ROME — Bartell Machinery Systems, LLC, based north of Rome, announced that it recently made a significant capital investment in an advanced vertical CNC machining production cell.
The cell features two new Vertical Center Universal 500C machines made by Florence, Kentucky–based Mazak Corp. and is primarily used for plunge cutting, drilling, and material shaping.
Bartell didn’t provide a specific amount for the investment, but Shawn Lawlor, a sales and marketing manager with the company, tells CNYBJ it was in “the six-figure range.”
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The firm took delivery of the machines, installed them, and made them operational during the fourth quarter, he adds.
No new hires will result from this investment at this time. However, Bartell “is always evaluating the need for talented individuals based on the capacity and skill sets needed to grow our business,” Lawlor says.
Bartell Machinery Systems, which was founded in 1940, makes highly engineered industrial machinery systems for the tire, oil and gas, and wire industries. The company exports 80 percent of its products outside the U.S.
To complement the capability of the machining centers, the CNC machining production cell includes multiple station vises and specially designed, dedicated fixtures for simultaneous production runs, a Parlec tool pre-setter for offline tool setup, and point-of-use tools and gages for in-process verification.
Bartell says it has taken a “unique step to advance workflow processes” by rolling out a wireless computer system and large screen monitors that allow the entire work-cell to be paperless.
Andrew Longway, Bartell’s director of operations, said in a company news release that he believes this capability can be “transformational” for Bartell.
“This production cell and the state of the art equipment within it not only allows us to be efficient and competitive in the production of the parts we currently manufacture but allows us to expand our capacity to develop more advanced and complex designs, having direct influence on the quality and lead-times, and providing our customers world class products,” Longway said. “Our goal with this investment is to support the development of our innovative designs and allow them to be produced efficiently and flawlessly. This capability will allow us to do that for years to come.”
This vertical CNC machining production cell will also be part of Bartell’s efforts to “help build a future skilled workforce” by participating in the New York State Department of Labor Apprenticeship program, which provides a formal training program that combines hands-on work experience and classroom instruction. The goal is to build a skilled workforce to fill the widening gaps in available skilled labor in the manufacturing and machining sector, Bartell said in its news release.
“This program is new for Bartell and we are currently finalizing the details of the effort in concert with the Department of Labor, but this cell will be a key focus and the associated efforts are intended to be realized this year,” Lawlor tells CNYBJ.
Bartell Machinery Systems, headquartered at 6321 Elmer Hill Road in the town of Lee, has 153 employees in Central New York and 160 companywide. Patrick J. Morocco is the company’s president.