From hammers to robots: How Hamilton reinvented the way work gets done

The Modern Family

In 1920, 30 Hamilton employees moved into a 17,000-square-foot factory considered one of the most modern heavy-caster plants in the country. Better space and better machinery changed the way people worked.

Early Days of Automation

Before robots and CNCs, “automation” meant overhead shafts, belts and pulleys driving machinery across the factory floor. The technology was different, but the goal was familiar: work faster and better.

1942: All in for the war effort

War production, mostly trucks, accounts for 100% of company sales for the next 3 years.

1968: Before Amazon, there was PRONTO®

Hamilton launched PRONTO® quick-ship service to satisfy growing demand for faster delivery. Behind it came better machinery, material flow and manufacturing methods.

1969: A welding record is born

Factory worker George Stivers sets a company record by welding 49,594 caster rigs in one year.

1972: Our first test lab

Hamilton converted an old coal bin and boiler room into its first test lab, giving employees a better way to understand exactly how casters and wheels performed.

1972: Goodbye, hammers

Hamilton’s first pneumatic nail gun spared workers from drilling pilot holes and driving every nail by hand when building platform trucks.

1980s: Invasion of the Automatons

Computers and robots became new “super coworkers” in the office and factory. Employees accustomed to typewriters, paper files and manual processes had to adapt—but gained faster information and fewer bottlenecks. Additionally, reach trucks, taller warehouse storage and Hamilton’s first over-the-road tractor-trailer changed how raw materials and finished goods moved through the plant.

1985: Welcome to CNC Row

Hamilton bought its first four-axis CNC lathe and soon added more computerized machines. The payoff: greater speed, accuracy and repeatability—and a new set of skills on the shop floor.

1985: The robots can weld now

Hamilton purchased its first robotic welder for the Caster Department. Automation began taking on repetitive production work, while employees learned how to program, refine and maintain it

1985: Drafting goes digital

Computer-aided design began replacing the drafting table. Engineers could create and revise more precise drawings in less time without changing the most important part: the engineering.

1986: Meet the Truck Robot

A new truck robot began welding hand trucks and truck frames. Bob Ramsey—later dubbed Hamilton’s “Father of Robotic Welding”—researched, installed and refined the systems that made the technology pay off.

1995: Lean Transformation begins

Hamilton started kaizen activities and began reorganizing the business away from traditional functional departments toward product-focused teams. In 1996 Hamilton won the Ohio Governor’s Award for Team Excellence in Manufacturing roughly a year after beginning the transformation.

2006 First Dedicated Director of Lean

2006: Hamilton appoints Ralph Jackson as its first dedicated Director of Lean, marking an important evolution in the company's continuous improvement journey.

More than a decade after beginning its Lean transformation, Hamilton created a dedicated leadership position focused on sustaining and advancing Lean principles throughout the organization. The role helped move Lean from a series of improvement initiatives to an ongoing discipline embedded in Hamilton's manufacturing culture.

2017 Hamilton installs new Powder Paint System

Hamilton significantly expanded its manufacturing capabilities with an automatic powder application system. It introduced the Crimson Red and new Platinum Powder HAA polyester finishes, with Platinum replacing the traditional Battleship Gray. The system included automatic application of Hamilton's two primary colors plus a manual booth for custom colors/textures.

2021: A new HQ for modern manufacturing

Hamilton opened its new 65,000-square-foot headquarters and plant, built around better production flow and room for CNC machining, robotic welding, fiber lasers, advanced material handling and powder coating.

2022: Hamilton installs New Automated Machining Center

Hamilton takes another major step in advanced manufacturing with its first fully automated CNC machining cell, combining robotics, automated inspection and lights-out production to increase capacity, quality and efficiency.

2026 and beyond: Smarter systems, smarter work

Hamilton is rolling out a paperless factory system, bringing kingpinless raceway heat treating in-house, and adding more automation for rig welding and machining. Two legacy machines—a CNC and a mill—will also be replaced by one powerhouse machine designed to slash runtimes and make changeovers seamless. At the same time, Hamilton Academy is investing in the people who will learn, run, and improve it all.