SCTI is one of South Korea’s top 5 largest independent calibration companies, representing over €10M in sales. Thanks to its 100 employees and its broad scope of accreditation, SCTI provides over 200,000 calibrations per year. Its competence in spectrophotometry will complete Trescal’s capabilities in Korea and beyond.

NSG operates five facilities throughout Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, allowing Trescal to penetrate the Finnish market. NSG bolsters Trescal’s single source solution for life sciences, notably by providing planned and preventive maintenance services. Its 70 employees generate €10M in sales.

Delta-P specializes in the life science sector, complementing Trescal’s existing qualification services in Western Europe. Its offer includes cleanroom qualification, HVAC/refrigeration maintenance and HVAC commissioning. It allows Trescal to reach critical size in Ireland with €7M in sales.

ASG X bolsters Trescal’s capabilities and calibration scopes in pressure, electrical, frequency and time. Its wind tunnel adds a new traceable calibration service for Trescal Australia. Though it operates mainly out of Melbourne, ASG X also has close client relationships in Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Tasmania.

ICT reinforces Trescal’s Malaysian footprint through its presence in Penang. ICT’s expertise in the electrical domain best serves semiconductor manufacturers.

Guillaume Caroit, Trescal CEO: “As we begin a new chapter with EQT, these five acquisitions position us for excellent strategic growth in 2023 and beyond, particularly in Asia Pacific and the life science sector.”

For more information, visit www.trescal.com.

Ketchie’s Silver Chosen to Lead NAM’s Small, Medium Manufacturers Group

The National Association of Manufacturers announced that Ketchie Inc. President and Owner Courtney Silver will serve as chair of the NAM’s Small and Medium Manufacturers Group and Click Bond President and CEO Karl Hutter will be vice chair. Silver and Hutter will work under the continued board leadership of NAM Board Chair and Dow Inc. Chairman and CEO Jim Fitterling and NAM Board Vice Chair and Johnson & Johnson Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Operations and Risk Officer Kathy Wengel.

“Small and medium-sized manufacturers are at the heart of our economy and represent 90% of the NAM’s membership. Our country’s success is tied directly to their success, and with Courtney and Karl as leading manufacturing voices, we are well-positioned for 2023,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “No matter what challenges we face, our association and industry remain steadfastly committed to policies that uphold the values that have made America exceptional and keep manufacturing strong: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.”

“It is a privilege to serve our industry as chair of the SMM Group at the NAM. With so many critical policy issues facing members this year, we will continue to lead the charge in Washington and across the country,” said Silver. “We’re all dealing with pressures from regulatory overreach, tax code uncertainty, the workforce crisis and more. I look forward to working with the team at the NAM to advance policies that support innovation and growth and enhance our competitiveness—and to collaborating with other small and medium-sized manufacturers, including family-owned businesses like mine, to fix these make-or-break policies central to our survival.”

“I am honored to be chosen to lead the SMM Group at the NAM as vice chair,” said Hutter. “From educating elected leaders on the policies needed to empower the nearly 13 million people employed in manufacturing, to helping companies tap into the NAM’s wealth of operational resources, I look forward to working closely alongside the NAM’s leadership to support small and medium-sized manufacturers in growing their companies and our economy.”

The NAM Board of Directors guides the association’s leadership in policy advocacy, legal action, operational excellence, workforce development and news and insights. More than 200 manufacturing leaders serve on the NAM Board, helping the industry advance an agenda that promotes growth and prosperity for all Americans.

The new board leadership was elected at the September meeting of the NAM Board of Directors.

Silver previously served as vice chair of the NAM’s SMM Group. As president and owner of Ketchie, she leads a woman-owned, third-generation North Carolina manufacturer. She has worked at Ketchie for more than 14 years. She is a past recipient of the Manufacturing Institute’s STEP Ahead Award (now the Women MAKE Award), which recognizes manufacturing women who exemplify leadership within their companies as well as their communities.

For more information, visit www.nam.org.

America Makes Awards 2022 Project Calls

America Makes is proud to announce the winners of two recent project calls, the 2022 Rapid Innovation Call (RIC) and the Steel (HY-80) Wire-Arc Additive Heat Treatment (SWAAHT) project call, totaling $1.75M in funding. Winning proposals address the evolving challenges of the domestic supply chain and offer progressive solutions.

“America Makes continues to support the transformation of the additive manufacturing (AM) ecosystem in the United States through innovative, coordinated AM technology development, and education workforce and development,” stated Dr. Brandon Ribic, America Makes Technology Director. “We are thrilled to offer these funding opportunities to our members and partner with industry experts who are driven to advance AM on a national level.”

Funded by America Makes via the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the 2022 RIC focused on supporting the America Makes mission of promoting and accelerating the development and deployment of innovative, cost-effective, energy-efficient AM technologies to meet defense and/or commercial needs. Four awardees were announced on December 16, 2022, each presented with the maximum federal funding of $100K. The opportunity centered on addressing the needs of the membership in five topic domains and aligns with various requirements spanning the Design, Process, Materials, Value Chain, and AM Genome swimlanes.

RIC award winners and related topics/projects:

• Topic 3: Process-Structure-Property Relationships for Directed Energy Deposition (DED)
  Winner: Edison Welding Institute (EWI)
  Project: Process, Thermal, Structure, Property Model for Ti64 Built with DED-LB
• Topic 4: Effects of Defects — Production of Higher Criticality Parts Accelerator
  Winner: Penn State University (PSU)
  Project: Effect of Defects on Ti-6Al-4V Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing Components
• Topic 5: AM Machine Qualification – Measurement Methods and Characterization
  Winner: Colorado School of Mines
  Project: Measurement of Process Gas Flow and Delivered Laser Power Impact Toward AM Machine Qualification
• Topic 5: AM Machine Qualification – Measurement Methods and Characterization
  Winner: University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI)
  Project: Rapid Print Characterization for Machine Qualification and Equivalency

The projects are expected to be completed in June 2023 with data made available to America Makes members.

Winning proposals of the SWAAHT project call will work to inform and build acquisition and sustainment frameworks that the metal AM community can leverage when producing steel DED and Heat Treatment (HT) practices at scale. Driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), AFRL, and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), America Makes awarded approximately $600K in funding with $395K in matching funds from the winning project teams for a total of $1.350M. Announced on December 23, 2022, proposals were based on metal AM projects that aim to develop an understanding and set of tools (experimental and computational models) specific to the selection of feedstocks, AM build parameters, and post-build heat treatments applied to the DED of high-strength structural steel shapes. MIL-100S-1 DED HY-80 casting alternatives are the targeted use case examined in these studies. Winning teams can advance to phase two of the project and receive a maximum of $750K in (incremental) funding if phase one objectives are met.

SWAAHT award winners and related projects:

• Project: Development and Transition of HY80 Steel for Qualification to NAVSEA WIRE-DED Tech Pub
  Winner: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
• Project: Additive Manufacturing Casting Replacement Optimization (AMCRO) – Heat Treating and Chemistry
  Winner: Penn State University (PSU)

The SWAAHT projects are expected to be completed in May 2025 with data made available to America Makes members.

"We congratulate the winning project teams and are thrilled to see collaboration between the U.S. Navy, industry, and academia,” stated Dr. Ribic.

For more information, visit www.americamakes.us.

DoE Announces $52M to Fund Applied Research, Clean Manufacturing

On January 4, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced a $52 million funding opportunity announcement (FOA) that will accelerate research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) in domestic manufacturing to strengthen America’s economic competitiveness and move the U.S. towards a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. The FOA, led by EERE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), will drive innovation to develop the next-generation materials and manufacturing technologies required to help tackle the climate crisis, secure our domestic supply chains, and position the U.S. as a leader in the global clean energy economy.

U.S. manufacturing is the backbone of our economy, providing millions of good-paying jobs for American workers across the country. It is also key to America’s clean energy future. Meeting our nation’s climate goals will require significant investments in RD&D of next-generation manufacturing technologies to build competitive, sustainable, and resilient manufacturing systems and domestic supply chains. The technologies supported by this funding will advance economy-wide decarbonization by reducing the carbon footprint across the industrial, buildings, transportation, power, and agricultural sectors.

The FOA includes the following topic areas:

Next Generation Materials and Manufacturing — This topic area, supported in part by the Office of Electricity, focuses on the cost-effective manufacturing processes and development of novel materials with improved properties such as high strength, enhanced conductivity, or high performance under extreme conditions. Specific subtopics include increased conductivity metal-based material systems, harsh environment materials, and AI/machine learning for aerostructures.

Secure and Sustainable Materials — This topic area focuses on materials RD&D to support the establishment of a circular economy with an emphasis on material and product design, recycling technology development, and reverse supply chain logistics. A specific area of interest is regional pilot-scale demonstrations of circular supply chains that include advancements in technologies such as innovative material recovery, end-of-life processing, and recycling.

Energy Technology Manufacturing — This topic area, co-funded by the Building Technologies Office, focuses on clean energy technology manufacturing innovation to improve performance and address technical barriers. Specific subtopics are building dehumidification scale-up and the development, scale-up, and demonstration of processing technologies to manufacture state-of-the-art cathode active materials (CAM) for domestic electric vehicle battery manufacturing. 

The awards will be issued as cooperative agreements with a period of performance of two to three years. Concept papers are due February 3, 2023, at 5 P.M. ET.

For more information, visit https://www.energy.gov/eere/amo/advanced-materials-and-manufacturing-technologies-office.

Plastics Industry Association Provides 2022 Industry Recap

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released “The U.S. Plastics Industry in 2022 in Seven Charts,” a recap of the plastics industry 2022 economic performance, authored by Chief Economist Dr. Perc Pineda.

Dr. Pineda writes, “Seven charts explain how the U.S. plastics industry, throughout the supply chain, performed in 2022. The U.S. plastics industry continued to grow in 2022 against the backdrop of weaker domestic and global economic growth. Data shows that the U.S. economy’s output contracted in the first half of 2022 and followed by what appears to be a tepid output growth rate in the second half of 2022. The manufacturing sector—plastics industry included—continued to adjust to domestic and global economies that have started to downshift into a lower gear this year.”

For the full report, visit https://www.plasticsindustry.org/blog/us-plastics-industry-2022-seven-charts.

AMT Opens State-of-the-Art Engineering, Manufacturing Facility

Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) announced the opening of a second manufacturing facility near the company’s Orion, MI, headquarters. The new modern facility is designed to empower collaboration and industry innovations for the company’s industrial automation and robotic solutions.

“Thanks to a year of unprecedented growth, AMT has had the opportunity to invest in our future by nearly doubling our production area,” said Michael Jacobs, founder and CEO of Applied Manufacturing Technologies. “We have thoughtfully designed the new facility at 250 Kay Industrial Drive to complement the existing production capabilities at our headquarters, allowing us to better meet the needs of our clients.”

The new facility, located at 250 Kay Industrial Drive in Orion, MI, is across the street from the company’s headquarters at 219 Kay Industrial Drive. This expansion nearly doubles production square footage, bringing the total for both facilities to over 51,000 square feet. The state-of-the-art facility is fully conditioned and fire-suppressed, offers 23 feet of vertical clearance, high-quality electrical utilities, sustainable LED lighting, and boasts a five-ton overhead crane.

A FANUC Authorized System Integrator and three-time winner of the FANUC Sales Growth Award, Applied Manufacturing Technologies offers full-service systems integration, specializing in end-of-line solutions, complex material handling systems, and engineering support such as turnkey industrial controls, robotic programming, and automation consulting. Bringing together best-in-class technologies and custom automation, AMT provides high-quality, cost-effective automation solutions.  The company’s solutions have benefited manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, medical, alternative energy, fabricated metal, industrial machinery, rubber and plastics, food and beverage, and many other industries.

For more information, visit https://appliedmfg.com/.

Hexagon Acquires LocLab

LocLab’s proprietary technology, enabled by a high degree of automation using proven workflows and artificial intelligence, allows the cost- and time-efficient creation of digital twins.

LocLab’s in-house developed toolchain can leverage several data input formats to balance speed, cost and accuracy – such as terrestrial videogrammetry, survey data and point clouds – but only requires photographs or videos at minimum. Videogrammetry is a highly scalable method that comes in handy when survey accuracy is not needed and speed is preferred. Whether creating 3D models of machines, buildings and manufacturing facilities or large-scale areas such as transportation networks or entire cities, the AI software compares detected objects with LocLab’s vast object library of 3D elements (street objects, building components, rail equipment, etc.) to semi-automate the creation of a semantically enriched 3D model (i.e., adding context and descriptive elements).

“We continue to advance the utility and potential of the digital twin. We call it the Smart Digital Reality,” says Hexagon President and CEO Ola Rollén. “Like any digital twin, it provides an intuitive 3D hub for data management and information. But it has traits not always associated with digital twins: it’s data-rich, kept up to date in real-time, and workflow-driven, making it seamlessly accessible. And most importantly, it’s autonomously intelligent, meaning it can implement physical world actions independent of human intervention.”

“The foundation of any smart digital reality is the underlying 3D model. If not already part of one of our solutions or readily available via our content program, it can be time and resource-intensive to create,” continued Rollén. “LocLab’s semi-automated modelling process with AI-based object recognition from video data and its enormous library of 3D digital content offers tremendous time savings and cost efficiencies.”

The acquisition brings the previously announced partnership between Hexagon and LocLab to the next level. It strengthens Hexagon’s ability to make the Smart Digital Reality more accessible to new and existing customers while providing LocLab’s customers with a proven platform for hosting, sharing and keeping 3D digital twins up to date.

“The integration of LocLab’s 3D digital content with HxDR, our cloud-based storage, visualisation, and collaboration platform, will drive HxDR’s expansion as a leading digital reality platform within transportation, construction, urban planning, and many other industries,” continued Rollén. “Altogether, LocLab’s capabilities nicely complement our leading reality capture and software portfolio while also offering LocLab global scalability opportunities through our expansive sales and partner network.”

Headquartered in Germany, LocLab serves some of the world’s largest transportation, construction, and design consultant companies. LocLab will operate as part of Hexagon’s Geosystems division. Completion of the transaction (closing) is subject to customary regulatory approvals. The acquisition has no significant impact on Hexagon's earnings.

For more information, visit www.hexagon.com.

Manufacturing Technology Orders Through October 2022 on Pace With Best Year Ever

New orders of manufacturing technology totaled $457.7 million in October 2022, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. October 2022 orders were 20% below October 2021 and 12% lower than September 2022, the smallest decline in orders from an IMTS September ever recorded. Orders are nearly even with this point in 2021, roughly $4 million above the YTD total in October 2021.

“Although we are reporting a down month and near-flat year-to-date sales, orders for manufacturing technology continue to come in at a near-record pace,” said Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT. “October 2022 was the third-highest October on record. Typically, orders in an October after an IMTS are down 23% from the previous month. Orders are returning to normal seasonal trends, but at an elevated level.”

Through most of 2020, all industries were reducing machinery orders, and in 2021, they seemed to be increasing orders in unison. However, for the last several months, customer industries returned to a more independent order pattern. For example, job shops are placing fewer orders for machinery as they return to their core customers such as aerospace and automotive. “While machinery orders from job shops are slowing, that trend could reverse if the economy tumbles into a mild recession,” said Woods. “In uncertain economic times, manufacturers tend to contract out any excess capacity needs instead of investing in additional machinery. This, in turn, leads job shops to require additional capacity of their own.”

Construction machinery manufacturers dramatically increased orders in October, likely in anticipation of government-funded infrastructure projects coming online. In line with infrastructure projects accounting for the increase in construction machinery, HVAC and appliance manufacturers decreased orders significantly in that same time. The decline in HVAC and appliances is likely the result of stalled new home construction projects as interest rates rise and development becomes more costly.

“While it will be difficult to match the amazing end to 2021, we are optimistic the orders through the remainder of 2022 will result in only a modest decrease from our best year on record,” said Woods. “The bonus depreciation passed in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will begin to sunset in 2023, likely accelerating orders that would have otherwise been placed in the following year. The impact of these additional orders may be offset by rising interest rates and slowing delivery times. Even anticipating a modest decline, it seems there is still steam behind this historic run of investment in manufacturing technology.”

For more information, visit www.amtonline.org.

Plastics Industry Association Names DiGrado Manager, Digital Affairs

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) announced that Anthony DiGrado has been named Manager of Digital Affairs, effective immediately.  

In this role, DiGrado will be responsible for maintaining, managing, and developing PLASTICS’ digital strategy and online presence. DiGrado joins PLASTICS after working for IMGE, a full-service digital agency, where he developed and executed wholistic digital strategies for Fortune 500 companies, political campaigns, issue advocacy groups, and non-profits. Prior to his work at IMGE, Anthony worked in the offices of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and for the ClearPath Foundation.  

“We are so pleased to have Anthony join our communications team,” shared Stephanie Polis, Vice President of Communications at PLASTICS. “Anthony’s expertise will truly add to PLASTICS’ work in amplifying the voice of our industry and the good work that our members are doing. Anthony rounds out a terrific group of communications professionals here at PLASTICS and we are excited to have him on board.”

DiGrado is a lifelong native of Virginia and an holds a B.A. in Economics from the Catholic University of America.  

For more information, visit www.plasticsindustry.org.