Lincoln
Electric Company
| COMPANY/LOCATION: |
Lincoln Electric Company, Cleveland, Ohio |
| PRODUCT: |
World leader in welding and cutting products, manufacturer of industrial
electric motors |
| YEARS IN BUSINESS: |
100 |
EMPLOYEES:
ANNUAL SALES: |
About 3,200 in the United States
Approximately $900 million in 1994 |
| SITUATION: |
In the past, research and development efforts of Lincoln Electric Company
have been hampered because the company could not purchase small quantities
of specialized steels for experimentation and evaluation. Minimum orders
from commercial steel mills were often large and very expensive. Through
a professional association with Dr. Stan David of Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
a Lincoln official visited Oak Ridge and learned of the vacuum melting
and rolling capabilities here during a tour of ORNL and the Oak Ridge Centers
for Manufacturing Technology. These capabilities gave the company access
and opportunity to produce small quantities of experimental steels. |
| PROJECT: |
The company asked the vacuum melting facility to melt 10 small quantities
of steel to be used in producing experimental sheet steel for evaluation. |
| RESULTS: |
With the assistance of ORCMT, Lincoln Electric was able to produce
the small samples of experimental steels they would otherwise not have
been able to secure. The company is currently evaluating the samples produced
at ORCMT to determine if they will meet production needs. If the results
of the experimentation on the specialty steels are successful, it could
mean the addition of more jobs within the company.
A Lincoln official said that his company has "received excellent cooperation
from the facility in a timely manner. The assistance given us by Oak Ridge
means that we now have an excellent source to evaluate research ideas relative
to new steels. At this point, we are very pleased with the assistance provided
by the Oak Ridge facilities. The cooperation and quality of work were outstanding,
and we plan to continue to use their assistance with any future program." |
Technical assistances provided to the private sector by the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and its manufacturing extension
partners throughout the United States.
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