Our History
Mate Precision Tooling was founded in 1962 and was originally located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mate became a specialist in the design, manufacture and marketing of tooling for punch presses. In the early years, the company operated only in the local market. It soon became apparent there was a need for a national specialist in the punch press tooling field. In 1967, Mate began expansion into the national market using innovative marketing techniques that today are widely taken for granted. But in 1967 such things as guaranteed delivery dates, a standard catalog and price list, and a toll-free number were unusual and risky.
| 1962 | Mate is founded at 2201 Washington Avenue North, Minneapolis, sharing the facilities with Twin City Manufacturing. After one year, Mate has three full-time employees. |
| 1966 | Mate moves to 240 22nd Avenue North, Minneapolis. |
| 1967 | Mate publishes a catalog specially for punch press tooling, with the idea of expansion into the national market. |
| 1971 |
The national marketing program is very successful. Mate moves to a 12,500 square foot (3,800 square meter) building in Ramsey, Minnesota. |
| 1974 | Mate doubles its size to 25,000 square feet (7,600 square meters) |
| 1978 | Mate doubles again - expanding to 50,000 square feet (15,200 square meters). |
| 1984 | Mate builds the first of many integrated manufacturing cells. |
| 1985 | Mate develops an advanced tooling system for Finn-Power punch presses known as Nova®. |
| 1986 | Mate develops an advanced tooling system for Murata Wiedemann punch presses known as Marathon®. |
| 1989 | Mate opens sales office in the United Kingdom. |
| 1990 | Mate opens Western Europe sales office. |
| 1991 | Mate expands to over 100,000 square feet (30,400 square meters), eight times the original size of the Ramsey location. |
| 1992 | Mate Precision Tooling GmbH is formed in Oberursel, Germany. |
| 1995 | Mate develops an advanced tooling system for thick turret punch presses called Ultra®. |
| 1998 | Mate opens Asia sales office in Malaysia. |
| 1999 | Mate opens the Mate Technology Center. |
| 2000 | Mate expands to Latin America. |
| 2000 | Mate moves to 1295 Lund Boulevard, Anoka, Minnesota. At 300,000 square feet (91,200 square meters), this new location is the largest of its kind, dedicated solely to the manufacture of precision tooling for CNC punch presses. |
| 2001 | Mate expands its product line to include Mate Laser Technologies, including laser optics, nozzles and consumable accessories for today's laser systems. |
| 2008 | Mate opens Eastern Europe sales office in Poland. |
| 2009 | Mate earns Manufacturer of the Year Award. |
| 2009 | Mate Precision Tooling GmbH moves into 5,000 square foot (1,500 square meter) manufacturing facility in Oberursel, Germany. |
| 2010 | Mate opens China sales office in Shanghai. |