Colson Group Appoints Bjorn Haldorsen as President of North America

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New role will optimize growth initiatives and strengthen market position.

OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL., May 8, 2020 — Colson Group, a global caster and wheel product company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bjorn Haldorsen as President of Colson North America. In this capacity, Bjorn will lead the company’s North American business operations, with focus on optimizing growth initiatives, expanding North American supply chain and manufacturing, and furthering the strategic integration of Colson North America to best service the marketplace.

This is a new position created by the company, highlighting its focus on growth for North America.

“As we continue to expand production capacity closer to our customers, the requirement for this role has grown and is now a critical step to accelerating our growth plans into the future,” stated Tom Blashill, CEO of Colson Group. “After an extensive search, we found the right person for this role, and I am happy to welcome Bjorn to the Colson team.”

With a focus on customer experience, Bjorn comes to Colson with over 25 years of leadership experience in supply chain, plant management, and general management. Prior to Colson, Bjorn worked for Honeywell International for 8 years and has been with Flowserve Corporation since 2002, where he served in various regional and global leadership roles. Most recently, Bjorn was the Vice President General Manager of Flowserve’s Americas Industrial Pump Operation where he was responsible for all business functions, leading more than 1,000 employees.

Bjorn received his Bachelor’s degree in purchasing and logistics management from Arizona State University and his M.B.A. in international finance at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He will reside at the company’s corporate headquarters in Oakbrook, IL with extensive travel to all company facilities.

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About Colson Group (www.ColsonGroup.com):

Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, creates and drives solutions that move lives forward. World renowned brands provide specialized mobility for every industry and market. A leading product portfolio and proprietary global value chain delivery unparalleled efficiencies and support. With over 1,600 employees across 30 global facilities, Colson Group is committed to its customers’ success, ensuring proper products are selected or designed from the start, and always keeping the end-users’ safety, efficiency, and happiness in mind.

Colson Group announces acquisition of AS Rollen GmbH

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Expands global caster and wheel manufacturing capabilities.

OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL., April 30, 2020 — Colson Group, a global caster and wheel product company, announced today the recent acquisition of AS Rollen, a Huckeswagen, Germany caster and wheel manufacturer. “AS Rollen has an excellent reputation for producing high quality, competitive caster and wheel solutions, specializing in the medical segment,” stated Tom Blashill, CEO of Colson Group. “This strategic acquisition will provide our global locations an excellent source of German manufactured caster solutions.” The company is located only minutes from Colson Group’s German offices.

AS Rollen and its staff, led by founder Mr. Arnolf Schulte, are now integrated into Colson Group’s Northern European organization which is led by General Manager, Ernst-Jan Venema. “The synergies of products and staff will enhance our abilities to better serve our customers throughout Europe,” said Ernst. “This will greatly shorten our lead-times as compared to products manufactured outside of Europe, opening up new opportunities for additional growth and flexibility throughout the world. We welcome the AS Rollen team to Colson Group.”

Mr. Schulte will remain general manager of the facility and team, working closely with Ernst and other Colson Group leaders to leverage its capabilities to further advance the company’s global supply chain. The facility is ISO 9001:2015 certified and utilizes state-of-the-art machinery to ensure the highest quality caster is consistently manufactured. Capabilities include: injection molding, automated/semi-automated assembly, and in-house testing. For more information about AS Rollen, you can visit https://as-rollen.de/.

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About Colson Group:
Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, creates and drives solutions that move lives forward. World renowned brands provide specialized mobility for every industry and market. A leading product portfolio and proprietary global value chain delivery unparalleled efficiencies and support. With over 1,600 employees across 30 global facilities, Colson Group is committed to its customers’ success, ensuring proper products are selected or designed from the start, and always keeping the end-users’ safety, efficiency, and happiness in mind.

Thank You from Colson – Proud and Grateful

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Thankful for our amazing employees who have continued to show up every day to build the caster and wheel solutions the world needs right now. From moving critical medical equipment for patients and frontline workers, to moving the food, supplies, and materials needed in our local communities—your efforts make a difference, and you are what makes us Colson.

We are proud to serve these hard-working employees lunch each day, thanking them for their dedication and willingness to support each other’s safety during these challenging times.

#ColsonStrong #ThankYou #RollingAtTheSpeedOfLife #MyNewks #TheGreatAmericanTakeout

JONESBORO STRONG: EF-3 TORNADO HITS JONESBORO, ARKANSAS

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This past weekend an EF-3 tornado tore through Jonesboro, AR causing substantial damage to the community. Over 20 people were injured as this storm took a direct hit on Jonesboro and we all remain thankful that no fatalities were reported. Our local teams are all safe and our plant was left undamaged and remains operational.

We will continue to support our local team members, their families, and the rest of the community as it comes together to rebuild and help those that were injured and impacted.

More information on relief efforts can be found on the bottom of this updated local news article:

https://www.kait8.com/2020/03/29/nws-ef-rips-jonesboro-ark-businesses-damaged-eligible-covid-unemployment-help/

COVID-19 Operations & Essential Business Update

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Dear Valued Customer,

The safety and health of our employees and business partners continues to be our top priority as we maneuver through these unchartered times brought on by COVID-19.

The US Department of Homeland Security recently issued new guidelines to state and local governments on which businesses are considered essential and have a special responsibility to remain operational during any Shelter in Place orders.  The publication can be viewed at the following link:

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/CISA-Guidance-on-Essential-Critical-Infrastructure-Workers-1-20-508c.pdf

Colson Group continues to play its role in fighting this virus by providing critical mobility components into the healthcare industry and other essential industries that are supporting the welfare of our communities.  We are quickly ramping up global production capabilities to support several of these critical industries.  Based on these published guidelines, Colson Group is considered an essential business that must continue to operate during this difficult time and is exempt from current Shelter in Place orders.

Colson Group will continue to operate its business under the safest of standards (please refer to our previous communication for further details) and will continue to work with our local teams, suppliers and officials to safely maintain our ability to service your needs.  As previously communicated, we continue to assess all open orders and will notify you of any potential delay as quickly as possible.  If your order or request is critical to fighting the impact of the virus, please inform us at the time of inquiry or order placement so we can do our very best to prioritize and expedite it.

We will continue to post all updates to our News area on the Colson Group website (https://colsongroupusa.com/news/) and will continue to keep you updated on any critical advancements.

We again thank you for your business and support in these difficult times.

Sincerely,

Colson Group

Operations Update Regarding COVID-19 Coronavirus

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Dear Valued Customer,

With the increasing concern regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus, we wanted to ensure you that we are closely monitoring the situation and provide you a quick update as it relates to our operations and the actions we will be taking.

Our first priority is always the safety and well-being of our employees, business partners and communities. As we have all seen, the situation with the COVID-19 virus continues to quickly change throughout our local communities. Colson Group closely monitors these changes to assess any potential impact they could have on our operations—and will continue to work with our local teams and officials to safely maintain our ability to service your needs. Below are general updates regarding our operations and key actions we are taking to ensure the safest operating standards:
• All global facilities have taken preventative measures to limit exposure and educate employees on awareness and risk mitigation.
• In order to limit potential/future exposure, all international and domestic interplant travel, customer visits, and vendor visits will be postponed for the next 30 days.
• Our three Chinese manufacturing facilities remain open and will be working without limitation pending any directional change from the Chinese government. We continue to build and ship product and have assessed a low risk to potential delays in customer deliveries.
• Currently, our six US manufacturing and distribution facilities are open and under normal operation hours. This is also the case with other Colson Group global locations.
• US service and support will remain open under normal operating hours and is ready to continue supporting all of your caster and wheel needs.
• In the event that circumstances result in increased absenteeism (school closings, illness, etc.) response times may be delayed.
As previously communicated, our advanced planning for Chinese New Year has helped mitigate delays, however we continue to assess all open orders and will notify you of any potential delay as quickly as possible. We are happy to answer any questions you might have, so please feel free to reach out to your Colson Group sales representative for additional support.

We again thank you for your business and understanding in these difficult times.

Sincerely,

Colson Group

Operations Updates: Coronavirus Impact

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Dear Valued Customer,

The dynamic coronavirus outbreak continues to disrupt life throughout the world, especially in mainland China. We mourn with the rest of the world for the lives lost, and keep the safety and health of the public, our employees and partners, and all of their families as our top concern.

As a customer of Colson Group, we write to you today to provide a summary of updates as it pertains to our operations in China and the potential impact this outbreak may have on our Chinese manufactured goods. We are in continual contact with our local teams in China and will keep you updated on any advancements that could further impact product deliveries out of China.

• Last week, Colson Group’s three Chinese facilities were all government approved to resume production—with safety being our top priority for our teams.
• Our supply chain is moving quickly in the right direction, with the government speeding up application approvals, but many suppliers are not fully staffed as their employees are continuing to return to work. We expect most employees will be able to return by early March.
• Completed products are being successfully transferred from our facilities to the port for shipment.
• Although currently assessed at low risk due to advanced planning for Chinese New Year, potential delays of Chinese products not already manufactured or on the water could be up to 30 days; we will be updating delivery dates throughout this week to provide advanced notice on potentially impacted SKUs.
• We continue to work closely with our supply chain to provide you with the best updates and will leverage our global footprint as much as possible to meet your requirements.

We ask that you please direct any question to your Regional Sales Manager or Account Manager and again thank you for your business and understanding in this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Colson Group

Colson Group Introduces New Global Corporate Identity

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Positioning Captures Dedication to Customer Centered Solutions

OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL., October, 10, 2019—Colson Group, a global caster and wheel product company, unveiled a new corporate identity as the company continues its growth and transformation. Summarized by the tag, “Rolling at the Speed of Life,” the latest positioning was crafted to highlight the role that the organization plays in the lives of those who use their products.

“We are a solutions provider,” said Colson Group CEO Tom Blashill. “Every interaction with our customer matters. Yes, we manufacture and ship many casters, but we also create solutions that move lives and businesses forward. For example, when we create a product solution that allows a nurse to push a cart down a hallway quietly, efficiently and safely, we have done our job.”
As the largest manufacturer and distributor in the business, Colson Group operates across myriad industries to help businesses and workers move heavy machinery, delicate technology equipment, and many other solutions each day.

Blashill notes that the breadth of industry coverage at Colson Group was also a motivating factor behind the brand positioning.
“Each day of our lives has its unique mobility challenges. We have to think about ergonomics, efficiency, comfort, and safety,” he said. “We develop and engineer solutions for every industry. From your local supermarket to hospital, to the facilities that build our cars and planes, Colson Group keeps industry moving, businesses more efficient, and people happier and safer.”

Colson Group is comprised of category leading brands such as Colson, Albion, Shepherd, Jarvis, MedCaster, Revvo, and Pemco. By shipping over 50 million products across the world annually, the company sees the position as an opportunity for global messaging consistency. As CEO Blashill put it, “When someone in Europe, the U.S., or South America asks who is Colson Group, we want to have an answer. What we tell people is that Colson Group is rolling at the speed of life.”

Colson Group’s new identity will be rolled out globally throughout November 2019. A new video capturing the new identity can be found on Colson Group’s homepage (www.colsongroup.com).

About Colson Group:
Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, creates and drives solutions that move lives forward. World renowned brands provide specialized mobility for every industry and market. A leading product portfolio and proprietary global value chain delivery unparalleled efficiencies and support. With over 1,600 employees across 25 global facilities, Colson Group is committed to its customers’ success, ensuring proper products are selected or designed from the start, and always keeping the end-users’ safety, efficiency, and happiness in mind.

Colson Group US Welcomes New Light Duty Manager

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We want to welcome Christina Kurtich to her new role of Light Duty Product Manager.

Christina has worked for Colson Group since 2017, leading the New Product development and Introduction (NPI) programs. Christina holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. She has a background in steel and investment castings, for aerospace, military, and power generation industries. Christina also has experience in customer service, project management, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Christina enjoys listening to market needs and desires. She will assist in turning those needs into actionable product and process improvements. Christina is a high-energy individual, and will bring new and creative ideas to our product management team.

Christina replaces Jeremy Brault as the Light Duty Product Manager. She will assume her new job duties on June 1st, 2019. Customers should continue to contact Jeremy Brault until that time.

Jeremy Brault is transitioning to a new role as well: Director of Sales – Midwest and Northeast. Jeremy has 16 years of caster experience. His roles have been in sales, customer service, and brand and product management. Jeremy has been actively involved with customers throughout his career, with specialty in the distribution, industrial/catalog, and OEM sales channels.

Jeremy joins Donald Johnson on our Sales Management team. Jeremy and Donald will collaboratively manage and drive domestic growth initiatives through our regional sales territories.

We want to congratulate both Christina and Jeremy as they move into their new roles.

Major Machinery Investments in Colson Group’s Injection Molding Facility

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Colson Group has made a significant investment in new machinery for its highly automated injection molding facility in Monette, AR.  The recent investments enable the Monette facility to further increase output and efficiency on the many injection-molded wheels and OEM specific products they mold, including the ever-popular Colson Performa wheels and Albion X-tra Soft wheels.

Six (6) new injection-molding machines were installed in December 2018, and the facility is now benefiting from its efficiencies.

Each new machine replaced two (2) previous machines (a total of 12), and together, will help increase production by 25%.

The new injection machines are more efficient than previous equipment, reducing production waste from 5% to 1%.  This allows us to reduce production costs on injection-molded materials and remain globally competitive, in an otherwise very competitive industry.  Additionally, the new equipment’s efficiency also reduces our injection-molding energy consumption by 50%.

According to Jack Birdno, Supervising Plant Engineer for Monette, “The new machines set Monette up for the future, being a more cost-competitive injection molding facility than ever, especially as we continue to look at products to re-shore or on-shore for ourselves and other OEM customer requirements.”