Born 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.
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
CNT Motion SystemsSince 1990, Pittsburgh-area CNT Motion Systems has designed and built CNC routers and custom automation equipment for manufacturers seeking an affordable, made-in-the-USA solution. Founded by third-generation machinery designer Max Andrzejewski, the company is especially known for taking on unusual applications, from long-table ACM panel systems to specialized fence and stair-machining equipment. Its team also provides installation, training and remote technical support for the machines it builds.GLENSHAW, PA
B-K Tool & Design, IncSince 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.KALIDA, OH
Pendu ManufacturingFor more than 25 years, Pendu Manufacturing has built its identity around custom automated machinery and practical problem-solving for industrial production. The New Holland company employs 65 people in an 83,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, where it designs and builds equipment chiefly for pallet and sawmill operations, along with related material-handling applications.NEW HOLLAND, PA