Anchor Danly, a tooling and fabrication supplier, has shifted its focus to growing its fabrication division after doubling in size in 2011. It has significantly invested in expanding its fabrication capabilities to capitalize on growth opportunities. The company operates plants across North America and Germany to serve global customers. Known for decades in tooling, it is now leveraging its expertise in design and manufacturing to help customers reduce costs and improve efficiency in their products.

2. Anchor Danly Homes in on Die Sets and Fabrications
Homing in on die sets and fabrications
CANADIAN INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY OCTOBER 2013
OCTOBER 16, 2013
By: Sue Roberts
Known for decades as a top supplier to the global tooling and
mold industries, Anchor Danly, a Connell Limited Partnership
Company, has shifted its corporate spotlight to focus on its
fabrication line even after doubling its size in 2011.
Anchor Danly’s management team (left to right) Carl Powers, general manager fabrications; Steve Zerio,
president and CEO; Paul Brisebois, executive vice president, sales and marketing; and Tracey Heslop, vice
president and CFO, are focused on growing the company’s two divisions through expansions, acquisitions, and
capacity via new equipment such as the SNK RB-6VM machining center added to the Windsor, Ont., plant
earlier this year. Photos by James Gervais unless otherwise noted.
Anchor Danly, a Connell Limited Partnership Company, has shifted its corporate spotlight. It is
accelerating growth for its fabrication line even after doubling its size in 2011.
Known for decades as a top supplier to the global tooling and mold industries, the company is
investing significantly to further grow its fabrication capacity and capabilities.
“We are already one of the larger fabricators in North America, but we have significant growth
opportunity with both existing and prospective customers,” said Steve Zerio, president and CEO.

3. “We are pleased with the way our team members and new equipment are supporting the increasing
steel fabrication activity.”
Two divisions comprise Anchor Danly 2013: One produces die sets and machined plate, the other
creates large fabrications and assemblies. As it stands today, the two divisions generate $110
million in annual revenue, with $95 million produced in North America.
Ready to Grow
A solid foundation of experience puts the fabrication division in a good position for more expansion.
“One of our strengths, especially on the fabrication side, is our knowledge base. Starting with the
Tilbury, Ont., plant, and now expanding to our other facilities, we can help customers be more
efficient at making their own products,” said Zerio.
Carl Powers, general manager fabrications, added, “We are often called in at the design review
stage to assist customers in cost reduction and design for manufacturability ideas.”
Powers referred to a conveyor project that was fabricated, assembled, and containerized in sections
in the Tilbury plant then shipped to Ethiopia as an example of a large, precision fabrication project.
When assembled on-site, the conveyor stretched over 2,200 meters (1.37 miles), to bring concrete
down a mountainside for construction of a dam.
“We had to design and fixture the lengths of conveyor so the connector plates were identical and
would line up properly in the field. We couldn’t do any final assembly of the sections prior to shipping
because delivery was taking place as each section was completed. We had to rely on fixtures to
ensure that a consistent connection pattern was maintained on each frame without the expense of
machining each frame individually,” Powers said.
North America Plus
Canadian plants in Windsor, Tilbury, and Cambridge, Ont., and Montreal; U.S. plants in Grand
Rapids and Ithaca, Mich.; and Los Angeles provide main subassemblies used in the manufacture of
machines, structures, and large assemblies for the mining, power generation, forestry, defense, and
aerospace industries. Aluminum bases are also manufactured to size for builders of complex
automotive gauges and fixtures. Each day more than 100 dies sets, primarily for the automotive
industry, are shipped from the combined locations.
“Having plants on both sides of the border is a plus,” said Paul Brisebois, executive vice president,
sales and marketing. Certain companies want to buy in the country in which they reside, so it is a
strength to be multilocational.”

4. A welder in the Tilbury, Ont., plant works on a 36-ft.-diameter rotary work platform.
A facility in Chemnitz, Germany, provides similar services for the European market.
About 65 percent of the manufacturing is done in Canada, with a large percentage of Anchor Danly
products going into customer projects shipped across the globe.
Synergistic Plants
Capabilities overlap in five of the seven Western Hemisphere locations, allowing jobs to easily shift
from one plant to another to facilitate work flow. Within the 320,000 sq. ft. of the seven shops, 17
single and multihead flame-cutting centers; 30 Blanchard grinders with table diameters up to 120 in.
and a 60-in. vertical head clearance; 28 fitting and welding stations including a robotic welding
station for repeat orders; 40 CNC vertical and horizontal machining centers; hydraulic shears, two
plasma tables, and a 600-ton press brake with a 14-ft. capacity cut, grind, machine, and form
components from plate as large as 138 by 354 in. and up to 16 in. thick.
Fabricated products include aluminum and steel fixture bases, machine angle plates, and sediment
removal systems. Mechanical assembly is offered using components produced in-house, customer-
provided, or a combination of the two.
Earlier this year the Windsor plant completed installation of a SNK RB-6VM, an 80- by 137- by 236-
in. machining center with right-angle and five-sided capabilities. Large workpieces, weighing up to
66,000 lbs., are continuously machined on the workcenter without multiple setups.
“The new mill was added to support the fabrication side of our business,” said Powers. “We had
relied on outsource partners to assist with that type of machining, but there just wasn’t enough
capacity in southern Ontario. We were losing fabrication work because of access to machining
capacity. With this in-house addition, we can better meet our customers’ expectations when there is
a peak. It’s a differentiating process for us.”
Taking Stock
“All our locations stock, cut, and process their own material,” said Powers. “Having the material on
the floor helps us with lead time. We can go from order to floor without waiting for material. Being
able to do the majority of our own stress relief also gives us an advantage on controlling quality.”

5. About 30,000 tons of precertified steel is processed each year. Warehouse inventories typically
include A36, 44W, and 1020 mild steel; 1020 carbon steel plate; 1020, 1045 and 4140 specialty
steel; aluminum alloys; and a variety of structural tubing, beams, and channels. Tensile strength,
chemical composition, or 100 percent traceability are provided by customer request.
Thermal and vibratory stress relieving processes are performed in-house. Five ovens can
accommodate loads up to 7 by 10 by 30 ft. for both thermal stress relieving and annealing.
A good surface for paint adhesion is provided by shotblasting in a continuous feed blast unit with a
16- by 70-in. entry gate or sandblasting after flame cutting and before assembly and welding.
Painting is also done in-house in a 20- by 40-ft. booth.
Welders in the Canadian plants are CWB-certified for carbon and stainless steels. U.S. welders are AWS-
certified.
Certified Experience
Over 600 people comprise the Anchor Danly workforce. Most departments run two shifts. The
exceptions are welding, burning, and machining which typically produce around the clock.
Welders in the Canadian plants are CWB-certified for carbon and stainless steels. In the U.S. plants,
welders are AWS-certified. “We are working on AWS for the Canadian plants as well,” Powers said.
“Most U.S. companies accept the CWB certification as an equivalent, but some customers require
AWS. So we are getting that in place.”
A robotic workstation accommodates fabrications up to 11 by 8 by 5 ft. and weighing up to 14,500
lbs., with full 360-degree part rotation for volume fabrications.
Steady Relationships
“We have long-term relationships with both our customers and our employees,” said Zerio. “Our
customers are not in and out, which would lead to the kind of environment where you would have to
hire for a limited time. Our employees appreciate the safe work environment and our
communications.” Communication boards scattered across the shop floor track and share daily
activities.

6. A staff association that coordinates monthly meetings at each location allows hourly employees to
have a voice in company operations. Upper management participates in periodic meetings to
discuss how the company is doing, answer questions about any existing issues, and share tracking
on how Anchor Danly compares to its competition. Training and development of team members are
extensive, and the company looks within its own ranks when there is an opportunity for promotion.
The result is a workforce that stays put and contributes to the knowledge base and overall success
of the company. Employees in their second or third decade of service are the norm, not the
exception.
Moving Into 2014
Brisebois is gearing up for a surge in business. “I anticipate a robust market starting with the fourth
quarter and going into 2014 on both the tooling and the fabrication sides. We know that the
programs that will require tooling exist, and that OEMs will need bases for equipment to support
capital equipment investments. These programs have been a bit slow developing, but they’re out
there.”
Zerio added, “Automotive is good, agriculture is good, and mining will come back. Then there’s
construction and automation. And the housing industry, which has been in a four-year lull in North
America, will hopefully provide growth through die sets for the appliance industry.”
Some increased activity in appliance manufacturing is due to the reshoring initiative, according to
Zerio. “We are starting to see commitments to bring work back to North America, so we are seeing
more tooling needs than in previous years. It is benefiting our business as programs are tooled-up
here as opposed to in China or Korea. Some appliance manufacturers are making significant
investments to grow their capacity. And we see overlap into fabrication because many of our
fabrications go into the machinery used in these plants.”
Focus on Fabrication
“We’ll work to take care of our customers,” said Zerio. “If there is something they need that we can
deliver to them efficiently, we will look at it, but generally, with as much opportunity as we have to
grow our fabrication business, that’s where we’ll be putting our attention.
“We have aggressive plans for growth in that division both organically and through acquisitions in
Canada and the United States. We are the preferred supplier with virtually all of our customers. The
size and financial stability of our company give us the leverage to add capacity to accommodate new
business as market activity expands. We’re well-positioned. As things stabilize in North America, we
should have some big years ahead of us. These are exciting days.”