Industry News

The cumulative stress of President Donald Trump's escalating trade war is leading to if not an irreparable breach between the U.S. and China, then certainly a significant fraying. Trade talks notwithstanding, the rising cost of the tariffs is already inducing some U.S. manufacturers to exit China. But in most instances, they are not returning to home shores.

Star SU LLC, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, has formed an alliance with Profilator GmbH & Co. KG, WuppertalnGermany, to manufacture Scudding tools for the global market and in North America in cooperation with GMTA, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Scudding significantly improves on traditional power skiving technology for gear production, long proven in the market to be fast, accurate and versatile in use.

High QA Inc., the developer of Inspection Manager quality management software, has established a headquarters operation in Sevenum, Netherlands, to directly serve its customers on the European continent. High QA Europe is headed by its European Sales Director Hans Derks. Netherlands native Derks is a 30-plus year veteran of the manufacturing software industry.

When Suttner adopted a growth strategy 15 years ago, the company decided to significantly increase the manufacturing depth. Priority was to be focused on parts with complex designs and high added value. The executive management brought Arno Werkzeuge on board as their partner and facilitator to also increase productivity. This success story has brought about manufacturing competences and products that were inconceivable in the past. At the same time, it is an effective solution to the lack of skilled workers.

Methods Machine Tools Inc. has announced that it is representing OKK Corp. in North America. For over 100 years, customers worldwide have relied on OKK horizontal, vertical and 5-axis machines for quality, reliability, precision and innovation.

Manufacturers face continual pressure to expand margins and be more profitable. Smart manufacturing can bring real bottom-line value to a business, helping it do more with less.

In 2017, Tulip raised $13 million with help from New Enterprise Associates Inc., Pitango Venture Capital and a handful of investors who already were onboard for the seed round. Now the Somerville, Massachusetts, startup is back with a round of financing that's three times that. Toolmaker DMG Mori has joined the ranks, along with Vertex Ventures.

Teradyne Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of AutoGuide Mobile Robots, a leading supplier of high-payload autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). AutoGuide's advanced products deliver easy deployment, improved safety, reduced costs and increased efficiency of industrial and warehouse material-handling operations.

Emuge Corp. held a grand opening ceremony of its significantly expanded, custom-designed manufacturing facility in West Boylston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 15, 2019. Marking a 35-year presence in the U.S. along with increased growth in North America, the Emuge expansion includes more manufacturing and tool reconditioning space, the addition of a new PVD coating center, as well as an expanded Technology and Training Center. The expanded facility doubles the size of the original building to over 50,000 sq. ft. total.

Doosan Robotics Inc. (Doosan), a leading global manufacturer of collaborative robots (cobots), announced plans to establish its first U.S. office in Buford, Georgia, by the end of 2019 to accelerate its distribution efforts. The new office will serve as the headquarters for sales, marketing, training, and customer service in the Americas.

Zoller Inc. hosted its annual Zollerfest on Oct. 2-3 at its North American headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Zollerfest is an annual technology days and open house event that combines the celebration of the company's German heritage and its presetting, measuring, inspection, tool management and automation technology to create a truly unique manufacturing event. Over 100 guests visited the company across the two-day event, coming from a variety of industry segments ranging from aerospace and defense to job shops, with the goal of learning how Zoller solutions could help bring success to their manufacturing process.

Transor Filter announces that they have surpassed the 25,000 drum mark in shipments of TransOgrind TG-250. Introduced in 2000, this quality grinding oil has become popular for manufacturers of carbide cutting tools due to its performance characteristics and overall value.