ASSEMBLY magazine has been around since 1958. In that time, we’ve had lean years and great years. We’ve changed our name three times, and we’ve been bought and sold at least five times. We’ve survived tidal shifts in both U.S. manufacturing and publishing. (If you had told me 26 years ago that I would be spending 30 minutes a day on something called Twitter…)

Like soldiers, rows of BalTec Corp. manual assembly presses stand ready to work at electronic manufacturing plants throughout North America. Workers there use the presses to crimp wires to terminals and connectors.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation Specialists recently delivered a compliant-pin assembly system to a Tier 1 automotive manufacturer of vehicle safety products.

BRIGHTON, MI—Promess Inc. has opened a new process development and training center at its recently expanded headquarters facility here. Available to customers at minimal or no cost, the center is equipped to support process development, part testing and technology application studies.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation recently received a contract from a Tier 1 automotive supplier to provide a multistation system to assemble and test a lane departure warning system.

Over its 30-year history, Bovie Medical Corp. has gone from making disposable penlights to becoming the largest manu-facturer of battery-operated cauteries in the world. The company manufactures products for some of the largest medical OEMs in the United States.

When David J. Zabrosky, North American sales manager for Schmidt Technology, gets a call from a customer asking for a servo-driven assembly press, the first question he asks is, “Why?”

Farason Corp. has been designing and building automated assembly systems for more than 25 years. Based in Coatesville, PA, the company has designed automation systems for food, cosmetics, medical devices, pharmaceutical products, personal care products, toys and solar cells. The company’s client list includes Blistex Inc., Crayola Crayons, L’Oreal USA, Smith Medical and even the U.S. Mint.

When ILSCO Corp. first opened its doors in 1894 in Cincinnati, the company manufactured incandescent lights and stoves.

Depending on the drive style, a high-tonnage mechanical press can stamp out metal parts at up to 1,000 strokes per minute.