If there’s one thing you notice right away about Gabe Morelli, it’s his energy.

He’s got a story for every situation, a contact for every need, and an unshakable passion for Muratec USA’s machines. As Regional Sales Manager for the Southeast, covering Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle, Gabe has spent more than a decade helping manufacturers across the South discover the power of automated turning.

In this video from IMTS 2024, Muratec Regional Sales Manager Gabe Morelli gives an up-close look at the MSR60, a groundbreaking single-spindle CNC turning center with Y-axis milling.

Ranging from auto parts to oil and gas fittings manufacturers, his territory is as diverse as it is dynamic. Gabe’s deep product knowledge and easy rapport with customers have made him a trusted problem-solver for shops of all sizes, from family-owned job shops to large OEMs, each looking to boost efficiency and stay competitive through automation.

In this Q&A, Gabe shares what makes the Southeast unique, which industries are embracing Muratec technology, and why he takes such pride in representing a brand that’s been shaping manufacturing innovation in North America for 50 years.

How would you describe your territory in terms of industry focus and customer maturity with automation?

Muratec USA Regional Sales Manager Gabe Morelli, talking with booth visitors at IMTS 2024.

In Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida Panhandle, the auto industry would be the first consumer of automated turning equipment. These customers know automation and want more of it. Second would be the valves/fittings and oil/gas groups. These are customers that place high value in automation for machine tending and some, not all, are applying it with great success. Still many others have not invested in automation yet and will soon need to in order to stay competitive. I do have a lot of work to do still.

What makes your territory different from other U.S. regions when it comes to selling Muratec machines?

The South has the highest concentration of car assembly plants in the entire U.S., and a very diverse manufacturing base because we don’t have as many tier 1 and 2 automotive suppliers, so a lot of car subassemblies come in from other states or countries outside of my territory. This is what makes my territory full of other industries applying automation to their turning processes, and capitalizing on its cost effectiveness by labor reduction, increased productivity and consistent and predictable quality output.

Which industries have been most active in investing in Muratec machines recently and why?

Auto parts manufacturing drives the largest part of Murata’s machine sales, but it’s not as strong as we have seen over the last decade. Water distribution, oil and gas fitting, bearing industries, and industrial equipment, are other markets we have found good success in.

Which Muratec machines or automation solutions have performed best in your region and what’s driving that success?

I have seen a huge shift in machine platforms I am quoting and selling. I had so much business for 10+ yrs with our smaller models 4”, 6”, 8-10” chuckers, but as of late, I have quoted and sold many of our largest model, the Muratec MW400 machines with turning capacity of parts up to and even above 16” and as heavy as 55 pounds or more. With these larger machines and of course heavier parts, companies are also asking to automate the presentation of these larger parts from the raw bins/pallets to the machine and then back to some type of dunnage. All of which we can and have been providing with our team of engineers and integrators in Charlotte, NC.

Muratec USA Regional Sales Manager Gabe Morelli, talking with booth visitors at IMTS 2024.

What industries or applications in your region do you believe are underdeveloped or overlooked for Muratec but could be a fit?

The South is so diverse, so in my eyes, everyone that does some type of production should have Muratec automated turning centers. I think there’s a lot of opportunities to be discovered in aerospace/defense markets, and commercial and off-road vehicle parts production.

Are there any machines in our lineup that you feel have untapped potential and have room to grow in your market?

Absolutely. We have a line-up of extremely accurate automated lathes, the MW40 and MW120 and 200EX models. These machines are designed and built to target single micron tolerance levels as well as very fine surface finishes. These tolerances are usually left to grinding, which is a very accurate, but slow and expensive process. It’s our job to educate these manufacturers on Muratec’s capabilities for low tolerance-high finish work and place some machines to get a foothold in that sector of manufacturing.

What’s a typical customer profile in your territory—small job shops, large OEMs, contract manufacturers, etc.?

All of the above. For manufacturers to stay competitive in today’s global economy, if you have repeat work, you should think of automating. So, it can be the family-owned small job shop with a metal building behind their house, or the large contract machining shop with 50 spindles and 100 employees. Repeat work does not warrant having an operator tending a machine. Remember: Automation is not going away, and without it, your production shop may.

Do you have any standout success stories where a customer used Muratec to solve a unique problem or improve operations?

I often talk about a great customer, and now friend, who I met 12 years ago in Mississippi. I was impressed at how much production chucker work he was doing with all manual machines and a very hard-working crew of machine operators that really hustled and kept his spindles running at very impressive efficiency rates.

We introduced him to the Muratec automated lathes, and he bought his first machine to run a simple high-running part. We set up a cell that can run around 7 hours of true unattended production. This twin-spindle gantry chucker cost him over 5 times what he was paying for his current single spindle lathes. He ran the machine for two 10-hour shifts, 4 days per week with very little tending by an operator, then totally “lights out” for 4 hours every night. On Fridays and some Saturdays, he would have the machine loaded and it would run for the full 7 hours completely lights out.

It wasn’t long after that when he purchased his second Muratec, then third, and now he has 14 Muratec twin-spindle gantry chuckers running with very little operator intervention for machine tending. He still has a very hard-working crew of operators tending single-spindle lathes, so he has not abandoned his roots. But, by far, the highest percentage of turning work he ships from his dock was done on Muratec machines with no one ever clamping a part in a chuck.

What does it mean to you personally to represent Muratec and its 50-year legacy of automation in North America?

I love this question because I’m very proud of what I do, thanks for asking. Growing up and being in manufacturing all my life I have a passion for making stuff, specially “Made in the USA” stuff. The past 14 years as a Muratec Regional Manager have been FANTASTIC. I get to work with an awesome and very experienced team that is behind me every time I go out on the road to promote Muratec solutions. Not to mention all the relationships that have been built with customers who have partnered with us over the years. I’m lucky enough to call most of these customers my friends. So overall, not a bad gig, I get to sell the best automated lathes in the world and offer solutions designed, built and supported by great people. And to top it all off, we help bring manufacturing back to the U.S., baby!

How does it feel to walk into a customer’s facility and know you’re offering some of the most reliable, precise machines in the world, often as a true problem-solver, not just a vendor?

It feels awesome – I proudly represent the industry’s top-rated automated lathe series in the world, supported by a company with very high standards and committed to our customers’ success. So, needless to say, I sleep well at night knowing good parts are being effectively made on our machines by my friends, err…. customers, and if a problem arises, we are there to help.