Company news

Wago Corp., Germantown, Wis., has appointed Scott Becher Senior Sales and Application Engineer for the western region of North America. He has many years experience in industrial automation, including distribution, representative, and manufacturing firms. He was most recently with Square D/Schneider Electric as Industrial Automation Specialist.

The Timken Co., Canton, Ohio, has named Ravi R. Bhatia Vice President, Engineering, of the company's Industrial Group. Previously, he was general manager for advanced modeling and product performance at Timken's research facility. He has been with the company since 1965, having held positions in automotive and industrial engineering as well as the Technology Center. He has a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve University, respectively.

Artificial Muscle Inc., Menlo Park, Calif., has appointed Richard Drabing as Director of Power Control Engineering. He will focus on high volume power supply design and manufacture for electroactive polymer artificial muscle technology. Drabing has more than 30 years experience in electronics and power supply design, and was most recently Vice President of Engineering for the Westcor Division of Vicor Corp.

Falk Corp., Milwaukee, has entered into a tactical alliance with Svendborg Brakes USA, to use their standard hydraulic disc brake packages, when required, on Falk Drive One Systems, as well as other Falk gear drives and couplings. The companies have developed standard brake packages including a universal brake coupling and disc, that can be combined with any flexible or fluid coupling, along with a pre-selected brake and guard package.

The Profibus Trade Organization (PTO), Scottsdale, Ariz., appointed Carl Henning Director of Profinet Marketing. He will head all marketing activities for Profinet, the open Industrial Ethernet standard for automation. He will focus on print advertising, web, public relations, editorial contributions, and seminars. Henning has many years experience in global software marketing, and was most recently with Perseus Development Corp. He has been active in PTO since 1994.

Kabelschlepp, Milwaukee, is celebrating 50 years in the global carrier business, having invented the cable carrier or drag chain in 1954. The original development was registered by the Waldrich machine tool company of Siegen, Germany. Originally developed for a machine tool, the device was named Kabelschlepp (cable drag in German), and applied to any application where moving machinery was fed by power cables or pneumatic or hydraulic hose. The company has expanded and grown throughout the years, opening subsidiaries throughout the world, including its USA facility.

IMI Norgren Inc., Littleton, Colo., has strengthened its plant automotive capability by combining with Syron Engineering and Manufacturing LLC. This strategic partnership will make the two companies a global force in integrated tooling systems for the automotive stamping press market and adjacent In-Plant Automotive processes.

Syron provides integrated tooling solutions for transfer press automation, and Norgren provides body assembly tooling and offers complementary tooling solutions for tandem presses. By teaming up, customers of the two companies will gain access to an extended product range and service capability for die design, end-of-arm tooling, transfer fingers, double blank protection systems, crossbar tooling, steel faced sensors, clamps, grippers, and pneumatic equipment.