Page 26 - MetalForming December 2015

Thrusts Ohio Fabricator Into New High-Tech Territory
“From Stone Age to state-of-the-art” is how Perfection Fabricator’s president describes the addition of waterjet technology. The new equipment has cut delivery time, allowed fabrication of diverse materials and positioned the company to better serve its customers.
BY LOUIS A KREN, SENIOR EDITOR
ness in 2005, then I took over Dave’s job, and that is when Dave and I decided that it was time to modernize from fab- rication’s Stone Age to compete and succeed within the industry,” explains Stacey Gerken, Perfection president.
The elder Ennes, who at 78 still comes to work four days per week, had been against the purchase of a laser machine, recalls Gerken.
“After installing it we went a solid year evolving that part of the business while Jim laid low, not sold on this newer technology,” he says. “Then one day the laser needed repair, and we did not have a backup...talk about a screeching halt.”
Perfection, priding itself on quick production of small parts in varying volumes, scrambled to fulfill its orders and satisfy customers.
“When we were up and running
In 1973, Jim Ennes opened a small fabrication shop, Perfection Fabri- cators Inc., in Elyria, OH. Welding and bending and machining equip- ment operated by three employees filled the 30 by 40-ft. space.
Cut to 2015...Perfection Fabrication still resides in Elyria, a suburb of Cleve- land with a glorious industrial past. To stay ahead of the game in a region with a rich history of fabrication expertise, and stay attractive to customers who can source worldwide, Perfection and its 12 employees have embraced new technology. The latest: a waterjet cut- ting machine from Omax—a Maxiem 1530 JetCutting Center with a 30-hp, 22- kW direct-drive pump.
The waterjet joins a formidable arsenal that includes a 3000-W Trumpf laser-cutting machine, 10-ft. Pullmax and Wysong press brakes, Wysong 10-ft.
by 0.25-in. shear, and other equipment such as two vertical mills, tube benders and rollers, rollformers and assorted welders. With its flexibility—a must as the company produces 30 to 40 jobs per week at 1 to 500 parts per job—Per- fection supplies parts, assemblies and prototypes to numerous big-name companies in tool, industrial, auto- motive and industrial markets, as well “the little guys.” Fabricated materials at Perfection run the gamut, from glass to plastic, stainless steel, aluminum and cast iron.
Laser-Cutting Success Spurred Waterjet Addition
Impetus for bringing in a waterjet cutter began with the decision to go all- in on new technology in 2011 and buy the laser-cutting machine.
“Jim’s son Dave took over the busi-
24 MetalForming/December 2015
www.metalformingmagazine.com
Waterjet Machine