Martin Manufacturing Services helps machine job shops improve their levels of productivity and profitability without large capital expenditures for additional equipment, and that has brought success for the fixture and workholding device manufacturer, even during the recent recession. One of its innovative products — a trunnion table fixture that attaches to the rotary table of any manual or full fourth axis indexer — allows machine operators to modify three different part surfaces with precision, using only a single setup without clamps, vises, or special fixtures, nor any costly downtime.
According to Erlanger, Ky.-based Martin Manufacturing Services, the fixtures can save hundreds of thousands of dollars for machine shops because they provide the same process efficiency and product quality benefits as expensive new machinery at a fraction of the cost. In most cases, users have realized a full return on their investment within 1-2 weeks thanks to increased productivity, reduced labor, and minimized reworks.
Stan Martin established Martin Manufacturing Services as a machine shop in 1991, after five years of machine sales experience. Stan and his wife Toni own and operate Martin Manufacturing Services now, and he credits his father, a machinist, with inspiring him to switch vocations and open the business.
Martin Manufacturing Services manufactures trunnion table fixtures, rotary tables, workholdings, and other varieties of table fixtures for machining job shops and manufacturing operations in standard, modified standard, and fully customized configurations.
Martin Manufacturing Services’ trunnion table fixtures are constructed of heavy-duty cast iron, making them highly rigid and durable, and built to withstand long-term, repeated use in the most demanding shop environments. Available in a variety of standard sizes with free center height alterations, or in custom configurations, MMS trunnion tables will work with indexers of any make or model. They’re convenient bolt-on design allows them to be easily mounted to rotary tables using common, off-the-shelf hardware.
Martin explained that the trunnion table fixture was developed as a result of a particularly frustrating job that came to his shop in 2005. “I had a complex job come through that took 40 hours to complete — an entire week of production time — and that run consisted of only 10 parts! So I started thinking about how I could make those difficult part modifications faster, but without sacrificing quality.
“A week later, after developing a trunnion table prototype, I completed 20 of those same problem parts in one day,” he recalled. Aware of how much time, money and aggravation his new product could save other machine job shops, Martin redefined his business model and began manufacturing trunnion table fixtures for sale to machine shops and other manufacturers.
Now, employing an effective online business strategy, most of the trunnion table orders are received through the company’s website. And, although Martin Manufacturing Services’ mix of Web-based sales and on-site manufacturing processes play important roles in its success, Stan Martin believes that it’s really the benefits of his unique product and satisfied customers that are driving the business. “We’re helping people make real improvements to their businesses without spending a lot of money, which is always a good thing. But, in today’s economy, where every dollar counts, it’s even more significant.”
