From One Cell to Three: Scaled Welding Automation + Improved Quality
“Colewell came in early and stayed late, they made the delivery process quick, and they stayed to train all of our people.”
– John Bavestar / Operations Manager, Hutchinson Inc. HW Brand
Challenge:
Hutchison Inc. (HW Brand) has been in business for over 70 years and has grown into a leading manufacturer of fencing, gates, and building materials for the livestock and equine markets. To keep up with demand—and facing the ongoing shortage of skilled welders in their area—they turned to automation.
The first goal was to take the grind out of welding large livestock gates, which are heavy, repetitive, and tough to keep consistent shift after shift. HW Brand needed a partner who could not only design and deliver a reliable system but also stick with them through training and support.
“Colewell spends time with you before the project starts to figure out how you work, then builds the product for you, and then helps you program it.”
– John Bavestar / Operations Manager
Solution:
Colewell designed HW Brand’s first robotic welding system with two FANUC welding robots, Lincoln Power Wave equipment, and custom STT modules. The cell’s dual-headstock design allowed operators to load on one side while robots welded on the other, dramatically cutting downtime and improving throughput.
The results were so strong that HW Brand quickly came back for a second system. This time, Colewell built in upgrades straight from shop-floor experience:
Heavy-duty engineered doors to replace the slow, flimsy OEM doors.
A redesigned HMI with clearer screens for part setup, weld cycle times, troubleshooting, and resets.
Simplified wiring and sequencing for faster diagnostics and smoother operation.
Soon after, HW Brand ordered a third system—a single-robot trunnion turntable cell purpose-built for their smaller 4–6 foot gates. Compact and movable, it gave them the flexibility to scale capacity without overhauling their floor layout.
“Colewell has made life easier for us by their willingness to come in and make any adjustments to the jigging to make our process easier. And then also stay again, and help train the employees and bring them up to speed on any changes that they have made.”
– John Bavestar / Operations Manager
Results:
With the first cell alone, HW Brand boosted throughput from 8–10 gates per hour to 11–13 per hour, while improving weld quality and reducing defects. Operators adapted quickly, often running both sides of a cell simultaneously, and were spared the strain of flipping and re-fixturing heavy gates by hand.
Now, with three Colewell-built systems on their floor, HW Brand has scaled their welding capacity, created a safer and more ergonomic process for their people, and freed up skilled welders to focus on higher-value work.