Compass Precision Operating Company Adds Fabrication Capabilities and Capacity
CHARLOTTE, NC – April 25, 2023 – Quality Products & Machine proudly announced Tuesday that it has installed an Amada 170/4S press brake at its Charlotte facility, expanding its fabrication capabilities to meet growing customer demand. Quality Products is an operating company of Compass Precision, a Charlotte-based manufacturer of custom, close-tolerance metal components for mission critical applications.
Quality Products’ newly acquired press brake is a 187 ton model with six-axis capabilities and a thirteen foot bed. It replaces an existing Ermak machine with 130 ton capacity, two-axis capability, and a ten foot bed. This additional Amada unit joins Quality Product’s two existing Amada press brakes in its fabrication area. One of these Amada machines is a 25 ton model, the other is a 50 ton unit. The company plans to retire the Ermak press brake.
“We are thrilled to be getting another machine,” stated Kevin Farmer, President of Quality Products. “A few months ago, we bought a new Haas VF-7 machining center. Now we are adding this Amada press brake. More equipment makes a better vendor to our customer.”
“It is important to us that we expand our press brake tonnage and size capabilities while better automating our bending processes,” added Greg Donaldson, the company’s Operation Manager (left, above). “And we prefer to have all our press brakes be the same make (Amada) so moving from one machine to another is easier for our operators. This minimizes setups too, since all three Amada’s utilize the same tooling. Buying the Amada 170/4S press brake accomplishes all of these objectives.”
“We love getting new equipment at Quality Products,” said Fabrication Manager Al Farrar (right, above). “Don Bartlett (center, above) and I have wanted a larger, more capable press brake for a long time. Now we got it.”
Adding the 187 ton Amada press brake and Haas VF-7 mill continues the investment trend started when Compass acquired Quality Products in 2019. Earlier under Compass’s ownership, Quality Products purchased an automated sheet metal loader-unloader for its 2,500 watt laser cutter, also a product from Amada. In addition, the company invested in a new high-end Zeiss coordinate measuring machine.
“Compass continues to invest in its equipment base,” explained Compass Vice President of Sales Jim Miller. “Quality Products is unique in its ability to do both precision machining as well as high-end fab work under one roof. We offer a lot to our customers, and each new piece of equipment makes us better.”
Quality Products has a large portfolio of CNC vertical and horizontal mills, lathes, and coordinate measuring machines. Alongside this equipment is a complete fabrication shop with press brakes, laser cutters, turret punch press, and welding machines. This variety of equipment and capabilities differentiates Quality based on the ability to do both CNC precision machining and metal fabrication in-house.
Quality Products specializes in producing precision metal components and subassemblies for aerospace, defense, power generation, and specialty industrial markets. The firm operates from a modern 47,000-square-foot facility on Westinghouse Boulevard in Charlotte. It has about 35 employees and supplies customers down the street, across town, and around the country.
Compass Precision was founded in 2019 by Gary Holcomb and two private equity partners based upon the simultaneous purchase of three precision CNC machining companies in North Carolina – Advanced Machining & Tooling (Salisbury, NC); Quality Products & Machine (Charlotte, NC); and Tri-Tec Industries (Charlotte, NC). Compass added Gray Manufacturing Technologies (Denver, NC) to the fold in August 2020, then acquired Douglas Machining Services (Winona, MN) in March 2021. Since then, Compass has purchased R&D Machine (Oldsmar, FL) in April 2022; Strom Manufacturing (North Plains, OR) in July 2022; and Bergeron Machine (Westford, MA) in April 2023, bringing its number of operating companies to eight.
For more information about Quality Products & Machine and Compass Precision, please contact Gary Holcomb, Compass CEO at [email protected].