At age 24, Miller left the community because of convictions regarding the seventh-day Sabbath. “I’m just an Amish guy who lost his hat,” he says. With years of experience and ingenuity under his belt, he started his own business in a two-car garage, and had the audacity, as he calls it, to name the company SUPERB Industries Inc., aligning with his vision of superb-quality people and products.

Created with his brother Daniel, SUPERB is another link in the family’s legacy. “Dating back to the late 1700s, Miller family craftsmen, beginning with Christian ‘Schmidt’ Miller, have been making the world a better place,” states the company. “At SUPERB Industries, this remains the mission for every engineered component manufactured.”

Smarter thinking
Founded in 1986, SUPERB Industries has emerged as one of America’s leading-edge hybrid high-speed manufacturers. Based in a 70,000-square-foot facility in Sugarcreek since 2000, the company has grown from a team of six to almost 100. The company’s many in-house capabilities include development, product and process design, engineering, assembly, die stalking, welding and more, making SUPERB a one-stop shop. Always aiming to add value, the company’s experienced engineers seek to make products faster and more affordably for customers.

A solutions-based business, the SUPERB team doesn’t see problems; they create opportunities. The company’s decades-long legacy has resulted in countless products being designed—and sometimes, re-designed—to be lighter, more durable, and more efficient. In one case, a die-cast locking system for a truck cap handle was “costly and cumbersome,” heavy, and prone to rust. Faced with this challenge, SUPERB’s engineers re-designed the lock system. Instead of heavy die-cast components, parts were manufactured using high-strength engineered polymers. Instead of the old system, the truck cap handle was remade “to include a field activate-able integrated e-lock system,” Miller explains. The result: a durable, lightweight, patented integrated e-lock system that was now more cost-effective to mass-produce.

Hybrid high-speed manufacturing
One of the many ways SUPERB has stayed ahead of the competition is by continually investing in technology, growing from a handful of production lines to over 20 today. The company’s home of Sugarcreek is renowned as “The Little Switzerland of Ohio” owing to the many Swiss immigrants who settled in the area 200 years ago. Familiar with European quality, the company utilizes the high-performance stamping presses of Switzerland’s Bruderer with the exceptional stamping, assembly, and welding systems technologies of Germany’s Bihler.

“We married those two systems together, and that’s what we call hybrid high-speed,” says Miller, who knew of the two companies because of his time in Germany and working with some Germany-based businesses. “We acquired the technologies over time and integrated them into our platform. We also have direct personal relationships with the ownership.”

Thanks to combining Bruderer and Bihler’s superior-quality equipment with SUPERB’s expertise and automating processes, the company produces quality components in great volumes more efficiently. “We do over a billion parts a year out of our facility in Sugarcreek, and we make just over five million parts a day,” says Miller.

“I call it leveraging time and space,” he adds. “Speed is a component. We have one particular automotive contact component where we make 24,000 parts a minute. So that’s speed, but another component is space.”

Made-in-America quality
At SUPERB, the company’s state-of-the-art technology and in-depth manufacturing knowledge often lead to 20 to 30 percent less material being used, which saves clients money in turn. “That’s how we’ve been able to compete with offshoring; when that was in vogue, that’s how we survived that,” Miller shares. “And now, tariffs and policies of the Trump Administration have made it a bit easier to compete in the United States, so we’re well-positioned going forward and pretty optimistic about the future as manufacturing comes back to this country.”

In SUPERB Inside 3.0, Miller wrote about how American manufacturing has been at a crossroads for years, “torn between rising costs and fierce global competition. SUPERB Inside is the story of a small-town company that bet on itself and beat the odds.”

Unlike some other American companies who farmed-out cheaper—and often substandard—overseas manufacturing, SUPERB invested in domestic capabilities, “proving that efficiency and scale don’t have to come at the cost of quality.” This commitment sees SUPERB ship more than 1.4 billion components annually with an on-time delivery rate of over 99 percent and under 0.01 percent of parts falling short of customer standards. “What’s even more remarkable?” adds Miller. “More than half of what we make is exported to low-cost countries like Mexico and China, places many domestic manufacturers left for.”

SUPERB’s at-home manufacturing and dedication to American values keeps earning the company recognition, including regularly earning a spot on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 100 fastest-growing, privately held U.S. manufacturers.

Of course, “Reshoring is great, but you need qualified people, and there’s a shortage of them,” says Miller, adding that the current immigration system needs work, as SUPERB needs legal immigrants. “We’re having a really hard time finding enough qualified people because there’s just no unemployment in our area.” The company currently has several legal immigrants on its team; part of the challenge, Miller says, is that the H-1B Specialty Occupations visa is connected to a costly $100,000 fee. “That’s something that has to get fixed.”

Making the world a better place
While SUPERB Industries serves customers worldwide, the company has always been there for its local community. Post-pandemic, the company responded to a request from the Amish Mennonite community for home canning lids, since there was a shortage. SUPERB ended up engineering a lid that was superior to existing products, holding its seal for 36 months instead of 18. Independent labs evaluated meat pressure-canned almost six years ago, and it was still fresh and edible. This not only got the attention of the leading brand of canning lids but also saw the creation of Superb Canning and the company’s entering the retail market.

“It’s like inventing another soft drink and competing against Coke,” says Miller of the lid, which has earned over 60 per cent confidence from the Amish Mennonite community and captured 2.5 percent of the market. From the time of the first call the week of Thanksgiving 2020, SUPERB designed, validated, and shipped a million lids by canning season 2021.

An IATF 16949 certified company (the international standard for Automotive Quality Management Systems), SUPERB is audited annually for automotive standards, and Miller says he was surprised by the lack of standards for canning lids. The company applied its own rigorous engineering standards and disciplines in doing the lid validation, benchmarking the competition and far exceeding existing standards. At present, the company is now validating an even better lid.

“I like to tell my employees that our mission is to make the world a better place,” says Miller of the company’s many products. “By noon on Monday, they will have made enough components to control 3,000 hot water heaters, which is enough to put a new one in every residence in our immediate area. So that’s what I want them to envision—they are not just making parts and putting them in a box, but rather making the world a better place, because thousands of people are going to get hot showers instead of cold ones.”

Turning 65 this year, Miller is working on a succession plan which will see his son, a trained electrical engineer, assume control of SUPERB, “and take the company where I couldn’t.” In the years to come, Miller sees the company growing, largely because of the SUPERB Technical Institute, a joint training initiative between SUPERB, the Buckeye Career Center, and L.I.G.H.T. Founded in 2012, the Institute offers a range of apprenticeship training programs to the technicians of tomorrow. “Employment opportunities in this area are phenomenal,” Miller tells us.

Planning to be operationally out of the business by 70, John Miller looks forward to traveling. Publishing one book this past year, he is working on three others, “and then I’ll have to figure out something to do to not go stir-crazy,” he laughs.

As for SUPERB, which represents 10 generations of craftsman going back to Colonial times, Miller confidently says, “We’re not going anywhere.”

The post SUPERB in Name, SUPERB in Nature<p class="company">SUPERB Industries</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

With the support of its parent company ISGEC—a multi-billion-dollar publicly traded corporation based in India—Eagle Press & Equipment has access to impressive research and development and artificial intelligence resources. “Some of the most brilliant people I have ever spoken to are part of that company,” says Ken Polewski, Sales Manager and professional engineer.

While Eagle Press & Equipment primarily serves the automotive industry with fine mechanical press technology, it is fast becoming increasingly popular with appliance, energy, and solar technology, as well as with defence manufacturers for the fine accuracy of its heavy-capacity hydraulic presses.

To maintain premium quality, the company ensures that its staff is well vetted before being appointed. A firm grasp of technical complexity and an aptitude for engineering are preferred in most hires as creating solutions here requires thinking like an engineer. This has led to the entirety of the sales and operational teams being mechanical engineers. The total team of about 70 is composed of machinists, assembly personnel, technicians, project managers, controls and mechanical engineers, an accounting team, and a sales department, all supported by an executive management team.

Operating from a 150,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Oldcastle, Ontario, Eagle Press & Equipment boasts ample assembly space and a fleet of equipment that includes CNC lathes and boring mills, four large horizontal boring mills, an assembly pit that can accommodate presses exceeding 40 feet in height coupled with more than 300,000 pounds of crane capacity, and much more. The company also offers a full-service facility next door to its main facility and a smaller welding outfit that takes care of smaller components.

As a proud member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO), The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Precision Metal Forming Association, the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA), and other industry representatives, Eagle Press and Equipment is a key stakeholder in the Canadian mechanical engineering industry, helping to uphold its strict codes of conduct and standards in every project. The firm is also passionate about supporting and developing its local economy through its industrial endeavours.

The company’s commitment to quality and innovation has led to a number of successful projects, such as the recent commissioning of a turnkey Eagle press with a coil feed line and a press feed system at a Tier 1 automotive supplier’s Canadian facility. One of its winning products is a servo hemming press developed in collaboration with an automation group in Windsor, and this partnership has built around 40 such presses for Ford facilities in the United States and Canada. These machines are used to hem doors and other closure components for Ford’s F150, Mustang, and other models. Servo motors power the hemming press, joining the edges of two sheet metal panels by folding and compressing them into permanent bonds.

Another servo-based press features a microinch system in its mechanical trial press, a testing drivetrain used to test customers’ tools. The unit enables accurate contact between lower and upper tooling surfaces. This is coupled with a 400-tonne capacity pneumatic cushion, which supports accurate contact between the lower and upper die. “We have some cool tech built into it,” Polewski says.

Founded in 1959 by Ted Polewski Sr., the company was later managed by his sons and now by the third generation. Impressively, many longstanding members of the team are still on board, driving success through generational knowledge of press manufacturing and mechanical engineering that would be difficult to match without their expertise. Newer arrivals typically enjoy the opportunity to learn, and Eagle Press provides significant opportunities for professional development and training.

Polewski makes it clear that the company’s suppliers are just as crucial to its success, with a carefully selected group of trusted suppliers stretching from Toronto to Windsor providing Eagle Press & Equipment with the finest in hydraulics, gear machining and design, welding supplies, and more. “It’s the wealth of knowledge and expertise built over almost 70 years and our core supply base that has helped us build Eagle,” he adds.

Having its products vetted and analyzed by third-party engineers outside of the organization, the company is confident in the uncontested quality of its work. “I would consider our team as the best people in the world for machining and designing presses,” Polewski says, adding that the third-party engineers “have been blown away. Our quality comes out of years and years of experimentation, trial and error, learning, failing, recovering, and redesigning. We are at a point right now where we feel we have an unmatched product.”

Of course, the company is supported by rigorous quality management systems that span the full range of design, fabrication, and testing processes. “Over the years, we have developed very strict fabrication and welding testing and qualification procedures. We have also developed an in-house inspection and testing plan,” says Polewski.

The quality of Eagle Press’s steel is regulated as per the official ASTM International standards, which means that its materials, typically a minimum of A36 steel sheeting, are chemically and structurally sound and can be traced back to their exact location and date of manufacture, providing its customers with confidence in its base materials. This requires meticulous recordkeeping and full accountability. Moreover, the company’s welding is also guaranteed to be performed by Canadian-certified professionals in the field. The quality of its welding processes is verified by third-party, Canadian-certified, Level-3 welding inspectors according to CSA W59 standards—Canada’s strictest national standard for structural steel work in metal fabrication for sheeting exceeding 3mm in metal arc welding on dynamically loaded structures.

Equally rigorous testing and quality protocols pertain to design, press start-up machining, and assembly. As part of this, a press is run for 30,000 cycles to ensure absolute functionality over multiple days, and Polewski is particularly gratified by these rigorous testing protocols. “We push it to its limits to make sure that it is going to function on the customer’s floor,” he tells us.

Amidst its many accomplishments, the company continues to cultivate a reputation for providing top-notch training for both customers and employees. To this end, it regularly welcomes engineering students from Ontario’s University of Windsor, not only providing fresh professionals with hands-on experience but also introducing potential new employees to Eagle Press’s systems. The approach has been successful, with at least two such engineers having served the company for around six years.

Polewski makes clear that when it comes to achieving its goals, the company is and will remain centred on delivering customer satisfaction on every project, and so it goes to great lengths to ensure that it maintains and increases its capacity. To achieve this, Eagle Press has procured all the property around its facility with the goal of doubling capacity. It is also building larger teams in its service, assembly, hydraulics engineering, and controls engineering departments.

Customers benefit from these improvements in marked ways. With a dedicated press service team and network in place, help is only ever a phone call or a message away. “Press expertise and press technicians are few and far between now. I believe we have some of the best in the world here,” Polewski says. Beyond these in-house professionals, the company has established strong relationships with other industry professionals across the continent.

“We’ve developed a good network of people that we believe are qualified enough to go and service on behalf of Eagle Press,” he continues. This means that, no matter where in North America a customer’s press is located, a trusted service provider is always ready to assist in any needed physical maintenance or repair. Moreover, predictive maintenance technology allows the company to monitor press functionality remotely, within customers’ security limitations.

“The customer is the only reason we exist,” Polewski says. “In everybody’s minds here, the customer is always right. That’s rule number one. Rule number two? The customer is always right. That’s it.”

Thanks to Eagle Press & Equipment’s size, ability to respond to customer needs with individualized care, attention to detail, and premium machinery, its high-end offering holds its own against even the largest competitors in the market. “We want to be known as the best press builder in the world,” says Polewski, and attaining that honour appears close at hand. While it grows from building 12 to 15 presses annually to building 20 to 25 presses annually, Eagle Press & Equipment is fast on its way to becoming known as the best in its field.

The post Unmatched Quality<p class="company">Eagle Press & Equipment</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

“The company pioneered portable coordinate measuring machine arms, laser trackers, handheld 3D scanners, optical CMMs, software, and automated inspection solutions,” says Rich Nobliski, Director of Integrated Demand Generation.

Joining forces, FARO CREAFORM combines the complementary strengths of the two entities into a single, complete portfolio of portable and automated 3D measurement solutions, helping quality, production, maintenance, and design teams work faster, smarter, and with total confidence. “FARO CREAFORM brings together two pioneers in 3D measurement,” adds Nobliski of the company, which is a business unit of the multinational industrial technology solutions company AMETEK, Inc.

Trusted by thousands of clients
Today, FARO CREAFORM’s customers are among the who’s who of industry, including many of the world’s foremost automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing companies such as Ford, Boeing, Airbus, John Deere, and engineering organizations like Pratt Miller, to name a few. “Our solutions are trusted by more than 10,000 customers, including many major industrial OEMs,” says Nobliski. “We serve industries such as automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, transportation, energy, metal fabrication, machinery, research, and general manufacturing.”

Customers use FARO CREAFORM’s state-of-the-art technology for many applications, including quality control and quality assurance, dimensional inspection, product development, reverse engineering, alignment, large-part measurement, automated inspection, non-destructive testing (NDT), and surface-damage assessment. And whether they are measuring small components or large assemblies, the goal is the same: capture reliable data and make better decisions.

Along with software programs like Creaform Metrology Suite™ and CAM2^® Software, the company is renowned for its handheld 3D scanners for metrology-grade measurement. “In simple terms, 3D measurement is the process of capturing the physical dimensions and geometry of an object and turning that information into accurate digital data,” explains Nobliski. “That can be done through 3D scanning, which captures thousands or millions of data points across a surface, or through probing, which measures specific features and dimensions with high precision. Many manufacturers use a combination of both approaches.”

Some of the biggest benefits of using FARO CREAFORM’s handheld 3D cameras are speed, accuracy, flexibility, and confidence. 3D scanning quickly captures complete surfaces and complex geometries, while probing is ideal for measuring critical features such as holes, edges, slots, and datum references.

For users, another major advantage is portability. “Today’s measurement systems can be brought directly to the part, whether it’s a small component, a large assembly, or equipment already installed on the shop floor,” says Nobliski. “This allows manufacturers to inspect parts faster, identify issues earlier, reduce rework, improve quality, and accelerate product development. Ultimately, 3D measurement helps organizations make better decisions based on reliable data and gives quality, engineering, and production teams greater confidence in their processes.”

Innovative offerings
The company’s expert metrology staff are on hand to help customers determine the most suitable product to meet their specific needs. This includes its world-famous 3D measurement solutions, metrology products, and application software. One of the company’s latest products is the MetraSCAN™ BLACK2, a portable optical 3D scanner designed for shop-floor inspection. By combining scanning and probing capabilities in a flexible system, it helps quality teams inspect parts faster while maintaining metrology-grade accuracy.

Described by the company as “engineered for accuracy, designed for usability,” the HandySCAN 3D EVO Series™ makes handheld 3D scanning more intuitive through its integrated display and real-time user guidance directly on the scanner. Portable, reliable, and efficient, the HandySCAN 3D EVO Series boasts a powerful, embedded graphical user interface, enhancing the user experience and delivering metrology-grade qualities, such as accredited accuracy.

For portable coordinate measurement, the Quantum X FaroArm® Series gives manufacturers the flexibility to scan or probe parts with metrology-grade accuracy, making it ideal for inspection, reverse engineering, and production applications.

For larger parts and assemblies, the FARO Vantage® S6 Max and E6 Max Laser Trackers provide fast, accurate large-scale measurement and alignment capabilities, helping manufacturers confidently measure everything from tooling and molds to complete assemblies. “Together, these products demonstrate the breadth of the FARO CREAFORM portfolio, from handheld scanning and portable CMMs to large-scale metrology solutions,” states Nobliski.

Industry expertise
Much more than a manufacturer of innovative 3D scanners, FARO CREAFORM is recognized globally for its customer support, services, and solutions. The company’s team boasts a broad mix of technical, manufacturing, and customer-focused specialists. Teams include mechanical, electrical, optical, robotics, automation, and software engineers, along with metrology specialists, manufacturing professionals, application engineers, technical support teams, sales, marketing, and customer success professionals. “What makes us successful is how those teams work together to combine hardware, software, application expertise, training, and support into a complete customer experience,” says Nobliski.

Having headquarters in Lévis, Québec and Lake Mary, Florida allows FARO CREAFORM to combine the innovation and expertise of two industry leaders while staying close to customers across North America and around the world. According to Nobliski, the company’s Lévis site is closely tied to Creaform’s innovation in handheld 3D scanning, software, and automated inspection, while the Lake Mary location has long been home to FARO’s expertise in portable measuring arms, laser trackers, and industrial metrology. “These locations are supported by a global network of repair and service centres, multilingual support, and technical resources that help customers maximize the value of their investment throughout the life of their equipment,” he says.

As a further commitment to quality, the company is supported by internationally recognized certifications and accreditations, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, and ISO/IEC 17025. Earlier this year, FARO CREAFORM’s HandySCAN 3D EVO Series received the prestigious Red Dot Award for Product Design, recognizing its combination of performance, ergonomics, usability, and industrial design.

Along with strong word-of-mouth business from satisfied clients, the company promotes its products and services through a mix of digital marketing, trade shows, webinars, social media, customer success stories, distributors, and direct customer engagement. Additionally, attending trade shows like FABTECH is mutually beneficial for the business and potential clients.

“Trade shows are especially valuable because they allow customers to see the technology in action and talk directly with our experts,” Nobliski explains. “We complement those events with educational content, product demonstrations, videos, webinars, and application-focused campaigns that show manufacturers how 3D measurement can improve quality, productivity, and decision-making. At the end of the day, our focus is less about promoting products and more about helping customers solve real manufacturing challenges and achieve better outcomes.”

A look ahead
Worldwide, manufacturers continue facing increasing pressures. These include quality improvement, accelerated product development, and the need to manage more complex production environments. With a focus on making 3D metrology more mobile, usable, and accessible through continued innovation in handheld scanning, probing, portable CMMs, laser trackers, automated quality control, and software solutions, FARO CREAFORM provides manufacturers with valuable technologies to increase efficiencies.

Certainly, the company is well-positioned for the years to come, and Nobliski says confidently, “The future is about helping manufacturers turn dimensional measurement into an even greater competitive advantage. We’re focused on improving the overall customer experience through integrated hardware and software, intuitive workflows, training resources, global support, and solutions that evolve alongside our customers’ needs,” he says. “With one of the industry’s most comprehensive portfolios of portable and automated 3D measurement technologies, we’re well positioned to help customers tackle everything from product development and reverse engineering to quality control, manufacturing, and large-scale measurement applications. Our goal is simple: help our customers work faster, smarter, and with total confidence.”

The post The Power of Precision<p class="company">FARO CREAFORM</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

While machining processes remove material from metal pieces to create parts, fabrication is all about shaping and joining metal. Fabrication services include cutting (with lasers, saws, and waterjets), forming (manipulating metal with press brakes or other machines), assembly (putting the pieces together, often through welding), and finishing (deburring, polishing, and adding coatings to enhance the surface of the metal). These actions are typically performed on steel plates and sheets, bars, and tubes.

An important application for many sectors, metal fabrication is an absolute necessity in the defence, aerospace, construction, and energy industries. In such sectors, performance is paramount and a part failure could have catastrophic consequences. Components on airplanes, submarines, and ships need to work perfectly under the most extreme conditions imaginable (cold, heat, intense water pressure, wind, hail, rain, et cetera). Reliability and durability are crucial under such circumstances.

Within the energy sector, fabricated steel structures and components are integral to power stations, oil refineries, oil drilling operations (on land or at sea), wind turbine towers, and hydroelectric facilities. These structures and parts must also be built to endure brutal weather, protecting personnel and the site. In a similar fashion, oil and gas pipelines must be able to withstand corrosion, high internal pressure, ultra-cold or hot temperatures, windstorms, floods, and more.

In construction projects, steel fabrication is central to the creation of structural framing, staircases, HVAC systems, metal façades, and other elements. Pre-fabrication (in which large segments of a building are manufactured offsite then put together onsite) is becoming more common in construction circles.

Metal fabrication frequently entails a high degree of customization (hydroelectric dams and drilling platforms, after all, come in a variety of shapes and sizes, requiring some specialty touches) and is often performed by relatively small companies. In fact, it’s safe to say that small fab shops punch way above their weight class.

“Not many industries can say they’re dominated by small business these days—but metal fabrication can. Operations employing fewer than 50 people make up the vast majority of fabricators in North America,” writes Tim Heston in Building a Diverse Platform to Scale in Metal Fabrication for The Fabricator, official magazine of the Illinois-based Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA).

Regardless of their size, many fab shops are employing future-forward technologies, including AI. Legacy shops can integrate such programs with existing technology such as vision sensor systems and Internet of Things (IoT) networks to augment performance monitoring and data collection. AI algorithms can analyze production stats and make predictions about upcoming machine failures as well as wear and tear on tools.

AI can also be utilized to create and run “a digital twin,” a computer simulation of a machine tool’s processes, assets, and procedures. These digital replicas let operators address issues and smooth out glitches without wasting material.

Artificial Intelligence might make fabrication shops safer as well. “Machine vision and navigation algorithms are widely used by autonomous mobile robots, which use AI-powered technologies to navigate themselves about a facility. These algorithms aid autonomous robots in avoiding hazards and floor workers, while lessening the chance of collisions,” states a recent Motion Automation Intelligence blog post, The Impact of Automation on Metal Fabrication.

If using AI on the shop floor is still a work in progress, the technology can be readily applied for internal purposes. Pundits recommend against using AI to write emails to clients, a process fraught with the potential for embarrassing gaffes and clunky phrasing. Instead, they suggest adopting AI solutions for behind-the-scenes work, such as gleaning and compiling production and sales data. AI-enabled programs can review previous emails and texts to and from clients to gauge response rates and determine what messaging works best. AI solutions can also gather and summarize data regarding labour costs, material prices, production times, and other factors, which is helpful when preparing estimates.

While AI is the new kid on the block, there are plenty of other tech tools that can greatly augment metal fabrication methods. Fab shops have long used robots, for example, to perform cutting, quality inspection, material handling, and especially welding. There is a growing trend toward integrating collaborative robots or “cobots” within fabrication outfits. Cobots can work next to humans without any safety issues, and are ideally suited for repetitive, tiring tasks such as materials handling. As a result, shops can save on labour costs and free up staff to tackle more demanding duties.

Like other manufacturing and industrial plants across North America, metal fabrication shops have been impacted by ongoing labour shortages. As has been widely reported, younger people are not flocking to join the skilled trades to replace existing workers who are reaching retirement age. Cobots and other high-tech solutions can help shops address this labour shortage.

CNC (Computer Numerical Control) systems are another metalworking mainstay. Simply put, a CNC automates the control of a machine tool. Engineers or staff will develop a 3D design using CAD (Computer Aided Design) software, import the design into a CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) program to create toolpaths and then enter the resulting instructions into a CNC controller. A CNC lathe or mill then executes the toolpath and creates parts, under human guidance.

“Computer aided design (CAD) software has become an essential tool in steel fabrication, enabling engineers to create detailed blueprints and simulate stress tests before production begins,” says the article Why Steel Fabrication is Essential for the Energy Sector posted on the website of Benchmark Fabricated Steel.

Laser cutters, meanwhile, offer speed, accuracy, and consistency in metal fabrication work. Computer controlled laser cutters focus an intense beam of light on metal surfaces, which melts or vaporizes material. Laser systems have the added advantage of minimizing material waste while performing extremely precise cutting.

Other developments aiding metal fabrication include 5-axis machining. While 3-axis machines have been commonly used in the past, a 5-axis machining centre allows the cutting tool to contact the workpiece from all directions. The machining of complicated parts can be accomplished in a single setup (operators don’t need to manually maneuver the part multiple times, which makes for greater productivity and less opportunity for human error). Some fab shops have also introduced Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) systems for training purposes. These technologies provide an immersive environment in which apprentice welders can be trained in a low-risk manner without having to waste material or tie up a machine.

Additional tools include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to track and manage raw materials and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to monitor the shop floor in real time. Once again, these existing software programs can be tweaked or supercharged via the judicious use of AI.

Of course, there are plenty of other things domestic fabricators can do to shine outside of investing in new technology. Developing a speciality in rapid prototyping or custom work is an excellent way to compete against offshore rivals. Offshore firms that excel at large fabrication assignments might balk at doing one-off, specialty projects. Focusing on niche areas such as micro-welding or exotic materials serves the same purpose. Offering turnkey services and maintaining a diversified customer base is strongly recommended as well.

There are also tremendous advantages to being based in the United States or Canada. North American firms that use domestic fabricators benefit from shorter lead times, for a start. With no oceans to cross on slow-moving transport vessels, delivery is vastly cheaper and faster. Domestic fabricators can meet in-person with clients (depending on their location), something that might be tricky to arrange with an offshore firm in a foreign locale.

During the COVID pandemic of the early 2020s, North American manufacturers realized the folly of being too reliant on overseas suppliers. When the pandemic hit, oceanic transport slowed to a crawl and ports became jammed. Hiring a domestic fabricator is a good way to avoid many of these pitfalls in the future. Going local can also mean dodging extra expenses associated with tariffs. And, while metal fabricators already make extensive use of recycled steel, going forward, fabricators are becoming increasingly fond of low-carbon steel, which is even more environmentally friendly—an important consideration in an era of government-mandated green regulations.

Given all this, the outlook for the domestic steel fabrication sector is positive. By adopting automation, integrating new technologies, and emphasizing homegrown strengths, metal fabricators in Canada and the United States can more than hold their own against the biggest offshore players.

The post Metal Mania<p class="company">North America’s Fabrication Renaissance</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

“Our area of expertise is bulk material handling equipment, so conveyors, apron feeders and belt feeders, and other related equipment,” explains IEM President Chuck Walls. “We design and build spile bar systems which act as isolation gates in mining operations. We also design and manufacture ball handling systems for mining operations and we build rotary de-barkers for forest product manufacturers. We build the biggest rotary de-barkers in the world.”

A spile bar system enhances safety in ore bins and transfer chutes at mines, while ball handling systems are used to store steel grinding balls for mining applications. As their name implies, de-barkers remove bark from logs. IEM has made de-barkers that can process 450 cubic meters of wood per hour or more.

The company’s main markets include mines, oil and gas operations, and forestry/wood handling. Cement and aggregate plants, port infrastructure, and grain handling facilities represent other sectors for which IEM has built products.

Forging a strong team
The business was founded in 1953 under the name Industrial Equipment Company (IECO). Half a century after the launch, John Hards and Joe Wurz purchased the machinery design and manufacturing division of IECO. The new owners changed the name of their acquisition to Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Ltd. and introduced an employee-ownership plan. At present, “maybe 95 percent,” of IEM staff own shares, Walls explains, with ownership of shares limited to employees only.

IEM has roughly 55 employees at present, up from around 50 at this time last year, and about half of these workers belong to the United Steelworkers (USW) union. The company typically hires newly graduated or junior engineers who can be trained in the company’s practices, such as its hands-on approach. “Our engineers can walk into the shop, see what they’ve designed, see how it’s being built,” says Walls. Here, shop floor staff can directly approach the engineers to refine designs or suggest ideas, a collaborative setup that gives IEM a competitive advantage over companies that perform engineering work in one country and manufacturing in another, notes Walls.

IEM is Engineering and Manufacturing ISO 9001:2015 certified and the company’s welding services are certified by the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) to CSA W47.1 and CSA W47.2 standards, for steel and aluminum respectively. The IEM Vice President of Manufacturing is tasked with ensuring that quality benchmarks are met, while the company’s welding supervisor, who is certified in non-destructive testing procedures, conducts extensive weld-related tests.

Safety-wise, IEM employs toolbox talks and strict hazard-avoidance procedures, says Walls. Employees also rely on the company’s close-knit spirit to keep them safe. This is “not a big operation,” so everyone knows everyone else, as well as their spouses and children, says Walls. “We believe that the most important aspect of safety in any operation is—and it sounds corny—how much you care about the people you’re working beside. We find that our senior folks are always looking out for our junior people, making sure they’re doing things right, not taking shortcuts,” he continues.

Competing on quality
The company is based out of a 50,000-square-foot facility conveniently located near both Vancouver International Airport and major ports. While many of its clients are Canadian, IEM has sold equipment to companies with operations in Mongolia, Indonesia, and South America as well. It has also done “a little bit in Europe, and the U.S. of course,” adds Walls. “We specialize in mechanical design, while anything structural or electrical, we would subcontract out.”

IEM also stocks a huge number of spare parts, primarily to provide replacements for its own equipment. For example, it designs and manufactures specialized equipment for surface mining operators in Fort McMurray, Alberta, the epicenter of that province’s oilsands industry. Among other items, IEM supplies specialty equipment including plows, belt cleaners, and pulley cleaners. IEM uses a welding robot built to create wear parts that address the challenges of working with bitumen. Spare parts for such gear might be hard to find outside of IEM.

Walls acknowledges that competition within the bulk equipment handling space can be brutal. “We compete against some very, very large companies [including some] that manufacture all over the world, where the wages are much lower and it’s much cheaper to produce equipment… We can compete with them because of the custom engineering facet of our business,” he shares.

For example, “If you want an overland conveyor, to go from A to B, you go to [the competition]. But if you want three or four kilometers of underground conveyor that’s going to be attached to the ceiling of your mineshaft, you will come to us.”

IEM’s longevity also stems from its reputation for making quality products. “We can’t afford to produce sub-par equipment,” says Walls. “Our quality standards are very high, and we provide excellent after-sales service. What we find is, once we get a customer, they keep coming back. We’re not generally the cheapest when it comes to sticker price, but we compete very well on total cost ownership.”

Wins and challenges
Clearly, clients like what IEM has to offer, as the team has taken on a number of major projects over the decades. The company was hired to build conveyors and galleries—the enclosed structures that go around conveying systems to provide protection from the elements—for a company operating in Nunavut, Canada. Construction was done in sections, which were fitted together in IEM’s shop then painstakingly shipped to the client via barge and ice highway, among other methods. “That was a pretty cool project and quite challenging,” recalls Walls.

IEM has also built cable reel structures for storing ship cables for a major maritime company in British Columbia building supply ships for the Canadian navy. IEM has also designed and manufactured massive de-barkers for a forestry business in Michigan and a pulp and paper companies in Alberta and B.C. Company engineers frequently attend mining and other industry trade shows to meet existing and potential customers face-to-face.

Given the nature of IEM’s work, it is no surprise that Walls cites “the cyclical nature of the natural resources business,” as the company’s biggest challenge while, interestingly, tariffs imposed by the White House have benefitted IEM in some ways. The company has taken on some non-American customers that are eager to find suppliers elsewhere. “We just signed a contract with a small company that builds water treatment systems. They were looking for an alternative tank supplier [to their normal U.S. supplier], because they sell both into the U.S. and Canada, and it’s much simpler for them to have [their systems for Canadian customers] built in Canada,” says Walls.

Embracing the future
Going forward, the company is looking into using artificial intelligence (AI) in its operations. Design work is currently performed with 3D design software, and IEM is open to new technology. “We’ve contracted an AI expert to come in this summer and train some of our people,” Walls shares. “They will look at some of our manufacturing processes and our drafting to see if there are some opportunities to improve quality and efficiency.”

As for the business itself, he personally would like to see the company grow over the next five years, perhaps through acquisitions. One plan would be to buy a fabrication firm, then incorporate IEM’s engineering methodologies into the work practises of the new purchase. Vertical integration is another possibility under consideration. “We spend a lot of money on painting, for instance. As the company starts to build some capital, I wouldn’t mind seeing us invest in a paint company or another kind of supplier to us, and running the companies separately, but owned by IEM.”

Given the company ownership model, any decisions regarding the future must be endorsed by an employee-run board. Naturally, the board is averse to risky ventures that might jeopardize the future of the business if things do not go as planned, notes Walls—and he is fine with this, viewing employee-ownership as a strength.

“It’s nice to work for a company where, when we succeed, all the employees succeed with us—not on a figurative level, but on a very real financial level.”

The post A Reputation for Quality Products and Custom Work<p class="company">Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (IEM)</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Pucci, before becoming Lands & Economic Development Manager at the City of Terrace, built a reputation for strategic engagement in business development. A skilled and passionate negotiator, his résumé includes work with government and Indigenous partners, serving as CEO of Prince Rupert International Airport, and working at Prince Rupert’s Port, Canada’s fastest-growing container terminal. His current role is generating municipal revenue and acquiring and developing municipal lands for the City of Terrace.

A prime location
“We are the Fort McMurray of the 1990s,” says Pucci, referring to the Albertan city which became legendary for its powerful petroleum sector. To Michael Pucci, and many others, the City of Terrace is similarly on the brink of overwhelming success, for a variety of reasons. The city’s population of just 13,000 is small, but its economic and service draw is closer to 40,000. The business, investment, and growth potential of the area is enormous.

When discussing Terrace, a word frequently used is “hub.” The city is easily accessible by the Skeena River and multiple highways (16, 113, and 37) and is just 144 km east of Prince Rupert. Terrace is also linked to passenger rail, bus service, the CN mainline—the only rail line in northern British Columbia—and the Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat. Annually, the CN rail line moves about $65 billion worth of Canadian economic value to and from the Port of Prince Rupert through the City of Terrace.

Northern BC is sparsely populated, with about 100,000 residents in a 1,000 km range from Prince Rupert to Prince George. However, Terrace lies along the Trans-Canada corridor, making it a centre for shopping, healthcare, financial services, and other amenities that many similar communities lack. People drive hundreds of kilometres to visit Terrace. In 2024, a study showed that 1,000 regional inhabitants visit the city in any given week, year-round, because of its hub status.

“Tourism accounts for about $84 to $86 million worth of our economy,” says Pucci, “and that includes local tourists who come to see their doctor or optometrist, or go to the grocery store, those kinds of things.” Every year, millions of additional dollars flow into the city thanks to its year-round tourism market. In summer, many are drawn by ocean fishing, boating, and fly-fishing for trout and salmon. In winter, with some of the deepest snowpacks in Canada, they flock to Terrace for skiing and heli-skiing.

Despite its many attractions, the City of Terrace knows success doesn’t happen overnight, and understands that local government must also make an effort at every level. Pucci and his team have exchanged views with Prime Minister Mark Carney three times in the past few months concerning development initiatives. And despite comparisons of Terrace’s emergence with that of Fort McMurray in the 1990s, Pucci understands the importance of proceeding strategically.

“We know from lessons learned where we need to jump over the puddle instead of walking through, and we may need help doing that,” he says. “But we have that type of opportunity here that’s outside of our taxable jurisdiction to the same level of federal economic mover and shaker in a small town. And again, 15 or 20 years from now, we will hopefully have done it better.” He notes that in the ’90s, owing to the oil industry, Fort McMurray’s high local wages also created inflated prices for everything from housing to groceries, and he says measures need to be put in place to ensure this doesn’t happen in Terrace.

Welcoming diverse industries
Many years ago, people and goods such as logs were transported along the Skeena River. In time, this led to the development of railways, roads, and a strong forestry industry. And then, to meet the needs of forestry companies, Terrace transformed itself into a service hub as truck-servicing facilities and heavy industrial groups, like Caterpillar, established themselves in the area. Every day, about 200 Class A forestry trucks roll through.

In the past few years, intent on not focusing too narrowly, Terrace has modernized, invested, and expanded wherever opportunities arise, and sees a future serving multiple industries. Truck drivers need places to sleep and eat, prompting investment in new hotels. And while the forestry industry is growing and evolving, Pucci says Terrace is well-suited to helping related businesses expand locally. Wood mills need forklifts to move product, and manufacturers to make forklifts.

“There are many different industries, but the idea is to look at the core things we do well and ask, ‘How do we participate in those industries?’” he says. “That’s an important reason why we’re able to create and maintain our hub status.”

Together with forestry, the City of Terrace is promoting itself to the mining industry. After Northern Ontario, Northern BC is the hottest mining hub in North America. One of the world’s largest gold deposits was uncovered nearby, and 60 percent of BC’s critical minerals are found within a few hours of Terrace. Some mines are at the permitting stage, while others are in operation, and as these mines develop, they will need more equipment and local labour.

“It’s very top-of-mind right now, and the federal government has highlighted that area as a key revenue source for the Canadian economy,” Pucci shares. “That is beyond the fact that it means a lot to the local economy, because mineral extraction provides a lot of royalties to the federal government. It’s an important component.”

One mine in BC’s Golden Triangle, Red Chris, is on Canada’s Major Projects Office list, and Terrace is well-equipped to meet the logistical needs of this mine site and many others across BC. These sites, along with other major energy projects such as wind, oil, gas, and ports, are estimated to bring $230 billion in affordability, security, and diversification.

Indeed, Northern British Columbia is known as the powerhouse of the province’s mining industry, and it is projected that the construction of 24 mines in the area could realize $69 billion in economic activity for British Columbians from gold, copper, silver, zinc, and other minerals. More mines, of course, mean greater opportunities for related businesses, like depots to serve trucks, commercial vehicle inspection stations, food services, and accommodation.

“We might not see Caterpillar making new diggers here, but will they have a service shop?” asks Pucci. “It makes a lot of sense to have some sort of service depot or affiliation. Will they need certain styles of flatbed trucks to move equipment in the area? One hundred percent.”

Industrial opportunities
When he became Lands & Economic Development Manager, Michael Pucci was intrigued by one of Terrace’s key assets, the Skeena Industrial Development Park (SIDP). The park is remarkable for many reasons, including its size. With over 1,200 acres of continuous greenfield industrial-zoned land, SIDP is larger than Vancouver’s 1,000-acre Stanley Park.

Representing a joint venture and revenue-sharing partnership with Kitselas First Nation, SIDP is ideal for operations large and small. It is close to the Port of Prince Rupert, which is Canada’s third-largest container terminal and the home of the nation’s newest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal.

“The involvement of First Nations in British Columbia’s economic development, and where that’s going, is something that large and global companies don’t have the strongest understanding of,” says Pucci. “And so, this is a fantastic way to put industry at comfort; that there’s a way to positively engage, as well as contribute to the overall benefit of our region.”

On the highway and adjacent to the Northwest Regional Airport, SIDP is accessible to every part of British Columbia. And with both the transmission and distribution of natural gas and electricity, it has all the base assets for petroleum, manufacturing, logistics, and transportation businesses. Just 10 minutes from nearby communities, it’s conveniently placed. “It is the future of Terrace,” says Pucci, “and it doesn’t have that urbanization concern.”

The Skeena Industrial Development Park may be the clearest expression yet of Terrace’s ambitions. With its scale, strategic location, infrastructure, and partnership with Kitselas First Nation, it offers the city an opportunity to attract investment while building on the strengths that have made Terrace a regional hub. More importantly, it reflects a broader vision that is not dependent on any single industry or project.

For Pucci and the City of Terrace, the goal is not simply to capitalize on a moment of economic momentum, but to build an economy capable of sustaining that momentum for decades to come. Forestry, mining, energy, transportation, tourism, manufacturing, and logistics all present opportunities, but the real advantage lies in the connections between them—and in the businesses and services that emerge around them. By identifying what Terrace does well and positioning itself to support a diverse range of industries, the city is working to turn its geographic and infrastructural advantages into lasting economic value.

That approach also means learning from the experiences of other resource-driven communities. Terrace has an opportunity to welcome major investment without losing sight of affordability, livability, Indigenous partnership, or the needs of the residents and businesses that already call the region home. The ambition is considerable, but so is the opportunity: to grow strategically rather than simply quickly. Terrace has the chance to chart its own course—one that embraces its role as a northern hub, welcomes diverse industries, and creates prosperity that extends well beyond any single boom.

The post The Hub of British Columbia<p class="company">City of Terrace, British Columbia </p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Aved—as part of the Lithion Battery family, a North American business that produces state-of-the-art battery packs, cells, and energy storage devices, and provides high-performance solutions for critical applications worldwide—designs and produces custom battery packs, cable assemblies, and electro-mechanical systems for medical diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical equipment, along with high-reliability solutions for robots, security systems, and military operations. Additionally, every Lithion brand can expand, adapt, and meet shifting market demands thanks to its Henderson, Nevada, plant’s fully automated pack production line, prismatic cell manufacture, and internal design, testing, and engineering expertise.

Leading the way in electro-mechanical integration, complex cable construction, and customized battery systems created specifically for humanoid and next-generation robotics, Aved helps robotics inventors bring their ambitious ideas to life, from early prototype development to scalable production. Humanoids can move, think, and operate with precision and endurance thanks to the sophisticated, reliable power and connectivity technologies developed by Aved’s technical experts.

Embracing the quality, safety, repeatability, and dependability so crucial to humanoid robotics, Aved’s innovations include spearheading the creation of intelligent humanoid systems built to operate, adapt, and endure. Recently, the company has been expanding its presence in surgical navigation, robotics, and next-generation medical technologies.

“The medical technology industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation,” says Erick Lee Young, Senior Director, Sales, explaining that advances in surgical navigation, robotic-assisted procedures, portable diagnostics, connected healthcare devices, and artificial intelligence are redefining how care is delivered and improving outcomes for patients around the world. “At Aved Electronics, we see this evolution not only as an opportunity, but as a responsibility to help bring these life-changing technologies to market with the quality, reliability, and precision they demand.”

Medical devices have become increasingly sophisticated over the past decade, and today’s systems integrate advanced electronics, intelligent software, sensors, wireless connectivity, and complex power architectures into compact, highly reliable platforms. Whether supporting surgical navigation systems, robotic-assisted surgery, portable imaging equipment, or wearable medical devices, manufacturers require partners that understand the unique challenges associated with developing and producing products intended for critical healthcare environments.

“One of Aved’s greatest strengths is our commitment to quality,” says Young. “As an ISO 13485-certified manufacturer, we operate under one of the most stringent quality management standards in the world.”

ISO 13485 was specifically developed for medical device manufacturing and places rigorous requirements on risk management, traceability, process control, documentation, validation, and continuous improvement. For medical OEMs, compliance with this standard provides confidence that products are being manufactured within a framework specifically designed to support patient safety and regulatory expectations.

More than a contract manufacturer, Aved positions itself as a strategic partner throughout the product lifecycle. Its value proposition is centered on helping customers reduce risk, accelerate development, and maintain uninterrupted supply from concept through production. By engaging early in the design process, Aved combines engineering expertise, transparent pricing, disciplined program management, and advanced manufacturing capabilities to help customers bring complex products to market faster while minimizing technical and supply chain challenges.

“This commitment to quality has enabled Aved to become a trusted manufacturing partner to some of the most respected names in medical technology,” Young stresses. “From early concept development through full-scale production, we become an extension of our customers’ engineering, supply chain, and operations teams. Our objective is not simply to manufacture products, but to help customers solve complex technical challenges, reduce program risk, and successfully commercialize innovative technologies.”

Among the most exciting areas of growth within healthcare is the continued expansion of surgical robotics and navigation systems. These technologies are enabling greater procedural accuracy, reduced recovery times, and improved patient outcomes, and as adoption increases, the supporting electronics and power systems become increasingly critical. “Reliability is not simply a design objective; it is an absolute requirement,” says Young.

In addition to its growing presence within medical technology, Aved is collaborating with several leading developers of next generation humanoid robotic systems. “These partnerships include supporting advanced battery technologies, power systems, and complex electronic assemblies that enable robots to operate safely, efficiently, and reliably. While humanoid robotics remains an emerging industry, the pace of innovation is extraordinary, and we believe many of the engineering principles developed within medical devices will directly influence the future of intelligent robotics,” Young shares.

“Our partnership with Lithion Battery provides customers with a unique level of vertical integration. By combining custom battery design, advanced electronics manufacturing, cable assemblies, electromechanical integration, testing, and scalable production under one organization, Aved is able to simplify development, reduce risk, and accelerate time to market.”

As medical devices and robotic systems become increasingly mobile, intelligent, and autonomous, energy storage and power management will continue to play a central role in enabling innovation. “Looking ahead, we believe the future of healthcare will be defined by greater connectivity, increased automation, advanced robotics, and more personalized patient care,” he adds.

To that end, Aved remains committed to investing in the capabilities, technologies, and partnerships necessary to support that future. “By combining stringent medical quality standards with advanced manufacturing expertise, we are helping customers bring the next generation of medical technologies from concept to reality—ultimately improving lives and advancing healthcare worldwide.”

Behind every successful product launch is a manufacturing partner capable of scaling alongside its customers. Whether supporting prototype builds, design verification, regulatory testing, or high volume production, Aved’s engineering and manufacturing teams work collaboratively to ensure products transition efficiently through every stage of development while maintaining the quality and traceability demanded by high reliability markets.

Other services include high-reliability battery applications, custom battery pack manufacturing, testing and compliance expertise, contract technicians, O- lithium-ion regulatory compliance submissions, design for manufacturability (DFM Review), and pack integration.

For accurate battery module and pack testing, Aved employs a number of Chroma 17020 systems, as well as a variety of automated wire processing machinery with sizes ranging from 30 AWG to 4/0. Aved uses a wide variety of connector methods and is fully equipped with almost all termination alternatives, along with utilizing serialized controlled Cirrus, Chroma, and bespoke test stands as needed to test and certify all of its products.

In terms of the critical role of intelligent battery pack design in modern medical and portable device development, the company takes its position seriously, with custom battery packs, cable assemblies, and electro-mechanical systems for medical diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical equipment.

In order to maximize performance and packaging requirements for medical and mobility applications, the company has offered custom-engineered battery packs made in accordance with OEM specifications with the cell type and battery chemistry of its medical and high-reliability battery packs optimized in terms of voltage, cycles, pulse rates, capacity, charging, temperature, and packaging, as needed. Aved also performs end-of-line verification, simulates battery usage, records performance data, characterizes the battery, and provides resolute, serialized test data for each battery pack, making it perfect for critical care applications.

These specialized battery packs are FDA and IEC 62133 compliant self-aware smart packs with strong electronics and quick charge times of one hour to 85 percent when needed. Depending on the application, they can run between -30°C and +20°C, give clean voltage with an average deviation of less than five percent, operate at 1000 cycles or more, produce high pulses up to 100 A, and have capacities ranging from 24 V to 200 V (10 A/hr to 100 A/hr) and 4 kW.

When it comes to driving strategic growth through innovation, advanced manufacturing, and expansion into high-reliability markets, Aved’s vision is clear. Growth in today’s manufacturing environment is no longer driven solely by capacity or cost competitiveness; increasingly, it is driven by the ability to support complex technologies, navigate evolving supply chains, and help customers successfully bring products from concept to commercialization. At Aved Electronics, this philosophy is central to its growth strategy.

Over the past several years, the company has intentionally expanded its focus toward high-reliability markets where quality, performance, and consistency are critical. Industries such as medical devices, robotics, defense, and industrial automation continue to advance rapidly, creating demand for manufacturing partners capable of supporting increasingly sophisticated products and technologies.

Of course, a key component of Aved’s strategy is identifying emerging technologies early and building relationships with the companies developing them. Advancements in electrification, battery technology, artificial intelligence, and automation are creating new opportunities across multiple industries and driving demand for integrated electronic assemblies and custom power solutions.

“Equally important is our commitment to long-term partnerships,” says Young. “The strongest customer relationships begin well before production starts. Aved’s value proposition is rooted in helping customers reduce risk, accelerate development, and maintain uninterrupted supply throughout the product lifecycle. By engaging early, we combine engineering expertise, transparent pricing, disciplined program management, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and a resilient supply chain to support customers from design through full-scale production. Rather than acting solely as a contract manufacturer, we become an extension of our customers’ engineering and operations teams, helping solve challenges before they become obstacles.”

As medical technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, and advanced automation continue to evolve, manufacturers will increasingly seek partners capable of delivering more than production capacity. They will need organizations that can provide engineering insight, supply chain resilience, regulatory expertise, and scalable manufacturing solutions. By continuing to invest in advanced capabilities, strategic partnerships, and high-reliability markets, Aved is well positioned to help customers transform innovative ideas into commercially successful products while creating long-term value for the industries it serves.

The post Quality, Opportunity, Responsibility<p class="company">Aved Electronics</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Headquartered in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Québec, Alstom is Canada’s only domestic train manufacturer. A global leader in smart, sustainable mobility solutions, Alstom has about 87,000 employees worldwide, including nearly 5,200 in Canada, and is helping shape the future of transportation while creating opportunities for the next generation of talent.

Many new graduates in fields such as engineering have a say in which sectors they wish to work, and companies like Alstom, with a strong emphasis on creating a greener, cleaner world, often come out on top.

“We are transforming cities for tomorrow and creating economic opportunities by addressing congestion issues in urban centres like Toronto and Montréal,” says Olivier Marcil, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at Alstom Canada. “Our passenger rail solutions are modern, automated and very sophisticated. Our employees are contributing to tackling climate change, because they are working at a company that offers clean mobility solutions. Our trains are green,” he explains.

Being part of a business that focuses on sustainability and produces trains powered by electricity, hydrogen, and batteries, is an extremely attractive value proposition.

“It is really appealing for the next generation, and our main challenge is to make it known specifically in North America, where there is a strong car culture and less focus on transit than in Europe or Asia,” adds Marcil. “Our goal is really to make this company, and this sector, familiar to the next generation.”

A leader in sustainable mobility solutions, Alstom remains focused on the future of transportation across North America and worldwide. In 2021, Bombardier Transportation (a division of Bombardier Inc.) was acquired by French multinational Alstom, further strengthening its decades-long presence in North America and accelerating its growth ambitions. The acquisition was followed by the creation of a brand-new Innovation Centre in 2022.

At Alstom’s Americas headquarters on the outskirts of Montreal, the Innovation Centre leads the development of “future platforms for green hybrid, battery, or hydrogen propulsion technologies specifically tailored to the North American rail freight and passenger market, and in doing so meet the sector’s decarbonization needs,” according to the company. This includes dedicated prototyping, augmented reality equipment, and collaborations with key industry players and universities across the country.

In 2023, Alstom conducted a demonstration of the first hydrogen-propulsed train in North America intended for commercial service, a demo driven by the Innovation Centre. To date, the Centre continues to work in areas such as batteries, manufacturing processes, robotics, braking, propulsion, and artificial intelligence.

Decades of experience
French multinational rail systems manufacturer Alstom SA, originally known as Alsthom, was created in 1928 through the merger of Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques’ (Als) electrical engineering division, and Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston (thom). The following years were marked by acquisitions and international expansion, including the establishment of a longstanding presence in Canada. This expansion sped up following the 2021 Bombardier acquisition, which positioned Alstom as the country’s sole rolling stock manufacturer.

Bombardier Inc. was well established as its own respected global powerhouse. Largely known today for aerospace and manufacturing business jets like the Challenger 650 and Global 8000, the company also built its reputation as a maker of snowmobiles and railway trains. By 2021, the rail industry was increasingly moving toward consolidation.

“There was a lot of discussion across the industry regarding the need for a global player with the size, scope, and capabilities to compete on every continent, and equipped to face competition coming from China,” Marcil explains.

Although there had been previous attempts to consolidate the market, none succeeded until the combination of Alstom and Bombardier in 2021, which created the largest pure rail player in the Western world. The two merging companies were of roughly equal size, employing approximately 35,000 people each worldwide, but differed in their product portfolio and market presence.

The strength of the transaction lay in the complementary nature of the two businesses. Because the companies had established leadership positions in different markets, they were not direct competitors. Bombardier was well-known in North America, the United Kingdom, and Germany, while Alstom had a strong position in France, India, and Brazil. Merging the two companies saw expanded access to different markets.

Similarly, Bombardier was notably known in commuter rail and operation and maintenance, while Alstom was recognized for its strength in high-speed rail. “Merging the two created a very large portfolio of products, services, and technologies, and access to the market, which has allowed us to better serve our clients with a 360° portfolio offer and a multi-local manufacturing strategy,” says Marcil. “That’s been a literal game changer for the industry, and for Alstom employees of course.”

Positioned for growth
Many associate Alstom with rolling stock, but the company also has a strong offering in operations and maintenance and signaling. Depending on the project, maintenance contracts can extend for 25 to 30 years, allowing Alstom to support customers throughout the lifecycle of their transportation systems.

Across Canada and the U.S., Alstom has been integral to many new transit systems. In Toronto, for example, Alstom employees maintain and operate the GO Transit network. They also deliver these services in Los Angeles, Edmonton, and Montreal. The company also handles the operation of Automated People Movers (APMs), automated trains at airports moving millions of passengers between terminals every year.

“We provide, maintain, and operate those trains for nine out of the 10 largest U.S. airports. On top of that, we handle everything that is digital, like AI and cybersecurity,” says Marcil. “It depends on the customer and their specific needs.” Some contracts see Alstom solely providing rolling stock, while others include operation and maintenance, signaling, or systems.

“Our ambition is to grow in every market where we operate, and Canada and the United States are very strategic to us. We see tremendous opportunities, both because of the evolution of the cities and the breadth of our offerings.”

Compared to Europe, Canada and the United States continue to evolve rapidly, with significant growth taking place across many mid-sized urban centres. This is resulting in many cities moving from 100 percent bus systems to rail systems.

Last January, Alstom was awarded a $2.3 billion contract with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to manufacture a 70-car New Subway Train (NST) fleet for Toronto’s subway. The six-car Metropolis metro trains will replace the TTC’s aging Line 2 vehicles and serve on subway extension projects.

“This new fleet of metro trains will be designed and engineered here in Canada, assembled in our Thunder Bay site, supported by an expanded network of local suppliers, and tested in our Kingston site,” said Michael Keroullé, President of Alstom Americas, in a media release. The contract will generate up to 945 direct, well-paying jobs in Canada, and over 1,700 indirect jobs.

“We are pursuing every opportunity that we have in Canada,” says Marcil. “It’s important for us to be there, to be present. We have a bright future in front of us.”

With transit expansion at every turn, Alstom is part of numerous multi-billion-dollar projects to replace and modernize mass transit. These include manufacturing Toronto’s distinctive new red streetcars and being a part of the Eglinton LRT line and the upcoming 18-kilometre Hazel McCallion Line (Hurontario LRT). These projects draw on its expertise in electrification, systems integration, engineering, manufacturing, signaling, operations, and maintenance.

“We keep growing in Toronto, and it’s one of our largest markets,” says Marcil. “Metrolinx and the TTC are among the most important clients we have in the world.” Projects of this scale require close collaboration among multiple partners, with Alstom working alongside companies specializing in civil engineering and other disciplines.

The Alstom Foundation
A strong believer in giving back, Alstom supports communities around the world through the Alstom Foundation, which operates worldwide, supporting several causes and charities.

“For us, it is the idea that we should give back to our community and contribute to a better world,” states Marcil. “It is part of our corporate citizenship commitment.” Since 2007, the Foundation has focused on four key areas: economic and social development, environmental protection, access to mobility, and access to energy and water.

“Our core business is to facilitate the movement of people and goods. There are cities and ecosystems less equipped to do that, so we support access to mobility and projects related to poverty, energy, or water access.”

The Foundation’s success is driven by the engagement of Alstom employees. Every project must be sponsored by an employee, who essentially carries the project to the Foundation. Once a year, project proposals are reviewed by a committee and funding is allocated. To date, the Alstom Foundation has supported over 330 projects worldwide. “Alstom is in over 60 countries around the world, and we are proud to support projects that make a tangible difference in those communities,” says Marcil. “Providing opportunities like these is an important part of our commitment to corporate responsibility and creating lasting positive impact worldwide.”

On track for a bright future
With a shift toward rail in many cities, the future of Alstom Canada is bright. At its Americas headquarters, the company announced plans to fill between 160 and 200 positions, reflecting both the company’s growth ambitions and the increasing demand for sustainable transportation solutions. This growth will enable Alstom to continue playing a pivotal role in helping urban centres expand and accelerate the transition to greener mobility. “It’s a great industry to work in, and trending north,” adds Marcil. “When you look at mega-trends—pollution, urbanization, demographics—all this in the future will favour cities to adopt more passenger rail projects, so we will be very well-positioned in Canada, the United States, and across the Americas to capture that.”

Alstom is the national player in passenger rail manufacturing in Canada, the only with manufacturing capabilities and facilities in the country. With four manufacturing sites, an engineering centre, and a privately owned 2.1-kilometer test track in Kingston, Ontario, Alstom is active across the entire rail value chain—from design and manufacturing to systems, signaling, operations, and maintenance.

“All this positions us as Canada’s number one provider of passenger rail solutions, as demonstrated by our strong presence in Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Waterloo, and soon in Quebec City. Looking ahead, the opportunities are significant. High-speed rail is coming to Canada, VIA Rail will renew its long distance fleet, and cities across the country continue to modernize and expand transit. With our footprint, expertise, and capabilities, Alstom is uniquely positioned to help deliver the next generation of transportation projects.”

The post Powering the Green Transportation Transition<p class="company">Alstom Canada</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

As a modern, future-focused operation, Altro comprises three packaging-related companies as part of a single group of family businesses: Altro Labels, CanCorr, and Norlands Box Company. While the company is still relatively young, this works in its advantage as it embraces cutting-edge technologies, making this team faster and more nimble than many of its competitors.

Taking change in its stride, the global economic fluctuations of the past decade have served the group well. As the sudden rise in demand for paper packaging during the e-commerce boom in the pandemic years fueled tremendous growth, it became the company’s most lucrative period to date—one that contributed to long-term fiscal stability.

The team at Altro has always kept a close eye on its market, and with its early years providing sufficient opportunity to thoroughly study the pre-pandemic market, it quickly became clear that what was needed in the local area was corrugated paper packaging products and reliable supply chain processes. Requiring a significant investment, Altro Industries Inc. responded to the market gap with state-of-the-art corrugator equipment, establishing a sheet feeder facility that became CanCorr. CanCorr’s 100,000-square-foot facility was completed in 2022.

The new company went into operation with full velocity, bringing novel offerings to market, which garnered it the loyal following of many smaller companies needing smaller packaging batches. “In six months, we filled up one capacity. Now, we’re sitting at about 80 percent capacity at CanCorr, running in three shifts,” says Baha Naemi, Co-founder and Managing Partner.

But this was just the beginning. Based in Surrey, British Columbia, the Naemi family’s next outfit, Norlands Box Company, followed in quick succession. Complete with an in- and outbound sales team, this company turns CanCorr’s corrugated paper into boxes. It helped the group go from humble beginnings to employing more than 150 team members in a total of 300,000 square feet. In the process, the company’s team has truly become a family.

As a result, Naemi is open about the realities of needing trustworthy people. “The only reason we were able to grow was because of our employees and being able to identify similar-minded people who are looking at growth, especially in a country and in an industry that’s not known to be very aggressively growth-minded,” he says.

Thanks to this future-forward approach, Altro’s integrated team and strategic investments enabled the company to meet the paper packaging market at the right angle at the right time—when many large corporations in the industry lacked service delivery and diversity. In meeting this need, the group also changed the overall landscape of corrugated paper packaging in Canada for the better.

As the country is considered a comparatively small market on a global scale, super-sized North American paper mills traditionally divided the local geography. In the process, their Canadian clientele was roughly divided into East and West North America, requiring large orders to be considered for product and service partnerships with them.

Altro changed all that when it started serving regional box converters and independent Canadian businesses with paper packaging products in smaller quantities to suit their business demands, serving everyone from manufacturers to supermarkets. The success of the approach is evident in its output.

As an operator that runs only full trucks from its facilities, Altro dispatches around 50 containers of paper packaging in a given 24-hour cycle, supporting Canadian businesses all the way. “We utilize local distribution, and we try to use as many Canadian trades and Canadian partners as possible as well as a Canadian supply chain,” Naemi tells us.

While lucrative, this trade is not without its challenges. Paper mills are one of them. As a result of having no paper mill in Western Canada, Altro is pursuing the possibility of investing in such infrastructure once its operations are ready to handle the addition of another facility, either fully or partially.

Beyond the paper mill challenge, however, future markets look promising. With as many as 70 percent of the brands it supplies demanding fully recycled paper packaging, the industry is alive and well—a trend set to continue. Based on the well-managed balance Canada strikes between deforestation and reforestation, Naemi’s forecast is positive.

“Quite honestly, environmentally, [recycled paper packaging] makes more sense than plastics or anything else that they’re coming up with as alternatives to plastics, because wood is not going anywhere,” he confirms. It is this dynamic that made the industry a worthy investment opportunity for the Naemi family in the first place.

Looking at how the industry is unfolding and evolving today, this visionary leader sees artificial intelligence (AI) as a game changer for the corrugated paper packaging industry. His take on the fear of workforce replacement is perhaps best described as pragmatic. “If you’re worried about AI replacing you, then you have to be the one who is a proponent of AI in your own department, no matter what you do,” he says. “What that does is it gives you the knowledge base of what you can do to improve your own scope of activities,” he highlights, advising staff members to turn AI into a tool to enhance their performance rather than replace them. This strategy, he advises, creates an environment wherein a company’s leadership is unable to replace proactive individuals with technology.

As a result, such technologies are employed to improve overall efficiency by streamlining logistics, scheduling, machine learning, and other functions. To fine-tune its approach, the company is partnering with university departments to develop custom algorithms to refine its processes.

Naemi is a big proponent of family businesses—especially around midlife when maturity makes it easier to put things into perspective while improving people’s natural ability to lead. This appears to be a strategy leveraged by many successful businesses. “Not many people know that more than 50 percent of Fortune 500 companies are still family-controlled. And that means there’s huge potential in running a family business,” he says.

Naemi ascribes the success of family businesses to common goals, shared visions, and highly functional leadership processes that stand in stark contrast to those often found in standard corporate environments, where it is not uncommon for members to lose sight of their common goals. For him, running a firm alongside siblings means streamlined, integrated decision-making and better-controlled bottom lines. Both are considered imperative aspects of any successful manufacturing operation.

While the group continues exporting 50 percent of its products to the United States, recent geopolitical shifts have turned local market psychology toward renewed economic expansion. As a result, the corrugated paper industry has also shifted. Altro is proof that recently implemented tariffs have strengthened how Canadians view locally manufactured goods and services, and Naemi reports that this dynamic has brought entrepreneurs together in new ways to develop improved economic outcomes with a long-term vision.

Considering British Columbia and Alberta’s comparatively small economies, these leaders know that simply placing value on numbers is no good if their businesses are to remain in stride with the market. Therefore, the company considers the greater economic climate of its own ecosystem of companies in relation to their abilities and resources. The approach has allowed Altro to develop uncanny agility within its market, adapting at impressive speed to its customers’ needs and demands.

At Altro, the renewed growth mindset of the nation is further reflected and supported by its staff, many of whom are immigrants like its owners, who moved to Canada from Iran nearly three decades ago. Canada’s potential has always been a motivating force behind the family’s and the team’s aspirations to create a better future for all, and this sense of altruism appears to naturally attract employees who share a similar mindset. For that reason, the company supports its people in finding and securing good housing and schools, ensuring that the families connected to it are well established and cared for.

Moreover, team members receive generous incentives for pursuing personal growth and furthering their education. By ensuring that its employees, systems, and facilities perform at optimal efficiency and by removing the complexities and cost of American imports, Altro provides its Canadian partners with stability and predictability alongside top-quality corrugated paper packaging they can count on.

For the same reason, the group considers itself a respectful competitor to legitimate Canadian businesses in the same market. “We are very respectful of genuine businesses that are not owned by private equity firms in the market just making some quick money and passing it on to the next private equity,” Naemi points out. “Any business that is looking at building an actual long-term business in British Columbia, we are very cordial with,” he continues. The reason is simple: many of Altro’s competitors are also its customers, making for a genuinely amicable business environment where healthy competition and mutual support help create a vibrant trade environment.

Proud of what the company has achieved in a market where prices of everything from commodities to real estate are currently inflated, competition is rife, and human resources are sparse, Altro Industries Inc. is a shining example of what is possible when a company commits to long-term success with resilience and watertight economic contingency plans. Now, its strategy for continued success includes further growing its presence in the Western Canadian paper packaging sector to secure its future plans over the next two to three decades.

Maintaining its loyalty to local communities, the company aims to expand its presence, particularly in British Columbia and Alberta, while cultivating its market share in the United States. In the process, it is exploring possibilities in procuring the services of a local paper mill, either as part of its own portfolio or through partnership, as most of the paper pulp produced in Western Canada is still exported. In establishing its own operations, Altro’s goal would be to keep pulp in the country for its own use. As Naemi says, “That will give us assurance that the business can stay for a long time to come.”

The post Agility, Speed, Capability: Paper Packaging on the Move<p class="company">Altro</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

The company’s products are popular for good reason. Inspired by Toyota’s lean manufacturing principles, which eliminate waste to optimize end-user benefit, Southland Trailers’ heavy industrial and livestock trailers run as far afield as Russia, Hawaii, and Australia, with dealers across Canada and the United States.

In an industry that is not necessarily known for being on the cutting edge, Southland Trailers is a thought leader known for pushing the limits of trailer engineering. Owners Jason, Ryan, and Scott Sailer are passionate about driving evolution and always being available to their team and customers. Scott Sailer is open about the company’s position on industry evolution. “The understanding of what a trailer is needs to change. We’re trying to change the perception of what a trailer should do,” he says.

What makes Southland’s products so special? The secret to its next-generation trailers is deceptively simple. By recognizing the waste of fuel and steel in outdated traditional trailers on the end-user’s side, the company’s engineering team has modernized its durable, high-performance trailer units in ways that competitors have been unable to match. Southland is therefore actively revolutionizing how people perceive trailers by building products that are significantly lighter than traditional trailers, yet every bit as strong and durable.

If it is not yet clear, Southland Trailers is by no means just another industrial fabricator. The company fulfils its mission with a refreshingly advanced approach to creative freedom, focus, and fun—a rare combination in a tough industry. While minimizing waste and the use of materials in its products, its design ethos relies on built-in strength and durability by maintaining high-level efficiency and non-negotiable quality.

One case in point is its engineered sill design, Southland’s most game-changing feature to date. “We’ve built, I believe, the best dump trailer in the market. We’ve had every competitor basically try to copy it. Most have failed because they didn’t copy it properly and didn’t do things properly,” says Scott Sailer, Director of Operations. And as expected, this next-generation innovation has been selling itself.

“The key is that this one can haul more, and you’re going to make more money with our [trailers]. You’re going to put more money in your pocket because you’re going to be pulling a lighter trailer, which is more fuel-efficient for you,” Sailer says of the efficiencies these trailers provide. And the benefits do not end there. “You’re going to be able to put more product into that trailer because it’s lighter, so you can put more onto the axles,” he adds.

The weight allowance on axles after the trailer weight is subtracted can limit transportation volumes when employing old-fashioned, heavy trailers. That means that Southland allows for larger haulage volumes and better earnings and returns on investment.

The company even takes its paint finishes seriously. In using liquid paint instead of powder coating, as it is easier to maintain and repair, electrostatic paint booths prevent waste by drawing paint directly onto the metal, without the tremendous waste typical of old-fashioned methods. These are just a few of the ways in which Southland Trailers is committed to delivering better quality and value in every way possible.

As the largest employer in Lethbridge, Alberta, Southland’s outstanding professionals have more to do with its success than most may realize. Growing from a team of 70 a decade ago to a team of 600 today is no small feat, and the company is continuing to hire. And, if it is no ordinary fabricator, it is certainly no ordinary workplace, either.

With an ownership team whose acute understanding of creativity allows for all employees to contribute, the company’s approach continues to reap astounding results that have secured its reputation for excellence for the long haul. As such, the team is proud of the millions of dollars it has invested in its local Alberta communities thanks to its success.

It also does its best to be environmentally responsible wherever possible, with sustainability efforts including recycling materials like plastic, cardboard, aluminum, and steel. “I do wish there were better programs within Canada to help recycle cardboard and plastics and better facilities to take it away,” Sailer shares. “There are definitely some roadblocks getting that material taken out of our facility once it’s all banded up, but we’re trying to do our part, that’s for sure.”

The company was founded by Sailer’s parents, Shelly and Monty, in 1980. Their three sons worked their way up from the bottom, changing brakes, working on axles, driving forklifts, and selling trailers. When the time eventually came for the next generation to take the business over, around 2008, the pair were initially concerned about the large changes the siblings started implementing. From improving production flows to changing the building’s layout, it took some serious courage on their part to give the youngsters the space they needed to take the company to the next level. Their patience and trust paid off in a big way.

As business goes, taking the company their parents built over many years to the next level was not without its challenges. But Jason, Ryan, and Scott persevered, growing their leadership skills alongside the company. Today, Southland Trailers has a work environment that is every bit as lively and positive as the Sailer brothers themselves.

They have created a high-energy spirit in their facility, complete with large sound systems and the team’s favourite music setting the pace. Always forward-thinking, the company has proven that a four-day work week can be every bit as beneficial to its bottom line as a five-day work week—if not more so—so its weekly fabrication schedule runs from Monday to Thursday from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with an occasional Friday as needed to wrap up large projects.

Other incentives abound, including on-site cafeterias and top-end health and wellness benefits. Social gatherings are also common, with people having the option to join the social club. Sometimes families are included, and other times it is just the Southlanders bowling, eating pizza, and having a few beers and laughs together.

This strong sense of camaraderie is what gives the team its strength to build BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals, in case you were wondering). Around 2014, the group committed to start working toward expanding its output from 800 to 1000 trailers annually to 25,000 units per year. Now that goal is in sight, with the company rolling out around 15,000 trailers last year.

To ensure that it secures the workforce needed to continue scaling, the company goes out of its way to show youngsters that fabrication is not the dingy, sweaty nightmare it was in the previous century. Beyond working in considerably improved facilities, earnings are high and people are empowered to share their points of view and ideas. The company has seen a tremendously positive response to its efforts. “We just built a weld shop for the high school here in town, and they had over 100 students already sign up to come into the welding program to learn how to weld,” Sailer tells us.

Such students are typically also free to weld at Southland’s facility to get a feel for the job. Because, while technology has allowed the company to scale, it has by no means taken jobs from people. On the contrary. As Sailer puts it, “the robots need to be fed.”

The outcome of this is that Southland employs four new people for every robot it installs—a far cry from the general perception of what happens following the arrival of high-tech resources in fabrication facilities. A decade ago, when its first robots arrived, there was nobody available locally to program them. Creative as ever, its leadership invited all lovers of video games in its ranks to join the programming training. And they did.

Since then, the company has not looked back. Today, it employs around a dozen top-notch robotics technicians as a result of that first initiative. These machines run on Intuitive software, while Aratum is harnessed for enterprise resource planning. And as the team investigates how best to integrate AI, Sailer is clear on the fact that it, too, will not be replacing people. “Is it going to replace everybody and eliminate all these jobs? No, I think it’s going to buckle up right beside them and help them,” he confirms, highlighting that the added support can only further improve efficiency and, ultimately, customer satisfaction.

What is also clear is that this leader adores his team. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do anything,” he says, highlighting the sincerity with which each team member is welcomed into the family.

Looking at its immediate future, Sailer is clear on the company’s commitment to maintaining a genuine relationship with every customer. There are certainly no plans of selling out, either. Instead, maintaining vertical integration and steady growth toward its 25,000-unit goal is where its motivation remains for now. In the meantime, its team of around 15 creative engineers continues coming up with product improvements while driving innovation. They lead with autonomy, lateral thinking, and a quintessentially free approach to hatching Southland Trailers’ next great industry disruptor.

The post Built Lean, Built Strong<p class="company">Southland Trailers</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.