Our History
November 21, 2019
T.R. Clark Manufacturing, Inc was established in 1978. By utilizing an envelope tolerance concept Tom Clark developed a full-contour, hard fixturing approach to solve the difficult problem of how to quickly, easily and confidently ensure the accuracy of a bent tube/hose or 3D shaped part. This concept ensured that no part of the product was outside its allowable positional tolerance. Basically, it provided for a poka-yoke method of verification.
In 1986, with the help of a Bowling Green State University mathematics professor, Clark developed a CAD/CAM system to produce check fixtures in a more precise and efficient manner.
In 1997, in keeping with our vision for continuous improvement, T.R. Clark Manufacturing pursued and received ISO9002 registration. In 1999 we received ISO9001:2000 registration along with AS9000 compliance. Today we are ISO9001:2015 Certified, our Quality lab is ISO-IEC17025:2005 accredited and ITAR registered.
In 1998, after twenty years of refining our processes, the company’s name and logo changed to Clark Fixture Technologies, Inc. The name change would help us demonstrate our commitment to the technologies involved in building accurate and functional quality verification tooling — check fixtures. It is our desire and goal to — Design Innovative Fixtures to Make Quality the Standard.
Today we service customers in eleven countries and communicate our products and services via our sales representatives, website, and sales literature. We also participate in international and industry focused trade shows and have published articles on pertinent subjects in industry trade publications.
In 2006 Clark Fixture Technologies established a facility in Mexico to better serve our customers there. With the great influx of automotive companies working in Mexico, we felt for the sake of communication and service, we needed to establish a facility that would be run similar to our USA facility but managed locally. This facility has since grown and become a premier supplier within Mexico. It carries all of the same certifications and departments as the corporate office and is supported by a nationwide sales team that has tremendous experience in the automotive industry.
Our growth within the automotive industry has expanded to aerospace and space. As an approved supplier to NASA and numerous other companies that have to remain nameless, we have appreciated the opportunity to be a part of some amazing things. The Orion space capsule will fly around the moon, then take our first female astronauts to the surface of the moon. Someday it will take astronauts to mars, and perhaps beyond. We have deeply appreciated being a part of the teams involved with the capsule and the rocket that lifts it into space.
We are grateful for the past 40 years, and all the people we have met along the way.
At the end of 2020, Clark Fixture Technologies, Inc. renews its view to the future. The first step was to renew our logo. Our new logo signifies our ever turning forward motion.
Clark Fixtures is excited to be in business at this time in history. We believe that we have much to contribute to your pursuit of quality verification. In today’s global and competitive marketplace, it is essential to have relationships with suppliers that are advancing as quickly as the market place.