SMTCL to Build Machine Tools in the U.S.
The North American plant will complement its current manufacturing facilities in Germany and China.
Posted: September 16, 2014
At a press conference at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL, chief operating officer Jerry McCarty of SMTCL USA Inc. (City of Industry, CA) announced the company’s plans to begin manufacturing machine tools in the United States.
A manufacturing factory in North America will complement the company’s current manufacturing facilities in Europe (Germany) and Asia (China). “The United States was chosen because that is where our customers are and we know that we can find workers and vendors that have the dedication to quality that we need”, said McCarty. “We will employ Americans and this facility will be managed by Americans. I can also tell you that although we will continue to use the world’s best components in our machines, we will also use a number of local US vendors to provide contract machining, fabricating, and electronics.”
Although the site of the factory has not been determined, McCarty said SMTCL-Americas will begin with Vertical Machining Centers and then expand to other products as the market dictates. The company plans on purchasing or building a 100,000 sq ft facility and employing between 100 to 120 employees. “We will need manufacturing engineers, machine assembly technicians, and service technicians, as well as purchasing, accounting, and general management professionals,” said McCarty.
McCarty added that he hopes to be manufacturing in the United States by the end of 2015. “These machines will be shipped to our customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and we look forward to helping our customers compete in the world economy.”
In related news, the company also announced its new strategy for sales and service in North America. SMTCL-Americas will work closely with its distributors in Canada, the United States, and Mexico to insure they have machines, parts, and service to support customers.
“So many of our customers have divisions in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and we need to be able to offer them consistent sales and service. For customers with centralized purchasing, we need to assure them that our machines will have the same value configuration and the same high level of service and support, no matter where the machine is delivered”, explained McCarty.
Customers will continue to receive sales consultation, training, and support from their local distributor. “Our distributors are highly skilled and experienced and they provide tremendous local support”, added McCarty. “We will make sure that we have skilled people in these regions to train our distributors on new products and provide specialized support when needed from our technical centers.
SMTCL is the largest machine tool manufacturer in the world producing 80,000 machine tools each year and with revenues of $2.9 Billion. The company has over 300 products including CNC Boring Mills, Vertical Turning Centers, Vertical Machining Centers, Horizontal Turning Centers, Horizontal Machining Centers, Gantry Type Machining Centers, Pipe Threading Machines and Tapping Centers.
SMTCL also makes Conventional Lathes, Boring Mills, and Radial Drills. SMTCL has design centers in Germany and China as well as multiple factories in Germany and China. The headquarters for SMTCL-Americas is located in the City of Industry and stocks machines, replacement parts, and accessories. Through a network of 15 distributors in the US, Canada, and Mexico, SMTCL-Americas provides local service and support to customers in a variety of industries including Aerospace, Defense, Medical, Automotive, Electronics, and Job Shop.
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