MANUFACTURERS – DECEMBER 2015




John Garrison

As it approaches a merger with Finland’s Konecranes, Terex Corp. has named John Garrison Jr. chief executive officer, president and director. He replaces Ron DeFeo, who is retiring after 23 years at the helm, but will serve as executive chairman through year’s end, and continue as a consultant through 2016.

Garrison joins Terex from Textron Inc., where he was Bell Helicopter Segment president and CEO and Industrial Segment president. He held those same titles at Azurix Corp. along with senior leadership positions at Case Corp., and was an officer in the U.S. Army. Garrison is a 1982 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.

“John is a proven leader with considerable experience across a variety of industries. The board considered a pool of outstanding candidates and we strongly believe that John is the right person to lead Terex and Konecranes Terex into the future,” says Terex Director David Sachs, acknowledging DeFeo’s “many contributions to Terex over the years and leadership through both good and bad economic cycles.”

 

Gary Ruble has stepped down as chairman of Indianola, Iowa-based volumetric mixer manufacturer Cemen Tech, Inc. In 22 years as CEO, he oversaw the company’s growth in North America and internationally, and transitioned to the chairman’s post in 2012. Ruble is a 1963 graduate of Simpson College, Indianola, and has completed postgraduate work at Drake University.


TopWerk Group, a leading global manufacturer of integrated equipment systems for concrete products, has appointed Karl-Werner Kohns as managing director of Operations for the TopWerk Hess Group in Burbach, Germany. He brings extensive experience within the group and manufactured-concrete machinery business. For 20-plus years, he worked at Germany’s Masa AG GmbH, rising to the position of managing director in 2003. He was credited with development and growth of efficient concrete paver production plants in North America and across the world.

Kohns joined Hess Group GmbH as Schlosser-Pfeiffer Division managing director in 2012, and was appointed to the same position of TopWerk Group’s e newly formed Prinzing-Pfeiffer Division earlier this year. TopWerk officials cite his organizational skills in advancing the competitive value proposition for customers worldwide.


Trail King Industries, a leading manufacturer of open deck and materials hauling trailers, recently received ISO 9001:2008 certification for its Mitchell, S.D. (headquarters) and West Fargo, N.D., operations. “This is a significant achievement, one which reflects our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence,” says Trail King President Bruce Yakley, crediting certification success to the combined efforts of all team members. Next up is pursuit of ISO 9001:2008 certification for the company’s Yankton, S.D. operation, the former Dakota Trailer Manufacturing site acquired in May 2015. 

Published by the International Organization for Standardization, the ISO 9001:2008 standard is a global reference for quality management requirements and continuous improvement of business-to-business interactions. It provides guidance and tools for organizations that want to ensure their products and services consistently meet customers’ requirements, and that quality is consistently improved. The standard is based on a number of quality management principles, including a strong customer focus and a process of continuous improvement.


Mt Vernon, Mo.-based truck suspension specialist Reyco Granning has appointed Raoul Steenekamp as vice president of Engineering, responsible for Powered Vehicle, Trailer, Aftermarket and Advanced engineers as well as Program Management, Validation and Field Service. He brings 30-plus years’ experience designing chassis systems for the North American and International markets.

Reyco Granning has also appointed Ramin Zarrabi as vice president of Manufacturing, responsible for production, production quality, shipping, manufacturing engineering, maintenance and compliance. He has managed three manufacturing plants similar in volume to Reyco Granning, and been instrumental in lean process implementation.


Munich-based Wacker Chemie AG has officially started up a $56 million reactor for vinyl acetate-ethylene co-polymer (VAE) dispersions at its Calvert City site in Kentucky. The company expanded the operation to meet global demand for its dispersions and dispersible powders, which is rising amid such trends as urbanization, renovation and environmental consideration. Wacker has been producing construction materials- and product-grade dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in Calvert City since 1998. The new reactor brings 85,000 metric tons’ additional annual capacity.

“Our production complex in Calvert City is the largest of its kind out-side of Europe, supporting our successful, customer-focused global growth strategy,” says Wacker Chemie CEO Rudolf Staudigl. “Demand for our VAE products continues to increase, especially for formulating low-emission, eco-friendly products. The additional capacity allows us to continue to meet our customers’ needs over the coming years, solidifying our leading global market position.”


34 Baoli 400In its first major meeting since its January 2015 transition from Linde Material Handling North America, Kion North America Corp. staged a dealer network meeting near Sumterville, S.C., headquarters and announced its most extensive line up of new machines to date, coupled with new sales & marketing tools supporting the rebranding. Among the new products was the Linde brand’s Series 1411 heavy truck. Equipped with a torque converter, the Class V diesel-powered forklift has a load capacity of up to 40,000 lb., suiting precast concrete and other heavy manufacturing conditions.

34 Kion 400Additionally, Kion North America launched Baoli, a forklift brand new to the North American marketplace. Kion Baoli Forklift Co., Ltd is an international material handling equipment manufacturer for the economy segment. The first model to be introduced is the Class V Baoli D+ Series Model KBG25, with a load capacity of 5,500 lb. and a Nissan Impco K25 LPG engine. Additional Baoli models are currently being developed specifically for the North American market and will be released over the next several years.

 

Gregory Poole Equipment Co. in Raleigh, N.C., has closed an acquisition of the operations and assets of Dougherty Equipment Company, Inc. and VBS Inc. Material Handling Equipment, plus certain assets of Briggs Equipment, Inc. Gregory Poole Equipment has been appointed as an authorized dealer of Hyster and Yale lift trucks across four states and IS one of the region’s largest overall material handling dealers. It is now the Yale dealer in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and the Hyster dealer in most of Virginia and in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia. While Gregory Poole will no longer represent other competitive supplier relationships, it will continue to support its current customers through existing service agreements. The acquisitions were driven by the company’s strategic goal to be the recognized leader in the products it offers. NACCO Materials Handling Group helped to facilitate the transactions to address succession issues in several high-performing dealerships and to ensure continuity for customers, dealers and associates.