Edgewater Automation

HATS OFF ??to project manager Phil Langer and his incredible Edgewater Automation team, pulling off a 30-hour installation to achieve ZERO PRODUCTION DOWNTIME for the customer! The new machine was up and running without the customer missing a beat. The team began the installation last Friday morning and completed it by Sunday at 3:00 p.m. THIS IS WHAT EDGEWATER STRONG LOOKS LIKE. ?? And it was the FIRST OF 5 MACHINES the team will install at 5 different customer sites the same way. P.S. - When the customer said, "You've got the business, but you have to install the finished machines with zero downtime," our answer was, of course, "SURE THING." Did we mention the assembly will save the customer $100K every month at each site? THAT'S A WIN. #ProjectManagement #InstallationSuccess #ZeroDowntime #EdgewaterTeam #ManufacturingExcellence #Teamwork #IndustrialSolutions #CustomerSuccess #MachineInstallation

WE’RE UP FOR NEW PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AND WE.ARE.STOKED! We're honored that ASSEMBLY Magazine editors have selected Edgewater Automation to participate in their “New Product of the Year” contest at the ASSEMBLY Show happening in Rosemont, Illinois October 22-24. We’re being recognized for technology innovation in the Assembly Machines & Systems category for the automated faucet valve assembly system we designed for a customer. ASSEMBLY Show attendees will be asked to vote while at the show and winners will be announced October 24th at 9:30 a.m. If you’re attending the show, we hope you’ll not only vote for us, but visit our booth, too! THE SYSTEM WE CREATED & HOW IT SOLVED OUR CUSTOMER’S PROBLEM We designed and collaborated with our customer to create an assembly-pack-out system that, several months after installation, performs well, exceeds the targeted cycle time, and requires minimal maintenance. We used custom alignment devices to teach the robots and meet cycle times, choosing FANUC America Corporation SR-3iAs and SR-6iAs to handle 3D vision guidance and pick-and-place, load plastic parts onto the nest, apply silicone, inspect for quality, perform the leak test and load the housing valve and grease dispense; and the FANUC America Corporation M-710iC to put the parts into totes and place them on a pallet for shipment to an external packing process. The system features two portable tablets for operator use, allowing flexibility for movement around the machine. We found that “simplicity done to the extreme is elegance,” a credo Edgewater salesman Dave Goodenough lives by. And that internal ingenuity coupled with team collaboration allowed us to achieve this success. #AssemblyShow #NewProductOfTheYear #EdgewaterAutomation #AutomationTechnology #ManufacturingInnovation #FANUCRobotics #IndustrialAutomation #EngineeringExcellence #TechInnovation

GQ men's magazine cover shoot, or Edgewater Automation management team photo op at our St. Joseph location? You tell us! It's been a week over here, how about you? HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, EVERYONE! Photo l to r: Seth Vander Ark, Tim Tate, Chad Henry, Jim Mercier, Jamen Blake #companypicnicweekend #dreamteam #automation #engineering # #ManagementTeam #StJoseph #WeekendVibes #EngineeringLife #AutomationExperts #Leadership

Thank you, Krieg DeVault LLP, for your hospitality and a chance to see the beautiful University of Notre Dame from this unique perspective.

IT'S NATIONAL MANUFACTURING DAY! Why does this matter? Well, first, it's a national grassroots movement that demonstrates the reality and future of modern manufacturing careers. Thousands of companies and educational institutions nationwide are invited to open their doors to students, parents, educators, and community leaders. Second, as an initiative of the Manufacturing Institute—the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers— the day gives us a reason to come together and address the collective challenges and build excitement about manufacturing careers to help their communities and future generations thrive. In this industry, there's something for everyone, as you can see from the staff photos we took for the occasion. Students can begin by joining a FIRST Robotics team, taking a shop class, or checking out one of their local schools offering an apprentice in skilled trades. Let's all encourage a student we know to consider one of the many careers in manufacturing and keep these jobs here in the U.S. #NationalManufacturingDay #WorkforceDevelopment #Education #FutureGenerations #CareerOpportunities #ManufacturingCareers #MFGDay24 #manufacturing #automation James Parmer Rick Blake Tim Tate Chad Henry Jacob Brown Dan Miller MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network Manufacturing Skill Standards Council

Do you agree high school students deserve a career they love without going into debt? Our president Tim Tate thinks so - and we do, too. Tim's part of a group forging a solution through the "Berrien Talent Collaborative." They're helping students gain real world experience while getting paid to go to school. They're doing this by creating a talent supply chain through registered apprenticeships. Tim has personal experience with the benefits. "Lake Michigan College taught me how to be an apprentice," he says. "Kids who don’t know what they want to do – those are the kids we want...The ones who think ‘I want to fix stuff.’ We’re excited about this opportunity, and excited to be a part of it.” The Collaborative is a partnership between Berrien RESA, Lake Michigan College, the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, and the Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce. The collective represents an employer-led initiative for high school students that merges the area’s education and job development resources to create a sustained pool of skilled workers through an apprenticeship program. WE'RE ALL IN ON THIS MISSION - and we can back up those words with actions. Edgewater currently sponsors 14 full-time apprentices who are forging their careers, getting a paycheck, and attending school on us. This is a WIN-WIN-WIN. If you know a high school who might be interested, share these facts with them: ?There are 2,600 job opportunities in Berrien County. (W.E. Upjohn Institute, 2023) ?Of the total U.S. workforce, only 30% of the labor market requires employees to have a 4-year degree. ?Getting a traditional degree is not for everyone. It can be expensive and overwhelming. ?Consider participating in a registered apprenticeship while in high school. HUGE THANKS to State Representative Joey Andrews IV and the State of Michigan for the $500K MAJOR SHOT IN THE ARM and for their ongoing support of students and their contribution to the Michigan economy. Key organizations supporting this partnership include Michigan Works! Association, Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, Southwestern Michigan College, Lake Michigan College, Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce, Edgewater Automation and Maximum Mold Inc Tim Tate Jacob Brown Cynthia "Cindy" LaGrow Al Pscholka, Eric Hoppstock, Trevor Kubatzke Ryan Boeskool Arthur Havlicek #HighSchoolStudents #CareerOpportunities #Apprenticeships #BerrienTalentCollaborative #SkilledWorkers #EducationPartnerships #EmployerLedInitiative #RegisteredApprenticeships #WorkforceDevelopment #FutureOfWork https://lnkd.in/dg298cVW

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT: "At our Spartanburg, South Carolina automation facility, we took a hit from hurricane Helene. Our power is out, and we are temporarily closed. The good news is that everyone is safe, and our building has had minimal damage. We’ll be back to business soon, as power is now being restored. It's been heartwarming to see our employees offering one another their homes, hot water, electricity, food, and more. Still, we're heartbroken at the devastation around us. The loss of property and lives here in Spartanburg County is sobering. This natural disaster has given us all the opportunity to be grateful as we realize how lucky we can sometimes be. May God bless and keep all those in need of special grace in this hour." Tim Tate President, Edgewater Automation #HurricaneHelene #NaturalDisaster #GratefulHeart #EdgewaterAutomation #CommunitySupport #SpartanburgSC #PowerOutage #EmployeeUnity

Watching our five finished machines perform flawlessly at run-off was pure poetry. With that in mind, we were inspired to write this one: Here we go again, we've said it before: "Another one out the door in 2024!" We offer our HUGE thanks to First Load Freight Services. This team wasn't simply good - they were GREAT. By the way, this is truck one of five carrying the machines from Buchanan, MI, South to our customer, where our team is already on the ground ready to install. And speaking of teams...A DEEP BOW to the incredible Edgewater Automation team who worked hard, smart, and in sync to design, build, and load these five machines. We are blessed to have the best! (There goes that poetry again). Tim Tate Dan Miller Jerry Janisse Rick Blake Juan Suarez Marquez Bryan Rodgers Dave Goodenough #ManufacturingExcellence #TeamWorkMakesTheDreamWork #CustomerSatisfaction #Logistics #EngineeringFeats #engineering #innovation #robotics #integrators #factory4.0 #MachinePoetry

We'd like to extend a big thank you to the turnout of employees, sponsors, customers and suppliers who joined us at this year's annual golf ???? outing at Beeches Golf Club in South Haven. This wasn't simply a chance to improve our game - though many of us worked at that! It was an excellent way for employees to mingle on this beautiful course; for us to thank our customers and suppliers for helping Edgewater continue to develop and build advanced custom automation for the global market. AND, due to our sponsors, we all enjoyed a delicious lunch, cold beverages on the course and after, and took home great prizes. ???? Congratulations to the winning foursome ??, which included our athletic president, Tim Tate, and his outstanding Gentex team, Kyle Schuberg, Mike Vandenbrink, and Tyler Howard. How many years in a row is this, guys? ?? LET'S DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR, EVERYONE! ? A TIP OF THE HAT TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS: Coffee and Doughnuts Sponsor: FANUC America Corporation Lunch Sponsors: OTP Industrial Solutions and SMC Corporation Beverage Cart Sponsors: Donald Engineering Company Inc. and Schunk Group Premiere Sponsors: Huntington National Bank, Industrial Control and Hallmark Tool & Gage. Hole Sponsors: Lean Factory, Great Lakes Automation Services, Inc., Shaltz Automation, NEFF Automation, American Feeding Systems Inc, Cognex Corporation, Bond Fluidaire Inc., Phoenix Contact, Competitive Edge, and Festo. Duane Washington and Alex Keil - our coffee and doughnut sponsors from FANUC - hitting the ball with engineers Paul Gray and John Berndt. Dillon Backus, with machine builder Jay Woodrick, electrician Denny Williams, Jr., and machine builder Lance Backus Doug Haveman of Donald Engineering Company Inc., Kevin Fortmeyer of Schunk Group, our awesome beverage Cart sponsors, with CNC machinist Chris Holmer. Edgewater engineer Mark Pampalone and his friend Tony Williamson, with customers Al Kohn and Brad Owen of Freeosk Edgewater founder Rick Blake with his guests Jim Grandholm of @Green Earth Recycling; and customers DJ Schmidt and Pete Pozivilko of Ausco Products, Inc. Our tournament WINNERS president Tim Tate with his Gentex customer team, Kyle Schuberg, Mike VandenBrink, and Tyler Howard.

It was a great day supporting high school robotics teams. Thank you, Tom TerMeer , for joining us this year!