Mount Gilead, Ohio-based HPM has become the exclusive U.S. and Canadian distributor for Italian injection presses from Sandretto Industrie SpA, as the two machinery players join forces.
HPM, a division of Taylor's Industrial Services LLC, is known for its large-tonnage machines for markets such as automotive and appliances. Sandretto's strength is in smaller and midsize, high-speed machines for packaging, medical and other markets.
HPM and Sandretto announced the distribution agreement Feb. 15.
``It's a good deal for both companies,'' said Gerry Sposato, HPM's director of sales and marketing. ``We're not overlapping and we effectively got the markets that either one of us was not a major player in. We're not really stepping on anybody's territories.''
Sandretto's U.S. operation will remain open in Cranberry Township, near Mars, Pa. Key Sandretto people will stay, including Jerry Singer as sales manager and Shawna Wood as sales and service administrator. ``We also will retain their service people that they had in the U.S. and their tech person that was out of Cranberry,'' Sposato said.
Sales, service and spare parts are being handled out of both facilities, in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Sandretto people will be HPM employees.
Singer called the deal ``a good marriage for the Italians and HPM.'' He said Sandretto and HPM rarely compete directly for orders.
``We complement each other's products nicely,'' Singer said.
Sandretto does make some large-tonnage injection presses in Italy, but the high cost of shipping them to the United States eats into the profit on those machines, Singer said.
Sandretto Industrie is based in Turin, Italy. Taylor's Industrial Services is in Tinton Falls, N.J.