Industry News

Harry Moser, the founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative, an industry-led group out to prove offshoring is not always the best economical decision for companies, takes issue with the recently released 2015 A.T. Kearney U.S. Reshoring Index, which suggested that the reshoring trend was an aberration. A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm headquartered in Chicago, reported in December that its reshoring index dropped to -115 in 2015. A negative value is said to indicate net offshoring, according to the consulting firm.

Solar Atmospheres of California, Fontana, Calif., recently named Mike Moffit as its new vice president of operations, the company announced in a Jan. 20 news release. Moffit has been with the company for 21 years in a variety of departments, and served as the quality manager for the past 5 years at Solar Atmospheres of California.

Waterjet systems manufacturer Jet Edge Inc. recently promoted Josh Bauer to service manager, the St. Michael, Minn., company announced in a Jan. 13 news release. The promotion puts Bauer in charge of managing all aspects of Jet Edge’s waterjet service department, which supports customers worldwide.

Okuma America Corp., a CNC machine tool manufacturer based in Charlotte, N.C., this month added three new members to its applications engineering team: Brad Fitzpatrick, Jeff  Hampton and Lee Johnston, according to a company news release issued Jan. 13.

Citing an outlook for continued business growth, Seco Tools LLC this month appointed new members to its executive and management teams, according to a Jan. 12 news release from the Troy, Mich., company. David Mrdjenovic is the company's new director of operations, and Scott Hecht now serves as market channels and business development manager.

In a move to enhance its technical sales team, PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P., an Auburn, Mass.-based manufacturer of precision motion control and positioning components and systems, this month named Jess Sargent as its Western region field sales engineer for OEM customers.

Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA) this month named Bernie Nagle as its new executive director. "I'm honored and very excited to assume the role of executive director for PMPA," said Nagle, who will provide purpose, focus and constructive guidance to the association in his new role. "I have been a passionate advocate for manufacturing throughout my career, and I am eager to help PMPA provide the information, resources, advocacy and networking opportunities to help the manufacturing companies in PMPA to become more productive and profitable."

Lincoln Frazier has been appointed Southeast regional sales manager for Dorner Mfg. Corp., Hartland, Wis. In his new position, Frazier will work with sales channel partners and key accounts to grow the company's industrial and sanitary conveyor business throughout the Southeastern United States, according to a Jan. 4 news release from the company.

A partnership between GF Machining Solutions, Lincolnshire, Ill., and a Colorado community college that brought 5-axis training to the school's machine technologies program recently earned recognition from the Obama administration for its efforts to confront an estimated 2 million manufacturing jobs expected to go unfilled over the next decade, according to a GF Machining Solutions news release issed Jan. 21.

Okuma America Corp., Charlotte, N.C., recently named Caron Engineering its Partner of the Year, according to an Okuma news release issued Jan. 6. Based on Okuma's annual distributor survey, Caron Engineering received the highest overall partner rating from among all 50 members of Okuma's Partners in THINC, which is a collaboration network of more than 40 industry leaders who come together to solve problems and explore new productivity ideas for real-world manufacturers. 

Rollomatic Inc., Mundelein, Ill., recently promoted William "Mac" McKenna to regional sales manager for several key manufacturing areas in North America, according to a Rollomatic Inc. news release issued this month. Rollomatic builds CNC tool/cutter and peel grinding machines, as well as laser cutting machines.

Norsk Titanium AS, Oslo, Norway, announced the first shipment of Airbus test parts manufactured by the company's patented Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) process has been delivered to Premium AEROTEC's plant in Varel, Germany, where it has already undergone finish machining, according to a joint company news release issued Jan. 20.

Manufacturers face "unprecedented global complexity," according to a Jan. 12 blog post on the website for the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). "The sector is now powered by software and data every bit as much as by steel and electricity," continued the post, which was authored by MAPI Marketing Council Manager Cam Mackey. "The ability to access insights about how to survive and thrive has never been more critical. "Recent shifts in technologies, demographics and markets have created a new normal for manufacturers. Those that adapt quickly will emerge more innovative and agile than their competitors, but not without undergoing a transformation in everything from the people they hire to how they create value," Mackey observed in report titled, "The Impact of Megatrends on U.S. Manufacturers." 

U.S. manufacturing reshoring trends appear to have been short-lived, according to a Dec. 21 news release from A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm headquartered in Chicago. "The reshoring phenomenon appears to have been more a one-off aberration than an inexorable trend," the firm reported, citing new data from its second annual A.T. Kearney U.S. Reshoring Index. "Data from 2015 confirms that offshoring is gathering steam, while the reshoring train has yet to leave the station."

Briney Tooling Systems, Bad Axe, Mich., recently worked closely with a leading medical manufacturer to develop a special HSK50E balanceable grinding wheel arbor for a precision CNC grinding machine producing shaped bone fragments for surgical grafting, according to a company news release issued Jan. 19.

John Gardner, a founding partner of Razorform Tools, has started CNC Broach Tool LLC to provide a line of off-the-shelf, inserted keyway broach tools for CNC lathes and mills, Gardner announced in a news release Jan. 20. CNC Broach Tool will continue to sell direct to provide CNC keyway broaching technical support and cut costs for end-users.

Hawk Technology Ltd., a leading designer and manufacturer of tooling, fixtures, robotics integration solutions, vision inspection systems, and other customized automation, recently announced the development of a new leadership team.

AutoCrib Inc., an automated inventory vending systems maker based in Tustin, Calif., reached a milestone producing its 1,000th RoboCrib VX1000 machine, according to a company news release issued Jan. 18. The RoboCrib is the first carousel based, industrial vending innovation created by AutoCrib founder Steve Pixley.

Mahr Federal has named veteran communications professional J. Robin Palermo as director of marketing and customer service. In her new position, Palermo will direct and oversee all aspects of the company's marketing strategies and marketing communication programs as well as the customer service team.

In support of its continued growth throughout the United States, Edgecam has hired a new regional sales manager to focus on the expansion of both sales and services in the state of Michigan. Based in Southfield, Mich., new Regional Sales Manager Mike Ambro brings more than 20 years of manufacturing industry experience to Edgecam.