Page 20 - MetalForming March 2014

New Controls
Put Press Order on Hold
Investing in new press-automation controls and an added dose of in-die sensing has increased productivity and quality at Tenere, Inc., without adding more stamping lines. Output has increased by 60 to 100 percent on most jobs.
Tenere, Inc., Dresser, WI, manu- factures advanced, custom com- ponents from metal and plastic for companies with highly demand- ing, fast-changing needs. Founded in 1966, the company operates three facil- ities in Wisconsin (Dresser, St. Croix Falls and Somerset) and two plants in Colorado (Lakewood and Westmin- ster). Acquired in 2012 by the Watermill Group, Tenere last year purchased Pro- togenic, an experienced rapid-proto- typing operation.
Tenere stamps and fabricates sheet- metal, and manufactures injection- molded and machined products. It also provides integration and system-level assembly services. Its strategy: to be a full-service supplier to original equip- ment manufacturers in the network- communications, enterprise-software,
Tenere installed the new operator interface on a flexible arm, allowing its press operator to position it—even vertically, to suit the operator’s height—most efficiently for the job being run.
18 MetalForming/March 2014
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agriculture, medical and aerospace industries.
A “Controlled” Plan for Growth
Watermill acquired Tenere with a plan to see it grow significantly. The
plan has proved effective, as it has experienced tremendous growth in all areas, including stamping. The firm’s stamping department quickly ramped up, by mid-2013, to three-shift opera- tion and, with overtime, had tapped