by John Higgins, Ace Wire Spring & Form Co., Inc. "Precision Pittsburgh" - Winter 2014 (NTMA Newsletter)
Ace Wire Spring, a family business, is locally owned with customers based nationally and internationally. This year, they celebrate 75 years in business. The owners of Ace Wire Spring, Rich and Linda Froehlich, make it a priority to stay close to their roots and be involved with the local community. Consistent with this commitment, Ace Wire Spring sponsors the Clairton High School BotsIQ team.
Last year, Ace Wire Spring invited the team to the office for a tour of the plant. Seeing springs and wire form being produced and shaped helped the students see the manufacturing process up close. It opened their eyes to new possibilities within the manufacturing industry, and the potential it holds for career opportunities. After the tour of the plant, everyone went into the office conference room and the students took turns showing the employees at Ace Wire Spring how the team’s robots worked, how they were made, and the imagination and hard work that went into their creation. It was also evident the students were very excited and enthusiastic to be part of BotsIQ.
Dennis Beard is the teacher/coach of the team and his level of enthusiasm is so high it is contagious. He encourages the kids to use their imagination, take the lead, and realize their full potential in robotics engineering. Ace Wire Spring engineers make themselves available for the students in case they have any questions or need help with certain materials. Sometimes they offer a different perspective on designs. During the design and creation phases of the robotics process, Ace Wire Spring helps when needed.
Once the robots are built and ready for the competition, Ace Wire Spring employees follow the Clairton team’s progress through the competition and rally behind the team. Last year we followed Clairton all the way to the BotsIQ Southwestern championships. The team won it all, claiming the Overall Champion and 1st place trophies. Clairton was invited to the national competition to compete against teams from all over the country, both high school and college level. After the competitions were over, the Clairton High School BotsIQ team was honored at the Clairton school board meeting, displaying the well deserved trophies and plaques won by the team.
Ace Wire Spring is happy to help these students reach their BotsIQ goals and to show them the opportunities of careers in manufacturing