How Automation Helped a 165-Year-Old Manufacturer Stay in the U.S.

Automation is what’s helped keep lock maker Wilson Bohannan based in America for more than 150 years while all of its competitors relocated overseas. But the manufacturer’s 15-year-old robotic polishing system, built with a competitor robot, wasn’t achieving the results necessary for Wilson Bohannan to meet growing customer demand.

In order to maintain the company’s longstanding reputation for American-made craftsmanship and quality—while doubling output—Wilson Bohannan turned to FANUC Authorized System Integrator Acme Manufacturing for support.

With previous experience supporting international lock makers, Acme got to work developing a new system that more than doubled production and lessened the need for hand polishing by employees, all while fitting within the existing facility floor footprint.

Using two high-speed and high-precision FANUC M-10 series robots, Acme developed a simple but highly sophisticated system that uses innovative end-of-arm tooling to accommodate 18 different styles of padlocks.

As a result of Acme’s new system using FANUC robots, Wilson Bohannan production rocketed from 1,500-1,800 locks finished per eight-hour shift to more than 5,000.

In addition to production rates that more than doubled, the company experiences less downtime, is able to provide higher value, safer jobs for employees and benefit from a more consistent and high-quality finishing process.

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In the last 40 years, much of our industry has left this country and gone overseas, so it's a world dynamic, made in China, made in Mexico. How do you compete with that? You compete with automation. You compete with buying the finest machines in the lock industry—in the world—inside this facility.

Howard Smith Owner and CEO – Wilson Bohannan