Founded in 1968 by Terry and Mary Tomann, Ultra Machining Company (UMC) is a premiere manufacturer of complex, precision machined parts and assemblies for customers across medical, aerospace, commercial, energy, and industrial markets.
Monticello, Minnesota-based UMC has grown from a small garage to a 75k sq. ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing space, where they house the latest in CNC technologies to produce high-quality precision parts, including many Matsuura 5-axis, palletized machining centers.
UMC is currently building a 60k sq. ft. facility that will connect to the existing UMC headquarters. The project is part of the company’s initiative to advance precision manufacturing with technology and automation, while providing more engaging, high-value jobs for employees.
First investing in Matsuura in the early ‘80s, UMC now employs more than a dozen Matsuura machines, including their new MX-330 PC10, to meet the close-tolerance, complex, high precision, accuracy and rigidity needs of their customers, and to fulfill their company motto: ‘Going Beyond Others.’
INNOVATORS TRANSFORMING MANUFACTURING
“Precision is the ultimate thing at UMC since we pride ourselves on it and we consider ourselves innovators transforming manufacturing,” said Scott T. Peterson, Director of Automation and Facilities at UMC.
“Ultimately, everything we do is driven by precision as we work in complex, highly regulated industries including medical, aerospace, and defense. We often find ourselves with incredible challenges and complex parts where profiles of one thousands tolerance, or we have intersecting holes at compound angles, and a myriad of different configurations. When you take a part of that complexity, and have a machine tool that I know, when I come in the morning after it runs for 10 hours straight, I’m going to get ten pallets of work. The Matsuura is a gold standard,” Peterson continued.
UMC has built a strong reputation for: exceptional quality standards, broad manufacturing capabilities, value-added services, and integrated systems and processes. UMC’s arsenal of machine tools include 12 Matsuuras.
UMC has been pleased with the results they have received from the Matsuura MX Series.
“We’ve experimented with several different platforms beginning with the older Matsuuras and most recently we’ve graduated into the MX-520 platform where the precision, accuracy, and rigidity are super important to us and the machines deliver on all counts,” Peterson explained.
The footprint of the MX Series has been key in maximizing manufacturing efficiencies at UMC.
“Now, we’re expanding and growing into a new facility where we have an opportunity to dial into a platform that really nails us on our core competency, but also we want to minimize the footprint of the equipment to allow some greater density of machine floor. So, what we’re looking at doing with the Matsuura MX-330 platform is increasing the revenue per square foot to its maximum with a smaller footprint machine. We love the MX-330 because it’s configured in such a way where you can put your chip conveyors and coolant, all within the square of the machine tool and it’s about 25-30% smaller footprint than other machines we’ve seen thus far,” Peterson said.
Ensuring Maximum Yield
UMC promises to ensure maximize yield, speed and cost and they seek to devise new processes, search for solutions, and explore new technology to meet the increasing expectations of their customers. Their positive culture and high-performance standards have been the driving force behind their success and high level of customer satisfaction.
Matsuura’s technology also provides the confidence to walk away and allow their employees to run multiple machines.
“When we first brought this MX-330, we gave ourselves a challenge to be able to run 10 pallets of complex parts lights-out that we previously ran one off and requiring almost 100% inspection. I’ll tell you that the team was very nervous about letting 10 of them go loose, and they didn’t want to be responsible for the scrap, but ultimately this Matsuura put all 10 parts out good. We increased our capability and greatly reduced our inspection frequencies, just by putting on this platform,” Peterson explained.
Investing in the latest technology
UMC’s vision for the future of manufacturing drives their growth. Every year they research and invest a portion of their revenue into the latest technology and software. From automation to design and inspection, UMC is committed to staying on the cutting edge of precision manufacturing.
Peterson attributed a portion of UMC’s ability to expand and grow at an incredible rate to the company’s increased profitability.
“Our goal, especially with the opportunity to move into a brand new building is to kind of reinvent ourselves and the kind of processes and center on one machine type tool to propel us into the next decade,” Peterson added.
Peterson likens the Matsuura technology to “Automation in a can.”
“Automation in a can is just an affectionate reference because I really appreciate the capabilities of the machine tool, I don’t have to go out and buy a robot- the MX-330 PC10 automatically has a big tool magazine with lights-out capability, along with a large tool magazine and a large pallet pool. “85% uptime is absolutely possible with this Matsuura machine tool, and keeping those spindles going where we can setup ten of the same job, allowing us to create success,” Peterson said.
Service and Support
The service and support that UMC has received through Matsuura Distributor, Productivity, Inc., has been key in the company’s continued success.
“I’m very passionate about service and support. One of my responsibilities at UMC is to maintain the equipment, and from my experience, the Matsuura line has been one of the most reliable. We have a great partner in Productivity and Matsuura out of St. Paul, they have all the critical spares we can imagine stocked within only 40 miles away. We start thinking about what’s our next machine line we want to put out into the new building, and the service and support and the speed to the point of service is number one on our list.”
Partnership
“We have a great partnership with Matsuura, which has gone on since the 80’s, and Matsuura has established itself as the perfect machine that fits one of our core competencies-the 5-axis, complex machining and milling arena. Our customers like what we do, and they like our pricing coming out of the MX-330. Moving into the next building, we have three more Matsuura machines that are slated to come in and be our first equipment,” Peterson explained.
Dedication to their Employees
“Just as important as our processes, are our people-our machinists are talented and valuable, and we need to put them where they’re really needed. They setup a machine like the Matsuura MX-330, then they move on, and it just runs by itself,” Peterson concluded.
Community-focused
UMC is actively involved in the community through its connection to local schools and internship and apprenticeship programs. UMC also leads various community service efforts, including an annual Arbor Day tree donation to the city of Monticello in honor of its founder. UMC’s longstanding community giving program supports organizations that help people overcome challenges and reach their highest potential.
For more information on Ultra Machining Company (UMC), please visit HERE.
Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc., located in St. Paul, MN is the U.S. subsidiary of Matsuura Machinery Corporation in Japan. Since 1935, Matsuura has been the forerunner in designing innovative technology and manufacturing solutions to a variety of industries around the globe. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. delivers unmatched excellence in 5-axis, vertical, horizontal, linear motor, multi-tasking CNC machine tools and machines with a powder bed metal AM platform with machining capability. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. provides the service, applications and technical field support that have always been the Matsuura standard for business.
For more information about Matsuura, please contact: [email protected].