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Names in the News: Donnelly, Milacron, Wittmann Battenfeld, Rapid, Absolute Haitian, and ZhafirNames in the News: Donnelly, Milacron, Wittmann Battenfeld, Rapid, Absolute Haitian, and Zhafir

We start this edition of Names in the News at custom injection molder Donnelly Custom Manufacturing, best known for its short run molding expertise. The processor, with about 220 employees at its facility in Alexandria, MN, has installed a Super Mold Maker 2500i vertical computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine, made by Mazak, to add more muscle to its internal molding and tooling engineering support.

PlasticsToday Staff

June 28, 2011

4 Min Read
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The company reports that the machine, which already is up-and-running, has helped to reduced lead times on work that no longer needs to be subcontracted. Employees have found the machine's probe and laser tool setter beneficial for fast, accurate setups. Before, these were performed manually on other CNC machines or outsourced to other tool shops.

The new CNC machine complements Donnelly's recent investment in an LDI laser inspection scanner as well as in Solid Works and SolidCam CAD/CAM software.

Having the new capabilities in-house has allowed for more control of scheduling and has cut lead times at Donnelly by anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks on some tooling projects, according to the processor.

Plastics processing machinery manufacturer Milacron LLC (Batavia, OH) recently hired Mike Prachar to serve as the company's new VP marketing for its global plastics machinery business. Prachar will be responsible for the design and implementation of global marketing programs for injection and extrusion machinery.
 
Prachar comes to Milacron after nearly 20 years in the industrial bearings industry.

Meanwhile, plastics auxiliary machinery, robots and injection molding machinery manufacturer Wittmann Battenfeld USA has made several new management appointments on the sales side. Sonny Morneault was recently promoted to the position of national sales manager. An employee since 2007, Morneault most recently served as regional manager/material handling systems for the company.  Prior to joining Wittmann Battenfeld, he spent 18 years in various management positions at Branson Ultrasonics/Emerson. 

Tom Schaffner was recently promoted to the position of national sales/robotics division. He will report to Sonny Morneault.  A Wittmann employee since 1990, Schaffner has served as regional manager/robotics for the company, as well as national service manager. 

New to the company is Michael Kirschnick, who has joined Wittmann Battenfeld as the new manager of the company's injection molding machine division manager. He will work out of the company's U.S. headquarters in Torrington, CT.  Before joining Wittmann Battenfeld, Kirschnick worked for 25 years at Husky, most recently as GM of that company's sales & service technical center in Pennsylvania. 

"We are excited for Sonny and Tom, who are well-known to our customers, and are happy to have a professional of Michael's caliber joining our team," said David Preusse, president of Wittmann Battenfeld USA.  "I'm confident they will all do a great job and help us keep up with our continued growth."

Rapid Granulator, headquartered in Bredaryd, Sweden,announced new senior executive appointments, including that Kirk Winstead has assumed the role of CEO for the Rapid Group. Officially appointed on April 12th, 2011, Winstead brings 24 years of experience with Rapid Granulator Inc., including the previous nine years as president of Rapid Granulator Inc. (Cranberry Township, PA), also home to Rapid sister company Conair, a leading manufacturer of plastics auxiliary machinery.

"I'm proud and honored to be offered this position after serving Rapid Granulator for the last 24 years," said Winstead. "We have continued with impressive sales momentum from 2010 over into 2011, achieving our best first quarter order intake in many years. And we are now in a position where we can take our product development in conjunction with market and company growth to the next level."

The company also announced its Magnus Titusson as the new managing director for Rapid Granulator at its Swedish HQ. Titusson has more than 11 years of experience with the company. He held the position of technical director for 10 years and more recently was plant manager and vice managing director for the past year.

Absolute Haitian (Worcester, MA), the U.S. sales and service representative of the Chinese injection molding machine manufacturer, Haitian, has hired Randy L. Wendling to fill the newly created position of director of aftermarket operations for the company. Wendling will be responsible for parts, service, and training, managing the company’s planned growth and refinement of its entire aftermarket organization. Wendling joins Absolute Haitian after 20 years at Sumitomo Demag and its predecessors, Demag Plastics Group, and Van Dorn Demag. At those companies, he held management responsibility in both the aftermarket parts and field-service areas.

At injection molding machinery manufacturer Zhafir Plastics Machinery GmbH, the German arm of Chinese molding machine giant Haitian, Dieter Seifert has joined the team from Haitian International's headquarters in Ningbo to take on the role as director of operations. Also new to the firm is Constantin Missel, who has taken over the job of product manager for the all-electric injection molding machines.

Both will support Steffen Franz, who is the technical director for Zhafir in Germany. Managing director of Zhafir remains Helmar Franz, who also is a member of the board of directors of Haitian. Haitian formed Zhafir more than 5 years ago in Ebermannsdorf, Germany.

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