An expert at cutting large shapes loves the saws it uses so much that it became a dealer
Above: Metal Cutting Specialists purchased a Cosen SH-1817 saw that cuts round bars up to 67 inches in diameter, 67-inch square bars, and rectangles up to 67 by 70.75 inches.
An expert at cutting large shapes loves the saws it uses so much that it became a dealer
May 2015 - Entrepreneurs often succeed because they have the vision necessary to find opportunities in—seemingly—the least likely of places.
Such is the case with Richard Rose, who bought out a friend and competitor in order to own and operate Metal Cutting Specialists of Houston. Rose is advancing the company’s geographic footprint and its capabilities under one massive capital expansion project.
“This business was started in 1979 by Leonard Lanoue. We have been friends for many, many years and I had a competing sawing business here in Houston in the 1990s,” says Rose, who acquired the company from Lanoue in 2013. “I have been in Houston since 1981, when I ran a large machine shop.” Over the years, “I brought my customers to Metal Cutting Specialists because it was a well-established, well-regarded business.”
The company operates 43 saws today but also performs waterjet cutting. “We do everything with sawing: Plate, bar, beam. Steel, plastics, fiberglass. We will cut anything,” including hard materials like titanium and superalloys.
During the first year under new ownership, says Rose, “We grew the business by about 50 percent. We expanded the sawing. We also expanded into selling band saws and building conveyor systems.”
Metal Cutting operates in two buildings across the street from each other that total 28,000 square feet. “We are in the process of building a new 125,000-square-foot plant in a new location about 3 miles away,” Rose says. “We ordered multiple large new band saws and we will have the largest and most expansive saw-cutting capacity in the United States.”
It’s difficult to refute the claim. For example, the SH-1500 DM being built by Cosen Saws USA, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Metal Cutting Specialists will be able to process heavy-duty, wide-flange structural products with dimensions up to 33.5 inches round and in rectangles up to 29.5 inches by 59 inches. It’s semi-automatic, dual column and has double mitre capabilities.
Cosen will also supply an SV-130160 Servo Driven Plate Saw that can cut material up to 51 inches thick (4.25 feet) in lengths up to 300 inches (25 feet). Powered by a 2.9 kW servo motor, the traversing head is capable of controlling feed speed throughout the cut, including a slower entry and exit. This special feature provides a straighter cut and prolongs tool life, says Cosen Saw USA’s marketing sales coordinator Yu-Hsien Ho.
Last of the three machines is the bar saw. The Cosen SH-1817 will cut round bars up to 67 inches in diameter, 67-inch square bars, and rectangles up to 67 by 70.75 inches. That saw blade will run on a 25 hp motor.
Metal Cutting Specialists already operates a fully enclosed, carbide blade-capable CNC-430 band saw for production cutting. All these saws are heavy duty, engineered with rigid frames and featuring paired columns that are built to resist wear and tear. Each is meant to cut tough alloys and large forged materials, says Yu-Hsien Ho.
Products and markets
Metal Cutting Specialists processes material for a wide array of end users, from machine shops to manufacturers of petrochemical equipment to the aerospace industry.
“We also have customers that are in the market to buy equipment. We are a preferred stocking distributor for Cosen band saws and we sell a lot of them,” Rose says. “We see that as a growing part of our business.”
He became a fan of the equipment because his company uses it every day.
“We work with Inconel and titanium. The way we cut those are by using large, rigid Cosen saws. They have a new feature called V-drive. When that’s added to the machine, it minimizes the harmonics of sawing to the extent that you cannot hear it cut. It gives you better blade performance and a better quality cut.”
According to Metal Cutting Sales Manager Kyle Adams, V-drive is a hardware and software add-on solution that allows for faster cutting of all materials, while improving blade life. “The V-drive can be used in most of the Cosen product line and is not available from other [saw] manufacturers. Cosen builds reliable machines and people are looking for reliability.”
As a Cosen dealer, says Adams, “We have three people that provide service and we provide repairs same day. We are experts at the whole sawing concept. We recommend the best fit, design the system, and provide maintenance after installation.”
Filling gaps
Rose projects his company will realize $10 million in sales this year and more next year as the three new saws—slated for August-September delivery—are fully commissioned.
“We are already a leader in this part of the country” for cutting large, heavy pieces of metal, “but want to provide more complete options. We have so much capability but there are ways to cut things our customers need that aren’t yet available. We hope to be ahead of the wave, creating our own technology.”
Metal Cutting Specialists has a specialty sawing research and development team. “We specify purchased equipment to meet our customers’ requirements,” Adams says. For example, the company asked Cosen to stretch out the length of the cutting parameters on a plate saw so the unit could accommodate a 25-foot-long part. With another saw, the custom specifications allowed the cutting of extremely large rings for the energy market.
“There are a lot of gaps between what is needed and what is available,” Rose says, “and we like filling those gaps.”
Metal Cutting Specialists chose Cosen as a partner because Rose has had long experience with band saws, and “because of the unique size of the machines and the affordability.”
The V-drive-equipped new saws will allow Metal Cutting “to provide customers with quicker turnaround on their jobs as well as entry into new arenas,” says Michael Finklea, Cosen Saws’ director of sales and marketing-North America.
“We have a history of providing customers with superior knowledge about their cutting needs and now with the partnership with Cosen Saws USA, Metal Cutting will be able to provide quicker solutions, greater value and continued world-class service,” Finklea says. MM
