Across its multiple locations, AMADA AMERICA Inc. regularly opens its doors to its esteemed customers to thank them for their business and showcase the latest in manufacturing technology. The most recent customer event was held in April at the company’s Solution Center in Schaumburg, Ill. More than 300 customers gathered for a day of presentations, product demos, networking and a level of hospitality perhaps unsurpassed in the industry.
During the opening remarks, Scott Bowerman, vice president of technical centers at AMADA, provided additional significance for the event, noting that 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of its parent company, AMADA Co. Ltd. Founded by Isamu Amada in Tokyo in 1946, the company has grown to become a global leader in high-precision fiber lasers, press brakes, punch presses and advanced automation systems.
During his speech, Bowerman expressed gratitude to everyone in attendance. He thanked them for helping to celebrate the company’s milestone and for taking time out of their busy schedules.
“This is the largest one-day show we’ve ever had,” he said to the attendees in the main auditorium as well as those in the various overflow rooms throughout the facility. “We have people here from across the country and from Canada and Mexico, so this is a true North American show.”
Single source
While Bowerman’s presentation served as an opportunity to announce new company leadership – Patrick Medlin as CEO and Jason Hillenbrand as COO – it also introduced the AMADA One concept, highlighting the comprehensive suite of advanced manufacturing technologies. While many attendees were familiar with the laser, punching and bending equipment, Bowerman put a spotlight on the broader portfolio, including stamping and coil-feeding equipment, resistance welding and bandsaws.
In regard to stamping presses, Bowerman reminded visitors that AMADA has been selling them since 1963 and has completed an impressive 50,000-plus installations around the world. Regardless of the type of equipment a fabricator needs, he emphasized that AMADA can serve as a single-source partner. That, in fact, is at the heart of the AMADA One concept: Offering customers a cohesive ecosystem rather than just standalone machines.
Unsurprisingly, the bulk of that cohesive ecosystem was on display at the Schaumburg event. But, before visitors got the chance to tour the showroom on their own, Bowerman explained that the facility had undergone significant transformations to accommodate the needs of today’s customers.
“Last year, AMADA spent a lot of time converting the Solution Center into the Center for Automation,” he said. “It’s what our customers want, and it’s what the industry needs. When we walk out there, the first thing you’re going to see is our CSII automated storage system.”
Serving as the epitome of what automation can look like for customers, the CSII is a primary focal point of the Schaumburg showroom. The modular, automated warehouse system can scale from 30 to 1,000 shelves to manage raw materials and finished parts. With the ability to connect to various blanking technologies, such as AMADA’s fiber laser cutting machines or punch-laser combination machines, it serves as the backbone for full “blank-to-bend” systems, as described by Bowerman.
Before handing off the microphone to the next speakers, Bowerman announced further transformations taking place at the Schaumburg facility, including a new 4,500-sq.-ft. area that will be dedicated to fiber laser welding technologies. Scheduled for completion this summer, the new space will be used to showcase everything from a handheld fiber laser cobot to a fully automated fiber laser welding system equipped with two shuttle tables. The new space will give visitors access to a variety of laser welding technology demos while further exemplifying the AMADA One concept.
Pivotal support
Subsequent guest speakers included Chris Kuehl, an industry economist and managing director at Armada Corporate Intelligence, who discussed global economic trends, as well as leaders from customer Hitachi Global Air Power US LLC, who shared their success story with attendees. During their presentation, Ray Lewis, principal manufacturing engineer, and Nicole Pomeroy, manufacturing engineer at Hitachi’s Michigan City, Ind., location, explained how AMADA equipment helped them transform 80,000 sq. ft. of parking lot space into a world-class fabrication facility.
Hitachi is known for producing a range of air compressor solutions, but none of them had been manufactured at the Michigan City location before. The task at hand for Lewis and Pomeroy was, therefore, quite significant. The chosen machine provider would need to provide more than just machines – it would also need to serve as a partner consultant.
After vetting a variety of machine manufacturers, Lewis and Pomeroy explained that they selected AMADA as a partner because of its flexibility and precision, and its ongoing support. During their presentation, Lewis mentioned Dave Hubbard, an AMADA bending product specialist, who had become a permanent fixture at the Michigan City facility, training staff that had no prior fabrication experience.
“There was one person in our whole facility that knew fabrication, and that was me,” Lewis explained. “And I didn’t know it to a detail that I probably needed to at the time. From day one, though, when the first machines arrived, [Dave] was on our floor and was there for a solid year. He was applications, he was maintenance – and I love that man and how he was able to come in and look at our parts and, you know, just work with us.”
Overall, the AMADA equipment on the Hitachi shop floor has been pivotal in its transition to a full-fledged manufacturing facility. Key technologies include an ENSIS fiber laser, EGB ATC press brake, EML combo machine for specialty parts and automated panel bender, with Pomeroy emphasizing the panel bender’s ability to handle complex bump bends.
“The panel bender allows us to do some very unique parts,” she said. “[One part] has a very large radius and 36 bump bends that the panel bender comes up and just touches to make that large radius. To do that on a typical press brake wouldn’t be realistic in a manufacturing setting. It gives us a lot of flexibility.”
Lewis and Pomeroy went on to praise the team at AMADA, highlighting their unrelenting willingness to be present and to help whenever they are needed. With future machine investments coming down the pipeline, both company representatives sounded confident in their ability to bring the machines on board to continue to grow the business.
Be our guest
The human element that AMADA brings to the table was as key for Hitachi’s success as it is for all of AMADA’s customers. Providing unmatched service and support has always been a defining characteristic for the company, and it is actually a big reason that it holds customer events. With an overriding goal to create partnerships – versus mere transactions – these events allow customers to further interact with the people “behind the solutions,” whether it is technicians like Dave Hubbard or executive leadership like Medlin, the new CEO.
“These shows are a great opportunity to understand our modest culture, partnerships with us and using the resources that we have available,” Bowerman said. “When you’re here, we want you to meet the people that stand behind our solutions. We want you to meet the application engineers, product managers, service managers, salesmen, regional managers – they’re all here.”
As visitors poured into the showroom area, those interactions created a palpable buzz throughout the facility. As questions and ideas were bounced off of the AMADA team, machines were working nearly unattended, showcasing again that automation is at the heart of the company’s technologies.
Also palpable throughout the day was the Japanese concept of omotenashi. Harkening back to the company’s anniversary celebration and Japanese roots, omotenashi takes standard service to the next level. The philosophy focuses on anticipating a guest’s needs before they ever have to ask. It is a sincere commitment to guests’ well-being that was clearly reflected in the event’s atmosphere, and it is a commitment that is baked into the company culture.
After an impressive lunch including a full sushi bar, visitors broke out into various sessions that carried on with the AMADA One concept. The remaining itinerary included deep-dive demonstrations of Influent, an IoT solution, and its new scheduling feature alongside specialized seminars on cobot applications. Blending comprehensive offerings with company culture, AMADA continues to prove that its commitment to customer success extends far beyond the machine sale.
AMADA is a frequently covered laser company. Check out our archive for more information about its products.
