Design, manufacture industry anniversaries, acquisitions, appointments

AlphaCoin names Alec Searle president, CEO

AlphaCoin LLC announced Alec Searle will become the new president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut-based manufacturer of high precision components for the aerospace, defense, and medical industries. Searle joined AlphaCoin on Sept. 1, 2021.

Searle brings to AlphaCoin more than two decades of experience in the aerospace and defense industry. Before joining AlphaCoin, Searle served as the Chief Operating Officer at Paradigm Precision, a leading private equity owned fabrication and machining company. AlphaCoin’s business units include GAR Electroforming of Danbury, Conn., Connecticut Coining of Bethel, Conn. and Gasser of Commack, N.Y.

As President and CEO for AlphaCoin, Searle will be responsible for the current and growing platform of the three business units, providing strategic guidance, leadership and management to the existing platform and helping to grow the business through strategic acquisitions.

“Alec is the right leader for the AlphaCoin portfolio,” says Gary Schuster, AlphaCoin chairman. “Alec’s extensive aerospace and defense manufacturing background combined with his senior leadership skills will help further strengthen and grow the AlphaCoin portfolio.”

“I’m excited and honored to lead the AlphaCoin team,” Searle says. “I was attracted to AlphaCoin because of the unparalleled range of manufacturing capabilities and the strong desire of the team to partner long term with customers. I look forward to working both internally and externally to strengthen and grow our capabilities and to be the partner of choice for the products we provide.”

Searle, a resident of Burlington, Conn., served as the COO of Paradigm Precision since 2018.

H.B. Carbide appoints new general manager

H.B. Carbide has announced Jon Dreher as its new general manager, responsible for overseeing the company’s overall operation to meet planned revenue goals while maintaining quality standards and personnel satisfaction.

Possessing a strong operations background in manufacturing as well as with association management, Dreher was executive chairman of the Grand Traverse Area Manufacturing Council for five years. He has experience in working with companies from Inc. 500s to start-ups to running his own global company for 14 years. Most recently he was vice president at Promethient Inc. (Traverse City), a climate control solution provider.

Dreher has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and is certified in Six Sigma, Lean and Quick Response Manufacturing. Community service work includes his involvement as a robotics coach in support of the VEX robotic students. He lives in Williamsburg with his wife and children.

Norman Noble Inc. celebrates 75 years of innovation in Cleveland

Norman Noble Inc., the world’s leading contract manufacturer of next-generation medical implants, is celebrating its 75th year of business in Northeast Ohio.

The company was founded in 1946 in Cleveland. Today, 3 generations of the Noble family maintain guiding principles to lead the company – and the industry – with technologically advanced capabilities and exceptional service. The company has grown to 750 employees, with 5 facilities and more than 275,000 square feet of combined manufacturing space. Headquarters and large-scale production facilities are located in Highland Heights, Ohio, with additional facilities in Naples, Florida, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Norman Noble Inc. keeps pace with current technology by continually investing in machining, finishing, and engineering resources to enable the manufacturing of next-generation product designs. Recent manufacturing innovations include its proprietary Noble STEALTH athermal lasers for machining nitinol Class III implants, its 5-axis dimensional inspection system, CT scanner inspection system, SynchroFlash operation combining laser machining with Swiss turning and milling, fully validated manufacturing processes, and rapid development prototyping services.

The medtech product designs that Norman Noble manufactures for OEM customers include transcatheter heart valve frame and pump components, vascular stents (neurovascular, cardiovascular, carotid, peripheral SFA, venous, and BTK), neurovascular clot removal devices, vessel closure implants, spinal implants, orthopedic screws and plates, and multi-leaf collimator assemblies used for radiation therapy.

For medical implant and device companies in need of a manufacturing partner, Norman Noble’s US-based team of engineers drives solutions to guide the most intricate designs of next-generation medical implants and devices from prototype through commercialization. With in-house nitinol experts and unmatched capacity as the largest laser contract manufacturer in the world, Norman Noble quickly works to manufacture and validate anything that can be designed.

DATRON Dynamics celebrates 25th anniversary, donates $25,000 of tooling to STEM programs

DATRON Dynamics Inc., the North American provider of DATRON high-speed, precision CNC machines, marks its 25th anniversary by donating $25,000 worth of cutting tools across ten educational institutions that have DATRON machines in their STEM program.

Each of the selected institutions, including the University of Oregon, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Maryland, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Washington, Southern New Hampshire University, Université Laval, and Mount Si High School of the Snoqualmie Valley School District, and two others, will receive a $2,500 voucher to purchase cutting tools for their DATRON machines.

Established in 1996, DATRON Dynamics brings smart manufacturing solutions to a variety of industries. DATRON machines and cutting tools are German-Engineered for precision, ease of use, and speed. DATRON’s exclusive line of end mills is designed to increase throughput and provide superior surface finishes.

When asked about this important anniversary, Bill King, President of DATRON Dynamics, Inc. said, “DATRON Dynamics feels the best way to honor this milestone is by investing in the educational programs that are developing our next generation of engineers, machinists, and makers. I am thankful to DATRON AG for allowing us to represent this industry-leading technology, to our incredible team of dedicated employees for their tireless efforts and expertise, and finally to our customers, who have entrusted us with being a part of their growth and vision. I could not be prouder of what our team has built and accomplished over the past 25 years.

ARCH Medical Solutions Corp. acquires Wilsey Tool Co., Isimac Mfg. Co., and Choice Precision

ARCH Medical Solutions Corp., an ARCH Global Precision Company announced the acquisition of three VfD Technologies companies: Wilsey Tool Co. Inc. in Quakertown, Pennsylvania; Isimac Mfg. Co. Inc. in Blandon, Pennsylvania; and Choice Precision Inc. in Whitehall, Pennsylvania. Each company specializes in precision contract manufacturing for the medical device industry with added expertise in machining robotic end-effectors for specialty robotics and factory automation applications. In addition, the companies serve numerous customers in other complementary industries. The new acquisitions join ARCH Medical Solutions collectively as ARCH Medical Solutions – Lehigh Valley, solidifying ARCH as an industry-leading supplier known for growth and scale in the medical products market.

“These companies are an exciting addition to the ARCH family,” says Paul Barck, divisional president of ARCH Medical Solutions. “During my site visits, I saw firsthand sophisticated manufacturing processes and a culture highly focused on quality and productivity, which align well with our approach. The capabilities at Wilsey, Isimac, and Choice are highly complementary to existing ARCH Medical Solutions capabilities and expertise.”

Elizabeth Rothwell, chief commercial officer at VfD and continuing president of ARCH Medical Solutions – Lehigh Valley, sees the partnership as a growth platform in the contract medical device and automation markets.

“Given the strength of both the VfD Technologies and ARCH Medical Solutions teams, our customers and employees stand to gain significantly from this partnership,” Rothwell says. “By joining forces, we will be able to offer expanded capabilities and capacity for our customers, and our employees will have broadened opportunities for growth and development.”

“The growth we are facing is tremendous, and ARCH offers expanded resources to secure the company’s future. After evaluating many options, we identified ARCH Medical Solutions as the right partner,” says Patrick Thornton, chief financial officer at VfD and continuing VP of Finance for ARCH Medical Solutions – Lehigh Valley.

ARCH President and Chief Executive Officer Eli Crotzer believes the combined expertise of the three companies is a perfect match for ARCH.

“As we have gotten to know the overall business, we noticed many similarities between us,” he said. “I am confident these common values will make for a seamless integration.”