Alloy Precision Technologies is powering ahead with ambitious growth plans 

With customer forming equipment, 35 state-of-the-art machining centers, a team of expert welders, and over nine decades of experience, Alloy Precision Technologies is a leading provider of metal bellows, welded assemblies, thin wall tubing, and customized solutions. In recent years, the company’s focus on implementing new technologies has driven innovation in a range of sectors, including energy and power generation, oil and gas production, medical, industrial manufacturing, and aerospace and defense. 

To learn more about Alloy Precision Technologies, its capabilities, and recent investments, we’re joined by President and CEO, Michael Canty. “The company was formed in 1935 and for the first several decades of its existence, it was a welding, brazing, and soldering house,” Michael begins. “The business was then sold to a couple of partners, then to a local family, and I came onboard as a partner and the CEO in 2006. I later purchased the remaining shares in 2009, and I’ve run it ever since. 

“Alloy Precision Technologies is a very different company today than when it was formed. We got into manufacturing metal bellows through a small acquisition in 1998, and after this success, we revamped the business to become a dominant brand for industrial bellows and bellow assemblies, which today account for around 75 percent of our business.” 

Elaborating on the range of products and services, Michael continues: “Simply described, bellows are like accordions made from metal for large applications like natural gas fired turbines to produce electric power or the production of oil and natural gas. We’re strong in the fracking market, as bellows help to build pressure during the fracking process to artificially lift oil and natural gas to the surface. However, we also run a strong, modern CNC manufacturing operation, provide thin wall tubing, and offer contract welding for custom engineered assemblies. 

“Quality and efficient delivery are key to everything we do, especially considering most of our work is custom engineered component parts. With plenty of in-house talent and several IP designs and processes, we can design and develop a component solution from scratch or improve on a customer’s existing design.” 

Emphasizing quality and precision, Alloy Precision Technologies has invested significantly in new technologies and automation in recent years. “We’ve always focused on investing in the best equipment, processes, and people available, and I think any successful business must evolve in line with modern equipment and technologies,” Michael confirms. “Over the last five years, we’ve accelerated this focus to invest in smart manufacturing technologies. Our equipment is fitted with sensors, for instance, to produce information on the performance of both the operator and the machine. This not only enables us to understand and improve throughput but also aids predictive maintenance schedules. 

“We’re also using optical laser scanners to measure parts, rather than traditional calipers, which are more efficient and accurate when measuring critical dimensions, as well as providing proof of measurement for customers. In terms of AI, we’re pushing to integrate AI into nearly every area of the company from supply chain to lead generation and or grant writing in the sales and marketing department, to machine learning that eliminates mundane tasks within the manufacturing plant. 

“Innovation is one of our five core values, and it’s ingrained in our culture,” he states. “We’re constantly finding ways to modify and improve our existing operations using new technologies. We’ve taken traditional modern fiber optic laser welders, for instance, and transformed them to quickly and accurately trim and seal bellows. We also develop our own proprietary equipment for hydroforming, forming, trimming, and inspecting bellows.” 

Although Alloy Precision Technologies already has a presence in the aerospace and defense industries, Michael is keen to strengthen the company’s work in these mission-critical sectors. “We’re currently involved in a significant contract to produce a bellows assembly that will go into NASA’s permanently manned HALO space station,” he reveals. “Our tolerances are tight enough to handle almost any market needs and we have the necessary quality and IT certifications to work in aerospace and defense, including being certified by the International Traffic of Arms (ITAR) and NADCAP accredited. 

“We’ve targeted our marketing efforts to these sectors and we’re launching new specific product lines. Having previously been limited to a bellows size of just under six inches, we’ve developed bigger bellows and by the end of the year, we’re aiming to produce bellows and assemblies of 12-to-15 inches in diameter. We’re also investing in developing our own line of bellow valves, which we’ve been asked for by many of our customers, as well as marketing our thin wall tubing products to aerospace, motor, and industrial customers.” 

As our conversation ends, Michael shares his goals for the company’s future. “We’ve been growing rapidly, and our current backlog is up 55 percent in the last four months alone,” he says. “We’ve got a very strong team here from engineering and product design to development and state-of-the-art production capabilities. Our current markets are also growing as demand for oil and natural gas continues to increase, and we’ll continue to invest in new equipment, processes, and technology geared towards growing the business and serving our customers. 

“I’d like to see us triple our current revenue over the next five years, but that’s my personal goal,” Michael concludes. “From a formal corporate planning perspective, we’re on track to double in size over the next five years, with 15 percent year-on-year growth. I want customers to approach us not only for bellows but for entire assemblies, which are continuously growing in terms of both size and complexity. We’ll continue to grow our capabilities to meet the demanding needs of large OEMs while also being a reliable partner to smaller and mid-sized businesses as they grow and develop.”  

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