Marposs Corp. commemorated the 50th anniversary of its founding in North America during March 2013. Marposs is one of the world’s leading suppliers of precision metrology equipment for improving productivity and reducing cost in manufacturing. Its products include inspection, measurement and process control solutions including gauges and compensation systems for grinders and other machine tools; manual gauges, sensors, probes and other gauge components; automatic measurement and inspection systems; hardware and software for data collection and process analysis; tool, machine and process monitoring and control systems; automatic assembly systems; and equipment for leak testing and non-destructive testing.

The North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, home to over 130 employees, is one of the 79 offices located in over 20 countries. The company’s parent, Marposs S.p.A. in Bologna, Italy, employs over 2,600 people in major manufacturing, sales and service centers around the globe.

Since its inception in 1963, Marposs Corp. has been a vital supplier to the auto, truck and off-road vehicle manufacturing industry, supplying gauges and other apparatus for measurement and inspection of engine and transmission components. More recently, the company has expanded into applications such as ensuring the quality of windshields and other glass components. Today, the company partners closely with original equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers, providing products as diverse as manual, hand-held and go/no-go fixed gauges, to in-line automatic machines capable of making scores of measurements in only seconds. In some cases, the engineering for new manufacturing programs is generated by the customer and supported by Marposs locally, while the actual equipment installation may be located elsewhere in the world.
 
Marposs has also continued to grow into markets beyond automotive and other vehicular manufacturing. Industries such as Medical and Aerospace now account for a significant and growing portion of the company’s annual sales. Examples of the specialized technologies necessary for these manufacturing applications include a sophisticated camera-based system for detecting microscopic flaws in orthopedic parts such as shoulders, knees and hip joints, and an automated measuring machine for checking air foil components for the aerospace industry.

According to Marposs Corp. President, Ed Vella, the perception of measurement and inspection in manufacturing has undergone a dramatic shift. “Fifty years ago when Marposs Corp. was established, ‘gauging’ was an ugly word—a necessary evil,” said Vella. “Manufacturers knew they needed gauging to help monitor and control quality. But frequently they resented it and made it an after-thought. Today, the majority of our customers understand that by partnering early on with their gauging supplier, they can experience increased productivity, reduce cost in manufacturing and shorten new component launch time.”

“Marposs has a diverse and expanding range of technologies, developed in house and through acquisitions, that can be applied depending upon the customer’s application,” said Vella.” We can successfully work with the customer to select the measurement and inspection solution best suited to the requirements for part condition, production rate, flexibility and so on.”