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.

For all of its manufacturing prowess, the company’s success can be largely attributed to its client-centered approach. “We put the customer first,” says Sales Manager, Francie Williams. “That’s why we have the customer retention we do, and why we’ve been in business so long.”

Being relatively small, the company is nimble and highly responsive to client needs. Flex Technologies also has a loyal, dedicated workforce and invests in the communities in which it has a presence.

In addition to the company headquarters, it operates an extrusion plant in Midvale. Injection molding and assembly work is done at sites in Mount Eaton, Ohio and Lafayette, Tennessee while a division called Polyflex, based in Baltic, Ohio, specializes in polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This process entails blending PVC resin with various additives to create custom plastic material.

All work is self-performed, a major point of pride for the company. Being vertically integrated makes things more convenient for customers and is “pretty much our main selling point for the bigger assemblies with large customers,” notes Williams.

Flex Technologies’ products can be grouped into three main categories: assembled products, injection molded components, and custom extruded products. The assembled products category includes sunroof drain tubes, fuel line assemblies, vacuum, and PVC assemblies, as well as vapor emission assemblies and carbon canisters. These are produced through automated processes and then assembled by skilled manual workers.

Products in the injection molded components category include fuel vent valves, fuel line valves, fuel caps, specialized fuel delivery connectors, and specialized couplings. The company uses presses ranging from 85 to 440 tons and excels at shuttle molding—a technique to mold multiple components in a single cycle.

Tough and durable aeration tubing to inject oxygen into soil or water is a flagship product in custom extrusion. This category also covers protective boat moldings to prevent rub and clear PVC tubing, among other goods.

Flex Technologies’ capabilities range from on-site compounding and material customization to custom extrusion and injection molding, design and engineering, rapid prototyping and validation, assembly, testing, and quality assurance. The company also performs laser etching, 3D printing, in-house tooling, and welding, and markets served include marine, consumer, automotive, lawn and garden, and industrial.

“We ship worldwide,” Williams explains. “We have quite a few customers outside of the United States, but our main focus is the U.S. just because shipping costs are so high.”

Flex Technologies boasts both ISO 9001 and IATF 16949:2016 certification, the latter being a global automotive standard—in this case, for thermoplastic assemblies, spin welding, and manufacture of injection molded components. Dedicated quality assurance teams conduct inspections, tests, and quality checks, and the company’s guiding principle is “quality products, the first time, on time, every time,” she says.

To maintain quality, productivity, and efficiency, Flex Technologies works hard to stay on top of the latest technological developments. Besides 3D printers, it uses computer-aided design software and just purchased new CNC machines for mold-making. “We’ve been hiring mechanical engineers to help with making our processes better and improving the way we make, produce, and assemble, making it all more cohesive and faster,” adds Williams. “We’re always continuously working on improving the products.”

The company was founded in 1975 by Glenn Burket, and at first featured a tiny staff of roughly a dozen employees working from an extrusion plant in Midvale. It initially focused on making specialized tubing for the automotive sector. Three years later, the Polyflex division was established, and the business was able to achieve vertical integration. PVC compounds created by Polyflex are used for everything from toys and shoes to wires, cables, hoses, and molding, in the agricultural, automotive, fencing, and extrusion markets.

At present, Flex Technologies/Polyflex operates six compounding lines with an annual capacity of over 150 million pounds. The Polyflex division can perform color matching for customers who send in material samples and offers goods in a variety of colors, formulations, and formats, from highly flexible to semi-rigid. Polyflex complies with relevant U.S. guidelines as well as Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) regulations, two European Union standards.

Founder Burket served Flex Technologies for decades. He passed away in early November 2024, but many aspects of his original vision remain in place. For a start, all the company’s sites are still located in small towns, a reflection of Burket’s community-minded spirit. “Our founder [thought it was] very important to keep it local and to support local,” says Williams.

The company has been a long-time sponsor and supporter of community groups, local sports teams, and 4-H agricultural events. Burket was well-known for purchasing meat at local county fairs and then distributing it to his personnel.

In the same spirit, Flex Technologies proudly manufactures its products in America, and when possible, uses recycled materials, be it cardboard or reprocessed plastic (used thermoplastic material that has been cleaned, then melted down and extruded into pellet form to be re-used). Keeping production within the United States gives the company more control over quality and ensures shorter lead times, and the company extends this viewpoint to its supply chain, aiming to obtain its raw materials from within the U.S. This makes good business sense, given the chaos that engulfed global supply chains during the recent COVID crisis.

At present, the company has approximately 135 employees across all divisions. The workforce is highly diverse, represents a wide range of ages and backgrounds, and is proud to have a female leader in Chief Operating Officer, Rachel Tetreault. Anyone looking for a job here needs to demonstrate self-motivation and a positive mindset, says Williams, and once brought on board, the company offers staff an array of opportunities. While outsiders are more than welcome to apply for positions, Flex Technologies likes to promote from within. The company encourages camaraderie through special events such as the recent Easter Egg hunt at the Lafayette site in addition to celebrating personal milestones. An employee in the prototype shop, for example, was recently honored on her fortieth anniversary of working there.

Over the decades, Flex Technologies has received numerous industry kudos, the most recent being a General Motors ‘Customer Care & Aftersales Excellence in Supplier Performance Award’ for 2025. This honor was the latest in a series of awards bestowed by GM and other sources for work well done.

“We’re very, very proud every time we get any of these awards,” Williams says. “It is one of the biggest highlights for our teams to see these awards and they are very proud to receive them. It gives our employees a great boost to morale.”

The company does face its share of challenges, including supply chain woes despite domestic sourcing. “Right now, raw material prices are skyrocketing,” explains Williams. “We’re looking at increases that nobody has seen before, other than during COVID, for plastics and resins.”

Inflation has pushed up the cost of machinery, equipment, and software as well. Outside of purchasing, it also causes headaches on other fronts; when customers insist on sticking to quotes made a year or two ago that are now outdated thanks to inflation, profit margins suffer. All of this is compounded by upheavals within the automotive sector as the Big Three American OEMs cope with overseas competition and unpredictable markets.

For all that, Flex Technologies continues to innovate and is eager to create new offerings. “We have new products in the pipeline,” Williams shares.

She has a very positive outlook on the company. Within five years, she hopes to see the company “increase our portfolio, increase our sales, and absolutely keep our customers happy… We’ve been in business for 50 years. We’re looking forward to the next 50. To [reach our centennial] we are upgrading and improving and working to keep our quality high, keep our employee retention high, and to have a work environment that stays positive.”

The post This Specialty Plastics Firm Hits the Half-Century Mark in Style<p class="company">Flex Technologies</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

That is where Estone Technology has built its position.

Estone Technology is a rugged computing ODM/OEM engineering and manufacturing partner that helps customers turn product ideas, technical requirements, and early-stage concepts into reliable, production-ready solutions. From rugged tablets and laptops to industrial panel PCs, HMIs, embedded computing systems, medical-grade platforms, and rugged control systems for robotics and autonomous applications, Estone supports customers who need computing platforms built for demanding environments.

The company’s role is not simply to provide hardware. It helps customers bridge the gap between a product vision and a deployable solution that can survive real operating conditions, integrate with larger systems, meet project-specific requirements, and remain supported throughout its lifecycle.

As Sales Engineer Jo Yee Ong explains, “Many customers come to us with a product idea, a PRD, a set of technical requirements, or a market need. Our role is to help turn that vision into a rugged computing solution that can be engineered, manufactured, certified where required, and supported in the real world.”

From computer business to rugged computing partner
Estone’s foundation began with a small computer business known as Stone Computer. In its early years, the company competed in the broader consumer computer market, where differentiation was difficult and long-term value was often limited. Over time, the team saw a stronger opportunity in specialized computing applications, where reliability, customization, engineering support, and long-term product availability mattered more than standard product availability.

That shift became the foundation for what would later become Estone Technology. After adopting the Estone name in 2008 and establishing operations in both California and Ohio, the company moved deeper into rugged computing, embedded systems, and ODM/OEM development for industrial, medical, and mission-critical applications.

Today, Estone works with customers that need computing platforms tailored to specific technical, environmental, regulatory, and operational requirements. Some customers begin with an existing rugged tablet, panel PC, HMI, embedded system, or control platform from Estone’s product portfolio and customize it for their application. Others begin with only an idea, concept drawing, product requirement document, or market opportunity, and Estone helps guide that concept toward a manufacturable product.

This flexibility has become one of the company’s defining strengths.

Moving from concept to deployment
Developing a rugged computing product is rarely as simple as selecting components and placing them inside a durable enclosure. Customers often need to consider display performance, touch functionality, processor selection, thermal design, battery life, connectivity, wireless communication, operating system support, mechanical structure, certification requirements, software integration, firmware behavior, lifecycle management, and supply-chain continuity.

For companies that do not have all of these resources internally, the path from product idea to finished product can be difficult, expensive, and time-consuming.

Estone helps reduce that complexity by supporting customers throughout the product development process. The company can help refine early requirements, identify practical design options, customize baseline platforms, support full custom development, and provide manufacturing and lifecycle support after deployment.

For many projects, Estone can also support certification planning and project-based compliance preparation. Depending on the final product, target market, and application, certification requirements may influence decisions related to enclosure design, material selection, wireless modules, power systems, electromagnetic compatibility, medical-grade requirements, environmental testing, and documentation. By considering these needs earlier in the development process, Estone helps customers reduce redesign risk and move more efficiently toward market readiness.

“Our job is to help customers make the right decisions early,” says Ong. “Small choices in hardware design, component selection, software integration, certification planning, or mechanical structure can affect cost, reliability, serviceability, and product availability years later.”

For Estone, a successful product is not measured only by whether it meets a specification sheet; it also has to perform reliably in the environment where the customer will actually use it. In medical environments, that may mean supporting specialized imaging, cleanability, antimicrobial materials, medical-grade certifications, long-term availability, and integration with clinical workflows. In industrial automation, it may involve panel PCs or HMIs that can operate in harsh conditions, support specific I/O requirements, and integrate with factory systems. In robotics and autonomous systems, the need may involve rugged control platforms, sunlight-readable displays, reliable wireless communication, open architecture support, and project-based compliance considerations.

“When our customers can deploy their systems with confidence, that is when we know the engineering work has created real value,” says Ong. “A successful product is not only about meeting the specification on paper. It also has to perform reliably in the customer’s actual operating environment.”

Flexible platforms, white label solutions, and custom development
Many of Estone’s rugged computing products are designed to serve as flexible baseline platforms. These platforms give customers a practical starting point while still allowing room for customization.

For some projects, adapting an existing rugged tablet, laptop, panel PC, HMI, embedded system, or control platform can help shorten development timelines and reduce risk. This approach can be especially valuable when a customer needs to move quickly but still requires changes to hardware, I/O, enclosure design, firmware, software, branding, operating system, certification path, or integration behavior.

For other projects, customers may need a fully customized product developed from the ground up. In those cases, Estone can help take a customer’s concept, PRD, or market requirement and turn it into a complete computing platform designed for manufacturing and deployment.

In addition to offering rugged computing reference platforms, Estone supports customers that need white label, private label, or fully customized ODM/OEM solutions. For customers building their own product lines, this means Estone can provide rugged computing platforms that are customized to match the customer’s brand, application, market position, and technical requirements.

This support may include custom branding, enclosure modifications, hardware configuration, I/O adjustments, software image customization, packaging support, documentation coordination, and lifecycle planning. For some customers, a white label or private label approach can help accelerate time to market by starting with a proven rugged computing platform and adapting it into a product that can be sold under the customer’s own brand.

For others, Estone can support a deeper ODM development path, helping transform a concept, PRD, or specialized product requirement into a purpose-built computing solution. This flexibility allows customers to choose the development model that best fits their business strategy, timeline, budget, target market, and supply-chain needs.

More than hardware
As connected devices become more advanced, many customers need support that goes beyond the physical device itself. For HMI, panel PC, embedded platform, and connected system projects, hardware is only one part of the final solution. The user interface, operating system, update method, device management tools, connectivity, software environment, certification considerations, and field maintenance strategy all influence whether the final product can be deployed and scaled successfully.

“These projects are rarely just about the device itself,” says Ong. “For many HMI and panel PC customers, the hardware, user interface, update method, and management platform all have to work together. When those pieces are planned together from the beginning, the final product is easier to deploy, maintain, and scale.”

Estone can help customers shape the user experience, support administrative management tools, enable over-the-air update capabilities, and develop companion mobile applications when required. This is especially important for customers deploying connected devices at scale, where remote support and software update capabilities can reduce the need to retrieve products from the field.

By combining rugged computing hardware with practical software ecosystem support, certification planning, and lifecycle support, Estone helps customers move from product concept to deployable solution with greater efficiency and confidence.

Global support and manufacturing flexibility
In many of Estone’s target industries, standard consumer devices cannot meet the requirements for long-term availability, customization, ruggedness, or lifecycle support unless purchased in very large volumes. Instead, customers need a platform that can remain stable, consistent, and supported for years.

This is especially important in healthcare, industrial automation, robotics, autonomous systems, and mission-critical applications, where frequent component changes, supply-chain instability, or limited technical support can create serious operational risk.

To meet those needs, Estone has built its business around four key strengths: cost efficiency, engineering responsiveness, end-to-end solution capability, and long-term partnership.

The company’s global footprint allows it to support sourcing, production, logistics, certification-related coordination, and customer collaboration across multiple regions. With office and support presence across the United States, Europe, Japan, and China, along with manufacturing flexibility in the United States, Vietnam, and China depending on customer requirements, Estone can help customers align production strategy with cost targets, compliance needs, supply-chain resilience, and regional market expectations.

“We support customers from the earliest design discussions through deployment and lifecycle management,” says Ong. “That continuity is important because the product does not end when it leaves the factory. Customers need confidence that their platform can be supported, maintained, and improved over time.”

Supporting growth markets
As customer needs continue to evolve, Estone has expanded its regional support capabilities to better serve key growth markets.

In 2025, the company launched its Japanese subsidiary to support increasing demand from medical and healthcare customers. In these markets, localized collaboration, engineering communication, technical support, and long-term reliability are especially important.

Estone also expanded its U.S. warehouse operations as part of its growing focus on the drone, robotics, and autonomous systems markets. Customers in these sectors are placing greater emphasis on trusted supply chains, localized support, shorter deployment timelines, and project-based compliance considerations, including NDAA- and TAA-related requirements.

Because Estone supports customers across industrial, medical, robotics, autonomous systems, and commercial technology markets, the company also participates in leading industry events around the world. In 2026, Estone exhibited at Japan IT Week, XPONENTIAL, and the National Restaurant Association Show, strengthening relationships across medical, embedded computing, robotics, autonomous systems, and connected commercial technology markets.

These investments reflect where Estone sees strong opportunity in the years ahead. As robotics, autonomous systems, medical technology, industrial edge computing, and connected device applications become more intelligent and more demanding, the need for customizable rugged computing platforms is expected to continue growing.

Turning product vision into real-world solutions
For companies developing specialized computing products, the challenge is not only creating a device that works. It is creating a product that can be engineered, certified where required, manufactured, deployed, maintained, and supported over time.

That is where Estone’s role becomes valuable.

Whether a customer needs to customize an existing rugged platform, develop a white label product under its own brand, or build a purpose-built device from the ground up, Estone helps reduce development risk, shorten the path from concept to deployment, and support the product throughout its lifecycle.

Ultimately, Estone’s goal remains consistent: to serve as a long-term rugged computing ODM/OEM partner that helps customers turn ideas, requirements, and product visions into reliable real-world solutions.

The post Turning Ideas Into Real-World Rugged Computing Solutions<p class="company">Estone Technology</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The name itself stands for THK’s promise of “toughness” “high quality” and “know-how,” three pillars that stand behind the products, the people, and the processes that elevate the value the company brings to its customers across. This level of service delivery has served as the foundation of its global reputation since its founding in 1971 and continues to fuel its efforts to remain an industry leader in performance and market share.

Made-in-America quality
THK was first established in Japan with the objective of supporting the machine tool industry through the integration of its linear guides—which the company was first to invent—and anti-friction technology. These products promised less friction and improved accuracy and repeatability versus the established industry standard.

As Edward Johnson, Vice President of Sales, explains, “The linear bushing was in effect since the ’40s basically; it was an acceptable technology for light loads and those kinds of lines, but the THK-style of profile rail with the circular raceways just increased the amount of load carrying capability and the speed and accuracy at which you could operate.”

With that success, THK began its outward expansion to better service customers where they were around the world, widening its footprint and its repertoire of components and expertise.

By the early 1980s, THK had established a sales presence in the United States and over the next decade it would become a major distribution hub for the brand, which was simultaneously expanding into Europe and other markets at the time. “The philosophy of the organization has been ‘How do we produce product closer to the customer to meet the demands that are there and eliminate duties and shipping?’” Johnson shares, which is more important today than ever before as customers continue to seek opportunities to re- and near-shore in North America.

In 1997, the company recognized that the U.S. market was a stronghold, and as such, investments were made to establish a manufacturing footprint, THK Manufacturing of America, Inc. in Hebron, Ohio. This facility has grown at an impressive rate throughout the last several decades, from 99,000 square feet to 401,692 square feet, to become an important part of the company’s global footprint of 26 facilities representative of millions of square feet of manufacturing capacity worldwide.

Investing in innovation
As THK America’s manufacturing capacity grew, so too did its innovative edge. With an “inventor mentality,” the company regularly expands the performance and value of its offerings to be “first movers” in new technology.

“In ’96 we produced a new technology,” Johnson recalls. “Instead of a linear guide with a full complement set of balls and it just circulating, we developed the cage product, which expanded our business significantly. It opened opportunities for a better solution for customer needs.” The company has only continued to innovate, introducing, for instance, its ISO-Compliant Dimensions Super-Low Waving Caged Ball LM Guide (with 8-row raceways) in 2024.

The cage technology afforded higher speeds, less particle generation, smoother motion, extended lubrication intervals, and longer life, which was of particular value for sectors like semiconductor and medical applications that command tight tolerances and clean production.

This ability to innovate is possible thanks to THK’s annual commitment to its research and development and in-house testing budgets, and enables the team to produce several new products each year.

“That ability to be a leader and to develop products to be on the leading edge in 3D printing, medical robots, life sciences, semiconductor, machine tools, and the aerospace work that we’re doing—being the first entry into a lot of these sectors gives us a stronger position, particularly in a marketplace where the product has become much more commoditized,” Johnson explains. THK is thus known as much for its innovation as for the commodities it produces.

More than commodities
Certainly, the customers who rely on THK components seek out reliability and performance, but the support that backs that is what truly brings value to the market. Where time is money, unplanned shutdowns of high-volume operations can quickly amass losses, which is why THK has introduced OMNIedge, a retrofittable IoT condition monitoring solution that promotes planned and predictive maintenance to empower foresight, reduce losses, and optimize uptime. Backed by U.S.-based service and support, the value THK delivers is unrivaled in the market.

Furthermore, THK’s engineering-led sales model positions the engineering team as an extension of the sales team to ensure that a solution exists for every problem—even if that solution calls for true customization. This is made possible thanks to the depth of knowledge and experience of THK’s team, a majority of whom have been with the company for over a decade.

“When you produce a product like a miniature linear guide that’s one millimeter in width and then you go all the way up to the ones that go underneath the base of buildings for seismic capabilities that carry 100 tons of load, there aren’t too many applications you’re not going to be able to find a product for,” notes Johnson of the range of THK’s expertise.

In response, industry-leading talent is attracted to the sense of curiosity that permeates the culture at THK. From President Nobufumi Sato through the ranks, Johnson credits this call to curiosity as being a driving force in the company’s ability to innovate. He and his team continue to ask, “‘How do I make lives better? How do I make this machine function better?’ We do a lot with surgical robotics and various types of medical applications, and those sectors are all about helping people have a better life.” This approach becomes an extension of the work THK undertakes on these customers’ behalf.

Enriching lives
From the end users of its products to the team that drives value in its operations, the culture and quality mindset of THK America continue to move the needle forward. The goal is to continue to develop a stronger factory automation team that can better integrate components and solutions into customer operations to improve efficiency and output, and the team looks forward to growing further in key verticals such as machine tools, 3D printing, life sciences, aerospace, service robotics, automotive, and semiconductors in the process.

Now, the question Johnson asks is, “What more can we do to penetrate those markets and the efforts that are going on?” which includes consideration of how to better leverage the strength of its components and its deeply rooted expertise to become a component part of its customers’ operations as a manufacturing and innovation supplier.

The answer is to continue doing more of the same, which is to say, replicating the culture of curiosity and innovation that drives growth while reinforcing the ‘toughness’ ‘high quality’ and ‘know-how’ that THK’s products, people, and processes bring to the market.

The post Enriching Lives Through Curiosity and Innovation<p class="company">THK America</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

In the world of original equipment manufacturing (OEM), effectively managing fastening complexities and assembly variability is crucial to preventing costly bottlenecks while safeguarding return on investment (ROI). Bossard Americas addresses these challenges and more.

With a selection of over 1 million rivets, nuts, bolts, and other fasteners, Bossard Americas is a trusted fastening hardware distributor providing innovative, value-added services that extend far beyond basic fastening. With nearly two centuries in the industry, this formidable thought leader delivers layers of value that make its assembly solutions portfolio exceptionally robust.

Ultimately, Bossard Americas restores the definition of ROI to its rightful place. As every OEM knows, resolving bottlenecks leads to long-term project success and improved bottom lines. To this end, the company provides turnkey engineering integration, fastener fabrication, smart factory assembly, testing, and AI-assisted inventory management through smart factory logistics. It is trusted by some of the world’s best-known OEMs and pre- and sub-assembly suppliers of all sizes to optimize their assembly strategies with expert engineering and forward-thinking technology.

Established in 1831 in Zug, Switzerland by founder Franz Kaspar Bossard-Kolin and his family, the once-small hardware store has grown into a multinational company with impressive reach. While the parent company remains headquartered in Zug, Bossard Americas is based in Cedar Falls, Iowa. A collective team of almost 3,000 employees serves customers in 35 countries around the world.

The myriad assembly challenges OEMs can face make working with Bossard an obvious choice: high-speed fabrication comes with unplanned assembly risks; lightweight materials present fastening difficulties; torque variability causes rework; joint design failures demand downtime; inventory deficits slow down fabrication, and, perhaps most critically, workforce issues lead to process inconsistencies. As a powerful industry partner that works to address all these challenges, staying at the cutting edge is essential, so Bossard’s service technicians provide onsite support during onboarding, ensuring processes are set up for optimal success.

Committed to remaining abreast of technology in its field, Bossard Americas continuously invests in the latest automation systems available, passing on the benefits to its customers. “Everything we do is geared toward launching our customers and partners on the right foot with proper engineering, making sure their designs are optimized and that their material flow processes really work to make them as productive as possible,” explains Keri Miller, Director of Marketing.

One of Bossard’s most popular offerings, an inventory management system called Smart Factory Logistics (SFL), has been part of the company’s portfolio for a quarter of a century. Beyond inventory management containers, such as IoT-enabled SmartBins, SFL also provides advanced predictive AI capabilities. This involves collecting detailed information on customer consumption, logistics, and supply chain landscapes. Once the team has a firm grasp of these foundational details within a customer’s facility, systems can be automated to maintain stock levels perpetually with minimal human intervention. This reduces administrative burden for teams, as the sophistication of the product frees them up on multiple levels to focus on crucial customer-facing tasks.

Moreover, this system can now be integrated into Bossard’s Smart Factory Assembly (SFA) solution. Developed in response to ongoing industry labor challenges, this solution aims to provide a fast and efficient automated guide for new employees with little to no assembly experience. By offering simple, clear, digitized work instructions, it enables virtually anyone to build an assembly to exacting standards, making process replication straightforward. Consequently, digitization enables easy and accurate monitoring of material handling processes and system performance while simplifying the management of assemblies across different product ranges. This speeds up worker changeovers, provides clear labor support, and minimizes defect rates.

The solution is also fully compatible with a range of add-on systems such as robotics, drills, and camera systems, all focused on improving and maintaining quality standards while tracing all processes and providing the hard data needed to substantiate claims. Quality reports can be integrated into customers’ ERP systems, significantly minimizing reruns due to defects. Data provides vital metrics regarding improved efficiency, quantity surveying, labor time invested, and more.

“Not only are we providing the foundational process for the assembly—the elements that tie it all together—but we’re digitizing and connecting that process all the way through to the end, so every step is guided, traceable, and consistent,” says Miller.

To further ensure optimal outcomes on every project, onboarding clients is a thorough process. First, new facilities are carefully studied. Necessary elements, such as additional tools and workbenches with optional weight-managed scales, are provided to fully support the assembly process. This is followed by an integration process in which the Bossard team arrives on-site to provide customer teams with essential software training for complete control over all processes, including assembly programming. This gives end-users carte blanche over their systems, allowing them to set up any number of product lines based on their requirements and resources.

“We can provide a total solution as far as end-to-end service on assemblies goes,” says Steve Prostinak, New Business Development Manager.

Moreover, when the Bossard team is engaged early on in a project, its engineering team can ensure that every aspect of the product design is equipped with the correct fasteners for peak performance, longevity, and overall cost efficiency. “Depending on the level of automation, having the correct fastener for the job can be a real time-saver,” Prostinak advises. Considering redesign costs, involving the firm early in the development phase just makes good sense.

“Get us involved early so we can help you with the design, ensuring that you’re using the right components from the start,” says Doug Jones, Applications Engineering Manager. The company also assists with establishing optimal assembly strategies, including minimizing vibration issues and optimizing the torque used to fasten hardware. It also provides training, help with managing bills of materials, and more.

Looking forward to attending Automate 2026 in Chicago this year, the team anticipates meeting companies aiming to advance the technological aspects of their assembly lines, especially those looking to start small and scale as production grows alongside systems like SFA. “SFA enables you not to have to spend millions of dollars updating your factory floor and all of the hardware that goes along with it. It’s something that can be very easily integrated into your current workflow,” Miller says.

Beyond cost, the logic of such investments remains crystal clear: by leveraging Bossard’s full-service offering, OEMs can significantly improve their system reliability and bottom lines. To this end, Bossard Americas emphasizes the importance of incremental progress and enhancement. With assembly flow optimization at the core, partner customers would be hard-pressed to find a team better aligned with this mission than Bossard. By remaining relevant to their customers’ success, the company’s reach is growing steadily.

As most OEMs start to view assembly as a strategic discipline in response to speed becoming a growing factor in supply chain reliability, companies that recognize the cost of process variability in high-speed automation—caused by operator inefficiencies, supplier fragmentation, and inventory complexities—and choose to address the issue with such a complete solution set themselves on a new trajectory. Ultimately, assembly efficiency drives automation ROI, and achieving this requires expert engineering, advanced digital resources, and optimized logistics integration. Bossard Americas provides this sophistication and more.

The post From Hardware Distributor to Top-End Assembly Partner<p class="company">Bossard Americas</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

While the company’s non-stop progress has meant significant change, the team—accustomed to big things happening fast—has taken the process in stride. With customers in Ontario and across Canada, the United States, and 14 other countries throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, and Asia, Black Controls’ appeal and impact are growing globally.

As these capabilities have grown, so has the depth of the organization. Today, Black Controls operates with specialized departments across mechanical and electrical design, in-house manufacturing teams, advanced programming, and software development. Together, they provide a unified technical perspective that ensures every automation solution is resilient, scalable, and built to perform.

The art of not standing still
While Black Controls still offers design, engineering, fabrication, mechanical, and programming services for controls, the company’s expanded capabilities have been a game-changer for customers needing a partner capable of deeply complex undertakings in this field. This momentum is fueled by the trust built into every integration, establishing the company as a trusted name in the field of automation.

This culture of innovation starts from within. By bringing its branding and technical marketing in-house, Black Controls has ensured its identity reflects the scale and range of the projects it delivers. This internal momentum is supported by the recent implementation of a comprehensive ERP system, ensuring that the company’s standards for traceability and documentation are as high-performance as the automation itself.

Alongside its main mission of developing industrial automation equipment, Black Controls provides retrofits for existing legacy systems that are facing obsolescence or are no longer performing as required.

With its popularity at a steady high, the company continues to expand. Following its rise to industry prominence when it burst onto the controls scene around six years ago, Black Controls recently took ownership of a six-acre plot of land in in Oro-Medonte, Ontario. While the current 13,000-square-foot facility houses its development, operations, engineering, assembly, and manufacturing departments, the company is now ready to plant deeper roots. Over the next three years, Black Controls will construct a new, permanent home on this site—a move that solidifies its foundation in the community and provides a dedicated space for the team’s growing scale and range.

A complete solution
While the new facility is on the horizon, Black Controls continues to build out its current operational capacity. The company has already successfully integrated a fully fledged mechanical department into its existing site, bringing expert machinists on-staff. This move allows for immediate, hands-on collaboration between departments, ensuring that the high standards established in the design phase are maintained through every stage of the physical build.

By bringing these resources in-house, Black Controls maintains complete oversight of the project lifecycle, keeping the delivery of excellence and expertise entirely within its own trusted team. “We’re able to offer the full solution now, where before we were a little limited,” says Sales Account Manager, Mike Lake.

Since 2019, Black Controls has grown to a team of nearly 30, with a focus on bringing in emerging talent from the industry. For recent recruit Zaahiya Kachwala, the company’s emphasis on career development is a significant factor. “The company recognizes that individual growth drives the company’s growth,” she says. Regular strategy sessions and professional coaching are central to this, ensuring each team member has access to the job-specific technical training and leadership skills required for their work, fostering personal development alongside the company’s overall growth.

Education, education, education
While Black Controls may be comparatively young, it has already taken big strides in establishing a legacy, underscored by providing education and training to young, soon-to-be professionals new to the field. The company’s extensive collaborations encompass working with The City of Barrie, trade shows, and local post-secondary education facilities, including Lakehead University and Georgian College—all efforts that benefit the quality of its service delivery.

Recognizing the need for continuous skill development, Black Controls provides regular training and workshops focused on both technical and strategic growth. This approach ensures the team remains proficient in the latest automation technologies and has the resources to adapt as the industry evolves.

In addition, the company emphasizes cross-training, giving the team exposure to a wider range of technical disciplines and internal processes. This strengthens their abilities and the diverse capabilities of the company, ensuring they can support one another as project requirements shift.

“The goal for us is to be able to have an energetic team that can help in many areas, because as a project progresses, there are different needs,” says Lake of consciously nurturing a multi-talented, capable staff.

Beyond the technical work, there is a strong emphasis on community, whether through team gatherings or supporting charities. This shared energy is a core part of the company’s identity. “We have a culture where everyone pushes each other to reach that next step,” says Kachwala, highlighting how the team’s drive for personal growth defines the atmosphere at Black Controls.

Getting the word out
The company also focuses on attending relevant trade shows where its people thrive on meeting new collaborators and showcasing technologies and capabilities. These include the Canadian Manufacturing Trade Show (CMTS), which was held in Toronto in 2025, and Chicago’s Automate in June of this year. Lake also attends industry forums such as A3 with owner Rick Black, who was named one of Manufacturing AUTOMATION’s ‘Top 10 Under 40’ in 2021.

These events also serve to grow the company’s network of trustworthy suppliers and other industry partners, which is invaluable, Lake tells us. “It is a huge advantage when industry partners bring us leads because they know, without question, that we’ll deliver a high-quality result. That reliability is the backbone of those relationships.”

With its capabilities having expanded. the team is looking for opportunities to push boundaries and transcend current limits. With many customers now reaching the second phase of their development and installation projects, this aim is welcomed by visionary firms looking to grow their technological capabilities.

“Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) continue to grow in popularity for their ability to navigate busy shop floors and integrate into existing systems,” says Lake. “Beyond standard AMR deployment, we’ve developed a Conveyor Top Module that automates material transfer between stationary conveyors. This motor-driven roller system handles loads up to 1100 kg, significantly reducing manual handling and freeing up floor space by eliminating the need for fixed conveyors.”

Fully customizable and accessible on the MiRGo marketplace, the module integrates seamlessly with AMR control and safety systems. Whether through programmed missions or higher-level process management, it allows for flexible, safe product transfer throughout a facility.

While the company drives innovation by continually pushing the boundaries of existing achievements, it also offers predictability. That comes together with consistency and expertise in development, design, manufacturing, and support.

“Automation is always evolving and we are growing a team to evolve with it. Through technical expertise and a commitment to shared success, the Black Controls team ensures every project serves as a foundation for the next phase of growth.”

The post Trusted Integrator, Powerful Automation<p class="company">Black Controls Company Inc.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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