Towanda Metadyne has added to its facilities in the Northern Tier five times since moving across the border from Elmira, N.Y., in 1995. The high-tech parts maker’s latest expansion is a recently completed 12,000-square foot addition to 34,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
The company makes parts for industries including highway construction, woodworking, mining and drilling, specializing in compounds like tungsten carbide. Towanda Metadyne’s president, Raman Daga, says the compound is valuable in these industries because it’s one of the hardest materials in existence.
Plus, the company has developed a way to recycle tungsten carbide parts that are worn out too much to be usable. Essentially, treating the used parts with zinc vapor allows them to be crushed into powder so they can be made into new parts.
Perhaps not surprisingly given its location in Marcellus Shale drilling country, Towanda Metadyne is selling a lot of tungsten carbide parts for natural gas drilling. Daga says the company benefits because it makes the parts and takes them back to reclaim once they’re worn out.
The company employs about 50 people, including five recent hires. Daga says he’s in the market for a few more workers to operate equipment.
Source: Raman Daga, Towanda Metadyne
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen