ORLANDO, FL – Tompkins Robotics, a global leader focused on the robotic automation of distribution & fulfillment operations and Kardex Solutions, a leading Global Business Partner of AutoStore and intralogistics solution provider of automated storage, retrieval, and material handling systems, announced a strategic partnership. The partnership enables Kardex Solutions to present to their customers Tompkins Robotics best-of-breed solutions for picking, sortation, and take-away automation. Kardex Solutions can offer their AutoStore solution paired with an adjacent Tompkins Robotics tSortTM solution to drive even further efficiencies and a faster ROI for the ASRS solution. This will enable customers to improve their service levels and become more competitive in their industry.

Mike Futch, President, and CEO of Tompkins Robotics, talks about the exciting new partnership with Kardex Solutions. "Our partnership with Kardex will help customers drive labor savings, greater automation of fulfillment processes, and create value beyond what either firm can deliver individually. The innovative solutions delivered by our partnership allow efficiencies and cost savings for our customers." Mike goes on to explain how teaming with Kardex Solutions on an AutoStore project results in increased productivity. "Working with Kardex Solutions to deploy the AutoStore and tSort solutions as an integrated whole will increase destinations available for each bin presentation by 20X in the system. With tSort, the AutoStore can have any port reach any destination and allow the AutoStore system to have a large batch capability, making the combined system much more efficient."

"Were excited to partner with Tompkins Robotics. In addition to being a leader in supply chain innovation, Tompkins has a great reputation for quality products and on-time project delivery. Just like the AutoStore Control Software (ACS), tSort will directly integrate into the Kardex FullfillX WES platform which will ensure our clients get a streamlined software solution for their overall system. At Kardex Solutions, were focused on delivering AutoStore solutions that maximize value for our clients through straight-forward designs and solutions. Adding tSort to our portfolio allows our clients to more efficiently fulfill orders while reducing their operating costs." Mitch Hayes, President, Kardex Solutions.

Learn more about the partnership between Kardex and Tompkins Robotics at PACK EXPO, September 11-13 in Las Vegas! Both brands will be exhibiting at adjacent booths: N-10129 and N-10130.

NORTHBROOK, IL – Impossible Objects is excited to announce its participation at the SMTA Long Island Expo & Tech Forum, scheduled to take place Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 at the Marriott Melville Long Island. Darren Fill, Lead Design Engineer at Impossible Objects, will deliver a presentation titled "Additive Manufacturing Industry Overview: Let's Change the way things are Made."

As the additive manufacturing industry continues to evolve and redefine manufacturing processes, Fill's presentation aims to provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the landscape. The session will cover a wide range of topics, including the history of 3D printing/additive manufacturing, the main "families" of additive technologies and processes, and the transformative potential of additive manufacturing in electronics manufacturing.

The presentation will delve into real-world use cases, highlighting how additive manufacturing is currently playing a pivotal role in the production of electronics. Attendees will gain insights into successful applications and discover how additive manufacturing is contributing to enhanced efficiency and innovative approaches in electronic manufacturing.

Moreover, Fill will share his vision for the future state of additive manufacturing in the electronics manufacturing domain. Attendees can expect to learn about emerging trends, materials, and processes that are poised to shape the industry's trajectory in the years to come.

A key focus of the presentation will be the exploration of traditional and additive materials and manufacturing processes employed in the production of electronic tooling. Fill will provide attendees with an overview of material properties and benefits, shedding light on how these materials are leveraged for various stages of manufacturing, from new product introductions to full-scale production tooling.

For more information about Impossible Objects, visit www.impossible-objects.com

GLENVIEW, IL – Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW), a global multi-industry manufacturing leader, today announced a succession plan that capitalizes on the strength and depth of the ITW leadership team. Christopher A. O’Herlihy, currently Vice Chairman of ITW, will become President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a member of the ITW Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2024. E. Scott Santi, ITW’s CEO since 2012, will step down as CEO and will remain Chairman of the ITW Board until March 1, 2024, at which time he will become Non-Executive Chairman of the ITW Board.

“ITW is transitioning to the next phase of our Enterprise Strategy to ensure that we continue to leverage the performance power of our highly differentiated ITW Business Model to deliver high-quality growth with best-in-class margins and returns, as reflected in the company’s recently announced 2030 performance goals,” said Mr. Santi. “ITW’s independent directors and I determined that this is the right time to transition to a leader who can see the company through this next phase, and that Chris O’Herlihy is the absolute right person to lead ITW forward as our next CEO. Chris is an exceptional leader with deep knowledge of our business model, our Enterprise Strategy, and our culture. He has been an invaluable partner and collaborator over the past eleven years. I know that Chris and his very skilled and talented leadership team will continue to deliver on ITW’s well-established track record of “do what we say” execution throughout this next phase.”

“The opportunity to lead this great company has been a distinct honor and an incredible privilege,” Mr. Santi continued. “I am deeply grateful to all my ITW colleagues past and present for their support and for their unwavering dedication to serving our customers and executing our Enterprise Strategy with excellence. I look forward to continuing to support Chris, our leadership team, and the company in my role as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board.”

Richard H. Lenny, who will remain Lead Independent Director of the Board, said, “Chris is a highly respected leader who has played an integral role in executing our highly successful Enterprise Strategy. He has demonstrated a deep understanding of the dynamics of ITW’s unique business model and what it takes to leverage it to win in the marketplace. Chris is uniquely qualified to lead the company through the next phase of ITW’s Enterprise Strategy and sustain the foundational strengths we have built over the past decade. The changes announced today are the culmination of a rigorous and thorough multi-year succession planning process. The Board fully expects that the transition will be seamless. With a world-class leadership team supporting Chris, we’re confident that the company will continue to deliver highly differentiated performance throughout our next phase.”

Mr. Lenny continued, “On behalf of his fellow directors, I want to thank Scott for his eleven years of exceptional leadership as CEO. During Scott’s tenure, he delivered superior shareholder value far outpacing ITW’s peer group. Together with Chris and our leadership team, he instilled greater focus, efficiency, and discipline into ITW’s growth strategy and operations, and built a company that can withstand and thrive in the most challenging of operating environments. As a result, ITW today is widely recognized as one of the world’s highest quality, best performing, and most respected industrial companies. We are delighted that the company and the board will continue to have the benefit of Scott’s guidance and counsel as our Non-Executive Chairman.”

Mr. O’Herlihy stated, “I want to thank Scott and the board for their trust and confidence in electing me as ITW’s next CEO. I am incredibly humbled by the opportunity to lead this great company, our exceptionally talented leadership team, and our 46,000 dedicated ITW colleagues around the world. Our core competitive advantage as a company remains the unique and highly differentiated ITW Business Model. We have accomplished a great deal together over the last eleven years in executing our Enterprise Strategy to leverage the powerful set of strategic, operational, and cultural practices that comprise the ITW Business Model to their full potential. As a result, our company has never performed better or been better positioned for the future. The central focus of the next phase of our Enterprise Strategy is to elevate high-quality organic growth and Customer-Back Innovation as key ITW differentiators on par with our best-in-class operational capabilities and financial performance. Our leadership team and I are deeply committed to doing just that in delivering on ITW’s 2030 enterprise performance goals.”

Mr. O’Herlihy, 59, has been with ITW for over 34 years and will become the eighth CEO in ITW’s 112-year history. He was named Executive Vice President of the company’s Food Equipment Group in 2010 and elected Vice Chairman in 2015. He serves on the Board of Directors of Masco Corporation. Mr. O’Herlihy has a bachelor’s degree in science from the University College Cork, Ireland, and a master’s degree in science from the University of Massachusetts.

Mr. Santi’s retirement from active service in early 2024 will mark the culmination of a 41-year career with the company, having first joined ITW as a summer intern in 1982. He was elected CEO in 2012 and Chairman in 2015. During Mr. Santi’s tenure as ITW’s CEO to date, the company’s market capitalization has increased from $23 billion to $74 billion, and the company paid out $12 billion in dividends resulting in total shareholder value creation of $63 billion. During that time period, total shareholder returns were 431% vs. 336% for ITW’s proxy peer group and 282% for the S&P 500.

PENANG, MALAYSIA – ViTrox, which aims to be the world’s most trusted technology company, is excited to announce that we will be hosting a 4-day User Group Meeting (UGM) for our customers who are based in the US region. This event will take place virtually from 19th to 22nd September 2023, following the timezones below, via the ZOOM platform.

Our UGM is the premier event for customers looking to stay ahead of the curve in today's fast- paced business landscape. By attending UGM, customers can gain valuable insight into the market outlook and stay up-to-date on the latest technologies designed to help them fulfill the surface mount technology (SMT) industry demands and improve production efficiency.

During the four-day event, our technical experts will be conducting in-depth sharings on the latest technology enhancements in our cutting-edge solutions, which are as follows:

• 19th September 2023 - ViTrox’s V310i Advanced 3D Solder Paste Inspection (SPI) Solution and V510i Advanced 3D Optical Inspection (AOI) Solution
• 20th September 2023 - V810i Advanced 3D X-Ray Inspection (AXI) Solution
• 21st September 2023 - V9i Advanced Robotic Vision (ARV) Solution
• 22nd September 2023 - Industry 4.0 Manufacturing Intelligence Solutions - V-ONE

This event serves as a two-way interactive platform between ViTrox and our honorable customers, offering a host of compelling benefits. Customers can engage in real-time exchanges with our seasoned sales and technical experts, facilitating immediate knowledge sharing and tailored solutions for their specific challenges. Furthermore, it provides an invaluable opportunity for us to foster closed-loop discussions, actively listening to our valued customers' operational pain points and suggestions for future improvements. Through these interactions, customers can discover how the intelligent and practical features of our SMT PCBA vision inspection solutions can enhance their production productivity and efficiency. We are confident that this event will prove to be a fruitful experience, equipping our customers with the tools, expertise, and insights needed for success in their endeavors.

For more information, please contact ViTrox America’s Country Business Development and Global Accounts Manager, Ms. Yew Sze Pei (sze-pei.yew@vitrox.com), or ViTrox America’s Sales & Business Development Engineer, Mr. Jacky Nyia To Yuan (to-yuan.nyia@vitrox.com). We hope to see you soon!