturers are constantly evolving and we work constantly to address them,” says John Israelsson, president of Sandvik Coromant USA. “In this role, Mike Verkamp will apply his expertise and years of experience to better understanding customer needs and creating the programs that meet them.” Verkamp earned a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Management from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University. He has been a part of the Sandvik Coromant team for 13 years in a variety of positions, most recently as director of sales.
www.sandvik.coromant.com

WALL COLMONOY (MADISON HEIGHTS, MI) . . .
announced that Steve Miller joined the company as Business Development Manager for the Alloy Products Group ? Southeast USA. He has a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgy and Material Science from Case Western Reserve University and brings 25 years of technical sales and engineering experience, including 19 years at SCM Metal Products Division, where he provided technical support and solutions for automotive industry brazing applications.
www.wallcolmonoy.com

HAYWARD TURNSTILES (MILFORD, CT) . . .
added new welding services to its security manufacturing lineup and Mike Martire joined the company as the welding supervisor with 17 years of supervisory and fabricating experience in the security and automotive field. His main objective is to develop and fabricate new turnstiles, ADA gates and railing products.
www.haywardturnstiles.com

THE MATERIAL HANDLING INDUSTRY OF AMERICA (CHARLOTTE, NC) . . .
appointed George W. Prest to Chief Operating Officer, reporting to MHIA CEO John Nofsinger. His duties include managing membership and trade event activities, among others. he brings over 30 years of experience to MHIA, both in managing and owning material handling manufacturing companies. Over the years, Prest has been recognized for his volunteer leadership of industry manufacturers associations, distributor associations and charitable foundations.

www.mhia.org

THE PANGBORN GROUP (FAIRBURN, GA). . .
appointed Henrik Jensen as its new president and CEO. Jensen joins the Pangborn Group after a distinguished career with Sauer-Danfoss, where he served as managing director, executive vice president and president of the Work Function Division and led an international team of more than 3,000 employees serving the mobile equipment market with advanced systems for the distribution and control of power. Andrew M. Bursky, chairman of Capital Equipment Resources, which conducts business as the Pangborn Group, says everyone is excited Jensen is joining the team. “He has a successful track record leading high-performance global management teams,” Bursky says, “and his background in the industries the we serve will be a huge benefit as we broaden our products and services offerings across the globe. His contagious enthusiasm, deep integrity and proven effectiveness are invaluable assets as he takes the helm of our strong management team. We look forward to working with him over the coming years.”
www.pangborngroup.com