Rail supplier news from Koppers, Axion, SKF, I.D. Systems and Strato (Aug. 12)

Koppers Holdings Inc. appointed Michael Zugay chief financial officer, effective Aug. 18. Previously, he was co-chief executive officer and CFO for Michael Baker Corp. Zugay previously spent 14 years with iGATE Corp., where he held various positions, including senior vice president and CFO from 2001 to 2008. The CFO position for Koppers is currently held by Leroy Ball, who was elected chief operating officer in May.

Axion International Holdings inc. has increased production of ECOTRAX® and STRUXURE® products to meet growing demand, and realigned the company's operational and management team to better focus on its core activities and drive long-term growth, according to a press release. The company will begin converting extrusion equipment at its plant in Zanesville, Ohio, now used for reprocessing plastic waste to produce such engineered products as railroad ties and industrial mats. Axion also announced changes to its board and senior management team: Samuel Rose, a principal investor, was appointed to the board; Claude Brown Jr., previously chief technology officer, has been promoted to chief executive officer; and Steve Silverman, CEO since 2011, will assume the role of vice chairman. Meanwhile, Axion recently received $471,000 in purchase orders for its ECOTRAX® ties from major rail networks in Australia.

SKF Group has selected Naperville, Ill., for its new 130,000-square-foot, North American research and development facility, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced. To be built along the Interstate-88 business corridor, the plant will house engineers, scientists and administrative staff. SKF Group supplies bearings, seals and lubrication systems to the transportation industry.

I.D. Systems Inc., a  provider of wireless M2M asset management solutions, has been awarded a U.S. patent for an automatic method of sensing, recording and reporting vehicle impacts. The patent is applicable to all of the company's business segments: vehicle management systems for industrial trucks, rental fleet management systems, and transportation asset management systems for trailers, containers, chassis and other cargo assets.

Strato Inc. has launched a new website designed for desktop and mobile devices. It can be viewed at www.stratoinc.com.