Date

Event

We’ve outgrown our new facility already!  In 2006, we relocated to our current facility which offers 25,000 sq. ft of floor space.  The acquisition and relocation of West Metal Works to our neighboring facility is really paying off.  The new work coming in for both companies already exceeded our combined 50,000 sq. ft. so we have purchased another nearby facility.  The “Hayes Place” facility adds a high-bay with a 15T crane as well as low-bay manufacturing space along with offices.  Work is underway to integrate this building with our existing operations.

11/18/11

Who says the economy is stagnant…?  Metal Locking Service is enjoying its largest backlog on record and we are completely sold through the end of January.  The railroads are keeping us busy with 14 current engine repairs on the books.  Technicians are currently on-site in Boise, ID, Grove City, PA, St. Paul, MN and Melbourne, Australia.  We have added 3 new shop employees within the last month and are looking for more.  If railroads are a leading indicator of the direction of the economy, then MLS is expecting big things for 2012.

         11/7/11

MLS is pleased to announce that we have hired a new Project Manager.  Brendan Herdlein comes to us with a B.S. in Engineering & Management from Clarkson University, along with his M.B.A. from Medaille College and 5 years of experience in metal fabrication as cost estimator and project manager.  We look forward to incorporating Brendan into our management team – Please feel free to help welcome him aboard by sending him an email @ brendanh@castironrepair.com

12/30/10

We have recently added a significant capability through the acquisition of a new piece of capital equipment. Our new FARO Laser Tracker ION utilizes CAM2 software and is on the cutting edge with regard to portable laser inspection and measurement. We have utilized this equipment in the past and found that it greatly increased our field productivity and accuracy so the move to purchase was an easy one. We are excited to announce that FARO will be featuring our company in an upcoming brochure which will highlight the integration of their equipment with our field capabilities.

9/15/10

You may have noticed that our Contact Us page has significantly expanded recently. This is due to our recent acquisition of West Metal Works on 9/1/10. We have already relocated West’s office and personnel to our adjacent facility at 186 Colgate Avenue and we are prepping the shop floor for the relocation of the shop employees and all work-in-process. West is a highly-specialized custom metal fabricator that focuses primarily on D.O.E. and D.O.D. contracts – please take a moment to view their capabilities at http://www.westmetalworks.com/. The collaboration of West Metal Works and Metal Locking Service/MLS Machine is already reaping benefits – we have secured a significant contract with ASRC for the fabrication and machining of a custom vessel for the John Glenn Research Center (NASA) in Cleveland, OH

8/10/10

Work is pouring in! Our staff and crew are fully committed with recent projects awarded in Australia, New Zealand and Bermuda. State-side work has also increased with large shutdowns scheduled, freight locomotives being repaired and significant press work being accomplished. Please take a look at all our recent activity by viewing our Latest Projects page.

1/29/10

Well our persistence paid off.  Six months after Metal Locking Service hit the streets and delivered donuts and brochures to hundreds of customers, the buzz is catching on.  Our drive to get us through the slow times worked and we are now managing a sister company, West Metal Works.  The Business First featured our hands-on approach in their Strategies Section.

11/16/09 

Metal Locking Service, and sister company MMG Industrial, are pleased to announce the addition of John Hake as a Senior Level Project Manager.  John will be responsible for estimating, engineering and managing work in both facilities with a focus on in-house machining.  John has over thirty years of experience in manufacturing and machining and specializes in CNC operations.

MLS is very proud.  Matt Sphar (sponsored by MLS) had his highest finish this past Sunday during his three years as a BASS Elite Series pro.  the Champions Choice Pro at Oneida Lake was held on Aug. 13-16, where Sphar, 30, is the only New York State resident on the BASS Elite Series circuit.  He worked long and hard to come up with a good showing at the final event at Oneida Lake.  For the complete story, visit his website at http://www.spharoutdoors.com/

A SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) showed that we needed to revise our thinking on several issues including our mission statement.  All employees played a part with suggestions and we arrived at “WE REPAIR: here, there and everywhere”.  It’s catchy, concise and speaks to our true identity.  Congrats to Paulette Riederer for her submission!

With international economies scaling back, MLS made a concerted effort to look at our business model and see what we could do better.  A true strategic plan was developed through 7 weekly meetings that addressed all phases of our business.  We found many areas that needed improvement and most importantly recognized that our customers needed to see us.  In 10 weeks our front office visited over 500 customers and prospects.  Many were glad we stopped by and all liked the donuts.  New work started pouring in and we secured 25 new customers within the span.  The lesson learned: emails, phone calls and quarterly newsletters are great but the real difference comes with face-to-face meetings.  This is now a way of life at MLS and you can look forward to seeing us knock at your door…with donuts. 

Matt Gehman has accepted a 2nd consecutive term for the Presidency of the Machine Shop Association of Western New York.  This is only the 6th time in the Associations 100 year history that a sitting President has served a consecutive term.  Goals for 2009 include a refinement of the Association’s website http://www.msaofwny.com/ as well as reaching out to the local chapter of the NTMA (National Tool and Manufacturers Association) for ideas and collaboration on joint marketing.

MLS is excited to announce that we have completed the purchase and acquisition of a neighboring property.  This will bring our total manufacturing floor space to over 50,000 square feet.  Attributes of the new facility include: 800 amps of electrical service (was previously a CNC machine shop), crane service and additional office space.  The facility has undergone a major facelift with exterior painting and a full office remodel.  All new communications include a fiber optic T-1 installation, wireless networking and VOIP phone system.   

The Bassmasters Tournament will be held in Lake Erie/Niagara River with launches at the Buffalo Small Boat Harbor this July 31-August 3.  Our company is thrilled to be sponsoring local fisherman, Matt Sphar at the event.  Good luck Matt!

Too many services for one website!  http://www.castironrepair.com/ has received a major face lift and www.portablemachining.com is now live.  The new website features our on-site machining capabilities, as well as laser alignment and diamond wire cutting to name a few.

MLS and The United Steelworkers of America renewed their collective bargaining agreement through mid 2011.

Metal Locking was proud to welcome Mayor Byron Brown to our facility.  He came for a tour after reading about our growth in the Business First.  We then met with the BERC regarding our status for the Empire Zone.

Due to significant increases in international work, we have hired Katherine Schreckenberger as our new Logistics Manager. Katherine will be responsible for all international travel and shipping arrangements as well as supplementary help for our domestic requirements. Katherine holds a B.S. degree from the University of Buffalo and has worked in similar industrial environments for over 25 years. You can contact her via email through our Contact Us page.

Today we completed the installation of our latest piece of large machinery. Our new Vertical Boring Mill is now under power and ready for production. This unit can swing 124" in diameter and has 2 vertical rams (turret). All new electrics and programmable drives will ensure years of dependable service.

With 2006 revenues nearly doubling over 2005, it became necessary to find a high-level Office Administrator to oversee office functions at MLS. Paulette Riederer comes to MLS armed with a BS in Business Administration and a MBA in Strategic Management. With Paulette's help, we look forward to even better years ahead.

The 2006 holiday period was a busy time for MLS. Major shutdowns in IN, MI, OH & NY were accomplished (for a unique job, look at recent work completed on our Latest Projects page). 2007 is starting off with a bang as well with multiple jobs in CA, PA, IN, IA & OH.

Today we signed a new 3-year contract with a major diesel locomotive repair and rebuild company. MLS has been named in the contract as a sole-source provider (100% of total volume) for cast iron engine frame repair. Volume is anticipated to be between 200-300 engines per year. This extends our relationship with this company well into a 5th decade. A 4th & 5th year option are also included.

Great distance traveled! MLS returned today from a recent job off the coast of Angola, Africa. Our customer experienced an engine failure on one of their ships which required our immediate attention. See our Latest Projects tab for the details.

Multiple inquiries within the past few years for laser alignment and measuring services have prompted us to purchase and receive training on an expandable laser system. In addition to our purchase, we have updated our website to include the new services offered - check it out under our Services tab.

We completed a major summer project this week. Our 5 man crew had worked on-site and around-the-clock for 19 straight weeks (no weekends) providing in-situ machining to railcars received from Barcelona, Spain. Look for a new update to our Testimonial page shortly as the project completed 5 weeks ahead of schedule and at roughly half of the anticipated budget!

A large increase in activity in the Southwest prompted us to hire Jamie Stermer as a new Project Manager. He joins our front office team with over 15 years of experience in the metal working industry and a B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering. As well as covering the Southwestern U.S., Jamie will also be responsible for overseeing our metal locking training program. Please visit our contact page to view Jamie's contact information - feel free to shoot him an email and welcome him aboard.