Dear SABC Members & Friends,
The Swiss-American Business Council presents its winter 2017 newsletter for its members and friends. SABC members can submit contributions for future newsletters to: events@sabcnow.com
In this issue we feature contributions from Jean-Jacques Porret, BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc., EROWA Technology, Inc., Herrmann Ultrasonics, Inc., LNS America Inc. Platit Inc., J.R. BECHTLE & Co., GF Machining Solutions and Hegele Logistic, LLC
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Platinum Members
Gold Member
Silver Members
 
 
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SABC Welcomes New President
We welcome Thomas Soseman as the new President of the SABC. The board of directors of the SABC chose Mr. Soseman to be David Kouidri’s successor as President of the organization beginning January 2017. Mr. Soseman is a corporate attorney located in Chicago and is principal of the Soseman Law Firm, P.C. He has served as a member of the board of directors and Secretary of the SABC since January 2008. Further, we are delighted that Mr. Kouidri will remain as a member of the board of directors and will continue to provide his valuable expertise as well ensure a smooth transition.
 Note from the New President
Dear Members, I would like to thank my fellow members on the SABC Board of Directors for entrusting me with the Presidency of our organization. I would also like to thank David Kouidri for his long and dedicated service to not only the SABC but to the Swiss-American community at large. It will not be easy to fill David’s shoes but I will make every effort to build upon the firm foundation David has passed on to me. Thankfully, I will be able to draw upon David’s experience and myriad of contacts not only in Chicago but also in New York, Washington DC and Switzerland to further enhance the development of the SABC.
Looking ahead, I call upon all of you to reach out to me and my fellow board members to provide your thoughts or ideas to improve your engagement and experience with the SABC. We are here to serve you and we sincerely hope that the SABC can be a valuable resource for you now and in the future!
I hope to see many of you at our next Annual Meeting which is scheduled for March 16, 2017 and is graciously being hosted by Rollomatic Inc. at 1295 Armour Blvd., Mundelein, Illinois.
Sincerely, Thomas Soseman
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 SABC Annual Meeting 2017
Our corporate member Rollomatic Inc., will host the SABC Annual Meeting 2017 at Rollomatic Inc. in Mundelein, IL on Thursday, March 16, 2017. Eric Schwarzenbach, President of Rollomatic Inc., graciously offered to host the event. He will also provide a tour of the facility for the attendees. During the evening, the membership will also be asked to vote on the 2017 Board of Directors, a list of which will be sent out very shortly.
For more information visit http://sabcnow.com/#section-events
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SABC's Annual Christmas Dinner and Fundraiser 2016
 
On December 7, 2016, the SABC hosted its traditional SABC Christmas Dinner and Fundraiser at the elegant Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. As always, this event was a wonderful way to network with leading Swiss companies and personalities in the Chicagoland and Midwest region. Thanks to our event sponsors and donors for the silent auction the event was a huge success. Entertainment was provided by the Sam Moesching Jazz Trio. For more pictures of the event, please visit SABC gallery. |
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Welcome New SABC Individual Members
We welcome Philipp Muheim, Attorney-at -law, LL.M., Regional Legal Counsel Americas from Barry Callebaut U.S.A. LLC and Paul Carpenter, International Program Management and Business Development from Rotary International.
Welcome New SABC Corporate Member
  We welcome Barnes & Thornburg LLP as our new SABC Corporate Member and its partners, Will Turner (on the left) and Timo Rehbock (on the right). Mr. Turner is a corporate partner in the firm’s Chicago office and focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, capitalization and finance transactions, restructurings and joint ventures for Swiss and U.S. businesses. Mr. Rehbock is Chair of the firm's European Practice Group and focuses his practice on domestic and international corporate and commercial matters.
Barnes & Thornburg European Service Group counsels both European entities engaged in business in the United States and U.S.-based entities operating in European countries in a variety of areas, including corporate services, intellectual property, labor and employment, and litigation. For more information about Barnes & Thornburg LLP visit http://www.btlaw.com/European-Services-Industries/
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 BIG KAISER Receives NTMA Distinguished Service Award
Hoffman Estates, IL – The National Tooling & Machining Association recognized Chris Kaiser, President/CEO of BIG KAISER with the 2016 NTMA Distinguished Service Award at the recent Fall Conference in Charlotte, NC. The annual award recognizes an associate member or partner for their exceptional support of the Association, and leadership in the manufacturing industry.
 Photo: Chris Kaiser, President/CEO of BIG KAISER was awarded the 2016 NTMA Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Kaiser and VP Sales & Engineering Jack Burley are avid supporters of NTMA local and national events.
“Chris has demonstrated a tireless commitment to manufacturing advocacy,” said David Tilstone, President of NTMA. “He supports workforce development through the company’s apprenticeship and internship programs, STEM initiatives like National Robotics League, and the Northern Illinois G-CAMP manufacturing partnership. He is a strong supporter of many regional and national NTMA events, as well as international Technology Tours for our members.”
Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, Mr. Kaiser moved to the U.S. to attend Babson College near Boston. After graduation, he started his career working for a tooling distributor and calling on machine shops door-to-door. In 1990, he launched Kaiser Precision Tooling in Illinois. Under Chris’ leadership, the company has grown to become part of the global BIG Daishowa Group, with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Switzerland and Japan.
The NTMA is the national representative and advocate of the custom precision manufacturing industry in the United States. Member companies supply precision tooling and machining for such vital industries as defense, automotive, aerospace, appliance, electronics, agricultural implements, construction equipment, and many more. NTMA members are organized into 49 local chapters throughout the country.
BIG KAISER is a worldwide leader in high-precision tooling systems and solutions for the metalcutting industry that guarantee extreme accuracy and repeatability. Our products are of the utmost quality — manufactured with materials and craftsmanship that enable superior performance. As a member of the BIG DAISHOWA Group (Osaka, Japan), BIG KAISER has grown into a well-recognized global tooling provider, with manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.
For more information, contact BIG KAISER, Hoffman Estates, IL at 224-770-2999, e-mail bigkaiser@us.bigkaiser.com or visit www.us.bigkaiser.com. |
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 We are very excited about our NEW machine π111 PLUS
The Small Flexible Machine specifically designed
Very affordable & competitive while providing your customers with ALL
- "Standard" Coatings like AlTiN
- "State of the Art" Coatings like naco & nacro
- "Future" Coatings like TripleCoatings3®
Additional Upgrade Options:
- Bring Coating Expertise "In-house"
- Offer Rush Orders and Delivery with Coating Included
- Reduced Operating Costs for Coating, Packing & Handling, Shipping
- Offer a Highly Flexible Production Schedule Yielding with Low Inventory Level
- Dedicated Coating Properties for Your Tools
- High Reliability - High Quality Build
- Environmentally-friendly Process
PLATIT develops and produces coating equipment based on plasma generating PVD technology (Physical
Vapour Deposition).
PLATIT offers complete turn-key PVD coating systems including all necessary peripheral equipment and
technologies for surface pre-treatment:
- Polishing, brushing and/or micro-blasting
- Single-chamber vacuum cleaning with "start-and-forget" operation
- Stripping of coatings from HSS and carbides
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EROWA Technology, based in Arlington Heights, IL., is a full service supplier of palletization and automation systems for the North American manufacturing market. Our goal is to provide complete turnkey solutions for precision parts handling through most any group of manufacturing processes (from one type of machine to the next). We are capable of providing a simple manual palletization system or a fully integrated, custom designed workholding and automation system to meet the current needs and expectations of our customers.
In the market segments of precision mechanics, tool- and mold-making, as well as chip-cutting production, we offer concepts and products that provide customers with considerable optimization possibilities throughout the whole range of machining processes. Primarily, we achieve this through comprehensive knowledge of the application of our products, through individual and customized consultation, and through the use of our Flexible Manufacturing Concept (FMC), which cover the following four areas:
- Standardization (tooling system, tooling technology)
- Organization (setting-up, presetting and measuring technologies)
- Automation (loading/unloading technologies)
- Integration (process sequence, process control and planning technologies)
For more information:
EROWA Technology, Inc.
2535 S. Clearbrook Dr.
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
www.erowa.com
info.usa@erowa.com |
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Herrmann Ultrasonics, Inc., located in Bartlett, IL provides ultrasonic welding technology for the automotive, medical, hygiene, food and electronic markets. Herrmann Ultrasonics has become the technology leader in ultrasonic welding by developing the most advanced products, providing ULTRASONICS ENGINEERING expertise and total solution offerings. Continuous growth of its PLASTIC, PACKAGING and NONWOVENS divisions has allowed the company to establish Technology Centers throughout North America.
The 20,000 sq. ft. facility, located in Bartlett, IL has been managed since 2006, by Uwe Peregi (a Swiss citizen). This modern and advanced facility allows Herrmann Ultrasonics to provide feasibility studies and trial runs in one of the three laboratories. Fast tooling delivery is standard due to in-house vertical integrated 3D tooling design and CNC manufacturing. In 2015, Herrmann Ultrasonics Inc. celebrated its 25th anniversary as a momentous achievement. Herrmann Ultrasonics, Inc. is very proud of the growth and achievements in the North American market over the past 25 years. The company looks forward to remaining the technology leader in ultrasonics in the next decade and beyond. |
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About LNS America, Inc.
LNS is your “One-Stop-Shop” for an incredible assortment of proven solutions for Swiss style CNC machines. As one of the world’s leading machine tool accessory providers and with proven experience and performance, LNS is your single source supplier for engineered solutions.
More manufacturers turn to LNS for:
- Manual and automatic bar feeds for bar stock diameters from .039” to 4-3/4” with changeovers in as little as 1 minute
- Turbo chip conveyors and coolant management systems that eliminate bottlenecks and reduce coolant costs.
- Workholding devices from precision chucks to complete automatic steady rest systems for better stability, speed and product quality.
- Fox mist collectors that improve worker safety and job performance while reducing facility maintenance and utilities costs.
In addition, LNS provides unmatched applications assistance, customer support and technical service worldwide from more than 800 dedicated employees. LNS is truly your one-stop-shop for machine tool peripherals.
For more information:
www.LNS-america.com
P: 513-528-5674
E: sales@LNSamerica.com |
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 J.R. BECHTLE & Co.
For 38 years now, JR BECHTLE & Co. (www.jrbechtle.com) specializes in retained executive recruitment for companies with manufacturing and distribution operations in North and South America. Our clientele encompasses European and U.S. corporations from a broad spectrum of industries, with a concentration in capital equipment, electronic components and systems, medical devices, biotechnology, high-end consumer goods, and other technically sophisticated products and services.
Our services include: Retained Executive Recruitment, Board of Directors Recruitment, Human Resources Management, Compensation and Benefits Advisory.
Read what our customer say about us: http://www.jrbechtle.com/about/testimonials/
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  GF Machining Solutions Automates Laser Texturing for Unattended Operation
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., January 20, 2017 – GF Machining Solutions’ versatile and compact 5-axis LASER P 400U laser texturing machine offers even greater productivity when paired with the company’s System 3R WorkPartner 1+ automation. As with all of GF Machining Solutions’ LASER machines, the LASER 400 family offers infinitely repeatable high performance, incredible accuracy and impeccable quality. The range’s fully digitized process makes it easy to texture, mark, engrave and add functional texture to parts, molds and dies, even when dealing with complex 3D parts.
The modular concept of the LASER P 400U includes a patented, dual-laser head that includes both a fiber nanosecond laser and femtosecond pulsed laser. This allows texturing and nano scale texturing along with burr-free engraving of surfaces in single part setups. The dual-laser design also extends the range of materials that can be textured to include sapphires, glasses, polymers and ceramics.
With a footprint of just 48.4" x 87.8", the compact LASER P 400U is easy to incorporate into an existing production environment. The machine accommodates workpieces with maximum diameters and heights of 4.7".
The LASER P 400U is automation ready and, when integrated with System 3R WorkPartner 1+ automation, allows for increased flexibility and productivity, as well as unattended night and weekend operation.
About GF Machining Solutions
GF Machining Solutions is the world’s leading provider of machines, automation solutions and services to the tool and mold making industry and to manufacturers of precision components. The products range from electric discharge machines, high-speed and high-performance milling machines, including clamping and palletization systems, and 3D laser surface texturing machines, to services, spare parts and expendable parts, consumables and automation solutions. GF Machining Solutions is a globally acting division of the Georg Fischer Group (Switzerland) and maintains a presence on 50 sites worldwide within its own organization. Its 3,008 employees generated sales of CHF 905 million in 2014. More information can be found at www.gfms.com/us.
For more Information:
Karl Kleppek, Director of Business Development
847.913.5300 | karl.kleppek@georgfischer.com
Chuck Bates, Director of Public Relations dgs Marketing Engineers®
317.813.2230 | bates@dgsmarketing.com |
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 Convenient Warehousing, Unmatched Quality
Conveniently located near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Hegele Logistic is an ISO 9001 certified company whom hosts a modern warehouse facility in Wood Dale, IL. From high security to unparalleled cleanliness, our facility offers rack, open bay, and small component storage to proficiently meet any of your needs.
Offering both short and long term storage options, we go above and beyond to provide a modern warehouse management system, climate controlled conditions, customized packaging solutions (for storage and shipping), and 24/7 spare part management. Being an international company, we are also able to offer unique services catering to overseas businesses, such as customs clearance.
From inventory accuracy to timely order fulfilment, we strive to provide you with a satisfactory storage experience - one which does not require a long-term contract. Contact us today at (847) 201-3119 to discover how our storage solutions will work for you.
 
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SABC Upcoming Event
March 16, 2017: SABC Annual Meeting
SABC Past Event
December 7, 2016: Christmas Party and Fundraiser 2016
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