Wago Corp. hires Scott Becher as a senior sales and application engineer. He served most recently as an industrial automation specialist for Square D/Schneider Electric. Keith Vangilder and Eric Langhorst join the co. as regional sales managers.

Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) adds Jose Martinez as its director for the Latin America office, while Jacquelyn Bradshaw is promoted to the position of director of web services. Martinez served as director of the Mexican Packaging association from 1994-1997 and is a certified exhibition manager. Bradshaw joined the institute as webmaster for www.pmmi.org in March, 2001, and received the certified Internet Web professional designation in '02. She's currently overseeing the redesign of www.pmmi.org, among other projects.

Gilbreth adds Jim Insel to lead its sales organization.

Mettler-Toledo Hi-Speed, Inc. appoints Stuart Thomas to the position of operations manager. Thomas has more than 10 years of experience within the Mettler-Toledo Group, encompassing a number of leadership positions.

DE-STA-CO names John Mancuso its manager for the Northeast U.S. He has serviced the New England market for more than 30 years.

Multisorb Technologies, Inc., Buffalo, NY, makes Steven M. Lloyd director of sales. He joins the co. from Amherst, NY-based ATTO Technology, Inc.

Rockwell Automation names John Kacsur vp of its food industry initiative. Having joined the co. in '89, Kacsur most recently served as account team lead for Kraft Foods, Inc.

HMSDesign appoints D.D. Spencer to the position of vp of strategic marketing. She has more than 15 years of experience in advertising, branding and packaging development. Tracey Heinemann rejoins the firm as vp of business development.

Key Technology, Inc. appoints Craig Miller to the position of senior vp and gm of the Aftermarket Business Unit. He joins the co. from Solance Technologies, where he held the position of president and CEO.

3 Sigma Corp. adds Jack Mitchell as vp of sales. Mitchell brings with him more than 25 years of experience in the paper and film manufacturing and converting industry. Terry Cudney comes aboard as marketing manager.

Praxair Surface Technologies, a sub. of Praxair, Inc., appoints Mike McPherron to the position of sales manager for its North American printing business.

ON THE MOVE

Rexam Beauty Packaging Brazil establishes a new plant in Jundiai, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The 150,000-plus sq-ft facility houses 400 employees.

FKI Logistex opens a regional office in Mexico City, Mexico, to support the its customer base in Mexico and Latin America.

Sun Chemical Corp. relocates its global hq to a new, 66,065-sq-ft facility in Parsippany, NJ.

Totani Corp., based in Kyoto, Japan, establishes Totani America, Inc. for the sales and service of Totani machinery and replacement parts. Headed by Michael Greely, the co. is located in Green Bay, WI.

TricorBraun increases the staff of its intl. div. to better accommodate its increase in customers and activity.

BUYING & SELLING

Imaje acquires the Chandler, AZ-based Fas-Co Hi-Res. Div.

Graham Packaging Co., LP, of York, PA, acquires four HDPE manufacturing plants from Tetra Pak. The $21 million transaction includes the transfer of all contracts, fixed assets, inventories and employees of each plant involved. All four plants are colocated with customer production facilities.

Fleetwood, Inc., a div. of Barry-Wehmiller based in Chicago, acquires the assets of Wyard Industries. The acquisition of Wyard follows on the heels of the co.'s addition of CO-based Goldco Intl., Inc.

Danaher Industrial Controls Group acquires PMA GmbH of Kassel, Germany, from The Netherlands-based Geveke Industrial Group.

The Tetra Laval Group adds SIG Simonazzi and SIG Alfa to its stable. The manufacturers of filling equipment and labeling equipment, respectively, will merge with the co.'s Sidel subsidiary.

Monosol Rx enters into a binding agreement to purchase a Doyen Medipharm high-speed pouching machine for packaging its fast-dissolving strip doses into unit-dose pouches.

Dalsa Corp. agrees to acquire Coreco, Inc. for approximately $72 million. The acquisition is expected to be completed in late April.

ACCORDS

FKI Logistex makes an exclusive licensing agreement with RT Solutions, Falls Church, VA, to manufacture, market and sell the RTS-20 free-standing insert singulator.

Montesino Associates, LLC agrees to market Amcor Flexibles' Black Box(tm) blister simulation technology to the pharmaceutical industry.

MAN Roland partners with Maxson Automatic Machinery Co. to become the exclusive, worldwide distributor of Maxson's in-line sheeters for wide-format, sheetfed presses.

CELEBRATING

Banner Packaging's Rick Hocking, plant manager, is named the '05 CMM Intl. Converter of the Year. He has served as plant manager since '99, guiding the co. to numerous awards.

PPi Technologies receives the Technology of the Year Award during Sarasota County, FL's Excellence in Industry Awards 2004.

HAPPENINGS

Diagraph, an ITW co., opens Diagraph University: RFID Training Center & Application Testing Lab. Custom workshops are designed to meet the needs of each participating company.

Archbold Container Corp. changes its name to Solutions by Design ACC.

CLARIFICATION

The supplier for the BIG SHOT(tm) bottle for CLIF SHOT® carbohydrate energy gel (PD, March '05, page 10) is Berlin Packaging.