MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—April 13, 2016—Thiele Technologies, Inc. has announced that their 7108/7203 Swinger Bag Hanger will be named the DT Legacy Bagging System in memory of late team member, Dick Toft. Toft passed away unexpectedly in November 2014 after 45 years with Thiele.
During his career with Thiele, Toft held a variety of roles in sales, engineering and production; most recently as applications engineer. The DT Legacy was one of Toft’s final projects. From conception through completion, his ideas and ingenuity were integral to the development of the machine. His vast experience made him an exceptionally valuable resource of knowledge – both in engineering concepts and in hands-on skill.
“Dick made you feel like you mattered and were important,” said Flexible Product Manager Steve Shellenbaum. “His willingness to be there every day for everybody, his passion and the ability to make work fun are missed daily.”
In addition to the DT Legacy Bagging System, Thiele is also honoring Toft’s memory through the sponsorship of an annual $2,000 scholarship at Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis. The Dick Toft/Thiele Technologies scholarship is open to full time students with a 3.0 GPA enrolled in the Automated Systems and Robotics program.
Larry Smith, President and CEO of Thiele Technologies, said, “Dick shared his passion for engineering and patiently coached others to grow and learn. We hope Dick would be pleased to know we continue his legacy through helping others to learn.”
The DT Legacy creates an automated solution for a process that was previously done manually by many Thiele customers. It automatically hangs and fills several types of bags, including woven polypropylene OTHER MATERIALS, at speeds up to 20 bags per minute. A large, easy-to-load magazine, automatic indexing, no-bag/no-product sensing and easy bag size adjustments are just a few of the features that this machine offers to minimize downtime and increase productivity.