CRANBERRY TWP — A manufacturer in the Cranberry Corporate Center will mark its 125th anniversary this year.

Mecco Marking and Traceability started out in 1889 as the M.E. Cunningham Co., which produced rubber stamps and sundries until 1924. The company then introduced the manufacturing of steel stamp and other metal marking products, which launched it into the work it still does now.

That move, along with company leaders' determination to focus on the latest technology and specific customer needs, has created the high-tech marking company that Mecco has become.

“We went from hammer-and-chisel stamping products to developing leading edge marking,” said Dave Sweet, company president.

He explained that Mecco technologists create machines that manufacturers use to mark bar codes, logos, serial numbers and other engravings mainly to trace the part or component.

For example, the numbers or bar codes stamped on an auto part during the manufacturing process by machines provided by Mecco permanently identify the part, where it is on the car, and when it was made.

“If there is a recall because of a bad part, the automaker may only have to quarantine a fraction of the cars because they can trace back the bar codes and serial numbers,” Sweet said.

He said Mecco custom manufactures marking machines for the auto, oil and gas, razor, metal lighter, ink pen and other markets. Mecco experts meet with a manufacturer, assess the company's marking or traceability needs, and return to their Cranberry shop to create a machine that meets those needs.

Sweet said a Mecco representative then travels to the customer's plant, installs the machine, and trains employees to use it.

An example of a technical marking machine produced by Mecco was a system the company made for Honda for marking wheels on the assembly line.

Mecco said the $75,000 machine grips the steel wheel, uses a camera to find the correct area on the wheel to be marked, moves the laser to that position, marks a bar code, and releases the wheel for its trip down the assembly line.

“That's the largest system we ever built,” Sweet said.

He said Mecco marking systems range from $50,000 to $175,000.

Another auto industry application Mecco provides engraves words onto dashboard buttons, or the “objects in the mirror are closer than they appear” on the rearview mirrors.

Sweet said Mecco experts are able to create a machine for almost any application because they have stayed on top of industry technology.

“We have a long history in marking, but we still develop high-tech solutions,” Sweet said. “We're never satisfied with the status quo.”

The burgeoning shale natural gas industry has provided Mecco with not only a profitable new market, but a challenge for its technologists, Sweet said.

He said numbers and bar codes on pipes, flanges and other gas components must be deep. Mecco's engraving technology is able to place marks in metal so pipes and other equipment can be traced even if they have been a mile underground for years.

“So when the pipe comes back up, (the marks) are still there,” Sweet said.

Mecco sets itself apart from other marking companies in several ways, Sweet said.

He said instead of simply offering laser marking equipment like its competitors, Mecco will customize a customer's marking operation to include cameras or communication systems like the one at the Honda factory. Mecco also will build work stations for customers to optimize their marking operation.

“We always say 80 percent of your design is already done. The last 20 percent is what we'll customize for your application,” Sweet said.

He also touts the expertise of the 35 employees who work in the office and the manufacturing space, which are both in the Cranberry Corporate Center building.

Sweet said the technologists who design and build the marking and traceability systems are a mix of experienced engineers with more than 30 years at Mecco and young experts he calls “technologically incredible.”

“We melded the two,” Sweet said, “and that's a great recipe for success.”

He said whether the “Generation Y” employees come from physics, engineering, marketing or manufacturing sales backgrounds, they all display the technological savvy of the digital age.

“They come with such a high level of technical expertise,” Sweet said.

The company's 125th anniversary will be celebrated May 22.

Sweet said that morning will feature education programs for customers regarding the cost-lowering power of traceability. A barbecue luncheon will be followed by giveaways of items engraved by Mecco.

As for the future, Sweet said Mecco will continue to provide custom marking and traceability systems to customers such as Gillette, Ford and Westinghouse with the goal of increasing its presence in large and upcoming markets.

“We want to take it to the next level,” Sweet said.

<b>Address</b>: 290 Executive Drive, Suite 200, Cranberry Township<b>Website</b>: www.mecco.com<b>President</b>: Dave Sweet<b>Employees</b>: 35<b>What it makes</b>: Marking and traceability systems for metal and plastic components<b>Quote</b>: “We have a long history in marking, but we still develop high-tech solutions. We're never satisfied with the status quo.”Dave Sweet, president