8/2/2022 -  

Earlier this year, WAI Midwest Chapter Scholarship Committee considered nine applicants for its scholarship program, and chose three, each of whom will receive $1,500. The winners are listed below.

Chloe Ruelle, the daughter of Stéphane Ruelle, operations manager, Condat Corp., is a junior at Michigan State University. She is majoring in special education.

Sarah Skolozynski, the daughter of Stephen Master, general manager, Spring & Wire Form Co., is a freshman at the University of Notre Dame. She is majoring in environmental sciences.

Fiona Wehrle, the daughter of Jay Wehrle, engineering manager, Fort Wayne Metals, plans to attend Purdue University (West Lafayette). She will major in chemical engineering.

8/2/2022 -  New hires and an obituary

Robert Campbell has been named the global sales director for NDC Technologies, tasked with leading sales for the company’s cable and tube measurement business. He most recently was sales director at M Squared Lasers, a photonics and quantum technology company. Prior to that he served in a technical capacity as vice president of North America for PDL Solutions. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Newcastle University in the U.K., and an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School. Naret Prongcharoen was named channel manager for Asia, responsible for managing and expanding sales channel operations for NDC’s portfolio of BETA LaserMike measurement and control solutions. He was cited for his knowledge of electrification, automation and electronic components in Southeast Asia and extensive new business development background. He worked for more than 13 years in new business development in Southeast Asia for companies that include Honeywell Automation,  Underwriter Laboratories (UL), Texas Instruments and Delta Electronics. Based in Dayton, Ohio, USA, NDC Technologies is a leading global provider of intelligent, connected measurement and control solutions.

Tom Marry has been named president of Charter Steel. He brings a wealth of manufacturing and leadership experience, having held key positions over 20 years with Modine Manufacturing Co., most recently as COO. Prior to that, he worked for four years for Milwaukee Electric Tool, six years for Robert Bosch GmbH and four years for the Cadillac Motor Car division of GM. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Based in Saukville, Wisconsin, Charter Steel is a fully integrated American manufacturer of special bar quality (SBQ) bar, rod and wire products. 

Jeff Lovett has been named national sales manager for Comtran, part of Marmon Electrical. He most recently worked for six years for Service Wire Company, and before that, for 14 years for Aetna Insulated Wire in key marketing and sales positions. He holds a B.S. degree in marketing and business management from Bentley University. Based in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and part of Marmon Electrical, Comtran provides specialty cable and system solutions. 

Davis-Standard has named Christian Eidt as chief information officer, part of the company’s senior management team. He will be responsible for IT strategy, corporate systems, data and analytics, and cyber security. He previously worked for FactSet Research Systems as senior vice president of strategic planning and business transformation. He is a graduate of the Boston College Carroll School of Management. Based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Davis-Standard, LLC, is a global leader in extrusion and converting technology. 

Jamie Hendricks has been named plant manager for the Hartselle location of Cerrowire, a business of Marmon Holdings. He previously worked for a sister business, Fontaine Trailer Company, the largest platform trailer manufacturer in North America. He holds a B.S. degree in construction engineering from the University of Alabama. Based in Hartselle, Alabama, Cerrowire manufactures copper wire at plants in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, and Utah.

 
Obituary

Professor Bogdan Golis, a long-time contributor of WJI technical papers and the first person from Poland to win the Mordica Memorial Award, died June 29 in Częstochowa, Poland, at age 85.

A key organizer for many of the conferences and seminars organized by WAI’s Poland Chapter and a kind person, he was always ready to help others. Fittingly, two weeks earlier he had been given two copies of a book that covers the history of the Poland Chapter that were distributed on May 18 at its IX Conference. He was born on that day in 1937 in Łowicz.

Golis attended the Częstochowa University of Technology (CUT), and was production manager at the Wire and Wire Products Factory in Gliwice from 1960-67, then branch manager at the Central Laboratory of Metal Products in Zabrze for the next ten years. He earned his doctoral degree at CUT in 1972, and in 1982 was an associate professor/researcher at the Polmetal Research and Development Center in Krakow. From 1987-90, he was CUT’s dean of faculty for metallurgy, and head of the Department of Metal Forming in this faculty, from 1988-96. He became a WAI member in 1995 and was vice president of the Poland Chapter from 1999 to 2010, working closely with his colleague and good friend Jan Pilarczyk, who served as chapter president. In 2000 he won WAI’s Mordica Memorial Award. He was named a full CUT professor in 2001, and won the 2003 - State Award - Medal of National Education and the 2004 Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He was the driving force behind the 2006 creation of the Schneider Memorial Award, the highest such award for Poland, based on WAI’s Mordica Award.

He is survived by his wife, Leokadia Czapka, daughters, Beata Pająk and Małgorzata Zaczkowska; and three grandchildren.

7/3/2022 -  FENN, LLC, to announce that it has acquired the intellectual property of Engineered Machinery Group Inc., which includes the rights to MacBee Engineering Group, and will continue to build and support their product lines.

Per the company, MacBee Engineering, founded in 1966, was known as an American manufacturer of sink and draw machines, drawbenches, payoffs, take-ups, and a variety of ancillary equipment. In 2004, former MacBee Vice President John Stevens purchased MacBee Engineering, adding the MacBee product line to his own company, Engineered Machinery Group.

Although Stevens closed the company in 2013, the MacBee product line continued after being licensed to Steven’s son, who operated his own firm—also named MacBee—until the pandemic forced its closure. Despite the closure, Stevens continued to maintain ownership of all MacBee designs & intellectual property, supporting the product line with his newly formed “John Stevens Consulting” firm. While customers have continued to rely on Stevens for assistance with their MacBee equipment, he was eager to find a new, permanent home for the MacBee rights. This would allow customers to not only purchase new machinery, but also enjoy a greater depth and breadth of service and spare parts availability.

With a similar focus in clientele, industries and equipment, FENN was a natural fit. “MacBee’s wire and tube focused product lines are an excellent complement to our existing drawbench, swager and wire shaping offerings. We look forward to utilizing FENN’s existing infrastructure to continue providing MacBee equipment, service, and spare parts for MacBee customers,” said FENN President Ryan Cutter. ”

With more than 50 years of experience with wire & tube machinery, Stevens will join FENN as a consultant to continue supporting MacBee product lines. “I am excited to work with the FENN team to continue building and supporting MacBee machinery. I am thrilled to see the MacBee legacy continue with FENN’s resources, support and guidance,” he said.

Customers with immediate MacBee inquiries can contact FENN at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..