Michael Moore named Remstar District Sales Manager
Westbrook, ME – Michael Moore of Chatsworth, California, has been named Remstar District Sales Manager. Michael joined Remstar in 2008 and is responsible for sales in the Los Angeles, CA area. Prior to joining Remstar, Michael Moore was the Territory Sales Manager for Mecalux in Chicago, IL. His past material handling industry accomplishments include being a member of the President’s Club for sales over 2 million and three time salesperson of the quarter. Moore attended L.A. Pierce College and in addition to his education he has attended the Harry Freidman Sales Training as well as Professional Sales Training with Jim Ullery.

back to top

****************************************************************************

Manufacturing improvement forecasted for 2010
We have known for some time that our current economic recession was coming. Now, it looks like there is light at the end of this tunnel beginning later this year in some industry segments and most by 2010 to early 2011.

Click here to read more.

back to top

****************************************************************************

Lean MRO class offered - Next class: May 3-8
Implementing Lean in an MRO environment requires more than the use of traditional lean tools and techniques used in mass production and OEM situations. The MRO world is different and requires the integration of Lean concepts with the Theory of Constraints.

The University of Tennessee’s Lean MRO Course will help attendees to:
  • Grow their business
  • Reduce turnaround times
  • Reduce unnecessary inventory
  • Improve efficiency
  • Identify constraints
  • Manage constraints to maximize productivity and profits.

Lean MRO is taught by UT’s world renowned faculty and managers who are experienced in real-world implementations and world of MRO.

Courses are offered throughout the year. Certifications are available. For more information, contact Rhonda Barton, program director, at rbarton@utk.edu or 865-9745001 or visit Lean MRO site.

back to top

****************************************************************************

Is Buffett eyeing takeover of ITW, Grainger?
Warren Buffett's renewed focus on U.S. takeovers may lead him to Sysco Corp., VF Corp. or Danaher Corp., according to criteria the billionaire investor lists in his annual report.

Click here to read more.

back to top

****************************************************************************

Equipment Depot acquires forklift dealer Equipment Services
Equipment Depot of Texas, based in Waco, TX, last week acquired Equipment Service Inc., a privately held forklift dealership in Longview, TX.

Equipment Depot is a dealership group of five regional equipment companies that operate under one common name to rent, sell, service and provide parts and training for forklifts, aerial work platforms and other construction equipment.

back to top

****************************************************************************

Bosch Rexroth AG notes sales increase
Bosch Rexroth AG, parent company of Bosch Rexroth Corporation in North America, announces $8.3 billion (5.9 billion Euros) in sales for 2008 - up 9.8 percent from the previous year. Sales in the Americas were up nearly eight percent in U.S. dollars. The company, a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, anticipates a significantly weaker performance for the current fiscal year. However, Bosch Rexroth wants to safeguard as many jobs as possible among its core workforce. The company is maintaining its investment in research and development at levels above the industry average. Bosch Rexroth is using its capacity for innovation to further expand its position as a leading automation partner for industrial applications, factory automation, mobile applications and the utilization of renewable energies.

The growth experienced in 2008 by the manufacturer of all drive and control technologies was led by developments in the German, European and Asian markets.

“Despite some shortages in raw materials and key semi-finished products, our associates worked to the limits of capacity during the first six months of the year, showing great commitment and working numerous additional shifts,” emphasized Dr. Albert Hieronimus, chairman of the executive board of Bosch Rexroth AG during the company’s annual press conference in Frankfurt. The company achieved the most noticeable growth levels with products and solutions in the areas of mobile and industrial hydraulics. Gearboxes and drive solutions for wind energy plants recorded the highest rates of growth.

back to top

****************************************************************************

Weido gets appointment
Jeff Weido has been appointed as the product manager Terex Aerial Work Platforms' (AWP) scissor product line. He will report to Heather Krause, Global General Manager, Scissors.

Weido will be responsible for driving the global strategic direction of the scissors product line by working with sales, marketing, engineering and the research and development teams.

Prior to joining Terex AWP, Weido was a Product Manager for the DeWalt product line of Black & Decker. Utilizing his marketing, field sales and competitive analysis experience, he looks forward to conducting product research and development while at Terex AWP.

Weido graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.

In another move, Terex AWP appointed Greg Braukus as director of Global Customer Care. He will report to Joe George, vice president of Global Sales and Customer Service.

Braukus will be responsible for establishing and globalizing a world class customer experience within Terex AWP.

Braukus’ most recent role prior to Terex was senior director, ISS for the Microsoft Corp., where he led the Inside Sales, Tele Partner Account Management, Vendor Operations and Partner Connections businesses for the Small and Mid-market Solutions & Partners (SMS&P) Division in the United States subsidiary.

Before joining Microsoft, Braukus spent five years with Amazon.com where he held several leadership roles in operations and customer service and sales.

back to top

****************************************************************************

Brochure showcases benefits of fleet management
Hyster Co. now offers a brochure detailing the fleet management capabilities offered by Hyster FleetSmart. The brochure includes information on the latest fleet technologies, telemetry solutions and tips for lowering operating costs and improving productivity through an effective fleet management program.

The Hyster FleetSmart program offers Web-based access, telemetry technology, e-mail service reminders, online reports, maintenance plans and other features to help effectively operate and maintain material handling equipment. The brochure outlines each of these features, along with customizable fleet management packages offered by Hyster Co.

The brochure also showcases the latest technological advances utilized in fleet management, including system reporting capabilities and technology-based products that help minimize overall cost of operations. The FleetSmart reporting system allows managers to monitor and measure truck utilization, cost per hour and total fleet operating costs, as well as to identify costs such as tire expense and avoidable damage repairs.

Supported by an experienced and reputable dealer network with over 2,500 certified and trained technicians, the Hyster FleetSmart program covers 100 different brands and more than two million parts through the UNISOURCE™ parts program. Hyster Company also provides operator training, financing and leasing programs, as well as a comprehensive standard warranty.

To view the brochure online, please click here.

back to top

****************************************************************************

Retaining as many core workforce jobs as possible
Like other companies, Bosch Rexroth has been feeling the pinch of recession since the second half of 2008 and expects to see a decline in sales during 2009. The removal of stable planning foundations makes it difficult to predict business performance in the short and medium term.

“That's why we’re taking things one day at a time, as are most of our customers,” explained Hieronimus. However, he went on to emphasize that, “the long-term growth trend in our markets remains intact.” He also said that the expertise of Bosch Rexroth associates is a competitive edge that defies imitation, which is why the company is doing everything it can to safeguard its core workforce even in these turbulent times. To this end, the company is using all the tools at its disposal, including the reduction of normal weekly working hours, in the fight against job losses. At the end of 2008, the company employed 35,300 total associates with about 3,500 employed in the Americas.

Expanded Capacities for Wind Power Gearboxes:
Bosch Rexroth also foresees positive developments during the current fiscal year, especially as the company is active in all phases of the supply chain in the global economy and can take advantage of all market opportunities for growth.

“The global push to expand facilities for generating renewable forms of energy is helping our business,” Hieronimus pointed out. For example, Bosch Rexroth is increasing its production capacities for wind power gearboxes with a new plant in Nuremberg and the expansion of production at its Chinese site in Beijing. The American, Chinese and Indian governments are all promoting the rapid expansion of wind power plants to protect themselves from rising energy costs and to reduce CO2 emissions. Bosch Rexroth intends to participate in this market growth by providing gearboxes and drive solutions.

Pressure to rationalize is also growing intensely in all industries. This is increasing demand for innovative automation solutions.

“Our customers are currently developing new machinery and plant concepts,” affirmed Hieronimus. “We are gearing up precisely for this demand with innovations and a consistently high-level investment in research and development.”

The Bosch subsidiary spent around $364 million (260 million Euro) on research and development in 2008. This represents 4.5 percent of sales, a figure above the average for the sector, as in previous years. Around 2,200 R&D specialists at Bosch Rexroth are working on new products, solutions and services.

Bosch Rexroth AG is one of the world’s leading specialists in the field of drive and control technologies. Under the brand name of Rexroth the company supplies more than 500,000 customers with tailored solutions for driving, controlling and moving machinery used in industrial and factory automation as well as in mobile applications. Bosch Rexroth is a partner for industrial applications and factory automation, mobile applications and using renewable energies. As The Drive & Control Company, Bosch Rexroth develops, produces and sells components and systems in more than 80 countries. In 2008 Bosch Rexroth AG, part of the Bosch Group, achieved sales of around $8.3 billion (5.9 billion Euro) with 35,300 employees. Visit www.boschrexroth-us.com for more information.

back to top

****************************************************************************