In 1948, Henry Kraklau bought a machine shop to manufacture die casting dies for the area's only die casting company.

As his business grew, Mr. Kraklau began to look for ways to improve the standards of the industry as a whole and to increase the productivity of die casting operations. Starting a tradition of innovative design that is carried on to this day, Mr. Kraklau introduced the Cross Slide Rotary table in 1953, an invention that dramatically improved previous designs for manufacturing die casting dies for inspection and machining applications.

Advance quickly followed this initial success with high-precision manual and CNC rotary tables used in manufacturing dies and plastic molds, producing thousands of the design. Advance continued to develop new technologies, rolling out its line of shot sleeves, plunger rods, and plunger tips in 1954.

By 1966, Advance was well in front of the rest of the industry when it began producing die cast automation equipment and pneumatic reciprocator spray systems. Further innovation and design refinement followed, resulting in the 1971 introduction of hydraulic reciprocators and ladlers. These hydraulic systems were replaced in 1981 with DC electric servo controlled reciprocators and in 1988 with DC electric servo-controlled ladlers.

Advance has never wavered from its commitment to setting new industry standards. That's why we brought die casting into the modern age with DC digital servo reciprocators and ladlers in 1994, followed by the introduction of a 468 front-end machine interface in 1995. We continue to research new solutions today, a commitment to excellence that will keep Advance at the head of the pack for years to come.

What Henry Kraklau created back in 1954 with the first Cross Slide was a corporate culture in which quality, reliability, and innovative design are the focus of our efforts. From our engineers to our sales force to our customer service representatives, Advance's staff make our company a success. It is a legacy that Henry Kraklau was proud of. And so are we.