What began with the invention of the tube expander, a tool that helped make the boiler and locomotive industries safer, has grown into a full-scale American manufacturing operation with two facilities, an in-house engineering team, and a product line that now stretches well beyond its original tube tool roots.

That growth has taken Elliott from a single-product tube tool company into a manufacturer with a full catalog of tube installation, cleaning, testing, plug, and removal products, alongside a growing metal finishing division. Its team, based primarily in Dayton, Ohio, still designs and assembles its products in-house, a structure the company credits for its ability to keep pace with a manufacturing market that increasingly wants shorter lead times and more customized solutions.

Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Thomas Wagner, traces the company’s history back to its founding, when the tube expander “revolutionized the boiler and locomotive industry to make it much safer at the time.” That single invention set the tone for a business that, more than a century later, still designs and builds its tools under one roof in Dayton, Ohio.

Elliott’s independence is a relatively recent chapter in its long history. The company was originally owned by Elliott Turbo Machinery in Pennsylvania before a group of local employees purchased the Dayton operation and turned it into its own entity.

Supply Chain Manager, Dawn Luker, says the company became privately owned on December 18, 1996. “That was a game changer because it really allowed us to focus on what we wanted to do,” she says. “We were no longer under that corporate umbrella.” According to Luker, the three original owners used that independence to put new KPIs in place and invest in machines, people, and training, changes that have shaped Elliott’s operations for the better part of three decades.

Today, Elliott employs approximately 100 people across its two locations. The main manufacturing facility in Dayton houses design, manufacturing, supply chain, human resources, and finance functions, while a second facility in Texas City, Texas, supports the Gulf Coast market as a stocking and service location.

Elliott markets itself around the tagline, “Quality specialty tools for an ‘I need it yesterday’ world,” and Wagner says the company’s operations are built to back that up. Elliott runs a full ERP system to help it keep pace with customer demand, and it keeps as much of its supply chain local as possible.

“We are able to keep that local so we can still control 100 percent of our process through the design, build, manufacture, quality checks, and assembly,” Wagner says. “We do all of that right here under one roof here in Dayton. So, response time is typically what we pride ourselves on, being able to be very responsive to the customer as well as meet their challenging delivery demands.”

While Elliott’s tube tool line remains its foundation, its Precision Metal Finishing division represents a newer and fast-growing part of the business. Business Development Manager, Michael Bitsko, explains that Elliott relaunched the division as a wholly owned part of the company in 2024, after previously relying on an outside source to manage that product line.

The Precision Metal Finishing line is built around three core product groups: mechanical joining tools for swaging applications; internal recessing unit (IRU) cutters; and burnishing tools. The IRU line is designed to cut down machining time on parts like hydraulic valves.

“There are specific machining requirements for those valves that take a lot of time with conventional tooling,” Bitsko explains. “What this tool does is it creates an application where somebody may spend minutes in doing the machining, where this tool will do it in three to five seconds.” He adds that unlike conventional tooling, which is often discarded after use, Elliott’s cutting tools can be reground and reused multiple times, an efficiency that Bitsko says resonates with higher-volume customers.

Burnishing, meanwhile, gives manufacturers a way to achieve tight surface finishes without slowing down production. Elliott’s burnishing tools are adjustable in tenths of an inch and cover a wide range of hole sizes, from an eighth of an inch up to 18 to 20 inches in diameter. Where conventional cutting tools often force a shop to slow its process down to hit a single-digit surface finish, burnishing turns that multi-minute step into a matter of seconds without sacrificing consistency across a production run.

The IRU line has been part of Elliott’s lineup for some time, but the company has recently put a heavier focus on getting the word out to a market still catching up on what this tool can do. “We’re trying to spread the word in the market that we are innovating against the challenges folks are bringing to us,” says Bitsko.

Wagner describes the internal recessing unit as consolidating what might otherwise be a multi-step process. Where a shop using interpolated milling might need to run the same operation six separate times, Wagner says Elliott’s tooling can complete it in one pass and in a matter of seconds, a distinction the team plans to emphasize heavily on the show floor at IMTS.

The mechanical joining line rounds out the division, using expansion to create secure mechanical joints across a range of applications.

Elliott has historically shown its tube tool products at trade shows, but its upcoming appearance at IMTS marks a shift toward showcasing the Precision Metal Finishing line to a broader manufacturing audience. This event gives the team a chance to build awareness with customers who may not be familiar with Elliott’s specialty tooling.

“The great thing is, you get these face-to-face conversations,” Bitsko says. “You don’t have that ability when you’re talking to somebody on the phone. You’re going to have that time to be able to discuss particular applications, things they maybe haven’t even thought of, in understanding what their processes are and what their applications are.”

That kind of in-person conversation also helps Elliott get past the surface-level questions that tend to dominate phone calls. In the company’s experience, what a customer initially describes as the problem is not always the true source of the issue, and face-to-face time gives the team room to dig deeper. Those extended conversations at trade shows allow Elliott to more accurately match customers, both current and new, with the right tooling for their actual pain points.

Wagner sees the show as an opportunity to grow a division that still operates in the shadow of Elliott’s larger, more established tube tool business. He says Elliott has already delivered measurable savings for customers in industries such as aerospace, defense, hydraulics, and data centers, and that IMTS offers the chance to extend that reach.

“As shops really start to automate, the premium is really shifting to consistency and doing more with less skilled labor,” Wagner says. “That plays directly into a lot of the precision finishing.” He adds that the shift extends to complex valve bodies and precision mechanical joints alike, describing Elliott’s approach as a process rather than a single tool.

Beyond its product lines, the company is also focused on the workforce challenges facing manufacturers more broadly. Manufacturing Manager, Christopher Woosley, says the company has run an internship program for the past three years in partnership with a local career center and has hired two of its interns full-time.

“I would say an apprenticeship or an internship of some sort is key, because if we’re preparing the road for the next generation and there’s nobody behind us to take the torch, well, then we’ve practically wasted our time,” Woosley says. He encourages other manufacturers to build relationships with local trade schools and community colleges, noting that career changers—not just recent graduates—are increasingly drawn to manufacturing as a stable career path.

Elliott’s internship program runs in partnership with the Greene County Career Center, along with connections to at least one local community college. Woosley says the program has given the company a reliable pipeline of new talent while providing students with hands-on exposure to a manufacturing career path many may not have otherwise considered. For a company built on precision and process, that early investment in people is treated as its own form of quality control, ensuring the next generation of machinists and engineers understands Elliott’s standards from the start.

Wagner says Elliott is taking a measured approach to artificial intelligence internally, describing the company’s strategy as “deploying responsible AI.” Rather than adopting new technology for its own sake, the company is evaluating where AI tools could improve response times or quoting accuracy as part of a broader implementation roadmap.

At the same time, Bitsko points to AI as a force reshaping demand for Elliott’s tools from the outside in. The buildout of AI server farms and data center infrastructure is driving new demand for metal finishing and increased surface density on the components that go into them, and Elliott has seen a rise in applications tied specifically to that infrastructure boom.

Bitsko also points to a shift underway in defense manufacturing, where government contracts are pushing companies to automate munitions production that has traditionally relied on manual labor. He says Elliott’s role has expanded from simply supplying a tool to supplying a piece of the automated manufacturing cells used to scale up that production.

Between the AI infrastructure buildout and the push to automate munitions production, Bitsko says Elliott’s Precision Metal Finishing division is being pulled into two of the fastest-moving corners of American manufacturing at once. Both trends, he says, point toward the same underlying shift: customers need tooling that can hold up to higher volumes and tighter tolerances, without adding more manual labor to the process.

For all its growth, Elliott’s leadership team is mindful to frame the company as a problem-solving partner rather than a supplier moving tools off a shelf. Wagner says Elliott wants customers to see it as a manufacturing expert with a dedicated team behind it, one that helps customers dial in their processes for long-term savings and efficiency gains.

Bitsko echoes that sentiment, noting that Elliott’s internal database of specialty, one-off tools built for individual customer applications is larger than its published catalog. He says that gap reflects the core of Elliott’s business model: rather than asking customers to adapt to an off-the-shelf product, Elliott’s engineering team designs a tool around the application a customer brings in. Luker sums up the philosophy simply: Elliott is in the business of solving customers’ problems.

With more than 130 years behind it, a newly relaunched Precision Metal Finishing division, and an upcoming appearance at IMTS, Elliott Tool Technologies is positioning itself for its next chapter of growth while staying true to the responsiveness that has defined it since 1892.

The post 130 Years in the Making<p class="company">Elliott Tool Technologies</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

He started an O-ring distribution business with his brother, and when a customer asked about gaskets, he did what engineers do: he figured it out. He bought die-cutting equipment and began making them. The manufacturing business took hold, Joe bought out his brother, and the distribution side faded away. What remained was the foundation for what is now JBC Technologies: a precision die-cutting and flexible materials converting company headquartered in North Ridgeville, Ohio.

More than three decades later, JBC Technologies has grown into a multi-facility operation with 185 employees, 16 degreed engineers on staff, and a client base spanning medical, aerospace and defense, battery energy storage, automotive, HVAC, and appliance markets.

Todd Wright, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, joined JBC after the founder partnered with a private equity firm in 2020. Joe Bliss remains an investor and sits on the board, but Wright now leads the business, and he leads it with the same problem-solving ethos that built it.

“Joe is very passionate about solving problems and overcoming challenges,” Wright says. “He really sought out customers and companies that had a need for something to be solved and then went to work to solve that. If that involved additional equipment, Joe went out and bought that equipment. If it involved different types of materials, he went out and learned about the materials.”

That founding mindset, what Wright calls an “engineered solutions” philosophy, has shaped everything about JBC Technologies, from its staffing model to its market strategy. 16 degreed engineers is a remarkable figure for a company of its size, and Wright is candid about its significance: competitors, even larger ones, rarely carry that kind of engineering depth in-house. But for JBC, it is not a point of pride so much as a competitive prerequisite.

To understand what JBC Technologies does, it helps to understand what flexible material converting involves. At its most basic, converting means taking raw flexible materials, foams, films, adhesives, and non-wovens and cutting them into precise shapes for use in manufactured products. A simple product might involve laminating an adhesive to a foam to create an adhesive-backed gasket. Most converters can handle that.

Where JBC Technologies distinguishes itself is in complexity. When customers need multiple substrates brought together in intricate geometries, or when they need parts delivered in a format compatible with automated assembly on their own production line, the technical bar rises sharply and that is where JBC’s engineering staff excels.

Wright points to a standing program for a major medical customer as a clear illustration of the company’s capabilities. The customer required fetal heart monitoring pads built from a five-layer stack-up of materials in complex geometries. Previously, five separate parts were assembled manually, a slow, labor-intensive process with inherent quality variability. The customer came to JBC to see whether the entire assembly could be accomplished in a single press pass. Other converters had attempted it, but none had succeeded.

“We went through our normal engineering design process and were able to solve the issue and get them a completely fully automated solution,” Wright says. “We supply, and have for the last several years, about 50,000 of those parts a week. We visually inspect those parts, which is rather unique in our industry. We are able to provide them with a complex part for their automation with 100 percent inspected parts so that they have zero defects and have for the last three years.”

That combination of engineering-led problem-solving, high-volume production, and 100 percent visual inspection is the kind of outcome that builds long-term partnerships. Wright frames the company’s ideal customer relationship not as a supplier arrangement but as an extension of the customer’s own design team—involved early, contributing to design for manufacturability, and managing inventory solutions in tandem.

JBC Technologies operates across three facilities. Its headquarters sits just west of Cleveland in North Ridgeville, Ohio. A second facility in Denver, Colorado came through an acquisition in December 2021. A third location in Madison, Wisconsin serves the upper Midwest customer base. All three facilities carry ISO 9001 certification, providing customers with a consistent quality baseline across the network regardless of which location is producing their parts. The company previously maintained a smaller site in Elk Grove, Illinois, but rapid growth in its medical business caused it to outgrow that footprint, and it was consolidated into the Ohio and Denver facilities, with the Ohio site gaining expanded clean room space in the process.

That clean room expansion reflects a deliberate strategic shift. Over the last three to four years, JBC Technologies has moved away from the industry-agnostic, broadly diversified model of its founding era toward what Wright describes as a focus on three “premium markets”: medical, aerospace and defense, and battery energy storage. Legacy business in HVAC, automotive, and appliance continues to grow, but the company’s front-end commercial energy is concentrated on those three segments.

The reasoning is straightforward; in each of the three premium markets, engineered solutions carry genuine value, agile product development is expected, and the competitive field of converters capable of meeting those demands is thin.

Medical is the most heavily regulated of the three, and JBC Technologies holds ISO 13485 certification, is FDA registered, and operates multiple ISO Class 8 clean rooms across its facilities. The combination allows the company to supply fully certified medical components to customers across the sector, from wearable diagnostic devices to wound care and IV dressings.

Within the aerospace and defense category, it is the emerging commercial space market, satellites and rockets specifically, where Wright sees the most compelling growth trajectory. JBC Technologies has built a significant position in this segment over the last three to four years, and Wright says the company is now the market leader in flexible materials and converted products for satellite components.

What makes the new space market distinctive is not just the technical complexity of the materials involved, but the pace at which customers need to move. Satellite and rocket programs run on launch schedules, and those schedules do not flex for supply chain delays.

“Lead times really are measured in days instead of weeks or months,” Wright says. “We will get a request for a new part today, and the customer very likely will need us to deliver that in the next week or two to be able to meet their launch schedule. That is something that not everyone is equipped to handle.”

Meeting this challenge requires an inventory strategy built for speed, a broad equipment base with available capacity, and an organizational culture wired for rapid response. JBC Technologies has spent the last two to three years restructuring its operations with that responsiveness as the design brief. Wright is clear that technical knowledge of the exotic materials used in space applications, while important and growing, is secondary to that capability: without the agility, the expertise alone would not be enough to win or retain business in this segment.

Organizations that thrive in high-pressure, high-complexity environments tend to share certain cultural traits. At JBC Technologies, two of the company’s core values, “don’t ever quit” and “multifaceted” reflect exactly the demands its premium markets place on the business and the people who run it. “Around here, people understand that they are going to be asked to do many different things throughout the day and throughout the week, some that are directly related to their job description and probably many that are not, in order to meet the customer’s needs and timing,” Wright shares.

That culture flows directly from JBC’s founder. Joe Bliss built the business by refusing to treat a challenge as a reason to walk away, and that disposition has been institutionalized across 185 employees in three states. Wright sees it as inseparable from the company’s commercial success: in the medical and new space segments, a supplier that hesitates or hits its limits is quickly replaced by one that does not.

JBC Technologies is also investing in capabilities that extend its value further into the customer’s own production process. The company uses robotics to automate assembly steps, applying plastic components to die-cut adhesive parts, for example, on behalf of customers, handling work that would otherwise occur on the customer’s own floor. Engineers visit customer facilities, observe how parts are used in the assembly process, and return with proposals for how JBC can absorb additional steps and deliver a more complete, ready-to-assemble component.

“When we really can bring value and where our customers really can see the worth in what we’re doing, is when we have those deep partnerships, where we are working together to ensure that both sides are more efficient,” Wright explains.

Today, JBC Technologies occupies a specific and defensible position in the flexible materials converting market. The company is large enough to sustain significant engineering depth, run high-volume automated programs, and operate across multiple certified facilities. It is focused enough on three premium markets with outsized needs for engineered solutions to develop genuine expertise rather than spread capabilities too thin. Indeed, the company Joe Bliss started with a set of O-rings and a desire to work for himself has become a specialist manufacturer at the leading edge of medical device components, satellite supply chains, and emerging energy storage technology.

Wright and his team are betting that the characteristics that made JBC attractive to its earliest customers—engineering rigor and a willingness to take on problems others have given up on—are precisely what its next chapter of growth demands.

The post Engineering Solutions at Every Layer<p class="company">JBC Technologies</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Based in northeast Edmonton, Alberta, QPP is a 100 percent Canadian-owned manufacturer of polyurethane pipeline pigs and pigging accessories. Its product range spans sizes from compact-diameter water and chemical lines right up to the large-diameter transmission pipelines that cross North America. The company serves customers in oil and gas, mining, water and wastewater, and industrial process sectors. And since 2016, it has operated as a subsidiary of Suncast Polytech Inc., a strategic acquisition that changed the scope of what QPP is capable of, and what it aspires to be.

What’s in a name?
The name raises eyebrows in boardrooms and on job sites alike. Tim Canete, President of Quality Polly Pig Ltd., is used to the question. “A pipeline pig is essentially a device that travels inside a pipeline, pushed along by the flowing product or by water or air, to do a job,” he says. “The main function is cleaning the inside of the pipe during new construction, for ongoing maintenance, and for prepping lines ahead of inspection.”

Beyond cleaning, pigs serve two other primary roles. Batching pigs separate different products travelling through the same pipeline so a transmission operator can move bitumen down the line one day and switch to a different fluid the next, with a pig acting as a physical buffer between the two. Foam swabs, meanwhile, are used to dewater newly constructed lines before they enter service.

QPP manufactures its pigs exclusively in polyurethane (PUR), in both solid-cast and medium-density foam configurations. The choice of material is deliberate—polyurethane is a family of materials whose properties can be tuned by adjusting prepolymers, curatives, and processing conditions.

QPP engineers select and blend formulations to suit specific duties including harder compositions for aggressive mechanical scraping, softer ones for sealing inside slightly out-of-round pipe, more chemically resistant grades for refined product lines, and highly abrasion-resistant versions for slurry applications in mining.

“Polyurethane provides the combination of properties that pigging demands,” Canete says. “It needs to be soft and flexible enough to conform to the pipe yet tough and durable enough to clean the pipe.”

Partners in success
QPP began operations in 1996. For its first two decades it operated as a focused pig manufacturer, building a reputation for quality across the Canadian oil and gas sector. The transformative moment came in 2016, when Suncast Polytech Inc., an Edmonton-based manufacturer of large-scale polyurethane wear parts for mining, oil sands, industrial, construction, and forestry applications, acquired QPP and brought it under its roof.

Suncast itself had been founded in 1998, driven by a technology it developed in-house, ReCast™. The premise of ReCast is straightforward in concept and technically demanding in execution. New polyurethane is bonded directly to worn, cured polyurethane, rebuilding the original part to its design specifications. The result is a restored component that performs like new. Suncast spent years perfecting this process in some of the harshest industrial environments on the planet, including the oil sands operations of northern Alberta.

“Suncast has been doing ReCast since around 2000,” Canete says. “Initially it was focused on pipeline pig components for Suncor, then it expanded into larger wear parts. The 2016 acquisition of QPP was really about spreading that technology into the broader pigging world.”

Today, QPP and Suncast share a single 22,000-square-foot facility on 3.3 acres in northeast Edmonton. Under one roof sit five automated pour machines, multiple curing ovens, lathes, a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), and a large-format 3D printer added in recent years for rapid prototyping. The combined team numbers around 15 people, small by industrial standards, but deep in expertise.

What the acquisition gave QPP was access to Suncast’s accumulated materials science. Where QPP once operated with a handful of polyurethane formulations, the combined operation now works with approximately 30 distinct recipes, each developed through years of real-world application.

“We’ve gone from a three-recipe company to 30-plus recipes,” Canete says. “All of that knowledge in materials, processing, and parts design, goes into every QPP product.”

The role of ReCast™
In most industrial contexts, a worn polyurethane part follows a familiar path: removal, disposal, replacement. A pig cup that begins its working life with a sharp, precisely dimensioned sealing edge gradually rounds with use. Traditionally, the logical endpoint is the landfill.

ReCast interrupts that cycle. The worn component becomes a core onto which new PUR is cast, creating a permanent bond between the new and cured material. The rebuilt part is restored to full specification dimensions and, based on more than two decades of oil sands service history, performs equivalently to a new component.

The numbers behind the program are significant. Suncast has processed more than 3.5 million pounds of polyurethane since 2000, with nearly half of that volume accounted for by ReCast rebuilds. The program has, by the company’s calculation, kept over one million pounds of polyurethane out of landfill, and ReCast parts cost approximately 30 percent less than new equivalents.

Until recently, however, ReCast remained largely unknown outside of the oil sands sector. “We have a proven rebuilding technology with decades of empirical evidence behind it in one of the toughest industrial environments in the world,” Canete says. “Sustainability is moving from a talking point to an actual procurement criterion in a lot of sectors. ReCast is well positioned for that shift, and we want to get the message out.”

The timing appears right. Canete observes that pipeline operators are increasingly incorporating lifecycle emissions, recycled content, and end-of-life material handling into supplier evaluations. What was once a value-add is becoming a differentiator that procurement teams actively seek.

Home-grown expertise
One of the less visible dimensions of what QPP and Suncast have built is the depth of manufacturing knowledge held within their team and the degree to which that knowledge had to be developed from scratch.

Polyurethane manufacturing for industrial wear applications is a niche with no formal training pathway. There are no degrees in pipeline pig formulation, no certification programs for oil sands-grade PUR wear parts. Everything QPP and Suncast know about the craft—every formulation, every processing technique—has been developed internally over nearly three decades. “There aren’t schools you can pull from. It’s all on-the-job development, and some of our people have been processing urethane parts for more than 20 years,” Canete says.

That institutional depth has a practical consequence and QPP now operates as a recognized engineering house, not merely a manufacturer. Its team uses advanced 3D modelling software for part and mould design and can either develop custom engineered solutions independently or collaborate directly with customer engineering teams. The large-format 3D printer added in recent years compresses the prototyping cycle significantly; where custom pig development once took months of design iteration, the team can now have prototypes in hand within a day in some cases.

The quality assurance program reflects the same discipline. QPP maintains strict vetting criteria for material suppliers, recognizing that formulation consistency starts at the raw ingredient level. Every finished part is inspected against customer specification before it leaves the facility.

The 3.3-acre Edmonton site sits on the CANAMEX trade corridor, with direct rail access via CN’s intermodal yard to the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert, connecting QPP and Suncast to Asia-Pacific markets. The corridor runs south to the U.S. border, giving the operation efficient access to its largest export market.

Canete frames the location in terms of what it makes possible with raw materials arriving from global suppliers and finished and rebuilt PUR parts moving out to customers across Canada, the United States, and international markets. The facility, which QPP and Suncast moved into in 2023, expanded the combined manufacturing footprint and production capacity at a time of growing demand.

The proximity to the oil sands region of northern Alberta, particularly the Municipality of Wood Buffalo, is equally deliberate. Suncast has supplied Suncor and other oil sands producers as an OEM polyurethane supplier for over two decades, and QPP, for its part, manufactures approximately 12,000 pipeline pigs and components annually, most of which are deployed within Alberta’s pipeline network.

For Canadian operators, the 100 percent Canadian ownership of QPP and Suncast carries supply chain implications that have become more salient in recent years. For U.S. and international customers, it represents a stable, allied-jurisdiction supplier with no cross-border complexity.

An industry in transition
The pipeline industry is in the middle of a period of convergence as aging municipal infrastructure is reaching design-life limits, smart pig technology is generating new demand for clean lines ahead of inline inspection, and emerging applications including hydrogen pipelines and CO₂ transport for carbon capture are creating requirements that no established pig formulation was designed to meet. Canete sees all of these as QPP and Suncast territory. “Companies that own their materials capability will be able to respond quickly. That’s exactly where we sit,” he says.

On the product side, QPP manufactures a complete range of solid-cast pigs including Utradisc, Powerdisc, Ball pig, Bell-cup, Dyna-flex, Multi-cup, and Pig-valve configurations; foam pigs including balls, squeegees, and swabs; component pigs for batching, bidirectional, construction, and brush-cleaning applications; and a full accessories program covering brushes, magnets, pigging poles, and transmitters. The intent is that a pipeline operator can source a complete pigging package from a single supplier.

Longer-term priorities include broadening the ReCast program to cover a wider range of pig components, expanding into water and wastewater applications where aging municipal infrastructure is generating increasing maintenance activity, and continuing to invest in the Edmonton facility as both product demand and technology capabilities evolve.

When Canete is asked what he most wants readers to take away from QPP’s story, he steers away from the product and toward the foundation underneath it. “When you buy a QPP pig, you are tapping into 30 years of urethane materials science, an Edmonton-based engineering team that solves real-world wear problems, and a sustainability story, through ReCast, that costs less and wastes less than the alternative. We are not trying to be the biggest pig company in the world. We are the company you call when the challenge is difficult.”

It is a precise articulation of a deliberately focused position. QPP and Suncast occupy a narrow slice of the industrial world—Canadian-owned, built on materials expertise accumulated over three decades without a textbook in sight. The pipeline operators, mining companies, and municipal water authorities that rely on QPP’s products are betting, ultimately, on the depth of knowledge behind each pig that leaves that 22,000-square-foot facility. By most measures, it is a solid bet.

The post Pigs, Polyurethane, and Purpose<p class="company">Quality Polly Pig Ltd.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Founded in 1982 by Owner, President and CEO Peter Botten, the Ohio-based company began with a focus on medical imaging. Over time, however, its trajectory shifted toward an area of care that remains one of the most complex and high-risk environments in modern medicine: the operating room.

Today, Codonics is recognized globally for its leadership in perioperative medication safety. Its systems are used in more than 16,400 operating rooms across over 1,100 hospitals worldwide, supporting hundreds of millions of medication preparations and administrations. This level of adoption reflects not only the scale of the company’s reach, but also the practical relevance of the problems it addresses.

From the outset, Codonics was built on engineering rigor and a commitment to usability. Botten established the company with the belief that healthcare technology must reduce complexity rather than add to it, and that philosophy continues to guide product development today.

“What started in medical imaging evolved as we identified a growing need in patient safety,” the company explains. “That shift comes from listening to anesthesia providers, understanding where medication errors occur, and applying engineering to reduce risk in high-pressure environments.”

This transition into perioperative medication safety marked one of the most significant turning points in the company’s history. While its early work in imaging established a strong technical foundation, the move into medication safety redefined its long-term focus. By concentrating on perioperative workflows, Codonics has positioned itself at the intersection of clinical practice and technology, where small improvements can have meaningful impacts on patient outcomes.

In healthcare, reliability is not negotiable. Hospitals depend on consistent performance in environments where delays or errors can have serious consequences. By keeping production and development aligned, Codonics ensures that its systems meet the expectations of the clinicians who rely on them daily.

Operating from Ohio, Codonics maintains its identity as a U.S. manufacturer with design, engineering, and production closely integrated. This allows for tighter quality control and faster iteration, both of which are essential in the medical technology sector. “Being U.S.-based allows us to maintain control over manufacturing processes, respond quickly to customer needs, and ensure consistency across our systems,” the company says.

This approach also reinforces accountability. When design and manufacturing operate within the same ecosystem, feedback loops are shorter and issues can be addressed more efficiently, and that level of oversight has become increasingly important as the company has expanded.

As the team began to work more closely with hospitals, they identified a persistent challenge: medication errors remained common, especially during preparation and labeling. These errors often stemmed from vial swaps or mislabeling, issues that were exacerbated by the fast-paced and variable nature of surgical environments. In response, Codonics developed the Safe Label System, a first-of-its-kind FDA Class II medication safety device designed specifically for anesthesia providers working in the operating room. This system introduced verification, standardization, and traceability into a process that has traditionally relied on manual steps, redefining how medication labeling is performed in the operating room, and became a cornerstone of Codonics’ offering because it addressed medication safety as part of a broader workflow rather than as a standalone task.

During medication preparation with the Safe Label System, providers scan a barcode on the parenteral drug vial or ampoule. The system verifies the medication and concentration against a pharmacy-defined formulary, providing both visual and audible verification, a safety check that acts as a second set of eyes. It then generates a full-color syringe label that complies with Joint Commission standards and includes a machine-readable barcode. That label serves as a critical link throughout the workflow, but the value lies in the verification and workflow support behind it—not the label itself. At the point of administration, the labeled syringe can be scanned again to support documentation within Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and Anesthesia Information Management Systems (AIMS), including platforms such as Epic and Cerner. This integration improves documentation accuracy while adding another layer of verification during patient care.

“Safe Label System is designed to transform what was once a manual process into a standardized workflow,” Codonics explains. “It helps reduce variability and supports clinicians without disrupting how they work.”

This distinction is central to the company’s philosophy. Rather than replacing clinical judgment, the system provided structured support within existing practices. As a result, it became embedded in daily operations.

Codonics’ growth has largely been driven by this kind of adoption at the clinical level. Instead of relying heavily on traditional marketing, the company has expanded organically as anesthesia providers and health systems recognize the value of integrating safety into their workflows. “Adoption is driven by clinicians looking for a practical way to reduce medication errors without adding complexity,” the company notes. “Once implemented, the system becomes part of the standard workflow.”

This approach has contributed to Codonics’ growth both domestically and internationally. While healthcare systems differ across regions, the underlying challenges of medication safety and workflow efficiency remain consistent, and Codonics aligns its solutions with local standards while maintaining a unified foundation of usability and safety. Its systems are designed in accordance with guidance from organizations such as The Joint Commission (TJC), the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). This alignment ensures that the technology not only meets regulatory expectations but also reflects best practices in patient care.

And as healthcare technology evolves, so too does Codonics’ engineering approach. Early systems may have been designed as standalone solutions, but modern healthcare environments demand interoperability and integration. “Healthcare technology needs to work within a broader ecosystem,” the company says. “Our focus is on designing systems that support clinicians without adding complexity.”

Of course, feedback from clinicians plays a critical role in this process. The operating room is a dynamic setting where theoretical solutions must perform under real-world conditions, so Codonics works closely with anesthesiologists, pharmacists, and perioperative teams to refine its systems based on direct experience. This ongoing collaboration ensures that its technology remains aligned with clinical needs and reinforces the company’s emphasis on usability, an essential factor in environments where time and clarity are critical.

Over the years, Codonics has received recognition across multiple areas, including patient safety, healthcare innovation, and technology leadership. Most recently, it was named Medication Safety Technology Company of the Year – Perioperative for 2025, a distinction that reflects its continuing focus on improving safety in surgical environments.

“Recognition is meaningful because it reflects the impact of the work being done,” the company says. “But what matters most is that the technology is trusted and used consistently in clinical environments.” Awards bring visibility to the challenges associated with medication safety, but adoption serves as a more meaningful measure of success. When systems become integrated into everyday workflows, they demonstrate their value in a tangible way.

Unfortunately, despite advancements in preparation and administration, medication safety in the operating room remains a complex challenge. Many processes are still manual, and there is often a lack of standardization across different stages of care. One of the most significant gaps exists at the end of the workflow: medication waste and reconciliation. This process is frequently handled separately from preparation and administration, creating gaps that must be reconciled after the fact rather than as part of the workflow, making it difficult to track and verify.

“Waste and reconciliation have historically been inconsistent and difficult to manage, often requiring manual follow-up, delayed documentation, and additional effort from both anesthesia providers and pharmacy teams,” Codonics explains. “This is where we see a major opportunity to improve visibility and accountability.”

To address this challenge, the company developed the Safe Waste System, an FDA-listed, Class I Exempt device designed to operate in conjunction with the Safe Label System. The Safe Waste System’s expected availability is Q4 2026. Using spectrophotometric analysis, the system identifies and measures liquid-controlled substance waste at the point of care. This process allows anesthesia providers to document waste in real time, creating a record that supports reconciliation and compliance. By connecting waste handling with earlier stages of the workflow, the system introduced a level of continuity that had previously been difficult to achieve.

With the addition of the Safe Waste System, Codonics expanded its capabilities into a more comprehensive perioperative medication safety platform. What began as a solution for labeling has evolved into a connected medication safety system that spans preparation, administration, and waste. And while each stage of this process presents potential risks, it also offers opportunities for standardization. By linking these steps together, Codonics has created a more cohesive workflow that supports both safety and efficiency. “This is about connecting steps that were previously disconnected,” the company explains. “It allows healthcare providers to introduce consistency and visibility across the entire process.”

The ability to integrate these stages within a single framework represents a significant advancement in perioperative care, reducing fragmentation while supporting more accurate documentation and improved accountability.

Understandably, collaboration plays a key role in Codonics’ approach. The foundational concept behind the Safe Label System originated from work conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, where efforts to improve syringe labeling safety began. Codonics built upon this foundation, engineering a scalable system that can be deployed globally.

The company has also partnered with technology providers such as BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), integrating its systems with platforms like the BD Pyxis Anesthesia Station and Intelliguard’s Mira Care Station (RFID). These integrations streamline workflows and reduce manual steps for clinicians, further embedding Codonics’ solutions within the healthcare environment.

Looking ahead, Codonics sees continued advancements in areas such as radio-frequency identification (RFID), interoperability with EMR systems, and real-time data integration. These technologies have the potential to further enhance visibility and coordination within perioperative workflows. At the same time, the company emphasizes the importance of standardization. While automation can improve efficiency, it must be implemented in a way that supports clinical decision-making rather than replacing it.

“Standardization remains one of the most effective ways to reduce variability and support safety,” Codonics says. “Technology should act as an aid within the workflow.”

As regulatory expectations evolve, the need for accurate documentation and accountability is likely to increase. Codonics continues to align its systems with these developments while maintaining a focus on practicality and usability. At its core, the company is driven by a commitment to improving patient outcomes, and this mission influences not only its product development but also its organizational culture. “There is a strong sense of responsibility across the organization,” the company says. “The systems we develop are used in critical moments of care.”

This perspective reinforces a focus on reliability and continuous improvement. By maintaining a close connection between engineering and clinical practice, Codonics ensures that its solutions remain relevant and effective.

For Codonics, the future of perioperative care lies in viewing medication safety as a connected process rather than a series of isolated tasks. Preparation, administration, and waste and reconciliation are all part of the same continuum, and each stage must be addressed to reduce risk effectively. “Medication safety is not a single step; it is a connected process. Our platform brings those steps together to support clinicians, improve outcomes, and introduce a more consistent and accountable approach to perioperative medication workflows.”

As healthcare systems continue to seek ways to enhance safety and efficiency, this integrated approach offers a clear path forward, one that Codonics is actively helping to define. By combining engineering discipline with clinical insight, Codonics remains focused on delivering solutions that align with the realities of patient care, both today and in the years ahead.

The post A Connected and Collaborative Approach to Medication Safety<p class="company">Codonics</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Today, A3 represents more than 1,400 member companies worldwide and serves as a unifying force across an increasingly complex and interconnected automation landscape. Its work spans safety standards, education and certification programs, and industry events, all with a shared objective: to help manufacturers and technology providers realize the full value of automation.

At the center of that mission is Automate 2026, North America’s largest automation and robotics trade show. Set to take place in Chicago, the event reflects not only the rapid advancement of automation technologies but also the growing urgency for manufacturers to adopt them.

A3’s origins trace back to a time when industrial robotics as a field was still emerging. The organization initially focused on supporting the development and adoption of robotic systems in manufacturing. Over time, however, the scope of automation expanded significantly. As technologies such as machine vision, motion control, and artificial intelligence (AI) became more integral to industrial processes, the organization evolved alongside them. This expansion led to it rebranding in the 2010s as the Association for Advancing Automation, reflecting a broader mandate that encompasses the full automation ecosystem.

Today, A3 operates as a cohesive global organization that brings together technology developers and system integrators. Its leadership in areas such as robot safety standards and workforce development has helped establish a foundation for responsible and effective automation adoption across industries. “We’re passionate about advancing automation and helping more people realize the value of using it,” says Alex Shikany, Executive Vice President of A3.

The history of Automate closely mirrors the evolution of A3 itself. First launched in 1976, the event initially focused on robotics before expanding to include additional technologies as the industry matured. Over the years, it has been known as the Robots and Vision Show and the Robots, Vision and Motion Control Show, before officially becoming Automate in 2011.

That rebrand marked a turning point, positioning the event as a comprehensive showcase for all automation technologies rather than a single segment of the industry. Since then, Automate has experienced significant growth, driven by increasing demand for automation solutions across sectors. The 2026 edition is expected to draw more than 50,000 attendees and feature over 1,000 exhibitors, making it the largest event in its history. For manufacturers and technology providers, it offers a rare opportunity to engage with the full breadth of the automation ecosystem in one place.

One of the defining characteristics of Automate is its broad, industry-agnostic appeal. Unlike events that focus on a single sector, Automate brings together stakeholders from across manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, construction, food production, and more. This diversity reflects the reality of modern automation. Technologies such as robotics and AI are no longer confined to specific industries; they are foundational tools with applications across virtually every sector.

As Shikany explains, attendees do not come to Automate in search of a single technology—they come with problems to solve. “Customers come to Automate for solutions to their problems,” he says. “They’re not necessarily looking for one discrete technology. They want to see how everything works together to address their challenges.”

That focus on solutions is evident on the show floor, where technologies are presented not in isolation but as part of integrated systems. Robots are paired with vision systems, powered by AI software, and supported by motion control and sensing technologies. The result is a more complete and practical understanding of how automation can be applied in real-world environments.

Indeed, a key theme shaping Automate 2026 is the convergence of automation technologies. Rather than operating as standalone tools, these technologies work together to create smarter, more adaptive systems. A robot, for example, may rely on vision systems to interpret its environment, while AI algorithms enable it to make decisions in real time. Motion control systems ensure precision and efficiency, while digital tools such as simulation and digital twins enhance planning and optimization.

This convergence is transforming how manufacturers approach automation. It is no longer about implementing a single piece of equipment but rather about designing integrated solutions that address complex operational challenges. At Automate 2026, this shift will be on full display, offering attendees a firsthand look at how these technologies interact and deliver value in practical applications.

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most influential forces in automation, and its role continues to expand. While early discussions around AI were often met with skepticism, the industry has reached a point where adoption is accelerating rapidly, and Shikany notes that this shift is particularly evident in how AI is being deployed. “People are embracing AI in solutions more than ever before,” he says. “When they walk the show floor, they’re going to see real-world applications, not just theoretical possibilities.” Examples such as AI-powered bin picking demonstrate how the technology is being applied to solve specific manufacturing challenges.

This practical focus is critical for manufacturers evaluating automation investments. Seeing technologies in action provides a clearer understanding of their potential impact and helps bridge the gap between concept and implementation.

Among the most anticipated features of Automate 2026 is the continued expansion of humanoid robotics. Once largely confined to research and experimentation, humanoid robots are now gaining attention as potential solutions for real-world industrial applications.

A3 introduced its Humanoid Robot Forum as a standalone event two years ago, and its rapid growth has led to its integration into Automate. The 2026 show will feature both the forum and a dedicated humanoid robotics pavilion on the show floor, sponsored by NVIDIA. The pavilion will bring together leading companies in the field, offering attendees an opportunity to explore the latest developments and engage directly with industry experts.

“It’s one of the hottest topics in our space,” says Shikany. “Our role is to show the technology and its practical use cases so customers can understand where it fits.” While it is still early to define the full scope of humanoid applications in manufacturing, the technology is advancing quickly, and Automate provides a platform for companies to showcase new developments, with several exhibitors expected to make major announcements during the event.

Beyond technological innovation, automation is playing a critical role in addressing one of the manufacturing sector’s most pressing challenges: workforce shortages. Many industries are struggling to fill roles that are physically demanding or hazardous, and automation offers a way to address these gaps while also improving safety and efficiency.

Shikany emphasizes that automation is not about replacing human workers but equipping them with better tools. “These are 21^st-century tools for human employees,” he says. “They help companies stay competitive, but they also make those companies more attractive places to work.”

As automation becomes more user-friendly, with advances such as collaborative robots (cobots) and intuitive software interfaces, the barrier to adoption continues to drop. At the same time, companies are investing in upskilling their workforces to support new roles, including robot technicians and system operators. This dual approach, combining technology adoption with workforce development, is helping manufacturers build more resilient and adaptable operations.

Looking ahead, the integration of automation is reshaping how factories are designed and operated. Increasingly, manufacturers are planning facilities with automation in mind from the outset, rather than adding it later, a shift that enables greater flexibility and scalability. Factories are becoming more modular, allowing for easier reconfiguration as production needs change. Intelligent systems provide real-time insights, enabling more informed decision-making and continuous improvement.

Shikany believes this evolution will continue as technologies mature. “You’re going to see factories become more intelligent, more flexible, and designed around automation from the beginning,” he suggests. In such an environment, the role of human workers remains essential. Automation enhances their capabilities, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks while machines handle repetitive or hazardous work.

For companies considering automation, the decision-making process can be complex; evaluating technologies and identifying the right partners all require significant time and resources. Automate addresses these challenges by bringing the entire automation ecosystem together in one place. Attendees can explore a wide range of solutions and engage directly with technology providers. “There are so many questions that go through the mind of someone looking to deploy these technologies,” says Shikany. “Automate is designed to be the place where they can find those answers.”

Over the course of four days, attendees can gain insights, build connections, and, in many cases, take concrete steps toward implementation. This concentration of knowledge and expertise makes the event a valuable resource for organizations at any stage of their automation journey.

As manufacturing continues to evolve, the importance of automation will only increase. Advances in robotics and integrated systems are creating new opportunities for innovation and growth. At the same time, the challenges facing the industry, from workforce shortages to global competition, underscore the need for forward-thinking strategies. Through its leadership and events, A3 is helping to guide this transformation, providing a platform for collaboration and innovation.

Automate 2026 stands as a reflection of that mission, bringing together the technologies and ideas that are shaping the future of manufacturing. For those seeking to understand where the industry is headed, and how to be part of it, it offers a clear and compelling starting point.

The post Powering the Next Era of Manufacturing<p class="company">A3 and Automate 2026</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Formerly known as Pinnacle Technology Group, this Michigan-based electronics contract manufacturer has spent more than four decades building a reputation rooted in craftsmanship and customer partnership. Today, under the leadership of second-generation President Nick Wasserman, PTG is boldly reimagining its identity, operations, and future trajectory.

From humble beginnings in hand-assembled circuit boards to a sophisticated, technology-driven manufacturing enterprise serving high-reliability industries, PTG’s story reflects both the resilience and reinvention defining American manufacturing today. The company traces its roots back to 1984, when it was founded as a small electronics assembly operation in Toledo, Ohio. At the time, production relied heavily on manual labor, with technicians carefully assembling through-hole electronic components by hand.

That changed in 1996, when Nick Wasserman’s father acquired majority ownership of the company and renamed it Pinnacle Technology Group. Under family leadership, the company began charting a path toward modernization and long-term growth.

In 2001, the company acquired an Ann Arbor-based operation that specialized in surface-mount technology (SMT), significantly expanding its technical capabilities. The acquisition allowed PTG to integrate automated equipment into its processes, dramatically increasing production speed and complexity. By 2005, it became clear that continued growth required a purpose-built facility. The company secured land in Ottawa Lake, Michigan, just across the Ohio border, and constructed a modern production plant designed to support long-term scalability. In early 2006, operations consolidated into the new headquarters, setting the stage for nearly two decades of sustained expansion.

Since then, PTG has grown substantially in size, sophistication, and market reach, now operating two facilities and employing 65 team members across Michigan and Ohio.

In January 2026, Pinnacle Technology Group officially became PTG Electronics, a change driven by both strategic necessity and long-term vision. What began as a conversation about digital marketing and online visibility soon evolved into a broader reflection on brand identity. As customer engagement increasingly moved online, the leadership team recognized the importance of differentiation and searchability in an overcrowded digital marketplace.

“We were talking about how our marketing efforts were a little behind the curve,” says Wasserman. “The way business development happens today is fundamentally different; you’re not just walking into buildings anymore or relying on phone calls, you must show up digitally, and you must be visible.”

During those discussions, the leadership team confronted a recurring challenge: brand confusion. The name Pinnacle, while familiar, had become overly saturated across industries, leading to misdirected calls and marketplace ambiguity.

The result was PTG Electronics, a name that preserves the company’s heritage while instantly communicating its purpose. “At the core of it, we are an electronic contract manufacturer,” says Wasserman. “By putting ‘Electronics’ in the name, anyone coming across our business can immediately understand what industry we serve and the services we provide.”

The rebrand also symbolizes the company’s generational transition, as Wasserman leads PTG into its next chapter with renewed energy and ambition.

Today, PTG Electronics delivers fully integrated electronic manufacturing services, supporting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across a wide range of industries. Its capabilities span the entire production lifecycle, from printed circuit board assembly to full electromechanical box builds.

The company operates four SMT production lines along with a suite of semi-automated assembly and testing systems. These allow PTG to rapidly place, solder, inspect, and validate electronic components with exceptional consistency and accuracy.

Beyond board-level assembly, the company offers a full suite of services including programming, functional testing, environmental coating, and turnkey box builds, delivering fully assembled and shipment-ready products. This end-to-end manufacturing approach reduces complexity for customers while ensuring quality and accountability throughout every stage of production.

Equally important is PTG’s experience as an OEM of medical training products, which gives the team unique insight into customer expectations. “As a successful OEM of medical training products, we understand firsthand what clients need from their electronic manufacturing service provider,” says Wasserman. “That perspective drives our focus on quality, efficiency, attention to detail, and excellent service.”

Indeed, PTG’s evolution over the past two decades has been driven by continuous investment in technology. What began as a hand-assembly operation is now a digitally connected manufacturing ecosystem. “We didn’t even really have automated equipment when we first got going,” says Wasserman. “Now we have four SMT lines and a whole complement of semi-automated equipment for assembly, testing, and box builds.”

The company has also begun integrating artificial intelligence into its operations, starting with AI-based quoting systems that streamline pricing and accelerate response times. Future plans include deeper system integration, allowing real-time data sharing across departments and automating data entry processes. “Soon we’ll be able to pull data faster and increase accuracy significantly. It’s going to save a tremendous amount of time,” shares Wasserman. Rather than viewing automation as a threat to employment, PTG sees technology as a way to enhance human capability and improve quality.

Another cornerstone of PTG’s operational philosophy is continuous improvement, not only in processes and technology, but also in people. For the past several years, the company has partnered closely with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) to strengthen workforce training and leadership development.

MMTC supports PTG by providing access to grant opportunities and leadership development initiatives. Recent collaborations have included supervisory training and advanced problem-solving courses designed to empower frontline employees.

“We’ve sent four people in the last year to supervisory training to understand leadership qualities, how to manage people and navigate different personalities,” says Wasserman. “We also use problem-solving courses that improve quality and operational efficiency. These programs give our people tools to make better decisions and reduce risk on the plant floor.” By investing directly in employee development, PTG builds a more capable and engaged workforce, one that can adapt quickly to new technologies and evolving customer demands.

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of PTG Electronics is its unwavering commitment to partnership. Rather than transactional manufacturing relationships, the company emphasizes long-term collaboration and mutual success. “One of our core competencies is truly taking a partnership approach,” emphasizes Wasserman. “We invest in our customers as if they are an extension of our business.”

This philosophy, rooted in the company’s family ownership, guides everything from engineering support to quality assurance. PTG prioritizes long-term outcomes over short-term margins, believing that sustained success comes from consistently delivering value.

The results speak for themselves. PTG’s longest-standing customer relationship spans 28 years, while its top clients have remained loyal for more than 15 years.

“We don’t take shortcuts,” says Wasserman. “We support our customers even when it’s not the easiest thing to do, because we know that if they succeed, we succeed.”

As reshoring efforts gain momentum across the United States, PTG finds itself well-positioned to benefit from a renewed emphasis on domestic manufacturing. All its production takes place within its U.S. facilities, allowing customers to maintain tighter supply chain control while reducing risk and improving responsiveness.

“There’s been a shift back toward manufacturing things in the United States,” Wasserman explains. “We only build here in America, and we’re very proud of that.”

Looking ahead, PTG has set an ambitious goal: doubling the size of the business within the next three to five years. Central to this strategy is expansion into high-reliability sectors, particularly aerospace. The company is currently pursuing AS9100 certification, which will qualify it to manufacture electronic systems for aerospace applications. This strategic move complements PTG’s existing strengths in the medical, industrial, and advanced technology markets, further diversifying its customer base while reinforcing its reputation for quality and precision.

As PTG enters its second generation of family leadership, Wasserman is keenly aware of the balance required between honoring legacy and embracing innovation. “We never want to lose that customer-first relationship mantra,” he says. “At the same time, we need to be quicker and more open to evolution and change.”

This stance informs PTG’s approach to AI integration and operational modernization. While the company may have entered some digital initiatives later than others, its leadership is now firmly committed to staying ahead of the curve. And, alongside its technological sophistication, PTG remains deeply grounded in its family values. The company culture emphasizes respect, accountability, collaboration, and pride in craftsmanship.

With 65 employees across two facilities, headquarters in Ottawa Lake, Michigan, and a secondary site in Maumee, Ohio, PTG fosters a workplace environment where individuals are empowered to grow and innovate. That human-centric approach not only strengthens internal culture but also translates directly into customer outcomes, creating a cycle of trust, loyalty, and excellence.

As PTG Electronics charts its course forward, the company stands at the intersection of tradition and transformation. With advanced manufacturing capabilities, a growing digital presence, expanding workforce development initiatives, and a renewed brand identity, PTG is positioned to play a leading role in the future of American electronics manufacturing.

Its journey, from a modest hand-assembly shop to a technology-driven, high-reliability manufacturing partner, serves as a compelling example of how thoughtful leadership and unwavering values can shape lasting success. For Wasserman and the entire PTG team, the mission remains clear: deliver exceptional quality, build enduring partnerships, and engineer solutions that empower customers to thrive in an increasingly complex world.

The post From Hand Assembly to High-Tech Manufacturing<p class="company">PTG Electronics</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

As Canway Equipment marks its 40^th anniversary, the milestone offers a moment to reflect not only on where the company has been, but on how it continues to adapt and innovate in an increasingly complex manufacturing landscape.

“The company was started in 1986 by two gentlemen, Paul De Vries and Adrian Hovestad, and when they started, they were primarily involved in hand trucks and ladders; that was their main focus,” says Roland Verhey, Director of Sales and Operations at Canway Equipment.

What began in a small facility has since grown into a modern manufacturing operation powered by advanced automation, precision engineering, and a deeply embedded culture of safety, quality, and customer responsiveness.

In its earliest years, the company operated from a modest location, producing equipment in small batches, often building “ones and twos” to meet immediate customer needs. By the 1990s, increasing demand and expanding product lines prompted a move to the company’s current facility, a shift that laid the groundwork for decades of sustained growth.

A significant turning point came in 2001, when the business was acquired by its current owners. The transition brought new strategic direction and operational focus, enabling the company to scale its capabilities while preserving its core values of craftsmanship and reliability.

Verhey, who joined the company five years ago, has had a front-row seat to Canway’s latest phase of expansion. He credits much of the company’s evolution to continuous improvement across both design and production. “As the volume increased, it gave us opportunity to improve on the design of many of the different components and find efficiencies,” he explains. “Once you start building 50 at a time, you can do things quite a bit more efficiently.”

This mindset, that growth should unlock smarter processes rather than simply more output, has driven many of Canway’s most transformative investments. Among the most impactful upgrades in recent years was the installation of a fully integrated powder coating line, which fundamentally reshaped Canway’s production flow.

Before the upgrade, the company relied on a wet-based enamel paint system that required large drying areas and careful handling to prevent surface damage. Products often spent up to 24 hours drying, tying up valuable floor space and introducing environmental and safety challenges. The new powder coating line changed everything. “More or less, the ladders would be hung on the line, they would get washed and rinsed and dried, painted and cured within about two hours,” Verhey says. “As the products would come off the line, we could then assemble with wheels and casters, package it up, and roll it onto a truck.”

Beyond dramatically shortening production cycles, the new line improved coating durability and reduced environmental impact. It also pushed design teams to rethink product geometry to accommodate hanging, drainage, and curing processes, a shift that elevated engineering precision across the board.

The result: a leaner, faster, safer, and more sustainable manufacturing workflow that positioned Canway for its next decade of growth.

If the powder coating line represented operational evolution, the pandemic-era supply chain crisis triggered a manufacturing revolution. Historically, Canway produced perforated ladder treads in-house, while diamond channel grating, a key ladder component, was sourced from China. When global shipping delays stretched lead times beyond a year, production bottlenecks forced leadership to rethink their dependency on offshore suppliers.

“We had containers of treads floating off the coast, waiting for availability at the port,” Verhey recalls. “During that time, it really forced us to rethink our process of importing these treads.”

The solution came in the form of a fully automated step manufacturing line, installed in 2024. The new system allows the company to produce both perforated and diamond channel treads entirely in-house, using locally sourced steel coils.

This strategic shift delivered multiple benefits: shorter lead times, improved quality control, supply chain resilience, and reduced exposure to global disruptions. It also marked a major technological leap, introducing advanced automation into a process previously dominated by aging equipment.

Today, one operator can oversee the fully automated line, producing large volumes of precision-formed treads with remarkable consistency, a powerful example of how necessity can fuel innovation.

At the heart of Canway’s business lies its core product: rolling steel ladders, which account for roughly 70 percent of production. While ladders may appear simple, Canway’s engineering approach reveals a sophisticated blend of durability and ergonomic design.

One key differentiator is the company’s fully welded construction method. Unlike bolted systems that loosen over time, Canway ladders are welded into rigid, integrated structures that arrive fully assembled. “The main thing that differentiates us in the ladder world is that we feature all welded construction,” says Verhey. “Over time, it’s a more durable ladder because there’s not all these fasteners that will slowly loosen. It’s sturdier, more rigid, and easier to install.” This design philosophy reduces on-site assembly and delivers a safer experience for end users, many of whom rely on Canway’s ladders in demanding industrial environments.

Some of Canway’s most successful products were not born in design labs, but in direct response to customer challenges. One standout example is the Safeguard Ladder, developed after a customer requested a safer platform solution that eliminated fall risk at the top of the ladder. Traditional chains and barriers proved cumbersome, so Canway engineered a double-gate system that automatically closes behind the user.

“Once you walk through the gate, it self-closes behind you. When you’re on the top platform, you’re safe, you can’t fall down the ladder section,” explains Verhey.

Originally created for a single client, the product quickly gained traction across multiple industries, ultimately becoming a full product line, a testament to the company’s customer-driven development model.

Indeed, customization lies at the core of Canway’s value proposition. Rather than forcing customers to adapt to standard equipment, the company engineers solutions around spatial constraints and safety requirements.

Cantilever ladders are a prime example. Designed for environments where obstructions prevent standard ladder placement, these models feature extended platforms balanced by counterweights at the base, enabling safe access beyond the ladder’s footprint.

Beyond ladders, Canway’s customization expertise extends into material handling solutions, including lift baskets, engineered bins, service carts, and specialty platforms. These products, too, often emerge from customer requests that reveal broader market needs, and the company’s in-house engineering and fabrication capabilities allow it to respond quickly and deliver highly tailored solutions without compromising quality or lead time.

For Canway, quality assurance is not an isolated checkpoint; it is embedded throughout the manufacturing process. Each ladder passes through multiple inspection stages, from component assembly to final packaging. Operators review parts at every station, while dedicated QA checks occur both before painting and after final assembly.

“A ladder must ensure the safety of its user,” Verhey emphasizes. “If there’s a missing weld and a tread fails, that could be catastrophic. We take quality in that sense very, very seriously.”

This rigorous approach ensures that every product leaving the facility meets stringent safety and durability standards, a non-negotiable expectation for customers in industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, construction, and energy.

Canway’s success is anchored in its people. With a workforce of approximately 40 employees, 30 in manufacturing and the remainder in engineering, sales, and administration, the company operates on a culture of transparency and long-term development. Rather than simply filling positions, Canway invests in career pathways, aiming to cultivate today’s operators into tomorrow’s leaders.

“We’re always looking at skilled labour and hiring for the future,” says Verhey. “The people we hire today, someday we want them to be lead hands and eventually leaders.” This philosophy extends into training programs and skills development, ensuring employees understand both current expectations and long-term opportunities.

As manufacturing technology evolves, Canway is embracing automation strategically—not to replace people, but to enhance efficiency and consistency. The automated step line marked a major leap forward, and future investments are already underway. Robotic welding stands out as the company’s next major frontier, offering opportunities to increase throughput while reducing physical strain on skilled welders.

In parallel, plant safety upgrades, including modern shears and press brakes equipped with light curtains, reflect Canway’s commitment to protecting its workforce through intelligent engineering. These investments signal a forward-looking mindset, positioning Canway to compete effectively in an increasingly automated global manufacturing environment.

Of course, distribution plays a pivotal role in Canway’s business model. With ladders that are large and costly to ship, the company relies on a trusted distributor network to provide nationwide reach and logistical efficiency. Rather than competing with its distributors through direct sales, Canway operates exclusively through these partnerships, a strategy rooted in trust and shared success.

Through distributor feedback, Canway also gains invaluable insights into customer needs and industry trends in real-world environments, which directly inform design improvements and product innovation.

Looking forward, Canway sees strong opportunity in expanding its material handling portfolio, particularly in service carts, dollies, and retail equipment, sectors where quality and customization remain in high demand. By leveraging its engineering capabilities and manufacturing expertise, the company aims to fill market gaps with domestically produced, high-quality solutions that outperform imported alternatives. At the same time, ongoing investments in automation and robotics will continue to enhance operational efficiency, enabling Canway to scale without sacrificing craftsmanship.

After 40 years, Canway Equipment Mfg. Inc. stands as a testament to what sustained innovation and operational discipline can achieve. From its origins in hand trucks and ladders to its present role as a technologically advanced manufacturer serving industries across Canada, the company’s journey reflects a deeper commitment to safety, quality, and solving real-world challenges.

As Canway enters its fifth decade, the mission remains unchanged: build better products and continuously raise the standard for what Canadian manufacturing can deliver.

The post Engineering the Future<p class="company">Canway Equipment</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

By any measure, HumanWare is a company built not just on technology, but on empathy. Founded in 1988 as a small startup in Quebec, HumanWare began with a bold and deeply human mission: to create independence and accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision. Nearly four decades later, that mission continues to guide every product decision and manufacturing process, now on a global scale.

From its headquarters and production facility in Drummondville, Quebec, to research and development teams in the Montreal area, sales teams across the United States, offices in the United Kingdom, and partnerships spanning Europe, Australia, and beyond, HumanWare has grown into a global leader in assistive technology. Yet, despite its expansion and its integration into the EssilorLuxottica group, the company remains deeply rooted in the same values that shaped its earliest days: innovation, agility, quality, and above all, human impact.

Addressing real-world needs
“Everything we do is centered around independence and accessibility,” says Marc Jiona, Senior Director of Operations at HumanWare. “Our products are not conveniences; they are lifelines. People rely on them every day to work, study, navigate their environment, and live independently. That responsibility shapes everything we do.”

From its inception, HumanWare has focused on addressing the real-world challenges faced by individuals with visual impairments and sight loss. In its early years, this mission required developing solutions from the ground up, often before the necessary technology even existed. Nearly every component of a HumanWare product—tools, platforms, hardware, and software—had to be created in-house, demanding exceptional creativity and resourcefulness from the team to design, prototype, and deliver functional, reliable solutions.

That pioneering spirit remains central to the company’s DNA. While HumanWare now benefits from the resources and global reach of EssilorLuxottica, its leadership team works deliberately to preserve the agility and innovation of its startup roots.

“Our challenge today is to maintain that speed and flexibility,” says Jiona. “We want to keep moving fast, responding quickly to needs, and staying deeply connected to our users.”

This connection is more than philosophical. Roughly nine to ten percent of HumanWare’s global workforce lives with a visual impairment, including product testers and customer service representatives. Their lived experience ensures that products are not merely functional, but intuitive and practical. “They help us build better,” says Myriam Champagne, Director of Marketing. “They understand firsthand what works, what doesn’t, and what could make daily life easier.”

A different way of doing business
HumanWare’s Drummondville facility is where ideas become reality. Home to approximately 40 employees, the site houses production, quality control, technical support, and repair operations. Additional R&D teams in the Montreal area expand the company’s engineering capacity, bringing the total Quebec workforce to nearly 75. Globally, HumanWare employs approximately 150 people, supported by regional teams in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Europe.

What sets the manufacturing operation apart is not just technical excellence, but emotional investment. “Every single device that leaves this building will change someone’s life,” says Jiona. “That creates pride. People here know they’re doing something meaningful,” and this sense of purpose drives exceptional attention to detail. The company’s products undergo extensive durability testing, including extreme temperature exposure and drop tests designed to reflect real-world conditions.

Even the materials are thoughtfully chosen, combining durability with easy cleanability to ensure both hygiene and lasting performance. Designs are optimized for everyday use across a wide range of environments and conditions around the world, ensuring reliability wherever the device is used. Some video magnifier models experience return rates as low as two percent, an extraordinary figure in consumer electronics, particularly in a category where products endure heavy daily use.

Emerging innovation
Among HumanWare’s most revolutionary products is the tactile and multi-line braille tablet, Monarch, a device that has fundamentally transformed access to education, information, and professional opportunity for blind individuals.

Named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025, the Monarch is the world’s first multi-line tactile display capable of rendering both text and graphics in real time. “It’s like an iPad for someone who is blind—but with the ability to dynamically render tactile text and graphics in real time,” says Jiona. For blind students, this represents a monumental leap forward.

In traditional learning environments, braille textbooks can be on average ten times thicker than standard books. Locating chapters and navigating complex subjects becomes an enormous logistical burden. “The Monarch removes that barrier,” says Champagne. “Now students can scroll through digital textbooks, read equations, feel graphs, and explore maps, all in one device.”

The implications are enormous. Mathematics, geography, physics, and data-driven disciplines suddenly become far more accessible, and students no longer face delays waiting for specialized embossed materials. Learning becomes immediate and interactive.

The Monarch’s impact has been especially profound in educational settings, supported by HumanWare’s partnership with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). Through government funding programs in the United States, eligible students can receive advanced assistive technology, ensuring that financial limitations do not restrict access.

One such student, Emma Olech, who is homeschooled, describes the impact: “I think the most beneficial part of using the Monarch is being able to easily access the tactile graphics… it is much easier than flipping through unwieldy hardcopy books.” These experiences reaffirm why HumanWare continues to invest heavily in innovation, even when product development timelines stretch over years.

Support at every step
The company’s value proposition extends well beyond hardware development, encompassing a fully integrated support ecosystem designed to optimize user performance and long-term reliability. Each product launch is supported by comprehensive technical documentation engineered for compatibility with screen-reader technologies, detailed audio-based instruction systems, and structured video-based tutorials, including guided installation and setup protocols.

These resources are reinforced by direct access to trained customer service specialists who provide real-time troubleshooting and product guidance. In parallel, HumanWare deploys dedicated field trainers to educational institutions and partner organizations to deliver hands-on demonstrations, structured onboarding, and in-situ technical support, ensuring effective deployment across diverse user environments.

“We want people to feel supported at every step,” says Champagne. “From the moment they open the box, they should feel confident.”

Of course, customer service is another pillar of the company’s philosophy. Unlike some technology companies that rely heavily on automated systems, HumanWare ensures that customers speak directly to trained professionals, many of whom are visually impaired themselves. “When someone calls, they talk to a real person,” says Jiona. “And often that person understands their challenges personally.” This approach fosters trust and a deep sense of partnership between HumanWare and its users.

A commitment to quality
Underlying every HumanWare product is a rigorously structured and continuously audited quality management system designed to meet the highest international standards. The company operates under ISO 9001:2015 certification and complies fully with the stringent requirements of the European Medical Device Regulations (MDR), ensuring consistent product quality and regulatory compliance across global markets. And in parallel, HumanWare’s designation as a Certified B Corporation reflects its commitment to responsible business practices, encompassing environmental stewardship, ethical governance, workforce wellbeing, and social impact. This commitment has also been recognized externally, most notably through its inclusion in the Forbes Accessibility 100 in Spring 2025, highlighting the company’s leadership in advancing inclusive innovation.

Collectively, these certifications and recognitions underscore not only HumanWare’s engineering and manufacturing excellence, but also its broader responsibility to operate with integrity across its entire value chain. The company’s B Corp certification underscores its commitment to balancing profit with purpose, ensuring positive outcomes for employees, customers, communities, and the planet.

In addition to its collaboration with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), the company works closely with organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the United Kingdom, Vision Australia, ONCE in Spain, and multiple United Nations–supported accessibility initiatives. These partnerships serve as continuous feedback channels, enabling HumanWare to refine product functionality, anticipate emerging user requirements, and validate new technological concepts through real-world application. “These organizations give us invaluable feedback,” says Champagne. “They help us refine products and validate new ideas.”

This structured global feedback loop ensures that HumanWare’s solutions are informed by educational and operational environments, resulting in technologies that are both globally scalable and locally relevant.

For HumanWare, three principles guide manufacturing and operations: quality, availability, and cost. Quality remains paramount, as any failure could disrupt a person’s independence, safety, or livelihood. Availability ensures that devices reach users when they need them, even during unexpected demand surges. Cost, meanwhile, remains an ongoing challenge in a niche market. With relatively low production volumes compared to consumer electronics, maintaining affordability requires continuous optimization without sacrificing quality. “We work extremely hard to keep costs as low as possible,” says Jiona. “Accessibility must include affordability.”

As wearable technology and artificial intelligence continue to advance, HumanWare is positioning itself at the forefront of the next generation of accessibility solutions. Through its integration with EssilorLuxottica, the company collaborates closely with teams developing smart eyewear, including Ray-Ban Meta glasses, to explore new ways to combine hardware, AI, audio, and spatial awareness into seamless assistive tools.

And beyond education and employment, HumanWare devices also dramatically improve daily living for individuals with age-related vision loss. One veteran in the United Kingdom, living with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) while awaiting cataract surgery, described his experience using HumanWare’s Explore 12 video magnifier:

“As a wet AMD patient awaiting cataract surgery, optical magnifiers were of little use to me. However, after trying the Explore 12, I was amazed at what I could read compared to prescription glasses alone. The white-on-black feature is my favourite because it soothes the effects of my photophobia, and I love the device’s ease of use and portability. It makes my life 1000 times better.”

For many users, HumanWare technology restores confidence and independence, allowing them to continue living at home, working, and engaging socially. Rather than offering a single solution, HumanWare envisions a modular ecosystem: portable magnifiers, tactile displays, wearable navigation aids, AI-powered reading tools, and smart glasses that work together. “There is no one-size-fits-all,” explains Champagne. “People want options. They want technology that adapts to their lifestyle.”

Powered by purpose
Ask HumanWare employees what motivates them, and a common theme emerges: purpose. “The mission is powerful,” says Jiona. “It gives meaning to everything we do.” From engineers and assemblers to marketers and service technicians, the team understands that their work has real-world consequences, and this shared sense of impact creates deep loyalty and pride.

“It’s not just manufacturing,” Champagne adds. “It’s about leveling the playing field, from early childhood education to career development and aging with independence.”

In an evolving technological landscape, HumanWare remains firmly focused on human-centered innovation. Artificial intelligence, smart wearables, real-time tactile displays, and multi-sensory interfaces will increasingly converge, opening new possibilities for accessibility. Yet, amid this rapid change, HumanWare remains grounded in a simple philosophy: “Technology should serve humanity,” says Champagne. “Not the other way around.”

From a small Quebec startup to a global leader in accessibility innovation, HumanWare continues to redefine what inclusive manufacturing can achieve, proving that when engineering meets empathy, extraordinary things happen.

The post Engineering Accessibility and Independence<p class="company">HumanWare</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Stronix positions itself at the intersection of engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain support to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) meet those demands. The company works with equipment manufacturers from the earliest design stages through prototyping and production, delivering engineered components that improve performance, safety, and compliance.

With roots in the mining sector and a growing focus on broader heavy-duty markets, Stronix brings a collaborative approach to product development. Its team works closely with OEM partners to solve engineering challenges while providing the manufacturing capabilities required to turn concepts into production-ready components.

Mining environments demand durable equipment capable of operating under exposure to extreme temperatures and challenging terrain. Over time, the team behind Stronix develops specialized knowledge in designing components that meet those requirements.

That expertise forms the foundation for the company’s current business model. Rather than focusing exclusively on mining operations, Stronix works directly with OEMs that manufacture heavy-duty machinery across several industries.

“We realized that the solutions we provide can benefit more than mining,” Aleeya Laureola, Marketing Manager at Stronix, explains. “If we work with the companies that actually manufacture the machines and help them enhance their products, it improves the industry overall.”

Today, Stronix partners with OEMs producing equipment used in mining, forestry, agriculture, and power generation, industries where durability and operational reliability remain critical.

One of the primary advantages Stronix offers its clients is the ability to address multiple engineering challenges through a single partner. In many cases, OEM engineering teams must coordinate with several different suppliers to redesign or improve components such as exhaust systems or thermal insulation blankets, and that process can add complexity and slow product development timelines.

Instead of working with multiple vendors, an OEM can collaborate directly with Stronix to address several design requirements simultaneously. From there, the company works alongside the OEM to develop an integrated solution. That collaboration often begins long before physical prototypes are built.

Stronix engineers frequently engage with customers during the early design phase, reviewing concepts and refining designs through detailed discussions and simulations. By addressing potential challenges early, Stronix helps OEM partners shorten their development cycles while minimizing costly revisions later in the process.

The company’s production environment reflects the customized nature of its work. Unlike facilities dedicated to high-volume manufacturing of identical parts, Stronix operates in a high-mix environment where many components are tailored to specific applications.

A typical project begins with a detailed understanding of the customer’s needs and operating conditions. From there, engineers develop designs and production teams prepare specialized tooling, such as jigs, to ensure consistent fabrication and assembly. The manufacturing floor includes several specialized workstations supporting key processes such as fabrication, welding, thermal blanket production, and product testing.

Throughout production, communication with the client remains a central part of the workflow. “We test, we update them at every stage, and we show them how the component looks as it moves through fabrication,” Laureola explains. “That way they are involved throughout the process rather than only seeing the final product.” This approach allows feedback to be incorporated in real time, helping to reduce delays and improving the overall efficiency of product development.

In heavy-duty applications, component failure can have serious consequences for both safety and productivity, and as a result, quality assurance remains a critical part of Stronix’s manufacturing philosophy. According to Laureola, quality begins with ensuring that the engineering and production teams fully understand the purpose behind each design. “Quality starts with understanding the ‘why’ behind what we are doing,” she says.

Many members of the Stronix team bring firsthand experience working in heavy-duty environments, and that practical perspective informs the design and manufacturing process. When engineers and technicians understand the conditions a component will face in the field, they are better positioned to identify potential improvements during production.

Automation also plays an important role in maintaining consistency, and Stronix incorporates robotic welding where possible to ensure reliable weld quality across components. The company also conducts pressure testing to verify the integrity of exhaust systems and other assemblies. Before a product leaves the facility, detailed inspections, including photographic documentation, confirm that it meets both internal quality standards and customer expectations.

Stronix works with OEMs throughout the entire lifecycle of product development. That process typically begins with collaborative engineering discussions, followed by design refinement and prototype development. Once a prototype is approved, the company can support low-volume production runs before scaling manufacturing to meet broader demand.

Low minimum order quantities (MOQs) are an important part of this process. Many manufacturers require customers to commit to large production orders even during early testing phases, but Stronix takes a more flexible approach that allows OEM partners to validate designs before committing to full-scale manufacturing. “We are happy to work with OEMs to test prototypes in the field before moving to larger volumes,” Laureola says. This flexibility helps customers refine designs based on real-world performance while minimizing financial risk.

While Stronix built its early expertise in the mining sector, the company now sees significant opportunity in other heavy-duty industries, with forestry and power generation representing key areas of growth. Each of these sectors relies on machinery that must perform reliably under demanding conditions, making them natural extensions of the company’s engineering capabilities.

One area where Stronix hopes to expand awareness is sound attenuation. In regions such as Australia, noise regulation already plays an important role in mining operations, particularly when sites operate near residential communities. Through its experience in those markets, Stronix can develop solutions that reduce machine noise while maintaining performance.

Although noise regulation is less prominent in North America, Laureola believes the issue deserves greater attention. “Noise fatigue is real,” she says. “Reducing noise improves safety and communication among workers.” By introducing these solutions to North American OEMs, Stronix hopes to encourage manufacturers to address noise reduction proactively rather than waiting for regulatory requirements.

Of course, environmental regulations also continue to shape the design of heavy-duty equipment, and to this end, Stronix specializes in exhaust systems and after-treatment technologies that help OEMs meet increasingly stringent emissions standards. For instance, modern machinery must comply with standards such as Tier 4 and Stage V emissions requirements. However, many manufacturers still operate or maintain equipment originally designed under earlier regulatory frameworks. The company helps bridge that gap by integrating updated emission systems into existing designs. “We can work with existing machinery drawings and incorporate modern after-treatment systems,” Laureola explains. By upgrading older equipment designs rather than replacing them entirely, manufacturers can extend the lifespan of existing product lines while meeting current environmental standards.

In addition to custom engineering work, Stronix also provides contract manufacturing services for OEM customers. If a manufacturer encounters supply chain disruptions or production delays with existing suppliers, Stronix can step in to produce components based on the customer’s drawings. This flexibility allows OEMs to maintain production schedules even when unexpected challenges arise.

The company also offers consignment stocking arrangements that allow Stronix to hold inventory on behalf of customers. These arrangements help OEMs manage space limitations and respond quickly to fluctuations in demand. “As a diversified supplier, we can help customers reduce risk by being another reliable option,” Laureola says.

Two areas where Stronix especially stands out are metal fabrication for exhaust systems and the design of thermal protection solutions. The company produces large-diameter exhaust pipes and complex metal components used in heavy-duty equipment. These systems often require intricate engineering to maintain airflow efficiency while accommodating the physical constraints of the machinery. In some cases, redesigning an exhaust system involves repositioning the entire assembly.

In addition to metal fabrication, Stronix manufactures thermal covers and engine wraps designed to manage heat within heavy-duty equipment. These thermal blankets help protect surrounding components, reduce fire risk, and prevent burns for operators and maintenance personnel. By tailoring materials and designs to specific machines, Stronix can ensure the thermal protection systems perform reliably under demanding operating conditions.

For all the technical complexity of its work, Stronix emphasizes the importance of relationships. Working closely with OEM engineers, product managers, and production teams helps build trust and ensure that solutions align with real-world operational needs, a collaborative mindset that proves particularly valuable in industries where equipment designs are complex and highly specialized.

Stronix’s internal culture also reflects the collaborative approach the team brings to customer relationships. The company operates around four core values: responsiveness, ensuring customers receive timely support throughout the development process; quality first, maintaining strict standards for design and manufacturing; drive, pushing the organization to continuously improve its capabilities; and transparency, helping build trust with customers and partners. Together, these principles guide both day-to-day operations and long-term strategy.

As the heavy-duty equipment industry evolves, manufacturers face increasing pressure to balance performance, safety, and environmental responsibility, and Stronix aims to support that transition by continuing to invest in engineering expertise and automation technologies that enhance responsiveness and scalability. Moving forward, the company also plans to strengthen its presence across industries where durable equipment and custom engineering solutions are essential.

For Laureola, the opportunity lies in helping OEM partners tackle complex challenges while delivering practical solutions that perform reliably in the field. “We are not focused on building parts in massive volume,” she says. “Our focus is on supporting complex applications where customization, durability, and engineering input really matter.”

By combining robust technical knowledge with collaborative development and flexible manufacturing, Stronix continues to position itself as a strategic partner for OEMs navigating the demanding world of heavy-duty machinery.

The post Supporting OEMs from Design to Production<p class="company">Stronix</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Founded in 1996, Columbia/Okura emerged from a deliberate partnership between two fourth-generation, family-owned companies: Columbia Machine of Vancouver, Washington, and Okura Yusoki of Kakogawa, Japan. At the time, robotic palletizing was just beginning to gain traction in North America. Columbia Machine had decades of experience with conventional palletizers, while Okura Yusoki had developed an articulated robotic arm designed specifically for palletizing. The joint venture was created to unite those strengths and bring purpose-built robotic palletizing to a market that was just beginning to understand its potential.

“The joint venture was formed in 1996,” says Michael Stuyvesant, Director of Sales and Marketing at Columbia/Okura. “It was a combining of two now-fourth-generation family-owned companies, and the values and the relationship made for a strong foundation.” That foundation was technical, but also cultural. Okura’s four-axis robotic arm was designed solely for palletizing, a distinction that set it apart from general-purpose industrial robots adapted for end-of-line use.

For Columbia, the partnership provided a path into robotic automation without losing sight of its deep understanding of palletizing applications. For Okura Yusoki, it created an entry point into the North American market through a trusted, established partner.

From the outset, Columbia/Okura was not trying to be everything to everyone. The company’s focus was clear: end-of-line automation, with palletizing at the core. Over time, however, what that focus meant in practice expanded significantly. In its early years, Columbia/Okura systems were typically single-line, stack-on-floor robotic palletizing cells primarily in agriculture. Over the past three decades, those systems have evolved into fully integrated end-of-line solutions that extend well beyond palletizing and into a wider range of industries including industrial products, food and beverage, and pharmaceuticals.

Today, Columbia/Okura designs and delivers systems that integrate conveyors, sortation, product validation, stretch wrapping, bagging equipment, and increasingly, autonomous material movement. “We started with just simple stack-on-floor robotic palletizing systems,” Stuyvesant explains. “Those have evolved into complete, fully integrated systems where we’re tying in with other pieces of automation equipment and automating the process all the way through the end of production.”

That evolution reflects broader changes across manufacturing. As labor availability tightened, product variation increased, and expectations around uptime and safety grew more stringent, customers began looking for solutions that could do more than simply stack product. They needed systems that could adapt, communicate upstream and downstream, and operate reliably over decades rather than years.

Columbia/Okura responded by strengthening its role as a systems integrator while maintaining a disciplined scope; this evolution is most visible in the launch of the dynaPAL^® product line, the company’s industrial robotic solutions. Rather than branching into unrelated automation domains, the company focused on complementary technologies that directly support end-of-line performance. A key milestone in that expansion came in 2017, when Columbia/Okura formed a partnership with STATEC BINDER to supply bagging equipment in the United States. For a company whose early growth was rooted in bag palletizing, the ability to integrate bagging upstream created new value for customers seeking a single partner from fill to pallet.

At the same time, advances in robotics were opening new opportunities at the other end of the spectrum. In 2019, Columbia/Okura introduced its miniPAL^® system, which uses a collaborative robot rather than a traditional industrial arm. Designed for lighter products, lower production rates, and smaller footprints, miniPAL^® allowed the company to bring robotic palletizing into environments that previously could not justify the space, guarding, or cost of conventional systems.

“What collaborative means is it’s a robot that’s designed to work in collaboration with humans,” Stuyvesant explains. “You don’t necessarily have the big physical guards, and operators can interact with the process without stopping everything.”

This approach reflects a broader shift in manufacturing automation, where flexibility and human-machine collaboration are becoming just as important as throughput. Columbia/Okura’s systems now regularly integrate collaborative robots, industrial robots, autonomous mobile robots, and automated guided vehicles into unified end-of-line architectures. In many installations, mobile robots have replaced fixed conveyors, allowing pallet movement between palletizing cells and warehouses to adapt dynamically as production needs change.

As systems have grown more complex, safety has remained a constant priority—not only a regulatory requirement for Columbia/Okura, but one of the company’s core values, alongside flexibility, integrity, reliability, and accountability. That emphasis is reflected in both system design and internal culture.

All Columbia/Okura systems are built to meet or exceed applicable A3, OSHA, and ISO standards, with Category 3 compliance as a baseline. Each system undergoes a formal risk assessment, and customers are encouraged to conduct site-specific assessments to ensure proper integration within their facilities. Physical guarding, Electro-Sensitive Protective Equipment (ESPE), and trap-key systems are designed to prevent access to energized equipment, while newer technologies such as radar-assisted safety monitoring enhance protection in collaborative environments.

On systems like miniPAL^®, safety scanners detect intrusion into defined zones while radar technology assesses the surrounding area before allowing the system to return to full operational speed. These layered safeguards are designed not only to meet standards, but to support real-world use cases where operators and automation must coexist efficiently.

Beyond technology, safety is reinforced through organizational structure and accountability. With just over 80 employees in the joint venture, Columbia/Okura operates as a tightly connected organization spanning marketing, sales, applications engineering, mechanical and controls engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and service. The company’s service team supports a large installed base with 24/7 availability, ensuring that customers are not left to manage issues alone once systems are commissioned.

That long-term commitment is one reason many Columbia/Okura customers return time and time again. Some relationships date back to the company’s earliest installations, including a robotic palletizer sold and installed in 1996 that remained in operation until 2019. When the original system was finally replaced, the customer returned to Columbia/Okura for its next generation of automation.

“Our systems are in place for decades,” Stuyvesant notes. “That doesn’t happen if we’re not partnered with the customer throughout their journey.”

Partnership, in this context, goes beyond equipment delivery. Columbia/Okura offers structured ramp-up programs for new customers, ongoing training, and responsive service to support facilities as their production needs evolve. While repeat customers still account for a significant portion of business, the venture has also expanded into new industries and applications as its technology portfolio has grown.

Internally, Columbia/Okura prioritizes long-term investment in its people, a commitment reflected in an average employee tenure of 10 years and a tuition reimbursement program that facilitates career growth from shop floor roles to engineering and applications positions. This emphasis on stability and professional development is reinforced by a culture of transparency and open communication. By pairing an open-door management approach with these growth opportunities, the company maintains a workplace environment built on mutual trust, accountability, and a clear strategic direction.

Nicholas Shiraishi, Marketing Coordinator at Columbia/Okura, highlights the company’s commitment to workforce development beyond its own walls. “We support FIRST^® robotics programs,” he says. “It’s an organization that introduces kids to robotics early, and we sponsor several local teams.”

Through its involvement with FIRST^® and participation in industry programs such as The PMMI U Skills Fund, Columbia/Okura contributes to the development of future manufacturing and automation talent. Charitable donations made through these programs are often matched, extending the company’s impact within the broader community.

As manufacturing continues to evolve, Columbia/Okura faces many of the same challenges as its customers. Packaging materials are changing, product variability is increasing, and sustainability expectations are becoming more complex. While the company does not position itself as a sustainability solutions provider, it takes steps to minimize waste in its own operations, returning test product where possible, supporting donations, and avoiding unnecessary landfill disposal.

Ultimately, Columbia/Okura’s value proposition rests on clarity of purpose. Rather than chasing every emerging trend, the company continues to refine what it does best: designing and delivering safe, reliable, future-ready end-of-line automation systems. “We’re more than just an automation provider,” Stuyvesant says. “We’re a trusted partner dedicated to transforming businesses through safe, reliable, and innovative end-of-line solutions.”

As the company approaches its 30^th anniversary, that message carries weight. Three decades of operation in industrial automation is not simply a measure of longevity, but of relevance. Columbia/Okura’s history reflects an ability to adapt without losing focus, to integrate new technologies without abandoning core principles, and to build systems and relationships designed to last.

With a growing portfolio of integrated solutions, a strong culture of safety and accountability, and a proven record of customer trust, Columbia/Okura enters its fourth decade positioned not as a legacy brand, but as an active participant in the next phase of manufacturing automation.

The post Engineering the End of the Line: 30 Years of Purpose-Driven Automation<p class="company">Columbia/Okura</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.