When Freeway Corporation set out to purchase a stamping press and feed system that would substantially increase production speeds and still maintain the high-quality products it’s famous for, top management turned to the integrated solution of a Minster P2H-160 press and Vamco Quantum 550 Feed.

As part of Nidec Press & Automation’s group of companies, Minster and Vamco were able to combine synergies and provide a turnkey system.

“We have many Minster Presses and they’re just great reliable workhorses”, Freeway’s President Robb Scherler said. “When we analyzed what feeder we wanted to put on the new Minster P2H, we looked at numerous brands and decided Vamco was best as far as performance, capability, durability and repeatability for our type products.”

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Freeway has been in business for nearly 75 years. The company specializes in high-quality washers, but also produces contract stampings and value-added services to a variety of markets worldwide. Today Freeway has four locations, including Mississauga, Canada; Rockford, IL, and two in Cleveland, Ohio.

“My focus is quality and production efficiency,” said Vice President of Manufacturing Don Lagoni. “With the Minster Press linked to the Vamco Feed, we can run 350 strokes per minute and know the parts coming off the die will be to print every time.”

“This new press and feed system is another win for Freeway and the 500+ customers we supply parts to each year,” said Vice President Randy Scherler. “The speed and accuracy gains help us lead our industry by providing the highest quality, ‘Made in America’ competitive product to hundreds of industries worldwide.”

Engineered with the same rugged components as the press, the Vamco Quantum feed features servo roll lift and high torque lower rpm vibration resistant servo motors – all designed and built by Vamco. The Quantum separates itself from the competition with innovative advanced features including signature analysis, autopilot timing setup and die jam anticipation and correction.

With state-of-the-art prototyping technology and 60 journeyman toolmakers on staff, Brunk gets involved early on in the creation of a customer’s project.

“Tool and die truly remains the heart of our business. We cannot be successful without having the very best in tool and die making skills,” Lars said. “We have a team of designers working with our die makers, and we don’t necessarily wait for a customer to give us a purchase order. We go out and try to prove it ourselves.”

Backing up its new product development capabilities, Brunk Industries features a full suite of value-added assembly and secondary operations.

Working through Nidec Press & Automation, Freeway was able to utilize a single point of contact for not only the installation and application assistance but also for customer service.

“That integration was really important,” Robb said. “It’s hard to organize this when you have multiple companies trying to install their product to a system. If something goes wrong the fingers start pointing. With Nidec Press & Automation, if there was an issue, they took care of it. This was truly a turnkey system.”