Member Profile: Allied Machined Products

Allied Machined Products is a family-owned-and-operated manufacturer of precision machined parts. The company was founded in 1946 in Worcester, Massachusetts, by Louis Weber, who retired in 1965. He was succeeded as president by his son Russell Weber who, in turn, was succeeded in 1987 by his son, current president Peter Weber.

Allied’s original location was 4,000 square feet of space in the basement of an old industrial building. In 1962, the company moved to a new 9,000-square-foot facility, building additions in 1975 and 1985. Allied moved to its present location –
a new 42,000-square-foot facility in Auburn, Massachusetts – in 1999. Last year, the manufacturer finished a 7,500-square-foot addition, which coincided with the company’s 60th anniversary.

Today, with more than 80 employees, Allied Machined Products manufactures its close-tolerance parts, components and assemblies for OEM customers. The ISO 9001:2000-registered company produces those parts from steel, stainless steel, brass and aluminum, as well as a wide range of machinable plastics.

Allied currently serves a wide range of markets, including automotive, recreational vehicles, construction, medical, natural gas, hardware, grinding wheels, audio speakers, cutlery, high-end consumer products and antique automobile restoration.

“We have a lot of capability,” says company vice president Joseph Wetton, a grandson of the founder. “We have single- and multiple-spindle automatic screw machines, as well as CNC Swiss machines, turning machines and machining centers.” The company also offers an array of secondary services that includes in-house welding, centerless grinding, broaching, assembly and packaging, as well as outside heat-treating and plating.

Since joining PMPA in 1954, Allied Machined Products has benefited greatly from its membership. “We really take advantage of the information they provide,” says Mr. Wetton. “We’ve used it for help with government regulations, health and safety programs, and machining feeds and speeds on exotic material.”

“We probably use the Listserve more than anything,” says Ann Weber, treasurer of the company and wife of its president. “Most of us are connected to the Management, Engineering and Quality Listserves.”

“It seems that before you even ask a question, somebody out there has already asked it and somebody else has already answered it,” Mr. Wetton adds. “Most members are looking for answers to the same types of questions. The subjects can be as simple as how to clean parts or finding sources for machine parts and repairs. There is a lot of valuable information out there.”

Representatives from Allied Machined Products have been attending the PMPA National Technical Conference for about 20 years, according to Mrs. Weber. “For us, the Tech Conference is the most popular of the PMPA events,” she says. “We also attend a number of Management Updates and the Annual Meeting.”

“We probably send five or six people to the Tech Conference,” explains Brad Weber, the fourth generation of the family to work at Allied. “Everyone from the machine setup men to the foreman. At the Tech Conference, you get to know people that are technically your competitors. Yet, they help each other with problems and show what they’ve done. It’s very educational.”

All of the company’s top executives agree that the best benefit of PMPA membership is the networking. “People in PMPA are a lot freer about sharing information than you’ll probably find in any other organization, whether they’re a direct competitor of yours or not,” says company sales manager Brian Early.

Mr. Wetton summarizes, “If you’re having trouble machining a certain type of material or a part, somebody will answer your question and tell you what they did to solve a similar problem. They’ll even tell you where they bought the equipment, how they used it and who to get a hold of. It has always been that way. That’s probably the most unique thing about PMPA… the way members share information. Whether it’s on the Listserve, over the phone or at the conferences, information gets shared.”

Allied Machined Products Corp. is located at 4 Westec Drive, Auburn, Massachusetts 01501-3041. Phone: (508) 756-4290. Fax: (508) 754-1276. Web site: www.alliedmp.com.