MANUFACTURER NEWS
Columbus McKinnon to close CES crane plant
Crane manufacturer Columbus McKinnon recently announced plans to shut down operations of Crane Equipment & Service at Forest Park, Ill. The closure is part of a mass consolidation the company is undertaking. CES’s operations will be consolidated into its other North American crane manufacturing facilities, saving the company $700,000 a year.
Caterpillar to close North Carolina plant
Caterpillar announced Thursday it will shut down a plant in Leland, N.C., in its effort to reorganize its transmission-building operations. The company also plans to shift some Illinois production to outside suppliers. Forty jobs will be affected by the expected Oct. 31 closure of the Leland plant. The facility’s work will be transferred to existing Caterpillar plants in Dyersburg, Tenn., France and Great Britain.
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Palfinger CEO resigns
Austrian crane manufacturer Palfinger is seeking a replacement chairman after chairman and CEO Klaus Schutzdeller resigned from the company. Schutzdeller, CEO since 1996, said he left for “personal reasons.” A management team has been put in place to replace Schutzdeller’s leadership. Wolfgang Pilz will be in charge of the company’s truck crane and hook-loading equipment operations and Herbert Ornter will head up other operations, including Crayler, Palgate and Mobiler product lines.
Wassberg named new head of Volvo Strategic Planning
Volvo Truck Corp. in Goteberg, Sweden, recently named Peter Wassberg head of strategic planning. He will replace Claes Nilsson, who is now responsible for the implementation of Volvo’s new distribution strategy in Europe. Wassberg will be in charge of strategic planning and business development, and will be a member of the executive management team.
Bosch Rexroth names new president and CEO
Bosch Rexroth recently named Wolfgang Dangel as the new president and CEO of the company, which specializes in hydraulic, pneumatic, electric and mechanical drive technologies. Dangel has served as Bosch Rexroth’s executive vice president and CFO for the past two years. He will start his new position April 1.
