Sponsored Content
WEST MIDDLESEX, Pa. – T. Bruce Sales, a leader in custom metal fabrication and precision machining, is celebrating 80 years of operation as a family-owned business.
Supporting customers across a wide range of industries, T. Bruce Sales delivers engineered, fabricated components and assemblies that help clients maintain operations, meet critical schedules and solve complex manufacturing challenges. With more than 110,000 square feet of fabrication space, precision machining capacity, finishing areas, and in-house testing capabilities, the company is well-equipped to concurrently manage multiple large-scale projects – often supporting up to 20 active projects at a time.
One ongoing challenge in a high-mix, job-shop manufacturing environment is managing workflow transitions when several long-term projects are completed at the same time.
“Today, I may have a piece of equipment here that we’ve fabricated on for the last six months, and tomorrow it’ll be gone,” said Jeffrey Hogue, president of T. Bruce Sales. “That creates a large vacancy on the shop floor, so we’re continuously working to fill that capacity. We are always looking for the next project.”
T. Bruce Sales offers a full range of metal processing and manufacturing services, including cutting and sawing, plate rolling and forming, welding and fabrication, CNC machining, stress relieving (thermal and vibratory), blast cleaning and painting, assembly, inspection and testing services. To meet the growing demand from its customers, the company has expanded its machining and fabrication operations.
“We are constantly growing and adding new personnel, and we could probably grow more if we could find more talented individuals,” Hogue said. “That’s our biggest challenge.”
T. Bruce Sales currently employs approximately 50 team members and operates nearly around the clock, running shifts 23 hours per day.
The company continues to invest in advanced equipment to increase throughput, improve precision and expand capability.
It is owned by second-generation owners Scott and Bobby Campbell. The steel erection and construction division is supported by sister company T. Bruce Campbell Construction, overseen by Robby Campbell.
“Scott’s philosophy has always been that if you go big, not many companies can match that capacity,” Hogue said. “So, he invests in the ability to take on large work.”
A notable example includes a $2 million HG Farley LaserLab system manufactured in Australia. This large horizontal drilling and cutting system allows T. Bruce Sales to efficiently process heavy plate and large-format material.
“The advantage of this equipment is that it drills and cuts in one process,” Hogue explained. “It also uses a conveyor system to remove material and shavings as it runs.”
The Farley system was recently used to process 88- by 300-inch stainless steel plates, producing circular components requiring 52 precision-drilled holes per part. Hogue noted that the system enables high repeatability and productivity across multiple plates, producing three finished components per plate. Work that previously required a combination of CNC machining and thermal hole cutting can now be completed with improved speed and precision using drilling operations and tool holders operating at approximately 5,000 RPM.
“We would never have been able to do the job if we had not had this machine,” Hogue said. “This equipment makes a huge difference.”
Hogue added that certain parts had been sourced overseas in prior years, but changing market conditions and tariff impacts have contributed to bringing those jobs back domestically. Plates are drilled, cut, and then sent through additional machining operations as required.
T. Bruce Sales works with a wide range of materials, including carbon steel, structural shapes, high-quality plate, alloys, aluminum and titanium. The company also produces heavy-section components, including cover plates manufactured from specialized metal grades measuring seven inches thick and 96 inches in circumference.
Jeff O’Hara, senior project manager and engineering manager at T. Bruce Sales, said the company has made an investment in precision measurement and inspection technology, including FARO Arm and FARO Tracker systems. These tools allow the team to inspect and reverse-engineer large-scale and complex components with high
accuracy.
When customers require replacement parts that are no longer manufactured, T. Bruce Sales can generate CAD models from existing geometry, reproduce components, troubleshoot failure points, and engineer improved solutions when required. O’Hara added that these capabilities help the company maintain scheduling flexibility while meeting customer quality requirements and technical specifications.
T. Bruce Sales’ newest facility, constructed after a fire in 2021, significantly expanded its heavy fabrication capabilities. The facility includes heavy-duty overhead cranes with 90-ton lifting capacity and 30 feet of hook height, supported by 16,000 square feet of dedicated fabrication space. Hogue emphasized that the new cranes can be operated electronically from a distance, improving safety and increasing operational control.
“We have plasma cutters,” O’Hara said. “We do a lot of flux-core welding. We also have a submerged arc welding machine. In addition, we run heavy plate rolls and large burn tables.”
The company also supports in-house blast cleaning using a system 18 feet wide and 39 feet long, with the ability to process large components and assemblies – up to 125-feet long depending on configuration. When welded fabrications are finalized, parts requiring stress relief can be processed in one of two furnaces on-site. The largest furnace is 16-feet wide and 42-feet long.
“When you fabricate something and weld it, you introduce internal stresses,” Hogue explained. “Once you start machining and holding tight tolerances, you need to stress relieve it.”
In addition to thermal stress relief, the company also offers vibratory stress relieving.
O’Hara added that T. Bruce Sales operates advanced CNC equipment with in-house programmers and engineers to support complex machining requirements. The company’s largest horizontal boring mill supports parts up to 28-feet long by 12-feet high, and recently handled a component weighing approximately 40,000 pounds.
“I like how every day something is different,” O’Hara said. “We are a job shop, so you never know what you’re going to be quoting on or what the customer needs. It keeps things interesting, and you’re always learning. It’s fulfilling to see a project from the start all the way to the moment it ships out the door.”
Pictured at top: Jeffrey Hogue, president, and Jeff O’Hara, project manager at T. Bruce Sales, stand in front of the company’s new building.
