Since its founding in 1981, B-K Tool & Design has grown from a small Kalida machine shop into a 130,000-square-foot operation known for carrying custom automation projects through to installation. Its team works with customers’ new or existing designs, building equipment intended to replace inefficient processes and support production on the customer’s floor. The company says it has completed 25,000 projects since 1981.
Kent AutomationFounded in 1990, Kent Automation is a Kent, Ohio manufacturer known for custom automation tailored to the changing needs of fenestration and other industrial customers. Its work spans from design through final assembly, with more than 3,500 installations reported and a UL 508A-certified panel shop supporting its automation projects.KENT, OH
Graybill MachinesSince Wilbur and Orpah Graybill founded the company in 1944, Graybill Machines has remained a Lititz, Pennsylvania manufacturer known for studying each customer’s process rather than forcing it into an off-the-shelf solution. Its in-house team designs, builds, and tests custom automation for food manufacturers, while also handling specialty projects that call for unusual engineering or fabrication. Eight decades on, the company continues to support equipment from its local shop through installation and service.LITITZ, PA
Production Design Services, Inc. (PDSI)Since its founding in 1955, Production Design Services, Inc. has grown into a Dayton manufacturer known for solving complex automation problems under one roof. Its expanded plant now covers more than 180,000 square feet, where the company develops custom equipment and robotic systems for manufacturers, taking projects from concept through integration and production.DAYTON, OH
Performance Automation IncBorn from an Amish craftsman’s 1986 solution to a pipe-bending problem, Performance Automation designs and builds custom machines that automate difficult manufacturing tasks. Founded by Lloyd Glick and joined by his son Wilmer in 2015, the Lancaster County company takes projects from concept through installation, while also providing CNC machining and factory-certified field service. Its work includes purpose-built equipment such as automatic chain cutters and shingle cutters, shaped around each manufacturer’s process rather than an off-the-shelf template.BIRD IN HAND, PA