Dale Kengott

WOOD DALE, Ill.—Ken Specialties, Ken Die Cutting Supplies, and American Die Supplies has completed a strategic merger of the companies and will now be known simply as AmeriKen. “For over 50 years the companies’ names have been synonymous with quality, ingenuity, and dependability,” said Dale Kengott, president. For the last 6 years, after the purchase of American Die Supplies, the companies have been working under the unified umbrella of the Ameri-Ken Companies. “Although there is a great deal of history, and sentiment, in the Ken Specialties and Ken Die Cutting Supplies’ names,” said Kengott, whose father and uncle, Donald Kengott and Raymond Kengott respectively,

Karl Marbach Jr.'s knack for forging alliances has brought global acclaim for his diecutting/diemaking innovations. by Kate Tomlinson, Assistant Editor IF FRIENDSHIPS ARE an indication of success, Karl Marbach Jr. is a very accomplished man. As president of Marbach Co. of Heilbronn, Germany, Marbach may run a tight ship, but an obvious welcoming atmosphere radiates from the building. "I try to maintain a professional level of friendship within [the company]," he says. "I lead by walking." Those who have visited the Marbach facility can see firsthand where it all started, and how a man who has contributed so much to the steel rule die

Automated rule processing bends the traditional rules associated with diemaking. By Chris Bauer For Many facets of the printing industry, automation is the name of the game. And when it comes to rule processing equipment, automation seems to be par for the course for many suppliers' offerings. But with all the automation and bells and whistles available on today's rule processing units, it is the simple rules of diemaking that remain the most important. "If nothing else, it should be accurate," contends Ellen Adams, co-owner of Adams Technologies. "The lengths are the most critical of all. If you have a piece of rule and