AWS establishes largest original scholarship in society's history
The American Welding Society (www.aws.org) and the AWS Foundation have established the largest original section-endowed scholarship in the society's history.

The Santa Clara Valley Section of the AWS has provided a $60,000 endowment for the Lou DeFreitas scholarship fund that will enable the AWS Foundation to award $3,000 in scholarships to welding students on an annual basis.

The AWS Foundation, which provides funding to students and supports programs to strengthen research and educational opportunities in welding and related fields, will grant annual awards from the Lou DeFreitas-Santa Clara Valley Section Scholarship to students in the Santa Clara Valley Section. While the AWS Foundation will administer the scholarship fund, the Santa Clara Valley Section is responsible for the awards process, including setting the criteria for the grants and selecting the awardees.

Besides administering scholarships, the AWS Foundation embarked on a $10 million national capital campaign, "Welding for the Strength of America," to facilitate programs and other initiatives aimed at relieving the nationwide shortage of welders. At the end of 2006, the foundation had raised $1.6 million through contributions from its initial donors, Ron and Joyce Pierce, Miller Electric Co. and Hobart Brothers.

 

3M acquires Diamond Productions Inc.
3M (www.3M.com) recently announced it has acquired Diamond Productions Inc., a manufacturer of superabrasive diamond and CBN (cubic boron nitride) wheels and tools for dimensioning and finishing hard-to-grind materials in metalworking, woodworking and stone fabrication markets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

 

American Torch Tip buys Precision Products
The American Torch Tip Company (www.precisionproducts.com) has purchased the Precision Products Co. of Canaan, New Hampshire. The purchase was completed in May.

Precision Products specializes in manufacturing plasma torches and consumables used primarily in the metal fabricating industry.

American Torch Tip said the acquisition will give it an expanded product line and increased manufacturing capability, making it one of the largest suppliers of plasma products.

 

Praxair acquires Wilson Welding of Warren, Michigan
Praxair Distribution Inc., a subsidiary of Praxair, Inc. (www.praxair.com) a supplier of industrial gases, announced that it has acquired Wilson Welding & Medical Gases of Warren, Mich. (www.wilsonwmg.com).

Wilson is an independent distributor of industrial, medical, specialty gases and related equipment and supplies. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Wilson operates a cylinder filling plant and retail store in Warren, retail stores in Macomb and Pontiac, and a beverage CO2 business in Flint, Mich. The business generated sales of $20 million in 2006 and has 72 employees.

 

Electro Abrasives celebrates its 20th year
The management, staff and plant employees of Electro Abrasives Corp. (www.electroabrasives.com) celebrated the company's 20th anniversary in June. It was founded in Buffalo in 1987 as a management buyout from Ferro Corp.

 

Airgas completes acquisition of Linde U.S. packaged gas business
Airgas, Inc. (www.airgas.com) completed on June 30 its acquisition of Linde Gas USA LLC, and with it most of the U.S. packagedgas business of Linde AG. Airgas announced its plans to acquire the Linde Gas packaged gas operations in late March, paid $310 million in cash in the transaction.

The acquisition involved 130 locations in 18 states, including branches, warehouses, packaged gas fill plants, and other operations that are involved in distributing packaged industrial and specialty gases and related equipment. In 2006, the business generated $346 million in revenue.

"We are pleased to welcome 1,400 associates and the packaged gas customers they serve," Peter McCausland, chairman and chief executive officer of Airgas said in a prepared statement.

McCausland added that the packaged gas locations his company acquired fills in its network in a corridor from Pittsburgh to Chicago, and in other geographies in the eastern United States.

The company said the people who work for the former Linde Gas operations will join its seven regional companies and National Welders Supply Company, while two specialty gas facilities in Maumee, Ohio, and Valley View, Ohio, will join the Airgas Specialty Gases national network. Some corporate functions that are based in Cleveland will join the appropriate Airgas corporate units.

However, Airgas said the acquired locations will operate under their existing business structures for a while as it completes systems conversions. Until then, Airgas said customers will see no changes in the way they order, take delivery, or pay for products and service from their current locations.

Separately, Airgas announced in early July that it and its partners in the National Welders Supply Company joint venture agreed to turn the joint venture into a wholly owned subsidiary of Airgas.

Airgas has owned all of the joint venture's common stock since 1996 and had a 50 percent voting interest in the company. The owners of National Welders preferred stock held the balance of the voting interest and received a 5 percent annual preferred stock dividend. Under the terms of the agreement to make the company a subsidiary of Airgas, the joint venture partners will exchange their preferred shares of National Welders Supply Company for approximately 2.47 million shares of Airgas common stock.

Airgas said it expects to see a one-time aftertax charge of approximately $3 million in its quarter ended September 30, 2007, as a result of the transaction.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Airgas, Andy Cichocki, president and chief executive officer of National Welders, will report directly to Mike Molinini, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Airgas, Inc. In other respects, National Welders will continue to operate with regional autonomy, very much like other Airgas regional companies do.

Finally, Airgas also announced in early July that it acquired Lehner & Martin, Inc., an industrial gas and welding supply distributor based in Santa Ana, Calif., that has branches in Placentia, Gardena, and Chino, Calif. L&M generated sales of more than $13 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, and its operations were integrated into Airgas West.

L&M was founded by Ken Lehner in 1975 and is currently managed by his son, Mark Lehner, who will join Airgas West as an area vice president.

 

Harris Products establishes scholarship
The Harris Products Group (www.harrisproductsgroup.com), a Lincoln Electric company, has established a scholarship fund to honor Larry Schweikert, who recently retired from Harris after 32 years of service.

The the Larry and Patti Schweikert Scholarship will provide $1,000 each year to a full time business student at Gainesville State College in Gainesville, Ga.

"Larry was one of the most respected and dedicated individuals in the welding industry. The scholarship will be awarded to an individual who possesses the unique combination of ability and drive similar to those displayed by Larry in his many years of service with the company," David J. Nangle, president and chief exeuctive officer Harris Products, said in a prepared statement.