The Colorado Manufacturing Awards partner with the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association (CAMA) on the annual Advanced Manufacturing and Machining Award.
The main criteria: continuous improvement and innovation. These three Colorado manufacturers exemplify both.
Focused on Machining | Louviers
Justin Quinn, the company’s president, says Focused on Machining has transitioned since he bought the business in 2016. “We’re moving up the food chain in complexity,” says Quinn. “We’re doing some crazy aerospace parts, exotic materials, tight tolerances. It’s just an all-around business model for us. We’re not the bottom-dollar shop anymore.”
Now 14 employees, Focused on Machining has implemented an ERP system, updated equipment, earned ISO 9001 certification, and launched a weekend shift under Quinn’s watch. AS9100 certification is underway.
The shop found a solid market making parts for providers of packaging equipment, including fellow CMA nominee Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems, as well as supplying aerospace manufacturers like Ball Aerospace, leading to 41 percent revenue growth in 2020.
“With COVID, so many shops hunkered down,” says Quinn. “We did the opposite. I told all my customers, ‘We’re here for you. We’re not going anywhere, we’re not furloughing anybody, and bring on the work.'”
CompanyWeek profile (February 2017): https://companyweek.com/article/focused-on-machining
Linear Manufacturing | Colorado Springs
Since Robert McMartin bought the company in 2018, Linear Manufacturing has grown from 12 to 16 employees, with three more hires on the way.
McMartin says he engineered a turnaround by “realigning” employees, re-upping a lapsed ISO 9001 certification in 2019, and attaining AS9100 certification in 2020. “Quality is most important. Our biggest objective is to ensure we have a very good product for the customer. . . . You’ve got to keep your customers happy.”
It’s paying off, as the company has won jobs from customers in medical, aerospace/defense, and other industries. “Our orders are up a lot this year — probably 50 percent up over last year — and our revenue is up 25 percent, so we really need to start to build our capacity,” says McMartin.
CompanyWeek profile (February 2014): https://companyweek.com/article/linear-manufacturing
Titan Robotics | Colorado Springs
“Our demand is skyrocketing,” says CEO Rahul Kasat. “By the end of this year, we’ll be close to 40 people.”
A paradigm shift in manufacturing is underpinning the growth. “As 3D printing moves into production, people wanting to print a few hundred or thousand units of parts, our 3D technology is outshining everything out there,” says Kasat. “We are constantly getting requests for quotes from people printing 500 or 1,000 or 5,000 parts.”
Operational efficiency is an emphasis in 2021, he adds, noting “Our lead time used to be 12 to 16 weeks, and we have dropped that down to eight to 12 weeks.”
Kasat says Titan is preparing for a May 2021 launch of new all-in-one technology that he sees as a game changer. “You will have one machine — I don’t even want to call it a printer anymore — which will have both printing capability and machining capability. This is groundbreaking.”
CompanyWeek profile (January 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/titan-robotics
The winners of the 2021 Colorado Manufacturing Awards will be revealed at a virtual event on April 29, 2021. REGISTER HERE>
