THE DEVELOPMENT of highly technical band saw machines used to cut virtually every metal product used by industry in more than two dozen countries can be traced to a Polish-born engineer who came to Canada in 1966 and founded Hyd-Mech at Woodstock, in southwestern Ontario.

A university graduate in engineering from Germany with a postgraduate degree in science from his native land, Stanley K. Jasinski gave up a successful career in his own country in 1966 because he dreamed of one day having his own company. Since that was not possible in Poland, he and his wife and three children drove across the border into Germany and immigrated to Canada that year.

Settling in Woodstock, Ontario, Mr. Jasinski worked for other companies for a dozen years before leaving one manufacturing plant as chief design engineer to strike out on his own in 1978. Naming the company Hyd-Mech, at first Stan developed and produced hydraulic equipment, initially specializing in machines for the forest industry. He also designed a roll-forming machine for producing eavestroughing, a power steering system for heavy vehicles and a telescopic dump cylinder for the 300-ton General Motors trucks, before being faced with a need for a mitering band saw capable of cutting through metal.

Unable to find what he needed, he designed and built his own mitering band saw in 1980 and within months found business associates and machine dealers so interested in buying the unit that he decided Hyd-Mech would concentrate its efforts in band saw technology. The success of this decision was almost instant: from sales of just $80,000 in 1980, the company surpassed the $1 million mark in 1983. Nine years later it surpassed the $10 million mark and since then its manufacturing of three distinct families of metal cutting band saws are being used for virtually every production application, enabling Hyd-Mech to become a leading manufacturer of band saw machines world-wide.
 

Hyd-Mech headquarters, Woodstock, Ontario

In fact, today it has captured some 70 percent of the Canadian market, and its success in the United States caused the establishment of a plant in Houston, Texas, in 1991 and at Pueblo, Colorado, in 1995, each plant specializing in manufacturing its own particular models.

In Houston, it is the H Series, described as horizontal guillotine style saws that are designed for straight heavy duty cut-offs and where the all-function control console allows an operator to program up to 99 different jobs including both piece length and piece count and with the ability to do five jobs consecutively.

In Colorado, the V-Series are vertical style saws that miter in both directions and are also capable of programming up to 99 jobs. Both models initially developed at the company’s research and development centre in Woodstock which, besides its research facility, also produces the S series and M series of machines that have swing heads for cutting miters and straight cuts.

In total, some 20 different models are being produced and marketed in the three plants, with metal cutting applications ranging from 10 inches for the smaller units to 80 inches and a workload of 75,000 pounds for the larger band saws.

Headquarters for Hyd-Mech remains in Woodstock where Mr. Jasinski, in addition to being Chairman, continues taking a particular interest in the research aspect of the business now under the direction of his son-in-law, Pat Whitehead, who has been with the company since it began. Another member of the management team is Machine Shop Supervisor Mieczyslaw Jaszczur. As Machine Shop Supervisor, he has also played a major role in the company’s success. Two others who have been with the company since leaving school are Ian Tatham and Jim Hutchison, Vice Presidents respectively of Sales & Marketing and Customer Services which now has a dealer network encompassing nearly all the countries of Europe as well as Mexico, Argentina, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia.

The Woodstock plant employs roughly half the 200 employees in North America and retains the corporate offices. It also produces the S-Series and M-Series of band saws that together with the models produced in the United states, are being utilized by manufacturing plants, steel service centres, structural fabricators and such high-tech organizations as the auto and aerospace industries.

Mr. Jasinski attributes the success of Hyd-Mech to excellence in engineering “through our own research and development, followed by quality manufacturing to ensure longevity and productivity of all Hyd-Mech products.” This point is backed up in the company brochure for each series that claims Hyd-Mech is dedicated to produce the most rugged and economical saws available, to provide innovative engineering to stay well ahead of competitors, and to produce the variety of products and options to fit any particular production requirements.

“The fact that our organization is oriented towards satisfying customer needs, and takes pride in meeting whatever those needs are is another reason for our success to date, and we intend remaining a world leader in band saw technology in the future,” says Mr. Jasinski.