History

■  Beginning of the relationship with IBM, customer for which AMES would be the sole supplier of sintered parts in Europe. It represents the starting point of the technological development of AMES. A year later, the first sintered soft magnetic parts were produced for IBM at the Barcelona plant, and the internationalization of AMES began.

■  Creation of the Research Laboratory within the Barcelona plant.

■  Transfer of bearings production to the new SIMO plant (Sinterizados Montblanch, S.A.), located in Montblanc (Tarragona, Spain), which will also produce sintered steel mechanical parts. The factory expanded in 1999, 2005 and 2017, and becomes a specialist in manufacturing large sintered steel parts. Its name changes in 2018 to AMES Montblanc Sintering, S.A.

■  First production of sintered stainless steel filters at the Barcelona plant. The experience gained will lead to begin the manufacturing of stainless steel structural parts one year later.

■  Transfer of tooling production to the new UTISA plant (Utillajes, S.A.), located in Barcelona (Spain). The factory moved to the new headquarters building in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain) in 1996, and was expanded in 2004. Its name changed in 2018 to AMES Tooling, S.A.

■  Establishment of AMES Sintering Co sales office at Glenview, IL (USA). This office location was later moved to Ellicott City, MD, prior to its current location at AMES Reese plant in Lancaster, PA.

■  AMES begins to be recognized internationally in Europe and the USA for its technical capacity in the development and production of sintered mechanical and magnetic components of high geometric complexity and high performance.

■  Start of activities of the Quality Circles, considered the beginning of the Continous Improvement in AMES.

■  Earned Ford Q1 quality certification.

■  Transfer of the production of bearings and bronze filters to the new SIMET plant (Sinterizados y Metalurgia de Solsona, S.A.), located in Solsona (Lleida, Spain). The factory will remain specialized in the production of self-lubricating bearings and filters. The plant is expanded in 2000 and in 2016. In 2018 its name changed to AMES Solsona Sintering, S.A.

■  Opening of the AMES Italia sales office in Monza (Italy), moved in 2010 to its present location at Città di Castello.

■  Start of manufacturing of sinter-hardening steel parts at the Barcelona plant

■  Start of activities of the Bearings Research Laboratory within the Solsona plant.

■  Earned quality certification ISO 9001.

■  Transfer of headquarters to Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain). The new building houses Management, Sales, the Logistic Center and the tooling plant.

■  Opening of AMES Brasil sales office in São Paulo (Brazil).

■  Acquisition of the AMES Reese plant in Bird-In-Hand, PA (USA), dedicated to production of mechanical components for the NAFTA market, and incorporation of a Logistic Center.

■  Acquisition of AMES Monterrey at Monterrey (Mexico), where the sales office and the Logistic Center for Mexico are located.

■  Opening of AMES Switzerland sales office at Bubikon (Switzerland).

■  Earned quality certification ISO TS 16949.

■  Earned environmental certification ISO 14001.

■  Development of bearings made of iron-based composite materials Ames-IBC-S^® and Ames-IBC-H^® with low friction coefficient and high wear resistance.

■  First production of soft magnetic components for high frequency made of micro-insulated SMC materials.

■  Internal development of advanced non-destructive inspection systems (NDT) of the produced parts, either for 100% control nor forand statistical process control.

■  Start of operations of the new AMES Tamarite, S.A. plant in Tamarite de Litera (Huesca, Spain). The factory is a specialist in the production of small-size and large-series sintered steel parts. The plant was expanded in 2017.

■  Segregation of the unit of machinery design and building, which is established as a the new company AMES-CMA, S.A..

■  Opening of AMES Japan sales office in Chiba (Japan). The office moves to Hadano in 2024

■  Development of sustainable and low cost Fe-Mn-C steels for production of sintered mechanical parts.

■  Development of the high density compacting processes AmesDens-A^® and AmesDens-C^®, intended for the production of high performance components.

■  Start of sales of sintered stainless steel candle filters of large dimensions manufactured by isostatic compaction, intended mainly for the filtration of gases at high pressure or high temperature. This milestone is part of an AMES Diversification plan to reduce its dependence on the automotive sector.

■  Opening of AMES Nanjing sales office in Nanjing (China). The office moves to Wuhu in 2022 and changes its name to AMES China.

■  Start of production of Ames-LFC^® double-layer self-lubricating bearings with low friction coefficient and low cost. This product segment is complemented in 2022 with the development of Ames-LFB^® bushings with lower initial friction coefficient

■  Start of operations at AMES Hungaria Kft. New plant located in Szentgotthárd (Hungary), specialized in the production of hydraulic sintered components. The factory was expanded in 2019.

■  Start of operations at the new AMES Wuhu plant (AMES Powder Metal (Wuhu) Co Ltd), located in Wuhu County (China), for the production of sintered steel components for the chinese market. The plant was expanded in 2025.

■  Creation of the AMES PM Tech Center technology center, which unifies the different R&D&i centers of the group.

■  Earned quality certification IATF 16949.

■  Creation of the new company AMES Medical (AMES Medical Prosthetic Solutions, S.A.U.), dedicated to the manufacturing and sale of porous titanium biomedical implants. A year later, the OsteoSinter^® EVANS and COTTON implants for the correction of foot deformities were launched on the market.

■  Launch of Ames-U4^® and Ames-U5^® Aluminum bearings for applications in oxidizing environments.

■  Creation of the new company AMES-PORE Filtration, S.L., which unifies the production and sales of sintered metallic filters.