evitalizing production in the evolving post-COVID market is a common reality most manufacturers must face. Decision-makers are discovering that the use of high-performance press-tending robots can provide the robust ROI needed to make the leap to robot automation worthwhile.

he motivational one-liner, “If it was easy, everyone would do it,” is a phrase that is often repeated to those who are treading a difficult path for a worthwhile pursuit. Linders Specialty Co. has put its own spin on the expression. “We like to say that ‘if it were easy, somebody else would do it,’” says Owner and President Vince Linders. “One of our strengths is difficult, complex or intricate projects that require processes or machines that you typically won’t find at other shops. Our CAD capabilities and equipment allow us to take those projects and develop tooling and fixtures that can monitor each step for consistent, accurate parts.”

ccording to a Tanzanian proverb, “the wind does not break the tree that bends.” It’s a concept the Beckwood Corp. understands. The hydraulic and servo-electric press builder has had to adapt to helping customers do business in the midst of a pandemic while finding new ways to service its machines and continue to educate the industry about trends affecting stampers.

ess than 20 miles outside of Atlanta, a massive collection of trailer beds once canvassed six acres of land. Each trailer bed held wide flange (I-beams), channels and HSS tubing, ranging from 40 to 50 ft. long and weighing 15 to 600 lbs. per ft. Overhead cranes were the only way to maneuver the bulky steel pieces, and the rented trailers were a necessary expense.

ith demand on the rise, Marley Engineered Products in Bennettsville, South Carolina, found it needed to run four punch machines in continuous shifts to keep up.

“We were in the process of replacing some 30-year-old punching equipment, and it made sense to look into updated software to link all our machines together,” says Guy Mulee, manufacturing engineering and maintenance manager.

While replacing equipment, Mulee and CNC programmer Damien Warren, noted that Trumpf equipment used Metamation software, a product compatible with other equipment brands. “We realized we could program our Trumpf Trumatic combination machine, TruBend press brake, and also our LVD Strippit punch,” Warren says. “It didn’t make sense to use another third-party software when Metamation is Trumpf software and would give us the ability to program some of our other punching and forming equipment.”

diversified portfolio can cushion an investor from unexpected market booms and crashes. The same level-headed approach allows C4 Welding to continue serving customers despite a challenging 2020. “We try to maintain no more than 30 percent of our business in any one market,” says Henry “Bunky” Ewers, director of weld operations at the Sauk Rapids, Minnesota-based welding and manufacturing company. “In today’s industry, diversity in skill sets is king.”