Worthington residents have passed the Knape Industries building on the corner of Proprietors and Schrock hundreds of times without thinking twice about it. The 14 thousand-square-foot building is home to one of the region’s most reputable machine shops.

 

"My family bought the business from Atlantique Industries in 1998,” said Jonathan Knape, Manager of Operations. “It was a machine shop prior to our ownership, and we caught it at the right time.”

 

A machine shop is a facility with equipment and supplies for machining, a process where parts are cut, fabricated, and finished to prepare them for use. Machine shops are used in the creation of new parts, as well as repairs of existing equipment and parts. Their personnel may have specialized training, depending on the type of work done at the shop, as some machining tasks require a unique skill set, as well as a deep understanding of the kind of work the finished parts will be used for.

 

Equipment like cars, aircraft, large engines, and manufacturing equipment can all spend some time in a machine shop when it is created or in need of repair. Companies that manufacture such equipment usually have a machine shop on site for fabrication of new, custom, and test parts. Machine shops are also found in educational and research facilities, where people learn about machining in the context of repair, as well as fabricating parts for custom applications like developing equipment for use in experiments.

 

“Some of biggest clients are Parker Hannifin, Rolls Royce Energy, and Emerson. We also have a lot of local clients in the region,” said Knape. “We like our location because it is close to major roads and easy to access.”Ohio manufacturing has declined in the past decade, but Knape Industries remains a leading precision machine shop because of the specialists they employ.

 

They employ 20 people specializing in welding and machinery. “We pride ourselves on staying up to industry standards and our employees stay with us a long time, some have been working here since the early 80’s,” said Knape. “

 

Manufacturing is cyclical in Ohio and a lot of shops go out of business in a down economy, but our clients notice our quality work.

 

”The Knapes reside in Worthington and feel a great sense of community.“We believe in the community. Worthington is a great place,” said Knape, (pronounced ‘nap’).