People & Companies

Stellar Industrial Supply Inc., Tacoma, Wash., named partner 3M Co., St. Paul, Minn., the winner of its Documented Cost Savings "Horse Race" Winner of the Year Award for 2017.

Mahr Inc., Providence, R.I., promoted Don Foisy to director of operations to support continued company growth.

Fallbrook Technologies Inc., Cedar Park, Texas, announced that Roger Wood, former CEO of publicly traded Dana Holding Corp., will become the CEO and chairman of the board for the privately held developer and licenser of the patented NuVinci continuously variable planetary transmission technology.

Eriez Manufacturing Co., Erie, Pa., announced that Michael J. Mankosa, executive vice president of global technology, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Roush Yates Engines, Mooresville, N.C., and Nikon Metrology Inc., Brighton, Mich., announced a multiyear partnership program demonstrating Roush Yates Engines' commitment to partnering with best-in-class companies.

Sick Inc., Minneapolis, a manufacturer of sensors, safety systems, machine vision, encoders and automatic identification solutions for factory, logistics and process automation, promoted Elise Furlan to general counsel for Sick.

To support rapid expansion at its Mexico facility, the team at KUKA Automotive appointed Dormer Pramet its primary cutting tools supplier over the next three years.

Wohlers Associates Inc. announced the release of Wohlers Report 2018, the industry-leading global report on the state of the additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing industry, terms used interchangeably. Wohlers Associates has published its series of annual reports on AM for 23 consecutive years.

Customers of Cobra Carbide asked the company for made-in-America cutting tools and the West Coast manufacturer of drills, endmills, reamers and burs met their request. Until late 2016, Cobra sold tools in the U.S. that were produced either at its Riverside, Calif., facility or a plant it owned in India, which the company recently sold. It now produces all its tools in Riverside. "As more and more customers asked for made-in-the-U.S. product, we changed accordingly," said Cobra Carbide's CEO, Rakesh Aghi.

The Rollomatic Group, Mundelein, Ill., appointed Joe Kane president of Strausak Inc., Mundelein, further filling out its global presence in providing solutions for precision tool grinding.

Today's manufacturing and industrial processing facilities face intense competitive pressures, challenging economic conditions and stringent government regulations. To thrive, companies must engage in operational "best practices" designed to continuously improve process and product quality and reduce costs. An often overlooked method of process improvement is to remove oil from your facility's wastewater or process stream as soon as possible, preferably using a highly cost effective "tube type" oil skimmer. Properly applying a tube type skimmer can pay for itself within a few months by improving operational efficiencies, promoting employee and environmental wellness and generating new revenue.

Machine maintenance goes soft(ware).The stakes are much higher today for machine maintenance. Shops must be more proactive, and aim to optimize every operational aspect of their CNC equipment.