Introducing Scott Macek

Scott Macek is Fourslide's new sales associate

If you’ve started a project with us recently, you probably spoke with Scott Macek, our new sales associate. Scott joined us in May and quickly proved an excellent fit at Fourslide. From evaluating new quotes to sourcing material and helping ensure that returning business runs as smoothly as it ever has, his versatile background in manufacturing and management has made him a significant asset to the team.

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Judy Schmidt Announces Retirement

Judy Schmidt (right) has retired after 50+ years at Fourslide. Laurie Funk (left) replaces her as office manager.

After 53 years with the company, Judy Schmidt has retired as Fourslide’s CFO / Office Manager.

Judy started with us part-time in 1970 in a job-share arrangement with her mother doing accounts payable, accounts receivable, and general office work. No computers! All paper! When her daughter was born in 1972, Judy took five years off, though she continued to assist her mother at work. She returned under the same arrangement in 1978, leaving each day in time to greet her daughter as she got off the bus. Judy would eventually take over for her mother full-time, with her responsibilities growing to include Human Resources and Chief Financial Officer.

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Is my part a Fourslide part? 

The fourslide manufacturing process is an ideal match for some sophisticated high-volume part production

We get this question every day as manufacturers struggle with ballooning lead times, expensive changes to tooling, and quality control for critical components. And the answer may surprise you! 

Sophisticated high-volume parts that traditionally required complex tooling on a progressive power press can be an excellent fit for the fourslide manufacturing process. With its unique integration of stamping and forming operations, the fourslide process can dramatically reduce typical tooling costs, halve tooling lead times, and eliminate post-production adjustments needed to meet specifications.

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Celebrating Our 60th Anniversary

The team at Fourslide Spring and Stamping in Bristol, CT

This fall marks our 60th year producing stamped and formed metal parts here in Bristol, Connecticut. Boy have we ever come a long way.

A Family Business Deeply Rooted in Bristol

Arthur Funk and a partner founded Fourslide Spring Products, Inc. on the 4th floor of Bristol’s historic J.H. Sessions building in 1962. Starting with a single customer and a single machine for fabricating parts, Fourslide has steadily grown into a $6 million operation employing 25 workers.

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Jim Richards Announces Retirement

Jim Richards has announced his retirement

All of us at Fourslide Spring and Stamping will miss Executive Vice President Jim Richards as he retires after 17 years at the company.

Jim has been an integral part of Fourslide since the day he arrived in Bristol, armed with a wealth of knowledge and years of experience in manufacturing, machine building, and machine tool sales. With a keen skill in negotiation, Jim was instrumental in forging great relationships with many businesses that remain loyal customers. Under his guidance, core business sales rose an average of 5% per year, with sales of new tools increasing from 15 per year to more than 50 in 2022.

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Meet Mark Ratta – Working Leader, Production

Mark Ratta - Working Leader
Mark Ratta – Working Leader

Mark Ratta, the Working Leader on our production floor, joined Fourslide nearly 30 years ago as a member of the Shipping and Receiving Department.

“I didn’t even know what a fourslide machine looked like when I got here,” offers Mark. Three decades later, he is a very accomplished set-up man and a highly effective Working Leader.

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Facility Upgrade Continues

Expanded production area
Our newly expanded production area

After a 20-month hiatus – both scheduled and dictated by COVID protocols – the next phase of our facility update and reorganization is back in full swing.

The first stage of upgrades intended to boost production capacity by as much as 50% involved relocating our toolroom to an up-fitted area previously vacated by our assembly operation. This new phase involves the area that previously housed our toolmaking activities.

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What is the Expected Life of Fourslide Tooling?

Fourslide tooling is a truly Non-Recurring Expense.
Fourslide tooling is a truly Non-Recurring Expense.

We’re often asked this question after prospective customers receive a quotation. The answer is quite simple: your Fourslide tool’s life is the same as the life expectancy of the part it’s making.

Tooling built by Fourslide Spring & Stamping is truly a Non-Recurring Expense. All maintenance, repair, and even replacement of the tooling are free of charge. So long as the design of the part remains the same, the customer never pays another nickel in tooling charges.

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