This Week in Power & Motion: Company Acquisitions Expand Market Opportunities
There is much going on in the world of hydraulics, pneumatics and electronics motion control, from technology introductions and industry advancements to new trends and industry leaders. Each week the Power & Motion team collects some of the latest industry news to help keep our readers up to date on what's happening in the fluid power and motion control sectors as well as the industries they serve.
Siemens Collaborating with Daimler Truck on Digital Engineering Platform
Siemens Digital Industries Software is collaborating with commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck AG to implement a state-of-the-art digital engineering platform. Daimler Truck will use the platform to explore future vehicle designs in a virtual environment, aiding with faster iterations and product development.
In addition, the digital engineering platform will aid with the company's Product Lifecycle Management, Bill of Materials management and the integration of workflows between engineering teams.
Daimler Trucks' goal is to utilize a global platform approach in which key components and vehicle platforms are developed once then scaled across the company's brands and markets. Utilizing a common, cloud-based collaboration tool will aid its engineering teams across the globe. The company chose Siemens for the development of this tool because of its experience in creating reliable digital tools for global engineering teams.
Briggs & Stratton Invests in Automation at Georgia Factory
Briggs & Stratton is making additional investments into its Advanced Battery Manufacturing facility in Tucker, GA. The company is investing $6 million to add automated equipment to its manufacturing process to aid with improving production capacity as well as safety and efficiency for its Vanguard Lithium-Ion Battery Packs.
The facility encompasses 78,000 sq. ft. with four production lines; it was built to accommodate future growth to meet the growing demand for battery technology in the off-highway equipment industry.
According to the company, the addition of automated equipment will allow production of different battery pack models and configurations on all assembly lines at the facility. Automation will add an additional layer of safety to the manufacturing process as it helps to address ergonomic strain on operators due to repetitive motion, limit the exposure of operators to sensitive materials, and ensure that material handling requirements are met the company stated in its press release announcing the facility investment.
Christopher Bonham, Plant Manager at Briggs & Stratton, also anticipates the addition of automated manufacturing equipment will improve quality levels and production performance due to the removal of variation throughout the manufacturing process.
READ MORE: Technology Partnerships Enable Optimized Pairing of Batteries and Fluid Power Systems
Trelleborg Names New VP of Marketing
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has promoted Heather Castleman to the role of Vice President of Marketing Americas. She has been with the company for two decades and will be tasked with guiding innovation developments, establishing and executing strategic goals as well as enhancing processes to further improve customer interactions.
Castleman holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and has held several roles with increasing responsibility since joining the company in 2004.
Linda Muroski, Business Unit President, says Castleman is passionate about the company and its opportunities for growth in the Americas, and that her array of experiences at the company — which most recently included leading the integration of Minnesota Rubber & Plastics after its acquisition by Trelleborg — will be beneficial in her new role.
New Company Acquisitions Bring Expanded Market Opportunities
Several company mergers were announced over the past week, providing businesses in the fluid power, motion control and related customer industries with new opportunities to expand their market presence.
Hallite Acquires SealTeam Australia
Hallite Seals Australia has announced its acquisition of SealTeam Australia which specializes in the distribution of standard and customized hydraulic and pneumatic sealing solutions. Included with the acquisition is SealTeam's sister company AB Seals.
AB Seals has been an official Hallite distributor for several years, which will help to further expand Hallite's ability to serve customers and the Australian market. SealTeam brings with it expertise in polymer and seal design as well as testing for the local market which will also benefit customers in the region.
The SealTeam group will be integrated into the Hallite brand.
Sure Grip Controls Acquires Industrial Electronic Controls
Sure Grip Controls Inc., a subsidiary of Bailey International, is acquiring Industrial Electronic Controls (IEC) which will expand the company's portfolio of electronic throttles, displays and sensors. Sure Grip Controls plans to continue developing and growing IEC's business.
According to Ken Baker, CEO of Bailey International, the acquisition will enable a broader range of electronic controls to be offered to the market and help the company "fulfill our vision to provide mobile and industrial equipment manufacturers with a fuller range of products and expand our fingertip-to-tooltip offering."
READ MORE: How Company Mergers Bring Expanded Market Opportunities
Brennan Acquiring SRM Industries
Brennan Industries is acquiring SRM Industries which will include its RHINO family of products. SRM develops hydraulic hose protective products under the RHINO brand name.
The acquisition will help to further expand Brennan's offering of hydraulic products and accessories while bringing the RHINO products to a wider market.
CNH Expands Autonomy Capabilities with Hemisphere GNSS Acquisition
CNH Industrial has entered into an agreement to acquire Hemisphere GNSS, a developer of high-performance satellite positioning technology. According to CNH, the acquisition provides a critical step toward advancing automated and autonomous machine capabilities for its agricultural and construction equipment. Combined with its Raven brand's capabilities — another relatively recent acquisition — the company says it will now be able to have full control over its precision and navigation technologies.
"This move enhances our automation and autonomy tech stack and broadens our talent pool," said Marc Kermisch, Chief Digital & Information Officer at CNH Industrial, in the company's press release announcing the acquisition. "Having Hemisphere’s technology in-house will enable us to accelerate a broad range of our precision technology programs, providing our customers with immediate productivity-enhancing solutions. It will also increase the long-term competitiveness and flexibility of our agriculture and construction portfolio."
Hemisphere will bring its proprietary Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) solutions as well as its core technology capabilities including application-specific integrated circuit chips, circuit boards, Radio Frequency signal processing, navigation algorithms and Satellite-Based Correction designs said CNH in its press release.
CNH plans to integrate Hemisphere's expertise and network into its products and services, and have Hemisphere continue to operate as a standalone business.
