Local News

Partnerships for progress: $2.4M in Renold Westfield upgrades add jobs

 WESTFIELD -- Ongoing support of the Western New York economy by Renold Westfield through strategic investments in modern technology and equipment is creating new job opportunities for skilled workers at the Chautauqua County plant.

Installation of three advanced automated machines and modification of the assembly area - key elements in a $2.4 million plant upgrade - yielded three new jobs earlier this year at Renold Westfield. An advanced technology process called LEAN enables these new machines to achieve optimal efficiency.

Another two jobs are expected to open up fairly soon, according to Shane Marcheson, group manager of Renold Westfield, bringing the tally to five new positions in the first phase of plant modernization. Another four jobs are projected to be created by February 2027 following an additional investment of $3.2 million in equipment and technology in the second phase.

In recent years, Renold Westfield took steps to modernize operations in its historic plant at 100 Bourne St. in Westfield to stay competitive in the market place. Five new milling machines were added in the last six years, but many older machines, some dating back to the 1960s, remained.

"We will now spend another $3.2 million for three more large machines and even more significant improvement through the factory layout that will allow us to keep and add jobs," Marcheson explained, increasing the total of new jobs to nine and overall plant investment to $5.6 million.

The Westfield location produces a unique coupling used in electrical generators for large-scale data centers. These components eliminate vibrations to ensure the smooth transfer of electricity. Currently, the plant produces 15 of the units per week at maximum capacity.

By integrating a new advanced manufacturing cell featuring Okuma machining centers, Renold will more than double its output to 40 couplings per week to meet surging demands from large natural gas generator manufacturers.Transformation of the local plant that includes a dedicated advanced manufacturing cell to optimize the production of high-demand industrial couplings will enable Renold Westfield to more than double its weekly output of couplings to more than 40 to meet rapidly increasing demand from large manufacturers.

"We are streamlining our assembly process to maximize efficiency," said plant manager Alan Brzozowski. The manufacturing process can be tracked in great detail and shown on computer monitors to identify where improvements can be made and downtime reduced.

Renold Westfield is also actively marketing itself to prospective hires. The company has hosted factory tours for students enrolled in P-TECH, an Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES program for high school students that offers career and technical education with hands-on experience and certifications in skilled trades, engineering and other areas.

Students can see what kinds of machinist jobs Renold Westfield has, Marcheson explained. "We have two or three guys on the floor (now) who are P-TECH graduates," he noted.

Additionally, Renold Westfield hosts a state sponsored apprenticeship program that enables enrollees to attend courses at Jamestown Community College and simultaneously work at the local plant, Brzozowski explained.

Renold Westfield is one of only three Western New York manufacturers offering an apprenticeship program in advanced machining. The other two are behemoths - Cummins Jamestown Engine Plant and Moog Inc., Buffalo.

One employee, a former landscaper who started out at Renold Westfield in the stockroom, is now studying maintenance technology for CNC machines at Jamestown Community College, Marcheson explained, "which means he will have a good job for the rest of his life."

Dave Green, of Westfield, said he joined Renold Westfield in 2018 because he wanted a job close to home because he was starting a family. "I'm a math-type guy and this (machinist job) fit me perfectly and I'm not bored," Green explained. A friend of his already working there recommended the company.

"It's not a job that I dread going to," he added.

Matthew Michaelson utilizes computer skills as a senior programmer with CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) software to generate programs to run CNC machines. It's a key step in the manufacturing process because the local plant makes a large number of custom parts that require individual programs that Michaelson creates for the manufacturing process.

Since joining the Westfield plant, Marcheson has dedicated himself to advancing the local economy, as a volunteer on the Manufacturing Association of the Southern Tier Board and also service on the WNY Regional Economic Development Council.

"Creating good jobs - a path for people to have a good life - in Western New York is my passion. I've come to the conclusion that we need to make our own machinists, and I'm putting my money and time where my mouth is to support that goal," Marcheson said. "We need to find good kids and train them up."

"We will hire people with the right kind of attitude and the aptitude to understand machining and to take measurements," Marcheson said.