Uptime⁺ Testimonials
Lorentson Manufacturing

Running a well-respected business for more than 60 years, Lorentson Manufacturing in Kokomo, Indiana continually produces world-class plastic injection tooling and molded production parts. Revered for working closely with its customers every step of the way, the company is able to achieve outstanding results time and time again thanks to its GF AgieCharmilles equipment.

“In addition to fulfilling job requirements, we have to be cost competitive to continue to win work in this industry,” said Jason Miller, an operations manager at Lorentson. “But quality and delivery can’t suffer in the process. Advanced machine technology and the ability to run unattended allow us to achieve both these goals.”

Inside its 50,000-square-foot facility, Lorentson utilizes state-of-the-art design, prototype, tooling, metrology and production equipment, which allows the company to specialize in small- to medium-sized multi-cavity functional parts with tolerances in the 0.0001” range.

According to Miller, the company ships millions of highly engineered parts from its facility every year. As a result, Lorentson invests in unmanned automation to reduce lead times, cut operating costs and maintain the exceptional quality its customers have come to expect. “When our customers purchase a tool from us, they know it’s going to be one that works well and can be depended on for years to come,” he said.

GF AgieCharmilles machines are among Lorentson’s most highly productive pieces of equipment and play a key roll in the company’s unattended operations. In fact, the company runs its GF AgieCharmilles wire and sinker EDMs, as well as its Mikron 3-axis and 5-axis high-speed milling machines, non-stop six days per week. For unattended overnight operation, the shop will set up machines during the day, loading the milling machine carousel pallet systems with workpieces and the sinker EDMs with as many workpieces and/or electrodes as possible.

When purchasing a machine, Lorentson thoroughly evaluates how the equipment will grow the company’s competitiveness, which includes looking at the unattended machining capabilities it will provide. “This is the most effective way for us to reduce labor costs,” said Miller. “It doesn’t mean we want to reduce our headcount. It just means we want to work smarter.”

Running lights out allows Lorentson to take on more jobs with shorter delivery times. These are jobs the company wouldn’t normally tackle because they involve large amounts of work that must be quickly pushed through the shop in continuous waves. GF AgieCharmilles machines enable Lorentson to increase throughput and revenue while decreasing timelines – further increasing their competitiveness.

According to Miller, a down machine can reduce the shop’s production capacity by 25% or more, and if the machine is not quickly back up and running, it limits the shop’s ability to take on more short turnaround jobs.

“If we have a job delivery deadline that must be met, the customer doesn’t care if I have a machine down. They want the order when it was promised,” said Miller. “Our GF AgieCharmilles equipment is rarely down because the company is very aggressive when it comes to its service and support, and that’s evident with the Uptime⁺ program.”

Uptime⁺ is designed to help GF AgieCharmilles customers, such as Lorentson, maximize their machine performance and manufacturing operations. The program incorporates an extensive consumables product line offering for all major EDM models and over $6 million spare parts inventory with 24-hour availability teamed with a price-matching policy. Coupled with preventive maintenance programs, Uptime⁺ ensures worry free, reliable machine operation, especially for unattended, lights-out manufacturing.

Lorentson Manufacturing also relies heavily on GF AgieCharmilles training. They don’t hesitate to call GF AgieCharmilles with machine questions, programming issues or application advice.

“GF AgieCharmilles works with us to help improve our processes. We continue to purchase from them because they’ve always given us the service and support we need. We rely on them to keep us informed of any new technologies or manufacturing trends that would benefit our company,” concluded Miller.

At Lorentson, the philosophy is that increasing throughput should not equate to employees working longer hours. The company leverages GF AgieCharmilles’ Uptime⁺ program to provide its employees with downtime. Thanks to GF AgieCharmilles’ reliable unattended machine operation, Miller spends his downtime partaking in his favorite pastime – being a dad to his kids.