CEMA names Thompson, Prab's CEO, president of group

The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) has named Ned Thompson, president and CEO of Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Prab Inc., as the group's next president, CEMA disclosed today.

The announcement was made earlier this month at CEMA's 85th annual meeting in Naples, Fla. Thompson succeeds Paul Ross in the post.

In a related development, CEMA reported that 2017 shipments hit a record $14.04 billion, a 15.9-percent increase from 2016 levels. New orders in 2017 totaled $14.14 billion in 2017, a 15.6-percent increase from 2016 levels.

Orders for unit handling were up 15.6 percent, and shipments were up 19.2 percent. In the bulk conveying area, orders were up 15.4 percent and shipments rose 7.7 percent, CEMA said.

CEMA tracks new orders and shipped sales volume in nine classes of unit handling equipment and four classes of bulk handling equipment.

At the conference, CEMA executives forecast a 9-percent increase in 2018 shipments over 2017 levels.