Solid Height - Spring Manufacturers Institute

Global Highlights, continued from page 27
Liberty Spring Inc., Montmagny, Quebec,
Canada, has achieved ISO 14001:2004 certification
of its environmental management systems.
A report underscoring how small and mid-sized
manufacturers (SMMs) are playing an increasingly
important role in the nation’s industrial economy,
despite unprecedented challenges, was released by
The Manufacturing Institute of the National Association
of Manufacturers (NAM) and RSM McGladrey.
According to NAM president, John Engler, small
and mid-sized companies still represent more than
99 percent of America’s manufacturers, account
for 40 percent of the value of U.S. production, and
are increasingly critical to our country’s economic
success.
“Two trends are increasingly shaping the future
of SMMs,” says Manufacturing Institute president,
Jerry Jasinowski. “First, large manufacturers are
increasing their dependence on suppliers of components
as they streamline their operations to increase
productivity. This has been a positive growth story
for many SMMs, as they have innovatively expanded
business into areas formerly owned and operated
by large manufacturers. SMMs are the dominant
30 SPRINGS July 2006
part of the global supply-chain network of large
corporations.”
“The second trend, the development of increasingly
competitive production in developing countries,
cuts the other way and has toughened the landscape
for all manufacturers, including SMMs,” Jasinowski
continues. “SMMs have been entrepreneurs offering
value to their customers that low-cost overseas
competitors cannot match – such as proprietary
high-technology products, a willingness to customize,
extraordinary service and parts support, flexible
production runs and fast turnaround times.”
The SMM report also addresses global competition,
difficulty in finding employees with advanced
technical and design skills, and health care costs. A
full copy is available at www.nam.org/SMMReport.
Bauman Springs North America, based in Charlotte,
NC, has announced several promotions:
Alex Riell (right) is plant manager
for the Charlotte facility. For
the previous 10 years, he was the
quality manager at that plant. He
has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial
Technology with an Operations
Management concentration, as well
as Quality Engineer and Manufacturing Technologist
professional certifications.
Michael Taylor (right) is corporate
controller for North American
operations. He joins Baumann with
over 20 years of experience in corporate
controlling and accounting.
Tim Trame is plant manager for
the Texas facility. He was formerly the manufacturing
manager at this facility and has been at this
location in various capacities for over 18 years.
Robert Glennan (right) is
quality manager in Charlotte, NC.
He had worked in the automotive
industry for the past 11 years, holding
various quality positions.
Suzanne Papadas is regional
sales manager for the upper Midwest
region. She has more than 20 years of spring
sales experience.
Martin Herrera (right) is regional
sales manager for Mexico. He has
been in the spring industry for 20
years and is bilingual. He is responsible
for assisting in the startup of
Baumann’s proposed plant in Leon,
Mexico, as well as coordinating sales for the region.
Baumann Springs is an international spring
manufacturer, with 11 locations worldwide and
two in the United States.