DE-STA-CO celebrates 100 years of innovation

Auburn Hills, Michigan – DE-STA-CO is marking its centennial this year with celebrations at trade shows, a new microsite, and a retrospective video that shows how the company has grown to become a global workholding and automation leader. The yearlong festivities kicked off at Automate in March, where historic products and literature were on display in the DE-STA-CO booth.

 

“DE-STA-CO’s 100-year history includes many milestones that we are going to recognize online and at industry events,” says Darren Greene, director, global marketing and business intelligence for DE-STA-CO. “But that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped innovating. In 2015, we’ll continue to develop new products and create individualized solutions for our customers’ unique manufacturing needs. This company has evolved from a single shop to a worldwide leader, and it will continue to adapt to industry changes.”

 

Founded by William H. Roberts in 1915 as the Detroit Stamping Co., DE-STA-CO initially provided the rapidly growing automotive industry with contract stamping as well as die and machining services. To help manufacturers hold auto bodies and other materials in place on the production line, the Detroit Stamping Company designed and patented the world’s first manual toggle clamp in 1936.

 

International expansion began in 1958 when the Detroit Stamping Co. opened a sales and manufacturing facility in Germany. Four years later, the company was acquired by Dover Corp. It was at that time that the Detroit Stamping Co. name was shortened to DE-STA-CO.

 

DE-STA-CO expanded into the Asian market in 1984 by opening a sales and manufacturing facility in Thailand. After that, its growth accelerated through the acquisitions of several companies in the automation, robotics, aerospace, life sciences, and nuclear fields. Today, DE-STA-CO has operations in the United States, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

 

While DE-STA-CO still manufactures its groundbreaking manual toggle clamps, its product line now also features robotic end effectors, power clamps, and other automation tools. The DE-STA-CO family of brands includes Robohand gripping solutions, CAMCO indexers and Central Research Laboratories (CRL) remote handling equipment.

 

For those who missed the anniversary celebration at Automate, DE-STA-CO will again provide refreshments, giveaways and entertainment in its booth at the ASSEMBLY Show and FABTECH this fall.