St. Louis-based Afinitas has appointed Dan Hodel as senior automation engineer, reporting to Dave Stoller, vice president of Global Engineering. He brings nearly 20 years’ experience with Johnson Gas of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; as a concrete curing division combustion engineer, he oversaw design, technical support, sales and marketing for pipe, prestressed, precast, block, paver and roof tile applications. Hodel also worked as an automation engineer for Advance Interface Solutions and process engineer for Eli Lilly.
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| Dan Hodel |
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| Scott Dull |
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| Kyle Hignett |
Separately, Scott Dull, P.E., and Kyle Hignett have joined the Forming Systems Division sales team, reporting to Derek Von Cannon, vice president of Sales and responsible for New Hampton Metal Fabrication and Spillman Co. brand products and equipment. Dull, who will manage the South Central/Eastern sales territory from a Clayton, N.C. base, has nearly 35 years of sales, marketing or engineering experience in a wide range of construction areas. For the last 15 years, he was a market manager with Tencate Geosynthetics.
Hignett will be based in Columbus, Ohio, and manage the Central/Northeast sales territory. He brings more than 15 years of experience, including 10 years with Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.
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| Winston Asai |
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| Jeff Hohman |
Winston Asai and Jeff Hohman were elected to the Columbia Machine Inc. board at a recent shareholders meeting. Asai brings over 20 years of outside leadership experience in manufacturing and public accounting. He started his career at Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, and has held executive leadership positions at Emerald Automation, LaValley Industries, and U.S. Natural Resources. He has been chief financial officer at Columbia Machine for the last 22 years and played an integral part in company growth and establishment of Columbia Machine Engineering (India) Pvt. Ltd., Columbia Machine do Brasil Ltda., and Techmatik (Poland) S.A.
Hohman brings over 40 years of manufacturing and international business experience spanning executive leadership positions at ITT Corp., Pulsafeeder Inc., Corken Inc., Micropump Inc., IDEX Corp. and Flow International Corp.
Under an exclusive agreement with global engineering and technology services provider Emerson, BinMaster has acquired an exclusive license to manufacture and distribute the 3D Solids Scanner level sensor and its associated software worldwide. “This ensures continued availability of the 3D Scanners for customers demanding precise measurement of vessels and 3D modeling software for years to come,” says BinMaster Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Scott Hudson. “BinMaster has successfully marketed this technology as the 3DLevelScanner in the United States and Canada since 2009. We have built an established customer base over this time who have come to rely on 3D level sensing technology. New customers with complex measuring problems will have the valuable option of the 3DLevelScanner that would not be possible without this agreement.”
Command Alkon has been ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. Appearing in the Logistics category, the construction materials-centric information technology leader earned a Top 10 finish in 2020 for its Connex Platform, which facilitates supply chain collaboration and project certainty. Platform results are improving how contractors, jobsite inspectors, project owners, state departments of transportation, concrete producers, bulk material suppliers and logistics providers interact.
“Connex is unlike any other technology in our industry, automating and digitizing key supply chain processes for heavy materials,” says Command Alkon CEO Phil Ramsey. “The technology is a game-changer.”
Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list honors the businesses making profound impact on industry and culture, and this year features entities from 39 countries. Editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet and across a myriad of industries. The World’s Most Innovative Companies is the publication’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year.
Insteel Wire Products Co. has acquired the assets of Strand-Tech Manufacturing Inc. Management plans to close the company’s Summerville, S.C., operation by the end of third quarter, then shift its prestressed concrete strand production equipment to existing Insteel fabrication shops in Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Insteel expects to recover approximately $8 million of its $22.5 million investment through the sale of the Strand-Tech property and avoidance of future capital outlays resulting from equipment redeployment. Consolidation of production is expected to result in the elimination of up to 42 positions at Summerville, whose staff will be offered employment at other facilities, along with relocation and transition assistance.
“The acquisition represents a significant milestone for our PC strand business,” says H.O. Woltz III, chief executive officer of Mount Airy, N.C.-based Insteel Industries. “We believe the consolidation of facilities will strengthen our competitive position by leveraging operating costs and optimizing our manufacturing footprint. Our decision to close the Summerville facility reflects the harsh market conditions created by the surge in low-priced PC strand import competition following the imposition of the Section 232 tariff on hot-rolled steel wire rod, Insteel’s primary raw material. We are continuing to work with the Administration to address the unfavorable impact of the increased imports on U.S. manufacturers.”
National Precast Concrete Association Associate Board Member Wes Dees has returned to the role of senior advisor at Buildtech Sourcing LLC, which offers a variety of products and services to NPCA and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute members. Previously serving as precast market manager for Seaman Corp., he was instrumental in development of the new corrosion-resistant XR QuikLiner PVC membrane liner for drainage structures, now marketed and sold by A-Lok Products.
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| Michael Ross |
Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas, Norcross, Ga., has named Michael Ross as vice president of Construction Equipment Sales. He will be responsible for managing all aspects of dealer sales with his internal and field staff. A West Point graduate, he arrives with 23 years of industry experience involving retail sales, regional sales management, national account administration, product support, and enterprise-wide sales operation.
“Building a system that outperforms means understanding every customer’s operational needs,” says DustTech President Deryl Beakley. “Through our specialization in dust technology, our engineers and builders have amassed deep practical knowledge and unmatched expertise they put to work for customers every day.” With the help of its growing business partner network, he adds, C&W DustTech is increasing value to concrete customers while expanding its reach to include cement and aggregate production, plus plastics and other industrial markets.