Page 8 - MetalForming-Jan-2018-issue

News Fronts
Roemheld Expands in China
PennEngineering, provider of fastening technologies, has expanded operations in Gal- way, Ireland, with a new 80,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing
The Roemheld Group, Laubach, Germany, provider of manufacturing, assembly,
SIQ judges shared the fol- lowing justification for their
6 MetalForming/January 2018
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Ajax Metal Forming Solu- tions, Minneapolis, MN, announced that Heartland Equity Partners of Brooklyn Center, MN, has acquired a majority ownership position in the company. “The metalform- ing industry is advancing at an exciting pace. This investment by Heartland will take our business to the next level,” says Kent Djubek, who will continue as president of Ajax. As a practical show of confi- dence in his company’s future, Djubek increased his ownership position as part of the transaction.
Awards
Unison Ltd., North York- shire, England, announced plans to add its first United States factory in Danville, VA, to support the activities of its plant in North Yorkshire, Eng- land. Unison will invest $5.2 million to establish the factory. “Our plan includes the cre- ation of 35 new jobs in the next 3 years,” says Julian Kidger, joint managing director of Unison. “It will be fantastic to label our machines as ‘Made in America.’”
decision: “By adopting a holis- tic and systematic approach, which combines many differ- ent competencies, a new rational technology for com- plex forming of high-strength aluminum has been devel- oped. The new technology enables radical reduction of the material’s thickness and weight, which leads to lower fuel consumption and less environmental impact—at the same time that crashworthi- ness increases. This combina- tion makes the innovation an important breakthrough in alu- minum-production technology.”
Market Outlook
Study Predicts Record High for Automotive Tooling Expenditures, Followed by Dip
Harbour Results, Inc. (HRI), Southfield, MI, a consulting firm for the manufacturing industry, predicts 2018 automotive-vendor tooling spend to reach a record high of $11 billion. The predic- tion is a result of the firm’s in-depth study on the current state of the automotive-vendor tooling industry, which reports that the key factor driving increased tooling spend is the 177 North Ameri- can vehicle launches predicted between 2018 and 2020. Sixty-six percent of these launches will be sport utility vehicles and truck platforms, which require more tooling to manufacture than car platforms.
“In 2017, we estimated tooling spend to be approximately $9 billion, which has resulted in high capacity utilization among tool shops—88 percent for die shops and 81 percent for mold shops,” says Laurie Harbour, HRI president and CEO. “This created a new tooling model of out- sourcing. In fact, $1 billion to $1.5 billion in tooling was outsourced in 2017 to help manage the growing demand. We can only expect this trend to grow in 2018.”
Yet, what goes up often comes down: HRI projects a drop of 40 percent in tooling spend from the high of $11 billion in 2018 to approximately $6.7 billion in 2020.
Business Notes
Direct Metals Supplies Aluminum Expanded Metal to Fontainebleau Terrace
Direct Metals, an interna- tional steel service center with locations in Kennesaw, GA, and Waukegan, IL, recently provided decorative louvered aluminum expanded metal to the Fontainebleau Terrace in Panama City Beach, FL. The hotel used 6865 sq. ft. of alu- minum expanded metal for all of its railings. The material was custom cut into 431 pieces and powder coated turquoise blue RAL5018. The material’s diamond pattern reportedly provides an aes- thetically pleasing design while ensuring security and privacy, controlling heat, light and visibility, and improving ventilation.
clamping and drive technolo- gies, announced the launching of its Roemheld Productions Systems in Nanjing, China. The subsidiary will provide marketing and sales support, and expanded services, includ- ing the supply of spare parts.
other alloys for heavy equip- ment, durable goods, con- struction and HVACR original- equipment manufacturers.
Earlier this year, AP&T received the international 2017 Altair Enlighten Award, which recognizes significant weight-saving innovations for the automotive industry.
Heartland Equity Partners is an investment fund focused on value creation through investment, growth and long- term retention.
Facilities
Ajax Attracts Equity Investors
Unison Ltd. Commits to U.S. with Plans for New Factory in Virginia
Ajax produces parts that conform to tight tolerance specifications using galva- nized and stainless steel, alu- minum, copper, brass, and
“Our new technology for forming high-strength alu- minum creates true customer benefit, and allows the auto- motive industry to meet demands for lighter, safer and more energy-efficient cars,” says Dr. Christian Koroschetz, CTO of technology develop- ment at AP&T.
PennEngineering Expands Operations in Ireland
AP&T Gains SIQ Quality Innovation Award
AP&T, Ulricehamn, Swe- den, received the Swedish Institute for Quality’s (SIQ) 2017 Quality Innovation Award for its production solu- tion for forming high-strength aluminum.