REGO-FIX Center for Machining Excellence: Taking Extra Space to its Highest and Best Use

Center becomes hub for business, technology and training.

In less than two years, the REGO-FIX Center for Machining Excellence (CME) in Whitestown, Indiana, has evolved from a notion of how to best use the new facility to a comprehensive consolidated business incubator, product showroom, test laboratory and educational training center.

The CME and some 30 manufacturing partners hosted the second annual Indy Days, a two-day event May 13-14 that featured cutting-edge product and technology exhibits, live cutting demonstrations showcasing 3-axis, 5-axis and Swiss machines, and thought leadership presentations on manufacturing best practices and applications.

The state-of-the-art 12,000-square-foot facility serves as a base for a wide range of advanced manufacturing technology producers and a hub for industry innovation. Amenities include a 165-inch video wall with advanced audio-visual capabilities for presentations and recordings, along with furnished private office spaces and showrooms with options for adjoining hospitality and live partner demonstration areas.

The CME lies at the geographic heart of North American manufacturing just 30 minutes from Indianapolis International Airport and leverages Central Indiana logistics, transport and transit resources.

REGO-FIX conceived the center as a place where offshore companies could plant a flag in North America and get started – an incubator of sorts that allowed businesses to jump-start their operations here.

“When you come here from Europe or any other country, it’s a different world,” said Bill Obras, REGO-FIX director of CME partnerships and general manager of the company’s Latin American efforts. “We at REGO-FIX always had a heart for other companies trying to get started in the United States, but it can be overwhelming.

“What if all you had to do was incorporate in the U.S., hire one employee and locate in a turnkey office? The CME becomes your U.S. headquarters and an incubator while getting started,” Obras said.

A fee-based arrangement gives partners access to office and showroom space, a facility to bring customers, distributors and sales staff for demonstrations and training, product testing and order fulfillment if needed.

“Every partner views this as their Midwest location,” Obras said. “And then the goal is for them to grow, and when they get big enough, leave the nest and find their own location – probably here in the Indianapolis area.”

The concept quickly became a “Field of Dreams” scenario. Build it and they will come. The facility now has almost 30 partners representing the broad range of niche sectors necessary to manufacture a part.

“No one company can make a part without the assistance of others,” Obras said. “You need a CNC machine, you need a cutting tool, you need a toolholder, you need coolant, you need software to run the process. An entire ecosystem is required to make a single part and deliver it to the customer.”

CME partners span the manufacturing ecosystem from coolant to cutting tools with partners such as Tornos, Diametal, Blaser Swisslube, hyperMILL, Precitrame and others who currently operate out of the facility.

“The goal of bringing partners into the CME is to bring value,” said Zach Doleh, CME lead application and machining specialist. “The machines, products and people need to bring value to the industry. We want partners.”

Byproducts of the partnership model are information sharing, synergies and cross-pollination that spawn new technology.

One such innovation is the ORION – Powered by REGO-FIX automated tool height measuring and clamping system. REGO-FIX and OMEGA TMM jointly developed the system, which allows users to set, clamp and verify tools with micron accuracy all in one step.

“The cohesiveness and sharing of technology here at the CME are not found in all relationships,” said Gerry Breski, OMEGA TMM regional sales manager. “It’s an outstanding partner to work with.”

Indy Days attendees like the EWIE Group, a Michigan-based integrator and solutions provider, take a deep dive into the latest manufacturing technology at the annual event.

“We can discover what companies are doing to position themselves in the marketplace, and that allows us to bring the best solutions to our customers for the best cost per unit,” said Ryan Clay, EWIE Group vice president. “We’re brand agnostic with the solutions we provide, so it’s a good place to come see the best of the best.”

In addition to advancing today’s manufacturing business and technology, the center will also provide training and education for the next generation of manufacturing professionals. The CME invites area high school, college and vocational school students to spend time with Doleh for hands-on experience with the advanced technology.

The center is also working with Indiana state and Swiss officials to replicate Switzerland’s comprehensive apprenticeship program as well as Servico Nacional de Aprendizagem (SENAI), Brazil’s premier nonprofit vocational training and applied technology institution.

From its original conception as a startup accelerator, the CME has developed into a singular complex – an amalgam of commerce, technology, research and education.

“This is really a multifaceted facility that has really evolved,” Obras said. “The partnerships, the incubator model, the joint events, I’ve never seen anybody with a concept that does it like this. I think it’s unique.”

About the author: Jim Mayfield is an Indianapolis-based freelance writer covering manufacturing, technology and business for national publications and wire services. He can be reached at jimmayfield.writer@gmail.com.

Contributors

• REGO-FIX, 317-870-5955
• Omega TMM, 344-396-5537
• EWIE Group, 734-971-6265