Methods Opens Chicago Center of Excellence to Elevate Customer Success

Customers deserve consistent, top‑tier support regardless of location or technology. That promise is at the heart of Methods Machine Tools’ newly opened Chicago Center of Excellence (CoE), which celebrated its grand opening on April 9, 2026. Located in the company’s Gilberts, Illinois headquarters, the CoE is part of a company‑wide initiative to deliver uniform service across all sites while empowering job‑shop teams to master emerging technologies that tackle the most complex manufacturing challenges.

“We want clients to think of us when they face their toughest jobs,” says Dale Hedberg, Methods’ COO. He emphasizes the company’s unwavering commitment to training, service and aftermarket support—tools that arm customers with the expertise needed for demanding applications. Image courtesy of Methods Machine Tools.

Delivering Consistent Expertise

Unlike a conventional classroom, the CoE serves as a dynamic training hub, according to Jacob Krotz, the Center’s manager. It equips both employees and customers with hands‑on experience on machine tools and their integrated automation systems. Training covers installation best practices, standardization for simpler preventive maintenance, and detailed guidance on routine upkeep.

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The Center underpins Methods’ national strategy to standardize support for shops across the United States. By maintaining a live, hands‑on facility, the company ensures that technicians share a common foundation for caring for both current and legacy equipment.

Methods also plans to use the space to train service technicians on a broad range of machines, including older builds that still serve long‑time customers. With many maintenance specialists approaching retirement, this training is critical to preserving the specialized knowledge required to keep aging machinery operational. While international OEMs rarely send technicians to assist, the CoE guarantees that Methods can continue delivering most of its service through a local, skilled workforce.

The Center also showcases the modern face of manufacturing to new generations of machinists. The first Student Day for local technical schools was held on April 10, a day that demonstrated the facility’s bright, organized, and welcoming environment—a key recruitment asset for Methods’ programs nationwide. “I’d say 70‑80% of the facilities you visit are clean, organized, and well‑lit,” Krotz notes.

Jon Star, Methods’ director of marketing, attributes the rise in multitasking machine demand to the ability of modern tools to consolidate multiple processes into a single build and automate them efficiently.

Training for Today’s Needs

Krotz emphasizes training on Methods’ newest offerings, including multitasking machines such as the Nakamura‑Tome NTY3‑100V and NT‑Flex, now showcased on the CoE floor. The site also features the Methods Sidekick cobot—a robot designed for ease of use, enabling beginners to become proficient in a single day.

Methods is demonstrating its sister company Multiaxis’ AI‑powered monitoring platform, Multiaxis Intelligence for iOS (iMI Series). The suite includes three iOS apps: iMI: Inference, a manufacturing assistant that answers questions about G‑code, feeds, speeds, and tool paths using user documents; iMI: Link, a machine‑monitoring app compatible with FANUC controls; and iMI: Lens, a marketing tool that transforms photos of machine tools into engaging social‑media posts.

Mike Kaminski, CEO of Multiaxis, calls this software line “Methods in a pocket.” He stresses its robust data privacy: data resides on user devices, and only minimal snippets are transmitted via OpenAI’s APIs, ensuring compliance with ITAR and other security standards.

Founded in 1958 and a leader in automation since 1998, Methods Machine Tools is poised to expand further by investing in advanced automation, multitasking, and five‑axis solutions.

Connecting with Partners and the Community

The ribbon‑cutting ceremony also introduced key partners whose equipment powers the Center, including Emuge‑Franken tooling (skiving tools paired with FANUC machines) and workholding solutions from HWR Workholding, Royal Products, and Kurt Workholding.

The Center offers training not only for Methods’ staff but also for customers, ensuring they can work seamlessly with the latest technologies, automation, and software. Already, a maintenance team from a Pennsylvania shop benefited from early access, learning how to install the new RoboCut and perform preventive maintenance that will keep it running reliably for years to come.