MERRILL

Many of today’s leading companies have well-established origins. However, there are others that share the story of a humble beginning and defying all odds to succeed. No company embodies this better than MERRILL, a strong U.S. business with nearly 700,000-square-feet of facility and expertise to design and manufacture intricate prototypes through high-volume production.

MERRILL’s journey began in 1968 when its founders— Gary and Mary Kay Yackel—opened a small machining shop in a 3,000-square-foot facility. Here, they began machining parts with limited resources - a small lathe, a grinder, and a Bridgeport mill, dedicating themselves to building products that meet customer requirements. This passion, combined with their aspiration to stand out in the marketplace, led them to embrace new technologies, add more capabilities, and enhance service excellence at every turn.

The first example of MERRILL’s appetite for innovation was when it expanded its machining capabilities with specialized fabrications, engineering and design capabilities. Since then, technological upswings and process improvements have been routine for the team. MERRILL has continued to expand its high-end large 5-axis capabilities and has remained at the forefront of innovation for the last five decades, staying relevant and competitive at all times. It’s no wonder it has gained a sterling reputation in CNC machining, specializing in designing, fabricating, and integrating every operation imaginable.

“Technological advancement is one of the key aspects that remain constant at MERRILL facilities,” says Jeff Yackel, owner and VP of MERRILL. “We always wanted to separate ourselves from our competition with technology and equipment size.”

The next-generation leadership team at MERRILL follows the same passion and builds on the same foundation of constant innovation. Under new leadership, MERRILL is an agile machining specialist that employs over 400 people in five state-of-the-art facilities equipped with the latest technologies and vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities. With inhouse expertise in designing and manufacturing intricate parts through high-volume production, it delivers the highest quality products.

MERRILL caters to a broad spectrum of industries, including aerospace, defense, robotics, shipbuilding, chemical, transportation, mining and energy, with its clients comprising top defense and aerospace manufacturing OEMs like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman, Sikorsky Aircraft, General Dynamics, Boeing and Blue Origin. The team lives by the philosophy of “anything is possible,” as it can create all parts, irrespective of size, complexity, and application, according to client needs, by effectively managing the process from concept to delivery.

Built on the Bedrock of Constant Innovation

MERRILL’s story highlights the importance of timely investing in advanced technologies to align with industry trends. The leadership team, with extensive manufacturing experience and numerous collaborative customer relationships, is known for crafting innovation and investment plans that stand the test of time. Its investments focus on the four major pillars of its business: equipment, processes, systems, and people, giving MERRILL a natural edge as the go-to machining shop for defense and aerospace projects.

“We’ve invested over $30 million on equipment since the end of 2022, and most of that investment is in high-end, high-speed, 5-Axis CNC machines, which are the largest in the industry,” says Steve Ross, Director of Strategic Programs at MERRILL.

A strategic partnership with one particular equipment manufacturer has made these investments a reality, ensuring the best price, process optimization, training, and regular maintenance. MERRILL has established a solid relationship with FPT Industries S.P.A., an Italian Machine Tool Builder by equipping its facilities with multiple large FPT machines like the Raptocut, Castel, Dinomax, Ronan and Dinowide. This strategic investment has enhanced Merrill’s CNC machining capabilities with higher uptime and efficiency. In addition, Merrill is skilled at investing in equipment that meets defense industry standards and delivers on project requirements with tight tolerances and precision. For instance, MERRILL has procured FPT’s high performance Raptocut milling machine – a large bed machine that enables high volume machining of large radar arrays, while its facility houses other specialized FPT equipment, like the Dinowide, ideal for processing hulls and turrets of armored vehicles.

MERRILL’s equipment investments also focus on various space applications, particularly launch systems and rocket components. Its large 2,000 ton and 4,400 ton presses are used to form Inconel rocket components. Formed sections are welded using an electron-beam welding (EBW) machine purchased specifically for a particular client. The formed and welded components are roughed and final machined using high precision, high speed, 5-axis FPT machining centers. In one instance, the team helped a helicopter manufacturer that wanted to forge large titanium rotors, which was initially considered cost prohibitive. MERRILL worked with this client in great detail to understand their specific needs and create a process to easily manufacture the product. In this case, MERRILL went the extra mile by conducting a trial run using aluminum, ensuring the integrity of the process and the final product. This is a clear example of how MERRILL works closely with its customers to identify and reduce risk, providing a high quality and manufacturable product. MERRILL consistently leverages its expertise in material handling, risk management and CNC machining, to deliver what its client needs on time.

Exploring the Obvious Tangent of Growth

“Our secret to success has an additional ingredient—people,” says Ross. “Technology and equipment are available to all, but what drive these innovations from behind are our people.”
Sharing the same dedication and passion, MERRILL’s team regularly meets with customers, listens to their needs, understands trends, and constantly observes what can be improved to support their needs. MERRILL’s team is comprised of experienced professionals with specialized skills across various disciplines, including engineering, program management, machining, and welding. The team’s dedication to pursuing excellence enables MERRILL to gain the trust of its clients by guiding them through the process—from design to delivery—while ensuring high quality and reducing costs. Investing in people is critical for MERRILL, and it is always keen to do so.

To this end, it has established the MERRILL Institute, an AWScertified welding training center that focuses on teaching and certifying its people and others. MERRILL has also fostered a CNC training program, aiming to bring more talent into the organization and industry as a whole.

MERRILL’s investments in its equipment and people are complemented by its innovations in front-end processes that act as a bridge between technology and people.

It begins with the quoting system that creates a process, breaks it down into operations, and assists in executing it with quality and precision. This quoting system is instrumental in building seamless communication between the team and customers, leading to process optimization, better outcomes, and strong partnerships.

“Intimacy with the customer is very important to us. We want to find a partnership and get to where we really understand the needs of our customer, and our customer understands our capabilities, and we make sure that they match,” states Steve Ross. MERRILL has also invested in scheduling systems as part of its efforts to manage operational risks. It provides real-time feedback on the machines available in the next six months or a year, from a quoting perspective, and it gives actionable insights into the advancements needed to onboard a new customer.

Conquering Dynamic Markets

By focusing its investments on a business’ key areas, MERRILL is well-positioned to make a significant impact in the CNC machining space. In addition, its vertically integrated corporate structure, inhouse expertise, and breadth of experience make Merrill’s industry positioning more efficient and leaner, simultaneously enabling it to maintain control over quality, pricing, and delivery.

MERRILL is the perfect fit for clients and industries with critical programs suffering from supply chain issues, talent shortages, and delayed schedules. The unmatched ability to get things right the first time allows Merrill to guide clients through the process, leading them to success with flawless execution. A trusted partner that goes beyond machining capabilities, MERRILL helps clients find a better way to finish the design and determine how to manufacture their components on time and within budget. “We are vertically integrated, so we are an engineering company. We do fabrication, we do machining, and we do integration of the components,” adds Ross. We provide design for manufacturability engineering support to reduce costs and improve processes. MERRILL’s in-depth knowledge of material processing is an added advantage, enabling it to navigate the ever-changing material needs of the defense and aerospace industries.

Stepping to the Future, Ahead of Time

Innovation and investment are constant for MERRILL. Its never-ending appetite for better capabilities and newer technologies equips it with a roadmap focused on enhancing its machining excellence. Currently, it’s in the process of expanding its machining facility by 36,000 square feet while upgrading all other manufacturing floors. MERRILL is creating specific areas in its fabrication facilities to improve workflow and procuring larger pieces of equipment to diversify its operational areas. “We are looking for bigger and bigger equipment along with higher spindle speeds and faster traverse rates, and our partnership with FPT gives us all of that, “states Steve Ross. In addition, MERRILL is taking advantage of FPT’s flexible portfolio of machines and an array of methodologies to seamlessly move workpieces and heads within the machine.

In the coming years, MERRILL plans to continue to invest in its people, processes, state of the art facilities and expand its relationship with FPT and its equipment. It will also continue to invest in its large fabrication capabilities and plans to invest in 3D printing by leveraging its partnerships with top equipment manufacturers. Making all these investments, the team at MERRILL is materializing the dream of pushing manufacturing boundaries to the edge for the defense and aerospace industries.