Jeff Toner leads James Tool’s next chapter

In the heart of Burke County, just off Interstate 40, Jeff Toner is not only preserving a family legacy but propelling it into the future. As the president and owner of James Tool Machine & Engineering, Jeff continues the pioneering work of his late father, Bud Toner, transforming a nearly 100,000-square-foot facility into a hub of innovation and precision that serves industries from automotive to aerospace.

James Tool Machine and Engineering designs and builds fixtures for customers in a plethora of industries, from industrial and nuclear to automotive and medical. These customers sell fixtures to their customers or sub-suppliers, and those fixtures are put into assembly.

Bud Toner started James Tool Machine and Engineering in 1987. Jeff began working at the company as a teenager but later moved to Detroit. During that time, his father asked him to move back to Morganton to help run the business. Although well-experienced, Jeff didn’t see moving back to Morganton in his plan.

Eventually, Jeff’s bride, originally from Morganton also, inspired the move back home. With Bud’s offer still on the table, Jeff returned to work at the company.

“My father established a lasting legacy of how he wanted his shop to be and to run. We still follow that philosophy to this day,” Toner said.

James Tool specializes in three types of basic machining:

• Designing, engineering, and building custom hydraulic work holdings
• Low-, medium-, and high-volume production machining
• Nonproduction of precision machine parts

“We do thousands upon thousands of parts in a year’s time,” Toner said. In 2023, James Tool shipped 192,850 parts.

James Tool manufactures a variety of components, including those for government agencies, along with parts for nuclear power, NASCAR, fiber optics, aircraft engine fuel nozzles, telecommunications for the army, and orthopedic drills for surgeons.

Toner says one of the biggest misconceptions about machining companies is harsh working conditions. Toner describes the public’s misconception of machining companies as dirty, hot factories, somewhat reminiscent of a Charles Dickens novel or the Industrial Revolution. Toner dispels those notions.

“That’s not how it is today. We have very few manually operated pieces of equipment. Everything is computerized,” Toner said. “Every building is air-conditioned, even our weld shop. We have a very clean, organized approach.”

Toner raved about the team of dedicated, loyal, highly skilled professionals at the company.

“We have a team that really cares. We stay focused on what we’re really good at. This is the best group of men and women I have ever worked with. They’re phenomenal. We’re very fortunate,” Toner said.

However, there was a time when the Burke location experienced a rough patch when they were unable to find skilled employees willing to work.

“It’s a small geographic area. People typically have to move here or come directly out of high school," Toner said. “We did national ads and everything. I’d been going to Thailand for years, so we said, we’re just going to start our own shop here,” he continued.

In 2019 James Tool expanded and opened a second location in Samutprakarn, Thailand. The Thailand location has 53 employees.

Toner remains committed to encouraging young people to enter the field. He sits on the board of commissioners of MyFuture NC, a statewide commission focusing on educational attainment. He is one of the few business owners that sit on the board. His focus is to inform people that there are alternatives outside of a four-year degree.

“We’re trying hard to show that industries are not a bad place. You don’t necessarily have to have a four-year degree to be successful. You can be a skilled person and make very good money. We try to go to the elementary, middle, and high schools to get the awareness out there. We even provide tours for our facility,” Toner said.

James Tool offers the James “Bud” Toner Memorial Scholarship through Western Piedmont Community College. The scholarship covers 100% of tuition to assist students pursuing a degree in computer‐integrated machining technology. The company currently employs 106 people in Burke and wants to hire 15 more.

“These are good-paying jobs. These are honorable jobs. You go to work; you get to be creative ... Add that to being mechanical. That’s a great combination,” Toner said.

The company offers tuition reimbursement, 100% free Blue Cross Blue Shield medical insurance, and competitive pay. For more information on open positions at James Tool Machine & Engineering, visit the website at www.jamestool.com/careers.