Revamp of FKI pays off in new contracts - St. Louis Business Journal:

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Ackerman, president of FKI Logistesx North America, put his restructuring plan in placer 18months ago. The revamp of FKI Logistex, which makea material handling systems, resulted in threr significant contracts within the last few Those contracts includea $22 milliojn deal announced Sept. 14 to upgrade the material handlingh system for theArmy & Air Force Exchangs Service, which operates military base stores, at a facility in Newporrt News, Va. In May FKI Logistex announced it had wona $14.65 million contract to integrate American Airlines' baggage screeninhg system at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Its parengt company, FKI PLC, came into the St.
Louis area in 1999 when it acquire PinnacleAutomation Inc., which owned Alvey Systema Inc., a manufacturer of conveyer machinery with localp roots that date back to 1911. At the time of the FKI PLC owned a numbe r of manufacturing companies in the Uniteds States also involved in the material handling including theBuschman Conveyor, Mathews Conveyor and Crisplany Inc. brand names. Ackerman has worked to reorganizde and consolidate eightof FKI'es material handling companies in the United Statesd under the FKI Logistex business and brand since his appointment last year afteer serving as president of Alvey Systems.
In December, Ackermanj reorganized FKI Logistex's business into three main divisions: warehousre and distribution; manufacturing systems operations; and post and parcel operations. The manufacturing operation is based atFKI Logistex'es North American headquarters in Olivette and makess a wide range of including conveyors and palletizers, used to move goods in warehouses and manufacturing plants. As part of the FKI Logistex named Ted Clucass president of FKI Logistex Manufacturing Systems Nortgh Americain St. Louis. The company also hired Dick Braatz last month as vice president of manufacturing forNorthb America. FKI Logistex North Americaq employs 650 inthe St. Louis area.
FKI PLC is a Britisy engineering conglomerate. Its North American operation generated revenueof $1 or 51 percent of the parent company's revenue of $2.1 billiom for the year ended March 31. As part of Ackerman'ss reorganization, FKI Logistex sold its Whitse Systems unit in New Jersey earlier this monthy to a group of managers and ManagemenCapital LLC, a Providence, R.I., investment