Ranger HVAC Uses Remote Monitoring to Make Better Shop Floor Decisions
Ranger Heating and Air Conditioning Products has spent the greater part of 20 years fabricating and manufacturing short-run systems and custom sheet metal designs. Located in Bradford, Ont., the shop was founded by Gerald Schlarb in 2003 and initially focused on producing components for HVAC units for product lines that were no longer being manufactured. For 10 years the shop outsourced its metal fabricated components, particularly its metal cabinet work. However, as lead times grew and its ability to meet customer needs were challenged, Gerald decided that this production model was no longer working for the shop.
The shop has taken many steps to expand its capabilities and grow its customer base. However, it was only within the last five years that the company really saw the nature of what it was cutting
change. Ranger primarily works with steel in a gauge range of 16 to 20 in galvanized, satin-coated, and stainless variations. And as it moved to cutting 2-ft.-diameter circles, it saw the need to upgrade equipment from a punch press to a plasma table and then most recently a Mitsubishi ML3015SR-F20 2-kW fiber laser.
“We really love the custom work,” said Ryan Schlarb, production manager, Ranger HVAC. “In-house we are designing and manufacturing our own cabinets and with this new technology, we are able to make adjustments on-the-fly and change the run of a unit. I think our strong suit is that we’re fairly nimble and we can try and be as cutting edge as we possibly can.”
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