Air Technical Industries soars to 50 years
The International Space Station orbits Earth from 210 miles above its surface, studying the planet and the solar system’s biological present and future. The world’s most important artificial satellite is outfitted with parts lifted into place by Air Technical Industries.
A company that launched as a modest endeavor in blue collar Mentor, Ohio in 1964 is now a cutting edge enterprise that cranks out more hits than Derek Jeter. From the ISS to major power plants to banks to the U.S. Military to mom and pop small town material handling companies, ATI is meeting the needs of an extremely large and varied assortment of American and international companies. Not bad for a 40-person company that was just a big dreaming upstart trying to get a foot in the door of an extremely challenging and competitive industry 50 years ago.
The great companies never stop thinking, never stop working to deliver a higher performance product and deliver better service for their customers. ATI epitomizes a company that never stops trying to become better tomorrow than it is today. ATI’s product catalog is thicker than the phone book and measures over 2,000 products. This year, ATI is celebrating 50 years of innovative solutions.
“I would attribute the continued success over the years to two related factors,” ATI vice president Vida Novak said. “One is that we are open and flexible with our customers. We are ‘YES’ people. If a customer has some special requirements or wants changes made to our specific product designs, we are happy to modify or customize anything to fit the customers’ specific needs.
“The other factor is the continuous development of new products. We are always coming up with new ideas, new products, new markets, and this has helped us keep up with the times. This is proven by the fact that more than 50 percent of our current sales are for products that we have developed over the past 10-15 years.”
ATI’s product research and service departments do take a day off here and there. But the lights never really go off in this extremely forward-thinking company.
“Even our prototypes have a backlog and we have quite a few unrealized dreams that may yet come to fruition,” Novak said.
The ATI formula for success merges the latest technology and the newest equipment with dedicated personnel to produce some of the material handling industry’s finest equipment.
ATI’s work can be found in the most unique of places. The Fort Worth National Bank was constructed with the help of ATI’s Super-Master Floor Crane with a Man-3000 manipulator. When the U.S. Military needed help for the integration of a helicopter blade testing system, it called on an ATI gargantuan tandem scissor lift table designed specifically for the job for assistance. The original Zero-Low Scissors Lift Table hit the market in the early 1990s and took the company into a new orbit of success. Novak calls the Zero-Low Scissors Lift Table’s introduction one of the “renaissance moments in our company history. This product received a rapid acceptance in the market and sales really took off,” Novak said.
One of ATI’s most recent groundbreaking products is its unique telescopic mast articulating crane. Constructed mostly from aluminum, the crane debuted in 2012 at a California nuclear power plant which used it for replacing the fuel rods in combustion engineering reactors rated at 1100 Mwe supplying electricity for 1.4 million homes. “Not exactly a process you see at your typical American manufacturing plant!” Novak said.
The modular design of the crane’s unique features include its telescopic mast that can raise up to 57 feet high, its hydraulically operated telescopic action, a 300-degree powered mast rotation with a soft start and stop for smooth boom travel, and a beam rotation equipped with a mechanical slip-clutch which enables it to break away to avoid damage in the event the crane comes in contact with other objects or is subject to excessive side-loading.
The ever-increasing popularity and use of ATI’s products can be attributed to the company’s mandate on using only the finest materials and elite-level craftsmanship, then refining them with functional equipment designs and efficient production techniques. This ideal results in “quality-crafted” equipment that ATI is able to sell at very low prices.
ATI’s incredibly extensive product models include hydraulic lift tables, maintenance lifts, floor cranes, fork trucks, stackers, jib and gantry cranes and manipulators. ATI asks its customers to challenge it to solve its everyday and most unique handling problems. That’s when the company goes to work, doing what it does best.
“We find we are able to help customers the most by helping them ‘think outside the box,’ proposing methods or solutions they have never thought of before,” Novak said. “Often a customer comes to us with a specific idea of what they want to do, and we are able to offer a different idea that helps them get the job done even faster, easier, safer, and/or more economical than they expected.”
Issued a challenge to re-energize the heavy die and mold installation process, last December ATI introduced a new system that is self-loading and unloading and capable of installing heavy dies into presses with remarkable ease. How easy? One person can work ATI’s new system, which is designed to for optimal safety and efficiency. The end result is a process that eliminates injuries that come from pushing, flexing, stretching and reaching.
These are just a few of the thousands of success stories about ATI’s products, service and company vision. The consumer reviews posted on the company’s web site speak volumes on how ATI’s products deliver for their customers.
“I would like to thank you for your support on the mobile crane and the portable weigh and balance lift and cart system. … You have done a great job communicating with us on current status, providing information on new projects or ideas, and general support. Your team has met and exceeded my expectations.”
– Basilio P., Mobile Zero-Low Lift Table ZLE-5072AW-M (520216)
“Great! Possibly the best purchase we’ve ever made to save the mens’ backs and to make lifting safer.”
– Doyle K., Reversible Boom Crane RBC3000SPB (340273)
“We purchased your Jib Master model JB5E Electric/Hydraulic telescoping Boom Lift in 2006. It easily mounts to the forks of our fork trucks and has a remote pendant for easy operator use. Its hydraulically operated telescoping action is invaluable when installing heavy equipment of all sorts where access is limited and awkward. We also consider it a valuable safety tool for our maintenance personnel in the prevention of injuries.”
– John C., Modified Jib-Master Forklift JB5E (520097)
“This machine is absolutely amazing and fits our specialized needs perfectly,”
– Brian M., Heavy Duty Reversible Boom Knuckle Krane RBKK15000SPBW
The verdict is unanimous: From the Earth to the sky, Air Technical Industries is revolutionizing the material handling industry. The company is already at work on its next 50 years of innovative solutions.
“The sky is the limit!” Novak said. “It has been such a varied and exciting history so far, and there are huge opportunities in so many different directions, that you could pick any one and follow that 50 years down the road and say, ‘yes, we could be there.
“However, some of the most exciting possibilities could take us in directions that would not be recognizable to the company of today.
“What might those be? You’ll have to wait and see!”
Clete Campbell is a freelance journalist with 16 years of daily newspaper experience. E-mail [email protected] to contact Clete.
