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

Magazine Issue October 2008

The Shifting Dragon

Sulbras Moldes e Plasticos Ltda.

Quality Production

Sulbras Moldes e Plasticos is a Brazilian company specializing in injection molding of plastic components. Its products go out to a variety of markets such as HVAC, automotive, electronics, computers and printers, white-line goods, buses and trucks. Amanda Luciano reports…

Roy Metal Products

Displaying Flexibility

Roy Metal Products is one of the largest North American manufacturers of customized metal store fixtures. David Soyka reports on how this company helps polish the look of leading retail establishments.

Samuel Strapping Systems

Strapped In For the Long Haul

Originally founded in 1855 and now servicing a wide range of industries, Samuel Strapping Systems helps customers effectively surmount physical challenges related to product transportation. The Toronto-based single-source supplier satisfies packaging and unitizing needs, ensuring clients’ final packages are delivered…

Reliance Fixture Solutions

Leveraging Capacity

Reliance Solutions leverages the production capacity of its parent company, ready-to-assemble furniture maker bush industries, to provide component parts to OEMs in the store fixtures, institutional, furniture, wood point-of-purchase display, retail, kitchen and bath industries. David Soyka reports on how…

Richmond Yachts

Sea-Going Crafters

Award winning Richmond Yachts has the capability to simultaneously make four composite yachts in the 120-foot to 155-foot length category; it is the only builder of 145-foot yachts and is somewhat unusual in building completed boats to sell, rather than…

Metasa

Metal Building

Metasa is one of the largest companies in Brazil that supplies metal structures to the engineering sector, attaining the credibility required to win major contracts for building off-shore oil drilling platforms and thermoelectric plants. Carlos Accioly explains how Metasa rose…

Otam Ventiladores Industriais

Keeping Brazil Cool

OTAM has been manufacturing industrial fans in Brazil since 1979. Today, the company has a broad spectrum of clients and an enviable position in the market. Reuben Ford speaks to company President Carlos Ferreira Ehlerss about how OTAM has kept…

Parque Industrial Queretaro

Independent Development

In 1997 it was just an empty field, but now 84 companies call it home. Parque Industrial Querétaro, the best industrial park in Latin America, caters to multinational companies, and has plans to expand and accommodate even more clients. Rachel…

Maquinaria Diesel S.A. de C.V.

Built to Last Plethora of Industries | Industry Today

With over 60 years’ experience providing world-class machinery to a plethora of industries in Mexico, Maquinaria Diesel S.A. de C.V. has established a strong network of clients that depend on the company’s impeccable service and product quality to achieve the…

Metalmix Industria e Comercio Ltda.

Solid as Steel

Metalmix started out manufacturing steel tables and chairs for Brazil’s major breweries. Then, practically overnight, the breweries decided they wanted plastic furniture instead. CEO Valdenir Rodrigues tells Michael Sommers how the company not only stayed in business, but thrived by…

Metalsa SA de CV

Framework for Success

Mexico-based METALSA S.A. de C.V. was founded over half a century ago to manufacture industrial components in fields ranging from construction to shipping. Today, serving multinational companies the likes of Chrysler and Ford, METALSA is a major player in North…

K-Sea Transportation

A Fleet Of Service

Where do petroleum manufacturers go when the refined petroleum products have reached the end of the line by pipelines, motor carriers and railroads? Armando Diana learns that K-Sea transportation is a key player in providing the ‘last mile’ transportation of…

Llano de la Torre

Designing Spaces

As a retailer of high-quality bathroom furnishings and tiles, Grupo Llano de la Torre helps consumers throughout Mexico customize areas in their homes and offices. Rachel Hartman looks at the track record of this growing Mexican company.

IMT Corporation

IMT Corporation | Industry Today

In business since 1914, IMT partnership already looks ahead to its second hundred years, as it moves into a new era of growth. Currently comprised of five business units, and with competencies that include machining and forging, the Canadian company…

HZM Industrial Ltda.

Steel Frontiers

HZM is a Brazilian company working in the heavy metallurgic sector, and has provided some of the most important initiatives for economic development in its geographic region. Fabio Silva explains how the company has gone about reaching and expanding this…

IBRAP/ESAF

Building Foundations | Industry Today

IBRAP and Esaf have been supplying the Brazilian construction industry for over 60 years. Having successfully weathered the once unstable economy, the company is now enjoying the calm after the storm as one of the leaders in the production of…

Hardi North America

Crop Protectors

Let us spray. Hardi North America’s sizeable congregation of customers, including large and small farmers, hobby gardeners and lawn-keepers, are firm believers in the company’s sophisticated technology. A division of Hardi International, the Iowa-based enterprise provides a broad range of…

Hydro Mobile

High Level Access

Hydro Mobile designs, manufactures and markets mast climbing work platforms used as access equipment for commercial, institutional, industrial and residential construction. David Soyka reports on this Canadian company’s uplifting approach to a hazard-free work environment.

Guardian do Brasil

Guardian do Brasil | Industry Today

With 75 years of experience, Guardian is a leading manufacturer of float glass and special glass products that supplies the automotive, architecture and interior design sectors with cutting-edge solutions. Helen Larkin explores how the Brazilian branch of this international float…

Habilitaciones y Servicio Industriales

World Class Production

By keeping up with industrial standards on a global level, Habilitaciones y Servicios Industriales S.A. De C.V., a Mexico-based manufacturing company specializing in plastics and industrial packing, has been able to play on the international court and receive an increasing…

Administracion Poruaria Integral Topolobampo

Gateway To Asia

The smallish Port of Topolobampo is located on Mexico’s western coast, tucked behind the Baja Peninsula. It’s about to take on a more important role. If all goes according to plan, Mexico will construct a shipping corridor between Topolobampo and…

Wirex Cable

Power to the Cables

As the third-largest power cable manufacturer in Brazil, Wirex Cable is an important player in a specialized market. Recently named ‘Best Brazilian Company 2007’ by industry magazine Exame, Wirex is going from strength to strength. Sales Director Fernando Berardo talks…

Zamma Corporation

Moulding to the Market

Janice Gable Bashman reports on how Zamma Corporation, a producer of pre-finished profile moulding, meets the challenging demands of the home improvement, commercial construction, and automotive components markets.

W3 Industria Metalurgica Ltda.

Furniture of Steel

What began as a small steel furniture company has become a leader in storage and industrial furniture. Helen Larkin reports on how Brazilian pioneer W3 has capitalized on family values to earn itself a reputation of integrity and quality in…

Wellman Furnaces, Inc.

Harnessing the Heat

A truly versatile and innovative company, Wellman Furnaces Inc. rarely ever does the same thing twice. The provider of high-temperature, heat-processing solutions offers customized engineering of fuel-fired and electrically heated furnaces and other heat-processing systems. Based in Indiana, Wellman serves…

U & M Mineracao and Construcao S.A.

Mining for the Future

U&M Mineração e Construção S.A. is recognized as one of Brazil’s leading mining and heavy construction service companies. Dedicated to every detail of the industry, the company promises record growth and revenue, and even greater concern for the environment in…

Unasol Aquecimento Solar

Sunny Days Ahead

In a world where concern for resources is growing, economical and environmentally friendly solutions are welcome. This is exactly what four engineers created when they founded Unasol in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Company President José Augusto Lawisch shines some light on…

The Huck Group

Shooting for the Stars

Being the best is about holding true to the values that have led The Huck Group to its current position as one of the 15 largest custom fixture manufacturers in North America, a company whose goal is to position itself…

Top- Co

Top of the World

During its 45-year history, Top-Co LP has emerged as a leading global supplier of cementing solutions. In recent years, driven by new ownership, the company has focused on enhancing quality, expanding the product line and manufacturing capabilities and extending its…

Trailers y Tanques SA de CV

Holding Their Own

As the only company in Mexico that manufactures aluminum tanks, Trailers y Tanques S.A. de C.V. paves the way in innovation and technology in its industry. Rachel Hartman provides an in-depth report on the young company’s fast-paced track to success.

Seed Hawk

From Seed to Success

Providing technology that seeds in soil from the Canadian prairies to Russian farm fields, Saskatchewan-based Seed Hawk is emerging as a global leader in zero-tillage seeding systems. A partnership with a Swedish manufacturing firm will solidify this position, Dan Harvey…

Semex

Traffic Pioneers

From street signs to construction cones and speed bumps, Semex S.A. covers nearly every aspect of traffic control products and services. Rachel Hartman investigates this firm’s dominant presence in Mexico and its recent efforts to become a world player in…

Grupo Montana Industria de Maquinas

Generating Agricultural Solutions

With three large manufacturing facilities located in strategic locations across Brazil, Montana is proud of its close ties to both small and large farmers. It is this intimate knowledge and understanding of the sector that enable Montana to carry out…

Gazin Ind. E Comercio

Furnished Style

Many companies can brag about commercial success, and some are able to equal such success with their commitment towards workers or their communities. In Brazil, Grupo Gazin, a leading provider of furniture and appliance products, has shown that it's possible…

Gravia Industria e Perfilados de Aco

Built On Dreams & Steel

The world was a different place in the early 1960s, when Gravia, then a small metal sheet factory, opened for business in Brazil’s new federal capital. Helen Larkin investigates how this family-run business has been ahead of the game at…

Fimex SA de CV

Casting Around The World

With its knack for creating highly technical products that meet its clients’ detailed needs, Fimex, a family-owned company in Guadalajara, Mexico, has established itself in top international markets. Rachel Hartman takes a look at how the company’s casting and machining…

Ciser Parafusos e Porcas

The Nuts & Bolts Of It

For nearly 50 years Ciser has been manufacturing fasteners and metal components, meeting the needs of a wide range of industries. Reuben Ford speaks to director vinicius allage about the company’s firm hold on the market in Latin America.

CIV Cia Industrial de Vidros

Top Of The Glass

In 2008, CIV, Brazil’s leading national manufacturer of glassware and glass packaging solutions, celebrated 50 years of activity. As Michael Sommers discovers, while the company hasn’t forgotten its past, it is definitely looking forward to a future in which glass…

CRW Plasticos

Breaking the Industry Mold

Leaders in the Brazilian automotive industry have long looked to CRW Plastics as their parts supplier. Now, from Slovakia to the USA and beyond, the rest of the world is heeding this example and turning to this internationally recognized company…

DHB Componentes Automotivos S.A.

Steering the Automotive Market

Located in one of Brazil's most productive regions, DHB is one of the country's largest producers of manual and hydraulic steering systems. From its very beginnings, the company invested time and treasure to acquire the newest technology and to train…

Astrolite Alloys

High Wire Walkers

Astrolite Alloys provides high-end wire products comprised of the most sophisticated alloys. Since its inception more than 30 years ago, the company has been an integral supplier to the aerospace industry. but as it moves forward, the California-based organization is…

Automation Controls & Electric Inc.

Electrical Ace

In the oil industry’s early days, rigs were cable comprised constructions booming with loud rhythms of pulleys, belts and levers. Canada-based Automation Controls and Electric inc. (ACE) has taken the industry into the new century with advanced automation control systems,…

Artistic Stairs Ltd.

Taking Stairs to A New Level

Janice Gable Bashman reports on how Artistic Stairs, a leading builder and installer of high-quality customer stairs and staircase parts, thrives in a highly competitive environment.

Altex Industries, Inc.

Fabricating Opportunity

Altex industries Is a leading designer and manufacturer of heat transfer equipment used in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. David Soyka reports on how this fabricator ventures forth to serve the fast growing needs of companies developing western Canada’s…

Aluminum Curtainwall-Inland Glass

Up With The Curtain

When superman was leaping tall buildings in a single bound, Armando Diana wonders if he ever noticed the building’s curtainwall? It doesn’t matter because while superman was saving the world, Aluminum Curtainwall Systems was putting a façade on it.

Administracion Poruaria Integral Ensenada

Port Of Progress

One of the most important commercial ports on Mexico’s pacific coast, the Port of Ensenada expands its capacity to respond to the increasing demands generated by international trade. Alicia C. Gallardo tells the story.

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