Page 9 - MetalForming March 2023 - PMA Chairman Jeff Aznavorian
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 News Fronts
Agreements
AAA Tool & Machine and C-F Fabricators Come Together Under New Brand
Southern-IL-based AAA Tool & Machine and C-F Fabricators, which joined forces nearly 2 yr. ago, have unveiled a new logo and website (www.velocitymetalworks.com) to help promote their new name, Velocity Metalworks. Locations, services, own- ership and employees will remain the same under the new name.
The firm, located in Hoffman and O’Fallon, IL, provides full- service metal stamping, tool and die, fabrication, and contract manufacturing for Tier One and OEM manufacturers in the agri- culture, automotive, construction and other industries.
Wieland Acquires Heyco Metals, National Bronze Manufacturing
Germany-based Wieland Group has acquired Hummock Industries, a family-owned holding company based in Reading, PA, which includes Heyco Metals, also in Reading, PA, a suppli- er of light- and medium-gauge copper, copper-alloy, and stain- less-steel strip; and National Bronze, Roseville, MI, a manufac- turer and distributor of bronze-based bearing products.
“Like Wieland, Heyco Metals and National Bronze are recog- nized for exceptional quality and service,” says Wieland CEO Dr. Erwin Mayr. “Our ambitious growth plans include the contin- ued diversification of product categories and manufacturing capabilities.”
The transaction closed on December 30, 2022.
Kryton Engineered Metals
Under New Ownership, Leadership
LT Corp., Cleveland, MS, the parent company of Quality Steel Corp., LP Cylinder Service, Inc., and Buckeye Manufacturing Co., announced the stock acquisition of Kryton Engineered Metals, Inc., Cedar Falls, IA, and executive vice president Jason Mathern was promoted to company president. Kryton, founded in 1981 as Iowa Metal Spinners, became known as Kryton in 2011.
“After evaluating multiple potential buyers, I chose LT Corp. pri- marily because of a good cultural fit,” says Kevin Harberts, owner of Kryton for 42 yr., “but also because of the possibilities for con- tinued growth. Since LT Corp. is an ESOP company, I am proud that the legacy of Kryton will include our team being able to par- ticipate in this growth as shareholders in the future.”
Tool Tech, LLC Acquires Cameron Tool Corp.
Tool Tech, LLC, Springfield, OH, has acquired Cameron Tool Corp., Lansing, MI, an ISO 9001:2015-registered full-service tool and die manufacturer specializing in die design and con- struction and with tryout and short-run stamping capabilities. Cameron Tool’s 100,000-sq.-ft. facility and 85 employees will complement Tool Tech’s current tool and die manufacturing and services, enhancing the capabilities offered to both com- panies’ existing and new customers.
Business Notes
New Company, Impact Fluids, Combines the Products and Services of Three Companies
Combining decades of knowledge from premier industrial- fluid companies, Impact Fluids, Grandville, MI, is a newly formed company that consolidates three companies—Curtis Fluids, Great Lakes Industrial Service, and Advance Metalwork- ing Solutions (AMS), more commonly recognized as the repre- sentative for Unist products. Impact Fluids aims to help manu- facturers reduce their fluid consumption, lower their environmental impact and improve their bottom line through better fluid selection, application and filtration. Its fluid-lifecy- cle analysis process reviews each step that a fluid takes in its flow through a manufacturing facility to identify efficiency- improvement and waste-reduction opportunities.
John Hoff, founder of Curtis Fluids, serves as president of Impact Fluids.
Automotive News
S&P Global Mobility: January 2023
U.S. Auto Sales Highlight Mixed Messaging
January 2023 U.S. auto sales are expected to advance mild- ly from the year-ago level, says S&P Global Mobility, which also projects a jump in the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). With volume for January projected at 1.015 million units, U.S. auto sales are estimated to translate to an estimated sales pace of 15.5 million units (SAAR), the highest monthly level since May 2021.
“Auto consumers continue to be impacted by an uncertain purchase environment,” says Chris Hopson, principal analyst at S&P Global Mobility. “While positive developments regarding mildly retreating vehicle prices and rising pockets of inventory bode well, interest rates remain high and economic headwinds persist.
“None of these issues will be resolved quickly as we move through 2023,” Hopson adds. “The January 2023 expected SAAR reading may have jumped from the month-prior reading of 13.3 million units, but the unsteady combination of con- sumers, inventory and economic conditions will dictate month- ly new vehicle sales levels.”
The S&P Global Mobility auto outlook for 2023 continues to carry a countercyclical narrative, as the firm’s experts expect production levels to continue to develop, even as economic conditions are expected to deteriorate through the early stages of next year. The advancing production levels, along with reports of sustained retail order books, recovering stock of vehicles, and a fleet sector that remains starved for product, should provide some impetus to auto demand levels even as an economic recession looms.
The firm projects 2023 calendar-year volume of 14.8 mil- lion units, a 7-percent increase from the estimated 2022 tally.
   6 MetalForming/March 2023
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