Allied Machine Celebrates 75 Years
Three generations of driving innovation in the drill manufacturing market.
Posted: March 31, 2016
Allied Machine & Engineering Corporation (Dover, OH), a leading manufacturer of holemaking and finishing tooling systems, is celebrating 75 successful years of product and industry innovation. While highlighting last century’s successes, they proudly continue to drive innovation in the drill manufacturing market and are focusing on new and updated products for all industry sectors.
“The drill manufacturing market continues to innovate, and I am proud that our company leads that innovation, developing and combining technologies to provide many different solutions for customers,” said company president and chief executive officer William H. Stokey,
Established in 1941 by Harold Stokey, this is a third-generation family-owned company. From its origin as a manufacturer of lock nuts and taper sleeve adapters for troop carriers and tanks used by the Allied Forces during World War II, they later transitioned to a contract/job shop manufacturing tapered bearing lock nuts and accessories.
In the 1960s, Allied entered the hole making arena, introducing a more effective universal-style spade drill, which brought the concept of replaceable tip drilling to the marketplace. They received their first of many patents and the stage was set for a long-standing leadership position in technological advancements.
In the 1980s, the company revolutionized the drilling market further by introducing the Throw-Away® (T-A®) spade drill, invented by Bill Stokey. Along with the introduction of hard surface coatings, the T-A system brought higher drilling feeds and speeds to the replaceable tip concept. Customers moving away from resharpening drill products found the T-A spade drill ideal for increasing productivity and reducing maintenance costs.
Continuing their march through history, they advanced the replaceable tip drilling industry in the first decade of the 21st century with the introduction of the second generation of the Throw-Away product (Gen2 T-A), and the Gen3sys high penetration drilling system. They have also reinvented the larger hole making market by introducing APX™ large hole drilling products, which can double productivity rates compared to competitive products. Most recent innovations include solutions for drilling carbon fiber material used in the aerospace industry and precision hole making solutions for tight tolerance applications in the automotive industry.
Allied has continued to expand its manufacturing footprint, adding 60,000 sq ft of space in 2012, followed by major facility expansions from 2013-2015 that added a further 61,000 sq ft of manufacturing space, offices, cafeteria space, training areas, and research and development space.
“Our new Gen3sys structural steel drilling system is reducing costs in the fabrication of structural steel beams, and our APX product is ideal for the large hole drilling for the wind energy marketplace,” stated Stokey. “Even as we celebrate 75 years of success, we are looking forward to the next century with confidence. We have a loyal and stable workforce, and an environment that stresses technological innovation coupled with sound financial management.”