Category: News

In 2013, in conjunction with our initial participation in Manufacturing Day, Thuro Metal Product began an Internship Program. The primary source of applicants and participants has been Farmingdale State College which is part of the SUNY System. We have also had participants from Suffolk County Community College, Hofstra University and Vaughn College of Aeronautics. We have had high school students participate. Recently, we have been working with Juniors and Seniors. It is not necessary that applicants be Engineering students. However, the program and activities seem to interest Engineering Students the most.

Our recruiting occurs in the fall with the aid of Farmingdale State’s Nexus Center for Applied Learning & Career Development. This office links interested students to local firms offering internship positions. These are paid positions from day one. Thuro Metal Products is committed to doing its part in Work Force Development on Long Island. All interns who applied are interviewed. Those that meet the criteria are offered paid positions.

For the initial 12 weeks interns are expected to work primarily in the production process. Most often they start working in the Quality Assurance department. We believe that their time initially is best spent gaining experience in reading blueprints, using measuring equipment and familiarizing themselves with engineering standards.

Phase II begins in the Summer when the Interns work full-time for next 12 weeks. At this point it is expected that interns have a general understanding of our process. We are a Contract Manufacturer who fabricates precision components parts to our customers exact specifications. Once a basic understand of those requirements and competency in using the appropriate tools to verify if those requirements are being met, a variety of possibilities exist. This includes but is not limited to the following:  running production equipment, setting up production equipment, being part of a product launch team, assisting with materials planning and procurement as well as supporting the sales team with estimates.

We would like to share feedback from two interns who started the program in 2021. Both Cassidy and Shawn have recently graduated from Farmingdale State.  They are both starting Phase II. Here are their comments so far:

Cassidy-

As a recent graduate with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering, I find that my internship at Thuro Metal Products is proving invaluable. Placed on a rotating schedule, I have worked in administration, machine set up and operation, inspection, and shipping. This has allowed me to better understand the manufacturing process from start to finish. All the Thuro employees have proven to be hardworking, knowledgeable, and patient teachers something I am infinitely grateful for. The experience I have gained working with a company that caters to such a diverse clientele is irreplaceable and will prove beneficial in my career going forward.

Shawn-

My experience so far at Thuro metal products has been exceptional.  It is a great opportunity, where you will acquire certain skills that you may not receive in the typical classroom setting.  As interns, every few weeks we are spread around the shop into a different aspect of work.  Starting with inspection, in order to get familiarized with blueprints and all the necessary measuring equipment.  I used manual lathes and moved onto the CNC turning equipment.  Learning to operate, change tools, offsets, and now getting familiar with setting up a machine for an upcoming job.  There is a lot to learn, but when it comes to the team at Thuro, everyone who works here is well-rounded, helpful, and surprisingly very patient.  To anyone that is looking for an internship in this particular field, do not pass up on the opportunity, hands-on experience like this is priceless.

 

 

Albert Thuro, Co-Founder and CEO of Thuro Metal Products Inc., passed away on April, 22nd 2020.  Albert would have completed 86 years on September 10, 2020. In his 85th year he continued to visit the factories 6 day a week. He was admitted to the hospital on April 10, 2020 and confirmed to have COVID-19.

Albert was born in 1934, in a small German community in Yugoslavia. In the fall of 1944, because of the war, Albert and his family had to flee from their home. It would be 10 years until they would live in a home of their own again. 7 of those years were spent living in a displaced persons camp in a suburb of Munich, Germany.  This part of his young life gave Albert a tremendous appreciation for the things we often take for granted. He began his apprenticeship at the age of 14 in Germany, first as an auto mechanic. Providence was again with Albert. His first boss was a hard-driving visionary who saw the opportunity, not in parts swapping, but in parts manufacturing. By the age of 22, Albert had attained the level of “Meister”or Master, at a progressive Precision Parts Manufacturing company in Munich.

Albert’s father applied for the family to immigrate to the United States at the end of WWII, but never had a response.    In 1956, out of the blue, the U.S. Embassy called Albert for an interview.  Within 3 months, at age 22, he arrived in New York harbor, alone, and knowing no one. He arrived on a Thursday and began working the next Monday.  In 1959, he received his draft notice and served in the U.S. Military during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During his time in the Army he had a special assignment building exhibits for the U.S. Army in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1960 he and Carolyn were married. This March they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. It had always been Albert’s dream to go into business for himself.  In 1962, upon honorable discharge from the army, he was recruited to work for Traub U.S.A. He spent the next 2½ years traveling all over the U.S., installing Traub Automatics. He was befriended by many business owners who saw his potential, and shared how they got started in business. In 1963, when he had saved up enough money to get started, he gave notice to Traub.  They did not want to lose him, and promised that if he worked for them for another two years, they would help him start his business. They held true, and in 1965 gave him a great deal on two brand new Traub Automatics, equipped to his specifications. They also gave Thuro Machine Tool Works its first order.

Albert started several companies in the years which ensued. In the early 1980’s, with the advent of CNC machines, he realized the need for a Hydrostatic bar-feed to accommodate the high spindle RPM’s of a CNC Lathe. He started Metro-Tech Machine Tools to market and manufacture this equipment. A patent suit ensued coinciding with interest rates rising to 22 percent. Money was getting tight and Albert decided to stop building the bar-feeds to focus on Thuro Metal Products Inc.

In 1988, Albert founded Nytex Automatic Products in Fredricksberg, TX.  He successfully ran this company from New York, giving direction and keeping in touch with the staff by phone and fax.  Nytex was sold very profitably in 2005.  Nytex also played an important role in helping The Thuro Companies diversify, transitioning away from a heavy concentration in the Defense market to also manufacturing parts for the Oil and gas industries.

Albert was an expert in Cutting tools and loved reading Cutting Tool Engineering. He loved to methodize “special jobs” that depended on the right tooling to work. He loved traveling throughout Germany, visiting tooling shops. He had a gift for recognizing nuances others would overlook.

At the invitation of past President Tad Korndoerfer, Albert joined the PMPA in 1980.  In 1999, in Acapulco, Mexico, he was honored to receive the Golden Micrometer Award.

However, Albert’s proudest achievement was none of the above. It was the fact that 14 people who started out working at Thuro Metal Products, eventually went into business for themselves. Working in business with great people, alongside of family members, and manufacturing items that the world needed, gave Albert tremendous satisfaction and purpose. He started out every morning with a prayer for his staff and he was absolutely amazed at all he accomplished and the lives he was able to touch. He lived and died with no regrets. He gave it his all to the end and prepared those around him to carry on his legacy.

Thuro Metal Products recently passed the 50-year milestone of continuous, family owned operation. Albert and Carolyn Thuro originally founded Thuro Machine Tool Work in 1965. In 1971 after reorganization, Thuro Metal Products was incorporated on Long Island in New York. During the last 50-years production machining has always our core competency. Over the years we tried our hand in importing machine tools, building Hydrostatic bar feeds as well as also owning and operating a facility in Texas. Looking to the future we are committed to growing locally. Our location provides us with access to a diverse work force as well as a local and diverse vendor base.

In the 1970s and 80s we grew rapidly making hydraulic tube fittings for Defense applications. Thuro diversified after the Berlin Wall fell into the production of Automotive and Industrial components. We seem to be a company that is unafraid to try something new. However, “our passion has always best aligned with our pocketbook in the field of Bar Automatic machining,” states David Thuro.

The 2000s brought an increased focus again on Defense and Aerospace. This market often requires special processes as well as the opportunity for value added assembly work. The growth and nurturing of dedicated staff, equipment and facilities to support Mechanical Assembly is where we have recently invested. In the past 12 months we have created a new assembly department and have tripled the size of our assembly team.