With thousands of die change installations globally, pressroom automation leader Atlas Technologies celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. Following several years of upgrades to its knowledge base, technology, and more, the company is now poised to expand its market share. While it has many customers in fields like appliances, aerospace, and automotive, this is by no means a one-size-fits-all outfit.
Over the past six decades, Atlas Technologies has proven itself in innovative global die change equipment with automated cart technology that is reliable, durable, and prioritizes safety. Today, from its base in Fenton, Michigan, the company is stronger than ever.
After spending many years as a coveted industry specialist known mainly to a discerning few, the company today is increasingly respected for its fast die changers and robust die-movers that manage dies of 80 to 200 tons, plus its extensive line of equipment for sheet metal stamping and fabrication processes. It also recently reinvented its capabilities and its people, appointing a new sales accounts manager in the process. Its customer base and its teams have welcomed the improvements.
President David Hense is especially positive about the recent changes. “Since Stonebridge Technical Enterprises took Atlas over five years ago, we’ve been focusing on our internal processes and product development to make our entire product line cutting-edge for the manufacturing stamping industry,” he says.
This move not only stimulated product evolution but also contributed to the deeper development of its people. In recent years, in-depth staff education has translated into in-house training in collaboration with key manufacturers and the State of Michigan, in a decision that has proven to be tremendously valuable for the company’s continued success.
“We’re really proud of our employees; we have a nice team. They’re very flexible and knowledgeable,” Hense says, highlighting that watching employees new to the industry grow and flourish through focused education is a genuine pleasure.
Now, with its most recent overhaul complete, the company is welcoming new and returning customers alike to enjoy the results. “I’m an engineer,” Hense says, adding with a smile that the company’s new sales accounts manager is far better at marketing the company than he is. As its social media presence and press visibility continue growing, the firm is excited to welcome new trade partners and end users alike.
Not one to pepper conversations with commercial buzzwords, Hense instead leads by providing customers with top quality engineering and letting the premium work speak for itself. It is thanks to this approach that Atlas Technologies continues trading on a reputation for reliable, durable products and outstanding financial management. The company also invests in the latest technologies which ensure cutting-edge control systems that can be customized to suit customers’ needs.
Hense illustrates this customization with the example of de-stacking machines—heavy equipment used for feeding sheet metal on press lines. While it would be lovely to replicate these machines exactly for all customers, unique process needs simply do not allow this. “The product mixes and the mechanical strain that products place on equipment don’t make it practical,” he explains. Therefore, while key components are used across systems, every system is unique. “We pride ourselves on the ability to [adapt] to customer needs.”
Keeping itself at the forefront of innovation, Atlas Technologies perpetually pushes the boundaries of its field. As a result, there are a few fresh and innovative lines in its product reveal. Firstly, its FLEX Transfer collection comprises three series of front-to-back mounted, in-press servo transfers that move parts between stamping dies in a transfer press. This collection also offers two series of through-the-window-type transfer models—all five showcasing the state-of-the-art driving mechanics and control systems. This decision was based on the high performance and durability track records of these products. The company’s driving mechanics “are built on 40 years of proven methods and technologies. We didn’t reinvent the wheel when we came to the mechanical drive system,” Hense points out. “We used what works and made it better.”
The second collection—the Navigator Carts Series—features an expanded line of trackless transfer carts for transporting oversized loads such as molds, coils, and dies across fabrication facilities as well as components used in wind turbine and rail car fabrication, for instance, between assembly cells.
With the positive recent developments in reshoring fabrication, Hense is excited to see the process slowly beginning to take shape in the industry and on the company’s balance sheet as many of its clients return their press lines and other tooling operations to home soil. Alongside this shift, other operators are setting themselves up from scratch with greenfield sites, new facilities, and new staff. In many such instances, Atlas Technologies is invited to provide planning and fabrication support for the next decade or so. One recent contract with an international industry leader is especially exciting. “We’re excited to be part of the future that this global powerhouse of a company is presenting,” he says.
Recent geopolitical decisions have somewhat curbed international trade volumes while also reducing export volumes to the rest of North America, so the company’s current reach stretches primarily across the United States for now. Since the resulting economic situation has caused uncertainty for manufacturers in how they allocate their largest investments, business has, understandably, been slower in some areas than when trade and exportation were more predictable. As markets adjust, however, Hense indicates a rise in orders in recent months. He also points out that the company has been holding off on price increases despite a rise of 30 percent in the cost of automation control systems.
In the meantime, it continues to be an exciting time in the company’s history. “We’re proud to be part of people who are outfitting old manufacturing lines and updating them into new state-of-the-art systems,” Hense says of the innovation that is contributing to the health of the American fabrication industry and saving operators millions. To this end, Atlas Technologies offers tremendous value to companies with large heritage arrays like tandem lines. In such cases, its tracked cart series is especially favored. These are installed with robots mounted atop as robot transport carts that transfer components between presses along an entire line.
“When it comes time for die change, the robot carts move out of the way, and from the other side, a die cart enters in between the presses, and then you change the dies in the press line,” he explains. As there are many of these older systems throughout the United States, Atlas’s robot systems save on wasting precious long-term capital investments from years gone by.
Closer to home, the company considers its investments in its people as some of the most important it will ever make. While a previous period of training saw all its staff officially complete their Occupational Safety and Health Administration certifications due to a Going PRO Talent Fund training grant from the State of Michigan in 2024, new intakes are now completing hydraulics, electrical, programming, and other courses. Apart from appreciating his existing team, Hense is equally impressed with the company’s most recent appointments—capable, hardworking, and willing to learn, these young people give him hope for the future.
Putting its efforts into boosting sales and expanding market reach, the company continues leading with expert staff and legendary quality rooted in decades of evolution. “I’m really proud of this company. We have hard workers, and our people understand the needs of our customers,” Hense says confidently. It is indeed the company’s ability to evolve based on past experience and its drive to innovate a better future that underscores reaching the fiscal and cultural goals ahead. By continuing to navigate change better than ever before, this industry leader remains a constant of American pressroom automation.
