Who is Otto Fuchs? What Does He Do?

      Otto Fuchs, sounds German to me.  And it is!  Mr. Fuchs founded an aircraft manufacturing company in the western region of Germany many years ago.  He had expanded his company through hard work, good leadership, and producing quality work and quality products.  In 2003, Mr. Fuchs wanted to expand into the lucrative American defense manufacturing sector.  But he could not without owning an American subsidiary.  He found a company in Southern California that needed an influx of cash and a larger management team.   He found that company in Paramount, California, near Long Beach.  This company was in close proximity to a Boeing plant where they did a fair amount of business.  This was exactly what Mr. Fuchs wanted.  After careful negotiations, he completed the purchase.
      To compete worldwide, the company needed an edge.  Leadership decided to invest in infrastructure and equipment.  After scanning the competition, Mr. Fuchs decided to build a machine in California that would give the edge needed.  The decision was made to construct the largest hydraulic forging press in the Western Hemisphere.  This press is designed to produce 60,000 tons of pressure on a 36 sq. foot ram.  It would cost about $13 million dollars and take 3 years to design , build and put into place with all the sub-functions on the site.  Fortunately, the site had surplus acreage that could accommodate the size of the machine.

hydraulic press: 60,000 ton cap.(above grade portion)

      The component parts would be made in Germany under strict controls.  Given the location of the site close to Los Angeles harbor, transport considerations were included as part of the final design.  Several contractors in logistics were part of the team used in the process from the start.  Special trucks had to be built to handle the parts as they arrived in California.  Although the trip from ship to site was not long, it was not without challenges.   Heights and weights were in the fore as engineers calculated necessary routes to deliver the massive pieces to be assembled on site.

inside view of 60,000 ton hydraulic press

        Of course, the entire apparatus is computer controlled.  The lead programmer is now the head of operations to ensure quality and to provide expert oversight of all production with this press.  There exists in the world today two other presses with the same capacity.  They are in Europe.

titanium strut-rough-first piece of material forged from press

     This piece of titanium will be machined and trimmed down to about 1/2" thickness before attachment to landing gear strut of large aircraft.  Piece as is weighs about 400lbs.
     Our Minister of Manufacturing is very impressed with the Fuchs Co. and its willingness to invest in the company's future.  This will greatly aid in its ability to  compete in world markets.