West Philadelphia Machine Works -
Over 60 Years of Satisfied Customers!

West Philadelphia Machine Works started in the basement of Ed Hess's home in West Philadelphia in 1944. While working at the Baldwin Locomotive Works, he developed a small business with a small lathe and mill. War demand for parts was high and Ed was very busy. So Ed decided it was time to build a stronger business endeavor. West Philadelphia Machine Works was started in Elverson, PA, 50 miles west of Philadelphia, PA in the late 1940s.

WPMW served the local machining needs of the small towns west of Philadelphia, PA and business steadily grew. WPMW’s customers appreciated the approach of working closely with them, adding design expertise, and delivering orders when promised.

A Tradition of Customer Service
In the 1950s, Ed’s son Tom Hess joined the business. In the 1970s, Bruce Hess, grandson of the founder, continued the Hess tradition of machine shop business excellence. Throughout the generations, the Hess philosophy of customer support and customer service has always been emphasized and will certainly continue. This style of treating customers well has resulted in continuous business growth, enabling WPMW to find and keep good skilled people, and upgrade equipment with CNC mills and lathes.

To allow West Philadelphia Machine Works to become your business partner, just
Contact Us. Give WPMW a chance to work with you and you can experience the customer service focus of our business as it’s been done for over 60 years!