PHOTO BY HOBIE HILER: General Manager Jerry Jacques, center, works with Manufacturing Manager Mike Bousson, left, and sales manager Clay Becton, right, at Advanced Machine & Tool in Fort Pierce.
By Richard Westlund
For Progress & Innovation
Source: PROGRESS & INNOVATION | TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS NICHE DEPARTMENT
For more than 35 years, power generation, amusement park and energy companies have relied on Advanced Machine and Tool (AM&T) for precision parts and components. Today, the dynamic Fort Pierce company serves industry-leading companies around the world.
“While many machine shops produce small to medium-size parts, we have focused on making larger components,” said Jerry Jacques, general manager, Advanced Machine and Tool, Inc. “We take a great deal of care to meet our customers’ requirements for new or reworked components, such as turbine blades for power generators.”
Global Quality Standards
AM&T’s other competitive advantages include the ability to handle exotic materials, such as metal alloys used in heat-resistant components, and its ability to supply components that meet very tight tolerance standards. To do so, AM&T has deployed advanced computer measuring and monitoring (CMM) systems in its quality department, as well as the digital scanning equipment. The company takes pride in meeting the high ISO-9001 global quality standard.
PHOTO BY HOBIE HILER: General Manager Jerry Jacques is pictured at Advanced Machine & Tool in Fort Pierce.
Need Homegrown Talent
Jacques says AM&T’s business is booming, as the company’s 60 employees are working two shifts to keep up with demand. “We have many veterans who have been here for 15 to 20 years,” he said. “However, we need more home-grown talent on the Treasure Coast, as it’s hard to keep growing the business without a good supply of new workers.”
Lloyd “Dan” Riley, president and owner, launched Advanced Machine and Tool in 1979 and moved to Fort Pierce in 1984.
Siemens Remains Largest Customer
“Dan started this as a small operation that began to grow in the early 1980s,” said Jacques. After a power outage in Jensen Beach, Siemens engaged AM&T for a seven-month, round-the-clock program, putting the Treasure Coast machine shop on the path to success.
Three decades later, Siemens is still AM&T’s largest customer, and the Treasure Coast company ships their components to locations in Orlando; Charlotte, North Carolina; Germany; and other facilities worldwide.
“We don’t go out in the field,” said Jacques. “During an outage, they send components to us to review and deter-mine what needs to be done. We also do a lot of work on the cooling systems for our power generation customers during the September to May season.”
Today, AM&T operates from three buildings totaling 40,000 square feet, including administration, engineering, quality control and manufacturing operations.
Steady Growth From Reinvestment
PHOTO BY HOBIE HILER: Vice President of Manufacturing Kurtis Riley works at a 4axis CNC horizontal machine at Advanced Machine & Tool.
“Dan has always put his money back into the business and invested in new equipment,” said Jacques. “That’s one of the reasons we have been able to grow steadily through the years.”
In February, AM&T introduced a new high-tech Integrex 200ST 5-Axis machining center, a 10-foot-tall system that can handle parts up to 80.5 inches in diameter.
“Instead of shaping a part on one machine and moving it to another for drilling holes or putting in keyways, our new center can go from one operation directly to another one,” Jacques said.
By eliminating the set-up time for different pieces of machining equipment, the center accelerates the process for getting new or reworked components to AM&T’s customers.
“With this new technology, we can look at untapped markets for new business opportunities, while serving our current customer base,” said Jacques. “Our future is bright.”