Eagle’s philosophy has always been that quality can only be realized through the meticulous care of our employees and the consistency of commitment. By Rob Bubencik Jr.
In 1982, Eagle Stainless Tube & Fabrication started in a small boiler room in Franklin, Mass. — with a bold commitment: To become a top supplier of the highest-quality stainless steel tubing and other metals worldwide. In 2022, as we mark our 40th anniversary, that commitment, our “Eagle-eye” focus on quality across all facets of our family business, hasn’t changed.
The past four decades have seen Eagle Stainless go from a modest space started by my father, Eagle President and CEO Robert Bubencik Sr., and former partner Roy Elliot, to two 40,000-square-foot facilities for world-class manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. Eagle has gone from a handful of employees to about 100 today who work in a family-run environment that promotes unity, communication, and enjoyment on the job.
Eagle supplies ultra-high precision, cut-to-length stainless steel tubing, components and parts, and off-the-shelf tubing sizes and grades for medical, aerospace, and industrial applications. Other Eagle inventory that helps our customers increase performance and profitability includes a focus on T300 series stainless steel – tubing, wire, and bar stock.
We at Eagle take great pride in serving all of our customers from small to large. Our customer base spans the world, from the United States to Australia, and Israel to Ireland and other European countries. My father’s dream has become Eagle’s reality, but there’s no time to rest on our accomplishments as we soar into the future!
Eagle Quality
Moving forward, we will continue to meet customers’ demand for quality and precision, with zero room for error. From the outset of our small startup, the founders had the foresight to distinguish the company from the large metal service center chains by focusing on our core strength, the distribution, and fabrication of stainless tubing. It is a challenging commodity to work because of its need to meet the most exacting of specifications.
One of our early successes was showing customers that we could meet — actually, exceed — their need for tubing absent of burrs. One of our specialties rapidly became deburred tubing of any diameter and quantity used in critical applications such as surgical instruments. We also instituted our Eagle Eye Quality Assurance program to ensure against digression from our customer pledge of zero defects. These early strategic decisions have worked well for us.
Our unparalleled expertise and uncompromising commitment to quality in raw stock, quality in machining, quality in fabricating and quality in finishing has contributed greatly to our success and longevity. This undaunting commitment from the top down continues to this day. It extends to our pledge of on-time delivery and fair pricing. And it extends to our culture of quality excellence in every department, where we check our products well beyond what the mills supply — well beyond what many competitors do.
ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 quality management certifications have been in place since 1998. ISO organizes processes, improves the efficiency of processes, and helps Eagle to continuously improve beyond most quality assurance (QA) programs. You’ll read more about quality and other topics in our Feature and Profile articles. The piece is endorsed by Blake Harrison, our sales manager, and highlights Eagle’s top 10 guidelines for ordering stainless tubing. Please give Blake a call to learn more.
Eagle Commitment
The results from a customer survey we conducted in fall 2022 show an overwhelming majority of respondents reporting that they are likely to recommend our company. We are proud of this. Even more, we are proud of the fact that our customers keep coming back because of the quality reflected in our talented employees.
We have one particular project that my father started making back in 1982, and we have been producing it every year since then. We have orders lined up through 2023, thanks in large part to the dedication of our employees. Their critical role in our customers’ satisfaction cannot be emphasized enough.
Eagle’s philosophy has always been that quality can only be realized through the meticulous care of our employees and the consistency of commitment. That commitment includes our belief that quality in all we do requires employee empowerment. We must ensure our people feel a sense of ownership and personal pride when it comes to quality, from order entry to raw material, from purchasing to fabrication, and from QA to final testing and shipping.
The Eagle business model helps to empower employees in several ways. Our people experience important workplace stability that comes with consistency in leadership and operational processes that family-run businesses are well-positioned to provide. This allows us to work closely with employees in a setting where unity, respect, and open communication are prioritized.
Not least, we support continued education in machining and other relevant areas because well-trained employees are key to optimizing decision-making, productivity, and profitability. This leads to high employee morale, retention, and performance — and ultimately, world-class products and well-served customers.
I cannot think of anything more rewarding than knowing that even as our company has grown over the past four decades into the leader it is today, all of us at Eagle will continue our focus on meaningful and profitable partnerships with our customers. I foresee a bright future as we move into the next 40 years — and beyond.
Eagle Stainless Tube & Fabrication is a leading supplier of ultra-high precision, cut-to-length, stainless steel tubing and bars for medical, aerospace, and industrial applications. Custom and off-the-shelf sizes and grades are widely available. We offer cutting, precision machining, bending, CNC machining, end forming, assemblies, and more. ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 quality management certifications have been in place since 1998. To learn more about Eagle or to discuss your application needs, contact us today.