Mazak Distributor Premier Engineering Transitions to New Leadership in Georgia

FLORENCE, Ky., February 6, 2014 – Mazak Corporation has announced that Premier Engineering, its distributor in Georgia for more than 25 years, has transitioned the leadership of the Lawrenceville location to long-time Premier sales manager Tim Kramer, who recently purchased the business from owner John Grabenau.

While Kramer moves into his new role as president and principal owner of Premier Engineering LLC., Grabenau will remain the principal owner of Premier Machinery in Alamonte Springs, Fla.

According to Kramer, Premier Engineering will operate as an independent distributor. As a seamless transition, Mazak customers will continue to conduct business with the same Georgia team and receive the same superior manufacturing solutions, service and support they’ve come to expect over the years.

The Mazak Technology Center in Suwanee, Ga. will continue to provide Premier Engineering customers with additional support, offering access to the latest Mazak technology for testing new product solutions, process and application engineering, educational seminars and collaboration opportunities with cutting tool, workholding and automation suppliers to develop new manufacturing solutions.

“This is a great opportunity for Tim,” said Brian Papke, president of Mazak Corporation. “He has been selling our machines for nearly 30 years and helped countless manufacturers boost productivity and profitability with our technology. I’m confident he will continue to stay true to the brand and our customers as the new owner of Premier Engineering.”

Kramer, who started working for Grabenau at Premier Engineering in 1992, said he looks forward to building upon Grabenau’s hard work and success in Georgia. He has plans to further expand the company’s service and support initiatives for Mazak machines given an influx of aerospace companies, among others, in the area.

“Aerospace part manufacturers, in particular, are in search of new ways to streamline their operations, reduce part-handling times and increase accuracy, which makes it an opportune time for Premier Engineering to grow its business, especially through the new models of Mazak Multi-Tasking machines,” Kramer noted.

About Mazak Corporation

Mazak Corporation is a leader in the design and manufacture of productivity-improving machine tool solutions. Committed to being a partner to customers with innovative technology, its world-class facility in Florence, Kentucky recently increased its production capacity to 200 machines per month. Continuous training and development of the workforce has created a "lean" culture, which has created opportunities for continuing growth in America. Mazak maintains eight Technology Centers across North America to provide local hands-on applications, service and sales support to its customers. For more information on Mazak's products and solutions, visit www.mazakusa.com or follow us on Twitter at and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MazakCorp.