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Cincinnati closes Valenite plants
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Kennametal c o m p ~ t e s Hertel takeover KENNAMETAL'S protracted take-over of fellow hardmetal and advanced tooling manufacturer Hertel AG w a s finally completed on 4 August. The take-over saw Kennametal acquire 813 750 v o t i n g s h a r e s in Hertel, r e p r e s e n t i n g 93% of all voting shares and 81% of the c o m b i n e d voting a n d non-voting shares. The final a c q u i s i t i o n followed a 15 July meeting of Hertel shareholders where approval was given for the necessary financial restructuring of the company to allow the take-over to p r o c e e d . K e n n a m e t a l says the merger will enable both companies to form a strategic alliance resulting in 'significant benefits' to customers. Both Kennametal, based in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA, and Hertel, of Ffirth, Germany, will retain their own brands, each with its own t e a m of tooling engineers. The two companies will also exhibit independently at the European Machine Tools Show (EMO), set for Hannover, Germany, in September. gennametal, meanwhile, has a n n o u n c e d a net income for the fiscal year e n d i n g 30 J u n e 1993 of $20.1 million, equivalent to $1.85/share. The figure was 54% up on t h e previous year's earnings of $12.9 million ($1.20/ share). The c o m p a n y had a strong fourth quarter, earning net income of $7.7 million c o m p a r e d to $2.7 million in 1992. K e n n a m e t a l c h i e f executive officer, Robert L. McGeehan, says the strong f o u r t h q u a r t e r result reflected an increase in US sales of metalworking products and slightly higher p r o d u c t i o n levels in t h e company's metalworking division. McGeehan e x p e c t s sales of metalworking prod u c t s to c o n t i n u e to increase in fiscal 1994. Michael J. Mussog, Kenn a m e t a l Inc; tel: + 1-412539-4617.
6
MPR September 1993
UPDATE
New vacuum furnace joint venture EUROVAC Furnace Systems has been established to manufacture and market vacuum furnaces t h r o u g h o u t Europe as a .joint venture company between EFCO Ltd, of Woking, UK, and Vacuum Furnace Systems (VFS) of Souderton, Pennsylvania, USA_ The new company is a 50:50 .joint venture between the two p a r t n e r s and will be located in Shilton, UK, near Coventry, where EFCO has its furnace manufacturing facilities. EFCO's principal busin e s s is t h e d e s i g n a n d manufacture of electric furnaces, while VFS is a leading US manufacturer of vacuum furnaces. VFS also h a s a sister company, Solar Atmo-
sphere Inc, a t h e r m a l processing business in the n o r t h east of the USA. E u r o v a c will u s e t h e skills of both EFCO and VFS e n g i n e e r s . EFCO's S h i l t o n p l a n t is a m o n g t h e m o s t modern furnace manufacturing facilities in the UK. Eurovac will have two managing directors George Carter, president of VFS, and Keith Murray, an EFCO director. Carter, based in the USA, will supervise engineering, budgets and sales s t r a t e g i e s . Murray, based in Shilton, will control production, administration and marketing. Keith Murray, EFCO Ltd; tel: + 44- (0) 203-619997.
Vitek wins c o n t r a c t for university H I P VITEK, of Sint-Niklass, Belgium, has been awarded a contract to supply a 200 MPa s i n t e r - h o t isostatic press (HIP) for research work at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. The HIP features a hot zone of 120 m m x 230 m m a n d is e q u i p p e d w i t h a g r a p h i t e furnace to allow operations up to 2200°C at 200 MPa. A cascaded pressure measuring and control system allows for gas pressure sintering (GPS) with accur a t e p r e s s u r e control between 0.1 and 10 MPa and HIPing at 200 MPa during the same cycle. Modular design allows the system to be used with o p t i o n s i n c l u d i n g plug-in thermal systems and tantalum heaters. Vitek claims the laboratory unit can be converted into a pilot production plant with a hot zone of 140 m m d i a m e t e r in less t h a n five minutes. Vitek has also developed a system designed to overcome t e m p e r a t u r e measurem e n t d i f f i c u l t i e s in t h e
1 7 0 0 - 2 2 0 0 ° C r a n g e . The Knowledge Based Power C o n t r o l S y s t e m (KBPC) was developed especially for low pressure operation at h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e s . The m e n u - d r i v e n c o n t r o l program uses a mathematical model of the HIP and anticip a t e s the t e m p e r a t u r e and p r e s s u r e interactions. The p r e d i c t i o n s of t h e m o d e l are continuously c o m p a r e d with the real reactions of the p r o c e s s . The s y s t e m can c h o o s e f r o m a s e r i e s of models to select the one t h a t best predicts the reactions of the HIP. When a s e n s o r d e t e r i o r a t e s , Vitek says the deviation from predicted behaviour is detected by the model control ensuring the o p e r a t o r is given an early warning t h a t it is time to change conditions. After extensive testing of KBPC in existing HIPs, Vitek is n o w o f f e r i n g it as a s t a n d a r d option on all its n e w m a c h i n e s or as an u p g r a d e for e x i s t i n g machines. A l a i n De Roeek, Vitek NV; tel: + 32-3-778-15-30; f a x : + 32-3- 766- 69-22.
Powder injection moulding symposium set for October THE 1993 I n t e r n a t i o n a l Powder Injection Molding Symposium, covering metal and ceramic applicat i o n s , will be h e l d in Boulder, Colorado, USA, from 4-6 October. The Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) is sponsoring the symposium, which will be chaired by R a n d a l l M. G e r m a n , Pennsylvania State University, and J o h n Gaspervich, technology t r a n s f e r manager, A d v a n c e d F o r m i n g Technology Inc. There will be 32 p r e s e n t a t i o n s by experts from eight countries covering international developments, properties of raw materials, rheology and mixing, binders, moulding, special techniques and applications. Mark Tarby, Metal P o w d e r Indust~qes Federat i o n ; tel: + 1 - 6 0 9 - 4 5 2 ~ 7700; f a x . + 1-609-9878523.
Cincinnati closes Valenite plants AVI'ER p u r c h a s i n g longe s t a b l i s h e d carbide toolmaker Valenite Inc from GTE Corp, Cincinnati Milacron Inc has a n n o u n c e d worldwide p l a n t closures and redundancies. Of 27 Valenite facilities worldwide, nine plants are to be closed in t h e US states of Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio, as well as Australia, Italy, Mexico, the UK and Brazil (two). The existing 2700-strong workforce will be cut by 480 with a further 130 workers to be relocated to factories in S o u t h C a r o l i n a a n d T e x a s in t h e USA, a n d France and Germany. Machine-tool maker Cincinnati p a i d $80 million for Valenite, including undisclosed r e s t r u c t u r i n g expenses and assumed debt. The sale was part of GTE's decision to concentrate its core t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s businesses. It recently sold its lamps and lighting facilities to Osram.
Kennametal c o m p ~ t e s Hertel takeover KENNAMETAL'S protracted take-over of fellow hardmetal and advanced tooling manufacturer Hertel AG w a s finally completed on 4 August. The take-over saw Kennametal acquire 813 750 v o t i n g s h a r e s in Hertel, r e p r e s e n t i n g 93% of all voting shares and 81% of the c o m b i n e d voting a n d non-voting shares. The final a c q u i s i t i o n followed a 15 July meeting of Hertel shareholders where approval was given for the necessary financial restructuring of the company to allow the take-over to p r o c e e d . K e n n a m e t a l says the merger will enable both companies to form a strategic alliance resulting in 'significant benefits' to customers. Both Kennametal, based in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA, and Hertel, of Ffirth, Germany, will retain their own brands, each with its own t e a m of tooling engineers. The two companies will also exhibit independently at the European Machine Tools Show (EMO), set for Hannover, Germany, in September. gennametal, meanwhile, has a n n o u n c e d a net income for the fiscal year e n d i n g 30 J u n e 1993 of $20.1 million, equivalent to $1.85/share. The figure was 54% up on t h e previous year's earnings of $12.9 million ($1.20/ share). The c o m p a n y had a strong fourth quarter, earning net income of $7.7 million c o m p a r e d to $2.7 million in 1992. K e n n a m e t a l c h i e f executive officer, Robert L. McGeehan, says the strong f o u r t h q u a r t e r result reflected an increase in US sales of metalworking products and slightly higher p r o d u c t i o n levels in t h e company's metalworking division. McGeehan e x p e c t s sales of metalworking prod u c t s to c o n t i n u e to increase in fiscal 1994. Michael J. Mussog, Kenn a m e t a l Inc; tel: + 1-412539-4617.
6
MPR September 1993
UPDATE
New vacuum furnace joint venture EUROVAC Furnace Systems has been established to manufacture and market vacuum furnaces t h r o u g h o u t Europe as a .joint venture company between EFCO Ltd, of Woking, UK, and Vacuum Furnace Systems (VFS) of Souderton, Pennsylvania, USA_ The new company is a 50:50 .joint venture between the two p a r t n e r s and will be located in Shilton, UK, near Coventry, where EFCO has its furnace manufacturing facilities. EFCO's principal busin e s s is t h e d e s i g n a n d manufacture of electric furnaces, while VFS is a leading US manufacturer of vacuum furnaces. VFS also h a s a sister company, Solar Atmo-
sphere Inc, a t h e r m a l processing business in the n o r t h east of the USA. E u r o v a c will u s e t h e skills of both EFCO and VFS e n g i n e e r s . EFCO's S h i l t o n p l a n t is a m o n g t h e m o s t modern furnace manufacturing facilities in the UK. Eurovac will have two managing directors George Carter, president of VFS, and Keith Murray, an EFCO director. Carter, based in the USA, will supervise engineering, budgets and sales s t r a t e g i e s . Murray, based in Shilton, will control production, administration and marketing. Keith Murray, EFCO Ltd; tel: + 44- (0) 203-619997.
Vitek wins c o n t r a c t for university H I P VITEK, of Sint-Niklass, Belgium, has been awarded a contract to supply a 200 MPa s i n t e r - h o t isostatic press (HIP) for research work at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. The HIP features a hot zone of 120 m m x 230 m m a n d is e q u i p p e d w i t h a g r a p h i t e furnace to allow operations up to 2200°C at 200 MPa. A cascaded pressure measuring and control system allows for gas pressure sintering (GPS) with accur a t e p r e s s u r e control between 0.1 and 10 MPa and HIPing at 200 MPa during the same cycle. Modular design allows the system to be used with o p t i o n s i n c l u d i n g plug-in thermal systems and tantalum heaters. Vitek claims the laboratory unit can be converted into a pilot production plant with a hot zone of 140 m m d i a m e t e r in less t h a n five minutes. Vitek has also developed a system designed to overcome t e m p e r a t u r e measurem e n t d i f f i c u l t i e s in t h e
1 7 0 0 - 2 2 0 0 ° C r a n g e . The Knowledge Based Power C o n t r o l S y s t e m (KBPC) was developed especially for low pressure operation at h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e s . The m e n u - d r i v e n c o n t r o l program uses a mathematical model of the HIP and anticip a t e s the t e m p e r a t u r e and p r e s s u r e interactions. The p r e d i c t i o n s of t h e m o d e l are continuously c o m p a r e d with the real reactions of the p r o c e s s . The s y s t e m can c h o o s e f r o m a s e r i e s of models to select the one t h a t best predicts the reactions of the HIP. When a s e n s o r d e t e r i o r a t e s , Vitek says the deviation from predicted behaviour is detected by the model control ensuring the o p e r a t o r is given an early warning t h a t it is time to change conditions. After extensive testing of KBPC in existing HIPs, Vitek is n o w o f f e r i n g it as a s t a n d a r d option on all its n e w m a c h i n e s or as an u p g r a d e for e x i s t i n g machines. A l a i n De Roeek, Vitek NV; tel: + 32-3-778-15-30; f a x : + 32-3- 766- 69-22.
Powder injection moulding symposium set for October THE 1993 I n t e r n a t i o n a l Powder Injection Molding Symposium, covering metal and ceramic applicat i o n s , will be h e l d in Boulder, Colorado, USA, from 4-6 October. The Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) is sponsoring the symposium, which will be chaired by R a n d a l l M. G e r m a n , Pennsylvania State University, and J o h n Gaspervich, technology t r a n s f e r manager, A d v a n c e d F o r m i n g Technology Inc. There will be 32 p r e s e n t a t i o n s by experts from eight countries covering international developments, properties of raw materials, rheology and mixing, binders, moulding, special techniques and applications. Mark Tarby, Metal P o w d e r Indust~qes Federat i o n ; tel: + 1 - 6 0 9 - 4 5 2 ~ 7700; f a x . + 1-609-9878523.
Cincinnati closes Valenite plants AVI'ER p u r c h a s i n g longe s t a b l i s h e d carbide toolmaker Valenite Inc from GTE Corp, Cincinnati Milacron Inc has a n n o u n c e d worldwide p l a n t closures and redundancies. Of 27 Valenite facilities worldwide, nine plants are to be closed in t h e US states of Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio, as well as Australia, Italy, Mexico, the UK and Brazil (two). The existing 2700-strong workforce will be cut by 480 with a further 130 workers to be relocated to factories in S o u t h C a r o l i n a a n d T e x a s in t h e USA, a n d France and Germany. Machine-tool maker Cincinnati p a i d $80 million for Valenite, including undisclosed r e s t r u c t u r i n g expenses and assumed debt. The sale was part of GTE's decision to concentrate its core t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s businesses. It recently sold its lamps and lighting facilities to Osram.