from Austal’s Module Manufacturing Facility, three of which are erected in the final assembly bay in their prelaunch position. “Jackson (LCS 6) is the first of ten Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships awarded by the Navy to Austal as prime contractor,” said Craig Perciavalle, Austal USA’s senior VP of operations. Koike Aronson Acquires Majority Interest in Brazilian Welding Positioners Manufacturer Koike Aronson, Inc./Ransome, Arcade, N.Y., a subsidiary of Koike Sanso Kogyo, Tokyo, Japan, recently announced the purchase of the majority of shares of Biondi Maquinas, Dispositivos E Ferramentas LTDA, Jaboticabal, Brazil, a manufacturer of welding positioners and similar equipment, made through its subsidiary, Koike Aronson Brasil Business Consulting LTDA. The new company is named Koike Aronson — Biondi Maquinas, Dispositivos E Ferramentas Do Brazil, LTDA. The current owners, Nelson Biondi and Evandro Faccio, will remain with the company, with Mr. Biondi retaining a minority holding. A new facility is planned to be built in Jaboticabal to accommodate the growing demand for Koike and Biondi products in Brazil. Also, in related news, the largest weld positioner Koike has created, a 130-ton model, has now been installed and is operable at Harbin Electric Corp., Qinhuangdao City, China (as pictured). Rob Flaig served as the company’s on-site coordinator, assisted by Matt Hopkins. The $1.5 million device is set to weld and clad component parts for a new nuclear reactor in that region. It can hold, rotate, and tilt 550,000 lb. Boy Scouts Earn Welding Badges Thanks to Local Tech Center and 3M Nine Boy Scouts earned welding merit badges with assistance from the Northeast Metro District 916 Career and Technical Center, White Bear Lake, Minn., and 3M Co., St. Paul, Minn. Representatives from 3M, including Don Garvey, a construction industrial hygienist, Derek Baker, a welding technical service specialist, and Kim Gates, a welding marketing manager, supplied the classroom portion regarding welding safety, personal protective equipment, and different types/mechanics of welding with their common uses. At Northeast Metro’s welding lab, Tony Waldner provided welding instruction and coaching. The Scouts got hands-on time with the gas metal arc welding 10 JANUARY 2013 gun. The merit badge requires they scribe their initials on a carbon steel plate and cover the initials with a weld bead; cover a small plate with weld beads side by side; and tack and weld two plates with a square groove butt joint, a “T” joint with fillet welds and a lap joint with fillet welds on both sides. The Scouts were excited to learn a new skill, and several expressed interest in the possibility of making it a career, especially when discussing current job opportunities. Chrysler Group Invests $240 Million to Increase Engine Production, Adds Jobs Mack Avenue Plant Manager Bob Hollingsworth recently spoke at the Mack 1 Engine Plant. Chrysler Group LLC Chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne was also present to announce a $240 million investment for engine production. (Photo courtesy of Chrysler.) Chrysler Group LLC will invest nearly $240 million to increase engine capacity and add about 1250 new jobs at several Michigan facilities. Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler Group chairman and CEO, confirmed the company would make investments and add jobs at the following local plants: Mack I Engine Plant, $198 million to produce the Pentastar (V-6) engine; Mack I Engine Plant, adding up to 250 new jobs, subject to market conditions; Trenton North Engine Plant, investing an additional $40 million to add a flexible production line that can run the Pentastar engine and Tigershark (I-4) engine; and Warren Truck Assembly Plant, adding 1000 new jobs on a third crew in March 2013 to produce the 2013 Ram 1500. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, other local officials, and UAW Vice President General Holiefield joined employees to celebrate the news at the Mack I Engine Plant. As shown above, now installed and operable at Harbin Electric in China, is the 130-ton weld positioner fabricated by Koike. It is set to weld and clad component parts for a new nuclear reactor. Welding instructor Tony Waldner of Northeast Metro and Boy Scouts from Troop 200 show off their welding skills, which are part of earning their welding merit badges. — continued on page 102
Welding Journal | January 2013
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