PM News: Hexagon To Purchase Sheffield CMM Business

Hexagon To Purchase Sheffield CMM Business. Hexagon AB of Sweden, parent company of North Kingstown, Rhode Island-based Brown & Sharpe Inc., has entered into a formal agreement with ThyssenKrupp MetalCutting Group of Germany to purchase the coordinate measuring machine (CMM) business of Sheffield Automation LLC, located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Sheffield Automation is a division of Giddings & Lewis, a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp MetalCutting Group.

As a result of the Hexagon acquisition of Sheffield Automation’s CMM business, a new company named Sheffield Measurement Inc. will be formed. It will remain headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and will be operated as a separate business unit reporting to Hexagon Metrology North America, based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Increased Floor Space For Training. Marubeni Citizen-Cincom Inc. announces the expansion of its West Coast Facility in Fountain Valley, California. On April 8, 2004, Atsuya Abe, president of MCC, cut the ribbon officially opening this new site for business. This new facility features a larger showroom to view and will demonstrate more machine models offered by the company. There is also ample office space, complete with a classroom to allow the company to continue its Swiss-Type educational programs and to accommodate new personnel and future growth.

Expanding On-Site Services. Harsco Corporation (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania) announced that its MultiServ mill services division will expand its services to one of Brazil’s largest electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mills under a new multi-year contract that supports the mill’s plans to increase its production capacity. The Belgo Piracicaba steel works is installing a 130-ton electric arc furnace and steel caster, which are expected to double steel output to approximately one million tons within the next three years. MultiServ will increase its on-site slag pot carrier operations as well as its on-site metal recovery and scrap handling services. MultiServ provides leading steelmakers and other metal producers with a range of on-site outsourced mill services that support the entire steelmaking process.

Science And Technology Summer Camp. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) continues to expand its national STEPS (Science, Technology, Engineering Preview Summer) camp program to introduce young women and men to the exciting world of engineering for one of the 12-week-long summer camps being held on the campuses of five colleges and universities. The five schools are Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois; Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan; University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan; University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota; and University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin. Through the STEPS camp, young women and men will have the opportunity to experience the engineering field hands-on by designing and building robots, airplanes and rockets. STEPS camps were created at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1997 with funding from SME, with the goal of getting more young people, particularly women, interested in manufacturing and engineer-ing early in their academic pursuits.

Assessing Full Alloy Surcharge On Tool Steel. Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. (Bridgeville, Pennsylvania) announces that effective with May 1 shipments, it will include an assessment for chrome, molybdenum and vanadium in its tool steel surcharge formula. According to the company, specialty steels continue to experience a volatile period because of continued and rapid increases in raw material and energy costs.

New VP/General Manager Named. James A. West has been named vice president and general manager of Carpenter Technology Corp.’s Advanced Ceramics (CAC) subsidiary in Auburn, California.

Mr. West joined the the company in 2002 as director of manufacturing, responsible for CAC’s two plants in Auburn and in Monash, Australia. He succeeds Jack A. Brothers, who is retiring effective July 1.

Customer Service Manager Appointed. Jason Matter has been appointed customer service manager for T.M. Smith Tool International Corporation (Mt. Clemens, Michigan). Mr. Matter will be responsible for all customer service functions as they relate to orders and quotations.

A New CEO And President. The board of directors of Sunnen Products Company (St. Louis, Missouri) has named Matthew Sunnen Kreider chief executive officer and president of Sunnen.

Midwest Representative. Columbia Marking Tools, Harrison Township, Michigan, has added Dayton, Ohio-based Dempsco, Inc. to its national network of manufacturer’s representatives.

Acquired Surface Grinder Line. Leland-Gifford, Inc., Akron, Ohio, has acquired the Reid Surface Grinders line from Fayscott Co. of Dexter, Maine, according to an announcement made jointly by Robert L. Hartford, Jr., president of Leland-Gifford, and Patrick West, president of Fayscott Co.

Forward-Looking Information Safe Harbor. Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company’s actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Those risks include, among others, risks associated with the limited operating history of Dunkirk Specialty Steel LLC, risks associated with the receipt, pricing and timing of future customer orders, risks associated with significant fluctuations that may occur in raw material and energy prices, risks associated with the manufacturing process and production yields, risks related to property, plant and equipment and risks related to the ultimate outcome of the Company’s current and future litigation matters. Certain of these risks and other risks are described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the last 12 months, copies of which are available from the SEC or may be obtained upon request from the Company.

Houghton International Joins Chemical Management Services Forum Houghton International’s FLUIDCARETM Division announces that it is joining the Chemical Management Services (CMS) Forum, a coalition of CMS providers, their customers, Tier II chemical suppliers and other stakeholders. The CMS Forum is dedicated to reducing and optimizing chemical use in manufacturing. The organization is also committed to integrating environmental performance into all of its programs, and promoting best chemical management practices.

Member companies of the CMS Forum include: Air Products, Delta Airlines, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Hyundai, and United Technologies, among others. Member companies have access to CMS Forum’s network of chemical-management services and information, including relevant trade and professional associations, non-government organizations, and public agencies. The CMS Forum also hosts an annual workshop that brings together potential customers and CMS providers.

In joining the CMS Forum, Houghton International’s FLUIDCARE Division will lend its experience and expertise in chemical management solutions to the organization and the industry. “We applaud the efforts of the CMS Forum,” said Dan Fisher, vice president, Houghton FLUIDCARE. “The fact that its membership is well represented by both chemical manufactures/suppliers and customers, demonstrates that we all bear responsibility for finding more efficient and practical solutions to chemical management.” For more information about the CMS Forum, visit www.cmsforum.org.

About Houghton FLUIDCARE Houghton FLUIDCARE provides large manufacturers with industrial fluids, and maintains those fluids to achieve low manufacturing costs. FLUIDCARE focuses on creating management systems that reward process control rather than chemical usage. By improving part quality and increasing efficiency, FLUIDCARE enables manufacturers to provide its customers with a better end product at a more competitive price.

About Houghton International Since 1865, Houghton International, Inc. has been serving the metalworking, automotive, and steel industries, along with a variety of other markets with the development and production of specialty chemicals, oils, and lubricants. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Houghton maintains manufacturing and research facilities throughout the world. Unequaled in the industry for technical support, Houghton’s unique FLUIDCARE® chemical management program gives customers new ways to save on overall processing and disposal costs, and increase processing performance. Houghton International continues to expand its Pacific Rim operations and grow its worldwide facilities.