Press Releases
Company announcements from Forge. Read online or download a PDF.
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Internal R&D explores drones, 3D printing, robotics, and AI that could help without
replacing the bins and routines customers already rely on.
[Apopka, FL] - "Open-Bin" is an internal R&D project at Forge Companies. The work taps
into Central Florida and Space Coast talent in engineering, fabrication, automation, and
software, then gives those people a working warehouse where ideas can get dirty and prove
they are useful. There is no finished product, customer rollout, or release date. Forge is
funding the time, tools, and false starts.
The question is simple: can mom-and-pop businesses now compete with large organizations on
technology? Open-Bin is Forge's way of finding out. The goal is useful, affordable help that
fits around the bins, records, and routines customers already rely on.
The experiments are meant to stay low-stakes. A useful idea should be affordable enough to
try, easy to replace, and harmless to the larger operation if it quits. No gadget should
become another system the customer has to manage or another reason the warehouse stops.
Forge's current Binstock/VMI service still begins with a person. A rep looks at the shelves,
handles the refill, keeps the record, and stays reachable. Open-Bin may eventually give that
person better tools, but it should not complicate the relationship that makes the service
work.
For customers, the potential is deliberately simple: fewer small interruptions, a clearer
view of what needs attention, and less time spent chasing routine work. The bins, records,
and purchasing method stay theirs. Forge still owns the service and the next answer.
"It still looks like a few of us spending our free time in the warehouse with
state-of-the-art toys," said Darren Tamayo. "That is part of the fun, but the technical
talent around Central Florida and the Space Coast is serious. Open-Bin gives that talent a
practical place to experiment, and Forge can pay for the misses until an idea proves it can
make a customer's day easier."
Open-Bin remains a direction under study. There is no significant public offering or
customer deployment today. Forge is paying for the learning, including the ideas that fail,
so customers do not have to.
About Forge Companies:
Forge Companies is an Apopka industrial supplier serving Central Florida since 1996. It
supports Binstock, sourcing, equipment, and internal warehouse-tool R&D while preserving
customer methods. Questions about Open-Bin, or interest in joining the VMI team, can go to
Go4Forge.com or (407) 292-2703.
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Forge will take Central Florida customer questions to the factory teams, deepen established
relationships, and bring better equipment answers home.
[Apopka, FL] - Forge Companies co-owners Darren Tamayo and Steve Tamayo will travel with Tim
Surrency to Las Vegas for a working visit to CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 from March 2 through March
6. North America's largest construction trade show runs March 3 through March 7. The team
will leave Apopka with a client schedule, a notebook, and questions from Central Florida
teams with equipment, wear-part, and supplier decisions ahead of them.
Anyone can hand over a spec sheet or point to a maintenance manual. A show this large gives
Forge something the paperwork cannot: time to look the people behind the equipment in the
eye, mix it up over hard questions, and learn who stays engaged when price, lead time,
service, and responsibility are all on the table.
At the show, Forge will evaluate people as closely as machines. The team will notice who
knows the equipment, speaks plainly about what they do not know, and follows through after
the booth closes. Those are the people Forge wants in a customer's corner.
"Astec's booth is the right place to begin our new work representing the Tabor and
TerraSource equipment lines in Florida," Darren said. "We signed the agreement after doing
our homework on the equipment and getting to know the team. At CONEXPO, we get to stand
beside the equipment with more of the factory team, ask the questions that do not fit on a
spec sheet, and deepen the relationships our customers can rely on back home."
Before the team leaves, Forge is inviting Central Florida customers and partners to put a
question in the notebook. A machine model, worn part, future project, or supplier question
is enough. Forge will carry the context into the conversation and bring back what can be
verified.
Relationships matter when Forge and a vendor sit on opposite sides of a negotiating table.
Forge can press for clarity, keep the customer's actual need in the conversation, and work
toward an answer that still holds up after everyone goes home. Friendship does not replace
due diligence. Forge will still confirm fit, availability, support, and commercial terms for
the actual customer and application.
A customer should not need a badge or a hundred vendor contacts to benefit from the show.
They should be able to call Forge, draw on relationships Forge has already done the work to
build, and walk into the next decision with a better person on the other end of the call, a
clearer record, and a next step they can defend.
About Forge Companies:
Forge Companies is an Apopka industrial supplier serving Central Florida since 1996. It
helps local teams with Binstock, sourcing, equipment, wear parts, and urgent supply work
through one reachable team. Forge absorbs the search, builds the relationships, keeps the
record straight, and helps the customer arrive at the next conversation prepared.
Central Florida teams can put a question in the CONEXPO notebook at Go4Forge.com or (407)
292-2703 before March 2. Forge is always looking for experienced sales and sourcing people
who can walk a show with a customer's question in mind and own the follow-up after the badge
comes off.
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Forge notices the industrial work that keeps Central Florida moving and gives the businesses
behind it the credit.
[Apopka, FL] - In December 2025, Forge Companies launched "Forged in Florida," a series
about the manufacturers, fabricators, machine shops, material suppliers, and industrial
service teams that keep Central Florida working.
Industrial skill often looks ordinary to the people who live with it every day: a part on
the bench, an inspection record, a fixture worn smooth by repeated setups, a long customer
history, or the person everyone calls when a job gets difficult. Forged in Florida makes
that competence easier for customers, recruits, and neighbors to recognize.
"Most of these businesses are better at doing the work than talking about it," said Darren
Tamayo. "That should not leave them invisible. When the work deserves to be noticed, we want
to give credit to the people who earned it."
Forged in Florida is not a paid ranking, award, or endorsement. Businesses do not buy a
place in the series. The point is straightforward: recognize worthwhile local capability.
When someone asks why the shop is different, a machine list only goes so far. A Forged in
Florida story shows how the people work, what they notice, and why customers call them
again. It gives a salesperson something honest to send, a buyer something useful to
remember, and a job candidate a clearer picture of the team.
About Forge Companies:
Forge Companies is a family-owned industrial supplier serving Central Florida from Apopka
since 1996. Forge helps local businesses with Binstock, hard-to-find sourcing, equipment,
wear parts, and urgent supply through one reachable team. Forged in Florida follows the same
habit: learn the work, keep the record straight, and make the next conversation easier.
Central Florida businesses, customers, employees, and neighbors can point Forge toward work
worth noticing at Go4Forge.com or (407) 292-2703.
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After years of buying for mining operations, the former procurement director brings the
customer's standard for fit, timing, and follow-through to Forge.
[Apopka, FL] - In August 2025, Forge Companies expanded its mining equipment and wear-parts
work, with Tim Surrency leading the heavy-equipment side of the business.
Tim spent years buying equipment and wear parts for mining operations. Over his career, he
has built deep relationships across the mining industry. He knows the people behind the
equipment, who follows through, and how to get the right conversation moving when a plant
needs an answer. He already knew Forge by its work.
That background changes the questions Forge asks. When a plant is waiting, a wear part
carries more weight than its line on a quote. Jaw dies, blow bars, mantles, screen panels,
bucket teeth, and conveyor components have to match the machine, material, wear pattern, and
outage window. The answer also has to hold up when purchasing, maintenance, and operations
compare notes.
"Tim had already seen Forge when the clock was running and the answer was difficult," said
Darren Tamayo. "He knew us by the work. The fact that he wanted to come build with us meant
a lot. Now our customers have someone in their corner who has spent years sitting in their
chair."
What Tim Brings to the Work:
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Help finding parts and equipment for crushers, screens, conveyors, buckets, and other
heavy machinery
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Clear comparisons of what fits, how it should wear, when it can arrive, and what it costs
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Planning around the machine, what has worn before, what it looks like now, and when the
plant can change it
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One Forge contact who stays with the request from the first question through delivery
Forge keeps the machine, the job, and the delivery promise together. When the right answer
depends on the manufacturer, an engineer, or the customer's safety team, Forge helps bring
those people into the conversation.
About Forge Companies:
Forge Companies is a family-owned industrial supplier serving Central Florida from Apopka
since 1996. Forge helps local businesses with Binstock, hard-to-find sourcing, equipment,
wear parts, and urgent supply through one reachable team.
Mining, aggregate, and heavy-civil teams can call (407) 292-2703 or visit Go4Forge.com with
the machine and the problem. A tag, photo, drawing, or worn part helps, but the first
conversation can be plain English. Forge is always looking for equipment and industrial
sales people who know the work and stay with an order through delivery.
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When a part cannot wait, one call gets you a straight answer and a clear delivery window.
[Apopka, FL] - In November 2024, Forge Companies expanded its dedicated "Hot-Shot" emergency
fulfillment routing for industrial operations along the I-4 corridor. The service gives
plants, shops, and job sites a direct line to the Apopka team when an urgent maintenance,
repair, or operating need cannot wait for the next planned route.
An afternoon failure has its own clock. A hydraulic connection leaks, an abrasive is
consumed sooner than planned, or one missing fastener holds up the repair. Before a truck
moves, Forge confirms the part and how it will be used, checks availability, and gives the
customer an honest delivery window.
Routine stock belongs on a planned replenishment route. Hot-shot work serves the hour when
the cost of delay, confidence in the match, and credibility of the delivery window govern
the decision. The service is a direct, higher-touch path for confirmed needs, not a vague
promise attached to an unverified part.
"When something breaks at one o'clock, the customer needs a straight answer," said Darren
Tamayo. "We check the part and the route, then tell them whether we can get it there. If we
cannot, we say so while there is still time to make another call."
Call Us. We'll Sort It Out:
Call us with the clue you have and the deadline you are facing. We will ask what matters,
confirm the part and route, and give you a straight answer. If we can help, we move. If we
cannot, we tell you early.
About Forge Companies:
Forge Companies is an Apopka industrial supplier serving Central Florida plants, shops, and
job sites since 1996. The team helps with fasteners, bin stocking, hard-to-find parts,
fabrication coordination, and urgent local delivery. Customers get a familiar person to
call, a straight answer, and the follow-through that keeps work moving.
For urgent fulfillment, call (407) 292-2703 and tell us what happened. Forge is always
looking for people who believe a straight answer and real follow-through still matter.
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Forge is setting aside fasteners, sourcing time, and practical help for small teams turning
a real idea into working equipment.
[Apopka, FL] - On June 7, 2024, Forge Companies launched "Future Forge," a program for small
U.S.-based engineering teams building useful industrial tools and equipment. Selected
projects can receive help with the cost of industrial fasteners and a real person to help
find what the build needs.
Small builders often get held up by the ordinary parts between a drawing and the next test:
the right bolt, enough quantity, a finish that makes sense, or a delivery date the build can
live with. Future Forge gives those details a place to be taken seriously.
"We want to meet people who are building something real," said Darren Tamayo. "Bring the
drawing, the prototype, the box of parts, or the problem you are trying to solve. The
machine will tell the truth soon enough. We can help make sure a small piece of hardware is
not the reason a good team loses momentum."
Small teams should not have to look like a large corporation before someone takes the work
seriously. Future Forge is a way for Forge to notice promising builders early, help them
reach the next honest test, and give good work a better chance to become equipment people
can use.
Help Us Understand the Build:
Show us what you are making, what it has to do, and what comes next. Send whatever explains
it best: a sketch, photo, part list, or plain description. We will ask about timing,
quantity, and where the hardware matters.
Future Forge is a small, selective program. It is not a standing discount or open purchasing
program. Forge chooses projects based on the work, the team, and the help available. When a
part needs an engineer, manufacturer, or safety review, the project still needs the right
person to make that call.
About Forge Companies:
Forge Companies is a family-owned industrial supplier serving Central Florida from Apopka
since 1996. Forge helps businesses with fasteners, hard-to-find parts, Binstock, equipment,
and urgent supply through one reachable team.
U.S.-based builders can tell Forge what they are making at Go4Forge.com or
Admin@Go4Forge.com. A sketch, photo, part list, or plain description is enough to begin.
Forge is always looking for industrial sales, sourcing, and engineering people who know how
to help a small team take the next real step.
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The brothers inherited a good team, customers who know Mrs. Shirley by name, and a simple
job: keep Forge easy to reach and dependable as the company grows.
[Apopka, FL] - In April 2024, brothers Darren and Steve Tamayo purchased Forge Companies
from longtime owner Rodney Benefield and took responsibility for the Apopka industrial
supplier he founded in 1996. They were not starting from scratch. They inherited the people,
customer relationships, and know-how that had kept Forge moving for nearly thirty years.
Their job now is to take care of what already works while adding sourcing, equipment,
Binstock/VMI, and warehouse support.
Mrs. Shirley Meredith still runs the office. The rest of the Forge team is still here, too,
taking care of the customers and shelves it already knows. You can call, email, send a list,
bring in a sample, or simply tell us what your shop calls it. If bad news is coming, our job
is to tell you early and stay with it until there is a next step.
That matters whether you own the shop or work several levels deep inside a big company. You
may know exactly what the plant needs and still lose an afternoon re-entering lines, sending
approvals around, or trying to find the same person twice. Forge wants to be the easy part
of your day: reach a real person, get a straight answer, and know who is carrying it
forward.
We are not coming in to put everything on some barcode system or tell you to stop using
paperwork that already works. If your company has a process, we will work within it. If the
rules allow one "Weekly bin stock" PO reference over a detailed sales order, we can make the
approval easier without losing the record.
"Some customers know the exact part number. Others know it as the bolt from the crusher
guard," said Steve. "A photo, marking, measurement, broken sample, or plain description is
enough to begin. We ask for more only when it changes the answer."
What That Means Day to Day:
- One person stays with your request and tells you what happens next
- Call, email, send a list, or walk in with a sample. Start with what you have
- If your company needs the paperwork a certain way, we will work with that
- If the fit, price, or timing changes, you hear it from us early
"People inside large companies already have enough systems and approvals to manage," said
Darren. "We want Forge to be the supplier that has your back and helps you be the one with
the answer. We will learn how your place works, keep the paperwork straight, and call before
a problem becomes a surprise."
About Forge Companies:
Forge Companies supplies industrial fasteners, MRO parts, sourcing, Binstock/VMI, and
equipment support from Apopka, Florida. Its work is built for customers who value correct
fit, local accountability, familiar communication, and less time spent doing the same work
twice.
If you have a part number, a photo, a list, or a plain description, send it through
Go4Forge.com, email Admin@Go4Forge.com, or call (407) 292-2703.
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