Tri-State Fabricators, Inc.

Tri-State Fabricators, Inc.

1146 Ferris Road
Amelia, OH 45102
(Phone) 513-752-5005
(Fax) 513-752-2107
www.tristatefabricators.com
sales@tristatefabricators.com

By Joe Vogt and Rick Vogt

OPENED: 1983

WHY:
I (Rick Vogt), my dad, and two brothers (Jeff and Chris) wanted to be our own bosses. We recognized that there are numerous advantages and lifestyle benefits to owning a family business, which include freedom, independence, flexibility, community pride, creativity, and control. We wanted to cultivate a business together that could be passed down for generations to come.

CAPABILITIES:
We specialize in sheet metal fabrication and finishing services such as shearing, laser cutting, punching, forming, stamping, sheet rolling, tube rolling, tube bending, sheet bending, stamping, welding, CNC machining, CNC turning, powder coating, wet painting, glass bead blasting (sandblasting), paint stripping, and silk screening. We currently work with all industries and an extremely wide array of materials. We can work with any quantity from production to prototype. We truly are a one-stop job shop! Our Web site does a great job of explaining all of our capabilities in great detail. It also lists all of our equipment.

SHOP WORKHORSE(S):
Our lasers are certainly two of the biggest workhorses in our facility. Even when we are not physically here, our 4000-W Amada Gemini laser is still running. It has an automation feature that has been extremely beneficial over the years.

MOST UNUSUAL OR MEMORABLE PROJECT:
Back in the '80s, Tri-State fabricated all the pay phone casings for what is now the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. We also fabricated custom dollar bill vending machines for the gambling industry in Las Vegas in the '80s. These were enormous projects for us back then and were a great success.

GREATEST CHALLENGE:
Short turnaround times and emergency jobs have certainly been some of the greatest challenges we have consistently encountered over the years. Whenever you squeeze a job in front of another job, it affects scheduling and promised delivery dates. We are getting better and better at dealing with these issues on a daily basis. We are currently in the very early stages of implementing a proven scheduling system based on the theory of constraints that will help eliminate many of the struggles that come with quick turnaround times and emergency jobs.

LOOKING AHEAD:
We have many changes and additions planned that are intended to promote steady growth and enhance customer experience. The economic downturn has been tough to swallow; however, we made strategic adjustments that have given us the ability to survive and thrive. We are looking forward to a very bright future.

ADVICE FOR WOULD-BE SHOP OWNERS:

• Establish and maintain ethical business practices.
• Buy good equipment and maintain it properly.
• Surround yourself with hardworking and trustworthy people.
• Be flexible. Flexibility is a good thing in our industry. You do not want to be dependent on a single customer or industry.

CONTACT:
Tri-State Fabricators Inc.
Tristatefabricators.com
Twitter.com/tristatefab