Applied Manufacturing Technologies Inc. (www.appliedmfg.com) expanded its mechanical design capabilities in automotive body shop weld systems and tooling design with the acquisition of Tur-Tech Inc., a Troy, Mich.based design and engineering firm.

Tru-Tech will operate as part of AMT's Design Group and will be located in AMT's headquarters in Orion, Mich.

AMT provides factory automation design, engineering and process consulting services.

Hypertherm, Inc. (www.hypertherm.com) was named sixth among the top 25 Best Medium Companies to Work for in America by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This is the third year of the list, which ranks the top 25 small and top 25 medium-sized companies in America that use smart people management strategies to develop successful organizations with highly productive and satisfied workforces.

Hypertherm produces plasma cutting equipment that is used to manufacture products such as heavy equipment for farming, construction and highway repairs, automobiles, naval vessels and commercial ships, airliners and other products.

Praxair announced it will relocate its St. Louis industrial gas filling facility across the Mississippi River to . Cahokia, Ill. The company has been operating in a facility in Cahokia since June 25, 2005, when it had a fire at its St. Louis site. The state of Illinois is providing nearly $1 million in tax incentives, including $88,000 in tax incentives for building in an enterprise zone and a $32,000 job-training credit. Praxair will receive $820,000 in tax credits over the next decade if it provides at least 60 jobs.

Chart Industries is hoping to raise nearly $262.5. million in an initial public offering of stock. The company said June 29 it will offer 12.5 million shares of stock the SEC declares its amended filing is effective. The date for the stock offering was not announced. Chart is hoping its shares sell at a price of $19 to $21 per share. The company said it will use about $25 million of the proceeds to pay down debt, and about $208.8 million of the net proceeds to pay off its private shareholders.