About VI Manufacturing
Roots
Founded in 1967 as a Webster Tool & Die – and incorporated in 1989 as VI Manufacturing, Inc. by Frank Chamberlain – our roots are in the proud craft of machining parts from hand-drafted blueprints by "turning handles" on Bridgeport mills and Hardinge lathes or stamping them from custom tools built in house by toolmakers.
Evolution
One of the first things Frank achieved was bringing in more high-volume assembly work from local giants like Kodak and Xerox. As this type of work starting being outsourced to low cost regions in the 90’s, we responded to the market changes by implementing more automation (such as CNC milling) and diversifying to include industries that require some components to be manufactured domestically (e.g. Defense).
Todd Chamberlain, President
Second Generation Leadership
In 2012, Todd Chamberlain came on board and began taking the reins of his father’s company. With a passion for sustainability and organizational well-being, he has been implementing new technology and processes, investing back into the company, and expanding market reach. During this time, some of his team’s achievements so far have been:
AS9100 certification
Modern ERP system implementation
Coating department started and developed to include wet paint and fluidized bed powder coating
5-axis milling and multi-axis turning capability
Automated pallet-changing equipment for high volume machining and laser processes