Hobson & Motzer Legacy

Harold Hobson and Alfred H. Motzer, die makers at the International Silver Company, rented a barn to start a small tool-and-die shop in Meriden, Connecticut, and focused on precision craftsmanship and machine repair for local manufacturers.

After surviving the great depression, Hobson & Motzer earned recognition for special machines, repair, and die work, serving industries throughout the Northeast with increasingly complex tooling solutions. The company rapidly gained favor in the region for tackling the most challenging work; if it “couldn’t be done,” it made its way to Hobson & Motzer. 

Alfred H. Motzer’s son, Alfred E. Motzer, led the company into the future, becoming an early adopter of advancements, which included building ultra-high production carbide dies, using cutting-edge technologies such as visual grinding and EDM. During this timeframe, a longtime customer was having difficulties running production with a die made by Hobson & Motzer. Once Hobson & Motzer demonstrated successful production capabilities in a tryout press, the customer shipped in their presses, and the production department was born. 

The company then scaled operations and deepened its expertise in tight-tolerance metal stamping, supporting demanding sectors, including automotive, consumer goods, and became a significant supplier to the growing electronics industry in the 70s. 

Hobson & Motzer’s reputation amplified for solving complex manufacturing challenges, receiving awards and recognition in industry trade magazines. At Stanley Works, engineer Frank Dworak oversaw a project to modernize the manufacture of Surform blades while collaborating with Hobson & Motzer. Frank brought an unusual combination of shop floor experience combined with formal technical and business education. Motzer and Dworak developed a synergy working together that sparked a vision, and soon after, Frank joined the company. What began as a shared drive for innovation quickly evolved into a leadership transition that would shape Hobson & Motzer’s future. 

As Frank’s team took the lead, he made the strategic decision to focus growth on production operations while maintaining the toolroom as a “captive” shop serving internal customers. This direction, along with the growing MedTech cluster in southern New England, facilitated Hobson & Motzer’s pivot, aligning their precision manufacturing capabilities with the rigorous demands of medical device OEMs.

Early applications in medical device were difficult progressive die stampings for skin staplers that many competitors had tried, and failed, to reliably produce. These early successes began to build the company’s reputation as the go-to supplier for difficult metal stamping challenges. This led to demanding opportunities that would require larger presses, multiple operations, and a growing engineering & operations team that could design, build, and manage a more complex, vertically integrated value stream. 

The company solidified its position as a trusted partner to leading medical device companies, recognized for quality, regulatory alignment, and technical innovation. 

Frank’s son Bruce Dworak began his career at Hobson & Motzer in 1988. It started with a tool-and-die apprenticeship while attending Vinal Technical High School, in Middletown, CT, ultimately earning journeyman status as a toolmaker at the age of 19. Bruce worked in several roles as he attended night school, learning from great mentors including James O’Brien Sr., (operations), Donald Zak (finance) & Peter Doolittle (manufacturing & sales) under Frank’s guidance. Over his first 18 years at Hobson & Motzer, Bruce’s career progressed from the toolroom through key areas of the plant, including estimating, and engineering manager. 

Bruce succeeded Frank as president in 2006 and led the team for 18 years, guiding the company through a period of steady growth, expanded capabilities, key investments, and several major expansions. Key highlights were a new pressroom in 2010 and the opening of a second site, Hobson & Motzer’s Advanced Manufacturing Center in Wallingford, CT, in 2017, bringing total square footage over 125,000. The additional space allowed for further technical expertise, including a fully capable in-house automation department and PECM (pulsed electro-chemical machining) capabilities.

In 2020, Hobson & Motzer formalized the creation of its rapid, precision prototyping program called First Step™ after decades of working closely with OEMs and answering their needs, integrating manufacturability from the start, reducing risk, and accelerating timelines. 

Based on the industry trends of larger customers looking to consolidate their supply base with fewer, larger, and more capable strategic suppliers, Bruce and his team began the process of seeking out a partner to accelerate industry alignment. Vantedge Medical stood out as being well aligned in culture, capabilities, and customer base. The companies joined forces in 2024 to bring deeper expertise and broader capabilities to the MedTech OEM base while carrying on the legacy for the next generation. 

Hobson & Motzer joined Vantedge Medical in 2024, bringing more than 100 years of precision metal expertise to the Vantedge portfolio.

Now, this provides customers with access to our CNC, WEDM, PECM, and laser machining experts—all within one network. Backed by a 50-person toolroom and ultra-precision dedicated equipment (on both coasts), we can deliver tight-tolerance prototypes with speed and confidence.  

Together, we deliver end-to-end metals manufacturing solutions—from stamping and machining to fabrication and assembly—with the speed, scalability, and stability today’s MedTech innovators need.