Production Machining's January 2024 News Highlights

GWS Tool Group has announced its evolution into a distinct division within the Sandvik Machining Solutions (SMS) family. This milestone is marked by the appointment of Sean Holt as the new president of GWS, heralding a fresh chapter in the company’s storied history. Under the new structure, GWS will operate autonomously, maintaining its unique brand identity and expertise in custom and standard cutting tools, while leveraging the collective strengths and resources of the SMS network.

The North American market for custom cutting tools is said to be poised for robust growth, driven by rising demands in critical sectors such as aerospace, automotive and medical industries. GWS says custom tools are increasingly sought after for their role in enhancing productivity, particularly in response to the rising complexity of workpieces. Read more about the company’s changes.

Here are some more news highlights:

iSwiss Corporation Partners With Bimu Insert Systems

iSwiss Corporation has announced its recent designation as an authorized representative of Bimu Insert Systems, a precision grinding specialist that makes carbide inserts with intricate geometries and develops mechanical accessories for automatic lathes.

Bimu SA, a Swiss company with a history spanning over 25 years, specializes in the design, production and distribution of carbide inserts and accessories for automatic lathes. Located in Tavannes, Switzerland, Bimu says it provides meticulous manufacturing processes that adhere to the highest industry standards.

Edge Technologies Appoints New Sales Managers

Edge Technologies has promoted Dan Borders from regional sales manager for the mid-Atlantic territory to national sales manager, where he will be tasked with strengthening and developing Edge’s regional sales team, elevating Edge’s standards, capabilities and benchmarks for excellence, as well as furthering Edge’s place in the automatic magazine bar feeder industry.

Borders got his start as a machinist at Davis Tool & Die Co. in the Greater St. Louis region, before transitioning to CNC equipment sales with Edge Technologies. For the past five years, Borders has served as a product manager for Vortex mist filtration systems and regional sales manager before his most recent promotion to national sales manager.

In addition to promoting Borders, Edge Technologies has also hired Greg Haering as regional sales manager for the mid-Atlantic territory, covering New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. He succeeds Borders in the role, and will continue the company’s focus on building strong relationships with machine tool dealers, OEMs and end users through sales engineering and technical support before, during and after the sale, according to the company.

Reshoring Initiative 1H 2023 Report Announces Upward Trends

According to the Reshoring Initiative’s latest 1H 2023 report, announcements made regarding the first half of 2023 and foreign direct investment (FDI) were in line with 2022’s record reshoring rates — upwards of 300,000 jobs are expected to be announced by year-end. EV battery and chip investments along with other essential product industries formed the bulk of the announcements.

Several factors have come to light that substantiate the strength of U.S. reshoring and FDI trends. In the first quarter of this year, average spending on U.S. factory construction was more than double the average from the past 17 years. Reshoring Initiative data parallels the magnitude and focus of the construction investments. Independently conducted surveys on reshoring actions by U.S. companies also correlate very closely with Reshoring Initiative data on jobs announced over the past 12 years (see graph above), adding validity to both data sets.

Wintriss Controls Group Expands US Representation

Wintriss Controls Group has increased its representation in the United States, further expanding and enhancing sales and service for its customers. Wintriss distributor Midwest Press and Automation LLC has broadened its coverage to include Southern Ohio and Kentucky, adding to its existing coverage in Michigan, North and South Carolina, Virginia and Illinois.

Wintriss has also added a new distributor partner: Southern Press Solutions covering Alabama and Georgia. Southern Press Solutions provides sales and service for press machines and equipment and was founded in 2021.