After nearly half a century specializing in carbide stamping die fabrication, JV Manufacturing knows that providing competitive precision engineering and solid value earns customers more revenue while saving costs on replacement. It is no surprise then that this team of 125 industry experts is well known internationally in its field for cutting-edge quality and innovation. The demand for the company’s products is so high that around half of its annual product is shipped abroad, chiefly to Europe, making its easy airport access a necessity when hosting overseas customers and their representatives.
As if that is not sufficiently impressive, JV Manufacturing is proud to have many customers who have been loyal supporters for three to four decades. Serving industries like electric power generation and fabricators in the fields of medical, aerospace, automotive, and consumer goods like chainsaw and cosmetic container components, the company is experienced in finding solutions for clients who may otherwise be left in the lurch. This is especially true when it comes to considerations such as the impacts of product waste or the wear and tear of overall systems.
Based in two facilities, together covering 130,000 square feet in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, JV Manufacturing ascribes its expertise to its staff, many of whom have honed their skills and trades over decades. The company also offers a final phase in its die development and fabrication process where sophisticated inspections and testing ensure that all components function optimally and are flaw-free before shipping. In addition, as a full-fledged fabrication partner to its customers, the company remains committed to service, and fabricates spare components for tools after customers take ownership of their goods.
The company considers itself lucky to be situated in a region where trade schools are fully equipped with the necessary technology and resources they need to train top-quality students for the labor market, ensuring a steady supply of qualified labor. People love working here, and that is because JV Manufacturing takes care of its people, making working stimulating, safe, healthy, and, above all else, fun. The company is committed to providing the team with the additional onsite and external training and benefits they need to flourish. That includes keeping staff up-to-date with the latest developments in software packages and hard skills, plus an 18-month onsite apprenticeship program that welcomes five new intakes every six months.
JV Manufacturing’s commitment to doing the right thing has proven beneficial over the years. For instance, its strong relationships with trusted customers pulled the company through the COVID-lockdown-induced economic slump of 2020 and beyond—helped by a contract for 13 million face shield components. To achieve this feat in record time, the team designed and built a tool in two weeks. This was possible with the help of a few of its trusted plastics suppliers who rose to the challenge. The company also went to tremendous lengths to bring in staff family members who were under pressure due to being laid off from their jobs. The initiative culminated in having 10 extra pairs of hands when it needed them most, benefiting all involved.
“JV Manufacturing was really fortunate with a lot of our customers that they remained strong during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with some of the ways that we met the challenges, we were able to work different schedules to try to keep everybody healthy,” says President Ryan Vecchi, who has been with the company for 18 years, taking over as president two years ago. Ryan is joined by Vice President Melissa Vecchi, his wife, and the two are firm believers in progress.
To this end, the company has implemented significant upgrades over the last two years as it transformed its 1980s-style grinding area into a hub with top-quality technology and 4,000 square feet of much-improved infrastructure in terms of air quality, tooling, and storage. In addition to keeping its machinery up to date, it collaborates with other firms that enhance its offerings, like PEM Technologies, specializing in electro-chemical processes with better accuracy, more intricate work, and faster output. JV Manufacturing also applies robotic technologies to increase production in its stamping division.
JV Manufacturing looks to its founder, John Vecchi’s legacy of excellence by firstly supplying customers with a premium product, followed by superb after-sales service where it reinforces the partnership it establishes during the initial phases of collaboration. These services include onsite diagnostics, custom spare parts, training, ownership guidance, and more.
Joined in the company by his son Alan Vecchi between 1977 and 2021, John’s insistence on building the best of the best has become part of this third-generation company’s DNA. Its pride in its work also makes the firm a proud member of the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA).
“It’s an honor to carry on that legacy that my grandfather started and my dad carried for years to where we are at today, and it is an awesome experience to continue what started 48 years ago,” Ryan says. Part of its legacy is the company’s generosity to local communities—particularly schools it supports with cash prizes, grants, scholarships, and hospitality. That includes opening its doors to welcome young people considering this field of work during open days and tours of its facilities.
The company is committed to maintaining the values instilled in its people since its inception in 1975. As such, its leadership strives to ensure that employees understand that their personal well-being and that of their families is taken to heart, always being open for discussion and inviting suggestions for improvement. Having a firm grasp of what employees need to flourish constantly drives this tight-knit management team.
“Having that care factor and empathy, I think, sets us apart from other employers in similar industries and is something that translates into working with our customers,” Ryan says of understanding staff and customers’ goals, challenges, and motivations.
By remaining unwavering in its support of its staff while growing with its customers, JV Manufacturing continues to secure strategic expansion and improvements across areas like its existing tool and die manufacturing, production machining, and production components. It set time aside in 2021 to host a meeting of community leaders from the region to share the main concepts of the Family Care Act and its significance.
As it speeds toward the future, JV Manufacturing embraces challenges by taking on projects for one-of-a-kind challenges that test its mettle and its manufacturing skills. Propelled by constantly evolving market demands such as those of electric vehicles and the complexities of keeping up with engineering components that do not exist yet, the company has its work cut out.
“The landscape is constantly changing, with different parts and ways of manufacturing that people are looking at for us to achieve,” Ryan says of the fast-evolving market that keeps the company embracing the zeitgeist of futuristic engineering and design.
