USA: Simmons Machine Tool Corp is establishing a technical application centre in Albany, New York, to support North American customers across non-automotive industry sectors including rail.
As part of the NSH Group (Niles-Simmons-Hegenscheid), Niles-Simmons designs and manufactures precision CNC machining tools including underfloor wheel lathes used for rolling stock maintenance.
The company will now be responsible for product sales and customer support across the aerospace, defence, rail and machinery manufacturing sectors, providing technical support as well as supplying OEM parts and service. Automotive customers will be supported by sister company Hegenscheidt Corp in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
A centrepiece of the Niles Technical Application Center being established at the Albany plant will be a Niles-Simmons N30 MC a multi-axis multi-function turning centre which is due to be installed in the first quarter of 2021. ‘This machine will allow us to work closely with customers and perform “applications engineering” with their specific workpiece’, the company explained. ‘Applications development utilising the N30 MC’s turning, milling, boring, drilling and other machining process capabilities will be a priority. There will also be opportunities for contract manufacturing for large part machining customers with tight tolerance requirements.’
‘Our heavy payload automation capabilities forged by demanding projects in the railway industry worldwide will be valuable to other industries as they seek to automate’, said Product Manager Alexander Davis. ‘The Niles-Simmons product line furthers our railway capabilities by offering the RQ series of wheel manufacturing machines and the N20, N30 and N40 LT machines for manufacturing new axles and maintenance operations. With this opportunity, Simmons can serve new industries such as aerospace, defence, renewable energy and others that are emerging in the marketplace.’