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New Plant, Management for Argus

New Plant, Management for Argus image
Parent Issue
Day
13
Month
June
Year
1969
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

New Plant,
Management
For Argus

The Argus Optics Division of
Argus Inc. will occupy totally
new facilities located.,at 7220
Huron River Dr., Dexter. The
new plant now under construc-
lion, should be ready for
occupancy in November of this
year.

According to J. Richard
Krapfel, Argus vice president
of operations, the new 40,000
square foot plant will be one of
the most modern optical proc-
essing facilities in the world.

The Optics Division is engaged
in the manufacture of preci-
sion high volume optics for
many industrial customers and
government agencies.

In making the statement from
corporate headquarters,
Columbia, S. C., Krapfel also
nnounced new management
assignments for the Optics
Division.

Donald P. Hochgreve has
been appointed division general
manager. Hochgreve had previ-
ously been manufacturing
manager. He has been with
Argus since 1953, and has held
engineering positions with
Argus and previous employers.

Arthur F. Parker, Jr., has
g assumed the position of materi-
als and manufacturing services
manager. Formerly director of
industrial relations. Parker has
(been with the company for 18
I years.

Ronald T. Pannesi has
been appointed director of engi-
neering. Pannesi came to Argus
in July, 1968, from Itek Corp. in
Boston, Mass. A Boston Univer-
isity engineering honor gradu-
al ate, Pannesi headed the quality
j control department prior to his
jrecent promotion.

Robert G. Billau has been
.appointed optical manufactur-
i n g manager. Previously
superintendent of manufactur-
ing, Billau has been with Argus
since 1952.

Virgil W. Boyd has been
promoted to mechanical
i manufacturing manager. Boyd
has been with the company
21 years in the capacity of
machine shop foreman.

Krapfel plans to maintain
current employment levels in
the new plant.

Argus was organized by local
businessmen in October of 1931,
as International Ind u s t r i e s.
First products to be built were
radios under the market name
of Kadette. The company held
several key patents in radio cir-
cuit design.

In 1936, the first camera
was introduced and gradual-
ly the radios were phased
out. During World War II,
the company gained a sub-
stantial reputation for the
manufacture of precision opti-
cal fire control instruments.

In 1961, a major portion of
the commercial products opera-
tion was shifted to a new plant
located in Columbia S.C. The
operation remaining in Ann
Arbor has been oriented to opti-
cal manufacturing.