Article: CNC press brake fires-up production: building "one-of-a-kind" fire trucks, this operation demands the same of its fabricating equipment as its customers demand of its trucks, speed and flexibility.(Forming/Fabricating)

One-of-a-kind manufacturing challenges are the house specialty at Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corporation (Nesquehoning, PA). Kovatch (KME) builds custom-designed fire trucks, rescue trucks, industrial foam vehicles, and aircraft refuelers. What their customers want is what they deliver.

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"Everything is interesting here because everything changes," said Ernest Smith, KME shop supervisor, who oversees the facility's fabricated part production. "Take the cab on a fire truck," he notes. "Even with a fairly standard design, fabrication becomes a never-before-seen challenge when the customer decides to raise the roof a good 13" (330mm)."

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