Page 8 - MetalForming April 2009

Serving those who create precision metal products using stamping, fabricating and other value-added processes.
© 2009 by PMA Services Inc. 6363 Oak Tree Blvd. Independence, OH 44131 216/901-8800
fax: 216/901-9669 E-mail: metalforming@pma.org
www.metalformingmagazine.com
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited.
PMA President
Vice President/ Publisher
Editor
Senior Editor
Editorial Manager
Art Director
Production Manager
Publishing & Comm. Coord.
Circulation Manager
Sherry Theien, Sales Manager
North Central, International 8392 Leesburg Ct., Rockford, IL 61114 Ph: 815/282-6000 • Fax 815/282-8002 E-mail: stheien@earthlink.net
John Moore
New England, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific, Canada 17809 Canterbury Rd., Cleveland, OH 44119 Ph: 216/531-4044 • Fax: 216/721-2525 E-mail: jmoore@lpcpub.com
Vivien Tomsik
South Atlantic, South Central, Mountain 6363 Oak Tree Blvd., Independence, OH 44131 Ph: 216/901-8800 • Fax: 216/901-9669 E-mail: vtomsik@pma.org
William E. Gaskin, CAE
wgaskin@pma.org
Kathy DeLollis
kdelollis@pma.org
Brad F. Kuvin
bkuvin@pma.org
Louis A. Kren
lkren@pma.org
Marlene F. O’Brien
mobrien@pma.org
Donna D’Amico
ddamico@pma.org
Susan Cubranich
scubranich@pma.org
Pete Fuduric
pfuduric@pma.org
Barbara Tillett
btillett@pma.org
Sales Staff
6 METALFORMING / APRIL 20
NewsFronts
Facilities
Plexus Systems Changes Name, Announces Expansion Plans
Plex Systems, Inc. is the new name taken by Plexus Systems, Inc., Auburn Hills, MI, which also renamed its flagship product, Plexus Online, to Plex Online.
The product is a soft- ware-as-a-service ERP pack- age for manufacturers. Also, coming on the heels of record growth in 2008, the company announced expan- sion plans in 2009 that call for its software developers and other technical staff to move into a new 20,000- sq.-ft. facility in Auburn Hills, and the hiring of an additional 20 to 40 people. It also plans to hire addi- tional sales staff throughout the United States and in Europe and Asia.
Stamping-Shop Acquisition Keys Expansion into the Renewable Energy Market
TG Manufacturing, Grand Rapids, MI, a division of Tora Group, Lansing, MI, acquired Dorr Industries Inc., Dorr, MI, a small metal-stamping, machining and fabricating company. Tora Group’s three divisions —TG Mfg., TG Technologies Tool Alliance and TG Renewable Energy Tech- nologies—formed in 2008.
It plans to use the 20,000-sq.-ft. Dorr facility to serve its tooling and renewable energy divisions in addition to serving cus- tomers in the aerospace, HVAC, furniture, appliance and construction sectors.
NC Supplier Shipping Conveyor/Elevator Lines to Royal Australian Mint
Gough Econ, Inc., Char- lotte, NC, is supplying three of its Elecon bi-axial con- veyor and elevator systems to the Royal Australian Mint to convey blanks and coins, without any loss, from a counter in batches to help modernize its automation system serving a line of 13 stamping presses. Besides striking coins, the mint also manufactures medals, seals and tokens. One of the new lines will deliver blanks to the presses, and two others will feed finished coins to the packaging facility. The bucket elevators will include 9-in.-wide buckets with a capacity of 200 cubic ft./hr.
Awards
Alabama Stamper Named Outstanding Automotive Supplier
The Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA, www.aama.to) has recognized Atlantic Tool & Die-Alabama (ATD-AL), Anniston, AL, as the Out- standing 2008 Automotive Supplier in Alabama. ATD, which opened its 65,000- sq.-ft. Alabama plant in 2004 and employs 50 asso- ciates, manufactures stampings and assemblies for Honda Manufacturing of Alabama.
The company outscored four other suppliers consid- ered for the award, and earned a perfect score in six of the 15 judged categories: disaster recovery, supply- chain management, infor-
mation flow, process flexi- bility, 5S, and shipping management.
ATD, headquartered in Northeast Ohio, owns and operates eight manufactur- ing facilities and recently opened a ninth company, JATDCO, a joint venture Minority Business Enter- prise in Ohio.
Agreements
Stamtec Partners
with Dees to Distribute Hydraulic Presses
Stamtec, Manchester, TN, has been appointed the exclusive sales and service outlet for Taiwanese compa- ny Dees Hydraulic Presses in North and Central Ameri- ca and parts of South Amer- ica. Dees, with plants in Taiwan and China, offers hydraulic presses from small C-frame models to large tandem-press lines.
Eriez Appoints Five U.S. Sales-Rep Firms
Eriez’s magnetic products —for lift and separation, metal detection, material feeding and conveying, etc. —now are represented by five recently contracted sales organizations through- out the United States: Ken- bil Engineering, two CA sales offices and one in Las Vegas, NV; Pittman Industri- al Marketing, offices in Birmingham, AL, Hernando, MS, and Venice, FL; Pro Tool & Machine Sales, Denver, CO; Summer Sales, Kent, WA; and Turpin Sales & Marketing, headquarters in West Springfield, MA, and a sales office in Miami, FL.
09 www.metalformingmagazine.com