Davis-Standard expands its service and support capabilities focused on delivering better line efficiency and lower operating costs to its customers. The company’s investments in one global service team, critical spare parts inventory, new service products and advanced digital infrastructure are to address customers’ need for speed, uptime, flexibility, cost savings and quality. These enhanced capabilities are designed to support all equipment manufactured by Davis-Standard and its subsidiaries, including Maillefer.  

Giovanni Spitale, CEO of Davis-Standard, was quoted as saying, “Davis-Standard’s commitment extends far beyond the initial equipment sale – it’s about building enduring partnerships that empower our customers to thrive, and we firmly believe the strategic investments in our people, technologies, and operations will provide an immediate impact to our customers.” 

Davis-Standard’s investment spans into four core areas. First, an expanded network of expert service technicians to ensure localized support for customers. For US-based customers, the goal is to have a Davis-Standard certified technician within a 3-hour radius of customer sites, ensuring faster resolution of customer issues. Second, the company stocks 1000+ critical spare parts in its VIP program for its customers. This ensures a 24-hour part availability from a trusted source with predictable costs. Third, to minimize unplanned downtime and increase line performance and throughput, Davis-Standard has flexible preventative maintenance programs customers can choose from, including rebuild and repair programs. Lastly, the company has significantly invested in a Service Cloud, advanced data analytics, and remote monitoring/IOT capabilities. Coupled with the digital transformation, the increase in sustaining innovations, such as product upgrades, ensures the complete life cycle of the equipment is optimized.    

“Our customer-centric approach drives everything we do. We’ve restructured internally and expanded our service offerings to ensure unparalleled operational excellence for our customers. Buying equipment from us means a lifelong partnership geared towards enhancing customers’ line efficiency at a competitive total cost of ownership and fostering future innovations.” said Zachery Ament, Global Service President.  

Zach added, “Our vision is to be your preferred service and support partner providing a premium customer experience, regardless of which Davis-Standard, Maillefer, or sub-brand piece of equipment you purchased from us, dating back 30+ years. If a customer needs more performance, speed, flexibility, or cost savings from their existing equipment, we have a solution. We know our equipment better and can help.” 

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Acquisition Intended to Accelerate Company’s Growth and Global Capabilities 

Davis-Standard, LLC (“Davis-Standard”), a global leader in the extrusion equipment and services sector, announced today that it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire the Extrusion Technology Group (“ETG”) from entities controlled by the Dutch Investor Nimbus. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Davis-Standard has been majority owned by funds affiliated with Gamut Capital Management, L.P. (“Gamut”) since December 2021 and serves the global infrastructure and packaging end-markets with a highly engineered suite of extrusion equipment and converting systems supported by world-class aftermarket spare parts, service, and support for its base of industry critical customers. 

ETG is a well-established player in the global extrusion equipment and services sector with a history dating back to 1943. With a reputation for world-class engineering and innovation, ETG is a leader in the supply of extrusion equipment and downstream processing equipment, in addition to extensive tooling, dies, spare parts, and service capabilities, for the global pipe, profile, film and sheet markets. ETG’s operations span Europe, the United States, and Asia and includes long-established and storied brands, such as Battenfeld-Cincinnati, Exelliq (formerly known as Greiner Extrusion), and Simplas. 

Giovanni Spitale, CEO of Davis-Standard, stated: “We have long admired ETG’s capabilities and highly engineered products and are thrilled to welcome ETG into the Davis-Standard family of brands. The acquisition of ETG will be highly complementary and diversifying to our fast-growing enterprise, and we believe it will allow Davis-Standard to provide a broader and deeper product portfolio to our customers. We intend to establish the ETG business as a standalone segment that will continue to serve its base of customers with additional support and capabilities from the broader Davis-Standard platform. We believe that the combination of our world-class engineering capabilities, our global scale, and the sharing of best practices will only enhance our ever-expanding value proposition in the extrusion value chain.”  

Gerold Schley, CEO of ETG, will join the Davis-Standard senior leadership team and continue to manage the ETG business after closing of the transaction. “I am exceptionally proud of the growth and success that we have achieved across all of ETG’s businesses under the stewardship of Nimbus. This merger is a great outcome that we believe will create a best-in-class, diversified global supplier of highly engineered extrusion equipment.” 

Giovanni added: “I am thrilled to partner with Gerold as we invest further to accelerate growth and our global capabilities and look forward to working alongside all members of the ETG team after closing.” 

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. served as lead financial advisor, Current Capital Partners LLC served as a financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Davis-Standard. Lincoln International served as financial advisor, and Allen & Overy served as legal counsel to Nimbus.  Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, BMO Capital Markets Corp., UBS Securities LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Stifel, Nicolaus and Company, Inc. and Citizens Bank, N.A. are providing financing commitments for the transaction, subject to customary terms and conditions. 

Continuing with company-wide sustainability efforts, Davis-Standard’s subsidiary in Germany, ER-WE-PA GmbH, recently attained ISO 14001 certification. This certification illustrates a commitment to customer service and environmental sustainability, essential to Davis-Standard’s pursuit of operational excellence, safety practices, and process improvement. This is the fourth Davis-Standard location to become ISO 14001 certified in recent months, joining facilities in Fulton, N.Y., Vantaa, Finland, and Ecublens, Switzerland. All of Davis-Standard’s global manufacturing sites are slated to become ISO 14001 certified by 2025.

“We congratulate our employees in Germany for achieving ISO 14001 certification. Establishing and applying an environmental management system for manufacturing practices at each facility is part of our ongoing journey toward a more sustainable future,” said Giovanni Spitale, Davis-Standard CEO. “It also ensures consistent practices across the board, with equipment development and manufacturing efforts focused on reducing waste and improving energy efficiency and recyclability.”

At the core of ISO certification is the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. This is achieved by enhancing customer fulfillment through an effective quality management system (www.iso.org). All issues are addressed at the source to support best practices.

To learn more about Davis-Standard’s sustainability commitments, visit here.

Medical product manufacturing is a tough job; persistent timelines, exacting quality standards, equipment performance, tighter margins, and staffing shortages are just a few things piled on the plate. So how to make your job easier? The answer lies in reliable technology and the forward-thinking potential of digital transformation. Digitalization and “smart factory” technology may already be integrated into the operation. If you are still researching the possibilities, here are some insights to help take the next step.

To read the full article, click here.

 

 

 

As the head of Davis-Standard, Giovanni Spitale has an unusual background.

Unlike many executives who work their way up in the plastics industry, the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power School graduate spent much of his time in the aerospace industry.

“That’s the first of many unorthodox things you’re going to discover about me today,” Spitale told Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing Senior Staff Reporter Bruce Geiselman during a recent interview.

He also might be the only industry CEO who once ran a nuclear reactor aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier as a nuclear power plant supervisor, serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

After the Navy, he worked at companies including Honeywell and GE Aviation. Between 2019 and 2022, Spitale served as VP of commercial parts within Boeing Global Services, where had responsibility for profit-and-loss management and the strategic direction of the company’s $4 billion portfolio of commercial aircraft and engine parts businesses.

His experience in the aviation industry helped prepared him to lead Davis-Standard, said Spitale, who has been president of the extrusion machinery maker since February 2022.

To view the full interview, visit the PMM website: click here.

Davis-Standard’s medical extrusion expertise and customer-centric approach will be promoted during MD&M West 2023 at booth 3911, February 7-9, in Anaheim, Calif. Show visitors will have an opportunity to view a running polycarbonate pipette line equipped with a Davis-Standard HPE (high performance) extruder and new DS-XEL process control. The line will also feature downstream equipment from the Conair Group and an OD/ID/Wall gauge system by Zumbach Electronics, both Davis-Standard technology partners. In addition, a 2.5-inch (50mm) Davis-Standard Super Blue^® extruder will be displayed with DS-XEL controls, and customers can learn more about the company’s DS Activ-Check^™ cloud-based platform for preventative maintenance and monitoring.

The DS-XEL, introduced last fall, implements high-performance HMI features to better facilitate the data acquisition and process information required for today’s manufacturing. Processors benefit from built-in security to prevent unauthorized changes to system set-up parameters, multi-language support, process alarm logging, and real-time and historical data trending. In addition, visual attention is given to active functions for a better operator experience and improved connectivity. The DS-XEL is the new standard control for Davis-Standard’s Super Blue^® and HPE extruders.

Davis-Standard’s HPE extruder will power the line. This extruder is available in an adjustable vertical or horizontal configuration in sizes ranging from ¾-inch (19mm) to 1 ¾ inches (44mm). A direct coupled motor and smaller footprint make this machine ideal for tight manufacturing spaces and clean-room environments. The HPE can be run as the primary extruder, or as a complementary extruder in a coextrusion arrangement.

 

The Super Blue^® is easy-to-maintain, energy-efficient, and provides increased torque capacity for high-viscosity resins. It is available in sizes from 2 inches (50mm) to 4 1/2 inches (114mm) with a range of DSB^® barrier screw designs and a three-year warranty.

“We continue to expand upon our medical tubing solutions targeted at energy efficiency, sustainable practices, and process versatility to address evolving resin and end-product requirements,” said Kevin Dipollino, Davis-Standard’s Senior Product Manager of Pipe, Profile and Tubing Systems. “We have had excellent feedback on the DS-XEL, and can engineer this system to accommodate our DS Activ-Check^™ digital transformation tool in order to achieve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).”

DS Activ-Check^™ is gaining traction as a smart manufacturing solution due to its many advantages, such as real-time monitoring, predictive and preventative maintenance, process and equipment analytics, and multi-faceted team connectivity. Processors can apply DS Activ-Check^™ to amplify production efficiency, easily connect and collaborate using smart devices and remote PCs, manage cloud-based data collection, improve operator productivity and safety, and accelerate service and support.

Davis-Standard provides multiple services aimed at strengthening product line performance. This includes die reconditioning, feedscrew replacement to boost outputs and material homogeneity, control system upgrades to enhance digitalization and product changeover, and more! Feasibility studies are available for existing lines to address outputs, resin changes, product development, and more. An extensive spare parts inventory and regional vendor network help minimize supply chain delays.

“Consistent product quality, sustainable manufacturing, and reduced waste directly impact the bottom line,” added Dipollino. “Whether it’s’ medical tubing, medical packaging, materials for hygienic products, or other markets, we seek to deliver value-added equipment technology and timely aftermarket services to each of our customers.”

Davis-Standard representatives at the show will include Kevin Dipollino, Justin McKenna, and Dr. Jason Baird. For more information about the show, visit www.mdmwest.com.

Click here to schedule an appointment with one of our representatives at the show!

Learn more about Davis-Standard’s Pipe and Tube capabilities here.

The next generation of Davis-Standard’s supervisory control technology is here – introducing the EPIC IV^®. This control system builds upon the comprehensive, user-friendly approach of the EPIC III^® while enhancing the operator’s experience and adding connectivity to Davis-Standard’s cloud-based solution, DS Activ-Check^™. Advantages include improved graphics and symbols, additional diagnostic and efficiency tools, and screens focused on active functions and alerts.

“The EPIC IV^® uses a high-performance HMI approach to strengthen the operator’s experience,” said John Clemens, Davis-Standard’s Director of Extrusion Controls. “The new color scheme focuses operator attention on active functions and alerts while also assisting operators with color vision deficiency by using shapes to indicate machine status. Overall, this will be a better supervisory control package for global installations moving forward.”

The updates seen in EPIC IV^® reflect customer feedback and a commitment to digital transformation via DS Activ-Check^™. The “smart” technology of DS Activ-Check^™ enables real-time predictive maintenance by providing early notifications of potential machine failures. As a result, operators are alerted to issues before they happen, reducing unplanned downtime and collecting valuable data in sync with EPIC IV^® control features. Users receive notifications via e-mail or text, and continuous monitoring of production machine status is available on smart devices and remote PCs. Key parameters monitored include extruder reducer, lubrication system, motor characteristics, drive power unit, barrel heating and cooling functions.

The EPIC IV^® will replace the EPIC III^® as the standard offering for supervisory control on all new Davis-Standard extruders. It will also be available as an upgrade for existing EPIC supervisory control systems.

For more information about the new EPIC IV^® or to request a quote, contact us today.

 

 

 

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