Onshoring specialist Velocity Group has boosted its mold building capacity by acquiring Fehrman Tool & Die Inc. of Byesville, Ohio.
Velocity is a full-service design, engineering and manufacturing company in Mason, Ohio, that already had two other tool building operations, explained general manager Andrew Stelmack in a phone interview.
“We wanted more capacity and rapid tool-repair capability,” Stelmack said.
Fehrman Tool's ability to make large injection molds complements Oakley Die & Mold, a Mason, Ohio-based subsidiary of Velocity Group. Velocity Concept, based in Cambridge, Ohio, specializes in smaller injection molds for medical and other markets.
“Fehrman customers gain access to Velocity Group's complete set of design, development and manufacturing services along with the financial stability of a large manufacturing operation,” Stelmack added.
Velocity Group also has in-house injection molding in Cambridge with five presses with clamping forces up to 350 tons. The Oakley Die subsidiary also does some production molding and mold trials.
Ron and Judy Fehrman, former owners of Fehrman Tool, have retired. Their son, Eric Fehrman, continues with the business. Fehrman Tool formerly was based in Cincinnati, but moved to Mason in 1998, when its annual sales were about $6 million.
Velocity Group supports onshoring programs in medical, industrial, transportation and other markets. It sets up a U.S.-based skilled labor staff and provides advanced manufacturing technologies to help bring concepts to market quickly. The company claims its resources are competitive with offshore options by reducing the time horizon and cost of projects.
“We have expanded our strategy in response to customers seeking a partner with a complete set of ISO-certified design, development and manufacturing services under one roof,” stated Velocity Group CEO and owner Kent Savage in an April 25 news release. Velocity Group achieved ISO 13485 certification for production of medical devices in 2015. Velocity Group has in-house medical products assembly operations and also owns a software development business.
