Job Shop Profile: J/E Bearing and Machine

Tillsonburg, as any fan of folk legend Stompin’ Tom Connors knows, is all about tobacco. At least it used to be, and like many regions dependent on an industry declining in importance, the southwestern Ontario town moved with the times. The entire region is now part of the regional manufacturing scene with Tier One and Two suppliers as well as major automotive OEMs, an easy day’s drive, ideal for Just In Time shipping. It’s a natural location for a thriving job shop and J/E Bearing and Machine has enjoyed 30 years of growth servicing the regional market.

The company serves many industries including defense, food processing, energy, automotive, and mining. J/E has a diverse range of product and service offerings allowing them to build complete, in-house components and parts.

“It is a big bonus for our customers when they can get spare parts, repairs and CNC products under one roof,” explains Vice President Chuck Hendricks.

Additional services include root cause analysis, reverse engineering, inventory management, documented cost savings and OEM replacement wear parts. J/E is also a dealer in MRO parts and supplies with bearing and power transmission products from suppliers such as SKF, Timken and Baldor among others.

Founded by Joe and Edna Volkaert, J/E began as a small custom shop serving local farmers and manufacturers. They offered a full line of bearing and power transmission products, as well as a full service conventional machining operation. The business grew, and in 1988, the Volkaerts built an 8,000 square foot facility.

“The move allowed us to invest in more machines and add employees,” explains Chuck Hendricks. J/E expanded again in 1995 adding 6,000 square feet. The extra room was needed to accommodate machinery and staff. At that time, company had 20 full-time employees.

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Today, J/E has 45 employees and operates out of a 22,000 square foot shop, operating 5 vertical machining centres, a horizontal high speed production machine and 4 CNC lathes. Supporting the numerically controlled equipment, J/E also has several manual mills, lathes and an overhead crane.

The company’s most recent purchases were two CNC machines: a DMG horizontal milling and a Doosan TT2500SY.

L-R: Joe Volkaert, president and Chuck Hendricks, vice president, sales and marketing.

The future looks promising for J/E as sales continue to grow as well as the business. In the last few months, the company has hired over 6 people to compensate for demand. “The problem we are having now is finding enough skilled people to fill the gaps,” says Hendricks.

J/E is taking steps in creating awareness for the machining industry aimed at the younger generations.

They recently teamed up with In-House Solutions in creating a video promoting machining as a career. The video will be shown in high schools and explain to students that machining isn’t what it used to be. Technology, innovation, and computers are all intrinsic parts in how it is done today.

Hendricks and the rest of the team at J/E are confident in what the future holds for Canadian machine shops and the manufacturing industry.

“We have gone through struggles in the past years with the recession, but the future looks bright for Canadians. We have to continue to leverage our existing skills and technology to the fullest. Customers are looking for true partners in their supply chain,” explains Hendricks.

www.je-bearing.com