E-IJPM: Vol. 44/4 - MPIF

The following items have appeared in PM Newsbytes since the previous
issue of the Journal. To read a fuller treatment of any of these items, go
to www.apmiinternational.org, login to the “Members Only” section, and
click on “Expanded Stories from PM Newsbytes.”
Big Tungsten Deal Signed
The Plansee Group, Reutte, Austria,
has agreed to purchase the Global
Tungsten & Powders (GTP) business
unit from OSRAM GmbH, Munich,
Germany, a Siemens company, for
an undisclosed amount. GTP, which
posted fiscal year 2007 sales of
approximately 280 million euros
(about $437 million), employs 1,050
people in plants in Towanda, Pa.,
and Bruntál, Czech Republic.
Atomization Course in U.K.
Atomising Systems Limited,
Sheffield, U.K., will conduct a
course entitled Atomisation for
Metal Powders, October 20–21,
2008, at the University of Salford in
Manchester, U.K. The course will
cover the fundamental principles of
atomization and the primary methods
of spraying metals.
Chinese Auto Industry Booming
Last year 5.2 million passenger
vehicles were sold in China, reports
Automotive News in its 2008 Guide
to China’s Auto Market. Overall
sales jumped 21 percent compared
to 2006, while sales of SUVs surged
50 percent to 357,000 units.
Web Site Re-Launched
The NanoSteel Company has relaunched
its Web site nanosteelco.
com. The new site includes a new
design, easier navigation, and new
content enhancements.
Furnace Company’s Silver
Anniversary
Abbott Furnace Company, St.
Volume 44, Issue 4, 2008
International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
Marys, Pa., celebrates 25 years in
business with a series of special
events. Incorporated in 1983, the
privately held company makes
mesh-belt and pusher sintering furnaces,
as well as annealing, brazing,
and glass-to-metal-sealing furnaces.
Sales Growth at European PM
Parts Maker
Sales for the 2007–08 fiscal year at
Miba AG, Laakirchen, Austria, rose
17.5 percent to 387.7 million euros
(about $600 million). Earnings
before interest and taxes increased
24.5 percent to 27.6 million euros
(about $43 million).
Mammoth HIP Press Installed
The Northwest regional service center
of Bodycote–HIP in Camas,
Wash., has taken delivery of an
Avure Technologies Inc. high-capacity
hot isostatic press (HIP). It is
identical in size to a unit installed in
1998, with the two units ranking as
the largest HIP presses ever built,
Avure reports.
New Line of Porous Metal
Spargers
Mott Corporation, Farmington,
Conn., offers a new line of quickchange
spargers that reduce the
time to replace sparger elements in
bioreactors and fermentors.
The porous metal element can be
purchased with an adapter that
allows easy assembly to the
mating sparger tip and easy removal
for replacement.
PM INDUSTRY
NEWS IN REVIEW
American Axle Strike Settlement
Brings Good News for the PM
Industry
American Axle & Manufacturing
Holdings, Inc. (AAM), Detroit, Mich.,
has settled the 12-week strike with
the International UAW representing
about 3,650 workers at five plants
in Michigan and New York. AAM
says it expects to have its plants
onstream again during the week of
May 26.
New Bodycote Acquisitions
Bodycote International plc in the UK
has acquired three UK companies:
Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd.,
Greenhey Engineering Services, and
NPE Innotek Ltd. The acquired companies
join the Metallurgical
Coatings division of Bodycote’s
Thermal Processing Group.
PM2008 World Congress Draws
Large International Audience
Beginning with the welcoming
reception and dinner on June 8, the
2008 World Congress on Powder
Metallurgy & Particulate Materials
was attended by more than 1,600
delegates. Powder metallurgists and
industry executives from 40 countries
learned about hot new PM
developments and the latest company
news through networking and
attending technical sessions and the
trade exhibition.
The International Business
Picture
The presidents of MPIF, the
European Powder Metallurgy
Association (EPMA), and the Japan
ijpm
5