Tooling Up for 2022: What’s New at Wilson?

As we head into the new year, we reflect on the many challenges of 2021 and look forward to starting the new year with a clear and renewed vision for continued innovation and growth at Wilson Manufacturing.

We started this company in 1979 but even with 42 years under our belt, we are just as passionate and motivated as we were on day one to be the best at what we do and deliver that directly to our customers.  Over the past year we have invested in the future by adding equipment, automation, and capacity to keep re-engineering quality and improve service – to go above and beyond your expectations. 

Here’s what we’re bringing to the table in 2022.

Ingenuity in New Equipment

You may have already heard of our custom-designed and built machine finishing mills that we affectionately call our WHIMs – the Wilson High-Speed Ingenuity Machine.  We built our first WHIM several years ago when we determined that available CNC machine tools just could not hold the tolerances we require in machine sharpening our solid tooling. 

We expanded our WHIMs operations in 2021 to increase capacity for machine sharpening another 50% – and will do it again in the first quarter of 2022.  It’s a big investment that pays off in reduced lead times for our customers.

Another major improvement was to renovate our heat-treat department installing new equipment to produce dies even better and faster.  Continued improvement in turnaround is the edge our customers need to secure new business and support existing customers’ needs.

In our solid tooling division, we have upgraded to state-of-the-art machines for our plate roll department, invested in additional equipment for our steel cutoff operations, and added new perforating and enhanced drilling mills. For our flexible division, we are ramping up capacity by adding new etching equipment, sharpening machines, and an ultra-precision grinder – all coming online in early 2022. 

Automation 

We have enhanced our craftsmanship and skill with team members utilizing new automation on the production floor.  We discovered the benefit of automation when we pioneered machine sharpening in the 1990’s – our team values the efficiencies it creates and the consistency and repeatability it ensures.  

We’re expanding that automation to include many of our quality control processes – delivering with certainty tooling and accessories that meet your specifications.

Each year the demand for higher precision gears increases so we are stepping up our game with the introduction of robotics in 2022.  Our gear department is looking forward to this increase in capacity plus the expansion of our capabilities.

A Better Customer Experience

If you’re already a Wilson customer, you may have noticed that it’s become even more convenient to quote and order tooling, check on your order status, request dielines, and more with our new online customer portal. 

We know your time is valuable and that you need to stay focused on production and quality in your own operation. That’s why we made improvements and enhancements in the online experience to save you time and make it easy for you to work with us, your tooling partner.

Growing Together in 2022

As we close out 2021, we are grateful for the support of our customers, our team members, and our suppliers.  All have helped us continue to successfully navigate and grow even through these extraordinary times.  We look forward to being an even better partner for converters all over the world.  We wish you all a happy and successful new year!