A Rebuilt 1000-Ton Press

Executives at Mercury Products take a very thoughtful approach to adding manufacturing capacity and capabilities as they work to keep up with growing demand. Based out of a 95,000-sq.-ft. plant in Schaumburg, IL, Mercury’s roots lie in serving the heavy-truck market with low- to mid-volume, highly complex stampings, fabricated-metal parts and assemblies. It also provides plenty of value-added processing, including polishing, welding and assembly. In 2000 the firm opened a second plant, this one a 50,000-sq.-ft. facility in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, targeted toward higher-volume, low-SKU work for the automotive market. And, in 2009 it added a third plant, in Saltillo, Mexico.

Mercury Products added this rebuilt 1000-ton press, along with a rebuilt 60-in.-wide-capacity feed line with 7.5-hp motor and five-roll straightener, to its Mexico plant in mid-2014. The press rebuild included a clutch/brake overhaul, new counterbalance rods and seals, rebuilt slide overloads, a crown rebuild, upgraded controls and the addition of light curtains.

“We’re growing so fast, and that creates many needs when it comes to capital equipment and adding capacity,” says Keith Briggs, Mercury’s vice president of operations. “So while in certain cases we have bought new equipment, we also look to capitalize on opportunities to bring in used and rebuilt equipment.”

On the “new” side of the firm’s recently expanded equipment list we find additional CNC tube benders and a 3D printer that “helps us stay at the front end of new programs being developed by our customers,” says Mercury vice president of sales and marketing Eric Schwochow. “Using the 3D printer, we can produce prototypes and part samples in two weeks or less, often in one day, and also use the printer (a Stratasys model with 16- by 16-in. work surface) to fabricate check fixtures. It’s become a real competitive advantage for us.”

The Competitive Advantage South of the Border

Like other opportunistic metalformers, Mercury followed its customer base into Mexico, establishing a 70,000-sq.-ft. plant in Saltillo. It more closely resembles the business model of the U.S. Mercury plant, set up to provide highly complex low-volume parts (clamps, mounting brackets, core plugs, etc.) for the heavy-truck market. But Briggs and Schwochow also have their sights set on the construction and agricultural-products markets, and haven’t ruled out evolving into higher-volume automotive work.

Mercury stamps and fabricates several complex, low-volume products for the highly complex low-volume parts (clamps, mounting brackets, core plugs, etc.) for the heavy-truck market. Shown here being stamped on its newly rebuilt 1000-ton mechanical press are truck-hood pivot support bars.

Versatility and flexibility play out on the plant floor in Mexico thanks to an equipment list balanced by five stamping-press lines on one side and sheetmetal-fabricating equipment on the other. This includes a 4000-W CO₂ laser-cutting machine, four press brakes and a slew of welding equipment.

When the Saltillo facility opened, four stamping presses made the journey from the U.S. facility—a pair of 65-ton models, along with 110- and 350-ton presses. To expand its stamping capacity in a big way, in mid-2014 the plant welcomed a 1000-ton rebuilt 1963-vintage Danly with 120- by 84-in. bed, 20-in. stroke and 64-in. shut height.