Waldrich Coburg has been a leading manufacturer of large machine tools for 95 years.

The equipment is made in the company's facility in Germany.

But the firm's sales and service operations for the United States and Canada is based here in Erie.

The local shop, located on Pittsburgh Avenue, is a busy place.

Parts from the company's huge machines are sent to Erie to be repaired and serviced.

Crews also travel all over the United States and Canada making sure the firm's products are in top shape.

Waldrich Coburg President Jeffrey Rupp said, "We have eight service technicians who travel around but do work in the shop here too, rebuilding components.  Then we supplement the people with people from Germany at all times."

The machines made by the parent company in Germany are big, expensive, and sophisticated.

Products include large generators, diesel engines and grinders.

The machines are used in power generation, mining, construction, auto and the defense industry.

Rupp said, "They are very specialized machines. So we don't have thousands of customers . there are maybe 100-200 potential customers in the U.S. and Canada."

Sometimes a customer suspects a problem with a machine but it not really sure. So the Erie-based technicians hit the road to troubleshoot and try to pinpoint the problem and come up with a solution.

Shop foreman Brendan Slee said, "When we are out there on site, our experience of running them here on a test stand, we're able to go ahead and diagnose."