Year: 2019

Arcos started in 1919 as the R.D. Thomas and Company. Until 1931, electrodes were imported from Arcos S.A. in Brussels, Belgium. In 1931, the first heavy coated hand-dipped electrodes for welding stainless and other specialty steels were manufactured in the U.S. In 1936, R.D. Thomas and Company merged with the world’s most advanced producer of coated electrodes, Arcos Belgium. Six years later, the company developed the first 307 stainless steel electrode to weld armor plates instead of the then scarce and expensive stainless 310. In the pinch of war time shortages, this was a real advantage, as the war created…

The American Welding Society was founded in 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a mission to meet a national need to support welding during World War I. President Woodrow Wilson had asked Harvard Professor Comfort Avery Adams to chair the Welding Committee of the Emergency Fleet Corp., which was merged with the National Welding Council to form AWS. Adams served as the first president of the Society. The objectives of the newly formed society were, “To advance the science and art of welding in all the branches. To afford the members the opportunity for the interchange of ideas with respect to…

In 1944, Lawrence Amzy Morgan purchased the Brian Battie Company, a soda fountain service company, established in 1909, that distributed carbon dioxide gas and fountain syrup to drug stores, restaurants and taverns. In 1946, Morgan changed the company name to City Carbonic Sales & Service and incorporated the company in 1964. For the next 53 years, City Carbonic continued to focus on the food service industry, distributing CO2 in high-pressure cylinders that needed to be requalified for continued service every five years. As this became cost-prohibitive with their current vendor, City Carbonic invested in the equipment to provide its own…

Federated Insurance was founded in 1904 by a group of equipment dealers seeking better value for their premium dollar. In the early 20th century, the company began providing property coverage to auto dealers, machine shops, petroleum marketers and contractors throughout the Midwest. From the beginning, Federated’s relationships with associations like GAWDA have strengthened its understanding of the industries it helps protect. Those relationships and input from association members have played a key role in the evolution of Federated Insurance. Industry insights help shape the products and services that Federated offers. “Our growth into a national organization with 35,000+ policyholders can…

Oscar Kjellberg founded ESAB — Elektriska Svetsnings AtkieBolaget (Swedish for Electrical Welding Limited Company) — on September 12, 1904 in Gothenburg, Sweden, a port city. Trained as a ship engineer, Kjellberg developed the world’s first coated electrode to solve contamination and embrittlement issues in ship building, laying the foundations for a totally new epoch of welding, as his invention made it possible to exclude the oxygen in the air surrounding the workpiece. ESAB’s biggest accomplishment is to have established a track record of innovative solutions, whether through internal R&D efforts, acquisitions or collaborations which created entire process and product categories…

Iwatani Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange code: 8088) announced that Joseph S. Cappello has been named Executive Officer of Iwatani Corporation and also appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Iwatani Corporation of America (ICA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Iwatani Corporation. Mineharu Okamoto, president of Iwatani Corporation of America, will assume the additional title of Chief Operating Officer. In this new role, Cappello will lead the expansion of ICA’s total businesses including hydrogen and industrial gases across the Americas and have the additional responsibility for mergers and acquisitions in the region. Cappello has served as Executive Advisor to Iwatani Corporation…

Airweld is thrilled to announce that in partnership with Swift-Cut and Hypertherm, it is setting up a fully operational demo-room at the company’s Farmingdale training center. This will include a Swifty44 4′ x 4′ automated cutting table and a Hypertherm Powermax™ 65. Customers will be invited to see the system in operation including the ease of programming and superior cut quality. This new compact addition to the Swift-Cut line is ideal for smaller shops, educational institutions and training centers. We will be doing an email blast when the demo-room is ready and our sales team will invite customers to witness…

Baker’s Gas is hosting ARC FEST 2019! The event, which takes place at Baker’s Gas & Welding Supplies Monroe, Michigan, location will feature welding, grilling, & BBQ! Jimmy McKnight with the Arc Junkies Podcast will be at Baker’s Gas for his first annual Arc Fest. ESAB will be onsite with live demos including the Rebel 205 AC/DC multiprocess welding machine and other Rebel models. Treagering, networking and welding we hope to see you there! Arc Junkies podcast will go live at 10 a.m.! If you want your questions answered – leave a comment on the event and Arc Junkies will…

Anova recently announced that Danelle DiLibero will serve as its new vice president of people & culture. An accomplished human resources and talent professional, Danelle will lead Anova’s end-to-end employee experience, ensuring Anova has the key strategies in place to accelerate a culture of performance excellence, high engagement and continuous improvement. Danelle has more than 20 years of experience within various industries, including financial services (Goldman Sachs), consulting (BCG), engineering and manufacturing (Sensata Technologies), and technology (RMS). She joins Anova from her most recent position as the global head of talent acquisition at Verisk Analytics. In her new role, Danelle…

Six months after expanding to America, the largest family-run industrial gases specialist worldwide, Messer, is investing 34.6 million euros (38 million US Dollar) in the construction of a new air separation plant in Indianapolis, Indiana, America. The production plant for the air gases oxygen, nitrogen and argon is scheduled to go into operation in early 2021. It will produce industrial and medical grade gases for various sectors of the local and regional economy, including the healthcare, chemical, food as well as the glass and metal industries. “This investment underscores Messer’s commitment to strategic expansion in the US to meet growing…