Economy

A total of 1,679 events were held across North America, in all 50 states, three Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico.  For the first time this year, more than a dozen virtual events were held.  Discovery Education and Alcoa hosted the largest virtual event — with more than 100,000 students participating.

MSC Industrial Supply, Melville, N.Y., opened its fifth distribution center, or Customer Fulfillment Center, in Columbus, Ohio. The distributor of MRO supplies marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. MSC first announced plans for the new facility in 2012 when it purchased the 70-acre plot where the 400,000 sq.-ft. facility now sits. The new CFC is currently home to 100 full-time associates, a number that is expected to grow to 300 by the end of 2017. The site is also designed to accommodate future expansion. 

Industrial surplus reseller Industrial Surplus Solutions Inc., St. Charles, Ill., has launched www.toolingmarketplace.com, an online resource for buying and selling surplus cutting tools. 

Measurement and control manufacturer Marposs S.p.A., Bologna, Italy, has acquired FL Tool Holders LLC of Livonia, Mich., a manufacturer of tooling and gaging products for the automotive, aerospace, marine and off-road manufacturing industries.

OSG Tap & Die Inc., Glendale Heights, Ill., will open a new regional service center in Forest Park, Ga., on Dec. 1. The 21,198-sq.-ft. facility will stock a complete line of OSG cutting tools including taps, end mills, drills and indexables, as well as other products including thread gages and toolholders. OSG expects to create at least 10 new warehouse and customer service positions with this expansion. 

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), a governing body for education and training in manufacturing, launched a new website designed for employers seeking to fill open jobs and build a network of competitive talent. Nimsready.org provides information, tools and how-to guides to help employers learn about and implement industry-recognized credentials at their companies, according to NIMS.

On Oct. 16, Sandvik Coromant Co. celebrated the opening of a Productivity Center in its new U.S. headquarters in Fair Lawn, N.J. The company held a grand opening ceremony for the headquarters on July 1. The combined $26 million, 100,000-sq.-ft. facility includes office space, meeting facilities, the Productivity Center and an aerospace-focused Engineering Competence Center for customer training, engineering and process development.  

KommaTrade, an online mechanical engineering trade fair, was recently launched at www.kommatrade.com. Through the Web portal, based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, manufacturers from different sectors can make presentations with product pictures and a company description. The website allows users to click through to an exhibitor's website, which provides communication coordinates and contact information.

GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Ill., welcomed more than 150 guests, including city and state officials, at the Oct. 9 grand opening of its Irvine, Calif., facility. The event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony, guided tours, product displays, machine demonstrations and presentations. The new facility, which also houses GF Piping Systems, provides support and training for customers in the West and aids collaboration between GF Machining Solutions and local manufacturers on technology development and process improvement.

Toolmaker Mazak Corp., Florence, Ky., will host a free MTConnect lunch-and-learn event for manufacturers on Thurs., Nov. 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at its Northeast Technology Center in Windsor Locks, Conn. The presentation will cover how MTConnect, an open-source, royalty-free manufacturing protocol, can improve the utilization of their equipment and boost productivity, according to the company.