Global Highlights

North America

MW Industries, Inc., a leading provider of highly engineered springs, specialty fasteners, bellows, specialized precision wireforms, metal stampings, tubular components and other precision components, has announced that affiliates ofAmerican Securities LLC have completed the transaction to acquire NN, Inc.’s Life Sciences division. The Life Sciences division will be combined with MW Industries, a portfolio company of American Securities.

Life Sciences will be operated and financed separately from MW Industries. Life Sciences and MW’s existing medical division (Marox, Economy Spring & Stamping, and LaVezzi Precision) demonstrate complementary, but distinct, manufacturing capabilities and offer different product portfolios.

Under the terms of the transaction, NN, Inc.’s Life Sciences division was purchased for $825 million, including $755 million (subject to customary adjustments) in cash payable at closing of the transaction and an additional $70 million earnout payable in cash based on the 2022 performance of the Life Sciences division.

Diamond Wire Spring Co (DWS), located in Pittsburgh, announced the following succession leadership appointments. Second generation member Donald G. Fazio moves to chairman, in a semi-retired status.Frank E. Fazio moves to executive director in a retirement status.

Third generation members are: Chris Fazio (Frank’s son), who becomes the new Diamond Wire Spring president.Kelley L. Christy (Don’s son-in-law) is executive vice president and general manager of the Pittsburgh plant. Frank Fazio, Jr. (Frank’s son) is executive vice president and general manager of the Taylors, South Carolina plant. Other family members active either on a full time or semi-retired basis are Nina Fazio Williams, SW sales manager, Paul T. Fazio, vice president, facilities manager and Gary Schuessler, vice president of manufacturing.

DWS is a multiplant operation, with facilities in Tyler, Texas, Pittsburgh and Taylors, South Carolina. In addition to the manufacturing plants, Diamond has a full-service catalog division of springs that includes die springs.

Founded in 1939, DWS has been family owned and operated from the beginning and has positioned itself to carry on the tradition.

Betts Spring Manufacturing has welcomed Jim Parsons as regional sales manager. Most recently, Parsons was the manager of statewide faculty technical assistance for thePurdue

Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

Parsons will report to Betts Company vice president of manufacturingJoe Devany, responsible for all manufactured products at Betts Springs.

“Jim comes to Betts Spring as an experienced sales and strategic planner, trained and developed by highly regarded institutions,” said Devany. “We are thrilled to welcome Jim to our team and further contribute to his legacy of success. Jim Jim Parsons has an impressive track record of spring manufacturing experience serving both automotive and agricultural OEMs. His experience with spring design will benefit our customers.”

Since 2018, Parsons worked for Purdue University as an industry advisor for local high schools, as well as a project manager to manufacturers all over the state of Indiana.

Parsons is a double degree holder in computer and electrical engineering from Purdue University, and went on to earn a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, Advanced Manufacturing Lean Practitioner certificate, and multiple leadership certificates from the Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership. He has more than 10 years of spring manufacturing experience in a fast-paced environment, serving both automotive and agriculture OEMs. His leadership helped lead to record sales and profit by empowering team members to reach their full potential, and by utilizing lean principles and continuous improvement. Parsons was responsible for every area of the company including sales, P&L, operations and HR. He has experience in spring design, helping companies produce robust springs at a competitive price.

Parsons served on several community boards including three advisory councils for local high schools. He was involved in starting MFG Day events, giving school presentations, and setting up job fairs for manufacturers at these schools, building a pipeline of new employees for his company, as well as other local manufacturers.

The Manufacturing & Technology Show, produced byEndeavor Business Media’sIndustryWeek,EHS Today andMachine Design, will showcase the full ecosystem of manufacturing excellence at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio from Nov. 9–11, 2021.

Three generations of the Pesaresi family of Winamac Coil Spring attend SpringWorld in 2016.

M&T 2021 will combine IndustryWeek’s Manufacturing & Technology Conference with EHS Today’s Safety Leadership Conference and Machine Design’s IDEA (Industrial Design, Engineering & Automation) Conference. The result is an event to serve the total manufacturing industry, from effective executive management to efficiency-driven plant leadership, from

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The three-day event will include extensive pre-conference workshops for each vertical, hands-on tours of local manufacturing plants and facilities, and two days of conference sessions with industry expert speakers, supported by a comprehensive expo floor where attendees can experience the latest manufacturing products, solutions and technologies while they discover new vendors, win prizes, and network with their peers across the industry.

For information on registration, exhibiting and sponsorships, go to www.mfgtechshow.com/2021.

Winamac Coil Spring, Inc., a global manufacturer of springs and wireforms based in Kewanna, Indiana, was inducted into the Indiana Manufacturers Association’s (IMA) Hall of Fame at the annual Hall of Fame Inductions and Manufacturing Excellence Awards event held virtually in November.

Companies inducted into the Hall of Fame are chosen for their outstanding contributions to the development of a healthy, dynamic business environment in Indiana, and to the state’s overall economic well-being.

Winamac Coil Spring, Inc. was founded in 1948 by Walter Pesaresi, and today is owned and operated by third generation family members. Receiving the award were president,Anthony Pesaresi; executive vice president, Gene Huber, Jr.; and vice president of operations, Chad Huber.

Winamac Coil Spring has plants in both Fulton and Pulaski counties, employing 170 people. “From rural Indiana we supply six of the world’s top 10 agriculture equipment companies, as well as some of the most recognized brands in the off-road power sports industry,” commented Pesaresi.

“The dedication, innovation and skill of our employees have helped our company become leaders in the large spring and wire form industry,” added Gene Huber. Indiana manufacturing continues to be one of the highest paying industry sectors in the state, and accounts for nearly 30 percent of Indiana’s total GDP.

During the keynote presentation at the Virtual ASSEMBLY Show, Leonel Leal, director of global advanced manufacturing engineering at Whirlpool Corp., provided attendees with insight on the importance of focusing on agility, resiliency and capability to foresee what a factory will look like in the future. Prior to the keynote, Austin Weber of ASSEMBLY Magazine presented Murakami Manufacturing USA with the magazine’s Plant of the Year Award.

Michael Rodenberg, chairman and CEO of Murakami Manufacturing USA, accepted the Plant of the Year Award as the company celebrates their 20th anniversary, assembling over 10,000 rear view mirrors a day.

All content from The ASSEMBLY Show will be available until June 2021 at www.theassemblyshow.com, including 21 sponsor-produced sessions, two workshops, the keynote presentation and three webinars.

The 2021 ASSEMBLY Show will be held Oct. 26–28 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

International

After close consultation with exhibitors and partners, Messe Düsseldorf canceled the wire and Tube trade fairs as well as the Valve World Expo that had been planned for December 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic developments. In accordance with their regular cycles, the next editions of the three events will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany in 2022 as scheduled. The trade fairs planned by Messe Düsseldorf for 2021 are not affected by this decision.

For further information and FAQs for exhibitors and visitors, visit www.wire-tradefair.com, www.tube-tradefair.com, www.valveworldexpo.com or contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180 or email: info@mdna.com.

The staging of wire China, International Wire & Cable Trade Fair was held with strict hygiene protocols Sept. 23–26, 2020 in Shanghai. At Asia’s first influential international trade fair for the wire and cable industry held in 2020, 725 exhibitors showcased their products and technologies on 581,200 square feet of exhibit space. A total of 36,552 trade visitors participated in wire China and the concurrently held Tube China trade fair.

Due to the COVID-19 related travel restrictions, foreign participations decreased this year, but in addition to 640 Chinese companies, wire China 2020 featured two overseas pavilions from Germany and France, where the companies’ branch offices or agents in China presented the latest innovations. The 2nd International Conference on Spring Technologies (ICST), Sept. 6–8, 2021 in Düsseldorf, Germany, has transitioned from an in-person event to an online-only format. The event was originally to be held last year, Sept. 14-16, 2020, but was postponed for a year due to the global pandemic. The ICST is sponsored by VDFI. Wolfgang Hermann, who is head of VDFI and the international committee chair for the event, said an announcement with more details about the new format will be issued at a later date. The organization stated that the “current fight with the second COVID-19 wave in Europe makes any planning for a face-to-face event impossible.”

For the latest information, visit www.icst2020-germany.de/

Obituary

Lars Ove Ojert, 86, died peacefully Oct. 1, 2020, surrounded by his loving family.

Ojert was born April 21, 1934, in the southern part of Sweden and was the son of Marta and Ove Ojert. He graduated from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm with a metallurgic engineering degree. Ojert also spent two years in the Swedish Military Service. He was a decorated athlete, excelling in soccer, bandy and European handball.

In addition to his wife of 61 years, Gudrun, Ojert is survived by his three children: Catharina Petronio of Woodbury, Minnesota; Magnus (Lisa) of Doylestown, Pennsylvania; and Hokan (Andrea) of Alpharetta, Georgia; and 11 grandchildren, Nicholas, Alex and Sam Petronio, Kalin, Maxwell, Erik, Jake and Emma Ojert; Ian, Annika and Eli Ojert. He is predeceased by his grandson, Mason Ojert. Ojert is also survived by his sister Ingrid Norman (Stockholm, Sweden) and his brother Anders (Inger) Ojert (Nykoping, Sweden). He also leaves many friends and relatives whom he dearly loved.

Ojert spent his entire career as an international sales and marketing executive within the steel industry. In 1973, he and his family moved to the United States while working for Sandvik Steel, a company he had been with since 1962. In 1988, he transitioned his career to Haldex-Garphyttan Corporation where he served in various leadership roles, including as president.

Ojert was larger than life and could speak to anyone, anywhere, about anything. It was almost like he was running for an elected position. Few people ever left a discussion with Lars without a good laugh, a small world experience, or just a new friend. He could go to a party and not know anyone, but before he left, he knew everyone. He had an unbelievable way of communicating with people. Lars loved to travel and to visit with friends and family, as well as to play tennis and golf (he had three holes-in-one in his lifetime). What Ojert loved most was the time he spent surrounded by his family, especially during the Christmas holidays. He loved to share Swedish traditions, including leading the family in singing traditional Swedish drinking songs.

He will be dearly missed by friends and family!

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to go to The Gabriel House of Care in Jacksonville, Florida. https:// gabrielhouseofcare.networkforgood.com/ n