Fedtech Inc.

Laser cutting at Fedtech Inc. Photo courtesy of Fedtech.

4763 Mustang Circle
Mounds View, MN 55112
763-784-4600
sales@fedtech.com
www.fedtech.com

By Dave Fox

OPENED: 1996

WHY: To offer a unique service that can be used in virtually all industries.

CAPABILITIES: 
Waterjet cutting, laser cutting, and forming, along with our secondary operations department which offers welding, drilling, tapping, milling, turning, deburring, finishing, inspecting, and assembly.

With our machinery, we're able to cut up to 12-in.-thick material on the waterjet. Thin carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminums are processed using laser cutting.

Our new Bystronic press brake gives us the capability to use 350 tons of force to form material efficiently. The machinery offers 29 in. of open height (ideal for fabrication of deep boxes or lengthy flanges), an 18-in. ram stroke, and Wila precision-ground tooling coupled with dynamic crowning.

SHOP WORKHORSE(S):
Our average-sized waterjet tables in general get the most work. Since our largest waterjet specializes in cutting extra-large projects, the medium-sized waterjets get used for all other projects. Other workhorses include our laser cutting tables. Laser cutting is great for prototype to production of thin materials, including carbon steels, stainless steels, and aluminums.

Figure1 Two of Four Towers Created for Charlotte, N.C., Airport Photo courtesy of John Myklebust.

MOST UNUSUAL OR MEMORABLE PROJECT:
We have really had a lot of memorable projects, but one that comes to mind is custom-fabricated sculptural art towers for an airport in Charlotte, N.C. (see the whole story here: https://www.fedtech.com/art.html).

For this project, we worked with Andrea Myklebust and Stanton Sears to construct 22-ft. towers from Indiana limestone, stainless steel, and bronze. The towers also featured LED fixtures that provided a very impressive display at nighttime (Figure 1). The towers were four separate limestone and steel columns carved with custom imagery. We were very excited to obtain pictures after they were all assembled and in place. (Photo courtesy of John Myklebust.)

GREATEST CHALLENGE:
I think one of the biggest challenges that we see is keeping up with the short lead times for available projects, yet working with a lean manufacturing crew.

LOOKING AHEAD:
Looking ahead is good. Don't dwell on the past and get all wound up about the economy. Keep your eye on what your core competencies are and build on those. Look into further developing any current niches you have, as well as research new ones that fit your customer base for services you could start offering.

ADVICE FOR WOULD-BE SHOP OWNERS:
Spend your money wisely. Use your start-up money carefully, and spend it as you have allocated in your business plan. Don't be surprised by all the salespeople just waiting to knock on your door to sell you insurance, telecommunications, IT support, logistics, banking, staffing solutions, etc; just take one at a time and make well-thought-out decisions. Remember that many of these expenses are monthly and will add up and affect cash flow quickly.

CONTACT
Fedtech Inc. Web site (https://www.fedtech.com)
Fedtech's Twitter (https://www.twitter.com/fedtechinc)
Become a fan on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/fedtech)
Fedtech's Blog (https://fedtechmn.blogspot.com)