Sutton-Garten

Author Archives: Sutton-Garten

A Record Breaking Year for Sutton Garten
January 8, 2015 9:17 am Leave a Comment
We have been bringing welding supplies and gases to Indianapolis and the surrounding areas for over 95 years, and hold the title of being the first distributor for General Electric back in 1923. In addition to being a leading supplier of welding equipment and gases, we believe in teaming up with local schools in an effort to further welding education. On site, we train and certify students in tig, mig, and even stick welding.

2014 proved to be a record year for us, with sales up in every category, from welding abrasives to plasma cutting equipment. In addition to record sales, the showroom expansion was completed, along with lighting improvements and a new roof. The parking lot was fenced in and even the kitchen area was improved. We also expanded our inventory line and the volume of product in the warehouse.

Both classrooms and the certifications lab continue to grow at a rapid pace. Opportunity in the welding field looks bright. It’s estimated there are 500,000 welders currently working in the industry, but the majority of those welders are in their 50’s, quickly nearing retirement age. Welding students getting into the field can expect numerous job opportunities and a job placement rate near 100%. Many welding jobs are available due to the amount of infrastructure repair needed in the U.S., especially for railways and mass transit. Mentionable emerging technologies also include wind and nuclear power.

As more skilled workers in the welding industry are in demand, we plan on continuing to be a leader when it comes to training, educating, and supplying welding equipment, components, and gases.
A Recap of FABTECH
December 17, 2014 10:05 am Leave a Comment
Each year, FABTECH brings together companies from around the globe to celebrate the metal manufacturing industry. It’s the largest metal forming, welding, fabricating and finishing event in North America. The event spans four days, and this year took place in Atlanta, Georgia with over 40,000 people in attendance and over 1,500 companies providing exhibits.

In addition to the many displays, there are hosts of learning opportunities with more than 100 educational presentations led by experts in their respective fields. These presentations cover everything from the latest trends in metal forming to the newest technologies in the welding industry.

This year, Sutton Garten Co. was in attendance to support a few of their vendors: Miller Electric, Cold Jet, Lincoln Electric, and Victor Technologies. With over 95 years in the welding equipment, welding supplies, and gas business, Sutton Garten Co. takes pride in being a leader in the industry and believes that education and keeping up with current trends and technology is not only important for business, but important for the future of our field.

Sutton Garten Co. strongly supports local schools dedicated to education in this field, as well as offering classes on site in tig, mig, and stick welding. This aligns with how FABTECH reaches out to students and school groups in an effort to teach them more about manufacturing and how exciting this field can be.

With the future of manufacturing looking so promising, now is the perfect time to recruit students interested in pursuing employment in this industry. Sutton Garten Co. is looking forward to the next FABTECH planned for November 2015, sure to showcase the latest in technology and advancements in the growing metal working, welding, and gas fields.
New Millermatic Welders 141 and 190 replacing 140 and 180
October 20, 2014 10:16 am Leave a Comment
Since our company was started in the early 1900s, we’ve been focused on welding supplies and services. We currently over a wide variety of welding equipment and a vast selection of gases, safety, and other related equipment. One of the most popular welding companies, Miller Electric, manufactures welding and cutting equipment for use in the manufacturing, fabrication, construction, aviation, motorsports, education, agriculture, and marine industries. Two of their popular welders, the Millermatic® 140 Auto-Set™and the Millermatic® 180 Auto-Set™ will soon be replaced by the more advanced and innovative Millermatic® 141 and Millermatic® 190. Both the Millermatic 140 and Millermatic 180 are standard and basic everyday welders that industry professionals know and trust for their ease of use and dependability.

The new Millermatic 141 is an all-in-one wire welder that welds 24 gauge – 3/16 in. mild steel using 120V input power. A variety of new and exciting features set this model apart from similarly priced welders. An auto-set feature allows you to automatically control and set your welder to the exact specifications. It also offers all-in-one MIG so that you don’t have to find the parameters. The 141 also has manual mode so that you can easily set your own parameters, an angled all aluminum drive system for consistent feeding and ease of use, quick select drive roll for differenced sized sold wire and flux-cored wire, along with a smooth-start start, an auto Spoolgun detect and thermal overload and ‘tip saver’ short circuit protection.

Miller also recently released the Millermatic 190, an all-in-one welder that weld 24 gauge- 5/16 in. mild steel using 240V input power, enough to handle the most complex project. Weighing only 35 pounds, this unit is extremely portable and easy to maneuver throughout your project area. Additionally, with its angle all aluminum drive system, it creates consistent feeding and easy setup for up to 15-food MIG guns and three groves, two for differenced size solid wire and another for flux-cored wire. Other features such as auto-set, fan-on-demand, and smooth-start make this welder extremely easy to use and clean. It also has a thermal overload and ‘tip saver’ short circuit protection feature to shut down the unit to prevent damage if it overheats.

For a limited time, Miller is offering a free helmet with the purchase of either the Millermatic 141 or the Millermatic 190. These new welders are set to revolutionize the small welder market and are going to be displayed at the upcoming FABTECH show in November. To learn more about Miller’s welders, visit their website.
Welding Tech Education
September 23, 2014 9:44 am Leave a Comment
Since our company was started over 90 years ago, we have been focused on a variety of services, including bulk gas installations, CO2 and nitrogen gas filling, welding equipment repairs, and training and certifying procedures. As welding continues to be a core part of our business, we are constantly collaborating with schools and institutes that offer welding education. We believe that when our staff is properly trained in traditional and new technologies, they can perform the best work for our customers.

In house, we currently train and certify those interested in mig, tig, and stick welding. Our knowledgeable and experienced team has many years of welding expertise to share and can provide custom instruction. Various companies have come to us to train and certify their staffs for safe and proper welding of pipe and plate products using different welding techniques. We can also provide instruction on welding practices for aluminum, steel, and stainless steel materials.

Our staff can organize AWS and ASME welding certification courses either at our facility or at yours for up to six welders. We also offer an introductory course that is aimed at welding for hobbyists. If you have an old auto that needs repairing or are interesting in building something from scratch, this course will teach you safe welding practices and procedures. A small class size and individual time with the course instructor ensure that students learn and get the chance to work on their own projects using our new equipment.

In addition to our welding instruction courses, we work collaboratively with the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology to offer technical training courses and specialized in-plant programs for companies. Hobart’s hands-on, technical, and safety training is a great program because it is an industry leading institute that has successfully trained over 100,000 students in the past 80 years.

Miller Electric Manufacturing is a welding company that is associated with the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology. We work with Miller Electric to coordinate training on new machinery and equipment. Miller’s trademark blue equipment has been around since 1929 and is primarily composed of affordable welding products. Their extensive history of producing welding products began when they began to manufacture a welder with a built-in wire feeder, the Millermatic 35. In addition to their innovative and advanced products, Miller also complies with a number of different safety and equipment standards.

Another popular welding company is Lincoln Electric. Since the late 1800s, Lincoln has been a leader in the welding technology space. Their traditionally red equipment is available for a number of different operations, including welding, cutting, and automation. As a leader in the welding arena, Lincoln serves a long list of industries, such as the automotive, offshore, pipeline, nuclear, and thermal energy industries.

If you’re interested in learning more about our welding services or our welding education instruction programs, please contact us for more information.
Safety Products for Welding
August 20, 2014 8:56 am Leave a Comment
We know that our customers rely on us for welding supplies and services. Because of this, we are proud to offer safety products for use in welding applications. Our wide variety of safety products for welding includes gloves, umbrellas, reflective jackets, and other gear specifically developed for workers in the welding industry.

Protection from high temperatures and certain materials are important when performing welding services. Revco Industries offers a wide selection of gloves that will ensure safe handling when welding. Additionally, their technology packed apparel is developed to be used in welding applications as well. Revco also manufacturers gear packs for students, helpful for training and learning about the complex welding industry.

We also offer products such as protective blankets from John Tillman Company and carbon sleeves and from Steiner Industries that are useful for different temperatures and protection during the welding process. These are just some of the many welding safety products that we have available.

We have a complete line of safety products in stock and ready for pick-up or shipping. We know that safety is your number one priority and that’s why we are constantly on the look-out for new and improved products for you and your welding applications.
Increased Capabilities and Space at Our New Facility
July 29, 2014 9:25 am Leave a Comment
At Sutton Garten, our main goal is fulfilling the needs of our customers. We also focus on providing our customers with the best products, services, and technical knowledge in the welding and gas fields. To continue providing high quality products and services to our customers, we recently made some major renovations to our 8,000 sq. ft. facility.

Our facility renovation included expanding our showroom space, installing flat wall and new tile floors, redoing the foyer, repainting the welding labs, installing new energy efficient lights, adding storage space above the repair shop, constructing new counters and storage cabinets, and, dry blasting the ceiling tiles. Additionally, we installed a new staircase within the facility, as well as electrical conduits on our countertops to streamline our work process.

We ultimately decided to replace and renovate sections of our facility to modernize and provide our customers with the best products and services. For example, some of our lighting fixtures became obsolete, the showroom needed to be upgraded and modernized, and we needed additional showroom and storage space.

The main goal of our recent renovation project was to improve our business so that we can better serve our customers and continue the delivery of high quality products and services. With our major renovation finished, we are looking forward to the future of Sutton Garten and working with our customers.

Our facility renovation is just another way that we will continue to surpass customer expectations for many years to come. Come check out our new and beautiful facility!
The Future of Automation
July 10, 2014 2:25 pm Leave a Comment
Many of our clients, especially the larger businesses, have invested heavily in automation. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that companies are investing in the latest technology. What may surprise you is just how widespread the adoption of automation technology is. It’s not just the expected industries that are keeping an eye on evolution in the automation sector.

We frequently work with clients in the automotive sector, and most people would expect to see adoption of automation technology in the industry that brought us the assembly line. But at this year’s Automation Conference in Chicago, automation professionals from an enormous selection of industries gathered together. What’s clear is that it’s not just companies in the automotive sector that benefit from improved automation technology. Packaging manufacturers, beer and wine makers, even municipal water and wastewater firms want to keep an eye on advancements in automation.

This is because automation is not just used for building durable goods. Automating individual processes can also be beneficial to companies. That is why the oil and gas terminal automation market is expected to be worth over $4.4 billion by 2020. Terminal automation allows companies in the oil and gas industry to improve their processes and their real time data management.

Certainly, this is the future of automation. Automation will not just help us make improvements to how we build things, but companies will also be looking at how they can improve productivity and improve plant floor connectivity with new devices and innovations. Tablets and smartphones that easily interface with each other and new technology could end up being just as integral to a shop’s performance as the latest and greatest assembly robot. The ability of automation to streamline processes and eliminate wasted time will become even more valuable to each and every industry.
A Look at the Changing Welding Industry
June 25, 2014 1:59 pm Leave a Comment
As a company that works closely with the welding industry, we certainly find it important to keep on top of the latest news and trends within the welding industry. Due to an increase in global commerce and an increase in exports, more and more consolidation is occurring in the industry. In the past few months, we have seen an example of this consolidation, as ESAB has taken over what was known as Victor Technologies.

According to this press release, “the combination of ESAB and Victor creates a comprehensive product portfolio that brings a broader array of solutions to the welding and cutting industry.” With this merge, that means there is now less and less competition in the welding and cutting equipment market. This leaves three major companies –ITW/Miller, Lincoln, and ESAB—as the major welding and cutting equipment players. These companies now all own cutting torch lines that they can offer to their customers, and they are also putting more of an emphasis on safety within their business. We have also seen that the main line of welding equipment being used by professional welding companies is coming from one of these larger equipment manufacturers.

Despite this consolidation, however, the IWDC (Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative) still remains strong. We continue to support the changing welding industry with our products and services, and we are excited to see what else is in store!
Dry Ice Burst Due to Auto Growth
May 30, 2014 11:50 am Leave a Comment
In recent years, the automotive industry has staged a comeback, with a growth in technology helping to boost the industry. In fact, since the recession, many major auto companies have re-examined their production process and are integrating changes in order to remain stable. According to this article from Tire Business, this includes implementing programs that identify “the suppliers, bringing them in early on in the design and engineering process and identifying new technologies that vehicle manufacturers will need so that there is a greater working relationship.”

Since we often work with automotive companies, this growth is exciting for us to see. A boost in the automotive industry has directly correlated with a boost in our business as well. Specifically, auto companies have paired with us recently in order to use our ice blasting equipment for cleaning applications. We even had to install another dry ice machine in order to handle the increase in work. One company has utilized the ice blasting in order to remove wax from parts. Others who work with metal coatings and cold-forged parts use the ice blasting equipment to properly clean parts. Car part companies, working with parts such as metal stampings, mufflers, and auto exhaust systems, use the ice blasting for cleaning as well.

Since dry ice is suitable for removing oil off of car parts, we have seen more of a demand in the ice blasting equipment. Additionally, there is no mess with it, it doesn’t conduct electricity so it allows for motors to be running simultaneously, and the dry ice is abrasive enough to clean tough surfaces.

Moving forward, we hope to see an even bigger increase in the automotive industry as technology continues to play a part. As we work closely with the auto industry, we see how it has greatly impacted our business as well, and we only hope it gets even better!
Sutton-Garten introduces the new POWERMAX 125
March 31, 2014 12:26 pm Leave a Comment
At Sutton-Garten, we are always on the look out for the most innovative welding tools. Therefore, we are thrilled to be the first distributors to get our hands on and offer Hypertherm’s exciting new Powermax125. The Powermax125 is the latest innovative plasma-cutting tool from Hypertherm’s Powermax line, which is extremely popular with Sutton-Garten’s heavy industrial users. The Powermax 125 offers users a wide range of benefits including:
- Severs 57mm (2-1/4”) thick metals at 125 mm/min (5 ipm)
- 100% duty cycle
- Cuts 550% faster on 12mm (1/2”) than Oxyfuel
- Can handle portable automation, x-y table cutting, and robotic cutting and gouging
- Works with the Duramax high amp torch line which comes in a range of sizes
One of the best parts about the Powermax125 is the ability to customize a configuration to your exact needs. You can mix and match from:
- Power supply options (480V CSA, 600V CSA, 380V CCC, 400V CE)
- Torch Options (hand, machine, robotic, and long torches plus five cable lengths)
- Cable Options (both work and control cables in three lengths)
- Plus a long list of genuine Hypertherm accessories!
Hypertherm also came out with a new and improved PowerMax 30, which is called the PowerMax 30XP and released in mid-March. This unit features a carrying case, improved cut speed and capacity, and a new torch with different improved consumables. We already have them on order and are looking forward to demonstrating them to customers.

We see a great deal of equipment come through our doors, so it is a big deal when we get this excited about these new hand-held plasma cutting products. Come check them out soon!