The Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Navy has launched an initiative to energize and engage the Greater Pittsburgh defense industrial base. Through the creation of maritime-focused manufacturing pipelines, the initiative aims to enrich the industrial workforce and address critical trade skill gaps across maritime and defense organizations.

The Pennsylvania Talent Pipeline partners with training providers and employers to increase year-over-year industrial and defense talent acquisition and retention. Through effective education on workforce needs, hands-on skills assessment, and coaching, program participants work together to improve career readiness and job stability. Affiliated employers commit to hiring and retaining program graduates into well-paying and mission-critical careers. With a focus on welders, machinists, metal fabricators, electricians, ship fitters, and NDT/Quality Assurance positions, the initiative strives to ensure long-term success for both the employees and their respective businesses.

With roots dating back to World War I, the O’Neal family of companies is anchored in the support of manufacturing not only in military and defense, marine and aerospace industries, but also in transportation, material handling, construction, agriculture, and more. O’Neal Manufacturing Services in Pittsburgh is a trusted supplier to major OEMs with long-term, strategic outsourcing projects.

Talent Pipeline Program Manager, Mr. Joe Barto, along with Commander and Master Chief Josh Sturgill, and Rear Admiral Scott Pappano, recognized O’Neal Manufacturing Services for its partnership in the program. Alexa Opal (center), MIG Welder for OMS Pittsburgh, and Gus Cassida, Regional General Manager of OMS Pittsburgh, represented the company at the Pennsylvania Talent Pipeline Signing Day.  In total, 19 employees have joined the OMS team through the Pipeline program. For more information on the Talent Pipeline Program visit https://dibtalentpipeline.com/

In recent years, robotic welding technology has revolutionized the manufacturing industry, offering a wide range of benefits for mass production. With its ability to automate the welding process, improve quality, minimize spatter, and reduce errors, robotic welding has become an indispensable tool for companies looking to stay ahead in today’s competitive market.

Increased Efficiency

One of the primary advantages of robotic welding technology is its ability to weld parts in half the time of traditional welding operations. Robotic welders work quickly and continuously and can be programmed for long runs with minimal downtime. With its precise application, robotic welding has substantially fewer errors and yields less filler waste. This results in reduced spatter and eliminates the need for extensive post-weld cleaning; another time-consuming task routinely associated with manual welding.

Continuous Workflow

Robotic welding cells are programmed to perform at a steady pace, preserving weld integrity for the entire production run. Skilled welders maintain programming control while robotic counterparts scan, position, and weld in a repetitive, uninterrupted workflow. By utilizing robotic weld cells alongside experienced manual welders, OMS offers significantly higher welding capacity than ever before. This translates to greater efficiency and shorter lead times for our customers.

Improved Quality

In addition to boosting productivity, robotic systems are equipped with advanced sensors and cutting-edge software which operate with incredible accuracy and provide consistent, high-quality results. Programmed to follow exact specifications, they monitor weld seam application with a level of precision that eliminates variations in quality and provides error-free, uniform results throughout the entire production run.

Versatility and Flexibility

Robotic welding technology offers unparalleled versatility and flexibility in mass production. The robotic arms equipped with welding torches seamlessly switch between different welding techniques, from arc and spot to MIG and TIG, based on the specific requirements of the task at hand. These automated systems handle various types of welds, including complex and intricate designs for both large and small lot quantities.

The OMS Advantage

Robotic welding technology offers many advantages to customers requiring high-volume manufacturing support. O’Neal Manufacturing Services has been fabricating welded assemblies for more than 100 years. Our robotic weld cells, certified welders, and welding inspectors ensure your steel fabricated parts are high-quality, tested, and structurally sound.

We have the skill, expertise, and state-of-the-art equipment to produce complex parts with precision and accuracy. Our experienced teams accommodate both lightweight subassemblies and weldments weighing more than 40,000 lbs. By leveraging the speed and precision of robotic welding technology with the extensive fabrication capabilities offered by our facilities across North America, OMS provides the most effective fabrication solutions for your business.

Our first core value as a company states, “People are our greatest asset.”

O’Neal Manufacturing Services is supporting this value through an employee succession program designed to develop our future company leaders. The EPIC curriculum is constructed to inspire participants beyond the ordinary through an 15-month program focused on the topics of Empowerment, Performance, Innovation, and Character.

14 participants are enrolled in the inaugural EPIC program, representing each OMS facility in the United States and Mexico. Over the next year and a half, they will experience 1:1 coaching sessions, in-person and virtual training, visit each U.S. facility, and partake in MSCI’s leadership class at West Point.

2023 EPIC Emerging Leaders Include:

Along with two of our regional general managers as their mentors, Gus Cassida and Federico Fraga, EPIC participants receive direction from our talent manager, Patricia Woods, our human resource team, and OMS directors/internal subject matter experts representing each department.

EPIC cohorts will emerge from the program with the skills to maximize their professional potential and lead O’Neal Manufacturing Services into the future.

Designated by the National Safety Council, this annual observance aims to increase awareness of the leading safety and health risks facing employees today and to reduce injuries in the workplace. 

Safety topics for June include:

• Emergency Preparedness – Life-saving techniques such as CPR
• Slips, Trips, and Falls – Staying safe when working from heights
• Heat-Related Illness – Precautions during summer months or in confined areas
• Hazard Recognition – Identifying and avoiding an accident before it occurs

Through the promotion of weekly safety topics, the NSC encourages businesses to develop procedures that prevent injuries, increase productivity, promote loss control, and improve employee morale.

2023 marks the 27^th year of celebrating National Safety Month. The NSC believes that safety is everyone’s responsibility.  They encourage employees to take the SafeAtWork Pledge:

• Actively help my employer improve our safety programs
• Report hazards promptly and suggest solutions
• Be a good safety role model for my friends and family, even off the job

For more information on National Safety Month, visit https://www.nsc.org/

Each year, The FABRICATOR, North America’s leading magazine for the metal forming and fabricating industry, identifies the 40 most successful metal fabricating operations in the country on the basis of reported annual revenue.  It was no surprise that O’Neal Manufacturing Services was ranked among the best on this year’s FAB 40 list.

With a 40% increase in sales year over year, OMS experienced unprecedented revenue growth in 2022.  OMS also grew geographically, with two new locations in Cincinnati, Ohio and Fayette, Alabama. This expansion as well as the addition of several large new accounts demonstrated the company’s ability to provide additional capacity to meet their customers’ needs.

 “Amid the disruptions from supply chain and other economic factors over the past few years, our business continues not only to thrive but also to provide first-class customer service,” reported Russ Bagby, O’Neal Manufacturing Services’ Chief Financial Officer.

Bagby Added, “While sales growth is fantastic, it would not be sustainable without the commitment of our teams to produce exceptional, quality products and parts for the customers we serve.”

OMS offers multistage processing capabilities and repetitive parts production for large original equipment manufacturers, specializing in fabricated metal components and welded sub-assemblies. Whether driven by increased production capacity or condensed launch-to-market schedules, O’Neal Manufacturing Services offers strategic, long-term benefits to major industrial equipment manufacturers.

As a proud member of the Fabricator’s and Manufacturer’s Association (FMA), O’Neal Manufacturing Services has ranked high on The FAB 40 list for many years and will likely be topping the charts for many more to come.

Many construction equipment manufacturers outsource production of their heavy plate component parts and assemblies to subcontractors such as custom fabricators. While some parts are managed in-house, outsourcing heavy component projects offers many benefits to these large OEMs, including savings on capital equipment expenses, adherence to project timelines, and reduced labor costs. Partnering with a fabricator to manufacture large parts also allows the construction equipment company to allocate its resources toward primary operations central to its business while focusing on market share and executing sales.

Why Outsource Production?

Custom fabricators specialize in heavy part manufacturing and have the equipment needed to provide multistage processing and repetitive parts production to assist large OEMs. With in-house materials managers and seasoned production teams, these fabricators are considered expert resources in the industry.  Contract manufacturers have the capability to produce burn-to-shape parts, subassemblies, and large components for a variety of construction equipment projects. Many fabricators specialize in high-volume production and offer an extensive lineup of cutting, forming, and bending capabilities, along with welding, powder coating, kitting, and assembly. 

Construction equipment manufacturers often rely on outside fabrication shops to produce high-quality parts that fall under multiple supplier codes. They provide important information to the fabrication teams including verified component measurements, part specifications, and fabrication instructions. Examples of large components produced for the construction equipment industry include:

• Excavators
• Skid Steers
• Loaders
• Compacting Equipment
• Engine Mounts
• Off-Highway Trucks
• Dozers
• Compactors

Construction equipment OEMs provide important information to their fabrication counterparts including verified component measurements, part specifications, and fabrication instructions. By outsourcing large parts, these OEMs realize numerous advantages to help reduce their supply base and increase the efficiency of their production team.  In turn, the fabricator produces a high-quality product while taking on the burden of equipment and labor expenses and ensuring the OEMs supply chain runs smoothly.

The National Safety Council (NSC) recognized O’Neal Manufacturing Services (OMS) in Cedar Falls, Iowa for completing 1 million consecutive work hours without an occupational injury or illness resulting in days away from work.

“I am extremely proud of our employees and their commitment to working safely,” remarked James Mattson, General Manager for O’Neal Manufacturing Services in Cedar Falls. “We pride ourselves on looking out for each other, investing in our safety processes, and finding ways to continually improve our safety culture. The NSC award validates the priority that OMS places on workplace safety. We are now focused on getting to 2 million hours without a lost time injury.”

In addition to this notable safety achievement, the NSC awarded OMS Cedar Falls with an Occupational Excellence Achievement Award. This award recognized the Cedar Falls team for achieving injury and illness records better than 50% of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for their NAICS code.

Shannon Johnson, Safety Specialist for OMS Cedar Falls shared a popular quote that exemplifies the team’s dedication to workplace safety. “Safety is not a device; it is a state of mind.”

For more than 100 years, the National Safety Council has been a leader in workplace safety. A nonprofit safety advocate, the NSC Council believes that employers who show they care about the safety of their employees see improved morale, increased productivity, lower costs, and fewer injuries.

O’Neal Manufacturing Services (OMS) recently installed a TRUMPF TruBend 8010 press brake in its Pittsburgh, PA fabrication center. TRUMPF confirmed it to be the largest press brake of its kind in the United States.

“We are excited that O’Neal Manufacturing Services installed a highly flexible, large-format TruBend 8000 series machine – the largest press brake TRUMPF offers to the North American market,” said Roger Michaud, product manager for standalone bending, punching, and combination punch-laser machines at TRUMPF Inc.’s North American headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut.

According to Gus Cassida, O’Neal Manufacturing Services’ general manager in Pittsburgh, the new press brake will complement the fabricator’s extended-length burning and large-format vertical machining capabilities already in place. “The overall size of this press brake combined with its incredible accuracy will provide us with even more production repeatability for large, formed parts,” said Cassida. “It will be a game-changer for our business.”

The TRUMPF TruBend 8010 is the newest addition to the Pittsburgh fabricator’s lineup of precision bending and forming capabilities. This impressive 1,100 US-ton machine gives OMS the ability to bend components up to 23 feet. Featuring a 6-Axis back gauge, useable open height of 34 inches, hydraulic tool clamping, and laser-controlled bending, TRUMPF TruBend 8010 makes it possible to accurately bend nearly any application.  

Currently serving OEMs, bridge & DOT, power transmission, rail, truck and trailer, marine, and heavy construction industries, OMS Pittsburgh offers total supply solutions for large parts. Cassida added, “The TRUMPF TruBend 8010 press will allow OMS to expand our large part business with our current customers in addition to expanding our position with new customers and new markets.”

O’Neal Manufacturing Services (OMS) Houston was recently chosen to receive a 2023 Safety Award of Honor from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA). Open to all FMA company members, the FMA/CNA Annual Safety Awards recognize metal fabrication companies that adhere to excellence in safety.

Sponsored by CNA, the endorsed business insurance carrier for FMA, the awards are designed to promote safety in the industry, and winners are selected by the FMA Safety Council. The Safety Award of Honor is given to companies having a perfect safety record of no recordable injuries or illnesses for the reporting period.

Clark Wood, Director of Safety for O’Neal Manufacturing Services congratulated OMS Houston for being recognized with the Safety Award of Honor. “Our Houston team has demonstrated a strong commitment to safety as an organizational value, and they are one of the OMS locations that are setting a standard for safety excellence.”

Congratulations OMS Houston for achieving this prestigious recognition!

O’Neal Manufacturing Services (OMS) Pittsburgh was recently chosen to receive a 2023 Safety Award of Honor from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA). Open to all FMA company members, the FMA/CNA Annual Safety Awards recognize metal fabrication companies that adhere to excellence in safety.

Sponsored by CNA, the endorsed business insurance carrier for FMA, the awards are designed to promote safety in the industry, and winners are selected by the FMA Safety Council. The Safety Award of Honor is given to companies having a perfect safety record of no recordable injuries or illnesses for the reporting period.

“I congratulate O’Neal Manufacturing Services (OMS) Pittsburgh on winning a Safety Award of Honor,” said Edward Youdell, president and CEO of FMA. “Safety is clearly a priority for the company. They set a good example for others in the industry. FMA and CNA are proud to recognize all our safety award winners.”

To be eligible to receive recognition, companies were required to submit OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, for the period Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022. Firms of all sizes were eligible. Winners were selected based on North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code categories and BLS injury and illness incidence rates. The complete list of 2023 award winners has been published on FMA’s blog at www.fmamfg.org/blog .

In addition, OMS – Pittsburgh, has been selected as a finalist for the Rusty Demeules Award for Safety Excellence. Award of Honor recipients were invited to apply for the highest safety honor. It honors long-time former FMA volunteer Rusty Demeules’ passion for creating safe work cultures and is presented to one company each year that best exemplifies a dedication to safety. Rankings were determined by the FMA Safety Technology Council. The winner and honorable mention will be announced at the recognition dinner on May 9.