In Upstate New York, USA manufacturing firm Hardinge, Inc. recently made the decision to bring manufacturing back from their facility in Asia and at the same time invest in a brand new heat treating department. The long established company has always maintained an in house heat treating department based on salt and while it has served its purpose well it was time to move forward.

“ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) — Hardinge Inc. announced it will shift the manufacturing of its milling and turning machining center solutions from the Taiwan plant to its location in Elmira. In a press release, the company said the transition “focuses on product development, supply chain and assembly operations for the company’s Americas and Europe turning and milling business into a single U.S. based location”. 

Some of the products which will be made in Elmira include the Bridgeport XR Series of vertical machining centers and the Hardinge TALENT Series of turning products. Hardinge will also modernize the Elmira facility, which has been in operation since 1931, to include resources in new assembly capabilities as well as “state of the art heat-treat equipment”.

“We are very excited to make this move, as it brings the products closer to the customers we serve and leverages the many years of experience we have in Elmira,” said Chuck Dougherty, President & Co-CEO, Hardinge. “It also enables us to bring capabilities back to the US, which we are extremely proud to do.” The transition process has already begun and Hardinge expects to complete the start-up in Elmira during the first quarter of 2021. The product lines will be available through Hardinge’s distribution partners, Gosiger and Morris Group, Inc.

“Hardinge has been a key employer in the great state of New York for more than 89 years.  We continue this tradition and are also pleased to bring new manufacturing jobs back to the United States” said Ryan Levenson, Owner & Co-CEO, Hardinge and Managing Partner of Privet Fund Management LLC.  “Our strong local leadership and highly capable workforce form the foundation of our efforts to better support our customers by investing in our US machine manufacturing and innovation capabilities.” The Elmira plant also produces workholding products, Super-Precision CNC Lathes and the Bridgeport Knee Mills.”

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