Industry News: Distributor Network Expansions, New Facilities, Regional Sales Hire

It’s important to stay aware of developments in the industry. This post gathers up a few headlines from recent news in the machine tool industry that may be of interest to Techspex users.

Hyundai Wia Dealer Expands Sales and Service Territory to Iowa and Nebraska

One of Hyundai Wia’s top dealers has increased its customer territory. SMT Co., based in Olathe, Kansas, now serves Nebraska and Iowa as part of its sales and service territory, in addition to Kansas and Missouri. Founded in 1980, SMT has been the official Hyundai Wia dealer in its territory. The company is operated by its founder and president, Steve Davis.

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Mazak Expands with New Facility in Northern Texas

Mazak has announced it will open a second facility in Texas. Joining the company’s existing Southwest Technology Center in Houston, the new Mazak Dallas Technical Center will serve the Northern Texas region.

To celebrate the expansion, Mazak will host an Open House event February 1, 2017, at the new technical center located in Southlake, Texas. The event will feature several machine demonstrations, special guest speakers and tours.

“The new Dallas Technical Center gives Mazak a commanding Texas presence in terms of manufacturing technology and customer support,” says Dan Janka, president. “Northern Texas manufacturers in the defense, aerospace, medical, automotive, energy and construction industries will especially benefit from even more readily accessible technical, engineering and applications expertise.”

The approximately 8,000-square-foot Dallas-area facility will provide additional space for customer programming classes, machine demonstrations, test cuts and machining system runoffs, as well as regularly scheduled Mazak Discover events.

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Knuth’s 2017 Catalog Is Now Available

Machine tool builder Knuth has released its 2017 catalog. This link has a digital copy of the catalog to browse or search, as well as a form enabling request for a print copy. According to the company, this catalog has some visual revisions that present its machine portfolio in an updated, clear and more informative design. The catalog features vertical and inclined-bed lathes, VMCs, surface and profile grinders, plasma cutting systems, and waterjet cutting systems.

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Mitsubishi Electric Automation Offers After-Hours Emergency Parts Shipping

Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. now offers after-hours emergency parts shipping for CNC parts to minimize the impact unexpected breakdowns can have on manufacturers.

“In the competitive manufacturing market, unplanned machine downtime is a productivity killer. We want to help our customers get up and running as quickly as possible, even if they experience a machine failure after normal business hours,” says Chris Tummillo, parts manager. “We’re extending our parts shipping hours for emergency situations to accommodate manufacturers who run their operation 24/7. We’ll even ship on weekends and holidays.”

Tummillo adds that these extended parts shipping hours should be especially helpful to CNC machine tool customers in the automotive, aerospace, agriculture, energy and medical markets. “This is going to be great news for any of our customers who run second- and third-shift operations.”

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Hirschmann Engineering Hires Northeast Regional Sales Manager

Hirschmann Engineering has hired Nicholas Casbar Jr. as its Northeast Regional Manager. He will be responsible for selling and servicing the entire Hirschmann product line in the Northeast United States, from eastern Ohio to as far north as Maine, to as far south as Maryland.

“With Nick’s background and product knowledge he fits well into the Hirschmann family. He is ready to fill the needs of customers and prospects in his territory,” says Peter Knowles, company president.

Most recently Casbar Jr. worked for Optimum Machine Solutions in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, where he sold wire EDM workholding. He also bought and sold EDM machines for four years before joining Hirschmann.