For a quarter century, Tom Racicot has been a welder. The first 15 years of his career was spent at a welding company, where he learned the ropes and ultimately gained enough expertise that he hit his ceiling. As it turned out, he had just as much passion and talent for hands-on fabrication as he did for welding.

So in 2011, he set off on his own and opened T.R. Welding & Fabrication out of his garage. The Wappingers Falls, NY company welds steel, aluminum and stainless, and it provides custom welding, structural steel, aluminum and mobile welding services. Starting the company was riskier than staying put, but Tom didn’t think twice about it. His talent spoke for itself.

E.K. Machine Company started out 50 years ago as a small machine and fabrication shop. Since then, they have grown into a full-service supplier of quality steel components and assemblies to the agriculture, construction, food processing, oil/gas and transportation industries. The company also depends on the finest technology for quality, speed and productivity. That’s where CINCINNATI enters the story.

When Chris Curtis took over RC Industries in 1994, the company was in disarray. Fresh off an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Curtis immediately identified a few reasons for the company’s stagnation.

Based in the heart of the Midwest near Rockford, Illinois, Pro Arc fabricates steel, aluminum and stainless. The team has a passion for custom and prototype work and lives for the challenges that come through the door.  Here’s how Pro Arc expanded their in-house fabrication capabilities with a brand-new CINCINNATI laser cutter, the CL-965.

If you’re wondering how to grow a fabrication business, RC Industries has a template. Its CINCINNATI machines help the company stay nimble and endlessly productive. The company now owns one mechanical shear, eight press brakes, fourlasers and one automation system with a tower—all CINCINNATI. The company’s oldest CI machine was made in 1953 and the newest in 2018. Chris spells out the reason: “I don’t have to worry about the equipment,” he says. “Nothing is made like a CINCINNATI.” 

Ryan Carne, president of Detronic Industries, has been with the same company for 24 years. He’s had Cincinnati press brakes that entire time. Why the focus on Cincinnati? In their president’s words, “They place an uncommon emphasis on educating and taking care of their customers.”

Investing in new technology keeps Accurate at the head of the pack. After shifting to SOLIDWORKS a few years ago, they purchased a laser cutting machine to boost productivity and accuracy over their hi-def plasma. The laser led to more precision jobs, and Accurate quickly found itself in need of a more precise press brake that could keep pace.

When BJ McDonald, Facilities Manager and Co-Owner at Midland Metal Products, was shopping for a new laser cutting system, he was not a brand loyalist. With a need for a no-nonsense, low maintenance solution that could handle it all, McDonald did not care what company it came from. He just needed it to be the best.