Valbruna Slater Stainless Inc., a stainless steel and nickel-alloy manufacturer, has announced plans to expand its operations in Fort Wayne, Indiana., creating up to 45 new jobs by 2017. The company, which is a subsidiary of Vicenza, Italy-based Acciaierie Valbruna SpA, will invest $30.5 million to renovate and equip its Fort Wayne facilities, constructing a 166,000-sq.-ft. addition. The…

During a recent exclusive interview with Dr. Giorgio Colombo, President of Italy's ASSOCOMAPLAST, the national association for plastics and rubber processing machinery and mold manufacturers' association, he shared his thoughts and insights on the industry's transitional period experienced in 2013, current and future challenges faced by manufacturers and a clear outlook for 2014. President, do…

The first edition of MECHA-TRONIKA, the fair of intelligence for the industrial production recently completed its successful run October 23-26 at the Fiera Milano trade show center in Milan, Italy. MECHA-TRONIKA is a premier show dedicated to the systems and technologies able to optimize the machines, processes and systems management. Organised by EFIM-ENTE FIERE ITALIANE MACCHINE and FIERA…

The auto parts industry is working hand in hand with the Ministry of Economy (SE) to create Mexican Official Standards (NOM) to standardize the quality of automotive parts. "Very few spare parts in Mexico have a NOM, so we are practically starting from scratch," said Oscar Albin, president of the National Auto Parts Industry (INA). The objective is for the new standards to distinguish between a…

The Japanese automaker Honda announced Thursday that it will invest $470million dollars to build its fourth plant in Mexico, which will be located in Celaya, Guanajuato, and will specialize in the production of transmissions. Tetsuo Iwamura, executive vice president of Honda Motor, said the new factory will generate 1,500 direct jobs and will start operations in the second half of 2015. Last year…

In his inaugural speech at the Plastimagen Mexico 2013 industrial fair, held in Mexico City last March, the president of Anipac, engineer José Anselmo del Cueto, highlighted the role of plastics in the automotive industry. According to the executive, in this niche, the progressive replacement of traditional materials with plastic implies great fuel savings, greater comfort, lower cost and greater…

Antonio Marcegaglia, the chief executive of Italian Marcegaglia predicted that hot rolled coil (HRC) price should climb up by €20-€30/ton. He analyzed that this was mainly because Japan has been recovering from the disaster and China has been developing its housing plan. Also, the prices of tubes and other final steel products would hopefully outpace an expected increase in raw material prices,…

Italy produces approximately 50% of the machinery used to produce footwear and leather goods around the world and 80% of tanning machinery globally, according to Assomac, an association that represents Italian manufacturers of machines for footwear, leather and tannery industries. Many of the manufacturers are small, with the entire industry employing approximately 6,200 people in Italy. There…

It might not be the first place you think of when it comes to high-tech machine tools, but Italy has a long history of producing equipment that helps manufacturing plants operate efficiently. For instance, The Sacmi Group has been doing it since 1919. The US$1.7 billion company provides machinery for the packaging, beverage, ceramics, food processing and plastics industries. The company has come…