Celebrating 100 Years of MTI

South Bend, IN, May 2026—Manufacturing Technology, Inc. (MTI) proudly celebrates its centennial anniversary, marking 100 years since founder Conrad R. Adams established a small tool and die shop in South Bend, Indiana. What began in 1926 as Adams Engineering Tool and Die has since evolved into a global leader in advanced solid-state joining solutions, serving some of the world’s most critical industries.

From the beginning, Conrad R. Adams recognized the importance of solving real manufacturing problems with practical engineering solutions. That mindset continues to define MTI today. While remaining rooted in the Midwest, the company has expanded its reach across six continents, delivering customer-intimate solutions to industries including aerospace, defense, automotive, and energy. One of MTI’s earliest customers was Studebaker Automotive, an early indication of the company’s ability to meet complex industrial manufacturing requirements. Today, MTI’s customer base includes global leaders such as GE, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and NASA. 

“Reaching 100 years is a testament to the dedication of our family, our employees, and the trust our customers have placed in us,” said Dan Adams, President and CEO of MTI. “Our heritage is built on ingenuity, providing innovative and genuine solutions with continuity that our customers rely on.”

A Century of Evolution

Conrad R. Adams laid the foundation for the company in 1926, at a time when South Bend was home to many tool and die shops supporting American manufacturing. In the 1940s, leadership passed to his son, Robert C. Adams, formally establishing MTI as a multi-generational family business. Under Robert’s direction, the company expanded beyond traditional tooling into design and engineering for special machinery, including equipment used in aluminum can production. This shift proved pivotal, eventually leading Adams Engineering to become a supplier of Inertia friction welding machines to the Caterpillar Tractor Company in the 1960s.

In a defining moment for the company, leadership under Conrad R. Adams II led to the purchase of all patents and rights to Caterpillar’s inertia welding technology. This decision marked the transition from Adams Engineering Tool and Die to Manufacturing Technology, Inc., positioning the company in the field of advanced joining technologies. As the fourth generation of the Adams family joined the business in the 1990s, MTI consolidated its focus by selling the remaining tool and die operations and unifying all activities under the MTI name.

The early 2000s marked a period of significant expansion for MTI, both geographically and technologically. Under the leadership of Robert C. Adams II, the company extended its presence beyond North America into Europe and Asia, opening MTI Welding Technologies Ltd. in England and establishing an AMT service center in Shanghai. During this time, MTI broadened its technology portfolio to include Linear Friction Welding and, later, Friction Stir Welding through the acquisition of Transformation Technologies, Inc. in 2008.

Daniel C. Adams assumed the role of President in 2016, continuing the company’s trajectory of growth and innovation. That same year, MTI commercialized Low Force Friction Welding, a technology that has since been adopted across multiple industries, with more than ten machines currently operating in production environments worldwide. MTI’s global footprint continued to expand through the acquisitions of ProSpot in the United Kingdom and Slovakia in 2016 and 2017, and Friction Welding Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (FWT) in India in 2022. Most recently, in 2025, MTI entered a strategic technology licensing partnership with STIRTEC GmbH, combining MTI’s machine-building expertise with STIRTEC’s advanced Friction Stir Welding process technology to serve the global market.

As MTI enters its second century, the company remains guided by the same principles that shaped its earliest days: an unwavering commitment to engineering, innovation, and long-term partnership. While friction welding has defined MTI’s leadership to date, the company’s future will continue to be driven by curiosity, capability, and the willingness to evolve. As MTI looks towards the next 100 years, Dan Adams said, “We describe ourselves first and foremost as an engineering company. Friction Welding is where we lead today, but our strength has always been the ability to evolve alongside our customers.” With a century of experience behind it and a global presence ahead, MTI is positioned not simply to endure, but to lead.