JEFFERSON TWP — Bill Jones remembers being a child watching his father, Carl, operate a machine at Penn United Technology.

"I don't remember how old I was — one evening, I went up and watched my dad operate a shaper," Jones said.

The younger Jones' attention was focused on his father's work at the precision die manufacturer.

"I just remember sitting there and watching," Jones said. "I was amazed how it (the shaper) removed material."

Years earlier in 1971, Carl Jones was an employee of Oberg when his brother, Bob, asked him a question.

"My uncle asked my dad: 'Why don't you do it yourself?'" Bill Jones recalled.

After thinking about the matter, Carl Jones decided his brother was right.

"Dad pretty much looked at him and said 'Why not?'" Bill Jones said.

With Bob Becker and Chuck Barton, Jones founded Penn United, which was first run out of a three-stall garage on Jones' farm.

In 1978, the business moved to its current site on Route 356.

Years after watching his father work, Bill Jones was attending Knoch High School when he decided college wasn't for him.

After earning straight As in vo-tech school, Bill Jones thought he was ready to start working in 1981.

He asked his dad, "When do I start?"

Without missing a beat, Carl Jones replied, "We're not hiring."

Taken aback by his father's reply, Bill Jones realized one thing: "Nothing comes easy."

Months after working for a small machine shop, Bill Jones applied to Penn United, which was hiring then.

Today, Bill Jones carries on his father's work as president of the company.

"I never thought back in the past I'd be running Penn United," he said.

Penn United has nine buildings, seven at the main site, occupying a total of 600,000 square feet on 139 acres. The company has 650 employees. About 200 of those workers are at the company's 65,000-square-foot Saxonburg plant.

Penn United also has another building on Route 356 across from Lernerville Speedway in Buffalo Township.

Among the company's services are dies, which are metal tools used to shape metal in pressing operations. It also makes precision machining, tooling components, prototyping, stamping, plating, precision assembly, grinding machines and spindles.

Some of Penn United's stamping capabilities include flat or formed parts, steel laminations and reel-to-reel stamping.

For precision grinding and machining, Penn United uses various alloys, including aluminum, ceramic, magnesium, precious metal alloys, stainless steels, titanium and zirconia.

The company makes several thousand different products with some quantities reaching several million.

Penn United's clients include the defense, electrical, medical, electronics, telecommunications, hardware, computer and automotive industries.

The company's basic manufacturing process includes designing the tool or die, building the part, stamping the component, plating the component and assembling the component.

Some clients only need Penn United to design a die, while others just want some of the other steps applied to an existing die.

However, some customers need Penn United to perform every task in the manufacturing process.Rick Pollick, marketing manager, said this "one-stop" shopping is one of the ways Penn United stands out in the industry.A division of the company, American Carbide Tooling, makes precision carbide and steel tooling.Penn United's carbide manufacturing process includes material processing; compaction forming by hydraulic and other pressing; preforming; vacuum sintering, which is forming objects by heating powder; grinding; and lapping, which produces a highly polished finish.For automation assembly, Penn United designs and builds assembly machines.As part of its precision assembly, the company is producing handheld tools such as the Bionic Wrench and the RoboGrip pliers.Among new offerings are the VersaClamp, a vice with a rotating handle, and the PowerPull hammer, which has a plastic nodule used for bracing the hammer for prying jobs.Another product is the Grip Restrainer, which binds prisoners' wrists with nylon with metal clamps that attach to a belt."It's impossible to escape," Pollick said.Carl Jones, who never fully retired, died a year ago."This was his life," Bill Jones said.Along with son Bill, Carl's other children help run the business.Son Dave is vice president, but will be retiring later this year. Daughters Becky Shaw and Margie Purcell, along with her husband Jerry Purcell, also work at Penn United.Although Barton retired in the 1980s, his nephew, Barry Barton is now the company's vice president of manufacturing.Following the company's 1971 inception, its staff expanded to 27 employees in 1974.That same year, Penn United became an employee-owned company establishing an employee stock ownership program.The company then started a stamping division in 1975 before moving to a 22,500-square-foot building in its current Route 356 site in 1978.The original garage on Jones' farm became the site for the new electroplating operation."I was pretty young when I watched it grow," Bill Jones said.In 1986, the company increased its stamping capabilities and started automation and product assembly divisions.Penn United in 1988 created its American Carbide Tooling division and employed more than 100 workers.In 1991, the company created a prototyping team.The electroplating operation in 1994 moved into a new 37,000-square-foot building at the North Pike Road site.In 1996, a new 90,000-square-foot building was added in Jefferson Township with a 65,000-square-foot structure built in Saxonburg.At this time, the number of employees reached 500.Penn United in 1998 established a training program before opening a center, now named the Carl E. Jones Learning Center, in 1999.Pollick said employees are cross-trained so they can do other jobs when the industry shifts and Penn United has to accommodate demand for products previously not as popular."I think it's one of our strengths," he said.Penn United in 2001 bought Allied Manufacturing, a Detroit company, acquiring the Parker Majestic line of machines, which consist of precision grinders and spindles.Along with its product line and "one-stop shopping," Penn United emphasizes its core values and ethical principals:"Personal character, attitude toward others and attitude toward work are extremely important. Therefore, we will:• Do what is right regardless of the cost.• Have absolute integrity and honesty.• Strive for excellence.• Work hard and be dedicated.• Be friendly and warm."Bill Jones said some people misinterpret the meaning of the first tenet.He said in some situations Penn United has opted to accommodate customers when they wanted to change a design in the interest of good will."If we commit to something, we follow through," Jones said. "Our word means more than the bottom line."He said the culture of Penn United is one of the main aspects setting it apart from its competitors.