For many manufacturers, cell manufacturing— also referred to as micro-cells— is one of the best ways to increase the velocity and flexibility of their production lines. “It’s literally a micro assembly line within a company’s particular product that increases their efficiency,” explained Troy Wilson, Product Manager of Table Products at Cincinnati Incorporated.

When we met with RC Industries in July 2019, the company had 160 employees working three shifts. They’ve overcome plenty of adversity in that time—much like all of us have—and managed to keep headcount the same while increasing revenue 24%. What are the reasons for that success? We caught up with Chris Curtis, Owner of RC Industries, to talk about it.

In this article, we revisit the Holland, Michigan-based metal fab job shop to focus in on the Bend Sim and Unfolder apps, and the effect they have had in streamlining operations.

Henny Penny, based in Eaton, Ohio, designs, develops and manufactures premium food service equipment such as fryers, rotisseries and holding cabinets that keep hot foods fresh. They have proudly served the world’s most demanding kitchens for over 60 years, and to safeguard their reputation for quality products, the manufacturer depends on CI press brakes. “We are big fans of their durability, repeatability and ease of use,” said Jeremy Horn, Manufacturing Technician and a 21-year company veteran who oversees forming operations at Henny Penny.

HEC Manufacturing enjoyed a massive productivity leap after installing a Hyform press brake from Cincinnati Incorporated.

Step foot in the Cincinnati Incorporated facility in Harrison, Ohio and you’ll see a whole lot of manufacturing goodness. A multitude of machines out on the floor, plenty of hard-working people doing what they do best and lots of showroom, office and classroom space.

Opening for business in 1962, Spradlin Brothers Welding has grown from humble beginnings in a two-car garage to a 25,500 square foot state-of-the-art facility. Based in Springfield, Ohio, the shop handles a wide variety of work ranging from prototypes to production runs for industries including crane manufacturing, foundry equipment, oil and natural gas, and even a super store chain (manufacturing components for their buildings). “Our biggest goal is to keep satisfying customers with our work,” said President Jeff Spradlin. The success of this philosophy can be seen in the fact that the company has maintained relationships with some customers for over four decades.

Huron Fabrication, based in Cudahy, Wisconsin, prides itself on taking complex projects from concept to completion for a wide range of industries. According to CEO Erik Schimelfenyg, “It’s not about being in the middle of the manufacturing process, it’s about being at the center of creating something great.” This includes everything from elegant residential bridges to rocket engine components to military-grade armor fabrications. Whatever project is on the production line at Huron, you’ll find equipment from Cincinnati Inc. (CI) at the heart of it.

One of the reasons we understand the needs of our customers so well is that, like them, we are in metal fabrication ourselves. As makers of metal fabrication products, we face many of the same challenges that they do on a daily basis. Our goal is to help them increase productivity and efficiency in their businesses by providing the best possible machines, tooling and engineering support possible.

CINCINNATI makes some of the finest press brakes in the world. That being said, if you don’t have tooling to put into the machine, no metal is going to be formed today. It’s like a drill without a drill bit – pretty much useless. For that reason, we make sure the reputation of our press brake tooling matches that of our machines.