Deals, personnel changes highlight 2016

As 2016 winds down, the U.S. plastics machinery business remains healthy — part of the “real economy” that shrugged off the strangest, nastiest presidential campaign in the modern age. You got to eat. You need a new car. No matter who is president.

A blockbuster global deal kicked off the year. The state-owned China National Chemical Corp., known as ChemChina, said it was buying KraussMaffei Group, one of the world's biggest makers of injection molding machines and extruders. The price: $1.01 billion.

People are a big part of the news every year in plastics. In 2016, Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. went outside the industry to grab an Electrolux executive, Jack Truong, for its top spot. On New Year's Day, machinery veteran Gerd Liebig becomes CEO of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH. HPM North America promoted John Beary to president. Harold Luttmann became acting CEO of Athena Automation, as living legend Robert Schad began to transition — to what? — it's hard to imagine Schad lounging around in retirement….

SPI leader Bill Carteaux faced a challenge as he announced he was diagnosed with early-stage leukemia and was undergoing treatment. He remains as upbeat as ever, a personality he displayed in his machinery career at Autojectors and Demag Plastics Group.

A role model for hard work, Carteaux will need his enthusiastic energy next year to explain how a President Trump will impact U.S. manufacturing.

Engel Holding GmbH also made people news in 2016. Georg and Irene Schwarz, the husband-and-wife-team who led Engel Group for three decades, both died. On Dec. 1, Peter Neumann, Engel's longstanding CEO, turns the leadership over to young Stefan Engleder, one of the family-ownership's members.

At Bekum Maschinenfabriken GmbH, Michael Mehnert, the son of the founder Gottfried Mehnert, was named managing partner. He took over the management of Bekum's factory in Austria, where the blow molding press maker moved from its original home in Berlin.

And in business news, Ube Machinery Corp. Ltd. bought an 85 percent majority stake in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s injection molding machinery business.

Safety standards made news in 2016. The mechanical drop bar was deemed not needed for new horizontal-clamp injection presses. And then a big one: starting Jan. 1, injection molding companies in Michigan need to update lock-out procedures, during mold changes, according to a rule handed down by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Happy New Year!

Milacron Holdings Corp. made it official: After years of ups and downs, it was moving manufacturing of its Ferromatik Milacron injection molding presses out of Malterdingen, Germany, to the Czech Republic.

Read on for a look at major events of 2015:

State-owned ChemChina said it was buying KraussMaffei Group, the major global plastics machinery group, for $1.01 billion.

Husky announced that Jack Truong is its new president and CEO. He comes to the maker of injection molding machines and hot runners from Electrolux North America, where he was the CEO, as well as executive vice president of the parent company, Swedish appliance maker AB Electrolux.

February

John Beary was named the president of HPM North America Corp., which sells injection molding machines and die-casting machinery made by its parent company, Guangdong Yizumi Precision Machinery Co. Ltd.

Five machinery executives, speaking in a panel discussion at the Plastics News Executive Forum, predicted U.S. shipments could top 4,000 for 2016, after passing the landmark level in 2015. That's what ended up happening, according to equipment executives.

Safety standards eliminated the mechanical drop bar for newly built, horizontal-clamp injection molding machines, saying the drop bar, also called a jam bar, was not needed because the machines already have several independent safety circuits.

Paul Schall, founder and owner of the trade fair company that organizes the Fakuma exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany, died. He was 76.

Milacron announced March 10 that the U.S.-based machinery maker was moving assembly of Ferromatik Milacron injection molding presses out of Malterdingen, Germany, the brand's longtime home, and moving it to the Czech Republic. The move eliminated about 132 factory jobs in Malterdingen.

Irene and Georg Schwarz, who led Engel Holding GmbH for three decades, died within a few days of each other in late March and early April at ages 86 and 88. They were married in 1951.

Absolute Machinery Corp. announced plans for a 13,000-aquare-foot expansion at its main facility in Worcester, Mass. The company buys and sells used equipment.

April 

A judge in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto dismissed a lawsuit filed by Husky against Husky founder and former owner Robert Schad and his new machinery company, Athena Automation Ltd. The judge also dismissed Schad's countersuit. Husky appealed, but later decided to drop the appeal.

Milwaukee private equity firm Mason Wells bought MGS Mfg. Group Inc., the injection molding company, mold maker and maker of equipment like rotary platens for multicomponent molding.

June

Davis-Standard LLC is adding 15,000 square feet to its headquarters in Pawcatuck, Conn. — to house manufacturing of blown film dies there from Gloucester, Mass. Davis-Standard purchased Gloucester Equipment, the maker of film equipment, in the fall of 2015.

Bole North America, of Scottsdale, Ariz., became the new exclusive distributor of Chinese-made Bole injection presses in the United States and Canada. Veteran plastics machinery salesman Scott Rains is vice president of sales. Bole North America is a subsidiary of KD Capital Equipment, a supplier of used plastics equipment and CNC machining centers.

July

Barnes Group Inc. said it would buy the Foboha business, a maker of rotating cube molds.

Ube Machinery announced it was buying an 85 percent majority stake in the injection press business of fellow Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.

Milacron and Mid-America Machining Inc. settled a patent lawsuit over lightweight blow molded milk jugs.

Renzo Davatz became the CEO of injection press maker Netstal-Maschinen AG in Switzerland, part of KraussMaffei Group. Davatz started at Netstal in 1989 as an apprentice electrical engineer.

Blow molding equipment firm Mag-Plastic Machinery Inc., closed its office near Cincinnati. Amsler Equipment Inc. continued to handle its business, since Mag-Plastics had stopped making new blow molding machinery several years ago.

Zag Equipment Sales Inc., which sells and refurbishes used injection molding presses and auxiliary equipment, opened a new 20,000-square-foot building in Gibsonville, N.C.

Extrusion systems manufacturer Processing Technologies International LLC broke ground on a $10 million expansion at its headquarters plant in Aurora, Ill.

Harold Luttmann was named acting CEO of Athena Automation. Robert Schad shifted to chief commercial officer, on a temporary basis.

September

Nordson Corp. announced it was moving screw and barrel production from Youngstown, Ohio, and New Castle, Pa., into a single, 200,000-square-foot manufacturing building in Austintown, Ohio, near Youngstown. The move will happen over the next 18 months.

October

Some 230,000 visitors from more than 160 countries descended on the huge Messe Düsseldorf in Germany for the K 2016 trade show, held Oct. 19-26. That was 5.5 percent higher than K 2013. The visitors checked out the technological wares from 3,285 exhibitors.

Gerd Liebig will become CEO of Sumitomo Demag, beginning Jan. 1, as he gets promoted from chief sales manager at the injection press maker. The company announced the news Oct. 5, two weeks before K 2016.

Italian blow molding machinery maker Magic MP SpA announced plans to open a U.S. showroom and headquarters in 2017, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Engel bought a provider of manufacturing execution systems, T.I.G. (Technische Informationssysteme GmbH), a further step into Industry 4.0.

Blow molder machinery veteran Bob Jackson was named winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Society of Plastics Engineers' Annual Blow Molding Conference. He owns Jackson Machinery Inc.

Ettlinger GmbH has started selling its specialty injection molding machines in the United States, that make very thick-walled parts such as large pipe fittings and pallets.

Farrel Corp. is getting ready to open a new site for its Farrel Continuous Mixers business unit, as the company consolidates its operations in Ansonia, Conn., from four aging buildings into a modern, single building.

December

Longtime Engel CEO Peter Neumann handed the reins of Engel over to Stefan Engleder, great-grandson of the company's founder, Ludwig Engel, on Dec. 1. Engleder was the injection press maker's chief technical officer.

Injection molding companies in Michigan prepared to update lock-out procedures on their presses during mold changes, starting Jan. 1, under a MIOSHA regulation change.