Contact us today:
Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Over the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity to watch our clients react to the virus and adjust their businesses accordingly. As all our clients are manufacturing enterprises, they’ve needed to adjust their production scenario. Several innovative clients have gone from 1 to 2 or 2 to 3 shifts to achieve proper social distancing with no decline in the output. Most clients have returned to work in the office, as of this writing. Three clients have radically increased their ad spending, with one quoting me my own line, “Smaller pie, bigger slice.” He remembered 2009, all too well. The big difference here, of course, is that the current slowdown has absolutely NOTHING to do with economics.
Continue readingBy Maureen Lepke
All industries are feeling the effects of Coronavirus. Manufacturing and industrial companies are not an exception. So what can you do in a time where trade shows are cancelled, everyone is working from home and trying to find new ways to get their company’s message out? The answer is social media. Social media is a low-cost, yet valuable marketing tool that allows your company to talk to your customers every day throughout the month.
What’s the benefit of having an agency do your social media for you? We have a full-time social media director here at the agency and we are strictly industrial so we understand your world. We are consistently posting 5 days a week. Social media is usually the first thing that slows down when a company gets busy. It becomes an afterthought when social media should be a critical part of your marketing strategy.
Continue readingLongtime tooling authority Preben Hansen to lead new company
Heimatec Inc., a market leader in live tooling for the North American machine tool industry, announced today that it will become part of a new corporation, Platinum Tooling Technologies, Inc. The announcement was made by the longtime president of Heimatec, Inc., Preben Hansen, who will lead the new company as its president and COO, holding a majority stake in its ownership. Mr. Hansen is a 30-year veteran and recognized authority in the machine tool industry for tooling and its applications.
“I’d been pondering this move for some time and, after considerable discussions with Heimatec GmbH, Tecnicrafts Industries, Henninger GmbH, and other principals we represent, it seemed time to make this decision and move forward with the new company,” said Hansen, speaking from the Heimatec North American headquarters in Prospect Heights, Illinois, just outside Chicago.
Hansen continues, “The new company will enable us to serve our existing and new market opportunities in a more pro-active fashion.” He cited the recent expansion of the Chicagoland facility, with added office and warehouse space, allowing more staff to be hired and greater inventories to be carried on all lines to be represented by the new company. The Heimatec products will continue to be our main focus but we are fully committed to the growth and success of Tecnicrafts and our other product lines.
Other developments in the works, Hansen states, include additional lines of machine tool accessories and related machine components. Heimatec Inc. has been adding various other brand names to its roster over the years, most recently the very successful guide bushing and collet line from the global supplier Tecnicrafts Industries. Tecnicrafts manufacture products made specifically for the Swiss machine tool market. Platinum Tooling will make a further investment to this line with extensive inventory and the purchase and installation of a grinding machine. Bringing this process “in house” will improve delivery times and strengthen market position.
Additional personnel and sales representative firms are being sought to augment the existing team, Hansen notes. “Nothing will change in our interaction with current customers, reps and distributors. We’ll be enhancing our capabilities, however, with more application engineering, service technicians and staff dedicated to the specific tooling lines we represent. In that way, our value proposition and overall service package to the industry will rise to new heights.”
A new website has been developed for Platinum Tooling Technologies, Inc., as well, www.platinumtooling.com.
For more information on all these developments, please contact:
Preben Hansen, President
Platinum Tooling Technologies, Inc.
16 East Piper Lane, Suite 128
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
847-749-0633
www.platinumtooling.com
phansen@platinumtooling.com
Graham to become Director of Special Projects, Jim Wirtz to succeed as President
REP Corporation (Bartlett, Illinois), the market leader in rubber molding machinery, today announces that Tim Graham, the company’s president since 2005 and a REP employee since 1979, will assume a new role, effective January 1st 2019. Graham will become the Director of Special Projects and current After Sales Director for North America, Jim Wirtz, a longtime industry veteran, will assume the role of president. Graham intends to remain with the company for the near term, before taking retirement in 2019.
Tim Graham has been a force in the North American rubber industry for many years. After attending Hope College and the University of Michigan, where he achieved his degree in engineering. Tim began his career in technical sales with REP in 1979, when REP Corporation was less than a decade old. REP Corporation is the North American subsidiary of REP International, based in Lyon, France, a world leader in rubber molding and related machinery.
Working with former presidents Jim Jennett and Ron Dagar, Tim Graham helped to steadily build the REP install base of machines in the North American market, which today totals over 3000. He comments, “I’ve seen REP develop an amazing line of machines, over the years, starting with the G3. I was with the company when we made a major breakout on G6 injection presses, the first in the industry with microprocessor closed loop control, a huge jump in technology for the rubber industry.” Tim also watched the development of the company’s pioneering of valve-gated cold runner molding, which made a huge impact on the material consumption of the machinery on the market.
Graham become VP at REP in 2005 and, shortly afterwards, assumed the role of president, the position he’s held until today. He notes, “I’ve been at REP through some great periods of growth and also through some intense downtimes, but we’ve had a terrific team of sales and service people here at the company, over the years. They’re responsible for helping the company achieve the position we hold in the market today, in combination with what I believe to be the most advanced rubber molding technology in the world.”
Along the way, Tim Graham has met some incredible people in the rubber business. “I’ve always been impressed by the quality of the people in this industry, which I think derives from their technical skills combined with the people skills that drive any successful business. Even as the industry has transitioned to a very high technical level and gone online for so much of the communications over the years, it’s still very people-centric and the relationships I’ve had with some of the stellar members of the rubber business have been extremely rewarding, on a personal level.”
Tim Graham has taken an active role in the industry, participating for many years in local rubber group functions and as a founding member of the Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers. Tim’s legendary talents on the golf course are often the subject of discussion, he jokes, but he’s been proud to join his colleagues over the years in both business and social activities. He’s also attended every rubber trade show since 1979.
As only the third president of REP Corporation since its inception in 1970, Tim is very proud of the continuity of management and commitment to the industry at REP. “I’m certainly a very different person from my predecessors, but we all still talk and share stories about the industry and our company’s leading role in it.”
On the business side, Graham cites one project in particular as a shining star moment. “REP was challenged by a leading pharmaceutical product manufacturer to devise a highly automated work cell arrangement. We brought a variety of our engineering and machine building skills to the task at REP and fulfilled, even exceeded, our customer’s expectations. We all worked very hard to meet the challenge and were very pleased with the outcome, as was our customer. I think that, no matter how long you’re on the job, those moments are still very satisfying.”
He cites the many changes in the industry over the years. “Service has never been more important. From the early days of just-in-time in the auto industry until today, where the market has gone global and the high degree of automation means downtime must be minimized, we are now called upon more than ever to provide immediate assistance to our customers, whether it’s application engineering, commissioning and start-up validation, after-sales parts or machine service. Yes, we sell quality machines, but there’s so much more to the customer relationship today, especially as the older rubber guys leave and a whole new generation assumes the workload.”
Tim Graham gets philosophical, at times. “If I had to give advice to somebody in any business, it would be, don’t rest on your laurels. Always reach out for the next challenge and keep innovating the ways you build machines as well as the way you do business. A lot has changed over my years in the rubber industry, but that attitude has served REP well, since we began.” He notes that following college, he worked for his dad, also in the rubber industry, who’d given him some of that same advice.
Jim Wirtz, the new president at REP, muses, “We’re very glad Tim is sticking around for a time. His knowledge and especially his personal relationships with our customers are invaluable assets to REP. I look forward to working with him in the new role.”
Tim Graham is a Detroit native and grew up in Bloomfield Hills. Today, he resides in St. Charles, Illinois with wife Mary Anne.
For more information on this announcement, please contact:
REP Corporation
8N740 Tameling Court
Bartlett, IL 60103-8146
Phone: 847-697-7210
www.repinjection.com
Attention: Tim Graham or Jim Wirtz
Andreas Maier products now offered by live tooling importer
Heimatec Inc., the North American importer of precision live tools, angle heads and multi-spindle drill heads, announces immediate availability of marking and cleaning tools from its European partner Andreas Maier, under the AMF brand. The announcement was made by the president of Heimatec Inc., Preben Hansen. “This development brings additional products to our current customers and responds to the market needs for quality marking and cleaning tools for workpieces in CNC machining,” he observed.
AMF marking tools are used for the permanent marking of workpieces made from all types of metal and thermoplastic substrates. They are typically mounted in Toolholders for use in the spindle of a CNC machine tool. Marking surfaces is achieved by a combination process of pressure and material displacement. These tools can function with or without rotation and usually without height adjustment on the spindle, resulting in a high-speed, highly efficient marking process and no degradation of the substrate. Very thin material as well as cylindrical workpieces can be easily marked, using AMF tools. Cost savings are said to be substantial, compared to conventional marking or labeling. Key design feature of the AMF marking tool is its needle, which achieves the surface marking with clarity and at high speed.
AMF cleaning tools are used for the cleaning of workpieces, tooling and the interior of CNC machines. They are typically clamped in Toolholders and mounted directly onto the machine spindle. Using through spindle coolant or compressed air, the cleaning tool removes swarf and other debris from workpieces, clamping tools, rotary tables and other fixtures before the next workpiece blank is loaded. The machine spindle can remain stationary or in slow rotation mode during the cleaning process. Models are available in horizontal or vertical styles to suit the machine spindle configuration and feature adjustable jet nozzles for precise cleaning and coolant or compressed air conservation. Kits can be furnished complete with tools, gauge and all fastening hardware or sold separately.
These new products from Heimatec Inc. are available immediately and are described in the literature available on request or at the company website.
For further information and literature on this new product line, please contact:
Preben Hansen, President
Heimatec Inc.
16 East Piper Lane, Suite 129,
Prospects Heights, IL 60070
USA
Tel: 847-749-0633
www.heimatecinc.com
Email: phansen@heimatecinc.com
Heimatec Inc. in Prospect Heights, IL, near Chicago, serves its growing North American customer base with an extensive inventory of machine tool accessories. Its experienced staff is dedicated to providing the most innovative tooling and technology. Heimatec serves the auto, aero, medical, woodworking, composites and other industries, as well as an ever-increasing number of machine tool OEMs worldwide, through its network of manufacturers’ representatives.
Continue readingby Maureen Lepke
Over the past few years, social media has become increasingly mainstream in our daily lives. As of September 2017, Facebook has approximately 2.07 billion monthly users according to Facebook Stats. Twitter, on the other hand, had an average of 328 million monthly users as of the first quarter of 2017 as seen in a Forbes article. Lastly, an article from Fortune claims that LinkedIn has 500 million users as of April 2017.
While social media initially rose to popularity with teenagers as the main users, older generations have since adapted to these changing times and have incorporated social media into not only their personal lives but also into their professional lives.
More recently, businesses have realized the immense potential of having a social media presence. No longer is social media solely for interacting with friends and playing games; today, it’s opened the doors to vast possibilities for brand recognition among businesses and consumers.
In the manufacturing and industrial markets, social media can be extremely beneficial as companies in these industries rely on monthly trade publications for advertising and sharing product news with their specific audience in the hopes of generating leads. While this continues to be important to create brand awareness, social media can lend a helping hand. By using social media, a company can easily promote their brand the other 30 days out of the month.
Social media is the perfect outlet to not only promote your brand and share exciting company news but to also share breaking news and relevant topics that pertain to your company’s industry. This allows your business to become a wealthy source of information and lends a great deal of credibility to your company within the industry.
Among those benefits is the added bonus of being able to connect with a very specific, pinpointed target market that is already interested in your industry and therefore will be a possible lead. Communication is key when it comes to any business and marketing strategy. Social media is a medium of communication that lets a business interact with consumers in ways that companies have never been able to before.
The future of social media for businesses looks bright as there are plenty of ways to reach your audience and stay relevant in the minds of the consumers. It’s important to stay up-to-date as social media and technology are constantly changing and improving.
Are you “following” the social media movement? It’s about time! See what social media can do for your company. Reach out to us today for more information or with questions on how social media can have a beneficial impact on your company. We’re here to help increase your brand awareness.
https://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/
http://fortune.com/2017/04/24/linkedin-users/
Continue readingWHEN I WAS A BOY…
That’s how one of my favorite high school teachers started out many a lecture. Father Cochran taught me logic at the all-boys Catholic prep school I attended. From him, I learned Aristotle and Aquinas in Greek and Latin, plus all the modern thinking of the day. His opening set the tone, namely, encouraging us to keep all things in perspective and never forget the lessons of our youth, no matter what changed along the way.
My point? In today’s ad agency, we have technologies galore that didn’t exist just 43 years ago, when I was a…fledgling copy boy at my first ad agency, writing display classified ads on a “modern” electric typewriter for the agency that handled the American Grease Stick Company, maker of products such as SqueakEase, DoorEase and LockEase. Thrilling, I can hear you say.
Today, we offer clients social media, website development with full back-end tracking, augmented reality to enhance trade show and online experiences, Google ad word programs that capture people seeking their products and equipment, then put an ad in view online through retargeting with back-end tracking protocols, highly complex interactive blasts and conferencing options for training and press events, plus the very cool (is that still a multi-meaning adjective?) technology of mobile attraction, whereby we put a message from our client on every phone in a zip code or x-mile radius of a trade show venue. People come up to the booth and say “show me,” whereupon I smile knowingly at the client and say, “Told ya it would work!” And it does. Call me and I’ll tell you how. (Actually, one of the young guns here will do that.)
Continue readingElmhurst, IL –Adams Magnetic Products, Co., a leading supplier of permanent magnets, rare earth magnets, flexible magnets and magnetic assemblies has appointed Michael Devine as Senior Applications Engineer in its Elmhurst facility. Mr. Devine will provide direct engineering support to Adams’ customer base as well as sales and production support, primarily focusing on permanent and electromagnetic circuit design. He will also be responsible for evaluating current and potential magnet applications against industry benchmarks, to better meet the needs of Adams customers.
“Michael’s vast experience in magnetics and exposure to numerous applications in the industry will help to develop our customers’ designs in a very effective and efficient manner” explains Director of Technology, Tony Hull. “Michael’s passion to assist others with solutions will undoubtedly strengthen the company and benefit our customers.”
Before joining Adams, Devine served as Senior Applications Engineer at Dexter Magnetic Technologies, where he interacted with customers from aerospace, defense, petrochemical, medical, semiconductor, research universities and government facilities regarding magnetic design. He is an active and contributing member of several industry associations, has published over 20 technical papers and presented at numerous technical conferences in the magnetics industry.
Devine holds an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Iowa State University, Ames, IA, and a B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He is a certified project management professional and is proficient in several magnetic modeling software programs.
“Adams has a great reputation in the industry,” says Devine. “I’m looking forward to expanding Adams’ role in the many markets it successfully serves.”
Established in 1950, Adams Magnetic Products Co. sets the standard for designing and manufacturing innovative magnetic products and assemblies. One of the oldest U.S. companies in the industry, its staff draws from a depth of engineering, fabricating, coating, testing, sourcing, handling, and distributing expertise managing inventory and delivery to coincide with customers’ production cycles and schedules. Adams has the capabilities to produce magnets of virtually any shape and size and is ITAR registered and ISO 9001:2008 Certified.
For more information, please contact:
Alice Martin
Director of Marketing
Adams Magnetic Products, Co.
888 Larch Avenue
Elmhurst, IL 60126
630.617.8880
amartin@adamsmagnetic.com
www.adamsmagnetic.com
Continue reading
In the little world of rubber injection molding machines, the name of REP has been recognized for years as a synonym for performance and high technology. REP presses are known for being reliable, durable and adapted to the most sophisticated processes.
However the drawback of such reputation is that some customers think they cannot afford REP technology or don’t need advanced features knowing well they are unnecessary for their simple parts production.The G10 Core line was designed to target these customers’ needs.
Presented for the first time at the end of 2016, much less expensive than the G10 Extended, the G10 Core meets the needs of lean manufacturing, for uncomplicated and standard processes, while delivering the usual REP quality and reliability.
The G10 Core is available with clamping forces from 1 600 to 5 100 kN : V410 Core, V510 Core and V710 Core.
These machines feature all of the REP technology at optimized cost. The G10 Core is a G10, it has the same patented injection unit as the G10 Extended with separate injection and plasticization functions. Unlike other so-called budget machines, it is CE-certified . For customers who need simple solutions without stripping kit, process control customization or other particular features, it is the ideal solution!
For more information on this announcement, please contact:
REP Corporation
8N740 Tameling Court
Bartlett, IL 60103-8146
Phone: 847-697-7210
www.repinjection.com
tgraham@repcorp.com
Attention: Tim Graham, President.
Market leader in live tooling can supply complete range of products for new Haas BMT Turret
Heimatec, a market leader in live tooling for the North American machine tool industry, announced today that it has an extensive line of tooling available for the new Haas BMT turret.
The line includes a variety of driven tools (axial and radial drilling & milling heads) as well as static tool holders. Heimatec also offers specialty tools for this turret including multi-spindle, adjustable angle, and speed multipliers. For detailed download catalogs, please see the Heimatec website at: http://heimatecinc.com/catalogs/
Heimatec already offers the most complete line of live tools available in the machine tool industry today, with over 40,000 designs in its database. These BMT turret tools are already proven and in production allowing Heimatec to provide immediate support and the most innovative tooling technology possible.
Heimatec North American distribution headquarters are located in Prospect Heights, Illinois (Chicagoland area) with world headquarters and all manufacturing based in Germany. A team of manufacturers’ representatives covers the North American market for Heimatec.
For more information please contact:
Preben Hansen, President
Heimatec Inc.
16 East Piper lane, Suite 129,
Prospects Heights, IL 60070
USA
Tel: 847-749-0633
www.heimatecinc.com