Specifications:

• Self-contained insulated cabinet uses 2 electric heating elements and a gentle forced air system controlled by a digital controller that maintains temperature within 5 degrees.
• Two removable heater/fan modules mounted to bottom of unit.  Integral ducting to draw air from top of unit.
• Two battery-powered digital thermometers mounted outside the oven have probe extensions that can be placed in items being treated to ensure that the proper temperature (120ºF) has been reached.
• Construction is heavy-duty, all steel powder coated cabinet mounted on locking casters for mobility
• Inside of the oven has one or two clothes hanging bar on one side and four removable shelves on the other side
• The shelves and the center divider are removable so larger items can be placed in the oven.
• 1” of fiberglass insulation is provided.  All seams and joints are foil taped.

Click here to view the brochure.

“The U.S. can compete, in certain areas, with foreign countries by using automation,” Duffy says. “We can get the cost of manufacturing down… so that U.S. products made using automation are competitive on a world market.”

Duffy ought to know. His company, founded in 1999, has steadily grown as the demand for more efficient methods of manufacturing has risen nationwide. What started as a tiny startup company with Duffy as his own sole employee now employs 25 full time in a 21,000-square-foot facility in Northeast Pennsylvania.

From mechanical and electrical design, to precision machining, assembly and rebuilding of industrial machines, Keystone Automation makes equipment that helps keep manufacturers competitive.

In tough economic times like these, says Duffy, many companies are faced with tough choices about how to cut costs. “They can either shut the operation down and purchase it from overseas to get costs down, or they can automate the process internally.”

Duffy is quick to say that he has an optimistic outlook for U.S. manufacturers, despite the present state of the economy. If companies are willing to innovate and streamline their operations using the latest technology and automation, he says, then they will remain competitive and their plants and jobs will remain here in the U.S.

Courtesy of Keystone Edge

He credits his company’s recent growth and increasing profitability to the involvement of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, whose funding helped Duffy hire a CFO and matched Keystone Automation with a marketing firm to help develop new business.

Duffy founded the company in 1999 and it quickly grew from a one-man operation offering PLC programming and electrical wiring services to a business that employed a handful of engineers and machinists and focused on specialized turnkey machinery design and fabrication. In recent years, as the company pushed into international markets and annual revenues began to reach into the millions, Duffy realized he needed help managing the growth.

“I always try to golf with guys who are better golfers than me, and my game somehow magically improves,” he says. “Well, the same holds true with business management and marketing.”

With the proper management and organizational assistance in place thanks to Ben Franklin as well as the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, Keystone Automation has continued its expansion; in addition to implementing an internship program, the company recently hired two mechanical engineers and plans to hire at least one more this year, as well as other personnel.

“There’s a certain set of skills required to run a multi-million dollar company, and I was reaching the limit of my skill set when Ben Franklin came in and they’ve been able to take us to the next level,” Duffy says.

In the next couple of years, Duffy expects annual revenue to reach $10 million as the company expands its national and international presence. He also has plans to double the size of the company’s facility in Duryea with a 20,000-square-foot addition.

By John Davidson, Keystone Edge