’s Extrusion division has installed a new management team, naming Andreas Kessler as the new general sales manager, Michael Hofhus as the product group manager for pipe extrusion, and Peter Oswald as the head of the profile extrusion product group. Kessler has worked at KM for almost 10 years, including time in Shanghai. In 2003, he was appointed head of extrusion sales in Asia/Oceania. Hofhus has been with KM’s Extrusion division since 2003, working as the area sales manager for Eastern Europe since 2007. Oswald has worked in the extrusion industry for almost three decades and has been with KM’s Extrusion division since 2001. Since October, he has been the Area Sales Manager for Europe.
Extrusion equipment supplier Windmöller & Hölscher Corp. (Lincoln, RI) has added Bob Duren and James Nelson to its North American staff. Duren will work as business development manager for W&H’s Form-Fill-Seal Division. Prior to joining W&H, Duren was the division manager at palletizing and material handling equipment supplier Beumer Corp. Nelson was named technical manager of Extrusion Systems. He came to W&H with more than 11 years experience in blown-film extrusion, most recently working for W&H competitor Kiefel.
A. Schulman Inc. (Akron, OH) has named Liu Hao as sales manager for China and Mannar Mannan Shanmugam as sales manager for India. Both will report to Alice Chan, business unit manager, Masterbatch Asia. The two will be responsible for growing A. Schulman’s customer base in their respective markets, which are described as “key” to its future growth. Liu has 15 years of experience in plastics, while Shanmugam has 20 years of experience in the development, production, and marketing of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film products. A. Schulman said the positions were necessitated in part by its proposed acquisition of ICO, which will broaden its presence in Asia.
Automotive parts supplier ABC Group Inc. (Toronto, ON) has appointed Helga Schmidt as chairman and Mark Poynton and Robert Kunihiro as co-managing directors. Helga Schmidt is the wife of deceased ABC Group founder, Mike (Matthias) Schmidt. Poynton joined ABC Group in 2001 and most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Kunihiro most recently served as executive vice president and chief financial officer: a position he has held since 2007.
Bunting Magnetics Co. (Newton, KS) has hired Paul Scott as a design engineer for its material handling product line. Scott, who has a mechanical engineering degree from Kansas State University, will focus on designing custom material-handling equipment and assisting in the automation of the design process through the expanded use of software applications.
Polyurethane products supplier Arnco (South Gate, CA) has hired Bill Hory as its (GEO) Green Enabling Officer, making him responsible for designing, implementing, and communicating Arnco’s evolving sustainable initiatives. Arnco’s corporate headquarters are in based in California, with production facilities there, in Berea, OH, and in Manchester, England.
Motion Controls Robotics (Fremont, OH) has named Earl Raynal as sales manager. The supplier of integrated material handling robotic systems will task Raynal with overseeing current accounts and developing new ones in a variety of industries including consumer products, plastics, food & beverage and general industries. Raynal has 26 years of experience in the material handling industry.
Medical molder MRPC (Butler, WI) has added Brunson Parish as a senior process engineer. Parish has 13 years of experience in process engineering. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from UW-Platteville in industrial engineering/plastics engineering, Parish went on to become a Silver Certified Moldflow User. He has also completed RJG’s Systematic Molding I, II, and III, training. Parish will be responsible for reviewing potential products for manufacturability, ensuring successful product development, and assessing and implementing emerging manufacturing and processing technologies.
