About Us

Our Mission Statement

Committed to improving your business, Taylor provides Innovative, Safe, and Efficient machinery backed by honest, dedicated, and engaged people who enjoy their work and who’s word you can trust.

Company History

James L. Taylor established the James L. Taylor Manufacturing Company in 1911 to produce his patented quick-adjusting, self-locking bar clamp. This patented clamp was a significant step forward in the edge gluing of lumber. In the 1920’s, the Taylor revolving Clamp Carrier was developed and patented. It was a major first step toward mass production. In 1940 Taylor engineers developed the Panel Flo, a continuous feed edge gluing machine. From the very beginning, the Panel Flo was acclaimed as the answer to mass production gluing. In 1950 Taylor introduced the Panel Mint, a batch type semiautomatic edge gluer which filled the gap between the Clamp Carrier and the fully automated Panel Flo. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, Taylor designed new cost cutting accessories to compliment the Panel Flo and Panel Mint. These included the Conveyorized Glue Applicator, Mix-Mizer and Automatic Cut Off Saw. Also in the 1960’s, Taylor revived the Clamp Carrier design by introducing the pneumatic Clamp Tightener and Panel Flattener. During the 1970’s, the Taylor Panel-Mint was the machine of choice. This well designed Steam-Heated Batch Press matched with low cost urea resin glue was used by many furniture manufacturers to produce hardwood and softwood panels. Midway through the 1980’s, Taylor designed and produced the first Automated Clamp Carrier. This changed the direction of the Clamp Carrier line and made it the industry standard for edge gluing machines. Our history of innovation is best illustrated by our list of Challengers Award Winners and Finalists:

  • 1986 – Automated Clamp Carrier – Winner
  • 1988 – Opti-Sizer – Winner
  • 1992 – Dual Automated Clamp Carrier – Finalist
  • 1994 – Automated Glue Applicator – Finalist
  • 1996 – Side Loading Clamp Carrier – Finalist
  • 2002 – Opti-Match – Winner
  • 2012 – Flooring Nester – Winner

Up until August of 2014, Taylor Manufacturing operated out of a 45,000 square foot factory in the city of Poughkeepsie, NY. Taylor had resided in this facility since 1911. Over the years the building was expanded and updated to continue to provide our customers with the quality machines. Today, Taylor Manufacturing, JLT Clamps, and Cameron Automation all reside in the same building, a 100,000 square foot facility in the town of Poughkeepsie, NY. Just minutes from our old facility, our new factory has allowed us to expand as a company and continually improve our manufacturing processes. Our balanced team of seasoned professionals and young engineers will continue to develop new technology to increase efficiency, reliability, and product quality.

Meet the Team

  • Michael Burdis - International Sales

    I have 40+ years under my belt. I am in the office most days and am happy to help you with parts, technical questions, or maintenance. My current sales focus is in international sales. Feel free to call me or send an email anytime.

  • Andy Miller - Nester Sales Manager

    I started out with Taylor in 1989 as a Service Engineer. The first few years were spent learning the industry and the equipment. In 1994, I moved into a Regional Sales Manager position and brought the technical knowledge I learned of the equipment to the sales table. 2002 was the year Cameron Automation was born and I worked closely with the development of the products and markets for this new division. As a long time salesman with Taylor/Cameron and JLT Clamps, it’s my job to personally make sure the customer is comfortable with the equipment being purchased and to make sure that the equipment does the job it needs to do. I’d be happy to work with you finding the right machine for your application.

  • Chris Hacker - Southeast Regional Sales

    I take great pride in working closely with our customers and distributors on our machinery product lines. While providing the highest quality machinery and offering superior service, it is equally important, I believe, to help the customer find the right machine for their current and future needs. My success over the past 21 years at James L. Taylor Mfg & JLT Clamps has been a result of creating long lasting relationships in the woodworking industry. Sales & Marketing has been and continues to be my main area of responsibility and expertise.

  • Bryan Smith - JLT Sales

    I had the pleasure of starting at James L. Taylor Mfg. Co. in February 2020. Prior to that, I worked as an outside sales representative for 20 years with a local distributor of pneumatic components providing sales, technical support and customer service.  During that time JLT and I had a great working relationship.  In fact, one of my best sales memories with JLT as one of my premier customers at the time, was promoting the Dial Regulator.  This was the start of the manufacture of our Miter Door Clamp and it turned out to be the best in the industry.  So, when an opportunity presented itself to become part of the JLT family, I chose to make a fresh start and join their team.   

    You can be rest assured that my collective 30 years of sales experience makes me not only qualified, but eager to help our customers find solutions to their manufacturing needs and to support our network of dealers.

    Feel free to contact me anytime for help with any of our JLT clamping machines or glue spreaders and accessories.  I look forward to providing you with top notch service as well as quality, made in the USA, machines that will keep producing year after year. 

  • Craig Caldwell - Western Sales Manager

    I have been with Taylor Mfg for 26 years and have held several different positions within our company.  I started as Service Engineer and worked to become Plant Manager and then to Executive Vice President.  During my tenure as Plant Manager and Executive Vice President we have had the companies most successful years.  Success from setting up our new facility, which has greatly increased our capacity in both manufacturing and sales, to meeting manufacturing/production requirements and assistance in design/engineering of new products.  Currently, I am taking my experience to the sales/service department and relocating to Southern California so we can better support our customers on the west coast.  I will be handling the sales effort but will also be offering my technical background to our customers in order to continue Taylor’s long history of excellent customer service.  My Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering experience gives me the insight to approach customer needs as projects, that we will work through together, to get the optimal solution for the process.

  • Marc Cutonilli - Upper Midwest / Eastern Canada Sales

    I started working at Taylor in 2016 where I began assembling and training on our machines. I then started to travel domestically quite frequently for service and landed myself into a sales territory covering the midwest and upper split states. My knowledge of our machines and how they operate is what I am most comfortable with. Let me know if there are any questions you may have

    • marc@thailandeztravel.com
    • (845) 452 – 3780
  • David Allen - South Central Regional Manager

    I joined the Taylor Team in December 2020. I am a former United States Marine, husband to Irene, father to our five children and avid hunter of trout. Prior to machinery sales and process consulting I spent nearly 20 years working in the millwork and woodworking industry. I believe I bring a unique point of view to the clientele I call upon because of the working knowledge and insider perspective I have on the industry I now serve.

    • david@thailandeztravel.com
    • (832) 707 – 8392
  • Gordon Burdis - President, Sales for the Northeast, NY, PA

    I started my career at Taylor in 2010 after a number of summers in the factory. I have experience in all departments of the factory, servicing and installing machines, and a number of years managing a Sales Territory working with our customers and distributors. My new role is to manage the Sales and Service team for the company, and will be happy to help in any way possible. I look forward to working with you on a project in the near future.

Testimonials/Fun Facts

Sonbyrd Industries (John Shoemaker)

“Recently we had some issues with our Cameron rip saw and we needed to call for tech support.  I wanted to inform you of the excellent service I received on multiple occasions.  Jacob and Andy Miller were both able to walk me through my difficult times and were extremely professional. They were able to easily… Read more “Sonbyrd Industries (John Shoemaker)”

Lewis Cabinet (Matt Garrett – COO)

“Taylor’s attention to detail and willingness to customize a machine for our needs has been a game changer for us at Lewis Cabinet Specialties. When we came to them the issues we were facing with our existing clamp from a different manufacturer, they were attentive to our needs, and willing to take on the challenge,… Read more “Lewis Cabinet (Matt Garrett – COO)”

Seventeen20 (Jonathan Bucklew – Owner)

“After talking with one of the representatives, I was confident this setup would best suit the size and needs of my shop: the 12’ JLT panel clamp (#79F-12-PC), 13 – 52” clamps, 26 – 40” clamps and the pneumatic panel flattener (#180A-M2). Furthermore, at the advice of my sales rep, we add the impact socket… Read more “Seventeen20 (Jonathan Bucklew – Owner)”

A Joint Effort (Josh Aguiar – Owner)

“I love my 6′ clamp rack. It’s a game changer in my shop. Gone are the days of laying out pipe clamps and clogging up my shop with curing glueups. Not to mention the time I’m saving on glueups. My only regrets are I didn’t buy this sooner and I didn’t get enough clamps. But… Read more “A Joint Effort (Josh Aguiar – Owner)”

Al’s Woodcraft, Inc. (Jeff Hunt – President)

“We have been using several JLT Door and Panel Clamps on a daily basis since 2002. They have performed well for us and no issues have arisen with them. Thank you JLT for your quality… Read more “Al’s Woodcraft, Inc. (Jeff Hunt – President)”

Recent News

In early November, we had our open house showing off the latest and greatest machinery that we have to offer! If you did miss it, feel free to check out the pictures below from all three of our product lines! We pride ourselves on offering our customers hands-on experience with our machinery, as well as letting them meet[…]

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