Industry News

Motion

Announces Seven Management Promotions

Motion has announced seven recent promotions to key field management positions.

Logan Carden was named Nashville division vice president and will be responsible for overseeing the sales growth initiatives of 20 branches located in parts of Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama. He will report to Chris Pacer, vice president group executive – central. Carden joined Motion in 2007, as a member of the corporate accounts support team. He continued to expand his roles within the company, ultimately earning a corporate account manager role in 2013 before his move to the field sales and branch operations side in 2019 with a promotion to branch manager of Motion’s Evansville, Indiana, location. Carden was quickly promoted to sales manager of the Evansville and Owensboro (Kentucky) locations in March 2020. He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from Huntingdon College in 2006, and later earned his MBA from the University of North Alabama. Originally from Birmingham, Carden is currently based in Indiana after making the move with his 2019 promotion.

Bill Carroll was promoted to vice president of the new Philadelphia division (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia), which was strategically established to serve and further the significant growth in the east group’s territory. He will be responsible for overseeing 13 branches’ sales and guiding their market growth, and will report to Phil Donnelly, vice president group executive — east. Carroll most recently managed the Philadelphia branch, and in his career has held a variety of managerial, sales, and support positions in the company and in its industry. He started in 1989 with Eastern Bearing of New Jersey, which Motion acquired in 1999. During his Motion tenure, Carroll has managed at four different branch operations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He has also worked in Motion’s corporate accounts organization in a compliance manager role. Originally from Pennsylvania, Carroll is based near Philadelphia.

Tami DeWeese will assume leadership of the pacific northwest division as its vice president. In her new role, DeWeese will oversee the sales growth, strategy and operations of 19 branch and shop locations. She will report to Jeremy Barton, vice president group executive — west. A native of Washington state, DeWeese started with Motion in 2014 as a branch manager for Motion’s Portland (Oregon) branch, and in 2016 took on the added responsibility of the Longview, Washington, branch. Prior to joining Motion, she was the president of a process pump company for 13 years.

Dan Pike was promoted to St. Louis division vice president and will be responsible for the sales growth and strategic management of 17 branch operations throughout Missouri and Arkansas. He will report to Austin Amos, senior vice president group executive — midwest. Pike began his career with Motion in 1991 as a corporate trainee, and his tenure has included various positions within the company including account representative, fluid power specialist, branch manager, corporate account manager, and most recently as area vice president corporate accounts for the midwest group. He is a native Floridian and a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in marketing.

Dave Purvis was named midwest group area vice president, replacing Dan Pike in that role. Purvis will be responsible for leading the midwest group corporate accounts team, which involves managing existing corporate account relationships and driving new growth opportunities. He will also be responsible for providing corporate account partners with Motion’s full offering of services and solutions to reduce these partners’ total cost of ownership. He will report to Austin Amos, senior vice president group executive — midwest. Purvis started his career with Motion in 1991 at the Mattoon, Illinois, branch and has held various positions within the company, including warehouse manager, operations manager and account manager. In 2011, he was promoted to corporate account manager. Prior to joining Motion, Purvis attended Eastern Illinois University. Originally from Illinois, he is currently based in Decatur.

Steve Kammeyer was named area vice president for corporate accounts, west group. In his new position, he will directly engage with field personnel and leadership in creating and developing internal and external sales-driven initiatives, with a focus on corporate account customers. Kammeyer will report to and work closely with Jeremy Barton (vice president group executive – west) in the execution of these efforts. Beginning his career with Motion in 1986, Kammeyer has held various roles within the branch structure including warehousing, customer service, outside sales, and branch manager before being promoted to corporate sales manager in 2012. An Arizona native, he is based in Phoenix.

Lisa Solomon was promoted to area vice president for corporate accounts, central group, and will lead this group’s corporate accounts team. She will be responsible for enhancing existing national account relationships and driving new opportunities for growth throughout the various industry segments within the geographic area. She will report to Chris Pacer, vice president group executive – central. Solomon began her Motion journey in 2015 as a business development manager in corporate accounts and was quickly promoted in 2016 to corporate accounts manager. Originally from Michigan, Solomon graduated from Central Michigan University with a bachelor of liberal arts in broadcasting, communications and marketing.

“We are immensely proud of what these individuals have accomplished to date and are confident that their experience, acumen and drive will help to take their divisions and the company to a new level,” said Kevin Storer, executive vice president branch operations – North America and president of Motion Mexico. “Each of these promotions is well-deserved and we are looking forward to seeing the impact of their leadership, as part of Motion’s bright future.”

Motion.com

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group

Celebrates Hose Pump Milestone

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) has passed a notable business milestone by selling the 150,000th Bredel peristaltic hose pump to a mining industry customer in Mexico. The past decade has seen a huge increase in the uptake of Bredel hose pumps in sectors such as mining and construction, where they meet strict environmental regulations in very tough working conditions.

It has been over half a century since Bredel developed the peristaltic hose pump for industrial use. Today, these high-performance units transfer and dose a whole host of aggressive, viscous and abrasive fluids and solids in sectors that include brewing, water treatment, construction, chemical and mining. A particularly fast-growing application at present is chemical transfer duties in the production of lithium-ion batteries. The single biggest order to date for Bredel hose pumps was 174 APEX units to a lithium-ion battery materials manufacturer in China.

The sale of the 150,000th pump to a customer in Mexico was part of a consignment shipped from the Bredel manufacturing plant in Delden, Netherlands, that constituted 16 pumps across eight different models. The combined flow of these pumps is circa 1,560 l/min.

Bredel pumps continue to evolve, with many notable achievements arriving in the past 10 years. A good example is the APEX range, which was introduced in 2012 and expanded in 2015. APEX pumps are designed to offer a highly competitive price/performance ratio. The range offers flow rates up to 6,200 l/h and discharge pressure to 8 bar, while the wider Bredel hose pump range includes units that provide flow up to 108,000 l/h and pressure to 16 bar.

With regard to the operating principle, Bredel pumps have no seals, valves, diaphragms, stators, glands or other costly hardware to replace, ensuring they can be easily maintained in-situ without relocation to a workshop. Only the hose requires occasional replacement, which is a simple task.

Hose technology from Bredel has also taken a number of notable steps forward in recent years. A case in point is the Bredel NR Endurance, which made its market debut in 2018. This advanced hose provides up to 50 percent longer life in abrasive pumping applications, as exemplified recently by a customer in the chemical industry.

The chemical plant pumps PCC (precipitated calcium carbonate) slurry up to 1000 cPs viscosity. Using an optimized set-up, the standard rubber hose from Bredel lasted for 4,468,800 occlusions, which is equivalent to 110 days or 2,660 hours. However, by switching to the Bredel NR Endurance, operating life extended to 7,056,000 occlusions, approximately 175 days or 4,200 hours (a 57 percent gain). This success contributed to ROI on its new Bredel hose pumps within 12 months.

www.wmftg.com

VELO3D

Appoints Jon Porter to lead expansion of commercial operations throughout Europe

As California-based metal additive manufacturing (AM) leader VELO3D continues on its accelerated growth path, the company has announced the appointment of Jon Porter to head its commercial operations in Europe. Based in the U.K., Porter will oversee VELO3D’s ongoing expansion efforts into this key strategic region.

Porter comes to VELO3D from Renishaw, where he worked in the business development team of the AM division. While there he was also directly involved with the international organizations (SAE, ASTM and BSI) that are developing new standards for the industrial 3D-printing sector.

Porter’s earliest introduction to AM came in the 1990s working for renowned engineer-entrepreneur James Dyson. As the company grew from successful startup to leading floorcare and appliance business, Porter became involved in its early investment in AM technology. “I saw the potential for AM as a ‘bridge to manufacturing’ that allows for significant time compression and de-risking of both product development and the toolmaking cycle,” he says. “Throughout my experience with several other companies as AM has evolved since then, the value of 3D printing as a powerful end-product manufacturing process has become increasingly clear.”

VELO3D founder and CEO Benny Buller views Porter’s appointment as an opportunity to better support existing customers throughout Europe while educating others about the growth-making potential of VELO3D’s AM technology. “With Jon at the helm of our European base of operations, manufacturers in the region now have similar-time-zone access to someone who knows AM inside and out—and who has also experienced, first-hand, how adopting this technology can make all the difference in a company’s ability to innovate and compete,” he says.

Jon Porter holds a degree in engineering product design from South Bank University in London.

www.velo3d.com

Gilman Precision

Welcomes Sedona Cox to Business Development Team

Gilman Precision, a manufacturer of customized linear and rotary motion systems, is excited to announce the addition of Sedona Cox to their team as a business development specialist.

She will be building relationships within the Central region for Gilman Precision, including Ontario, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. Based in Michigan, Ms. Cox will be able to quickly address customer needs utilizing a variety of communication methods.

She has extensive consultative sales experience, working with industries as varied as life sciences, water purification, transportation, and medical devices. Ms. Cox enjoys working closely with customers, partnering with them to put together the exact solution for their particular need. Ms. Cox commented, “I am very excited to be part of the Gilman Precision team. I look forward to building quality relationships within the Central territory, while continuing to provide our customers with high caliber products and service to match.”

Doug Biggs, vice president sales and marketing, commented, “We are extremely excited to have Sedona join our business development team. It is rare to have the opportunity to hire someone of the caliber of Sedona, and we believe she will help both Gilman and our customers grow their respective businesses.”

Gilmanprecision.com

APMI International

Names 2021 Fellow

APMI International’s most prestigious award recognizes APMI members for their significant contributions to the goals, purpose, and mission of the organization as well as for a high level of expertise in the technology, practice, or business of the industry. The 2021 Fellow Award recipient will receive elevation to Fellow status at PowderMet2021, during the Opening General Session on Monday, June 21, in Orlando. The 2021 recipient is Cynthia Freeby, regional sales manager, Ametek Specialty Metal Products.

During her 40 plus year PM industry career, Cindy has been dedicated to the advancement of the PM industry. She co-chaired the annual MPIF PM/87 technical conference and served on many boards and committees. She is the only person to have chaired three APMI chapters, Philadelphia, Dayton, and Michigan, after holding numerous officer positions within each Chapter. She received the MPIF Distinguished Service to PM Award in 2005, as well as the ASTM Distinguished Service Award in 2019 for her work in developing PM standards.

Established in 1998, the Fellow Award recognizes APMI members for their significant contributions to the society and high level of expertise in the technology of powder metallurgy, practice, or business of the PM industry. Fellows are elected through their professional, technical, and scientific achievements; continuing professional growth and development; mentoring/outreach; and contributions to APMI International committees.

www.apiinternational.org

Bonfiglioli

Acquires Aampingranaggi

Bonfiglioli S.p.A. has acquired Sampingranaggi.

The acquisition includes the assets of the Italian and Chinese Sampingranaggi companies (Bentivoglio –BO, Funo di Argelato-BO and Shanghai-China), their respective warehouses, the Sampingranaggi brand, patents, designs and products for robotics, as well as all their staff.

With this acquisition, Bonfiglioli S.p.A. will be able to increase its production verticalization both in Italy and China, accessing the robotics market also through the development of other extremely precise and efficient products.

The Chairwoman Sonia Bonfiglioli commented: “I like to think that, if Sampingranaggi had not already been there in the post-war period, today Bonfiglioli would not exist. Because it all began there, in 1948, when a young technical graduate started out on a valuable journey of work and experience that, three years later, led him to set up his first business.

“For Bonfiglioli, SAMP represents a great opportunity,” underlined Fausto Carboni, CEO of the Group, “in many aspects. From an industrial point of view, it offers us the possibility to integrate some strategic component productions, including bevel gears, while in terms of business development it allows us to enter the robotic gearbox market, where there is ample room for growth in future, both in Italy and in China through their local company, which that is part of the acquisition.”

www.bonfiglioli.com