Discover some of the latest product launches and innovations happening within our region’s manufacturing companies.
Siffron, an Ohio-based specialist in retail display solutions, has broken ground on a new 319,000-square-foot distribution and warehouse facility on Interstate Boulevard in Loves Park, Ill. The estimated $20 million project will be designed with an option to build on 180,950 square feet. Siffron also manages a production center, the former Southern Imperial, in Rockford.
Rockford Systems, a Rockford-based producer of industrial safety solutions, has launched a new line of combustion solutions aimed at thermal processing firms working in the petrochemical, incineration, gypsum, glass and power generation industries. The company plans to couple its valve safety trains with services such as combustion safety training, risk assessments, inspections, audits and aftermarket support. The firm has also opened a 2,200-square-foot training center in Rockford.
Jim Bridenstine, administrator for NASA, met with area aerospace manufacturers during this spring’s annual Rockford Area Aerospace Network Aerospace Symposium. Bridenstine shared NASA’s plans for commercialized space exploration, including privately contracted, long-term missions to the moon and Mars.
Rockford was ranked the 10th-best mid-size city for carpenters in a recent survey by AdvisorSmith.com, an online business insurance advisor. The study compared salaries, cost of living and availability of jobs. Peoria, Ill., and Springfield, Ill., topped the group’s list.
Wahl, a Sterling, Ill., specialist in personal grooming products, has released several new clippers and a new line of Shiatsu massagers. The Heated Deep Knead Massage Wrap, the Hot/Cold Pillow and the Deep Rolling Massager are designed to relieve pain using the Shiatsu massage technique. Meanwhile, the firm has also released the Smooth Cut Pro Clipper and its more powerful cousin, the Extreme Grip Pro Clipper, for self-haircuts. For pet grooming, Wahl has released the Grind & Smooth as well as the Grind, Trim, Smooth.
Carvana, an online marketplace for buying used cars, has expanded its delivery service to Rockford. The firm carries an inventory of about 15,000 vehicles online and recently opened a “Car Vending Machine” – an eight-story, coin-operated, all-glass structure in Oak Brook – that holds up to 27 vehicles.
ABC Supply Co., the Beloit-based specialist in wholesale distribution of exterior building products, has opened branches in Gloucester, Va.; Junction City, Kan.; Mashpee, Mass.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Rosenberg, Texas, bringing the company to more than 760 locations nationwide. ABC Supply has also been awarded the Gallup Great Workplace Award for the 13th straight year.
Superior Joining Technologies, a Machesney Park, Ill., specialist in technical precision welding, has acquired a modular laser deposition technology welding system capable of hitting varying geometries and greater controls with depth of weld penetration, applied to smaller, thinner, and more intricate and complex assemblies.
Astro-Physics, a Loves Park, Ill., specialist in telescope mounting equipment, has introduced the Mach2GTO universal robotic mount for portable telescopes. It’s designed with an absolute encoder, custom tracking, and several precision systems, among other things.
RegalBeloit, a Beloit specialist in manufacturing electric motors, motion controls, power generation and power transmission components, in collaboration with the University of Texas A&M, presented their findings on motor losses at the International Electric Machines & Drives Conference this spring. Supported by an award from the federal Department of Energy, the joint team researched ways to improve motor efficiency without heavy reliance on rare earth materials, focusing on RegalBeloit’s NovaMAX motor.
Aqua-Aerobic Systems, a Loves Park, Ill., specialist in wastewater treatment, has acquired Germany-based FUCHS Enprotec GmbH, a specialist in mechanical engineering processes and technologies for the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater, sewage sludge and off-gas.
Woods Equipment, an Oregon, Ill., producer of agricultural, landscape and construction machines, has released the HLS3 Log Splitter, a 3-point log splitter designed to operate horizontally or vertically and attach onto a tractor.
The International Table Tennis Federation has announced it will hold Olympic trials in Rockford’s BMO Harris Bank Center this October. The city’s first-ever Olympic trials event will feature men and women from U.S. and Canadian teams, with winners qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.