December 2008 - Industry Today - Leader in Manufacturing & Industry News

Magazine Issue December 2008

In The Line of Fire

Ouro Fino Industria

Top Tubs

For more than 30 years, Ouro Fino has evolved into a successful company with various divisions. Initially manufacturing automotive parts, this evolution has led to heating and filtering equipment, swimming pools and hot tubs. Reuben Ford finds out more about…

Rotobec

Lifted to the Top

Armando Diana learns how Rotobec Inc. lifts its customers and their products to lofty heights through its premier lines of material handling equipment.

Rudolph Kerb Komus LTDA

Parts and Components Maker Rudolph Usinados of Brazil

The goal of any company is to make profits, right? Of course, but not every enterprise goes about achieving that goal the same way. Luis Miranda tells us how, in the case of parts and components maker Rudolph Usinados of…

Irving Shipbuilding Inc.

Maritime Mission

Founded nearly 50 years ago, Irving Shipbuilders Inc. established a strong presence upon global waters. Targeting multiple sectors, the Canadian-based maritime enterprise helps launch new and refurbished vessels that set sail into a variety of settings to accomplish a range…

JAY-LOR

It’s in the Mix

JAY-LOR® Fabricating, Inc. manufactures bovine feed mixers that deliver the highest quality combination of nutrients that farmers and ruminants just love, using total mixed ration, the most influential factor in increasing milk production and improving cow health in 20 years.…

Marchesan Tatu

Working the Land

What started as a simple family farm equipment business is now an important player in agriculture in Brazil and around the globe. Lee Weingast looks at how Marchesan has kept – and even set – the pace of agricultural progress.

Mineracao Caraiba S/A

From the Ground Up | Industry Today

The Caraíba copper mine was discovered in 1874. Since then, Mineração Caraíba has been owned by a legendary Brazilian entrepreneur, by the Brazilian government and again by the private sector. As recently as two years ago it expected to be…

Modern Industrial Products

Aeroservicios Especilizados SA de CV (ASESA)

Janice Gable Bashman shows how Modern Industrial Structures Inc., a manufacturer of relocatable accommodations, soared to the top of its industry in a few short years and achieved over $30 million in sales last year alone.

Grupo Sadasi

Constructing Quality

During the past three decades, Grupo Sadasi, a leading company in Mexico’s housing industry, has built hundreds of thousands of homes in some of the country’s most populated areas. Rachel Hartman reports on the company’s long-standing reputation for creating homes…

Halgo Power

Steaming to the Top

Janice Gable Bashman reports on how Halgo Power, a provider of turnkey boiler solutions, has served customers’ needs for over 50 years.

Hall Tank

Super Tank

Heralded for its workmanship, quality and service, Hall Tank builds virtually indestructible tanks. As Pat Whiteman learned, that attention to detail has made the company an industry legend and kept customers loyal for more than 50 years.

Highline MFG

High-End Farm Technology

Canadian cattlemen have long looked to Highline manufacturing to provide them with advanced technology that helps them turn a larger profit. The Saskatchewan-based company has never disappointed. With over 50 years of experience in design and manufacturing of industry leading…

Great Panther Limited

Silver Diggers

For the past four years, Great Panther resources has been right in the midst of a mining renaissance. Since the company acquired the famous Guanajuato mines in late 2005, a global hike in the price of precious metals has revived…

Grupo Equipav

Grupo Equipav | Industry Today

Marie Thomas interviews Grupo Equipav’s CEO from Brazil to learn the secret of this unique infrastructure company’s phenomenal and consistent growth over the last half century.

Fleet Canada

Building on a Legacy

Fleet Canada, Inc. manufactures a broad range of aerospace structures, component parts and assemblies and is particularly adept at reverse engineering legacy designs. David Soyka reports on the soaring success of this 78-year-old subcontractor’s recent relaunch.

Danica

Global Specialist

To paraphrase Bob Dylan, Danica Corporation knows which way the wind blows. The Denmark-based enterprise established itself in Latin American markets by providing advanced technological alternatives to thermoinsulation solutions. Now the company is looking toward emerging market opportunities to solidify…

DuraTech Industries

Farm-Grown Innovations

Starting with a modified tub grinder for farmers and ranchers, DuraTech Industries International Inc. advanced from a small regional operation to a multi-facility global enterprise. During its 42-year history, the North Dakota-based organization has developed two full product lines that…

Dynetek

Hydrogen Highways

A pioneer in the development and production of CNG canisters and hydrogen cylinders, Dynetek explores new avenues for growth in the alternative fuel industry, where higher oil prices lead to further invention, as Lorie Greenspan finds.

Coatzacoalcos

A Port Without Borders

Coatzacoalcos Port in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz each year handles the largest traffic of bulk mineral and agricultural cargo in the whole country. Piotr Sadowski reports.

Controil

Brake Away

After 50 years of producing brake and other elastomer components for OEMs, Controil is picking up speed. Director Gilso Gotardo talks to Michael Sommers about the Brazilian company’s new plant, new products, and its expansion into new markets.

Development Counsellors International

Expanding Channels

Expansion of the Panama Canal precipitates growth and investment for Alabama State Port Authority.

Specialty Graphic Imaging Association

Just Hit Print

Elevate your brand’s power through packaging & interior design imaging.

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

Research and Innovation

In Canada, ‘transforming knowledge into wealth’ is the most important aspect to innovation.

Society of Manufacturing Engineers

Building an Advantage

SME conference brings diverse industries together to share the innovative uses for collection, analysis, and management of data through RFID and RTLS technologies.

Association of Equipment Manufacturers

The Quick Fix

The bargain for the U.S. and infrastructure: pay for it or face second-rank global status.

Mckinsey & Company

How the World Should Invest in Energy Efficiency

A program that targets cost-effective opportunities in energy productivity could halve the growth in energy demand, cut emissions of greenhouse gases, and generate attractive returns.

International Trade Administration Office of Public Affairs

Building Alliances

The United States and Brazil: partners for a stronger Western hemisphere.

National Association of Manufacturers

Boldy Go

Arguing that we “must not let a financial crisis frighten us into inaction,” NAM’s John Engler makes the case toward a transatlantic free trade area.

NOAA

What Lies Below

The 21st century breeds a new kind of explorer: unmanned vehicles and technologies that can go where no man has gone before. Deployed to the darkest reaches of the ocean, these pioneers – and their human counterparts – will drive…

Boston Consulting

Raw Territory

Competing for commodities in the age of a global economy means devising new strategies.

National Rifle Association

In the Line of Fire

Barack Obama’s voting record on guns is cause for alarm, explains Chris W. Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action.

Supply Chain Council

As the Dow Swings

SCOR provides supply chain flexibility in volatile economic times.

uniGear Industries

Get Your Gear

Montreal-based uniGear has built a reputation supplying monster gears for the cement and mining industries as well as smaller gears and gear boxes for myriad other customers. Join Lorie Greenspan as she enters the shop floor of this industrious company.

Victory Energy

Full Steam Ahead for Victory

Victory Energy promotes the idea that going the extra step can bring about great advances. In its industry the company has indeed made a name for itself in advancing innovation and technologies in steam generating systems, as Lorie Greenspan finds.

Viking Air

Soaring Ever Higher

While the rest of the world struggles with the current global economic situation, Viking Air Limited flies far above the fray. The Canadian-based company continues posting high-altitude revenues, thanks to the increasing versatility of its aviation activities. Its ascendance has…

Water Group

Getting the Treatment

WaterGroup has build a solid reputation over something quite fluid: water, and the technologies and systems that go into its treatment. Lorie Greenspan provides insight into this company, its philosophy and its products.

Trailtech

Modern-Day Phoenix

A major conflagration couldn’t stop Trailtech on its relentless course. Established in 1985, and following the lead of its ambitious founder Keith Brown, the Canadian-based company committed itself to continual development in trailer technology for a wide range of applications.…

Teksid do Brasil

Built to Last Quality

One of the world’s leading foundries and automotive suppliers, Brazil’s Teksid took South American industry by storm over 30 years ago and is still experiencing steady growth today. Helen Larkin takes a look inside the company, the world’s largest iron…

Thermal Corporation

Fast Company

Founded in 1969 as a distributor, Thermal Corporation quickly transformed into a designer/manufacturer of advanced and customized thermal solutions. Rapidity is a keyword, as the Alabama-based organization’s swift development metaphorically matches the speed in which it designs client-specific solutions. Dan…

Saur Equipmentos S.A.

Heavy Lifters

In 1926 a German immigrant named Saur established a small workshop for the repair of farm machinery in the south of Brazil. Today, Saur Equipamentos S.A. employs over 400 and produces heavy machinery for four major industry sectors. Sales Manager…

Sermatec

Building up Steam

Sermatec builds the largest high-yield boilers and steam generators in Brazil. One of the sectors that traditionally use its products, the sugar and alcohol production sector, is deriving most of its income from a surprising revenue stream: selling surplus electricity.…

Grupo Sada

Iron Masters

After becoming independent from its parent company in 1988, Sada Siderurgia entered the Brazilian market to produce auto parts, railroad components and grinding media for the mining and cement industries. The quality of its products quickly propelled Sada to among…

Piper Aircraft

High-Flying Achievements

Piper Aircraft, Inc. builds on a tradition of innovation, with almost 150,000 aircraft comprising 160 certified models brought to market over the past 71 years, and 90,000 of those aircraft still in service. David Soyka goes on board to see…

Polymer Plainfield

A Different Mold

Strategic mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. and worldwide have made Polymer Plainfield companies a global leader in insert molding and other production capabilities. Barbara Kram reports on a multi-national, multi-capable company.

CEUSA

Miles of Tiles

A world-renowned Brazilian ceramic company that has been refining the process of creating distinctive ceramic tiles for 50 years, CEUSA manufactures superior quality for discerning consumers across the globe. Lee Weingast explores how this company has expanded and changed over…

Cal-o-Rex

Heating Up the Market

When it comes to water heaters, Mexico-based Cal-o-Rex sports the most diverse product line in all of North America, ranging from traditional styles to solar-powered heaters. It is a company that offers something for everyone, in both residential and commercial…

Cemec

Powerful Transformations

Brazil is in transformation, and Cemec is one company that can help to empower the process. Helen Larkin investigates the circuits behind this pioneer’s transformers.

Administracion Portuaria Integral de Mazatlan

Ship-to-Shore Operations

Mexican ports are gearing up for a promising future and multipurpose ports such as API Mazatlan are hoping to gain a larger piece of the Mexican and world market share. Bob Cavallo reports.

Araupel

Wood Values

Brazil’s forests have been impacted by business, technologies, exports, currency fluctuations, environmental policies, and land disputes. Throughout all of this, Araupel has managed to build its business to become a leader in the production of wood products, as Marie Thomas…

Brudden Equipamentos

Tools for Fitness

Almost 30 years ago Brudden Equipamentos began manufacturing gardening sprays. Today, the company is also one of the largest manufacturers of fitness equipment in Brazil. Reuben Ford discovers the path between the garden and the gym, and the secrets to…

Implementos Agricolas Jan S/A

Giving Farms a Hand

In an unpredictable industry and a notoriously fluctuating economy, few Brazilian suppliers of agricultural machinery have a long history in the market; Implementos Agrícolas Jan S/A is one of the few. Having recently celebrated its 48th anniversary, the company continues…

Alberta Oil Tool

Tools for the Trade

Oil is the name of the game up in Alberta, Canada, where Alberta Oil Tool provides a range of services to this ever expanding industry. Lorie Greenspan reports.

Advance Industria Textil

Advanced Textiles

Just like wine, Advance Indústria Textil of Brazil has proven that the more it ages the better it gets. After 50 years of manufacturing fabrics and clothing lines, the company is ready to take on the fashion industry of the…

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