OPW won three Safety Awards from Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and Greater Hamilton Safety Council. OPW was honored for zero incidents of lost-time injury or illness, lowest overall incident rate for its group, and for overall effort in preventing accidents and injuries.
The following is a digest of May 2015 business news & notes from around the fluid handling industry.
Awards & Milestones
Alicat Scientific’s Whisper Series Wins Global Innovation Award
Alicat’s Whisper series of mass flow meters and controllers have taken the "Best Product" prize in an innovation competition run by its parent company, Halma plc. The Halma Innovation Awards recognizes advancements made by Halma subsidiaries that demonstrate creative new ways to improve a company’s products or operations. Alicat’s Whisper series technology beat out nine other product innovation entries from Halma companies. The Whisper series was developed in order to meet the needs of customers whose processes were too sensitive for traditional flow measurement and control instruments. Having very little pressure drop, Whispers can be added to a system without inducing backpressure or significantly affecting volumetric flow measurement.
AMT Vice President Paul Warndorf Receives NCDMM’s Lawrence J. Rhoades Award
The Association For Manufacturing Technology announced that Paul Warndorf, AMT’s Vice President – Strategic Planning, has been selected for the prestigious Lawrence J. Rhoades Award, given by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). The award honors the memory of Mr. Rhoades, his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to the advancement of manufacturing processes industry-wide. Mr. Rhoades was a former Chairman of the Board of Directors for AMT, as well as one of the founders of NCDMM and an inaugural member of its Board of Directors. Warndorf first joined AMT in 1996 and became Vice President – Manufacturing Technology in 2003 to lead in the development of AMT’s Technology Roadmap for the Machine Tool Industry, benchmarking the future performance needs of equipment. He also led the startup of the Smart Machine Platform Initiative aimed at developing technologies to meet those needs. In 2007, he managed the creation of the MTConnect open standard, which allows collection of shop floor data and communication between equipment and devices. He formed the MTConnect Institute for AMT to carry forward the further development of the standard and to meet ongoing data collection requirements. Mr. Warndorf currently serves as Secretary of the MTConnect Institute.
Charli Matthews Receives FSA Award of Merit
The Fluid Sealing Association (FSA) announced that their FSA Award of Merit was recently bestowed upon Charli Matthews, Founder and President of Empowering Pumps, LLC, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Award of Merit was established to recognize distinguished or exceptional service to the FSA by an individual member. The award is granted solely on merit and participation in all activities that support the FSA mission. Matthews has been a dedicated leader in the FSA Marketing Committee where she recently completed her term as Chair. In this position, she has been instrumental in establishing, maintaining, and growing the FSA’s social media presence. She has a passion and a fundamental understanding of the social media process and was able to develop a platform for the FSA, which has engaged numerous third parties which may not have otherwise heard of the FSA.
Flow-Cal President Mike Squyres Receives ISHM Laurance S. Reid Award
Flow-Cal, Inc., the market leader in measurement data management for natural gas and petroleum liquids, is proud to announce that Flow-Cal President Mike Squyres is the recipient of the 2015 Laurance S. Reid Award from the International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement (ISHM). Squyres will be presented with the award at the 90th annual school, held at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 12-14, 2015. Squyres has more than 25 years of experience in designing and developing both gas and liquid measurement applications. He began his career with Coastal Flow Measurement Companies in 1987 as a computer programmer, and quickly ascended to a Vice President position. By 1995, Squyres introduced the first commercial FLOWCAL measurement application to manage the massive amount of data generated by flow computers and automate the once-manual process. As the President of Flow-Cal, he has worked directly with SCADA, EFM and standards organizations to pioneer better ways to validate, calculate and report measurement data.
Petrobras Receives OTC Distinguished Achievement Award
Petrobras’ Exploration and Production Director, Solange Guedes, received the OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations and Institutions, the highest recognition that an oil company can be given as an offshore operator. The awards ceremony took place during a dinner in Houston, USA, at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC).
OPW Wins Three Safety Awards From Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation And Greater Hamilton Safety Council
OPW, a Dover Company and a global leader in fluid-handling solutions, announced that employees of its manufacturing facility in Hamilton, Ohio, were honored for achievements in safety by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the Greater Hamilton Safety Council at the 72nd Annual Greater Hamilton Safety Council Awards Banquet. During the ceremony, OPW received three awards for outstanding safety: the 100% Award, the Group Award, and the Special Award. For nearly 30 years, Hamilton, OH, has served as OPW’s global headquarters and as a vital manufacturing hub. Products manufactured in OPW’s Hamilton facility, such as nozzles, breakaways, aboveground storage (AST) equipment, and clean energy fueling products, are used to safely dispense and control petroleum-derived fluids domestically and globally.
Appointments & Retirements
Baluff Inc. Appoints Tony Canonaco as President & CEO
Balluff Inc., a sensor specialist and system provider based in Florence, Kentucky, has appointed Tony Canonaco as President effective May 1, 2015 and CEO effective August 1, 2015. Kent Howard, previous President and CEO, is transitioning into retirement and will move into the role of advisor to the President and Board of Directors. Tony Canonaco joins Balluff with over 25 years of sales and leadership experience in the field of industrial automation.
FCX Appoints Jeff Caswell as Vice President-Corporate Development
Columbus, Ohio-based FCX Performance, Inc., a distributor of process flow control products and value-added services has hired Jeff Caswell as Vice President-Corporate Development. Caswell will take a leadership role on the company’s ongoing acquisition strategy. He has over a decade of experience in Corporate Development and most recently was the CFO of the Hamilton Parker Company in Columbus. His credentials include a Bachelors of Science in Accounting from Miami University and a MBA from The Ohio State University.
Seatronics Ltd Announces Phil Middleton as New Group Managing Director
Seatronics Ltd, an Acteon company and part of its survey, monitoring and data business, has promoted Phil Middleton from deputy managing director to group managing director. Middleton will be responsible for managing and developing Seatronics’ global business with a particular focus on long-term growth, strategy and compliance.
Yokogawa Appoints New President & CEO
Yokogawa Corporation of America announced that effective April 1, 2015, Daniel L. Duncan is the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Yokogawa’s North American operations. In this position, Duncan is responsible for all day-to-day operations in North America. Duncan began his professional career as an engineer with Georgia Power Company. Then he led a systems integration firm focused on both discrete and process automation projects. This was followed by roles in industrial distribution and at Honeywell Industrial Automation and Control. Dunscan joined Siemens Energy & Automation in 1997 holding various management roles in automation marketing, regional and national sales.
LMI Aerospace Names Gerald Daniels Chairman of the Board
LMI Aerospace Inc. has named Gerald E. “Jerry” Daniels chairman of its board of directors, effective April 30, 2015. Daniels succeeds Ronald S. Saks, the former chief executive of LMI, who served as the board’s non-executive chairman since March 2014. Saks remains a member of the board and serves on its Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee. With Daniels’ appointment as chairman, John Eulich vacates his role as lead director. Eulich remains a member of the board, is now chair of the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee, and continues his service on the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. Daniels has been a member of LMI’s board since July 2014. In addition to serving as chairman of the board, he serves on the Audit committee. Daniels is the former chief executive and vice chairman of Engineered Support Systems Inc., and former chief executive of Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems.
Mel Volmert Retires from Paul Mueller Company Board of Directors
Paul Mueller Company announced the retirement of Mel Volmert from the Board of Directors. Volmert had served on the Board since 2001. The company will reduce the number of directors from seven to six and change the seat of Mr. Viorel, a Class III Director, to a Class II seat up for election in 2017. Paul Mueller Company is headquartered in Springfield, MO with manufacturing and sales operations in Iowa, The Netherlands, and Vietnam
Acquisitions, Expansions & Partnerships
Dynamic Industries Announces Joint Venture with Bandariyah International Company Ltd. of Saudi Arabia
Dynamic Industries International LLC., a full service brownfield construction, fabricator, hook-up and commissioning contractor to the global offshore oil and gas industries, and Bandariyah International Company Ltd., (BIC), a Saudi Arabian company, specializing in the oil and gas industry, electrical, mechanical and instrumentation providing complete solutions, services, and technology transfer for different market segments, announced the signing ceremony to inaugurate Dynamic Industries Saudi Arabia Limited (DISA); a Saudi Arabian joint-venture, dedicated to offering Dynamic’s offshore EPCI project execution services to Saudi Aramco and affiliates. DISA was established to support Saudi Aramco as they continue their vast offshore expansion to develop non-associated gas fields, maintain existing production and expand west towards the Red Sea.
Enerfab Acquires Kansas City-based Foley Company
Enerfab Power & Industrial, Inc., a provider of construction, electrical and maintenance services in the energy and chemical industry, announced that they have acquired Foley Company from Varistar Corporation, a subsidiary of Otter Tail Corporation. Foley Company is a leader in mechanical contracting and general construction.Foley Company, which delivers mechanical and construction services focused on water/wastewater, power, industrial, commercial, healthcare, fabrication and special projects, has been in business for more than 100 years.
Honeywell Opens New China Manufacturing Site For Materials Used in Petrochemical Production
Honeywell has opened a new manufacturing facility in China to produce state-of-the-art catalysts used to make components for plastics production. This new site in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province, has begun production of catalysts used to covert propane to propylene as traditional sources for this product shrink. The catalysts are used in the Oleflex™ process developed by Honeywell’s UOP, a technology provider for the oil and gas industries. Over the past four years, UOP has licensed its Oleflex technology to 30 producers globally, including 25 in China. The first two of these new plants came online in China last year. Oleflex is the leading technology for converting propane to propylene. Compared with alternative technologies, it offers higher yields, lower
Gardner Denver Medical Acquires TriContinent Scientific
Gardner Denver’s Medical Group, a provider in flow control solutions primarily for medical and laboratory sectors, acquired TriContinent Scientific, Inc. Headquartered in Grass Valley, California, TriContinent Scientific is a manufacturer of OEM precision syringe pumps and a supplier to the global medical and biotechnology diagnostic and analytics equipment manufacturers. TriContinent Scientific offers five product lines: precision pumps, valves and syringes, XYZ robotics, microplate washers and manifolds, as well as pipettes and dispensers. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
PIRTEK Opens 4th Service & Supply Center in the Metro Detroit Area
PIRTEK Metro Detroit continues its expansion with the addition of a fourth Service & Supply Center, PIRTEK Wixom. Owner Eli Dorfman and his team opened PIRTEK Wixom on May 1, encouraged by growing demand and the positive impact of their services on local businesses. PIRTEK Wixom will operate four on-site hose service vehicles and will also provide over-the-counter services, including custom hose assemblies. Each PIRTEK Metro Detroit Center supplies its surrounding area with ETA one-hour, on-site hose service. The centers also carry specialized equipment, such as tube and pipe benders and flaring tools for complex jobs that involve tube and pipe installations. In addition, PIRTEK carries a wide range of metric fittings, ball valves, filtration products and automotive products.
