Local Machine Shop Crafts A Clear Vision for the Future
In the last year, ACR Machine, Inc. has enlisted laser focus and smart infrastructure investment, to expand upon the business’s long list of capabilities. The shop manufactures parts for aerospace, military, commercial, medical, automotive, agriculture and even electronic OEM’s; all inside their 25,000 square foot manufacturing facility on North 10th street in the City of Coatesville.
Owners, Steve Tury and Tony Wilson have partnered up to grow the machine shop to new heights. Tony said, “When I first came on board I met with Steve and we sat down and accessed our goals. Turns out we’re perfectly aligned on what we’d like to achieve - and that’s growth.” Although currently considered a smaller machine shop, ACR Machine carries a customer’s part from design to prototype, through inspection and to final completion. Steve explains, “As a small sized machine shop, we have more certifications than most large-sized shops”.
The business is adamant on staying in front of advancements in modern manufacturing. This year they replaced aged machines with new ones and reworked production processes. “We needed infrastructure set in place to support our growth” explains Tony. Inside the shop, a vibrating hum of machinists are at work. They’re using horizontal and vertical machines, lathes and routers to craft a precise part; whether it be a cover plate for an airplane or an intricate piece that fits inside an engine. Tony explained, “We have a large diversity of machining capabilities; ranging across different sizes and complexities,” Steve adds, “…from the size of a thumbnail all the way to the size of a pick-up truck”.
Adaptability is an important piece of the work at ACR Machine. The shop stays on the forefront of certifications to ensure they maintain high efficiency and versatility to craft a wide range of parts. “We’re always making something different, everything you see being made in our shop today, will be entirely different 2 months from now” said Steve. And Steve isn’t kidding, the shop’s highly accurate machining projects shift from parts for aerospace to the Department of Defense, transportation, pharmaceuticals, the chemical industry, and medical equipment, just to name a few.
In 2020, a heightened flow of projects influenced ACR Machine to increase their number of employees from 15 to 35 and the addition of a second shift. The shop’s programmers who create the blueprints for product creation, grew from 2 to 6 employees. Currently, the business is working on Increasing their sales team to branch into new markets such as the mid-west. Steve adds, “All of our employees are Chester county residents, our business is here, we get our workforce here. I believe in this company and see so much potential for expansion”
Steve and Tony whole heartedly believe that their employees make up the framework of success. The business cross trains their machinists to ensure they’re well trained on multiple machines. Steve said, “We want our employees to stay, we rotate them between machines to find their best fit for their skills and career interests.” As they have maneuvered expansion, Steve and Tony sat down with their employees to analyze what was most important at the shop. Teamwork, job security and business success were the top three goal posts; ACR, Inc. is set on making it through those goal posts, consistently, and right here in Coatesville.
