Math instructors from across Lorain County put skills into action Monday, touring two Avon-based manufacturing companies to look at the real-world application of mathematics. The tour, led by the Educational Service Center of Lorain County, saw them visiting LogiSync LLC, a hardware/software integration partner for OEM industrial and commercial products, and AJ Rose Manufacturing, the maker of precision formed metal products and assemblies. Touring AJ Rose, math educators got a firsthand look at operations and the pinpoint calculations required to meet the needs of its customers. Teachers learned how to properly calculate tonnage for stamping operations. “This is a great opportunity for teachers to see how math is used every single day at advanced manufacturing facilities,” said Mallary Mancino, math specialist at ESC of Lorain County. “They can then take those lessons back to the classroom and show students real-world examples of mathematics in action.” Dave Zunis of Absolute Tool Inc., led teachers in an activity on Cartesian coordinates, simulating the properties of an EDM metal machine in action. Math education was the key. “We’re excited about this event and we’re thrilled to partner with AJ Rose and LogiSync,” said Dave Miller, director of technology, innovation and workforce development for the Educational Service Center of Lorain County. “They’re two leading manufacturers in this region and their operations tie in nicely with opportunities to advance mathematics education for our teachers and students.”

More than 100 years ago, a Bohemian diemaker named Anton J. Ruzicka made the transatlantic journey to America. He soon began to work in his trade in his adopted homeland, opening a small tool shop on the west side of Cleveland in 1922 — after changing his name to Rose to “sound more American.”

At its heart, A.J. Rose Manufacturing Co. is a family business. The company got its start in 1922, when Czech immigrant Anton J. Rose opened a small stamping shop in Cleveland. The company’s scope was broad at first, but eventually focused in on the automotive aftermarket, and then on serving original equipment manufacturers in that industry, said vice president of sales and marketing Terrence Sweeney. It was the company’s ability to create cost-saving designs for customers that led to its growth in that space, he said.