PBZ LLC: Students Weld Grills in PBZ Program

Students Weld Grills in PBZ Program

students weld grills at PBZ LLC — Pictured: Brandon Alwine, Logan Snyder, Caran Sensenig, Michael Cassel, Ryan Nolt, Andrew Cassel, Joel Groff, PaulB Hardware Sales and Marketing Manager Phil Groff, and PBZ Operations Manager Chad Hackman.

PBZ Manufacturing and Ephrata Mennonite School recently teamed up to offer a weeklong vocational program that enabled several Mini Term students to learn welding at PBZ LLC, 295 Wood Corner Road, Lititz.

students learn welding at metal fabricating company — Designed by Ephrata Mennonite students, this grill was created in a yearly program hosted by PBZ LLC.

This winter, seven students welded their own grills using parts, equipment and blueprints provided by PBZ staff. All materials were donated by PBZ.

At the end of the week, students, school board member Phil Groff, also sales and marketing manager at PaulB Hardware, and PBZ Operations Manager Chad Hackman, gathered at the metal fabricating facility to celebrate their project success.

They grilled chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs outside.

Each student is allowed to keep his grill. This is the third year for the program.

Metal Fabricator Captures Spirit of Entrepreneur

PaulB car - old photo — Paul B. Zimmerman, 17, stands beside his 1934 Ford DeLuxe Fordor with V-8 engine.

Paul B. Zimmerman was known in Lancaster County as a mechanically minded problem-solver whose ingenuity – and honesty – gained him the title as the go-to guy for parts and repairs in the agricultural community. Neighbors quickly learned they could take a parts dilemma or equipment problem to Paul B and he’d welcome the opportunity to resolve it.

In 1947, he founded what was to become PaulB Hardware, in a 40′ X 60′ shop at the intersection of Word Corner Road and Burkholder Drive in Lititz, PA.

Job Shop Solutions Today

Today, that hardware store is now 35,000 square feet. And, as the Zimmerman family grew, that entrepreneurial spirit increased exponentially. Paul B. Zimmerman, Inc. now encompasses the hardware store, PaulB Wholesale, Keystone Koating and PBZ, each of which employs Zimmerman family members, and others, who help in research and development.

Perhaps where that is most evident is at the metal fabricator, PBZ, where the CropCare brand of agricultural equipment is developed.

“The spirit of Paul B’s creativeness and inventiveness is captured by the engineers at CropCare, especially,” said operations manager Chad Hackman. “CropCare’s engineers take ingenuity and turn it into a solid product.” continue

PBZ Offers Advanced Technology in Manufacturing

VCU500 Mazak advanced metal fabrication equipment — Operations Manager Chad Hackman programs the VCU 500C, part of the state-of-the-art equipment lineup that enables PBZ LLC to offer streamlined manufacturing excellence.

When PBZ LLC added a Mazak Quick Turn Smart 200 and VCU 500C to its metal fabrication equipment lineup, operations manager Chad Hackman knew PBZ positioned itself as a steel-fabricating manufacturer able to fulfill the increasing needs of customers seeking streamlined services.

Before investing in these two multi-tasking, technologically advanced parts processors, PBZ fulfilled a lot of its OEM requests – including parts for the CropCare Equipment line of agricultural sprayers, Zimmerman Cattle Control, and Kickout Flashing – through subcontractors.

“We could offer 2D and 3D laser cutting forming and welding,” Hackman says, but their capabilities in-house ended there. “What we found out is, our customers are looking for a one-stop shop,” Hackman adds.

“Now, we can add the machined part, enabling us to showcase and offer the streamlined process of a turnkey operation.”
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