Manufacturing Partner
JV Manufacturing is a recognized leader in the development of carbide progressive dies and precision components as well as a trusted partner for high-volume stamping solutions. Serving high-profile customers across various industries, the company depends on reliable production systems to meet demanding quality and delivery standards.
Learn more about JV Manufacturing: Die, Stamping, & Tool Manufacturing | JV Manufacturing
Challenge
One of JV Manufacturing’s most critical stamping lines, essential to serving its largest clients, was running on an outdated die control system. This legacy setup offered little to no visibility into real-time process performance or the root causes of downtime. Without integrated monitoring or diagnostics, quality-impacting events went undetected until after the fact. The lack of transparency contributed to higher maintenance costs, operational inefficiencies, and unnecessary production delays.
JV Manufacturing recognized the need to modernize this vital production process but sought a scalable and practical solution that could be replicated across its other presses.
Solution
To tackle this challenge, JV Manufacturing partnered with the Penn State Digital Foundry at New Kensington to co-develop a next-generation stamping die controller, one designed for modern manufacturing environments.
The collaborative project began with designing a modular and scalable control architecture using commercially available technologies. A bench-scale prototype was developed to simulate real-world operations and validate key functionality. This system integrates programmable logic controllers (PLCs), real-time dashboards, recipe management, alarm features, and sensors, all tailored to improve visibility and performance tracking.
The Digital Foundry provided deep technical support throughout the project, including:
- Engineering design specifications for the control system, complete with integrated visualization, recipe handling, and alarm capabilities.
- Live demonstrations of the prototype, enabling the JV team to assess PLC logic, dashboard performance, and sensor reliability.
- A comprehensive implementation roadmap featuring engineering drawings, programming details, supplier recommendations, a bill of materials, and budget estimates.
- Ongoing consultation to guide JV Manufacturing through the transition from prototype to full-scale deployment.
This hands-on partnership ensured that the solution was not only technically sound but also practical and aligned with the company’s operational goals.
Impact
The project delivered a validated, future-ready control system that now serves as a blueprint for modernization of JV Manufacturing’s stamping processes and is smart manufacturing-ready for integration across their operations.
Key outcomes include:
- A scalable, smart-manufacturing-ready control architecture designed for replication across other press lines.
- Real-time visibility into process performance, enabling faster response to production issues.
- A clear path to reducing unplanned downtime and associated maintenance costs.
- Data-driven insights that support investment decisions and long-term planning for digital transformation.
Through this initiative, JV Manufacturing took a significant step toward building a more connected, efficient, and resilient manufacturing operation.
“Partnering with the Digital Foundry has been a game-changer for JV Manufacturing. Their expertise in digital transformation continues to help us identify and implement practical technologies that elevate our capabilities without compromising our craftsmanship. For a small, family-owned business like ours, this collaboration is giving us a competitive edge in streamlining operations, improving data insights, and setting the foundation for sustainable growth in an increasingly tech-driven industry.”
– Ryan Vecchi, President, JV Manufacturing
“Our collaboration with the Digital Foundry team was highly successful given their deep industry knowledge, technical acumen, and agile approach to developing right-fit solutions. Modernizing our capabilities at JV Manufacturing is a critical strategic element to our growth and an imperative for continuous improvement on behalf of our customers.”
–Daryl Care, Director of Technology, JV Manufacturing
