PMPA Member Peerless Machinery Finds Success in Delivering Full-Service Solutions for Customers

For more than a decade, Peerless Machinery has made a name for itself in the industry by challenging some of the misconceptions associated with the used machine tool equipment market. The company, which primarily sells used Swiss machines “like-new,” was founded by Gannon Clark in 2009 as a way to add value to his parent company, Millennium Machinery. In 2010, Mr. Clark recruited Ron Nitowski, a former friendly competitor, to manage Peerless’ used machine division. Mr. Nitowski spent his entire adult life in the trades, working his way up from an apprentice to a toolmaker, until the 1990s when he started working in sales. Mr. Nitowski became fascinated by the versatility and innovation of Swiss machines and saw an opportunity for the company to succeed by specializing in selling used Swiss machines to companies that would benefit from the technology, but would not have the resources to buy a new machine.

“Swiss machines are great because you can make both small parts and parts that are longer and thicker in nature, so it’s a cool niche to be in,” says Mr. Nitowski, vice president of Peerless Machinery. “We sell to a lot of first-time Swiss machine users, and nine times out of 10, they end up buying more Swiss equipment.”

Today, the company operates out of a 40,000-square-foot facility that it shares with its parent company in South Bend, Indiana. Peerless Machinery offers a range of Swiss machine services to its customers, such as machine training, consulting and adding parts to meet customer requirements. At the request of its customers, Peerless Machinery has also bought and sold rotary transfer, multi-spindle and regular CNC machines.

To bring its used machines up to like-new standards, Peerless Machinery’s machines are thoroughly cleaned, inspected and tested for any errors or maintenance issues. Once the machines are ready for the showroom, the company sits down with prospective customers to evaluate their budget needs and discuss adding or removing additional parts to better suit the needs of their shop.

“We like letting our customers have the ability to come into our showroom and ‘kick the tires’ before they buy one of our machines,” Mr. Nitowski says. “It’s sort of a one-stop shop, which is very helpful for the customer. We can remove widgets or add parts like high-pressure pumps or a bar loader without having to outsource the service to someone else.”

Mr. Nitowski has been heavily involved with PMPA since the late 1990s and served on the committee to launch the biennial Precision Machining Technology Show (PMTS), which addresses product technology, process innovation and business development in the precision machined parts industry. Mr. Nitowski says PMPA has been instrumental in building his business network within the industry. In addition to PMPA’s networking tools, Mr. Nitowski and his team benefit from the information provided by the organization’s listserves and presentations, as well as knowledge passed down by PMPA’s interim director, Miles Free.

“I’m hoping to be a member of PMPA as long as possible,” Mr. Nitowski says. “It’s a very friendly environment and has been a great networking tool for us that allows us to not only stay close with old friends, but meet and get to know a lot of new people in our industry.”

Peerless Machinery is located at 4406 Technology Drive, South Bend, Indiana 46628. Phone: 574-210-5990. Website: peerless-machinery.com