Donnelly Custom Manufacturing Invests in New Equipment
Advanced technologies expand capabilities to meet increasing demand for low- to mid-volume runs
Plastics Business
Donnelly Custom Manufacturing Company, Alexandria, Minnesota, recently announced significant investments in new equipment. The company is continuing its focus on the low- to mid-volume manufacturing needs of its customers delivering high-quality parts on time and affordably. The three equipment purchases a Toshiba 500-Ton All-Electric Press, an Engel Vertical Rotary Press and Universal Robots UR5 Collaborative Robot expand Donnellys capacity in its injection molding and capabilities in its value-added manufacturing services.
Each of these investments better enable us to address our customers vital needs, said Ron Kirscht, president of Donnelly. Were standard-setters. We need to be agile while leveraging our short-run expertise to effectively manage and save time in critical processes including set-ups and production runs so we can provide service and value to our customers.
Expanding its press fleet to 36 with the purchase of a new 500-Ton Toshiba All-Electric press, the company is continuing to make capital investments to meet growing demand for larger press capabilities. The latest addition furthers Donnellys ability to be a single source of supply for customers low- to mid-volume injection molding needs. It also represents Donnellys 31st Toshiba All-Electric Press. This ultimately increases productivity through standardized controls, maintenance and service requirements, while reducing the time and resources needed for onboarding and employee training.
To maximize the impact of these investments, Donnelly continues to incorporate advanced automation technologies into its operations. Donnellys new Universal Robots UR5 cobot is uniquely engineered to perform several sequential tasks, expanding upon the companys capabilities in automation and robotics. The technologies empower the companys operators to execute more value-producing responsibilities, ultimately streamlining costs and increasing precision for customers.
These investments enable us to increase productivity and performance, which are critical in a short-run environment, said Jerry Bienias, vice president of operations at Donnelly. Our automation team has worked hard to overcome significant barriers to entry in incorporating automation into short-run manufacturing. Through these technologies, we can bring our customers increasingly higher quality parts in shortened delivery time frames.
The company completed its investments with the purchase of an Engel vertical rotary press at NPE 2018. It was scheduled to be delivered in late August 2018.
For more information, visit www.donnmfg.com.
