Precision Metal Stamping Metamorphosis

Meeting Challenges, Setting New Standards

Hobson & Motzer began in 1912 as a tool and die shop aiming to fill a gap in the market for complex, high-precision tool work for local manufacturing companies. People who are familiar with us today are often surprised to learn that for our first 50 years or so, Hobson & Motzer did not offer metal stamping production. We were strictly tool and die and grew to produce some of the most complex progressive dies in the area. We were growing as a business, and work was steady; we were keeping our tool makers busy. As well, all our customers operated their own pressrooms, so there was little justification toward taking that next step into production metal stamping and coining.

That came when we built a two-up progressive die for a challenging, very small, high-volume, electrical connector for a local electronics manufacturer in Wallingford, CT. The tool was designed, built, and proven out in our shop. As a progressive die, it was innovative for its time, and it performed flawlessly in our test press. At the customer’s plant, however, they were unable to consistently match our output and performance with the tool. So, after a lot of troubleshooting—and iterative collaboration—it was determined that best move was for Hobson & Motzer to take in their press and run the parts for them. This was the first production stamping work in Hobson & Motzer—and the rest, as they say, is history.

This small part has long been out of production, but it remains a big part of Hobson & Motzer’s history. We have been producing high-volume precision metal stamping and coining for almost 60 years now, and offer a broad range of manufacturing capabilities, including precision CNC machining and value-added services, such as laser cutting and welding. Our pressroom operations have grown to comprise 55-plus stamping presses that provide a broad range of capabilities and press configurations, from high-speed presses to state-of-the-art servo presses with tonnage up to 660 tons. The depth Hobson & Motzer has in coining and as a precision metal stamper is unrivaled and anchored to over 100 years of tool and die expertise to design and build complex tools, progressive dies, fixtures, and essentially every key element that is necessary to efficiently produce the most challenging precision parts. Today, the Hobson & Motzer toolroom it is one of the largest and most technically equipped in the region. Our toolroom alone has over 50 associates; more than half are state-certified journeyman toolmakers.  

Since our founding, we have excelled in meeting market needs for complex, high-precision work. It starts with the right people, attitude, and skill level. It becomes reality with the right technology. This has allowed Hobson & Motzer to consistently push the envelope and remain in a position to take on and deliver on the most challenging parts and components—including those projects that other stampers have failed at.

Keeping a Step Ahead in Technology

Our most recent investment in stamping technology is a 330-ton servo press, installed in July of this year. Though not the largest servo press in our pressroom, its technology brings a great deal more versatility to what we are able to produce in this tonnage range. Servo presses are known for their versatility and ability to maximize energy; they provide the production speed of a mechanical press with the functionality and benefit of a hydraulic press.

Hobson & Motzer has a long history of maintaining a state-of-the-art pressroom. Keeping a step ahead in technology allows our company to answer the call of advanced industries that continually push the limits of what manufacturers can do. We have a proven record of creating solutions and delivering on the projects that move industries forward.

Over the last 40 years, Hobson & Motzer has migrated toward advanced industries that flourish in and benefit most from our capabilities and approach to manufacturing. Today we primarily serve the medical devices market in several key verticals. Our strength in engineering, tool and die design, stamping, and coining of metal components has carved a niche market for Hobson & Motzer that continues to expand as we’ve adopted new technologies. We are vertically integrated, performing further processing to many of the parts we stamp or coin. CNC machining, laser cutting, welding, PTFE coating, pad printing, and more, all allow for the production of custom assemblies and sub-assemblies. Mastering new technologies is a mindset—vertical integration drives value, improves quality, and reduces supply chain risk.

From a quality standpoint, Hobson & Motzer maintains a robust system with dual certifications: ISO9001 and ISO 13485. We view quality in terms of workmanship, customer experience, and innovation—and incorporate the mindset culturally, so quality guides our thoughts and action from the design and development of a project to its delivery. This ensures that each part we produce lives up to the expectation of everyone who will ever come into contact with it. The natural consequence of having generational expertise is consistency and reliability for our customers. Systemically documenting tribal knowledge that can be passed down is a powerful tool; where this level of expertise converges with the latest technology, it is a winning combination. Through initial and ongoing training, every one of our 375 associates at Hobson & Motzer has a clear understanding of what constitutes quality work.

Bedrock Approach

As much as we have changed, the same blueprint that provided our initial growth and advancement continues to serve as a benchmark standard for us and our customers. Innovation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Investing in it take many forms:

• Rising to customer challenges—overcoming and improving upon them
• Growing and expanding to fill gaps in the market, innovating for evolving needs
• Maintaining a robust training program and encouraging talent to pursue career goals
• Cultivating a team of expert manufacturing professionals to guide design and engineering projects
• Acquiring the latest machinery and technology
• Cementing a cultural mindset that values quality as a guiding principle

Precision stamping is something we do exceptionally well—and as importantly, how we do it is what sets us apart in the industry. We build components that live in a larger device or technology, so we understand at our core how vital it is that each part of the ecosystem serves the whole. As an integrated facility, we are accountable from start to finish, making Hobson & Motzer a reliable, consistent precision-metal stamping partner that helps customers serve their ecosystem with the same high standard of quality and dependability.  

If you’d like a look inside our facility, we invite you to join us for a virtual plant tour. See what 100+ years of legacy expertise and contemporary technology can deliver for your precision metal components. We’d love to show you around. Click here to request a tour.

If you are interested in a successful collaboration for your next precision manufacturing need, contact Hobson & Motzer now. We’d love to discuss how we can help.