February • March 2008 • Vol. XXVI No. 3 • An Arnold Publication

Industry  News • Executive Hotline

Executive Hotline

Boeing Finalizes 787 Order With Vietnam Airlines and Vietnam Aircraft Leasing

The Boeing Company announced that Vietnam Airlines and Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Co. have finalized an order for a total of 12 Boeing 787-8s with a list value of approximately US$ 2 billion.

Vietnam Airlines will take four of the new airplanes and VALC will purchase the remaining eight Dreamliners, leasing them to Vietnam Airlines.
The combined Vietnam order pushes 787 order totals to 802. The order is included in 2007 totals.

BAE, Marine Corps Sign $6M Contract

BAE Systems said in early January they signed a contract worth about $6 million with the U.S. Marine Corps.

BAE Systems, which grew out of British Aerospace, has operations in Santa Clara. The defense and aerospace company delivers products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology products and customer support services.

The company said the contract calls for delivery of 360 Marine Corps Transparent Armored Gun Shield turret kits for HMMWV vehicles and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

Work will be performed at BAE Systems facilities in Santa Clara, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

Boeing Receives a Major Lift From New Satellite Contract

Boeing Co.’s satellite-making complex in El Segundo got a much-needed boost in late December when it won a U.S. government contract potentially worth $1.2 billion.
The NASA contract, though not huge by industry standards, marked a major milestone for a company recovering from a $1-billion debacle that led to 3,000 job cuts.

”This big boat has turned,” said Howard Chambers, the former head of Boeing’s C-17 military transport plane program in Long Beach who two years ago was tapped to resurrect the satellite business.

Now, Boeing is looking forward to what could be its busiest year in a decade. Four Boeing satellites were launched in 2007, up from two in 2004, and eight are slated for takeoff in 2008. The backlog of orders is 27; each satellite can take as many as 18 months to build and cost about $400 million.

”It’s been a good year, but next year will be even better,” Chambers said, adding that the company was vying for new contracts potentially worth $18 billion.

Among the biggest upcoming competitions: the rights to build the Pentagon’s next-generation space-based communication network, known as the transformational satellite communications system, or TSAT. That contract, which might be awarded in spring, could be worth $12 billion initially, potentially rising to $25 billion, though analysts expect Congress to scale back the project. Boeing is competing against Lockheed Martin Corp.

Teledyne Buys Storm Products

Teledyne Technologies Inc. reported its subsidiary, Teledyne Reynolds Inc., acquired
Storm Products Co.

Storm, which has operations in Santa Clara, manufactures specialty wire, cable and interconnect products, as well as flexible and semi-rigid microwave cable assemblies.
Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne did not disclose terms of the transaction.

Eclipse Builds and Certifies 104 Planes in 2007

Eclipse Aviation Corp. said it has broken all previous aviation history records as the fastest general aviation jet aircraft manufacturer to produce its first 100 planes in 12 months.

The New Mexico company has produced and certified 104 Eclipse 500 very light jets since Dec. 31, 2006. Previously, the fastest ramp to 100 aircraft was achieved by Cessna, which reached 100 Cessna Citation 550 aircraft after approximately 18 months, said Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn in a news release.

The company eventually hopes to produce three planes per day, or more than 1,000 per year.

QPM Aerospace Inc. Receives a $15 Million Investment From Key Principal Partners.

Bellevue Washington -based QPM makes machined parts for the aerospace industry. Key Principal Partners (KPP) is located in Cleveland and is a $1 billion private equity and mezzanine firm.

KPP, an affiliate of KeyCorp, said it made a subordinated debt with warrants investment in QPM.

“The junior capital that has been provided by KPP will act as a catalyst for significant additional growth for QPM. It allows us to take on numerous new opportunities that would not have been possible using internally generated cash flow and senior debt,” said Mike Dunlop, CEO of QPM, in a statement.

Adam Aircraft Jet Passes Tests

Adam Aircraft, a maker of very light jets (VLJs), is one step closer to completing Federal Aviation Administration certification of its A700 jet, the company reported.
Englewood Colorado -based Adam Aircraft said it recently completed a series of environmental testing on the jet. The tests exposed the aircraft to extremely harsh weather conditions to see if the A700 can fly safely in such conditions.

The FAA requires new aircraft to undergo a series of certifications before approving them for sale.

BAE Systems Wins U.S. Navy Guided Missile Cruiser Modernization Contract

BAE Systems has been awarded a $31 million contract by the Naval Sea Systems Command for the maintenance, repair and modernization of the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill in San Diego, California.

“This award complements the important cruiser modernization work we continue to accomplish for the Atlantic Fleet at our Virginia shipyard,” said Al Krekich, president of BAE Systems Ship Repair in Norfolk, Virginia. “As the surface combatant fleet continues to age, extending the hull life of these ships is critical to the Navy’s ongoing combat readiness, and we are proud to deliver our services to support that effort.”

Work is scheduled to take place in San Diego from February 13, 2008 through February 2009. The project, which includes dry-docking and pier-side work, will involve an average of 300 workers a day during this period. Activities include: all-electric modification to replace steam-operated equipment; stainless steel sanitary space upgrades; corrosion control enhancements; tank, underwater hull and freeboard preservation; and extensive weapons, sensor and communication system upgrades.

Ceradyne, Inc. Receives New $9.6 Million Body Armor (SAPI) Order from UNICOR

Ceradyne, Inc of Costa Mesa announced that it has received a $9.6 million order for Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) from UNICOR, Washington, D.C., for delivery starting in February 2008 to be completed in early April 2008. David P. Reed, Ceradyne President North American Operations, commented: “We are pleased to have received this new order from the ‘Federal Prisons Industries, Federal Correctional Institution, UNICOR.’ It represents a new market for Ceradyne’s lightweight ceramic armor as contrasted to its large direct sales to the various U.S. Armed Services procurement agencies. We intend to ship these armor plates at the same high quality and on-time deliveries as we have in the past to our American Armed Forces.” Ceradyne develops, manufactures and markets advanced technical ceramic products and components for defense, industrial, automotive/diesel and commercial applications.

Kenworth to Build LNG-Powered Trucks in Renton, Washington

Kenworth Truck Co. will build liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered trucks in Renton beginning next year.

The Kirkland-based subsidiary of Paccar Inc. will build its Kenworth T800 LNG trucks using fuel system technology from Westport Innovations Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Westport technology will be installed in the Cummins ISX 15-liter truck engine.
Kenworth and Westport previously teamed up to offer the LNG-powered Kenworth trucks in an aftermarket conversion process on trucks used by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Those California ports recently approved a $1.6 billion plan to replace nearly 17,000 heavy-duty trucks that serve the ports with LNG-powered vehicles by 2012.

Boeing Satellites Move Ahead

The first of six new Boeing-built communications satellites will start to benefit the U.S. military as early as April, an Air Force official said in late January.

Built in El Segundo using solar cells made in Sylmar, the first Wideband Global SATCOM, dubbed WGS, will move “the warfighters from dial-up modem to the Internet,” Air Force Col. Donald Robbins said.

The satellite is expected to receive formal approval for operations next January, although the military will begin using it months earlier, Robbins said.
Boeing expects to launch two more WGS satellites this year, another two in 2011 and the last in 2013.

Washington Governor Wants $3M For AeroSpace/Tech Apprentices

Governor Chris Gregoire said she wants the state Legislature to spend $3 million to set up an apprenticeship program for the aerospace and technology industries in Washington.
Gregoire said that aerospace and technology companies have complained about the lack of skilled workers to help them expand. She made the plea during an event at the International Aerospace Machinists District Lodge 751 in South Seattle.

“This investment is about further improving the future of our state’s economy and apprenticeship programs are a critical component in providing a skilled work force,” she said in a.

Governor Names Oakland One of Eight Enterprise Zones’

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named Oakland as one of eight places in the state as possible “enterprise zones” that could receive tax credits and other incentives meant to help their local businesses.

Businesses in the zones could earn $37,440 in state tax credits for hiring a worker, as well as sales tax credit for buying up to $20 million worth of machinery and parts. Other possible benefits include favorable treatment in state contracts and up-front expensing of some depreciable property.

These new zones replace eight zones that are expiring in the next few months, the governor’s office said. The new designations will last 15 years.
Besides Oakland, the governor named Siskiyou, San Joaquin and Kings counties, as well as East Los Angeles, Salinas Valley, West Sacramento and Santa Ana as tentative enterprise zones.

The areas named must apply for formal designation as enterprise zones.

Siemens Lands $184M Rail-Car Contract

Manufacturer Siemens Transportation Systems Inc. has landed its biggest contract ever, to provide 55 light-rail cars to the Denver transit system for $184 million, the company said.

It’s the latest in a string of contract wins for the south Sacramento plant, which employs 520 people and began expanding its work force quickly in 2006 to meet the $1 billion worth of orders in the pipeline. That pipeline included a previous $88.4 million order for 34 cars for Denver’s Regional Transit District. The job count at the Siemens manufacturing complex has increased 30 percent in the past 18 months.

The new contract will complete Denver’s fleet, lock in current prices and provide “a uniform fleet which will result in operational and maintenance savings,” said district general manager and chief executive Cal Marsella in a news release.

PG&E Buys Plug-in Hybrids

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. plans to test plug-in hybrid SUVs from Raser Technologies Inc., the utility said.

The vehicles are designed to achieve more than 100 miles per gallon in typical daily driving, with little to no greenhouse gas emissions.
PG&E will initially purchase two plug-in hybrid SUVs from Raser , which is based in Provo, Utah, for demonstration and testing, with the goal to integrate additional vehicles into its fleet in the future.

The vehicles are expected to cut operational fuel costs by up to 75 percent by running in all-electric mode during typical daily fleet routes of up to 40 miles. When driving beyond the 40-mile battery electric range, the plug-in hybrids may continue up to 400 miles by generating their own electricity.

The plug-in vehicles are also expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to nearly zero during local daily driving. PG&E plans to plug the vehicles in at night, when energy demand is lowest, to maximize emission reductions and fuel savings for daily routes.

 

Industry News

Ganesh and PartMaker Partner Up

PartMaker Inc., a division of Delcam Plc, and the developers of PartMaker SwissCAM software, and Ganesh Industrial Supply, Inc., manufacturers of the Ganesh line of CNC machines, have teamed up to provide a programming solution for the Ganesh Cyclone series of sliding-headstock multi-axis CNC lathes. The Ganesh Cyclone series, which features the 7-axis Cyclone 25-CS, are Swiss-type lathes that can operate without a guide bushing. 

PartMaker SwissCAM allows users to choose whether or not they wish to program on a Swiss machine with or without a guide bushing. Programming a Swiss machine without a guide bushing does pose some unique issues to programming a conventional, guide bushing-based Swiss machine.  PartMaker automates the programming of these specialized types of Swiss machines. PartMaker SwissCAM also allows users to seamlessly move from a guide-bushing based to a guide bushing-less Swiss machine with the click of a button.

PartMaker Inc. and Ganesh Industrial Supply Inc. have collaborated by sharing technical information with one another to assure users that the PartMaker SwissCAM is fully compatible with the Ganesh Cyclone series of guide bushing-less Swiss machines.  This integration includes the availability of a robust post processor and machine simulation facility for this machine. 

Mori Seiki Announces Passing of Yukio Mori

Mori Seiki sadly announced the passing of Yukio Mori, former president of Mori Seiki. Mr. Mori passed away on November 19, 2007 at the age of 75. Mr. Mori leaves behind an impressive legacy, having joined the company in 1954 and served the manufacturing industry for over five decades. Mr. Mori’s son, Dr. Masahiko Mori, currently serves as the president of Mori Seiki.

During his tenure at Mori Seiki, Mr. Mori was renowned for treating his employees with the utmost respect. At a ceremony in 1983, he stated, “Just as all living things will pass away eventually, so companies will also die. So what should we do to extend our life for as long as possible? We always keep this thought in mind while we are managing the company. Imagine that you are managers too, and start from what you can do. If you do that, then this unsinkable aircraft carrier will always remain unsinkable. If you don’t, it will be destroyed from the inside, and will finally go down.”

Even in the face of the extreme economic downturn, Mr. Mori embraced his employees and refused to allow any layoffs. In 2002, he explained, “We hold the management philosophy of ‘lifetime employment.’ However, this does not mean the seniority system. This is because people are our assets to make the company grow. For this reason, we will not reduce our personnel, in spite of the current recession.”

James Hanson Joins Methods Machine Tool

Methods Machine Tools has hired James J. “Jamie” Hanson as Director of Corporate Development. In this newly created position, Mr. Hanson will be responsible for critically evaluating every aspect of Methods’ business—from current operating procedures to supply chain oversight—with an eye toward future growth of the company at all levels. He will work from the company headquarters in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Prior to joining Methods, Mr. Hanson spent 17 years with Applied Materials Inc., where he gained extensive experience in sales and customer engineering support. A global leader in nanomanufacturing technology, the California-based multinational corporation employs approximately 14,500 people and provides capital equipment, service, and software for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays, and energy-related technologies.

From 1990 to 2007 at Applied Materials, Mr. Hanson worked his way up from account executive to director of eastern regional account operations. Prior to joining Applied Materials, he graduated with a BS degree in mechanical engineering management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and subsequently served five years in the U.S. Army.    

Boeing Reports Record 1,413 Orders In ’07

Boeing Co. reported a record 1,413 net orders for its commercial airplanes last year, compared with 1,044 net orders it received in 2006.

The number of orders topped 1,000 for the third straight year, according to the aerospace giant.

Boeing says that it now has unfilled orders for 3,400 of its planes, which are built in Everett (the 747, 767, 777 and 787 models) and Renton, Washington (all 737 planes).

Boeing said it received a record 846 net orders for its 737 airplane, compared with 727 orders in 2006 and 569 in 2005. The company received a record 369 orders for its 787 model. Boeing announced a six-month delay in 787 deliveries in October.

Sodick Inc. Announces Technology Partnership with RCR Racing

Sodick Incorporated, has formed a technology partnership with NASCAR championship-winning organization Richard Childress Racing (RCR).

 RCR is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series racing team whose drivers include Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet), Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet), and Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet). RCR has earned nearly 180 victories and 11 NASCAR championships, including six in the Sprint Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt and had all three of its Cup drivers qualify for the 2007 Chase for the Championship.

“We are honored to team up with Sodick to help build our race cars,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Our goal is to partner with the companies that are the leaders in their respective industries, and we have certainly continued that tradition with Sodick. Precision is such a key element to everything we do at the track and back at the shop, so we’re confident that Sodick will allow us to continue that tradition.”

The technology partnership between RCR and Sodick Inc. will benefit both parties. RCR will use Sodick wire EDMs to manufacture the precision parts that go into their NASCAR vehicles. In return, Sodick Inc. will have use of the RCR facility to demonstrate the Sodick machines to potential customers. RCR will allow Sodick to use the RCR auditorium for corporate meetings and customer appreciation events.

Doosan Infracore America Establishes Doosan Global Finance

Doosan Infracore America Corporation announced  that it has established Doosan Global Finance, which will serve as a single global finance provider for Doosan Infracore’s Machine Tools Division.

Doosan Global Finance will be committed to offering Doosan dealers and their customers tailored attention and unique finance programs with the same quality and level of service provided by Doosan Infracore.  

“Doosan Global Finance will provide our dealers and end customers with improved rates, retail financing programs, and enhanced levels of service,” says Steve Lesnewich, Vice President, Machine Tools Division. “Instead of having to work with multiple financing partners, our dealers will be able to work directly with Doosan for both equipment and financing expertise.”

Ram Optical Appoints Indicate Technologies  Distributor

Indicate Technologies Inc. was appointed as distributor for Ram Optical Instrumentation, Inc., in Northern California and Northwestern Nevada, effective December 3, 2007.

Indicate Technologies Inc. was founded in 2004 in Santa Clara, California, as an independent distributor and representative of precision dimensional measurement instruments.

Ram Optical Instrumentation, Inc., Rochester, NY, was founded in 1981 and was acquired by Quality Vision International, Inc. in 2002.

This appointment brings together the three flagship brands of Quality Vision International, Inc. (QVI) under a single distributor/representative organization for the first time in the United States.  This consolidation of distribution is structured to leverage Indicate Technologies’ success with the other QVI products for the benefit of the RAM Optical brand.

Indicate Technologies is also the representative for Optical Gaging Products (OGP) and View Engineering for this territory. “Adding Ram Optical to our product offering is a critical step in our development as a solutions provider,” says John Hammond, president of Indicate Technologies. 

Ram Optical’s Sprint line is an entry- level measurement microscope that employs many of the basic features found in OGP’s higher-end systems . Bringing all three manufacturers together enables Indicate Technologies to provide a broader spectrum of solutions covering basic manual microscopes, general purpose multi-sensor measuring machines and specialized production oriented vision and laser measurement systems. 

So Cal Machine Tools Opens New Showroom and Tech Center

So Cal Machine Tools  has opened its new Showroom and Tech Center in Signal Hill, California to serve the Southern California manufacturing industry.

The new facility will work with So Cal customers and prospective customers to develop and increase production capabilities by offering in house automation and turnkey solutions as well as local service support.

So Cal will display and inventory machines from quality machine tool builders: Amera-Seiki, Ikegai, Nexturn Swiss, Nissin Machines, Prodigy SNK, Takamaz and Yuasa Rotary table work-holding products. The new facility will offer training on machines and preventative maintenance programs.

Haas Automation Logs Another Record Year

Haas Automation, Inc., of Oxnard, California, reports that 2007 was the most productive year in the company’s history, with CNC machine tool production exceeding 13,755 units–up 10% over 2006 – and a 19% increase in revenues to more than $880 million. The 2007 numbers exceeded previous records set in 2006.

All Haas products are built in the company’s 1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Southern California. They are distributed worldwide through a global network of Haas Factory Outlets (HFOs) that provide  sales, service and support.

“Our growing HFO network allows us to provide Haas customers around the world with local access to Haas products, sales assistance, replacement parts and factory-trained service personnel,” states Haas General Manager Bob Murray. “This commitment to serving our customers is one of the driving forces behind Haas’ global success.”

Fortune Changes Its Brand Name To OR Victor Taichung

Fortune International said the name change is a natural transition and will help solidify the brand recognition of a single brand name for worldwide users.  Fortune will still be an importer for the supplier of Victor Taichung Machinery and take care of the service and parts supply. The major CNC machine and plastic injection molding machine supplier from Taiwan said that the name change will not happen overnight.

All the new machines arriving around the end of 2007 and from year 2008 will have the new OR Victor Taichung name on them.  The Fortune name will still be used with all stock machines.

The machines currently in stock are the HMC 500 and 630 series, the VMC with or without Auto Pallet Changer, CT-40 with linear guides, CT-50 with boxways and gear head; the CNC lathes from 6" Kitagawa chuck up to 24" Kitagawa chuck all heavy duty machines.

Machine Toolworks Opens New Technology and  Learning  Center

Machine Toolworks, Inc.–Mazak Corporation’s distributor for the Northwest U.S. and the Western provinces of Canada–has expanded with a new technical center in the Portland, Oregon area.

Located in Wilsonville, 10 miles south of Portland, the 2,600-square-foot facility houses support offices, classrooms for training and seminars, and a 2,300-square-foot showroom equipped with three high-performance Mazak machine tools for demonstrations and applications development. Machines include a Nexus Vertical Machining Center, a Nexus CNC Turning Center, and an Integrex Multi-Tasking Machining Center.

Portland-area manufacturers supporting the aerospace, heavy equipment, pulp and paper, and other industries are  invited to see the latest in Mazak technology and support for themselves.

In addition to Oregon, Machine Toolworks represents Mazak in Washington, and northern Idaho.

Tom Groff Named North American Sales Manager  for OGP®

Tom Groff joined Optical Gaging Products, Inc. (OGP) as North American Sales Manager. In this capacity, he is responsible for the entire OGP sales process throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Groff will work closely with the OGP sales channel to maximize domestic sales efforts.

According to R. Stephen Flynn, OGP president, “Tom began his career at OGP as an application engineer and has held the positions of corporate accounts manager, corporate product manager, and director of quality. Tom brings the proper mixture of technical expertise and commercial experience to the position of North American sales manager.”

Groff’s education includes a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and an MBA with an emphasis in technology management from the University of Phoenix.. Most recently, Groff was co-owner/metrology products manager for Rosco Precision Machin ery LLC in Auburn, Washington.

Mori Seiki to Expand American Headquarters

Mori Seiki has announced that it will move its U.S. headquarters to a larger facility in 2008. This expansion will accommodate the growth the company’s Chicago offices have experienced since becoming the company’s national headquarters in 2005.

Mori Seiki is currently in the planning stages for the new facility, which will house offices for its national headquarters, the Chicago Technical Center, MTL (Machining Technology Laboratory), and MSU (Mori Seiki University). The building will be located in the NW suburbs of Chicago.

IEMCA Joins Partners in THINC

IEMCA, a division of Bucci Industries, has joined Partners in THINC, Okuma America’s dynamic collaborative development program. First launched in May 2007, the Partners in THINC initiative involves the integration of various products from other equipment manufacturers with Okuma’s open-architecture THINC-OSP control, a PC-based conduit that promotes seamless integration through bi-directional communication between Okuma machines and other attached OEM equipment.

IEMCA’s participation in the program will result in select IEMCA bar feeders fully integrating with Okuma brand lathes.  According to John Schwartz, IEMCA’s vice president of sales and marketing, “this means less setup time and faster startups, translating into reduced operational cost and higher productivity for the end user.”

For nearly 50 years, IEMCA has served the machine tool industry with leading advances in the design and development of bar feeding and gantry loading technology.

Chevalier Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Falcon Machine Tools Co. Ltd., parent company of Chevalier Machinery, Inc. recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with an open house/new products expo at its main manufacturing facility in Taichung, Taiwan.

“We are extremely proud for having reached this milestone and we owe it all to our customers and suppliers”, says Peter Chang, Chairman and Chief Executive of the publicly traded company (over the counter.) “Looking forward to the next 30 years exemplifies our commitment to continue delivering technical excellence and quality services to our customers.” The Taichung facility’s main mission is to deliver program support globally with value added design and engineering, innovative product solutions and high quality manufacturing services.

The company previewed multi-tasking manufacturing equipment for an expanding range of parts applications – from small machine components to the large aerospace and heavy equipment parts.

Among them:  a double-column CNC grinder which was already in place during the event, grinding bases for Chevalier’s 50-taper vertical machining centers; a double spindle 16"x 32" CNC grinder; the TS automatic grinder series which is a more advanced version of its popular ADII series and features touch-screen control; a completely re-designed vertical grinding center with a 12,000rpm direct drive spindle mounted on a 20x40 vmc frame; a nano precision 6 x 18 hydrostatic grinder; a double column vertical machining center with 43" Y axis; a 5 axis vertical machining center on a QP VMC platform; a new high speed mini mill and several grinders and machining centers dedicated to the automotive wheel manufacturing market.

Sharp Industries Introduces New Logo  and Branding Campaign

Sharp Industries is moving forward with a progressive new company logo and brand identity campaign.  With a clean new look, Sharp Industries unveils its new identity in full force at the 2008 Westec Show in Los Angeles, “We wanted to update the Sharp logo without compromising existing brand recognition,” said a company spokesperson. “We want our customers to easily recognize the new Sharp logo, and better identify the Sharp CNC logo. We think the designs are successful visual solutions that bring our Manual and CNC divisions together as a more powerful brand.”

IEMCA Announces New VP of Sales and Marketing

IEMCA has hired a new vice president of sales and marketing. John Schwartz joined the team in August 2007, bringing nearly 20 years of industry experience and great market perspective to the position.

Prior to joining the IEMCA team, Schwartz spent nearly five years with Okuma, preceded by five years in distribution sales at Ellison, four years at Joachim Machinery, a division of Gosiger, and nearly five years at Honeywell.

Schwartz’s main focus as VP of Sales and Marketing is supporting the sales force and the product line. “It’s exciting to work with a team that shares the same goals. We’re working well together and gaining momentum, which gives me confidence that this will be a pivotal year for our company,” he says. IEMCA has already experienced several months of record sales.

Frank Vaccaro Joins  Innovative Tool as Arizona Salesman

Innovative Tool has recently bolstered their sales staff with the addtion of Frank Vaccaro in Arizona.

Frank has over 27 years experience in the metal working industry, including 12 years as National Sales Manager of RobbJack Corporation, where he was responsible for sales and marketing of solid carbide and PCD rotary cutting tools.  Frank was also a Regional Manager/Sales Engineer for Mitutoyo and Anilam Electronics, promoting sales of digital readout linear scale products at the OEM and distribution levels. 

Frank began his career in 1980 as a Machinist/Quality Control Engineer and was promoted to Machine Shop Operations Manager.  He has working knowledge of CNC milling and turning, along with inspection processes, through-put analyses and quality control.