Symbiote’s thoughtfully designed modular and heavy-duty workstations, height-adjustable tables, storage solutions, and more are a part of achieving symbiosis in the workplace to promote maximum performance and efficiency at a time when every moment and every dollar counts.

Generations of success
For more than four decades, Symbiote has delivered complete solutions for its customers across diverse industries and specialties. Backed by a reputation for quality since 1982, when it was founded by Travis Randolph, the company continues to seek out new opportunities to serve its markets and grow sustainably.

Since 2019, the company has been on a new trajectory of growth under the leadership of Travis’s son, Barrett Randolph, who has taken the reins as President and infused a fresh sense of energy and vision in the company, helping it to navigate some challenging times. Stepping up to the plate just before the onset of the pandemic—and then into the present tariff environment, which has essentially eliminated its international business—Barrett Randolph has taken charge, developing and executing a new five-year plan.

Along with a significant investment in the company’s infrastructure, the goal has been to add the manufacturing capacity to enable launches into different markets, as well as to diversify and grow sales and product development capabilities. “Part of the strategic plan that I had created about five years ago is to be more efficient, with an ability to increase sales and output without having to increase the headcount,” he explains.

“A big part of it is starting with the right people in the right seats and finding the right team to lead, and I’ve got to say that one of the smartest things I think I’ve ever done is actually hire a CEO,” he says.

Enter CEO Kerri Milarch, who was thrilled to join the team in 2023. She refers to that time as “a pivotal moment in the company’s evolution,” the fulfillment of Barrett Randolph’s vision to grow Symbiote through elevated brand awareness, expanded market share, and investment in the company’s capacities to ensure it is a place people are proud to work at and partner with.

Noting that Symbiote’s product offering has always been “exceptionally strong,” Milarch says that the investment in capacity and infrastructure has been momentous, particularly from a process improvement and documentation standpoint, which will enable the company to scale sustainably in the future.

From inventory control systems—which improve the ability to measure and utilize data and track inventory and performance across business segments—to a brand new website equipped with the digital tools a growing team of sales representatives needs, the investments are strategic and impactful. As Randolph tells us, “they can actually create the entire space for the customer digitally and provide floor plans and renderings for them upfront before they place an order. That’s not something a lot of companies like ours do, or at least they charge a lot for that service, whereas we bundle it in as the cost of business.”

Strengthening capacity and relationships
There has also been a push to streamline the manual aspects of the workflow at Symbiote, training and cross-training employees (which Milarch refers to as “nesting”) to support the company’s growth, enable faster quotes, reduce lead times, and optimize performance overall.

“The particular focus in that area was how to serve the customer better,” she says, and also how to free up Barrett Randolph “to do what Barrett does best, and that is product development. He is excellent and a visionary when it comes to research about what’s next for us.”

Through that activity, there was a realization that, to sustain demand, greater redundancy was needed, which is why Symbiote has continued to grow partnerships, cultivating a balance between in-house manufacturing and third-party support.

E Com Seating is a perfect example of that partnership in action. Like Symbiote, a multigenerational family-owned business, there is a shared commitment between the parties to elevate the performance of the spaces within which their clients work.

“They provide lab seats and chairs for laboratories, and instead of trying to develop our own lab chair, which would take years, we’ve partnered with them. They offer a great selection of products that we can immediately offer to our customers to fill out their lab spaces even better,” says Randolph.

By scaling back in this way, Symbiote can undertake some production in-house but continue to focus on the customers and their needs, as well as ongoing product development and customization. Fewer parts are being made overall, but sales are on an upward trajectory.

For Randolph, “We’re going to focus on what it is that we do well, what our customers want that we don’t offer or that doesn’t exist right now, and put real effort into making new products for them.” He also envisages getting both the company’s customized and standard lines of products to the market more effectively through an expanded sales network nationwide.

Meeting people where they are
Symbiote is respected for equipment and service that meets users where they are, creating that perfect symbiosis in the workspace. It’s not simply what the company does, but rather, how it does it, that sets it apart from the rest. Further to its investment in capacity and infrastructure, Symbiote takes a conscious approach to building a culture that encourages and empowers its people to be part of the company’s success, creating symbiosis internally just as it does with its customers.

“From my perspective, to bring the teams along, you have to win their hearts and minds and let them be a part of this,” says Milarch, and with policies and provisions such as flexible work hours, training, wholly paid health insurance premiums, competitive 401(k), and a carbon neutral facility from which to work, Symbiote is a place where people are proud to work.

Employees get more than just the satisfaction of improving their clients’ workflows; they get to be the best living example of those principles in action, thanks to a results-oriented culture that is open to change and evolution, which, to be honest, is often quite hard for family-owned operations of this scale.

From Milarch’s perspective, Symbiote is family business done right. “I couldn’t ask for more support than that from the family that owns this business because that’s what’s really going to drive our success,” she says. “Like I said, we have to win the hearts and minds of our people, and throughout these last three years, there have been some difficult times; I’d be kidding if I said there weren’t. But I have really learned to respect and enjoy this team. They are remarkably resilient, and they have an excitement about the future and where we’re headed.”

By maintaining continuous improvement, Symbiote has built an enthusiastic staff who want to be there each day and who drive value for the customer through that upbeat approach and energy.

Purpose-driven change
In any business, the ability to be successful lies in the ability to adjust, adapt, and focus on what can be controlled, and this is ultimately what Symbiote is doing to navigate the headwinds it has encountered.

“It’s a constant re-evaluation of what levers you must adjust to make things run smoothly—from what was to what will be—and again, it’s making sure you have the right team in place. You can have a great product that everyone wants, but if you don’t have stable processes and good people pulling in the same direction, it doesn’t really matter. You need a unified team to work well,” says Randolph.

For Milarch, the company has become “more aligned, disciplined, and prepared for scalable growth,” with 2026 looking good already and building on the clarity, capacity, and redundant systems in place to sustain growth internally and externally.

“We have a shared sense of purpose now,” Milarch says, and it’s time to share that with the world, creating a more defined and outward sense of brand awareness and furthering the capacity to achieve customers’ goals with unceasing care and commitment to quality and relationships.

The post Workplace Solutions that Work<p class="company">Symbiote</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Now under the RagnarTech, Inc. banner, Ragnarsson and his core team of professionals are forging yet another path forward, breaking new ground with that familiar commitment to continuous improvement and innovation that originated with Ragnarsson and now shapes this company’s DNA.

RagnarTech engineers and manufactures practical equipment that improves safety, optimizes performance, and reduces operating costs, making the work easier on site, on the environment, and on the bottom line. RagnarTech also serves as the exclusive North American distributor for JAK-Metalli Oy tree shears and UFKES Greentec chippers.

The RagnarTech 9700 is an extremely productive grinder that supports land clearing, stumps, yard waste, wood debris, and regrind of a variety of materials, while the RagnarTech 9400 serves as an HZ shredder, grinder, and chipper that can support medium contaminated material, high volumes of wood, and other debris.

Designed for application, the equipment comes in a variety of configurations to precisely meet the user’s needs with the promise of elevated performance, quality, and unmatched factory-direct service, a value proposition that has confirmed RagnarTech as the kind of market pace-setter that continually pushes the bar higher for itself, the competition, and the industry.

Rooted in innovation
Born and raised on a farm in Sweden, Anders Ragnarsson’s upbringing helped shape his genius for innovation, using his own insight and expertise to design equipment that intimately addresses the user’s needs in unique ways. After arriving in the U.S. in the 1980s, Ragnarsson established a tree service company and was quickly confronted with the limitations of existing wood waste processing equipment, which laid the groundwork for the next 40 years.

Credited as “a great mind,” it was Ragnarsson’s innovative approach, the unmatched performance of his machines, and the integrity with which he conducted business that won the respect of the industry. “He thought he could make a better version,” says Vice President Nate Eskeland, and so he did, time and again throughout his career with different companies and different iterations of his innovation.

In 1995, Ragnarsson moved away from tree service and established CBI with the launch of a mobile wood grinder that addressed a performance gap in the market. It also happened to steal the attention of the many operators who desired that level of quality and throughput.

In 2016, the decision was made to sell the company that he had built from the ground up. “After 25 years of starting and growing CBI and having the reputation of building the best grinder on the market, they eventually sold it to a large public company called Terex back in 2016 and Ragnarsson had a non-compete there for many years,” explains Eskeland, who knew that Ragnarsson’s plan was always to get back into the market when the non-compete expired.

After years of corporate ownership, Eskeland noticed the market was ready for his return. “Over the years, all of our legacy customers that we sold these really high-quality machines to have been knocking on our door, saying, ‘When are you guys going to get back into the grinder market? We want something better than what they’re making now.’”

Naturally, Ragnarsson had been working on something, but rather than launching this equipment for himself, it was purchased by Tiger Cat, a world-class Canadian manufacturer of large forestry equipment. “So, he designed the CBI grinder and now Tiger Cat’s,” says Eskeland, which meant that Ragnarsson’s designs had a corner on the market. Of course, he didn’t stop there.

In 2019, the time had come for Ragnarsson to relaunch his own venture, which is how RagnarTech, Inc. came to be. Built upon that same quality, service, and innovation that the market came to expect, and supported by the industry’s best, he was going to pull it off on a smaller scale both in terms of the equipment and the operation.

Outperforming in every way
From its 25,000-square-foot facility in New Hampshire, RagnarTech supports operators around the globe who prioritize quality engineering and high-performance equipment that is built to last, minimizing downtime and optimizing throughput.

Just as Ragnarsson’s return to the market created a buzz among former customers, the same reaction took place among former employees of his, like Eskeland, who joined him at CBI in 2003 right out of high school, as well as the engineering manager and production manager who rejoined him at RagnarTech and re-formed the core of a quality team.

“We’ve all worked together for so many years, and we just know how to do things. You can make an argument that we have here the most experienced personnel in the grinding world, and it shows in our innovation,” says Eskeland, who assures us that when you call RagnarTech, you will speak to someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to the company’s manufacturer-direct support.

Together, they “went back to building quality grinders again,” reengineering the designs using only the highest quality inputs like high-pressure plate from Scandinavia and the John Deere JD18, which Eskeland refers to as a “game changer.” For the better part of the previous two decades, Caterpillar’s diesel engine had been the standard, and while it is still available, RagnarTech and its customers have demonstrated the reason for the departure.

“We were building machines from 700 to 1200 horsepower, and there were basically three engine models that covered that horsepower range, and it was only ever Cat. However, with our new machines, the 9700 and 9400, John Deere came out with a new 18-liter 908-horsepower engine that has no DEF, EGR, or DPF while still meeting Tier 4 standards,” says Eskeland.

The ability of John Deere’s inline six, an 18-liter, 908-horsepower engine, to compete with Caterpillar’s C27, a 1050-horsepower V12, is a surprise to many, but what is most significant is the price tag, which is significantly less costly.

Eye-opening quality
A client who took delivery of a RagnarTech grinder early this summer quickly identified the performance advantages and cost savings associated with its operation compared to the legacy equipment they were running.

“They’ve got about 1000 hours on it, but in the first one or two months of running it, they got numbers that blew us away,” Eskeland shares. Not only was the new John Deere engine outperforming their other grinders with 1050 horsepower; the client was achieving eight-to-ten-minute trailer loads, saving two minutes on average.

Beyond performance, the equipment burns less fuel, using only 28 gallons of fuel compared to the previous 52-gallon amounts, for impressive cost savings and tangible environmental benefits. Additionally, not needing DEF, DPF, and EGRs results in lower overall maintenance costs.

“The numbers have blown them away… I won’t get into the design much, but it’s not just the engine—with our improved feeding system, it feeds more aggressively, which we attribute to better production than higher horsepower machines,” Eskeland says.

According to customer-reported data, even the components of the equipment are holding up better than the competition. The tips, which are used to grind down the material, performed for 350 hours before needing replacement, compared to 80 hours from competitors’ tip sets in comparable material.

One of the biggest industry challenges that Eskeland has experienced over his time in the sector is persistent quality issues due to premature part wear. Certainly, price is important, but when cost savings of this magnitude are being achieved, the upfront costs of quality are negligible. “It’s a little bit more expensive, but you know what? When you’re in the woods on a pipeline where you’re grinding for a billion or multi-billion dollar energy company that needs right-away work, when that machine goes down, saving a few bucks because you wanted to buy something where the steel wasn’t quite as good, that cost difference doesn’t matter at that point.”

The philosophy at RagnarTech is to “engineer in the quality,” and not apologize for being a little bit more expensive because the value of the equipment’s performance speaks for itself.

Only the beginning
With experience, expertise, and a culture of innovation that starts at the top and permeates the ranks, RagnarTech has only just begun making its impact on the market.

As it grows slowly and steadily, in both size and capacity, through the addition of strategically located parts and service hubs and a vetted distribution network, the company will continue to take on as much work as it can, though demand is likely to outpace supply for a while, especially as word has it that Ragnarsson once again has a springboard for his creativity and innovation.

“Not only does he know the equipment, but he is intimately involved in the industry and what people are doing and how they’re doing it and why they’re doing it—and that’s what really drives the innovation,” says Eskeland. “He’s made quite an impact on not only the wood processing industry but the recycling world. There aren’t a lot of people who’ve been owners or know anything about wood grinding that don’t know the name Anders Ragnarsson.”

The post Quality, Innovation, and a Runaway Reputation<p class="company">RagnarTech</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Center Street Technologies is a team of subject matter experts who have come together to demonstrate the capacity of additive manufacturing as a means to augment existing manufacturing processes by producing large-scale polymer-based structures and components.

Using advanced modeling and simulation paired with leading industrial controls and automation, and through an innovative approach to design, engineering, and materials sciences, the company’s comprehensive manufacturing solutions have served partners in aerospace, defense, and many other industries that recognize the added value of this approach.

Growing manufacturing capacity in a big way
It is an exciting time for Center Street Technologies. Having proven the performance of its equipment and the validity of its processes, the company has positioned itself as a beacon of opportunity for players across markets and sectors, particularly where there is demand for high-mix, low-volume parts, like the maritime industrial base and shipbuilding sector where supply issues not only threaten production, but also national security.

“A known issue right now is the ability to source castings needed for production in a timely manner. At Center Street, we’re able to rapidly create patterns that have been damaged in use or are obsolete and needed for sustainment with little to no existing digital engineering data,” explains Matthew Heffinger, the Product Engineering Manager at Center Street Technologies, of the company’s reverse engineering capabilities for large-scale components.

And they are large indeed. The company’s flagship machine, the AMC2304, is aptly named for its capacity. At 12’ x 24’ x 8’, it boasts 2,304 cubic feet of build volume. Equipped with a dual gantry system capable of high output large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) and five-axis machining, it serves as the company’s principal production platform.

Development projects start in the digital environment and are taken to the smaller AMC160. Again, named for its size and capacity at 4’ x 8’ x 5’, the AMC160 is equipped with the same three-axis extrusion system as the AMC2304 as well as a new six-axis articulating Comau industrial robot. Complete with Siemens industrial controls, it serves as the core development platform for Center Street.

“All of our systems run Siemens SINUMERIK ONE controls, which is their latest and greatest controller,” Heffinger says. This robust control system enables the design and production of highly accurate digital twins. “We’re able to digitally emulate the whole control system to prove out new controls and engineering-related developments prior to downloading them to the physical equipment. It’s a very accurate simulation of our control system as a whole,” which enables a more efficient and effective development lifecycle.

According to Process Engineering Manager, Casey Gonatas, the AMC160 “is a smaller volume machine with the same extruder where we can develop different components, tool pathing strategies, or perform any other kind of R&D activities we need to, without interrupting production on the AMC2304.”

Adding the six-axis robot to the AMC160 enables the integration of multiple advanced manufacturing technologies working together to produce parts. The addition of the robot enables the use of many end effectors to fulfill different tasks in a staged approach, such as pick and place operations, milling, inspection, and automated fiber placement (AFP).

“We’ve successfully machined parts using the robot with the machining spindle as the end effector. It has been an exciting development to be able to do the milling work in that cell as well, which is now more of a direct comparison to the AMC2304 that’s able to do the printing, machining, and inspection,” explains Gonatas.

The integration of Grale Technologies’ inspection application—considered a leader in commercial digital metrology functions that offer real-time measurement of parts without interruption—elevates the efficiency and accuracy of the AMC systems.

Greater capabilities, validated results
Over the last year or so, Center Street Technologies has worked diligently to expand its general production capabilities while continuing to identify ways to address gaps in manufacturing through advanced technologies and additive manufacturing.

For instance, its efforts in lightweighting are timely given the 2025 updates to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards. Lightweighting, also referred to as foaming, is a process whereby the extrusion process is altered to offer a lighter overall weight without the need to adjust shapes or toolpaths. According to Heffinger, “Current lightweighting techniques in the 3D printing industry limit you to lower performance polymer materials, but we have developed methods to lightweight aerospace-grade, high-performance polymers,” which is gaining the attention of leading industry players.

Commercialization of new technologies and approaches is always a challenge, particularly as many customers are risk averse. It is hard to offer an outright guarantee that the applications and components will perform to expectations; however, over the last several years, Center Street Technologies has been collecting data to ensure the quality of its products. What the team found was that it was not always necessarily the cheapest option, but was faster, more efficient, and dedicated to optimized quality and throughput.

From a quality management standpoint, Center Street Technologies is on the verge of becoming AS9100D and ISO 9001 certified. Having received official recommendation for certification from its auditor, certification is expected in February 2026. The company is also working toward CMMC Level 2 compliance, which will further improve its credibility within critical industries like aerospace and government entities.

“As we spend time addressing government-related issues and developing technologies to solve complex problems, it gives us the ability to mature our technology and provide a more viable product to the commercial markets,” Heffinger explains. Where time is money, this is invaluable.

The application is especially useful for prototyping as it requires less rework or subtractive manufacturing to achieve quality results. During the design phase, the team can adapt quickly and make necessary adjustments through digital engineering capabilities before going to print, controlling quality throughout the entire process.

Scaling success
The team at Center Street Technologies is a small, tight-knit group that leverages its two machines to address issues that traditional manufacturing cannot, particularly where high-mix, low-volume components are concerned.

As Gonatas notes, “We have the two machines for producing parts, so that’s our main constraint internally as far as scaling up to a higher production rate. But the nice thing about how strong our digital backbone is, is that everything can be easily scaled to fit different machines, platforms, and customer requirements,” which highlights the flexibility of the process.

Through its work, Center Street Technologies is striving to build confidence not only in advanced manufacturing applications like additive manufacturing, but in the sector as a whole through strategic partnerships dedicated to workforce development. With its partners, the company serves as a conduit between academics and industry to seek out ways to strengthen the advanced manufacturing workforce through development programs and initiatives to ensure that there is a pipeline of talent at the ready to scale with demand.

“There’s a lot of development within academia that is never implemented within the manufacturing industry. We want to interface with research labs and academia to transition the technology and make it reachable to the broader manufacturing industrial base,” Heffinger explains. At a time when the U.S. is losing legacy manufacturing operations and struggling to find a skilled workforce capable of fulfilling growing demand, these efforts are not only appropriate, but valuable.

As Gonatas tells us, “There are less and less people trained in traditional manufacturing roles, so being able to attack it with more of a digitally focused approach—something with more quality control and engineering going into the work—is something that we can bring to the table and have a positive impact on an industry that’s hurting right now.”

Advancing the industry
From workforce development to advanced manufacturing applications, Center Street Technologies continues to identify the best use cases to demonstrate the value of its approach and the impact its technology can have on American manufacturing. Additive manufacturing and advanced manufacturing approaches will be key to unlocking the true potential of the U.S. manufacturing sector and economy, and those who recognize this value are poised to thrive.

The focus moving forward will be “getting people in the industry or potential customers to see the value and think of additive manufacturing or advanced manufacturing as more of a realistic solution, not just as a last resort or a cool niche,” explains Gonatas, who notes that at Center Street Technologies, “we’re making real products that are fully capable of meeting a customer requirement.”

The goal is to get operations to take that leap of faith, to look beyond traditional manufacturing processes to unlock the value of additive parts and components. Such parts are proven, validated, and capable—now they just need to be fully leveraged for their value to be truly realized.

The post Advancing Manufacturing and Industry With Additive Manufacturing<p class="company">Center Street Technologies</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Engage Technologies is the parent company of Squid Ink, which specializes in the manufacture of industrial inkjet printers and high quality inks; Eastey, a leading manufacturer and supplier of heavy-duty shrink packaging equipment and automated case-sealing systems; and American Film and Machinery (AFM), which provides reliable shrink sleeve labeling equipment, shrink sleeves, and tamper-evident bands.

Through these entities, Engage Technologies develops new products, solutions, and efficiencies for manufacturers everywhere with comprehensive packaging systems—which include coding and marking solutions for traceability, case sealing and shrink packaging equipment, shrink sleeve labeling solutions, and automation systems—that set the bar for technical, financial, and environmental performance.

Investing in success
Engage Technologies Corporation’s success is no lucky accident. Over the last decade, the company has more than doubled in size, capacity, and impact through strategic investments in its physical presence in Minnesota. With a new Eastey production facility in Big Lake Industrial Park, HVAC upgrades at its Brooklyn Park headquarters, and more than a million dollars of investment at its Squid Ink facility in the last six months alone, company leadership continues to identify ways to bolster capacity and streamline efficiency and throughput. “We’ve invested heavily in all of our plants, in particular our Squid Ink fluids production facility,” CEO David Mylrea shares.

Investments include a new pail filler to optimize efficiency across the ink manufacturing operation, as well as new forklifts and hydraulic pallet lifters. Additionally, a new ink mill for grinding pigments was a costly but value-rich investment. What used to take days is achieved in hours, yielding a more consistent quality and better pricing for customers, a win for everyone.

According to Chief Operating Officer Dan Pint, these improvements are the result of the Kaizens the company conducts yearly to identify process improvements, which also extend to customer service. “We did a big Kaizen on customer service last year, which helped identify several opportunities and improved our process there. So, it’s not just in the manufacturing area, but also in the office to help us improve efficiencies everywhere,” he says.

Further, Engage Technologies is investing in IT upgrades and training to improve operational efficiency across its footprint, identifying ways to integrate new technologies and automation into its facilities.

“Bigger, faster, stronger”
To be sure, Mylrea and the team at Engage Technologies expect great things. “As technology evolves along with access to artificial intelligence, everybody’s looking for ways to be more efficient. ‘Bigger, faster, stronger’ not only speaks to the National Football League, but also the packaging industry,” he says. Big changes in next-generation printing and packaging systems are in the pipeline, he tells us, and October’s Pack Expo 2026 is sure to be action-packed.

Through its own feedback channels and trade shows such as Pack Expo, Engage Technologies monitors industry reaction to ensure that it meets market needs while remaining competitive with the best possible products and innovations at the best possible price. This is also true of the company’s commitment to the environment, such as its high-resolution printing system that can serve as a labeling replacement, effectively replacing the need for labels, adhesives, and other consumables by printing directly onto the surface, resulting in superior resolution and less environmental impact.

Engage Technologies is also navigating an increasingly complex market due to the imposition of tariffs, but thanks to extra inventory, strong relationships with suppliers, and new sourcing agreements, it has shouldered the brunt of the uncertainty so its customers don’t have to.

Raising the bar
Of course, product development is a continuing characteristic of Engage Technologies’ engineering, and its equipment is designed for efficiency and is built to last. “We’re always looking to develop and release new products,” says Chad Carney, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications. “Last year we released six new products—three packaging and three coding and marking products—and this fall, five new products.” The new releases included some real game changers for the industry.

One such innovation is Squid Ink’s CoPilot Max LT, which features a 2.8” print height per printhead and offers 360 dots per inch (DPI) resolution compared to the industry standard of 180, and does so at an impressive print speed of up to 440 feet per minute.

With oil, solvent, and UV ink capabilities and long throw capability up to 12 millimeters versus the industry standard of five millimeters or less, the design is such that it protects the printhead, compensates for poor material handling, and results in improved print quality, truly revolutionary for industrial ink jet printing which typically needs to be closer to the surface being printed on.

As Carney notes, “We’ve been able to integrate new technology that allows the user to print from up to a half inch away from the product, which is really revolutionary for an inkjet.” This helps manufacturers compensate for contingencies or imprecisions in their process while still achieving 360 DPI at up to 440 feet per minute.

Ribbons redundant
Similarly, Squid Ink’s SQ-UVT Laser Marking System has been designed to replace thermal transfer overprint (TTO) for flexible film and single-serve packaging. The laser marking system leaves a permanent mark without the need for consumables like ribbons, reducing the need for inventory orders and downtime for ribbon changes, breakage, and wrinkling, bringing lower ownership costs and optimized uptime.

Eastey’s ECB25A is another innovative product that will change the way Engage Technologies’ customers operate. With no tray or supportive material needed, this shrink-wrap bundling system for multi-packs of unsupported products helps to control weight, process, and costs. The ECB25A can wrap bundles up to 11” tall and 20” wide at up to 25 bundles per minute, thanks to a servo-controlled pusher and seal bar that enable precise movement and throughput.

“We’re using cutting-edge technology,” says Carney. “It has a large, full-color touchscreen with remote access, so if the user needs to troubleshoot it from afar, they can. We can actually dial into that system from our facility, if needed, or distributor service personnel can do that and help the client troubleshoot whatever they’re dealing with.”

Likewise, Eastey’s VSA1825 Auto L-Sealer/VST1710 tunnel for fully automated shrink wrapping can wrap and seal products up to 7” in height and with a seal area of 18 x 25”, running up to 35 products per minute. Available in painted or stainless steel base, it can be used for food applications and many others that require a simple setup and reliable throughput at a competitive price, making it a highly popular selection for manufacturers across sectors.

And finally, AFM’s latest AutoBandit and Manual Bandit systems round out Engage Technologies’ newest offerings. The automatic tamper band applicator replaces hand-applied pre-form bands using automatic or semi-automatic machines that can run up to 30 products per minute (depending on size).

Each of these unique products helps reduce labor and costs in terms of both time and consumables, with less inventory to maintain and greater productivity.

Best in class—and culture
Engage Technologies isn’t just best in class when it comes to its packaging solutions; it is best in culture, which has been validated time and again with the recognition of being named a Top Workplace in Minnesota for five consecutive years by the Star Tribune, based on employee feedback.

“We’re working really hard to improve this culture of not just serving customers, not just looking outward, but also looking within the company to see if there are things we can do internally to improve,” says Mylrea.

These accolades and internal efforts to boost the work environment through competitive wages, benefits packages, and a deeply rooted commitment to innovation help secure the top talent needed to drive the company’s activities, including those product development and process investments that test every boundary. From Carney’s perspective, there is a genuine pride in excellence that permeates the company: “We all know as employees that we can make an impact on the customer experience every day, and we all take pride in making that a positive experience.”

This also helps to position Engage Technologies as an employer of choice in a highly competitive talent market, able to attract the caliber of mechanical and electrical engineers and others who can help the company grow its product offerings and market penetration.

Looking ahead, it will likely be more of the same for Engage Technologies—more innovation and continued excellence, whether that be from a product development, performance, or service standpoint. In doing so, this company will continue to make its mark on the packaging industry.

The post Great Products Go Further with the Right Engagement Strategy<p class="company">Engage Technologies Corporation</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

It is no surprise that manufacturing, particularly in North America, has undergone a transformation over the last several years, much of which is being consolidated this year and will lay the foundation for growth in 2026. The growth ahead is expected to be slow to moderate, with mixed sector performance, and with semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, clean energy, aerospace, defense, automation, and robotics leading the way.

This growth is being driven by the rapid rate of technological advancement that is taking place but is being offset by numerous challenges confronting the industry, including inflationary concerns, supply chain issues, and a dearth of skilled talent that is being exacerbated by the exodus of retirees, which is leaving a skills gap that the sector cannot seem to bridge with technology alone.

There is also the elephant in the room: tariffs. Shifting geopolitical relations have destabilized long-held trade relationships, and inflation paired with the rising costs of inputs like electricity and resources such as steel, aluminum, and softwood lumber (which are subject to tariffs), as well as rising shipping costs, has the market scrambling to bolster domestic supply chains and trade partners.

Tech-enabled change
While tariffs and changing trade relationships have left the market in a state of uncertainty, there is one thing manufacturers can count on: technological innovation and integration are key to future strength. This is particularly true in a market where customers have become increasingly discerning and place greater demand on quality, speed, and efficiency, as well as supply chain accountability and real-time transparency.

Smart factories are becoming the standard, wherein technological integration, data analytics, and the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) are being leveraged to optimize processes and output—as well as sustainability—in the face of persistent supply chain challenges such as workforce constraints.

2025 saw a greater number of integrated technologies, such as digital twins and generative AI, which will continue into 2026. As greater integration takes place, the value of these investments will be realized on a larger scale as capital investments and mergers and acquisition activity are expected to be robust. Further, in 2026, expect to see increased investment in cybersecurity to protect the investments being made in technology and the data-driven insights it enables, particularly industrial control systems, operating technology and other intellectual property, proprietary information, and sensitive data that can be sabotaged by cyberthreats and theft.

Opportunities and challenges
The rapid rate of innovation and technological advancement has been both a boon and a bane for manufacturers, as it helps to achieve operational efficiencies but also introduces new challenges, chiefly the need for skilled talent and the high capital costs incurred with this kind of investment. Investment in technology is at the heart of capital spending as manufacturers look to integrate and optimize technology and to attract and develop talent that has the skills and qualifications required for its function. There has always been a concern that robots will replace the need for humans, but the truth is that one cannot function entirely without the other.

For instance, collaborative robots, or “cobots” as described by engineering company WiredWorkers, represent one of the more recent iterations of industrial technology in which humans and robots work together, with cobots taking on repetitive or dangerous tasks and human resources being freed to undertake more strategic functions, including those necessary to operate and maintain the cobot.

The fact that manufacturing continues to add jobs demonstrates that there is ongoing demand for talent to complement the investments taking place in technology and infrastructure, and the number of new patents being issued proves that there is strength at the market’s core. Likewise, reskilling and upskilling need to take place to ensure that workers who are being displaced in lagging segments have the opportunity to put their experience to work in a different capacity to address the shortage that continues to threaten optimal productivity.

According to The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, the U.S. manufacturing sector alone will need to fill nearly 3.8 million jobs by 2033, and 1.9 million of those jobs could go unfilled if workforce challenges are not addressed.

Talent development requires collaboration between industry, government, and education and takes time to institute the necessary changes, which makes it hard to reactively address changing workforce needs. Sometimes, by the time new programs are instituted and begin to graduate students, the technology has already moved on. Employers are wise to invest equally in training and reskilling programs alongside their technological investment to ensure that they are meeting their own needs for talent internally, rather than waiting for the education system to produce a pipeline of relevantly skilled talent, particularly where there is an acute need for skilled workers and where shortages persist.

Thinking locally in a global economy
While there is no denying the global interconnectedness of the market, current conditions are forcing manufacturers to strengthen not only their supply chains and competitive advantages but also their regional and local ecosystems to mitigate the impacts of matters beyond their control, such as geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and rising costs.

While supply chain resilience has been a focus since the pandemic—which shined a light on the vulnerability of global supply chains—the imposition of tariffs has increasingly forced manufacturers to identify new sourcing agreements and trade partners, with preference for domestic materials and resources where possible. Once again, technology has a role to play, as it is paramount in building agile supply chains, forecasting demand and anticipating challenges, and planning production to adapt quickly to market changes.

Once the impacts of the tariffs are absorbed and prices level out, there will be a better idea of the conditions manufacturers are subject to, at which point there will likely be a wave of greater product diversification and growth. The next challenge will be securing pricing that competes with international players.

What happens in manufacturing also has resounding impacts on other aspects of the economy, such as industrial real estate, which is expected to rebound in 2026 as trade policies level out and monetary conditions ease. Vacancy rates are expected to peak, with larger spaces showing the greatest demand while smaller spaces are expected to be more competitively priced, trends that are expected to stabilize by the end of 2026.

There is strong private sector demand, making the sector attractive to investors who have the capital to support new development opportunities that will come with a new cycle of demand when the current wave of development rounds out. New orders are expected to stabilize in 2026, which will have a resounding impact on the sector as a whole.

Proximity to markets and shipping routes is key to selecting a locale, and behind these decisions are often incentives such as tax breaks, subsidies, training support, and infrastructure investments that encourage the growth and competitiveness of the sector and help manufacturers achieve high-quality goods at lower costs that improve their competitiveness in local and global markets alike.

According to Safeguard Global, “When evaluating manufacturing environments and making location decisions, businesses should consider the five dimensions: policies and regulations, tax policy, costs, workforce quality, and infrastructure and innovation.”

Cautious optimism
After a couple of difficult years, 2026 promises a return to optimism as manufacturers position themselves strategically to optimize the function and output of their operations as much as possible in the wake of inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty.

Like two sides of a coin, the inverse of challenge can be opportunity, and out of the flames the phoenix will fly. There is cautious optimism that the changes being implemented and the investments being made will pay off, especially where government support and incentives exist.

Strategic investment is going to continue to be a key component of manufacturing success, and many considerations must be made in order to optimize efficiency and maximize output and profitability in a highly competitive market. When the dust settles, the market should return to strength, though it still has a way to go to reach peak performance in the face of the countless challenges it is up against.

The post Manufacturing’s Path to Renewal<p class="company">Technology and Talent Drive 2026 Recovery</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

“If you have a heavy duty welding gun, if you control the heat and don’t get affected by it, now you can control the parameters, the weld quality, and the speeds,” explains Sales Manager Steve Moerke, a third generation Moerke and part owner of the family business. “Now you have no downtime and no problems. You remove all of that and it’s unbelievable,” he says.

Able to be integrated with all robotic manufacturers’ equipment and capable of handling jobs of a variety of materials and sizes, D/F Machine Specialties^® is one of the best kept secrets in the welding world—and we’re about to blow its cover.

Family business
So much more than the welding guns and consumables it manufactures, D/F Machine Specialties^® is innovative to the core, and this has been the case since it was founded in the late 1960s to improve output and performance by addressing some of the sector’s greatest pain points.

Founder Del Moerke Sr. was a member of the Airco (Air Reduction Sales Co. of New York) development team responsible for developing a new welding process known as MIG (metal inert gas) welding, a process that proved faster than conventional TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding, and achieved temperatures required to effectively weld aluminum. As part of his role, Del Sr. travelled the country installing equipment and educating new users on the innovative approach. In the process, he had the opportunity to encounter a variety of welding guns, most of which would experience regular failures requiring service and resulting in costly downtime. It inspired him to craft something better.

While on the road, he came up with a design for a MIG pistol welding gun that was fully water-cooled. Patented in 1968, the D/F pistol gun became something of an overnight success. Unlike the competition, which could only last for 15 minutes of steady welding before requiring costly maintenance shutdowns, the gun just kept on running and did so for three shifts a day, seven days a week. The performance was unheard of.

This was the genesis of D/F Machine Specialties^®. Operated by Del Sr. and his wife Fern, from whom the company’s initials and brand were derived, and their children Del Jr., Wayne, Beverly, and Karen, the company operated out of the basement of the family home until 1970, at which point D/F incorporated and moved to its first official location in Lombard, Illinois.

Family was pivotal to the company’s success and in 1978, as the company and the family outgrew the Lombard facility, the decision was made to relocate to its current 14,000-square-foot facility in North Mankato, Minnesota. Here, the company’s capacity grew and so did demand.

A new era
The introduction of robotic welding in the mid-1980s was a new opportunity for the brand to shine. True to form, Del Sr. identified a shortcoming in robotic welders (they required a two-hour shutdown for maintenance due to torch failure, a labor-intensive process that requires running utility lines into the gun for gas and water; the welding wire also had to be stripped down for a new gun to be re-harnessed and re-positioned) and responded with a viable, long-term solution.

Enter the new water-cooled robotic welding gun which consisted of a patented and trademarked docking spool and posit ring that conveniently snaps into the wrist of the robot for instant positioning to resume the weld. Instead of two hours, the entire process takes 45 seconds, and the innovation even translated over to automated machines.

Where hard automation is concerned, particularly instances with high deposition and large wire diameters that require preheating and high amperages, D/F’s heavy duty water-cooled weld automation torch is the gold standard and many of these original guns are still in production today, found on automatic and robotic cells worldwide.

“The welding gun is our best salesman,” notes Moerke, which is why he empowers potential customers to trial the equipment to ensure that it meets the needs of their application. “We are so confident that the D/F Water-Cooled to the Tip welding guns are the best welding guns in the world, that we will gladly run demos and trials with customers and prove why they should be using the D/F welding guns. The good news is when they find us, we have never lost a demo.”

New leadership, same commitment
At a time when the industry has experienced a great deal of consolidation, D/F Machine Specialties remains independent and family owned. In 2008, after years of trying, Del Jr. and Steve, his son, assumed ownership of the company and continue to forge ahead with a unified vision for the future, dedicated to supporting and advancing the heavy duty welding sector as well as the family legacy. Laura Moerke (aka Laura Christopherson) is the company’s Account Administrator and handles all invoicing, bill paying, accounting and legal matters, inside sales, human resources, insurance, customer service, ordering of raw materials and supplies, marketing, and IT.

“We attend tradeshows together as a family,” explains Steve Moerke. “Laura, Del, and I staff the booth and we actually bring family with us to watch the kids in the hotels while we work. My mother and Laura’s have both worked the D/F booth at Fabtech over the years,” he shares. “It takes a family to run a family business!”

This kind of support enables the team to “under-promise and over-deliver” in a sector where the competition rates their welding guns at 60 percent duty cycles. D/F Machine Specialties^® knows that its equipment can be pushed to the maximum and continues to strive for perfection.

“We excel in the 100 percent duty cycle jobs; heavy duty, high heat, pulse welding, water-cooled, high amperage, and will still remain cold to the touch, even if it is pushed all day long, three shifts a day, seven days a week, with only one contact tip per shift,” says Moerke.

D/F is the only manufacturer in the U.S. that has both 1000-amp MIG and TIG torches that can run ¼” aluminum wire for MIG welding and ⅜” diameter tungsten for the TIG process. While the company gets plenty of calls for the 1000-amp iterations, playfully referred to as the “Big Mig” and the “Big Tig,” the reality is that very few people welding ever get above 650 amps.

“We have to explain to customers you do not need a 1000-amp welding gun; you just need a welding gun that stays cold below 650 amps. Luckily for us, the competition fails above 400 amps, and this is where we shine,” says Moerke. “We have been able to do 95 percent of all jobs with our standard series of trademarked water-cooled to the tip welding guns.”

A lifelong member of the AWS (American Welding Society) and GAWDA (Gases and Welding Distributors Association), D/F Machine Specialties^® takes great pride in the fact that its equipment isn’t disposable as so many others are in the market. Instead of high-temperature plastic components, D/F welding guns are built differently.

“We not only build the guns more robustly—use copper instead of plastic, braze them together—but we also receive the gas, water, and power differently. This all enables D/F to control the heat and remain cold while welding,” explains Moerke, and this allows for better control of the weld quality, speed, and performance without the added cost.

In fact, the equipment typically costs less than the competition and often pays for itself in a matter of six months to a year, mitigating torch failures and reducing consumable usage, downtime, and rework in the process.

A legacy in action
When speaking about the company’s history and evolution, the contribution of the extended family cannot be overstated. For Moerke, from the outset “family members were personally invested in the business’s success, resulting in a dedicated workforce and a willingness to make sacrifices or go the extra mile for the business and for the customer.”

With no outside sales force, the company has grown strictly on word of mouth and reputation, which is founded on a superior product and unmatched customer service built on trust and loyalty. This, however, can be a double-edged sword, making D/F Machine Specialties^® a victim of its own success.

“If you were a welding distributor, would you want to sell the welding guns that have to be replaced every two months and use a tip every 40 minutes, or would you want to sell the welding guns that last for years and years, only use one tip every one to two days (on the hardest jobs in the world), and reduces cost, downtime, and rework seven to one on average? We are our own worst enemy because our guns are too good and our consumables last too long,” jokes Moerke.

Like the welding guns, torches, and consumables it manufactures, the standard of service delivery at D/F Machine Specialties^® is also second to none. Everything is manufactured in-house with intention behind it, and decades of expertise makes the company a true partner on the most difficult jobs where extreme conditions, long duty cycles, high heat and amperage, and other contingencies are present.

“This is where we excel. Give us a chance to run a demo on your worst job and make it go away,” says Moerke of D/F’s ability to improve weld quality, reduce downtime, and save money over the long term. “Customers can’t believe the D/F difference. If we can fit the D/F gun into the job, there really is no comparison,” something Moerke and his team are happy to prove time and time again.

The post Where Welding Innovation Runs in the Family<p class="company">D/F Machine Specialties®</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Designed and manufactured in Europe, alkus^® launched in North America in 2017, where it continues to be adopted by progressive construction professionals that appreciate the company’s value and performance. As Kenneth Clisso, Business Development Manager for North America, puts it, “I’ve been in the concrete forming business for about 40 years now and this is the best product I’ve ever had to sell.”

The alkus^® difference
alkus^® Innovative Systems come in two varieties: the AL, which is constructed with aluminum-reinforced polypropylene and is used for wall, slab, and special structural elements; and the GM, which is the company’s first iteration made from fiber-reinforced polypropylene.

Thanks to their material composition, alkus^® solutions have effectively replaced traditional wood formwork and eliminated the many challenges, issues, and rework that can result from its use. Unlike their wood counterparts, the polypropylene panels are impervious to swelling, rotting, and the frequent need to replace or repair, which is time and labor intensive and drives up overall costs.

alkus^® panels have been proven to last 1,500 uses and over 20 years thanks to their innovative design, their unique system of repair, and the seven-year warranty they are backed by, unmatched in the industry. However, in an industry that is typically slow to change, highly innovative products that shake the very foundation of how things are done often face resistance. But between the technical performance of the panels and the financial breakdown and sustainable nature of the formwork, their use becomes an offer that people simply cannot refuse.

“Initially there is some resistance because of price—and it’s not just our price, but the price of anything that’s innovative and anything that is a long-term solution that lowers costs in the long run,” says Clisso, noting that while initial costs are greater, over a 10-year timeframe, there are significant savings to be had.

Plywood needs to be replaced often (certainly more than once every 20 years), and with trade disputes festering around the world and the challenges related to softwood lumber, prices aren’t likely to come down anytime soon. There is also the issue of disposal fees cropping up in places like California where charges are incurred for things like heavy laden plywood, as well as the time and labor costs associated with transportation and disposal.

This is a non-issue for alkus^® as the product holds value on construction sites beyond their use as formwork, instead being repurposed as mudsills and shoring supports, which extends the life and value of the product.

The company’s European footprint has also been designed to be circular in nature. As Matthew Pescador, CEO, alkus North America, explains, “They’re actually recycling nearly 100 percent of the material. They take all the polypropylene, they’re able to separate it, and they regranulate it and feed it right back into the extrusion process. The aluminum gets bagged up and they send it to an aluminum recycling facility, and they actually get paid money for sending it back,” he shares.

“So the idea becomes, ‘How do we implement this worldwide?’ because green construction is the way of the future. There are limited resources in the world, and we have to be good stewards of the natural resources that are out there, so this is something we are looking to implement in the United States.”

A new path forward
Further to implementing a recycling plan in the U.S., there are also plans in the works to establish domestic manufacturing over the next several years to ensure that demand can be sustained and product can more efficiently reach the market, which is an important next step as the brand gains traction all over the world.

“Green is really the direction that construction is going in. That’s why a lot of these really big mega projects have to be LEED and otherwise certified; [project owners and builders] realize the implications for the long term,” says Pescador.

In Switzerland, green construction materials are mandated on projects, with non-renewables like plywood formwork outlawed, which is demonstrative of the progressive stance of the country’s construction industry to operate sustainably.

Governments in North America have the same opportunity before them to make legislative changes that support the future sustainability of the sector. Organizations like the ACI (American Concrete Institute) can be the voice of the industry in pushing for changes that could have a resounding impact on the quality of projects and the mitigation of environmental impacts. And while many early adopters and progressive partners have already made the switch to alkus^® solutions, writing them into project specs on countless projects, others can begin to follow suit.

For Pescador, the market potential is massive and alkus^® only needs to capitalize on a fraction of it to feel the impact—not only on the company itself, but on the customers who use its solutions to improve the technical performance and sustainability of their projects.

A winning solution
The team at alkus^® (and anyone who has used the product) knows that this formwork solution is second to none, and the company is working hard to ensure that the greatest number of construction professionals have access to it.

In addition to investing in the company’s production capacity, alkus^® has also added talent to cover a greater service area in the North American market with the addition of a new Business Development Manager for the south who Clisso has spent time training.

“They are being trained by Ken to capitalize on all the industrial work that’s going on there right now,” says Pescador. “That’s why we’re making the investment to hire, because we see that the demand is out there.”

Numbers don’t lie and when it comes to alkus^® solutions, the value embodied in the product and its performance is unequalled in the market. This is why it is the way of the future and the preferred formwork solution of many industry leaders around the world. To learn more about how alkus^® can save you money and improve the performance of your formwork, visit: www.alkus.com.

The post The Global Leader in High Performance Formwork<p class="company">alkus®</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

From its 140,000-square-foot facility, the team at Countryside Cabinets gives customers the opportunity to customize their choices based on wood type, finish, and accessories, all of which will set any project apart. And, with a new catalogue on the way as part of its 50^th anniversary celebrations—complete with its new Slim Shaker doors and the ever popular Quartersawn White Oak offering—the company looks to bring its offerings into new markets, ensuring that there is something for every room, style, and budget.

Rooted in family
Over its long history, Countryside Cabinets has made great effort to simplify the design and manufacturing process while strengthening its own internal culture. From its catalogue to its pricing structure and the level of service it provides, these efforts have been a major point of differentiation in the market.

“We’ve eliminated complex pricing structures in our catalogue and essentially put all our offerings into one single cabinet line,” says Marketing and Product Manager Anna Harteau of Countryside’s a la carte offering. “Designers don’t have to jump catalogues or cabinet lines to upgrade the product; we offer all architectural styles at each price point so customers can make decisions based on their preference instead of their budget.”

With the motto “Custom made simple,” Countryside Cabinets seeks to be the go-to source for cabinets on the basis of quality, aesthetic, function, and simplicity, taking the guess work out of cabinetry and becoming a true partner in the process. This approach can be attributed to the company’s founding. Countryside Cabinets was established as a family business in 1975 and grew throughout the years, doing so on a firm foundation of family values and open lines of communication entrenched in the company culture.

When the company was sold in 2020, that same commitment to its values carried forth—all that changed was a renewed sense of energy and the adoption of a growth mindset that would position the company to grow in the Midwest and beyond.

Currently, its sights are set on the Northeast, as Harteau explains. “We have outside sales teams in each region that do a great job of being our eyes and ears in the field,” she says. “We are still able to deliver the majority of our product on our own trucks,” though future growth could necessitate the use of third-party logistics.

Customer-led growth
Much of Countryside Cabinets’ growth has come about organically in response to demand, and customer feedback has informed the expansion of its catalogue as well as how the company operates.

As Harteau notes, “We really listen to what our dealers and designers are asking for, not only in the fashion aspect of our cabinetry line but in the function and quality as well. Our catalogue was built on dealer requests. Because we can do these custom requests, we’ll take what people have been asking for repeatedly and bring it into our line as standard.”

In the 1990s, the business invested in acquiring machinery to produce stock cabinetry to support the burgeoning multi-unit construction market, though it maintained the ability to manufacture simple modifications, which served it well as the market evolved. In the 2000s, there was growth in the single family home market and the demand for customization grew—and so too did Countryside Cabinets. From 30 employees to 300, and 75 pages to 500 pages in the catalogue, the company has come a long way over the last half century, but it remains committed to the values and the relationships it has built along the way.

Customer feedback has not only impacted the breadth of the company’s offerings; it has also led Countryside Cabinets to become a certified partner in sustainability. Recognizing that many of its processes were already “green,” a customer inquiry took it to the next level. “15 years ago, we had a builder reach out asking if we had an environmental certification that was required for a project of his and at the time we didn’t, but when we started looking into it, we realized that a lot of our practices were already aligned with that,” Harteau shares. “We were already purchasing hardwood materials locally whenever possible. We recycled. We eliminated process wastes as much as we could. Our sawdust is actually collected and used as animal bedding at local farms and any extra product that we have, we donate to Habitat for Humanity.”

For 12 years now, Countryside Cabinets has been certified under the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP), which has guided its sustainability practices and continuous improvement efforts.

“As our manufacturing plant has grown and as our processes have needed to change, it played a really large part in us switching to water-based stains and paints. I think we’re a leader on that point. It’s very difficult to work with water-based and it took a lot of work internally, but we’ve been running that since 2014 and it’s been great for the environment and also for our employees’ health,” Harteau explains.

Collaborative success
At Countryside Cabinets, quality and safety go hand in hand, and these elements are embodied in the culture of the company. A healthy work-life balance is encouraged and as the company has grown, so has its commitment to open lines of communication. Feedback loops with customers and employees alike are a key part of Countryside’s continuous improvement strategy.

With standard quarterly meetings of the representative safety committee and continuous improvement team, everyone has a stake and their efforts are appreciated. “Our production moved shifts to four 10-hour days and that really helps with work-life balance—if we do have overtime requirements, our employees are still keeping their weekends,” says Harteau of the effort to ensure that work-life balance is a priority even when the going gets tough.

She also notes that there is a large Hispanic population in the region, many of whom are employed by Countryside Cabinets, so efforts have been made to create bilingual resources to ensure that everyone can communicate effectively and operate as a collective in the interest of quality and safety.

The company also hosts monthly birthday lunches which give employees an opportunity to meet with the president, director of operations, human resources, and their team supervisors, creating an additional line of communication between employees and decision makers. Harteau refers to it as, “an hour of face time where you can share an update on the company and tell people what’s going on and they get to give feedback on their own experiences and day-to-day life in the shop.” These insights, she says, are invaluable to the company’s leadership.

This year, given the company’s milestone 50^th anniversary, there is even greater cause to celebrate. Countryside Cabinets has hosted company picnics (one for each shift to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate) and other fun events to reflect on the long tenure of the company as well as its bright future.

To 50 more
The success of Countryside Cabinets is unmistakably connected to its culture, including its commitment to continuous improvement and its ability to consider and internalize feedback from its customers and employees. This is why its relationships, like the cabinets it designs and manufactures, are built to last.

For Harteau, the goal is clear: “We want to produce a product driven by quality and focused on value. We want to continue to exceed industry standards for semi-custom cabinetry and maintain relationships with the same family values that got us here.”

This principled approach will continue to serve Countryside Cabinets well as it looks to new markets across the U.S. Backed by a long tenured history and solid reputation, its semi-custom cabinet solutions will satisfy design and function requirements at every price point and its service delivery is sure to impress.

The post Made to Order. Built to Last.<p class="company">Countryside Cabinets</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Lanco takes the guesswork out of these challenges, thanks to its expertise and longevity as a global systems integrator of precision-engineered automation, assembly, and test solutions for multi-piece, high-speed production systems.

As a global integrator, Lanco has an expansive footprint—but with a specialized local touch, able to meet customers where they are. This is important for multinational customers, particularly those in the automotive, medical and life sciences, aerospace and defense, electronics, and consumer product sectors where tight tolerances, rapidly evolving technologies, and production values are top of mind.

As a problem solver, Lanco leverages deeply rooted design engineering, technological integration, and risk-mitigated project management to devise customized solutions, offer valuable market insights, and support a project through its lifecycle until long after installation is complete, which makes Lanco an enduring partner in automation.

Going global, staying local
Lanco Integrated is a legacy company, but one in evolution. The company dates back to 1873 in Switzerland, with origins in manufacturing watch components for Rolex. Through several iterations, acquisitions, and expansions, the precision engineering and automation specialist has positioned itself to support its customers wherever they may be, both geographically and in terms of market readiness.

As a global integrator, Lanco has had a presence in Asia since 2008, establishing an operation in Malaysia in 2021 to further enlarge its global footprint. This expansion allowed the company to flex its might as an integrator by bringing together two separate locations and unique cultures from opposite sides of the world to work seamlessly as a team. “We are a global company,” says President and Chief Executive Officer, Bob Kuniega, “but to be able to execute to that level—to deliver on your promise of ‘design anywhere, build anywhere, identically to one another’—that is a completely different game,” he says.

“The infrastructure has to be set up and the training has to be done; the business management systems and the processes and the forms and the tools all have to be in place, and everybody’s got to be using it all in exactly the same way.” This ensures that “everyone is working toward the same goal,” says Kuniega.

By engaging its people, creating a system of accountability, and blending established institutional knowledge with the ideas of the next generation, Lanco has continued to add value to its customers’ operations with its exceptional precision engineering capabilities and specialized market insights. As an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) company, Lanco is uniquely differentiated from other businesses as its employees are also owners. The ownership mindset drives a heightened interest in not only satisfying customers but also ensuring profitability, as everyone’s individual success contributes to the collective success of the team. From Kuniega’s perspective, the company has the potential and opportunity to capitalize on fast-moving markets, both mature and emerging, to advance new products to market and scale up production to take advantage of unique market conditions.

“Whether it be tariffs and reshoring, or supply chain disruptions because of a pandemic, [conditions are] requiring our customers to scale up in the local markets where they have to supply their solutions, so we’re well positioned not only here in the United States because of our legacy, but also in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world through our facility in Malaysia,” Kuniega explains. He sees it as supporting those customers as they face rising costs, resource challenges, rapidly evolving technology, and highly competitive markets.

Embracing change
A significant part of the value delivered by Lanco is the team’s ability to anticipate customers’ needs, for today and for the future. “We have a modular solution,” explains Kuniega. “Each discrete operation is a self-contained module. For instance, if the control system within a module goes down, you don’t have to stop the whole production line.” This affords flexibility and the ability to adapt, reconfigure, and expand operations without the need for costly redesign or reengineering.

These modules comprise all the latest technologies, where needed, such as (take a deep breath!) vision-guided pick and place, dispensing, laser processing, various attachment solutions, multi-axis articulated robot-based mechanisms for material handling, feeders, transport systems, intelligent and smart devices and sensors, industry-leading programmable logic controls, PC-based network systems, and data management solutions.

Essentially, Lanco provides what Kuniega describes as “the glue that holds the whole supply chain together. We’re the best R&D for some of our vendors because we’ll test their products to the limit and in some cases, we’ll tease out some flaws in their software or their hardware and we’ll give them ideas of what they need to enhance their product so they can differentiate themselves.” He notes that this is all while ensuring that customers have the best available technological innovation at their disposal.

This approach is built upon the understanding that with technology advancing at a rapid pace, it becomes harder for customers to understand the breadth and depth of the technology, much less how to unlock its potential, as they may lack the intimate application and market knowledge that sets Lanco apart as an integrator. Lanco takes everything a step further by aligning with sectors where it can deliver the greatest value, leveraging its market insights, precision engineering, and automation expertise to not only add value but also mitigate risk.

Integrating risk management
This team is not only in the business of precision engineering and systems integration; it is also in the business of risk management, and a big part of this approach is centered on its Design for Automation principles, which are applied early in the design cycle to identify and address any potential process and scalability issues while avoiding the potential for costly delays and rework.

“We evaluate our customers’ products and processes, their competitors’ end-market needs, and trends, and engage our critical supply and technology partners as we embark on engineering the right solutions, tailored to address markets’ and customers’ needs,” explains Global Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Barry Rahimian.

From concept to the unique Design for Automation process—as well as data management, line integration, performance optimization, finalization, and post-installation support—Lanco Integrated remains a constant in a market of changing variables.

“At core, we are problem solvers, and we look for difficult automation projects where we can leverage our talents in design engineering, integration, and risk-mitigated process management to provide value to our customers,” Rahimian says. To this end, Lanco Integrated considers all commercial, technical, supply chain, quality, legal, project, financial, and environmental risks and provides comprehensive risk mitigation plans, potential backup plans, and strategies.

Supported by a well-defined and documented risk assessment process internally, Lanco Integrated mitigates risk for itself as well, which helps maintain its robust ability to step up to the plate for its customers. With over 1,000 days without a lost workday at its U.S. operations and pushing 700 days in Malaysia, its strategy and performance speak for themselves.

Future-forward
As part of its approach to forecast and mitigate risk for its customers, in 2024, Lanco established a “Futures” initiative that was, as Rahimian notes, “engineered to align our technology and innovation development efforts with our go-to-market (GTM) strategy, and which was fundamentally based on meeting the needs of our customers and markets.”

This is particularly important where speed to market, market share, and cost-related challenges are concerned, since, as he explains, “we don’t have anything off the shelf that people can order; everything is customized to customer-specific requirements. Everything we do is heavily tailored to their needs, so we have to anticipate our customers’ current and future requirements.”

Key to this value-add is a deeply rooted knowledge of the markets being served, which is why Lanco has undertaken a detailed and expansive market segmentation strategy to ensure its solutions are timely, relevant, and insightful, even where technology is forging ahead. The goal is to ensure that processes remain competitive in the one to two years it takes to implement them in the market.

“Markets will change and evolve in that time, so it’s critical for us to anticipate and be cognizant of the market trends and our customers’—and their customers’—needs and accordingly be able to plan proactively and make sure we keep their future requirements in mind,” says Rahimian.

“We want to show our customers that we know their application, their pain points, their challenges, and we want them to minimize their risk by going with a supplier who has done this over and over, who can bring to the table new thoughts that they hadn’t thought of before,” says Kuniega, referring to the way the company has proven itself through its performance for over a century.

It’s this ability of Lanco’s to evolve, grow, and stay at the leading edge of technological innovation and market trends that has proven to be a sharp strategy for its customers and its vendors. And so Lanco Integrated continues to prove that it is second to none as an automation and precision engineering specialist, capable of optimizing performance on the manufacturing floor while remaining profitable in the most competitive of global markets.

The post Global Automation That’s Got the Local Touch<p class="company">Lanco Integrated</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

One of 13 global subsidiaries of South Korea’s Autonics (with 100 offices globally, 1,600 employees, over 35,000 SKUs, and 65 registered patents), numerous industries rely on Autonics USA for its expertise in optimizing sensors, controllers, safety products, data acquisition, and management solutions.

Through its innovative product design, Autonics USA helps its customers build smarter, more efficient factories. As the company puts it, “making the impossible possible” is achieved through a commitment to continued innovation, adapting to the needs of industry, and strong foundational relationships.

David Upton, Regional Sales Manager, says that staying at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry is currently Autonics USA’s biggest challenge and opportunity. With the rapid growth of technologies like robotics, IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), and smart factories, the automation market is changing quickly. “We must maintain a close relationship with our clients and be ready to adjust right away to their evolving needs if we want to stay competitive,” he says.

Rising to the occasion
Across Autonics’ global footprint is a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, which originates at its R&D Center in Seoul and radiates throughout its global network. Through this work, the company is developing technology that redefines factory automation. Its proprietary solutions and way of doing business have strengthened its competitiveness around the world.

The company invests approximately 11 percent of its annual revenue in R&D, and more than a fifth of its expertise is dedicated to research and development activities, which is why it continues to evolve in products and culture and remains a market leader. “We are in a favorable position, capitalizing on key trends in industrial automation while being mindful of challenges in supply chain management and competition,” Upton explains. “Our continued focus on technological innovation, especially in the automation and semiconductor sectors, will likely drive our growth in the coming years.”

Most recently, the launch of a modular multi-channel power controller series (SPRS) has elevated the ability to accurately control the temperature of factory equipment and machinery.

Got power? Get control
The modular design of the SPRS series offers efficient power control thanks to a power distribution control function that supports up to 36 units, with separate control and power modules and alarm functions available. Phase control includes standard control and feedback control (constant voltage, current, and power), and cycle control provides fixed/variable controls.

“Because it is a modular type, it can be configured as a single-phase or three-phase system depending on the combination. This makes it easier for both us (the manufacturer) and our customers to secure product inventory,” explains Technical Manager Jimmy Kim. The series also includes various functions from power distribution control and alarm history to self-diagnosis, alarm functions, and many more that simplify the process. Heater breaks, fuse breaks, overheating, and overcurrent are issues of the past thanks to this innovative modular solution.

The SPRS series is designed to offer easy maintenance and communication, as the modules support four types of communication options. The power modules are available in 14 models rated by current options, and users can employ up to four power modules simultaneously.

For Kim, “This new product satisfies many of the needs of the American market. The load power voltage supports up to 490VAC and has obtained UL Listed certification based on this power voltage.”

Finally, the intuitive design enables easy initial setup, and the fuse replacement process is also very straightforward, which serves the American market well, a major focus of the company.

As Kim notes, “Another task we are working on is providing PC/PLC-sample examples to support users of high-performance products. We create examples of products that can meet a variety of customer requirements, including the most popular Allen-Bradley products in the U.S. market. These examples can be downloaded from our website without the need to register contact information.”

Ease of use is always emphasized where innovation is concerned at Autonics, and beyond product innovation, the team has evolved its service delivery offering to meet its customers where they are. In October of last year, a Live Chat was launched where customers can ask technical questions about the various products without requiring a separate login process, which has been well-received and greatly utilized by the market.

Safety first, performance always
Further to improved performance, Autonics USA is also working to bring safety solutions to the market. Through its product development efforts, it has become a trusted provider of safety components for many industries, including the U.S. food and beverage industry.

“Our solutions are well-suited to this sector thanks to the reliability of our products and the availability of models with high protection ratings, including IP69K, which is essential for food-safe environments,” says Dei-Wei Lee, Regional Sales Manager.

Recently, Autonics USA partnered with a major beverage company to bring its popular soft drinks to the market more safely and efficiently. Its SFLA Series Safety Light Curtains supported the packaging process, an application for box building or carton assembly. The light curtain outperformed the competition, minimizing lead times and making replacement simpler. Autonics’ solution was compatible, reliable, and efficient, which helped the customer avoid production delays.

SFLA Series Light Curtains feature high impact resistance, which is a major advantage in environments where mechanical vibration or accidental contact is common. They offer reliable hand and body protection, which keeps the operator safe during high-speed, repetitive tasks. The installation and support of these products has also been streamlined and supported by free software that provides intuitive tools for fast setup, parameter tuning, and real-time diagnostics. Doing so, as Lee notes, “without additional licensing fees” is an ideal solution for OEMs and integrators managing tight timelines and budgets.

He adds, “Separately, in another department of the same plant, our IP69K-rated light curtains are being used in an application that involves packaging syrup, where thorough and frequent washdowns with hot water and chemicals are standard. The IP69K rating ensures the light curtain can withstand these high-pressure, high-temperature cleaning processes without compromising performance,” a feature that has gained the attention of another plant in a different state.

This is just one example of the level of commitment to innovation, industrial safety, and improved performance that Autonics USA brings to industrial operations with its robust, hygienic, and easy-to-integrate solutions, particularly in the food and beverage sector. At the same time, the company continues to strive for constant internal improvement that positions it as an award-winning industry leader.

Award-winning results
Autonics has been recognized not only as a trusted global brand but also as an employer of choice. Its deeply rooted commitment to the research and design of market-changing products and continuous improvement has also helped produce a market-leading culture.

The company has received numerous awards, including a nod in both 2019 and 2023 from the Ministry of Science and ICT for being an excellent corporate research center; numerous design awards; and countless designations that acknowledge its determination to be an empathetic employer that focuses on work-life balance, resulting in satisfied employees and customers alike. Autonics as a whole and its U.S. subsidiary have much to be proud of, which is why they confidently showcase their capabilities at industry events, bringing their automation solutions to a great number of operations, creating new connections in the market, and strengthening existing ones.

“This entails not only developing new products but also ensuring that we’re reachable and visible through marketing and sales as well as industry trade shows, where we can present our most recent solutions and keep abreast of market developments. It’s about striking a balance between innovation and solid client relations,” Upton explains.

SEMICON 2025 will be an excellent opportunity for Autonics USA to do just that. This year, the event is being held in Phoenix, which excites Upton and the team because of Arizona’s proximity to players from key semiconductor-manufacturing regions such as Austin, Texas, who may not have made the journey to the previous venue in San Francisco.

Upton says that having the opportunity to meet and converse with more customers promises “a better understanding of the industry’s evolving needs. Every show is an opportunity to learn more about new trends and challenges in the market, which helps us with both short- and long-term planning. We know that industrial trade shows don’t always lead to immediate sales, so we don’t view them as direct revenue-generating events. We see them as important opportunities to showcase our products and team, knowing that the relationships and insights we gain now will pay off down the line.”

Navigating the future
With events like SEMICON on the horizon, opportunities abound for Autonics USA, but the company is also navigating a challenge that is not unique in the market: tariffs. Before July 1, 2025, Autonics USA absorbed tariff fees, which was a competitive advantage, but given the circumstances, those costs will have to be incorporated into its prices going forward.

“We’ve done our best to shield our customers from these fees for as long as possible. As for the global impact, Autonics USA primarily focuses on the U.S. and Canadian markets, so the direct global effects of these tariffs are uncertain. Autonics is a global company with business hubs in many countries, so the broader international operations may not be as heavily impacted. The main concern for us will be the tariffs on products entering the U.S., which could affect our operations here locally. That impact is still to be determined,” notes Upton.

Fortunately for the company, its proprietary products have set the standard in industrial automation, and its commitment to relationships and customer support has reassured its customers that it is worth the investment, as it promises to remain a leader now and long into the future.

In its commitment to innovation, industry-leading products, and relationships with both customers and employees, Autonics USA sets the standard in all that it does, always committed to finding ways to improve its own performance and the performance of others.

The post Making the Impossible Possible<p class="company">Autonics USA</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.