Tuthill Pneumatics Group to add 90 jobs here

TPG's Springfield staff is now moving equipment and re-organizing work areas to ac-commodate new personnel and machinery. TPG, which em-ploys about 160 full-time, local employees, will add about 90 plant and office positions by April 1. Mike Stone, longtime TPG employee and former di-rector of engineering, leads the transition.

The Tuthill Corporation of Burr Ridge, Ill., TPG's parent company, operates 10 businesses and production facilities in 32 locations, nationally and internationally.

One of the 10 businesses is Tuthill Transport Technology, located in Springfield and Mount Vernon.

In 1988, Tuthill purchased the former M-D Pneumatics, which had been established in Spring-field in 1969.

A second blower-producing facility was added on the premises in 1992.

In 1999, the two blower facilities plus a plant in Quilmes, Argentina, formed Tuthill Pneu-matics Group. TPG is also ac-tively involved in two joint ventures in the People's Republic of China.

Acquired by Tuthill in 1996 and renamed Tuthill Vacuum Systems in 1999, Kinney Vac-uum in Canton, Mass., produced vacuum pumps used in food processing, vacuum furnaces and in the electrical and chemical industries. All of this manufacturing will be performed in the Springfield location when the consolidation is completed. In addition, TVS operates facilities in Norwalk, Conn., and in Heywood, Eng-land.

Although blowers and vacuum pumps are made separately, both share similar production technology and generate complementary products. As vacuum pump sales decreased worldwide, the Tuthill Corpor-ation investigated consolidation as a means to preserve the business by transferring it to a compatible site where operations and support are available.

"Without a doubt, adding the vacuum business to our local operation is a huge project," Ermold said in the release. "But we're grateful to be involved in an environment of growth and progress. It's always a pleasure to recall employees and, at the same time, add new ones."