Manufacturing Floor News

2017 marks Bosch Rexroth’s 50th year of continuous operation in the United States. Starting with a small office in Easton, Pa. in 1967 and a handful of associates, Rexroth grew to expand into a newly built hydraulics manufacturing facility seven years later, the cornerstone of the company’s current manufacturing campus in Bethlehem, Pa. As Rexroth expanded globally, so did the company’s operations in the U.S., eventually identifying itself as “The Drive & Control Company.” Under this claim…

At his core Ken Konrad is an innovator and engineer, looking at problems and seeing solutions. Walk around Konrad’s manufacturing and testing facility for even a short time and it is easy to see that Ken Konrad, owner and president, possesses a sharp intellect and an engineer’s mind, as he clearly revels in sharing insight on business and manufacturing practice that goes in each of his company’s rugged stern drive units. While Konrad has quickly established itself as a quality name in the commercial stern drive sector, it is still a newer business line within the company’s overall scope.

Samson, the worldwide leader in performance cordage, announces that after 41 years with the company, Tony Bon will step down as CEO on January 1, 2016. Andrea Sturm has been appointed as Bon’s successor and will be joining the Samson team in November 2015. Bon will remain on staff through the end of 2016 to support Sturm during the transition. Bon has been a valued member of the Samson team since 1974 when he began on the manufacturing floor in Samson’s Massachusetts facility. He transferred to the Ferndale facility in 1980 and advanced through the company in various positions until being named president in 2007 and CEO in 2013. “Tony has been an integral part of Samson’s success and growth over the past 40-plus years,” said Russell Ball, CEO Wind River Holdings, which owns Samson.

Trident Seafoods has opened a $40 million production and distribution center in Carrollton, Ga., providing 175 full-time jobs and the capacity to produce 50,000 tons of finished products annually for the U.S. market. "We are excited to add Trident to our family of customers, especially within the valuable refrigerated cargo market," said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. Savannah's Garden City Terminal offers 84 refrigerated container racks and 814 chassis plug-ins, powering 2,830 refrigerated boxes at a time.

A walk through the ZF Friedrichshafen AG marine propulsion system manufacturing plant in southern Germany does nothing but confirm the commonly held perceptions of German engineering prowess: the facility is clean to a fault; the equipment is modern and well-maintained; the employees are orderly and efficient. While the ZF marine propulsion systems business – which generated a turnover of $336 million in 2013 – is but a sliver of the company’s overall 2013 sales of $22.4 billion…

Last month marked the launch of two new Littoral Combat Ships: Milwaukee (LCS 5) launched by Marinette Marine into the icy Menominee River; and Jackson (LCS 6) launched by Austal into the far warmer waters found off of southern Alabama. While the two LCS variants and shipyard climates are a world apart, this innovate U.S. Navy ship production program has the common goal of fortifying U.S. defense interests while spurring investment in the creation of two state-of-the-art ship production facilities. Mid-December in Marinette, Wis., can be described with one word: cold.

Austal USA held a combined groundbreaking ceremony today, to celebrate the start of work on three new facilities including Phase 2 of the Modular Manufacturing Facility (MMF); a new office complex; and an additional waterfront Assembly Bay. The ceremony was held at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, where construction is underway on the U.S. Navy’s Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program and the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) program. This event was attended by several notable dignitaries, including Alabama Governor Robert Bentley; Rear Admiral Joseph F.

At a time when many companies are scaling back, Tech Development (TDI), a Dayton, Ohio manufacturer of turbine air starters and aerospace machinery has just completed a 49,000 sq. ft building addition to expand its manufacturing capability. The 49,000 sq. ft addition doubles the manufacturing floor space for TDI. “The additional space allows us to improve efficiencies by creating cellularized work areas and an overall better work flow in the plant,” continued Rawlins. In 2008, when facility construction began, TDI was celebrating its 50-year anniversary. Over the last 12 months, the company has introduced nine new products and has plans for even more. “The completion of this building expansion is pivotal to TDI’s growth strategy,” said Rawlins.

Samson announced the appointment of Tony Bon to serve as the company’s president. His background and experience are well suited to his new role with the company and will poise Samson for future growth. Bon has been a valued member of the Samson team since 1974 when he began on the manufacturing floor in Samson’s Massachusetts facility. He soon progressed to Production Superintendent, and later transferred in 1980 to Samson’s Ferndale, Washington factory to be Plant Manager. Since then he has held positions as Materials Manager, Vice President of Operations, Senior Vice President, and most recently Chief Operating Officer (COO), overseeing Samson’s sales, operations, and research and development activities. Bon also enjoys a seat on the Board of Directors for United Way of Whatcom County.

Through a series of coincidental meetings, Southeastern New England Shipbuilding Corporation (SENESCO) was formed by seven individuals with different, unique backgrounds. Although only three of the original seven founders are still involved with the company, the focus remains the same. In fact, the young company is expecting its first delivery this autumn. According to Richard Carpenter, president and director of the company, the seven founders joined up during the winter months of 1993 and 1994. "The driving engine was a series of conferences called 'Navigating Beyond 94,'" he says. Carpenter, who had 30 years experience as a practicing attorney…