Management change!

In autumn 2009, Tetyana Hammel became managing director and shareholder of ARJES GmbH. A mechanical engineering company for recycling technology, which initially had just 19 employees when it was founded two years earlier, but experienced rapid growth in a very short time.

Due to her roots and family ties to the mechanical engineering industry within Ukraine, she was able to take the first significant steps in the economic strategy of ARJES and thus made vital contributions to the ultimate growth and success of the company.

In addition to her personal connections with their two partner plants in Ukraine, Mrs. Hammel has also been involved in event planning, organization and implementation of international trade fairs such as IFAT and Bauma in recent years. But the personal well-being of her employees at the Leimbach (D) site was also close to her heart, which is why she always showed great dedication to the ARJES team, which now numbers more than 160.

Tetyana Hammel and Thomas Hayn

Now, 15 years after the foundation of ARJES GmbH, Tetyana Hammel is saying goodbye as managing director and shareholder, with Thomas Hayn now continuing on at the company as sole managing director. In a comment the company said. "We would like to thank Tetyana Hammel for her time of service and wish her all the best going forward."

@PresseBox #arjes #PAuto #Recycling

Imaging pioneer passes!

Former managing director of Stemmer Imaging in Britain, David Hearn, passed away on March 21st 2020 after battling a long illness. Since 2004, when Firstsight Vision became the first company to join Stemmer, up until his retirement due to ill health last year, David led the Stemmer Imaging UK business from strength to strength.

David Hearn
1960-2020

Arne Dehn, Stemmer's CEO, said: “David was an amazing person and leader whose extraordinary passion helped create the success of our vision business in the UK and he also greatly influenced our industry in general. Formats that have become highly regarded in our industry and our company such as the STEMMER IMAGING handbook and the Technology Forum were initiated by David and to this day reflect his innovative outlook.”

David’s first involvement with vision was working for Data Translation selling PC based data acquisition and imaging processing hardware and software. He then became director at the Optimas Corporation and later set up Vortex Vision in 1997. Wilhelm Stemmer took a stake in this business and the first products that David sold were very similar to those that Willi was selling in Germany.

In 2001, David and Mark Williamson brought their complementary businesses together and formed Firstsight Vision, who originally acted as distributors in Britain for Stemmer Imaging before becoming the first wholly owned subsidiary.

Mark Williamson, corporate marketing director and current managing director at Stemmer Imaging UK, remembers: “David started Vortex Vision within a month of me starting Pinnacle Vision. We even met to discuss starting up together, but our competitive natures meant we went our own ways. However it wasn’t too long before we both realized that together we could be stronger, and when Imaging Technology was acquired by Coreco (now Teledyne DALSA) we took the step to join our companies. David was a truly inspiring leader whose humour and compassion were second to none.”

David was a hugely popular figure in the office and was a master of the quirky turn of phrase which quickly became known as ‘Hearnisms’. He was also renowned for his fun initiatives for the sales team and his motivating and humorous self-made awards as well as the famous bell ringing ceremony for every order intake, which became a tradition throughout the company.

Arne Dehn concluded: “Today it was the company’s turn to ring the bell in honour of David. He will be sorely missed and we wish to extend our condolences to his wife Penny and the rest of his family.”

@stemmerimaging

Automation and electric drive systems pioneer passes!

Günter Baumüller, Managing Director of Baumüller Holding, died on Monday after a short but serious illness, surrounded by his family. He was 77 years old. He was until recently actively involved in the company's activities through his role on the board of advisors, and held honorary positions with numerous committees and trade associations. Under his leadership, the Baumüller firm grew from a local company to a global, independent group of companies. Today, Baumüller employs over 1,800 people. It is based in Nuremberg (D).

His children Karin Baumüller-Söder and Andreas Baumüller have been involved with the group's management as shareholders for many years. Back in 2009, Andreas Baumüller took over responsibility for the entire Baumüller group in his role as managing partner and CEO. Consequently, Günter Baumüller passed overall responsibility to his son many years ago and therefore played an active role on the board of advisors. Together with his sister Karin Baumüller-Söder, Andreas Baumüller is continuing to actively manage and develop the company.

Günter Baumüller was born in 1940 in Nuremberg. He took over the company from his parents in 1973 and expanded it to become one of the leading suppliers of drive and automation systems. Intelligent system solutions for mechanical engineering and e-mobility are developed at six production facilities and over 40 branches worldwide. Günter Baumüller guided the company in the mechanical engineering sector to become one of the world's leading automation partners.

In addition to his official duties, he was also committed to his honorary positions. Günter Baumüller was for many years a director of the Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektroindustrie. e.V. (ZVEI). It was there that he was awarded the ZVEI's Golden Badge of Honour. He was vice president of the Nuremberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Middle Franconia. Günter Baumüller also contributed to the establishment of the Mechatronics course at the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and also the Mechatronics Studies and Diploma Prize for particularly outstanding students. Günter Baumüller was an honorary senator at the Technical University of Nuremberg. He was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit and the State Medal for services to Bavarian business.

 #Baumüller #Pauto 

Change of guard at imaging technology company.

After 44 years, company founder Wilhelm Stemmer is handing the company over to proven successors.

Wilhelm Stemmer with the two newly
appointed managing directors
Christof Zollitsch & Martin Kersting.

Stemmer Imaging achieved turnover of 88.7 million euros over the twelve months of the business year that has just ended. After adjustment for exchange rates, this means a growth of 6 percent for the company, which is active in 19 countries.

"The biggest increase as a percentage was realised by our branches in Finland, the Netherlands and Switzerland", says managing director Christof Zollitsch, explaining the positive result. "It was unfortunate that a substantial growth, especially in the UK but also in Sweden, has been offset due to the depreciation of the local currencies against the Euro."

He said it was particularly pleasing that the portion of turnover attributable to customer services had increased further in the preceding year. "We have extensive resources in this area that enable us to significantly reduce the effort that our customers have to put in to solve their image processing tasks. Our range of services increases our customers' profitability and thus represents a major criterion for co-operating with Stemmer as a preferred partner for all aspects of image processing."

The close of the business year 2016/17 also represents the end of an era: Company founder Wilhelm Stemmer has sold his shares in the company and is retiring from the operative business. 75.04%  of the shares are now held by Munich-based AL-KO AG, parent company of the internationally active AL-KO KOBER SE. As part of the transaction, the proven management team acquired 24.96% of the shares.

"I have been an entrepreneur for 44 years and am now 73 years old. It was time for me to find a sustainable succession plan to ensure the continuation of my life's work", says Wilhelm Stemmer, explaining why he has taken this step. "With AL-KO AG as the majority owner, Stemmer Imaging will continue to be able to tap into future markets and expand them further. From now on Martin Kersting, who has been a partner in the business until now, will control the fortunes of the company as managing director together with Christof Zollitsch, who I also appointed managing director back in 2001. So I know that the company is in the best hands for the future and I wish both of them and indeed the entire workforce all the best for the future."

 @stemmerimaging #PAuto

Election results announced!

MCAA President Teresa Sebring has certified the election of officers and directors of the Measurement, Control & Automation Association for 2017. The elections were completed by letter ballot of the membership in November.

Dr Peter Martin

Peter Martin, Vice President Strategic Ventures for Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. of Foxboro, MA USA will serve as Chairman. He has worked in industrial automation for more than three decades with experience in the industry segments of training, engineering, product planning, marketing and strategic planning. He holds BA and MS degrees in Mathematics and an MA in Administration and Management. He also holds a Master of Biblical Studies degree, and doctorates in Industrial Engineering and Biblical Studies. Dr. Martin is the author of numerous books and articles as well as being a Fellow of the International Society of Automation and a member of the Process Automation Hall of Fame. Dr Martin was a keynote speaker at the first ISA FPID Symposium held outside of North America last year in Cork (IRL).

Bharat Naik, President of Reotemp Instruments of San Diego, CA USA, was elected Vice-­Chairman. He has spent more than twenty years in the chemical industry in a variety of technical, commercial and management roles. He holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MS in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He began his career in Detroit providing technical service for the coatings, adhesives, and automotive markets and in 2000, moved to San Diego to steer and grow Rhino Linings, a small private company.

The remainder of the Board is comprised of Immediate Past Chairman, Joe Incontri, Director of Marketing for KROHNE, Inc., and At-Large Members
Mike DeLacluyse, President, Lesman Instrument Company;
Mike Gallagher, President and CEO, Centro, Inc.;
Gary Johnson, President, Azbil North America, Inc.;
Don Maness, Senior Director, North America Channels, Honeywell Process Solutions;
Stan Ronna, President, Automation Products Group, Inc.;
Scott Saunders, President and CEO, Moore Industries International, Inc.;
Mike Waters, President and CEO, SOR Controls Group Ltd.;
Jim Winter, Director of Global Process Business, Rockwell Automation.

MCAA provides resources to the world’s leading process control suppliers. Its core purpose is to bring process control providers together to develop the resources they need to prosper. The organization helps the management teams of process and factory automation product and solution providers run and grow successful businesses by offering timely, unique and highly specialized resources acquired from shared management benchmarks and strategies where proprietary company information is secure.

@MeasControl  #PAuto

Terminator termination! Byres say goodbye to Tofino!

Eric Byres and his wife Joann Byres (Tofino co-founder and Belden Vice President) have announced that they are retiring from the Tofino Security group at Belden effective January 30, 2015.

Joann & Eric Byres

In Eric's last blog at Tofino/Belden he states, "As we reflect back on almost a decade and half in the industrial security business, we remember the wild ride it has been to create and grow both a SCADA security business and the industry as a whole. From our early days of critical infrastructure security research, to Stuxnet, to last year’s release of the Tofino 2.0 product line, we have seen a lot of changes.

"When we think about what we aimed to achieve, we’re glad that some of our core beliefs have gained widespread acceptance. This includes the principle of “security simplicity” and the necessity of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) for industrial protocols. We also tried to contribute to the ICS security industry overall and our work on standards, particularly with ISA, was rewarding.

"Stepping away from industrial security, Tofino firewalls and endless airport security checks is going to be a big change. "

Eric in full battle gear!

This blog then outlines the influential work accomplished during their time batteling against the evils of the syber, especially in their innovative work following the discovery of Stuxnet and the initial warnings they issued, "Security threat to the control system world!"  in 19th July 2010.

The world of industrial automation owes a debt to the "Stuxnet Terminator" and his work against this and many other "little varmints!"

We wish them both well in their retirement and having seen details of some of the ideas they have for their retirement we know that the will continue to make an impact on the standard of living of disadvantaged youth in our unequal world.

Archive 2014!

One of the beauties of the internet is that posted items remain on line as long as the domain exists or until it is taken down by the administrator. Here we have included link to the items published during 2014/

News Items throughout the year!

New links added during 2014 Full Archive (1996-2014) Some of the links may no longer be valid and if you find one we would appreciate being told. Please include URL of the Signpost Page and if possible the latest url of the link resource.

• News January 2014
• News February 2014
• News March 2014
• News April 2014
• News May 2014
• News June 2014
• News July 2014
• News August 2014
• News September 2014
• News October 2014
• News November 2014

We welcome news of your products, people, publications, projects and applications as well as company moves.

Investment in people recognised at Instrument & Control supplier!

Eurotherm has been awarded the Investors in People Standard (IIP), Britain's leading accreditation for business improvement through people management. The award provides external recognition of Eurotherm’s commitment to developing, supporting and motivating its people.

A stringent assessment was carried out by an Investors in People auditor, against ten key indicators including business strategy, involvement and empowerment, leadership and management, learning and development and continuous improvement. The Auditor spent time with Senior Management and also conducted three days of interviews with a cross section of employees to gain an understanding of Eurotherm’s employee practices and management effectiveness which was benchmarked against British practice. The company scored well in many areas, with the assessor highlighting staff support and engagement, integrated training and development plans, and focus on personal career progression as areas of particular strength.

Eurotherm's ASPIRE team!

Key to achieving the accreditation has been the introduction of an employee-led engagement initiative, ‘WeEngage’, a ‘bottom-up’ approach whereby employee-led teams develop action plans to increase engagement across the business. Initiatives have ranged from enhancing internal communications, to local charity exchange partnerships in which employees are encouraged to ‘give a day’ to a charitable cause. The WeEngage team has also improved cross-functional collaboration through initiatives such as department ‘open days,’ as well as organising fun and relevant activities for employees and their families to take part in.

Further to this, Eurotherm has also developed ‘ASPIRE’, a programme which aims to develop untapped talent within the organisation to build future leaders. The initiative gives aspiring employees one-to-one access to senior management and is based around the sharing of experience, career stories and key learnings. Following its implementation, 43% of Eurotherm’s vacancies last year were filled internally from its current pool of talent.

Commenting on the award, Karen Page HR Director at Eurotherm said: “Achieving the Investors in People accreditation is a fantastic endorsement of our commitment to the development of our people. It is true that our people are our greatest asset and employee development and engagement are key to our business strategy. We are committed to creating an environment where people are given the opportunity to develop and succeed, and continue to make improvements ensuring Eurotherm remains a great place to work.”

Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: “Achieving the Investors in People standard is something that any organisation should be truly proud of. Working with Investors in People inspires and enables leaders, managers and employees at all levels to build their skills, improve their performance and achieve their potential. We’d like to congratulate Eurotherm on their achievement.”

New electronics design business formed serving motorsport!

Former Lead Motorsport Design Engineer at Gill Sensors, Neville Meech, has founded a new design and engineering consultancy, offering technical design solutions and consultancy services to top-level race teams and automotive organisations.

With over 12 years’ experience working closely with engineers within Formula 1, LMS/ALMS, WEC and IndyCar, Meech has become well-known within the Motorsport industry and has built a reputation worldwide for the speed and quality of his design solutions.

Neville Meech

Reventec Ltd offers mechanical and electronic design consultancy services to clients across high-tech industries including Motorsport, Automotive, Aerospace and Defence, along with other specialist industries and applications.

Meech, who is appointed as Director at Reventec, commented “Reventec has been founded on two core principles; to provide world-class mechanical and electronic design solutions and to deliver them in rapid timeframes. We understand the importance of being able to respond quickly in Motorsport - teams are rarely able to wait weeks or months for a new solution to be delivered.”

During his time at Gill, Meech was responsible for leading Gill Sensors’ Motorsport activities, designing specialist electronic sensors for use within Formula 1 and Sports Car Racing. From 2011, he led the mechanical design, development and testing of a new ultrasonic fuel flow sensor, which has been widely reported as the likely choice of the FIA for regulatory use within Formula 1 and W.E.C in 2014.

Reventec is already working with globally recognised sports car brands and significant clients within the industrial and aerospace sectors, and encourages new clients to get in touch. Meech commented, “Motorsport has such a diverse range of requirements for mechanical and electronic development – whether you’re looking to problem-solve or develop a new solution, we have the skills and experience to help”.

M2M Marketing appointment

Anglia Components has recruited M2M marketing specialist Tim Clayton as Divisional Marketing Manager for Anglia M2M, the distributor for Cinterion, Antenova, connectBlue and other top suppliers in Ireland and Britain.

Tim Clayton

Clayton brings fifteen years’ wireless experience to Anglia M2M, and reports to John Bowman, Marketing Director, Semiconductors. Commenting on his new role, Tim Clayton said, “Anglia offered me a great opportunity to join an exciting and fast growing distributor and develop a successful business unit from a strong base. Anglia M2M represents some major lines and has an effective technical support team. The M2M market is growing extremely rapidly and Anglia is very well positioned to capture that growth.”

John Bowman added, “Tim Clayton’s direct involvement in significant M2M designs gives him a unique skill set. His experience of working with major cellular and GPS module manufacturers provides him with the technical and commercial insight to offer a truly complete service to Anglia M2M customers. He will be an immensely valuable addition to the Anglia team.”

Tim Clayton has worked in the sales and marketing of wireless components since 1998 and has held positions at leading specialist wireless distributors since 2000.

Sales engineer for Switzerland

Harry Dizdar is the new sales engineer at AdaptSMT for a large region of Switzerland.

He has many years’ experience working as a SMT Production Manager at renowned Swiss OEM und EMS companies. From his home office in Flawil (St. Gallen), he will be looking after AdoptSMT‘s existing and future customers in German-speaking Switzerland and the canton of Ticino. Christian Metzger, who has been working for AdoptSMT Swiss AG since October 2012, will in future be concentrating on providing customer advisory services in western Switzerland.

Erhard Hofmann, founder and CEO of AdoptSMT Europe GmbH and AdoptSMT Swiss AG, explains: "We have known Harry Dizdar for many years, and we value his professional network in the Swiss electronics industry and his profound knowledge of production planning as well as production and process optimisation. We are extremely fortunate that Harry will be consolidating our team so soon after the launch of our Swiss subsidiary. This means that the Swiss team with its two very experienced sales engineers in the west and east of Switzerland will be able to directly support our customers throughout the country without having to travel long distances. Our large product range means that they will both still be kept well occupied. Alongside our globally available range of consumables and spare parts, as well as overhauled machinery for assembling circuit boards, in Switzerland we are also a distributor for the extremely consulting-intensive and comprehensive range of PCB assembly products from Indium Corporation. Our two Swiss colleagues’ process experience in soldering technology will be hugely beneficial here.”

New VP for the Americas

The new Vice President of Sales for the Americas at Digitaltest is Paul R. Groome.

Paul Groome

Mr. Groome brings more than 20 years of experience in test, inspection, sales and product management. This addition to the Digitaltest team puts the company in a position to continue its accelerated growth in the North American Markets.

He commented, "The array of test solutions provided by Digitaltest, from the Condor Flying probe system, to the MTS 30, a multi-purpose test system to our high-speed Sigma and Omega In-Circuit Test Systems, allow Digitaltest to offer the cost and performance required in our markets. When coupled with its quality and flexibility, Digitaltest is clearly positioned to increase the market share."

He most recently held the position of Sales and Marketing Manager at MVP. Prior to MVP, he held Business Unit Management positions at both Teradyne and GenRad.

“Paul has an excellent record in the Test and Inspection markets and brings strong experience to Digitaltest. He will be a huge asset in further strengthening Digitaltest’s position in the Americas,” states Mrs. Boctor, Digitaltest President and CEO.

International automation body has new president

Terrence G Ives

Terrence G. Ives is the 2013 Worldwide President of the International Society of Automation. He will work with ISA leaders during the year to continue moving the Society toward meeting its strategic goals.

Ives is the third member of the Ives family to serve as president of ISA. His father, the late C. Blair Ives, Jr., was president of ISA in 1994. His uncle, Robert P. Ives, served as president of ISA in 2003.

Ives is extremely well qualified to hold the office as he has held the following high-level ISA positions: Society Treasurer, Executive Board Parliamentarian, Finance Committee Chair, Investment Committee Chair, District 2 Vice President, and Philadelphia Section President and Exhibit Chairman.

He received a bachelor of science degree in industrial systems engineering from Ohio University. He is an active member of the Philadelphia chapters of the Young Presidents’ Organization and the World Presidents’ Organization.

“In today’s complex, global business environment, it is absolutely essential that industry leaders and automation and control professionals connect with one another to stay current on technical challenges and market trends, share best practices, collaborate on innovation, and exchange insights and ideas,” he says. “ISA, through its unmatched combination of standards development, education, training, certification, conferences, and networking opportunities, is uniquely positioned to help automation and control professionals advance their careers while helping manufacturers and other organizations improve operational reliability, profitability, safety and security.”

See also his article on ISA Interchange (ISA's online source of automation news and technical content): My year as the 2013 ISA President has gotten off to a truly inspiring start 

Ives is president and owner of Ives Equipment Corporation in King of Prussia, (PN USA). He is the third generation president and owner of the Ives family business, a process control manufacturing representative and stocking distributor serving the industries of eastern and central US states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Southern New Jersey and Virginia. The company founded in 1954, provides a diverse range of process control equipment, including valves, regulators, wireless products, flow products, pressure gauges, control products, level instrumentation, sanitary products, temperature instruments, analytical products, electric heat trace and bio-pharmaceutical products.

Ives also serves as a volunteer committee officer for a Philadelphia-area Boy Scout Troop, helping to direct the troop’s $500,000 capital campaign and investment portfolio.

PCB giant appoints senior sales manager

Daniel Janssen has been appointed as Senior Sales Manager for Central Europe, Benelux and Emerging Markets with Omron Electronic Components Europe, which includes Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Janssen reports to Leon Mordang, VP Sales and Marketing and will be based in Germany, and will lead Omron’s 10-strong sales team in the territory.

Daniel Jansson

Commenting on the appointment, Mordang said, “Daniel Janssen brings an exceptional track record in business development to Omron’s strong teams covering strategic markets such as Germany and Eastern Europe. Omron is taking an account and market led approach, and Janssen experience in major account and project management will be invaluable.”

Daniel Jansson added, “Omron Electronic Components has an exceptional reputation for quality, a strong European management structure and a real commitment to the region. As Senior Sales Manager, I have an exciting opportunity to lead an effective team with a clear vision for growth addressing markets with great potential.”

Janssen joins Omron from Chimei Innolux Corporation where he was Global Account Manager - Telecom & Automotive for over six years. Prior to this, he spent five years as Project Manager at TPO, formed from the merger of Philips Mobile Display Systems and Toppoly Opto. He started his career as a Design Engineer with Philips Mobile Display Systems and TPA Engineering.

New Managing Director

COPA-DATA has appointed Martyn Williams as UK Managing Director with immediate effect. Martyn will head up the British operation as it continues to grow into new markets.

A qualified Electronic Engineer, Martyn has over ten years experience in sales, marketing and business management in the Automation industry and joins from Zenith Technologies where he was Business Development Manager. Prior to that Martyn was Sales Manager at COPA-DATA.

COPA-DATA CEO Thomas Punzenberger commented, “I’m very pleased to welcome Martyn back to COPA-DATA. The UK is a very important market for us and the experience he brings to the company will help us to grow our business significantly and help reach our goals for the future.”

Talking about his new role, Martyn said, "I am really excited to be part of the COPA-DATA team again. For 25 years, COPA-DATA has been at the forefront of engineering excellence in process solutions for the automation industry. I am really looking forward to working with our strong team in the UK and globally to take this brand to new heights.”

New environmental face

As a result of recent growth, environmental instrumentation company Quantitech has added a further engineer to the company’s service team. Phillip Grant has 11 years of experience as an aerospace engineer, in addition to two years of experience as a field service engineer in the calibration and maintenance of gas monitoring equipment.

Commenting on the need to expand Quantitech’s service team, Technical Director Jim Monaghan said “The volume of service contracts that we deliver has grown considerably recently so we have made further investments in our resources for technical advice, installation, service, calibration and maintenance.The addition of someone with Philip’s experience will further enhance our service capability and we are delighted to welcome him to the team.”

Applications VP appointed

Excelsys Technologies has appointed Kevin Parmenter as Vice President Applications Engineering, USA. He comes from Exar Corporation where he was the Director of Advanced Technical Marketing for digital power products.

Kevin Parmenter

"Excelsys is committed to excellence in applications engineering and customer support and is dedicating the necessary resources to provide support second to none” states Gary Duffy, Excelsys CEO. "Kevin’s strong strategic marketing background and leadership skills, complemented by his knowledge of power electronics applications and markets, will help Excelsys win in this space. He has proven track record of success in this market. His understanding of the critical issues facing our customers and markets makes him the ideal choice to lead our applications engineering in USA”.

With over 25 years of experience in the electronics and semiconductor industry, Kevin has held roles with Freescale Semiconductor, Fairchild Semiconductor, ON Semiconductor and Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector. Kevin has also had extensive experience as a design engineer in the medical electronics and military electronics field.

Kevin has served as the past president and served on the board of directors of PSMA (Power Sources Manufacturers Association),  and was the General Chair of APEC 2009 (IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference). Kevin has a BSEE from Purdue University, Indianapolis and BS in Business Administration from Colorado Technical University. He is a long time member of the IEEE in addition to holding both Amateur Extra class FCC license, and an FCC Commercial Radiotelephone License.

Kevin has published many articles, been a guest author in industry publications written applications notes and white papers and has chaired sessions at IEEE and other industry conferences as a subject matter expert.

A pragmatic visionary engineer!

"An entrepreneur must always be restless," is the motto that characterises the entire life's work of Dietmar Harting. Thanks to his determination to make things happen, matched by stoic composure and the right instincts for new technologies the Harting Technology Group has advanced to the position of a worldwide market leader for electrical and electronic connection technology - with Dietmar Harting at the helm.

Dietmar Harting

For 45 years the 72-year old has headed the family business his parents founded in 1945. In 1973 Dietmar Harting took up the position of managing partner at Harting Elektronik GmbH, and since 1996 the father of two and grandfather of six has been active as president and partner of the Harting Technology Group. In the same year, the company's vision was formulated, which states, among others, "We want to shape the future with technologies for people." This statement aptly outlines what has shaped and determined Dietmar Harting as an entrepreneur: visionary ideas for new products and technologies and a consistently sharp look to the future, which never leaves the human factor out of the picture - whether customers, employees, and naturally also his own family. Together with his wife Margrit and their children Philip and Maresa, Dietmar Harting heads the Harting Technology Group. Generating sales of €481 million (ca$610m) and employing a workforce of some 3,400 members of staff in 36 countries, the company ranks among the global players in connection technology.

When Dietmar Harting started his career at the company in 1967 Harting was still manufacturing items of daily everyday use such as lamps and irons. At the time, however, the product portfolio also included the first "electromechanical and electromagnetic components" which were later to be followed by today's worldwide known brand article, the Han(R) connector, that formed the cornerstone of the company's success story. Five years after the death of his father, Dietmar Harting - who graduated in electrical engineering and economic sciences in Munich, Hannover and in Cologne with a degree in business administration - joined his mother Marie Harting at the helm of the company. Thanks to his technical know-how and his far-sightedness driving the consistent internationalization of the Technology Group, the company has charted a steady growth course. In 1987 the family owned and managed business gained additional momentum and dedicated support when Dietmar's wife Margret joined the company and committed herself with heart and soul to advancing the corporate culture. Following the death of Marie Harting in the year 1989 the second generation couple has been standing alone at the helm. The pragmatic, yet visionary technician and the creative powerhouse make the perfect, dynamic duo. In 2005 their son Philip joined the company, followed by his sister Maresa in 2007. At present the entire family is active in managing the company, a viable concept in which "we all respect each other and each of us has their own scope of responsibility." The two children agree, however, "it is our father who still has the last word."

This word not only has weight within the company. Frequently referred to as the "standards pundit" the focus of Dietmar Harting's activities in organizations and associations has focused strongly on standardisation issues. As the first president from a Mittelstand company, Dietmar Harting headed the Central Association of the German Electrical and Electronics Industry (Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e.V. (ZVEI)) from 1998 to 2004. At the end of his tenure he was appointed honorary president in acknowledgement of his accomplishments. As Chairman of the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (DKE) of the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN) and the Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies (VDE) Dietmar Harting, now an honorary member, has always been particularly passionate in advocating and advancing standardisation issues. The DIN ring of honor bestowed in 2009 and the gold pin awarded by DKE in 2010 impressively underscore this outstanding commitment.

Apart from these highly diverse activities Dietmar Harting - who is always perceived by his employees as the perfect gentleman - has always kept a keen eye on "his own front door!" In spite of all the consistent activities geared to internationalisation, this native of Berlin has always remained clearly and firmly committed to the Espelkamp location and the region of East-Westphalia-Lippe. What started as a small production site in 1950 in Espelkamp now spreads out over five manufacturing locations and two company headquarters in Minden and Rahden. The company employs more than 1,900 staff in Germany, who benefit from the company owners' strong commitment to the region in which the enterprise is rooted. "Creating an environment with a high quality of life" is the declared aim of Dietmar and Margret Harting. The couple actively support cultural, societal and sports activities, comprising a wide range of initiatives, ranging from the Neues Theater, in Espelkamp, to the handball club GWD Minden. "The success story of their company is also the success story of this city," declared Heinrich Vieker, mayor of the municipality of Espelkamp, on awarding the honorary citizenship to Margret and Dietmar Harting in 2009. Acknowledgements were also forthcoming from further afield. In recognition of his professional achievements, whether in standardisation, his commitment to Deutsche Messe AG, as well as the Hartings' many cultural and societal contributions, Dietmar and Margret Harting were awarded the Federal Order of Merit First Class in the year 2009.

Apart from his numerous entrepreneurial and honorary activities Dietmar Harting dedicates the remaining time to his particular passions of agriculture and hunting - and to his family. With six grandchildren, the course is set for the fourth generation of Harting family entrepreneurs. They have every reason to be proud of their grandfather and extend their heartfelt congratulations on this special occasion of 45 years of service, which is certainly more than impressive, not only in terms of its duration.

Lifetime achievement in HR

ABB’s head of Human Resources honoured by University of Michigan and Linkage consultancy

Gary Steel, head of human resources at ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has received a lifetime award from the University of Michigan (USA), and US consulting company Linkage in recognition of his work to integrate human resources in the company’s global business strategy.

“Gary Steel is receiving recognition for the tremendous impact he has had over the course of an outstanding career in HR. Gary sees issues of talent and leadership through the eyes of a global business leader. He has had tremendous impact on both business results and the lives of people around the globe,” said Noel Tichy, Professor of Management & Organizations, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

“ABB is a technology business with high ambitions,” said Joe Hogan, ABB’s chief executive. “Our success depends on attracting, inspiring and empowering the right people, and our human resources strategy has been tailored to achieving these goals. Gary deserves the recognition.”

ABB’s people strategy underpins the company’s goals for the years 2011-2015. During this period ABB is aiming to increase revenue at twice the pace of global economic growth, a target supported by a strategy for the development, retention and recruitment of talent.

Gary Steel joined ABB in January 2003 from Royal Dutch Shell as member of the Group executive Committee for Human Resources and Sustainability. He also serves as Chairman on the Boards of ABB India and Sweden.

Steel has been instrumental in the company’s profitable growth over the last nine years. He has established a performance-focused global human resources organization that puts a culture of accountability, people development and professional processes at its core. ABB generated net income of $3.2 billion in 2011 compared with a net loss in 2002, and revenues more than doubled in the period.

ABB enjoys one of the best retention rates in the industry and has been voted employer of choice for engineering students several times in Switzerland and Sweden. In China, ABB is recognized as one of the leading employers in its sector. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 145,000 people.

Three promotions

Brennan Industries recently announced the promotion of three employees.

Patrick DeCapua Jr. was promoted to director of quality and engineering from his previous position as operations manager. DeCapua has 32 years of industry experience and had founded and owned a manufacturing facility prior to joining Brennan.

Nick Longo was promoted to operations manager of Brennan’s Seattle distribution center from his previous position as regional sales manager for the Southeast and East Coast. Longo has 15 years of experience with Brennan.

Jesse Spencer was promoted to territory sales manager from his previous position in inside sales. Spencer has eight years of experience with Brennan. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Atlanta College of Art and pursued post baccalaureate studies at Georgia State University.