Small, Resourceful, And Strong: A Conversation With Monalex Manufacturing, Inc.
This month we sat down with the folks over at Monalex Manufacturing, Inc. out of Douglas, Massachusetts and presented them with a handful of questions that would best place their company in the spotlight. What you’re about to read is the meat of that conversation. If you have any further questions, or would like to learn more about Monalex – who are quite excited to announce that they’ve recently become ISO 9001:2015 certified – their contact information can be found at the end of this feature. Without further ado, please join us in learning all about Monalex Manufacturing, and what they’ve been working to accomplish within our industry for nearly three-decades…
Please, fill us in on the history of Monalex Manufacturing:
Tyson (Skip) Brady is the Owner and President of Monalex Manufacturing, Inc. At a young age, Skip began working in the engineering field at a few different companies, but the last job he had before he went into business himself was at a machine shop. His employer there had a tendency to avoid buying necessary tooling, to save on money. Skip thus felt that he was being hindered from making good products, so this was the key motivating force that made him decide to go
into business on his own. He bought his very first machine in 1972, and started out on his own with a company he called Danlyn Machine, affectionately named after his daughter.
He owned this company for 20 years, and then eventually relocated and founded Monalex Manufacturing, Inc. in 1992, which he named after his two granddaughters. Family is an important aspect of Skip’s life, and he’s enjoyed working closely with his family over the years. To this day, his wife Dede works by his side in the office, as well as his daughter Danette, and granddaughter Monika. Skip thrives on the opportunities this industry provides; he loves taking on new challenges. In his words:
“I love the challenge of making a part that others might turn down because it seems impossible to make. It’s such a good feeling when, as a team, we’ve stuck with an idea and seen it through, and in the end I have a product that is pleasing to our customers. When I’m able to satisfy a customer with a good quality product delivered on time, I feel that’s a true success.”
All of us here at Monalex Manufacturing, Inc. do our best to mirror
Skip’s enthusiasm for what he does.
What is Monalex Manufacturing's operative offerings?
What do you do?
Our company is a full service machining and manufacturing shop. We specialize in the manufacture of precision machined parts to customer specifications for OEM’s in various industries. Our current customer base includes the following industries: durable and reliable pressure and temperature switches, controls, transducers and sensors for oil and gas; medical, endoscopes; process control instrumentation; aerospace; automotive aftermarket; corrosion resistant and cryogenic valves; just to name a few. We are always looking to expand further within these fields – and we are especially interested in doing more in the medical field.
We are a full service establishment from the procurement of raw materials to all outside service requirements, i.e. painting, plating, anodizing, welding, heat treating, lapping & grinding, etc. While we work with the typical industry materials such as steel, aluminum, plastics, etc., we also excel in working with stainless steel and exotic (hi-temp) materials such as titanium, hastelloy, monel, etc.
Monalex uses state of the art CNC machines, and our manufacturing capabilities are enhanced by the use of Solidworks/Camworks CadCam software.
Currently, we’re in the process of selling some older machines, and getting some new machines. We were really excited to add two brand new Smart Machines (CNC Lathes – SL15L and NL3000BL) to our reliable collection of inhouse machines, which happened very recently. These new additions are a tremendous help in fulfilling our high standard of quality, as well as adding to our high volume machining capacity.
Another point of pride is in the fact that we excel in low volume machining, with the expertise of our machine operators working hard to manufacture highly intricate parts of all shapes and sizes. * See pictures!* Our CNC Lathes along with our CNC Milling Machines *See Facilities list* work reliably and efficiently, continuously helping us to achieve the best possible finished products for our customers.
Our Quality Assurance Manager, Jordan Miller, specializes in caring for the inspection of each and every product, and utilizes all the necessary tooling and fixtures to perform such high quality inspections, including the following:
- Micro-Vu Vertex 311 Automated Precision Measurement System
- Micro-Vu Spectra 14” Optical Comparator with InSpec metrology software
- Brown & Sharpe Gage 2000 CMM
- Fowler Trimos V4 Electronic Height Gages
- Mitutoyo SJ-410 profilometer
- Along with countless pin & thread gages, and other hand tools…
We are always looking to grow and adapt to new customers and their needs, which is why we decided to look into getting ISO 9001:2015 certified. We are hoping that this certification will lead us further into the medical field. Getting certified has been a huge accomplishment for us, and we are looking forward to seeing how we can continue to expand our horizons, and where this certification will take us.
FACILITIES LIST:
Monalex Manufacturing’s facilities list includes the following:
TURNING: CNC & MANUAL
- *NEW* SMART SL15L CNC 6” chuck; 8” Dia. X 24”lg. capacity
- *NEW* SMART NL3000BL CNC 18” Dia. X 43”lg. capacity w/4” spindle bore
- (3) HYUNDAI-KIA SKT21LMS CNC w/live tools & sub-spindle*
- (1) HYUNDAI-KIA SKT15LMS CNC w/live tools & sub-spindle*
* all with automatic bar feed
- YCM GT 250B CNC Turning Center w/Fanuc TXP-100FA control
- OKUMA & HOWA ACT20 CNC 10” dia. X 20” (between centers)
- OKUMA & HOWA 2SP-15H CNC twin spindle • HARDINGE CHUCKER manual chucker w/automatic threading
- VICTOR manual lathe Cap 16” dia X 40” w/digital readout
** Unless otherwise stated all machines equipped w/Fanuc Controls
INSPECTION:
- (2) FOWLER Trimos “Vertical 3” Measuring system
- MICRO VU Vertex Measuring Center Automated Vision
- MICROVUE 14” Optical Comparator w/In Spec metrology software
- HEXAGON METROLOGY (B&S) Microval Model 454 Personal CMM
MILLING: CNC & MANUAL
- OKUMA & HOWA 4VA CNC 4 axis machining center. Cap. 28”X, 16”Y, 18”Z
- SUPERMAX FV102 CNC machining center. Cap. 40”X, 20”Y, 20”Z, 20 hp; 10,000 rpm
- OKUMA & HOWA 511V CNC vertical machining center. Cap. 40”X, 20”Y, 20”Z, 20 hp
- HUNDIA KIA VX500 CNC machining center Cap. 40” X 20” X 20”, 10,000 RPM
- ACER ULTIMA 3VKHF 2 Axis CNC Millpower vertical milling machine
- SUPERMAX manual milling machine (12” X 30”) w/digital readout
MISCELLANEOUS:
- ACER AGS-1020AHD surface grinder (10 x 20 capacity)
- AMADA horizontal automatic bandsaw (10” round, 10 X 12 rectangle capacity)
- SUNNEN Hone
We have all the necessary tooling and fixtures to perform end product inspection.
Fill us in on Monalex’s quality, quantity and quoting practices:
As mentioned, we are newly ISO 9001:2015 certified. What’s great about this is that it has helped us really refine our quality systems so that everything runs
as smoothly as possible, as we continually strive to provide on-time delivery to our customers. Our quality policy is as follows:
“Company wide commitment to the production of quality parts, while giving personal attention to customer needs and continuously improving our use of effective and compliant quality management systems.”
This new in-depth outlook on quality has given us more confidence than ever before when it comes to taking on new jobs and opportunities.
We excel in both low volume and high volume machining, servicing the needs of customers throughout the New England area, and even a few others extended throughout the United States. We are flexible with how our customers would like to receive their items; some prefer to use a “release” method, while others prefer a fixed due date. We are ready to accommodate the unique needs of any customer.
Last Words
We’re proud of the outstanding service we provide all of our customers! We make a huge effort to respond QUICKLY to customer needs. We have the ability and the resources to make decisions in a pinch if need be, and we strive to keep excellent communication and customer service at all times. When repairs need to be made, we do so as quickly as possible, without sacrificing quality or precision. Our focus and our ultimate goal is always to have 100% Customer Satisfaction.
10 Riedell Rd. PO Box 1195
Douglas, MA 01516
Phone: 508-476-1200
Fax: 508-476-7973
www.monalexmfg.com
Owner & President:
Tyson (Skip) Brady, skip@monalexmfg.com
Sales & Purchasing:
Danette Brunetti, danette@monalexmfg.com Monika Butler, monika@monalexmfg.com
Human Resources:
Monika Butler, monika@monalexmfg.com
Accounting/Bookkeeping:
Dede Brady, dede@monalexmfg.com
