MANUFACTURING
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An aluminum manifold crafted by Advanced Machine & Tool, Inc. of Fort
Pierce has been used on various Disney amusement park rides to control
hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
TCBusiness.com
ADVANCED MACHINE & TOOL PHOTOS
This stainless steel/inconel injector nozzle built by Advanced Machine & Tool,
Inc. is designed to be used in a power generation plant. It directs steam that
spins gas turbines in order to produce electricity.
ADVANCED MACHINE & TOOL, INC.,
FORT PIERCE
Advanced Machine & Tool, Inc. has
been in continuous operation since 1979.
The company performs high-precision
machine shop services for the power
generation industry, oil and gas refining
companies, the military and aerospace
industries. It also builds amusement park
components.
The company specializes as a contract
machine shop to craft customer designs
and manufacture custom components.
Advanced Machine has worked on jet
engines, satellite manufacture and on
several contracts for the U.S. Navy, including
aircraft lifts found on aircraft carriers.
The company is a Tier 2 Department of
Defense component supplier and is certified
for most aerospace applications.
Among Advanced’s many civilian
clients are Disney and Universal theme
parks. Over the years, the company has
been called on to produce custom parts
for amusement park rides. So, if you are
a fan of Mickey Mouse, chances are you
have ridden or relied upon an Advanced
Machine & Tool component at some time.
Advanced Machine & Tool, Inc. employs
60 skilled craftsmen at three facilities located
south of Fort Pierce, totaling 45,000
square feet. The company is capable of
large-scale milling and turning operations,
wire electrical discharge machining, water
jet, certified manual and robotic welding,
and complete quality assessment services.
The company is also an enthusiastic
supporter of mentorships, apprenticeships
and manufacturing boot camps to advocate
for the need of programs in area high
schools and colleges.
GIRARD EQUIPMENT, INDIAN
RIVER AND ST. LUCIE COUNTIES
Girard Equipment is a third-generation
family company, founded 70 years ago by
the current owner’s grandfather in 1962 in
New Jersey.
Owner Tim Girard relocated the company
to Florida in 2007 for many of the
same reasons other snowbirds come here.
“The weather was really the determining
factor. No more long commutes. We had
statewide (weather-related) emergencies
three or four times a year. One year it happened
eight times.”
Also, Girard noted, “the northeast is not
particularly manufacturer-friendly, and
the Treasure Coast is pretty good at doing
things right, so Florida is much better.”
The company manufactures crash-proof,
pressure-relieving devices for a broad
range of chemical, railroad and highway
tankers containing hazardous materials.
You’ve no doubt driven alongside road
tankers carrying fuel or chemicals, or seen
railroad car tankers holding similar products.
Girard valves allow the contents of
such containers to “breathe” by controlling
the pressure of the tank under all circumstances,
Girard said.
Girard Equipment employs a total of 85
people in two separate facilities: Gifford,
north of Vero Beach, and in Fort Pierce.
Fort Pierce is where the company’s
foundry manufactures valve components,
while the Gifford site is an assembly and
service plant. Tim Girard said the company
will soon be relocating the Gifford operation
to a new plant near the Vero Beach
Regional Airport.
The company also owns a valve repair
facility in Houston, Texas.
Among Girard’s corporate clients are
Exxon-Mobil, Dow Chemical, DuPont and
other large chemical producers.
LENCO MARINE, STUART
Lenco Marine, part of the Mercury/
Brunswick Corporation, is a world leader
in the design and manufacture of linear
actuators used in the marine industry.
Lenco actuators are used in trim tabs for
boats, in machinery, robots and for lifting
hatches, according to Customer Relations
Manager Todd Smith. Eighty Lenco
employees hand-build 120,000 actuators a
year, Smith said.
In most applications, Smith noted, trim
tabs are used to act as a boat “shock absorber”
to offer a smoother, more comfortable
ride in rough water conditions. However,
the company also builds actuators for
the ski-boat industry where trim tabs are
used to do exactly the opposite: to create
more wake behind a boat which allows a
skier to “surf” the waves.
Lenco Marine has been located in Stuart
since 1998, when the design for a trim
tab actuator on sportfishing boats was
purchased by two fly-fishing guides based >>
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