PEOPLE WATCH
In memoriam : LVD mourns Robert Dewulf
LVD has announced the passing of Baron Robert Dewulf , one of the founding fathers of LVD , who died on 11 August 2022 at the age of 93 .
As one of the driving forces , the ‘ D ’ in LVD , he made a significant contribution to the success of the company that he helped set up in 1954 ( alongside Jacques Lefebvre and Marc Vanneste ). The three managers complemented each other , with Mr . Dewulf acting as the bridge-builder to both government and industry . “ As a result of his efforts , LVD built a reputation as a respected manufacturer and good employer in the region . Under his direction , LVD grew into an international company . His entrepreneurship and his vision for the future put LVD on the map as an innovative global player decades ago ,” LVD told ISMR . “ Even though he had been retired for many years and had passed the torch to the younger generation , he remained genuinely concerned with the company ’ s
fortunes up to the very last moment . If possible , he was very happy to come to the company and still showed great interest in our latest products and developments . He loved meeting new people at LVD but also remained very concerned about the wellbeing of all employees of the company . He will be greatly missed ,” LVD continued .
LVD is a leading manufacturer of sheetmetalworking equipment including laser cutting systems ; punch presses ; press brakes ; guillotine shears and automation systems , integrated to and supported by its CADMAN ® software suite . Its Industry 4.0-ready technology is geared towards smart manufacturing . n
In memoriam : a tribute to Alex D ’ Alfonso
Coil processing specialist , The Bradbury Group , has confirmed that Alexander D ’ Alfonso passed away at home in Burlington , Ontario ( Canada ) on 3 August 2022 surrounded by his family . He was 67 years old . In 2015 , he became the Group ’ s sales director of coil processing systems .
“ Alex is survived by his loving wife of 27 years , Angelica , and his children Tanya ; Tyler ; Barbara ; Joel ; Ana and Drew , along with their partners , and twelve grandchildren . Alex graduated from the Mohawk College Control System Engineering Programme in 1975 in Hamilton , ON , Canada , and spent his entire career in the steel industry in various roles ,” The Bradbury Group told ISMR .
Alexander D ’ Alfonso joined Stelco in 1975 for ten years before moving to New Zealand Steel in 1986 as a hot-strip mill electrical engineer . He returned to Canada in 1987 with Reliance Electric Company in service and then moved to sales . Alex joined PRO- ECO ( SMS Demag PRO-ECO ) in 1991 as manager of Mexican and Latin American sales until 2003 . He was VP of sales with Avon Engineering from 2003 to 2007 . In 2007 , he joined The Bradbury Group as director of process lines and Latin American sales before , in 2015 becoming its sales director of coil processing systems .
“ He will be missed by many colleagues in the steel industry ,” The Bradbury Group told ISMR .
“ Alex was an accomplished sales professional and an expert in the coil processing industry . He worked for The Bradbury Group of companies for 17 years , sharing his knowledge with colleagues and customers around the world .” n
PMA hires workforce development director
The Precision Metalforming Association ( PMA ), based in the U . S ., has hired Connie King as workforce development director . She will manage the overall strategic direction of PMA ’ s workforce development initiatives ; enhance PMA ’ s METALFORM EDU online training platform designed for the metalforming industry and collaborate with PMA member companies , educational institutions and workforce development champions at all levels of government to promote careers in manufacturing , and to educate and advance the manufacturing workforce of tomorrow .
“ The recruitment , training and retention of workers is our members ’ top priority ,” said PMA President , David Klotz . “ We are thrilled to bring Connie on board to lead our workforce development efforts and grow this team , continue to increase awareness about metalforming careers and develop training programmes to build a high-calibre , skilled workforce . Connie ’ s extensive experience in learning and development strategies makes her an outstanding addition to our staff .”
King served as the director of professional development for Baldwin Wallace University , where she created and delivered original , competency-based learning programmes for external organisations and the university . She also previously worked for the University of Akron as a manager of business solutions , where she developed and implemented internal and external organisational development programmes and created community , industry-based consortia for
Connie King .
assessing and satisfying skills demands . She has a Bachelor ’ s degree in Business from Baldwin-Wallace College and an MBA from the University of Akron . n