2022 will be here in a few short weeks. As is the case in many periodicals, the annual “year in review” writeups will be abound and range in subject matter across the board. With that sentiment in mind, we at The Gateway Magazine thought we’d keep our year end wrap alive by putting a quick focus on all the spotlights we cranked out throughout 2021. As the calendar turns to 2022, please don’t hesitate to reach out and get your company in the queue for your own feature this year. We’d love to make it happen!
With that, let’s get into it. Thanks for picking up the magazine this year and for taking an interest in the features we’ve been piecing together for over twenty years now. (And as always, visit: www.thegatewaymag.com to access all of our archived materials, which include our company spotlight pieces, as well as our industry tips and trends stories).
Here’s how 2021 shaped up:
Monalex Manufacturing
Douglas, Massachusetts
www.monalexmfg.com
Monalex is a full-service machining and manufacturing shop specializing in the production of precision machined parts to fit customer specifications for OEMs in various industries. They have long been producing 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.
Sharples
North Attleboro, Massachusetts
www.sharplesdie.com
This was part one of a two-part series for Sharples, who got the Gateway Magazine treatment of two spotlight features in 2021 (if you’ve got ideas for your own two-part series, let us know). Sharples has been manufacturing steel rule dies since 1967. The company has decades of experience in all aspects of steel rule diemaking and serves multiple diecutting industries with its technologically advanced equipment. Part one focused on steel rule dies, which, as it were, is one of Sharples specialties, serving such applications as bulky automotive interior trim, basket manufacturing, electronics, foam, medical, packaging, and more.
Boulevard Machine & Gear
Westfield, Massachusetts
www.boulevardmachine.com
Serving some of the largest Tier 1 aerospace and defense customers across the industry, Boulevard’s core competencies lay in their unique ability to machine complex multi-axis components from modeling, programming, machining, to first article inspection with responsive lead-times. Boulevard’s blend of talented machinists provides unapparelled quality components while utilizing a mix of 5-Axis Milling, CNC Turning, and CNC Gear Cutting equipment. While the manufacturing of gears was once Boulevard’s mainstay, they have transformed into a versatile manufacturing facility under the undying persistence of owner Susan Kasa.
Howard Products Inc.
Worcester, Massachusetts
www.howardproducts.biz
For the last 73 years Howard Products has used engineering ingenuity and keen attention to customer service to fabricate parts in a way that delivers value add to its customers. Howard Products has broad capabilities and strong relationships with outside services (machining/finishing, etc.), allowing them to take a project from an idea to a finished part delivered on time, every time. In the beginning stages, engineering works closely with the client to completely understand the project and suggest efficient cost saving methods of fabrication. As the project moves forward, parts are finished to spec and delivered on time.
Plastic Design Inc.
North Chelmsford, Massachusetts
www.plasticdesigninc.com
Founded in 1976, Plastic Design Inc. has established itself as a leader and innovator in the field of custom plastic fabrication. The unique demands of the markets we serve are rarely satisfied by generic or mass-produced products. Their expertise lies in creating products that meet the specific needs of each customer. PDI’s experience within the biomedical, pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries have resulted in the development of cutting- edge products and methods by which they are produced. Application of the latest manufacturing technologies ensures that Plastic Design Inc.’s products comply with the strict tolerances and requirements of these industries. Their engineering depth and strategic alliances allow them to produce products ranging from simple cabinetry to the most advanced, fully automated stations. Working from a professional design, rough sketch or simply and idea, PDI can make your concept a reality.
Winslow Automatics, Inc.
New Britain, Conneticut
www.winslowautomatics.com
Winslow Automatics is a contract manufacturer providing custom metal fabrication services which has been serving the aerospace, commercial, and medical industries since 1956. The company is a well-respected aerospace and aircraft parts equipment manufacturer with an outstanding reputation for CNC milling and turning as a contract manufacturer and job shop producing quality machined products. Through a combination of precision CNC machining, engineering expertise, innovative CNC programming production techniques, and a diverse array of CNC machinery and equipment, Winslow can handle both large and small milling and turning production lots. Winslow’s substantial equipment inventory also allows it to serve as a job shop, performing single or multiple operations on existing parts.
Sharples
North Attleboro, Massachusetts
www.sharplesdie.com
Part two of Sharples 2021 Gateway series focused on contract cutting which the company started in on in 2004— building upon its existing steel rule diemaking service. It’s most recent development in the contract cutting department came in 2020 when Sharples enhanced its waterjet cutting capability by installing a 5-axis abrasive waterjet machine. In the company’s quest to continually evolve, a second milling machine was added to its CNC milling department to expand capacity and throughput. Contract cutting services from Sharples include laser, waterjet and milling for large-scale as well as small projects. Be sure to take in both unique parts of this series in our spotlight article archive on www.thegateway.com.
The Robert E. Morris Company
Springfield, Massachusetts
www.gotomorris.com
The Robert E. Morris Company provides CNC machine tools, tooling and accessories, and related engineering and support services to manufacturers of precision machined parts in the New England states plus Northern New Jersey and Eastern New York, including the New York metro area and Long Island.
In September The Robert E. Morris Company was excited to announce the opening of their new technical center in Dover, New Hampshire! This new technical center brought them closer to their customers for better service from all aspects. It creates a local service hub with a local service manager to handle technical service questions and dispatch to local service technicians. With this new location, The Robert E. Morris Company will provide constantly improving service to its customers with better response times and lower travel costs.
Northeast 3D Solutions
Springfield, Vermont
www.howardproducts.biz
Northeast 3D is a Springfield VT company specializing in 3D printing, scanning and additive engineering services. Northeast 3D printing services excels in engineered tooling solutions like product prototyping, parts for end use, workholding for machining, automation parts (EOT, etc.), machinery wear parts, models for investment castings (lost wax), corrosion resistant upgrades, 3D part modeling, reverse engineering, architectural models, additive process development and the sale/integration of 3D printers that they resell and build. Northeast 3D provides scanning services for new product development, maintenance, replication/reproduction, quality control, visualization/animation, and sculpture and art. Additionally the company offers post processing machining, CNC routing, CNC Waterjet, assembly, and coating/painting.
ABLE Machine Tool Sales
Agawam, Massachusetts
www.ablemts.com
ABLE’s mission is to help its customers modernize operations and integrate the right machine tools into their system to streamline their manufacturing process, find new efficiencies, create improvements, increase profitability, and tap the full potential of their tools and workforce now and into the future.
They sell machines and accessories, service everything they sell, and provide needed parts, technical support, and training throughout New England. They sell machining centers, wire and Ram EDMs, milling and boring machines, turning centers, lathes, automated deburring systems, drills, saws, automated part handling tools, manual and direct computer-controlled coordinate measuring machines, metrology systems, polishing, twin spindle and gantry mills, and a wide variety of accessories, including such things as probes and robots. They also provide engineered services, parts and repair service, technical training, technical support, and install integrated and automated systems.
TDF Metal Finishing
Danvers, Massachusetts
www.tdfmetalfinishing.com
TDF is moving quickly into the modern world of today’s business, evolving into a company capable of meeting the needs of machine shops, fabricators and OEMs throughout the region and serving a multitude of industries. From medical to aerospace, high tech electronics to some heavy industrial products, TDF is a capable and diverse finishing house, able to meet the needs of many advanced manufacturers. TDF offers a very wide array of finishes and can be a one stop finisher for many machine shops and manufacturers as well as supply other customers with specialty, unique or a “cut above” quality.
House Democratic Manufacturing Working Group Seminar
So, we didn’t have the space for a spotlight in April (no foolin’). We put a lot of our focus on a conference we attended on March 18th, held by United States House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (SC-06) and Representative Haley Stevens (MI-11), who announced the launch of the House Democratic Manufacturing Working Group, which has been put in place to examine key issues for strengthening the American manufacturing sector.
The House Democratic Manufacturing Working Group made the proclamation that they were looking to collaborate with key stakeholders throughout the industry to restore and transform American manufacturing, protect supply chains, and ensure that domestic manufacturing can compete and lead in a 21st century economy.
The three major areas of focus they put “the spotlight” on included:
1. Workforce development, economic recovery, and access to capital
2. Climate and sustainability
3. Trade, access to markets, and the export-import bank
We’ll see how it goes (and will monitor progress in 2022)!
