On May 1^st, 2013, the 5^th grade students from Smith Elementary School in Oshkosh, WI (http://smith.oshkosh.k12.wi.us/) made a field trip to Marvel Manufacturing Company, Inc.  The students were broken up into small groups as Marvel employees led them on a tour of Marvel’s manufacturing plant and offices.  While on the tour, the students made several stops to hear selected Marvel employees describe what they do on a daily basis.  They learned about accounting, human resources, sales and marketing, customer service, information technology, engineering, machine assembly, machining and machine operation.  The purpose of the visit was for the students to see, first hand, different career opportunities available to them in the future and learn the skill sets needed to perform the jobs.  Some of the skills that were discussed during the tour were productivity, accountability, initiative, self direction, social and cultural skills, flexibility, leadership and responsibility.  After the tour, Marvel conducted a quarterly company meeting that covered the company’s performance and goals.  The student’s were able to listen into the meeting while they ate lunch.

Marvel Mfg. Vice President Bob Beach presented an award for outstanding sales efforts to Saw Service of America President Jim Gesner during a recent visit.   Joining Bob on the trip to the Pico Rivera, California facility were District Sales Mgr. Owen Weichel and National Sales Mgr. Don Armstrong.   Many thanks to Jim and his entire team for the great job they doing promoting Marvel and Spartan products.

On March 2, 2011 Marvel Manufacturing ran into a situation where a system crash occurred with the UPS shipping system that handles all of Marvel’s parts delivery.  As the IT department scrambled for a solution, the shipping manager continued to pull and box customer orders throughout the day.

The IT department was able to scramble and pull together a system at 4:00 pm.  Unfortunately, it was too late for that day’s schedule UPS pickup.   Fully understanding the dire circumstances customers are under when saws need parts, Steve Cowling processed shipments until 5:00 pm and delivered the packages to the local UPS Store.  Upon arriving at the store Steve noticed the clerk on the phone, and a UPS delivery driver stuffing boxes into the back of his delivery vehicle appearing ready for departure.  Steve, stepping out of character, shouted to the delivery driver to hold for Marvel’s customer’s packages.  The packages were successfully sent.  For this Steve gets the unsung hero of the day award.

On February 6, 2013 in Dover, Delaware, Marvel Mfg. Vice President Bob Beach, along with National Sales Manager Don Armstrong and District Manager Frank Warther, presented Brooks Machine President, Paul Brooks with a plaque recognizing them for their outstanding sales efforts.  Brooks Machine was founded in 1982 by Paul’s father, Paul Brooks, Sr., a former service engineer for Armstrong-Blum Mfg. Co. (now Marvel Manufacturing).  Brooks Machine is well-known throughout the Northeast for their excellent sales, repair and refurbishing of Marvel and Spartan band saws.  We here at Marvel Manufacturing are proud to recognize Brooks Machine as an valuable member of the Marvel team.

The Marvel’s PC3 saw control has the ability to utilize other input devices such as a keyboard and mouse. These tools are often not well suited to the sawing environment and can be clumsy to have around.  However, the right combination of an industrialized mouse and keyboard can make some data entry tasks easier.

On the side of the touch screen enclosure there is a USB port. This is typically used to import and export part data and machine settings, but can be used to connect a mouse and/or keyboard.

Additionally, the USB port could be used to plug in a standard bar-code scanner. Bar-code readers could be useful for loading parts into the control. This would be a simplified alternative to assure production consistency.

Some of this enhanced functionality needs further testing and development, but maybe used at the customer’s discretion.   If you have more questions, help can be provided through contacting our service department.

Note:  There may be some compatibility issues with certain brands of hardware as 
we have not tested every make and model.

Henry Repeating Arms of Bayonne, New Jersey and Marvel Mfg. Co. of Oshkosh, Wisconsin have a lot in common.  Both companies have been manufacturing in America for over 100 years (Henry since 1860 and Marvel since 1904), both are known for producing high quality products and both companies pride themselves on their customer service.  The customer service on Marvel’s side was put to the test recently when the folks at Henry needed a rush replacement for their ten year old PA13 band saw which had sustained flood damage as a  result of Hurricane Sandy. The new model PA13EPC was shipped just two days after the order was received and is now in operation at the Henry factory cutting the gun barrels for the famous Henry .22 caliber repeating rifles.  Henry Repeating Arms is justifiably proud of their products and Marvel Mfg. Co. is proud to have them as a customer.

Farm Equipment Manufacturers Remain Optimistic About The Coming.

One of the strongest sectors for both Marvel and Spartan products over the last two years has been agricultural equipment manufacturing.  Throughout North America we have seen increasing sales to both major implement manufacturers and their second and third tier suppliers.  Representatives of the industry are predicting that this trend will continue through 2013 and beyond.

According to a recent article in Farm Industry News, worldwide production for agricultural machinery remained positive last year with worldwide production volume increasing to $110 billion (€ 86 billion) by year-end, and growing by another 5% in 2013.  Association of Equipment Manufacturers vice president Charlie O’Brien noted that in the United States, the Midwestern drought was a major challenge for farmers this year. However, with insurance payments substantially covering harvest losses, only a slight negative influence on machinery demand was expected.

John Deere chairman and chief executive officer Samuel R. Allen recently reported record third quarter performance in both sales and income which had increased by 15%.  The report noted that demand remains strong for U.S. farm equipment while construction continues a solid recovery.

As part of the introduction of the new American made MARVEL Ironworkers, Marvel Manufacturing invested $1.3 Million into its Oshkosh, WI facility in 2013.  This investment not only increases Marvel’s potential for new products, but allows for tighter quality control and reduced manufacturing lead times for existing products.

The SNK RB4 Gantry Style Milling machine investment allows the  MARVEL Ironworkers to be produced in Oshkosh, WI.  Tightly controlling this part of the manufacturing process insures a higher level of collaboration between design and production teams.  Integration of these functions carries through to produce superior quality Industrial  Vertical Tilt Frame Saws .  Taking advantage of American ingenuity is one of the many MARVEL advantages.

 
The SNK RB4 5 axis Bridge style machining center compliments our production process for our current products.  The added capacity improves overall throughput of the finished products and contributes to shorter lead times and timely deliveries.

The combination of improved throughput, product collaboration, and high quality ultimately delivers high value for MARVEL customers.

This video encapsulates the 7 months of construction undergone to move in this large CNC machine.

One American icon keeps another running on time

There are few images more iconic to both New York residents and visitors than the Staten Island Ferry.  First launched in 1905 this landmark institution is as vital today as it was when it first began. The eight ferries that make up the Staten Island fleet carry over 21 million passengers a year on the 5.2 mile trip between Staten Island and Manhattan.  As you might imagine, maintaining this fleet requires a large staff and an extensive maintenance shop. We are proud to say that one key component of that shop is a Marvel 8 Mark III band saw.  Following Hurricane Sandy the maintenance crews worked around the clock to restore ferry service and, while the ferry fleet survived intact, the maintenance facility was flooded by four to five feet of seawater destroying much of the equipment the shop depends on.  In an effort to get the maintenance shop up and running as soon as possible Marvel Mfg. Co. gave a priority scheduling slot to the replacement 8 Mark III that was needed at the Staten Island maintenance facility.  We are proud to say that the new Marvel shipped within days of being ordered and is now in place helping to keep the ferries running on time.

One more interesting fact about the Staten Island Ferry, the three newest Ferries, the Guy V. Molinari, the John J. Marchi and The Spirit of America were all built in Wisconsin by Marinette Marine, another Marvel customer.