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Metal Powder Products acquires Alpine Pressed Metals
GKN Sinter Metals purchases Michigan Sintered Metals Metals Sinter GKN has purchased Michigan Sintered Metals, Inc, based in Owosso, MI, USA, for an undisclosed sum. Privately owned Michigan Sintered Metals generated sales of US$21.9 million in fiscal year 1998, and had net assets of $5 million. It manufactures powdered metal (PM) structural components for high-stress applications. In addition to its Owosso facility, the company operates two divisions in Pennsylvania: Metafusion, Inc in Kersey and Sinterphase in Johnsonburg. It employs some 150 staff in all. Seifl Ghasemi, president and CEO of GKN
Sinter Metals, says the purchase gives the company “a concentrated capability in the area of high-stress applications”. He adds that acquiring the Owosso plant in particular allows GKN Sinter Metals to extend its level of service to the automotive industry. Michigan Sintered Metals also serves the lawn and garden, and office equipment industries. The largest shareholders in Michigan Sintered are Rajeev Ranadive and Pat Gaffey. Ranadive will continue to run the company’s three facilities, while Gaffey is retiring. GKN Sinter Metals; tel: +l-248-371-0808; fax: +l248-371-0829.
Metal Powder Products acquires Alpine Pressed STRUCTURAL parts producer Metal Powder Products Co (MPP), of Indianapolis, IN, USA, continues its growth strategy with the purchase of Alpine Pressed Metals Inc. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, takes the number of companies in the MPP group to six, making it one of the largest custom manufacturers of PM parts in North America. Based in Ridgway, PA, Alpine Pressed Metals pro-
Pometon
Metals
duces a wide range of custom-engineered powder metallurgy (PM) parts such as bushings, bearings, gears, sprockets and cams. The company has a diverse customer base. It is only a matter of months since MPP bought Powder Metal Products of St Marys, PA (see MPR, March 1999, p. 7), adding to its existing four PM plants. Metal Powder Products; tel: +l-317-573-2420; fax: +l-317-573-2424.
ups ferrous capacity
ITALIAN metal powder manufacturer Pometon SpA has converted a furnace, previously used to produce steel shot, to ferrous powder production. The move doubles the melt capacity available for water atomized iron powder at the company’s Maerne facility near Venice. According to Nicholas Herdon, Pometon’s sales manager, production from the converted furnace is due to come on-stream in the fourth quarter of 1999. The machinery became available 6 MPR September 1999
following the successful commissioning during 1998 of a new steel mill for steel shot manufacture, located northeast of Venice in San Giorgio di Nogaro. The existing furnace will be freed up for the production of FeCu prealloyed powders, demand for which is expected to increase considerably from the year 2000, Herdon says. It will also provide backup for the newly-commissioned furnace. Pometon SPA; tel: +39041-2903611; fzx: +39-041641624.
H6ganbsy sales static for first six months of 1999 FERROUS powder producer Hoganas AB has reported sales turnover of SEK1161 million (US$140 million) for the first half of 1999, down marginally from SEK1153 million for the same period last year. Sales volume was up 1% compared with the first half of 1998. The company says the recent weakening of the Swedish krona has effectively increased its turnover by 4% for the six months, but discontinuation of the delivery of crude powders to Mannesmann in Germany has reduced turnover by 5% compared with the same period in 1998. Shipments of powders for powder metallurgy (PM) applications - by far the biggest sector - showed the strongest performance, up 5% for the six-month period. Demand from European and Japanese markets remained unchanged but shipments to the rest of Asia rose strongly by 25%.
For other applications, powder sales were down 2% for welding electrode manufacture (though up 25% in South Korea), and down 15% for chemical and metallurgical applications. Shipments of thermal coating powders remained level with last year. The company says it expects demand to pick up in the second half of the year and predicts that its full year results for 1999 should be better than the previous year. In other news, the company reports that its North American affiliate had delivered some 500 tonnes of powder from local stocks to new endusers by the end of June. Staff numbers at Hogan& America North had reached seven, with further recruitment planned for the third quarter. Htigands AB; tel: +4642-338000; fax: +46-42338150.
US consortium to manufacture cutting tools in the UK A CONSORTIUM of three US tool-makers has established a manufacturing and distribution facility at Hellaby, near Rotherham in the UK. Targetting the aerospace industry in Europe, they chose the location to be close to major customers in the region. The three companies making up the consortium are Craig Tools and Criterion, based in California, and North American Tools of Chicago, IL. The UK venture operates under the name of Morgan Leigh and supplies cutting tools from all three product lines, says company spokesman Andrew Dixon. Counterbores from Craig Tools’ range, comprising high speed steel (HSS) tooling and HSS tools with carbide diamond and
inserts, are manufactured at the Hellaby site. The facility also produces special taps under the North American Tools (or ‘NA Tools’) brandname. Made from sintered carbide ASP (Rex 45) blanks held in stock, the taps are produced to order. Dixon says the company offers a one-day turnaround service. Morgan Leigh also acts as the European selling arm for Criterion’s range of microadjustable boring bars and boring heads. Morgan Leigh was set up in March this year and, according to Dixon, is now fully operational. With recruitment ongoing, the facility will initially employ about 25 staff. Morgan Leigh; tel: +441709-541010; fax: +441 709- 703836.
Sinter Metals, says the purchase gives the company “a concentrated capability in the area of high-stress applications”. He adds that acquiring the Owosso plant in particular allows GKN Sinter Metals to extend its level of service to the automotive industry. Michigan Sintered Metals also serves the lawn and garden, and office equipment industries. The largest shareholders in Michigan Sintered are Rajeev Ranadive and Pat Gaffey. Ranadive will continue to run the company’s three facilities, while Gaffey is retiring. GKN Sinter Metals; tel: +l-248-371-0808; fax: +l248-371-0829.
Metal Powder Products acquires Alpine Pressed STRUCTURAL parts producer Metal Powder Products Co (MPP), of Indianapolis, IN, USA, continues its growth strategy with the purchase of Alpine Pressed Metals Inc. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, takes the number of companies in the MPP group to six, making it one of the largest custom manufacturers of PM parts in North America. Based in Ridgway, PA, Alpine Pressed Metals pro-
Pometon
Metals
duces a wide range of custom-engineered powder metallurgy (PM) parts such as bushings, bearings, gears, sprockets and cams. The company has a diverse customer base. It is only a matter of months since MPP bought Powder Metal Products of St Marys, PA (see MPR, March 1999, p. 7), adding to its existing four PM plants. Metal Powder Products; tel: +l-317-573-2420; fax: +l-317-573-2424.
ups ferrous capacity
ITALIAN metal powder manufacturer Pometon SpA has converted a furnace, previously used to produce steel shot, to ferrous powder production. The move doubles the melt capacity available for water atomized iron powder at the company’s Maerne facility near Venice. According to Nicholas Herdon, Pometon’s sales manager, production from the converted furnace is due to come on-stream in the fourth quarter of 1999. The machinery became available 6 MPR September 1999
following the successful commissioning during 1998 of a new steel mill for steel shot manufacture, located northeast of Venice in San Giorgio di Nogaro. The existing furnace will be freed up for the production of FeCu prealloyed powders, demand for which is expected to increase considerably from the year 2000, Herdon says. It will also provide backup for the newly-commissioned furnace. Pometon SPA; tel: +39041-2903611; fzx: +39-041641624.
H6ganbsy sales static for first six months of 1999 FERROUS powder producer Hoganas AB has reported sales turnover of SEK1161 million (US$140 million) for the first half of 1999, down marginally from SEK1153 million for the same period last year. Sales volume was up 1% compared with the first half of 1998. The company says the recent weakening of the Swedish krona has effectively increased its turnover by 4% for the six months, but discontinuation of the delivery of crude powders to Mannesmann in Germany has reduced turnover by 5% compared with the same period in 1998. Shipments of powders for powder metallurgy (PM) applications - by far the biggest sector - showed the strongest performance, up 5% for the six-month period. Demand from European and Japanese markets remained unchanged but shipments to the rest of Asia rose strongly by 25%.
For other applications, powder sales were down 2% for welding electrode manufacture (though up 25% in South Korea), and down 15% for chemical and metallurgical applications. Shipments of thermal coating powders remained level with last year. The company says it expects demand to pick up in the second half of the year and predicts that its full year results for 1999 should be better than the previous year. In other news, the company reports that its North American affiliate had delivered some 500 tonnes of powder from local stocks to new endusers by the end of June. Staff numbers at Hogan& America North had reached seven, with further recruitment planned for the third quarter. Htigands AB; tel: +4642-338000; fax: +46-42338150.
US consortium to manufacture cutting tools in the UK A CONSORTIUM of three US tool-makers has established a manufacturing and distribution facility at Hellaby, near Rotherham in the UK. Targetting the aerospace industry in Europe, they chose the location to be close to major customers in the region. The three companies making up the consortium are Craig Tools and Criterion, based in California, and North American Tools of Chicago, IL. The UK venture operates under the name of Morgan Leigh and supplies cutting tools from all three product lines, says company spokesman Andrew Dixon. Counterbores from Craig Tools’ range, comprising high speed steel (HSS) tooling and HSS tools with carbide diamond and
inserts, are manufactured at the Hellaby site. The facility also produces special taps under the North American Tools (or ‘NA Tools’) brandname. Made from sintered carbide ASP (Rex 45) blanks held in stock, the taps are produced to order. Dixon says the company offers a one-day turnaround service. Morgan Leigh also acts as the European selling arm for Criterion’s range of microadjustable boring bars and boring heads. Morgan Leigh was set up in March this year and, according to Dixon, is now fully operational. With recruitment ongoing, the facility will initially employ about 25 staff. Morgan Leigh; tel: +441709-541010; fax: +441 709- 703836.