Paragon Technologies: new name, familiar brands

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 6/1/2000

Two well-established names in materials handling, SI Systems and Ermanco, announced a single corporate name at NA 2000.

Paragon Technologies is the new overall corporate parent entity for them. The name Paragon, which means "a model of excellence," was chosen because it communicates the highest level of excellence that the company aspires to, says chief executive officer, Bill Johnson.

Under the Paragon umbrella, SI Systems and Ermanco will continue to operate as brand companies carrying their names so familiar to materials handling end users. The former will remain focused on supplying and integrating major systems while Ermanco will continue as a supplier of conveyor systems and related technologies.

"Each company has its own mission and its own brand yet both are now integrated for total service. And both are clearly relationship companies that are very customer oriented," says Johnson.

According to Leon Kirschner, president of Ermanco, the conveyor supplier will continue to maintain its direct sales and distributor structure with strong technical and engineering support. "We have nearly 40 yrs invested in building this brand," he added.

Similarly, says SI Systems executive vice president Bill Casey, SI will continue to work hand-in-hand with end users to design, build, and implement advanced materials handling systems. Beyond SI's standard lines, those systems can include Ermanco conveyor as well as materials handling equipment not offered by Paragon.