Kohler Engines Names New Pesident

October 21 -- Following former Kohler Engines president Tom Cromwell’s appointment to group president at Kohler Co.’s Power Group in September, the company has promoted Brian Melka to the role of president of Engines Americas.

Melka assumes full responsibility for the engines business in the Americas region, establishing strategic direction, managing operational demands, driving growth and profitability objectives, and attracting and developing talent. In addition, he will have worldwide responsibility for new product development, marketing and overall growth of the gasoline engines product lines. Melka joined Kohler in 2013 in the role of vice president.

Prior to Kohler, he served in numerous senior capacities at Milwaukee-based Rexnord Corp., where he most recently held the role of vice president of global mining and product management. Before joining Rexnord, he spent more than 12 years working for various Rhode Island-headquartered Textron Inc. businesses including Greenlee Textron and Jacobsen Textron.

Melka holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Kohler Engines manufactures small engines for riding lawn mowers, garden tractors, walk-behind lawn mowers, concrete construction equipment, outdoor power equipment, welders, pressure washers and other products.

Headquartered in Kohler, Kohler Co. is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products, engines and power systems, furniture, cabinetry and tile. It also owns and operates two five-star hospitality and golf resort destinations in Kohler and St Andrews, Scotland.

www.biztimes.com        

Kohler Company Names New Group President

Tom Cromwell, President of Kohler Engines since 2009, has assumed responsibility for Kohler Co.’s worldwide power operations, reporting directly to David Kohler, President and Chief Operating Officer.

As the new Group President – Power, Cromwell will provide strategic and operational leadership for the Group’s engines and power systems businesses worldwide. He will be responsible for driving the growth and profitability of the Power Group businesses, consisting of Kohler Power Systems, SDMO Power Systems, UPSL, Kohler Engines and Lombardini.

Cromwell joined Kohler after a successful career at Modine Manufacturing Co., in Racine, WI. During his 18 years there, he served as Regional Vice President – Americas and also held a series of general management positions in Modine’s commercial products division, electronics cooling division, and heavy duty division. His experience included a three-year assignment overseas in Stuttgart, Germany, for Modine’s European automotive and heavy-duty equipment divisions.

Cromwell earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial technology management from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and his executive MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

www.forconstructionpros.com

Lawn Mowers Cut Decibels For a Price

March 25 -- How much will Americans pay to avoid annoying their neighbors?

Briggs and Stratton Corp. hopes they will cough up roughly $40 to $50 extra for a quieter lawn mower. The Milwaukee-based company this spring is introducing a mower engine that it said is 64% less noisy than standard versions.

So far, this quieter engine is available only on two Craftsman mowers sold at Sears stores. Briggs, the world's largest maker of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment, based on sales, said the new engines may be installed in other mower brands eventually.

Rival engine maker Kohler Co. said it also has made its motors quieter but declined to provide details. A Honda Motor Co. spokeswoman said she lacked the data needed to say whether that company's mowers had become less noisy in recent years.

Briggs said it has been able to reduce the racket mainly because it has found a way to slow the spinning of the blade without sacrificing cutting ability.

Mowers are noisy partly because much of the time they are running faster than necessary to cut the grass. Standard engines typically run at about 3,100 revolutions a minute when they are started, then slow as the blade hits resistance in slicing through grass, Briggs said. The rotation of the crankshaft varies from around 2,800 rpm when the blade is cutting thick or wet patches of grass to more than 3,000 rpm where the grass is less dense.

A fuel governor on the new Briggs engine increases the flow of gas to the engine when it runs into denser patches of grass, so the speed remains steadier at around 2,800 rpm, Briggs said, and the use of a flatter blade reduces noise further. The two Craftsman mowers offered by Sears with the quieter engine are priced at about $340 and $450.

Briggs's chief executive, Todd Teske, hopes to achieve further sound improvements by "tuning" mower mufflers to make the noise less harsh. Still, he conceded, "it's never going to sound like Bach."

It isn't clear that many people will pay a premium for less noise. Stihl Group, a Germany-based maker of power lawn equipment, introduced in 2008 a quieter leaf blower known as the BG 66 L. Baffles inside the blower smooth air flow to eliminate whistling noises. This model, also available in other parts of the world, typically retails in the U.S. for around $230, or roughly $60 more than a similar model that makes more noise. Sales of the lower-priced model remain much higher than those of the quieter one, Stihl said.

Malcolm Crocker, a soft-spoken acoustical engineer who directs the International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration at Auburn University, said he wears ear-protecting muffs when he mows. He likes the idea of a quieter mower but thinks some people may be wary.

"Humans tend to equate loudness with power," Dr. Crocker said, "so if you make it quieter people think it's not so powerful."

James R. Hagerty         http://online.wsj.com/  

Former Rexnord Executive Named Kohler Engines VP

November 11 -- Former Rexnord Corp. executive Brian Melka has been named Kohler Engines vice president overseeing its Americas business, according to a Monday press release.

Melka previously worked as vice president of global mining and product management for Milwaukee-based Rexnord, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has also worked for Textron Inc., Providence, R.I. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s in business administration from University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.

“Brian is a seasoned global business leader,” said Kohler Engines president Tom Cromwell. “His experience in a variety of key leadership positions will support our business initiatives moving forward.”

Kohler Engines is a division of Kohler-based Kohler Co., a privately held manufacturer of kitchen and bath products, engines and power generation systems, cabinetry, tile and home interiors.

Jeff Engel         www.bizjournals.com   

Kohler Says Sheboygan Plant is 'Not Sustainable' Without Cost Cuts

Oct. 5, 2010 -- Kohler Co. said Tuesday that its Sheboygan County manufacturing operations "are not sustainable long term" under their current cost structure.

But a spokesman said later that the firm, which is seeking major concessions from its union workers, isn't threatening to relocate.

"We are trying to avoid getting to that point by seeking solutions during these negotiations," Kohler spokesman Todd Weber said by e-mail.

Earlier Tuesday, Kohler issued a four-page statement - unusual for the privately held firm in its length and detail - laying out its position in what have become high-stakes talks with the United Auto Workers on a new labor contract.

Calling the costs to run its Sheboygan County factories "significantly higher than any of our other plants," Kohler summarized its proposals for extensive use of casual employees, a two-tier wage scale that would pay new workers less and a five-year pay freeze for current union-represented employees.

"Kohler Co. will try to maintain a long-term presence in Sheboygan County," Weber said in the statement, "but we need to get our future wage and benefits more in line with competitors in the market to protect what we have in Sheboygan County and be viable long term."

At issue are the company's factories in the village of Kohler, where it makes plumbing products and engines, and just north of Sheboygan, where it makes generators. There are 1,937 UAW-represented employees now working at those plants, with another 550 on layoff, the company said.

Kohler said union-represented workers average $22.54 an hour, a rate the firm said is the highest among its 15 U.S. factories "by a substantial margin."

The company said the lower pay new employees would receive would be above the local average for manufacturing - currently $14.70, according to Kohler. The union has said the company wants the lower-tier employees to get about 35% below the current pay for regular workers, which would suggest a rate of about $14.65 an hour.

Kohler is seeking to use casual employees - or in the company's language, a flexible workforce - for up to 25% of the annual hours worked by bargaining-unit members. Casual workers would be paid the lower-tier rate, and get reduced benefits, until they worked 1,000 hours over 12 months. They also would be union-represented, Kohler said. The Journal Sentinel, quoting a union official, incorrectly reported previously that the workers would not be union-represented.

The company also wants to reduce benefit expenses that it says are "compounding the uncompetitive cost structure." The firm said it is looking to increase union-employee contributions for health care benefits to 20% of the cost.

Kohler's call for widespread use of casual employees and lower pay for new workers mirrors the strategy employed last year by Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac and just recently by Harley-Davidson Inc. in Milwaukee and Tomahawk. Both companies successfully wrested from their unions the concessions Kohler now seeks - and won public financial aid as well - all under threat of moving production out of Wisconsin.

Asked if Kohler is pursuing state aid, Weber said, "At this time, Kohler Co. is not talking to the State of Wisconsin regarding assistance."