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Stakepole sold to electric motor specialist
Metal Powder Report Volume 70, Number 6 November/December 2015
NEWS
News US Metal Powders appoints new general manager US Metal Powders (USMP) has announced that Colin DeVille has joined its subsidiary Poudres Hermillon SARL as general manager. USMP produces aluminum powders with two aluminum powder production facilities, Ampal in Palmerton PA and Poudres Hermillon in France. ‘We are extremely proud and privileged to have Colin head up Poudres
Hermillon SARL, and we welcome him to our organization,’ said Clive Ramsey, president & CEO of USMP. ‘Colin brings a wealth of industrial experience and will be a great asset to our executive management team.’ DeVille will help develop the company’s conventional nodular and spherical aluminum and aluminum alloy powders as well as its ultra-fine powders designed for
advanced production processes including metal injection molding, 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Before joining Poudres Hermillon in France, DeVille was with AMG Alpoco, UK Limited, where he spent 11 years gaining a broad knowledge of the global aluminum powder business. U.S. Metal Powders; www.ampal-inc.com
Umicore to upgrade cobalt recycling plant Umicore, a market leader in the production of cobalt powder, has announced plans for significant investments at its cobalt refining and recycling plant in Olen, Belgium. The investments, which could total some s25 million, would centre on the upgrade of the cobalt refining and recycling plant. They would also involve the modernization of a number of on-site facilities in order to further improve the EHS performance of the site. Umicore also plans to improve plant efficiency and suggests that by 2020 the site should be able to operate with 70 fewer people than it does today. ‘Such a reduction could be achieved over the coming five years by not replacing retiring employees and therefore without the
The upgrade conforms to Umicore’s strategy of securing supply for the growth of its Rechargeable Battery Materials business unit.
need for any lay-offs,’ it said in a press release. The upgraded refining facility would enable Umicore to increase its production
of cobalt and also increase its ability to recycle cobalt and nickel-bearing residues. According to the company, the upgrade conforms to Umicore’s strategy of securing supply for the growth of its Rechargeable Battery Materials business unit as well as for the cobalt and nickel activities in its Cobalt & Specialty Materials segment. ‘We need to do all we can to ensure that Olen remains competitive in a challenging global market and I am convinced that these investments will enable us to achieve this,’ said Jan Vliegen, senior vice president of Cobalt & Specialty Materials and site manager of the Olen plant. Umicore; www.umicore.com
Stakepole sold to electric motor specialist Stackpole International is to be acquired by Johnson Electric Holdings Limited, a global manufacturer in electric motors and motion subsystems.
This follows news that Stackpole has announced a US$9 million, 60,000 ft2 expansion scheduled for completion by the end of January 2016.
Stackpole is a supplier of transmission and engine oil pumps and powder metal components for automotive powertrain and is currently owned by funds managed by Crestview 0026-0657/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mprp.2015.10.043
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Metal Powder Report Volume 70, Number 6 November/December 2015
Partners, a New-York-based private equity firm, and CITIC Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Beijing and Shanghai, along with members of management. ‘We are very excited to take this next step with Johnson Electric,’ said Peter Ballantyne, CEO and president of Stackpole. ‘With Johnson Electric’s electric motor capabilities complementing Stackpole’s strengths
in transmission and engine oil pumps, vacuum pumps and powder metal products, we look forward to building on the momentum we have gained with Crestview to further establish our position as a leader and innovator of automotive powertrain components.’ The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary clos-
NEWS
ing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Upon completion, Stackpole will operate as a wholly- owned subsidiary of Johnson Electric and will continue to be led by Peter Ballantyne as well as Stackpole’s present leadership team. Stackpole International; www.stackpole.com
The new car market in the UK recorded its 42nd consecutive month of growth in August, according to figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). New car registrations increased 9.6% to 79,060 for the month, taking year-to-date growth to a healthy 6.7%. Gains were made across all sectors and all fuel types, with registrations in the private, business and fleet markets up 7.2%, 11.8% and 12.1% respectively. The
market for alternatively-fueled vehicles, meanwhile, grew 52.3% year on year, maintaining a steady 2.4% share of the overall market. ‘August’s strong performance has again been driven by attractive finance deals and a diverse range of technologically advanced models,’ said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. New car registrations increased 9.6% to 79,060 for the month.
SMMT; www.smmt.co.uk
New appointment at Slovak PM specialist Slovak PM supplier Kovohuty Metal Powders has appointed Thorsten Kiehnbast as sales director. Thorsten started his career in powder metallurgy in Germany over 29 years ago as one of the youngest powder metallurgy experts in one of the largest metal powder
producers in Germany, the company says. Some 16 years ago he founded his own metal powder company and has been the agent for several key players in the Industry. With a total capacity of over 10,000 mt/ year, Kovohuty offers atomised copper and copper alloys, tin powder, special ferro
alloys as well as ferro silicon powders in various morphology and particle distribution. The product range also features dendritic shape electrolytic copper powders from low to high densities. Kovohuty Metal Powders; www.kovohuty. com
electronics, plumbing and jewellery industries and joined SKF as part of the acquisition of Kaydon Corporation in October 2013. The total consideration of the divestment is approximately US$23 million, on a cashand debt-free basis.
Located in New Jersey, Canfield Technologies had sales of approximately US$ 17 million in 2014 and has been operating as a stand-alone business within the SKF Group. SKF; www.skf.com
SKF divests metal joining business SKF has completed its divestment of Canfield Technologies, Inc. to Gen Cap America, a private equity firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Canfield is a manufacturer of solder, pastes and preforms for metal joining, used in the
Atomization short course to run in February Atomizing Systems Ltd (Sheffield) and Perdac (now part of CPFResearch Ltd) plan to run an intensive two-day advanced course on manufacturing metal powders by atomization. The course takes place from 25 to 26 February 2016 in Manchester, UK. This is the 12th course that Andrew Yule (Emeritus Professor Manchester University) and John Dunkley (Chairman of ASL
Sheffield) have organized on the atomization of metals. The course covers * All current atomizer types together with a wide range of metals and powder types and uses * Key instrumentation, essential theory and computer modelling * Plant design, operation and economics.
‘The course is unique and combines upto-date practical information with theory and is of great value to engineers in both metal powder production and R&D,’ a press release said. Previous courses have been attended by more than 250 registrants, covering 15 countries and five continents. CPFResearch Ltd; www.cpfresearch.com
273
NEWS
UK new car market marks 42nd consecutive month of growth
NEWS
News US Metal Powders appoints new general manager US Metal Powders (USMP) has announced that Colin DeVille has joined its subsidiary Poudres Hermillon SARL as general manager. USMP produces aluminum powders with two aluminum powder production facilities, Ampal in Palmerton PA and Poudres Hermillon in France. ‘We are extremely proud and privileged to have Colin head up Poudres
Hermillon SARL, and we welcome him to our organization,’ said Clive Ramsey, president & CEO of USMP. ‘Colin brings a wealth of industrial experience and will be a great asset to our executive management team.’ DeVille will help develop the company’s conventional nodular and spherical aluminum and aluminum alloy powders as well as its ultra-fine powders designed for
advanced production processes including metal injection molding, 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Before joining Poudres Hermillon in France, DeVille was with AMG Alpoco, UK Limited, where he spent 11 years gaining a broad knowledge of the global aluminum powder business. U.S. Metal Powders; www.ampal-inc.com
Umicore to upgrade cobalt recycling plant Umicore, a market leader in the production of cobalt powder, has announced plans for significant investments at its cobalt refining and recycling plant in Olen, Belgium. The investments, which could total some s25 million, would centre on the upgrade of the cobalt refining and recycling plant. They would also involve the modernization of a number of on-site facilities in order to further improve the EHS performance of the site. Umicore also plans to improve plant efficiency and suggests that by 2020 the site should be able to operate with 70 fewer people than it does today. ‘Such a reduction could be achieved over the coming five years by not replacing retiring employees and therefore without the
The upgrade conforms to Umicore’s strategy of securing supply for the growth of its Rechargeable Battery Materials business unit.
need for any lay-offs,’ it said in a press release. The upgraded refining facility would enable Umicore to increase its production
of cobalt and also increase its ability to recycle cobalt and nickel-bearing residues. According to the company, the upgrade conforms to Umicore’s strategy of securing supply for the growth of its Rechargeable Battery Materials business unit as well as for the cobalt and nickel activities in its Cobalt & Specialty Materials segment. ‘We need to do all we can to ensure that Olen remains competitive in a challenging global market and I am convinced that these investments will enable us to achieve this,’ said Jan Vliegen, senior vice president of Cobalt & Specialty Materials and site manager of the Olen plant. Umicore; www.umicore.com
Stakepole sold to electric motor specialist Stackpole International is to be acquired by Johnson Electric Holdings Limited, a global manufacturer in electric motors and motion subsystems.
This follows news that Stackpole has announced a US$9 million, 60,000 ft2 expansion scheduled for completion by the end of January 2016.
Stackpole is a supplier of transmission and engine oil pumps and powder metal components for automotive powertrain and is currently owned by funds managed by Crestview 0026-0657/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mprp.2015.10.043
272
Metal Powder Report Volume 70, Number 6 November/December 2015
Partners, a New-York-based private equity firm, and CITIC Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Beijing and Shanghai, along with members of management. ‘We are very excited to take this next step with Johnson Electric,’ said Peter Ballantyne, CEO and president of Stackpole. ‘With Johnson Electric’s electric motor capabilities complementing Stackpole’s strengths
in transmission and engine oil pumps, vacuum pumps and powder metal products, we look forward to building on the momentum we have gained with Crestview to further establish our position as a leader and innovator of automotive powertrain components.’ The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary clos-
NEWS
ing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Upon completion, Stackpole will operate as a wholly- owned subsidiary of Johnson Electric and will continue to be led by Peter Ballantyne as well as Stackpole’s present leadership team. Stackpole International; www.stackpole.com
The new car market in the UK recorded its 42nd consecutive month of growth in August, according to figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). New car registrations increased 9.6% to 79,060 for the month, taking year-to-date growth to a healthy 6.7%. Gains were made across all sectors and all fuel types, with registrations in the private, business and fleet markets up 7.2%, 11.8% and 12.1% respectively. The
market for alternatively-fueled vehicles, meanwhile, grew 52.3% year on year, maintaining a steady 2.4% share of the overall market. ‘August’s strong performance has again been driven by attractive finance deals and a diverse range of technologically advanced models,’ said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. New car registrations increased 9.6% to 79,060 for the month.
SMMT; www.smmt.co.uk
New appointment at Slovak PM specialist Slovak PM supplier Kovohuty Metal Powders has appointed Thorsten Kiehnbast as sales director. Thorsten started his career in powder metallurgy in Germany over 29 years ago as one of the youngest powder metallurgy experts in one of the largest metal powder
producers in Germany, the company says. Some 16 years ago he founded his own metal powder company and has been the agent for several key players in the Industry. With a total capacity of over 10,000 mt/ year, Kovohuty offers atomised copper and copper alloys, tin powder, special ferro
alloys as well as ferro silicon powders in various morphology and particle distribution. The product range also features dendritic shape electrolytic copper powders from low to high densities. Kovohuty Metal Powders; www.kovohuty. com
electronics, plumbing and jewellery industries and joined SKF as part of the acquisition of Kaydon Corporation in October 2013. The total consideration of the divestment is approximately US$23 million, on a cashand debt-free basis.
Located in New Jersey, Canfield Technologies had sales of approximately US$ 17 million in 2014 and has been operating as a stand-alone business within the SKF Group. SKF; www.skf.com
SKF divests metal joining business SKF has completed its divestment of Canfield Technologies, Inc. to Gen Cap America, a private equity firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Canfield is a manufacturer of solder, pastes and preforms for metal joining, used in the
Atomization short course to run in February Atomizing Systems Ltd (Sheffield) and Perdac (now part of CPFResearch Ltd) plan to run an intensive two-day advanced course on manufacturing metal powders by atomization. The course takes place from 25 to 26 February 2016 in Manchester, UK. This is the 12th course that Andrew Yule (Emeritus Professor Manchester University) and John Dunkley (Chairman of ASL
Sheffield) have organized on the atomization of metals. The course covers * All current atomizer types together with a wide range of metals and powder types and uses * Key instrumentation, essential theory and computer modelling * Plant design, operation and economics.
‘The course is unique and combines upto-date practical information with theory and is of great value to engineers in both metal powder production and R&D,’ a press release said. Previous courses have been attended by more than 250 registrants, covering 15 countries and five continents. CPFResearch Ltd; www.cpfresearch.com
273
NEWS
UK new car market marks 42nd consecutive month of growth