Featuring more than 725,000 square feet of indoor fabrication space and the newest fabrication tools and technologies at each Team location, the company ensures every project crafted by its skilled workforce meets the highest quality standards.

A history of growth
Team Industries, Inc.’s story began in 1987 when a group of employees, facing the bankruptcy of their employer, made the bold decision to purchase the company’s assets themselves.

“To save their jobs, that handful of individuals got together and they put their necks on the line,” shares Jon Viestenz, Director of Sales. “They pulled together a financial plan to buy the assets, and hence the name Team Industries, Inc.”

Through the late 1980s and onward, Team Industries expanded its Wisconsin footprint, adding fabrication bays, paint and blast facilities, loading areas, climate-controlled material warehousing, and additional office buildings. Strategic acquisitions followed, including opening a facility in Port Arthur, Texas. Each move was made to serve the company’s industries more effectively.

Most recently, in 2025, Team Industries expanded into the advanced technology and manufacturing industry by converting a 7,000-square-foot building into a dedicated ultra-high-purity fabrication facility, with the installation of an ISO 4 and ISO 7 certified cleanroom.

From the ground up
These feats of growth are truly impressive when considering the company’s roots.

As the years passed and the investors phased out, the last member of the original team is John Panetti, Team’s current President and CEO. Today, 38 years later, John’s sons, Tom and Dan Panetti, hold Executive positions within the company.

“From a family and a cultural standpoint, we have become the largest union shop fabricator in North America,” says Viestenz. “And we’ve been able to do that with a culture today that started with the same principles, the same disciplines, the same approach to safety and cleanliness 38 years ago—we just elaborated on it,” he shares.

“Today, we’re a debt-free company, 100 percent,” says Viestenz. “We’re just under 400 employees right now, and we went from pulp and paper and brewery to today, where we serve almost 20 different industries.”

A huge point of pride for Team is its company culture, something all employees—and the Panetti legacy—are pleased to embrace. “We have never lost track of the fact that we’re a family-owned business,” says Vice President of Sales, Estimating, and Supply Chain Management, Tom Panetti.

Team also values its long-standing partnership with UA Local 400 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. In 2000, the two organizations collaborated to create a five-year UA pipe fabrication classification with an apprenticeship program, developing highly specialized tradespeople for the pipe fabrication industry.

Another feather in the company’s cap is its history of producing industry-leading welding positioners, which the company has developed and produced to serve in every one of its weld booths. They are also available for purchase by other operators and fabrication shops across North America.

Indeed, when it comes to all the elements this company holds dear—safety, succession planning, defined values, consistency, mission, willingness to invest in infrastructure, workforce development, and R&D—being a financially sound company (and fully intending to stay that way) means that Team Industries stays plugged in, never cutting corners or giving up. “We’re not in a position where we can afford to give up our defined values or willingness to invest in infrastructure or the future,” says Viestenz. “We can’t sit on our laurels and say we’re going to coast for a while.”

Living its values and investing in the long term
While these principles might seem like obvious keys to success, the difference is in the extraordinary way Team Industries holds true to them and honors them every day.

To this end, Team prioritizes investing in new equipment, a choice that is always at the forefront when discussing ways to support employees’ success and Team’s competitiveness across different industries. “It can be a daily discussion of where to upgrade and become more competitive with the best technology,” adds Panetti. That collaboration among equals has become vital for the company’s ongoing success.

“It’s one thing my father made sure of: that more than just one person is making the decision. Many department heads are brought in to examine the pluses and minuses and why [a given move] is going to be good for the team overall,” says Panetti.

John Panetti is always looking forward, particularly when purchasing Team Fabricators in 2008, taking a big leap of faith. Today, that shop is up and running at full capacity in Port Arthur, Texas.

“In 2008, there was a lot of rolling of the dice, a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of wondering if we can exist down there,” says Viestenz of the Texas location. “There were times along the way when industries we serve were slow, and we couldn’t make it work, but John Panetti didn’t throw in the cards. He doesn’t like giving in. The Panetti family made that investment, and here we are today, reaping the benefits of it.”

Taking risks and making investments are in the blood of this family dynasty, including the recently opened high-purity cleanroom, which calls for different machines, different processes, different materials, and investing in training. Again, this success has come not only from investing wisely but from maintaining financial stability.

This is a vertical integration step that Team Industries has invested in to move the company forward, striving once again to differentiate itself from competitors and providing a needed product for the industries it serves. “We’re basically now a turnkey solution to any fabrication need, no matter what industry you’re in, right here at Team Industries,” says Viestenz.

Nearly four decades of a good thing
Approaching its 40^th anniversary, Team Industries stands as a testament to what can be built through trust, patience, and shared values. The company’s growth is not measured solely in square footage or revenue, but in reputation, resilience, and people.

Building trusted, long-term relationships with its workforce, supply chain, and customers is also key, and an approach that Team has upheld for decades. So how does Team maintain that workforce structure? “Anybody can grow, but managing your growth, preparing for the future, and proving your company in hard times is very challenging, because a lot of companies just disappear when things go bad,” says Viestenz. In Team’s case, it has future-proofed its approach by knowing the industries it serves, he adds. “We’ve been able to be the leader, but we do it humbly. We’re grateful and blessed.”

A culture of community
The company is also grateful for its tenure and for the ability to weather the ups and downs of the industry over time. “Even though we have a large footprint, we’re still technically a small business at 500 employees or less,” Panetti says. “For some companies, when they grow too much, it’s difficult to maintain the personal touch they want to build their company on; you lose track of your roots. We want that culture to be ingrained in everybody. If you go too fast, you can’t capture that culture.”

That culture includes giving back through community involvement and outreach, whether through regular blood drives, contributions to the Make a Wish Foundation, or hosting high school and technical school students for tours and internships. “If you’re going to act and play a prominent role in a community like Kaukauna, Wisconsin, you have to give back,” Viestenz emphasizes.

Fortunately, the entire team agrees and works together to maintain the culture and atmosphere created at the outset. “Why are we better than our competition? Because when times get tough, even if we have to shrink in manpower, the infrastructure we invested in will be standing tall for the next shift, which we know will come,” Viestenz says.

“We’ll survive those valleys, and we’ll survive them in a way where we’ll still succeed, even in a downturn. If you look at our reputation and the tenure of our employees, it just speaks for itself.”

The post Teaming Up for Success Since 1987<p class="company">Team Industries</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

A global leader in custom package design, manufacturing, and distribution services since 1981, Spectrum has helped many customers develop products, from concept to consumer, with manufacturing facilities throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, using a single source to achieve manufacturing and distribution goals.

Starting with a fold
“We started as a folding carton manufacturer, but over the decades we’ve grown into a fully integrated custom packaging partner serving industries like food and beverage, health and beauty, medical, and consumer products,” says CEO Shawn Pereira. “What’s allowed us to stay relevant for 45 years is our ability to evolve with the market—whether that’s investing in advanced digital prepress, expanding rigid carton capabilities, implementing FSC-certified processes, or strengthening ISO-driven quality systems.”

This impressive longevity comes down to three things, says Pereira: relentless focus on quality, customer-first responsiveness, and long-term relationship building instead of transactional selling. “In an industry where pricing pressure is constant, we’ve built a reputation for being dependable, proactive, and solution-oriented,” he says. “That consistency has carried us through economic shifts, supply chain disruptions, and major changes in packaging technology.”

Being family-owned is one of the company’s greatest strengths, he adds, affecting both its day-to-day and long-term vision. Daily, it means faster decision-making, direct access to leadership, flexibility when customers need solutions quickly, and a culture of accountability and ownership. “There’s no corporate red tape or layers of bureaucracy,” Pereira explains. “When a customer needs something solved, we can act.”

It also means building generational value—not quarterly results—by thinking long-term and investing in equipment, people, certifications, and relationships that will strengthen the company for decades to come. Creating a culture where employees feel connected to the mission has resulted in many team members locking in at Spectrum for years and even decades, which translates directly into quality and service consistency for customers.

“Being family-owned gives us a different perspective on how we operate the business,” Pereira says. “We treat our people like family, and running it that way, we take great pride in building a company where future generations will have an opportunity to make a career, which has been a big component of our success.”

Investing in people
This means not only investing in the company itself, but in the employees too, he stresses, which allows them to continue to grow and contribute to Spectrum’s success.

“A lot of companies don’t invest in their people, so they become stagnant, and ultimately the company becomes stagnant. Quality is at the forefront in everything we do. There are a lot of companies out there that are price-driven, but you get what you pay for. We’re a competitive company, but if we got the opportunity for a cheap price while delivering a poor product, we’d also have a poor reputation.”

Because of this commitment to quality, Spectrum has maintained loyal customers for many years. Striving to be more proactive than reactive, Spectrum understands that “communication is everything. “I tell everybody, ‘we’re not perfect, but we’re pretty darn good,’” Pereira says. “If something happens, if a machine goes down and it’s going to jeopardize the delivery date, we’re not afraid to talk to the customer proactively. It’s always good to communicate with them ahead of time.”

Spectrum’s clients appreciate the dedication to service and response time, he adds, along with superior quality and turnaround. “Our customers expect that and we really do deliver.”

This commitment has been a priority since the beginning, and is at the forefront of the company’s ongoing success, starting with dad Dino in 1981, and mom Fernanda, who has played a vital role as CFO, handling both finances and Human Resources.

“The company absolutely wouldn’t be where it is today without them,” Pereira says. “And then my wife, Kim Pereira, has played a very supportive role in building the company for growth and success. As Vice President of Finance, Kim has helped with foundational components we need to grow and scale as we get set up for growth here in the next five to 10 years. We have a pretty big vision.”

That vision includes becoming a billion-dollar business in 10 years, he adds, and in order to do that, Spectrum needs to ensure its standard operating procedures and training systems will support that level of growth.

Strategy in partnerships
Spectrum has established strategic partnerships, with many partners and resellers having regional offices located strategically throughout the country. “The idea is to set up some manufacturing plants localized to their regional offices to support them as part of our growth strategy, as well as expanding into new technology and equipment to offer new products and services,” Pereira explains.

On the leadership side, Spectrum partners with Cardone Ventures, a company that aids in setting up for growth and scaling to help with operations, finance, marketing, HR, and sales, ensuring Spectrum has its foundation dialed in. “Along with that, they offer many workshops where we can send our employees for leadership and operational training, monitoring KPIs and metrics, and incentivizing your team up to the level of impact they can provide for the growth of the company,” Pereira says.

Spectrum also brings in equipment manufacturers to spend time helping employees be more efficient in their daily processes; on the flip side, employees are encouraged to attend industry association events to participate in networking and see what’s new out there, because it sparks ideas.

“I can’t be the only one with the ideas, so I lean into my team, and I empower them to speak up if they have ideas,” Pereira says. “Good leaders empower their people to speak their ideas. A lot of people don’t want to say anything to their leaders, because sometimes leaders aren’t open to hearing other people’s ideas; they think they’re above everybody else. I don’t like to have that kind of environment. I want my people to speak up.”

Fitting rewards
This commitment to satisfying both clients and employees has led to a recent impressive accolade, receiving the 2025 Quality Plant of the Year, one of Spectrum’s proudest achievements. The award validates the company’s process controls, its ISO-driven systems, its continuous improvement mindset, and its ongoing commitment to exceeding customer expectations. “That award reflects what we already knew internally: quality isn’t a department at Spectrum—it’s embedded in our culture,” Pereira asserts.

While there are always challenges in growing a business, Pereira says some of the biggest include accessing a skilled talent pool along with navigating and investing in new, innovative technology. Tariffs have also had a big impact, as a lot of the equipment Spectrum purchases isn’t made domestically, but while these challenges have all created some obstacles, Spectrum remains determined to put its clients’ needs first.

“We like to look at our relationships with our customers as partnerships, not transactional,” Pereira stresses. “We want to be solution-oriented manufacturers. We’re the first point of interaction for a customer’s product selling off the shelf. The packaging is just as important as what the product is inside.”

Spectrum’s goal is to support its clients, to help their products stand out, and to provide unique printing effects, whether that’s a foil or a tactile feel for the packaging. “Packaging helps [customers] truly believe and trust that they’re buying an elevated product.”

Packaging and more
Working closely with customers, he says, is vital on the structural side, but it’s more than just helping them create a “really cool looking package.” Spectrum also helps solve problems. “We don’t mind giving you a price on 10,000, but what does your order frequency look like? How are you warehousing this? We look for ways that we can help them save money by ordering differently,” he says. “We bring a lot more to the table than just a price.”

That includes embracing sustainability, especially when moving from plastic to paper with sustainable inks and coatings while still maintaining functionality.

To support sustainability, Spectrum is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, allowing customers to put the FSC logo on their packaging. FSC paper mills are audited annually, providing a chain of custody. “When consumers see that logo, they know this package was made with paperboard that came from a paper mill where, for every tree cut down, they replant a new tree as well as allow animals a habitat to live in,” Pereira says.

The standout factor
What else sets Spectrum apart? Pereira emphasizes several details, including speed and structure.

“We’re nimble like a small company but operate with the discipline of a larger one,” he says, which includes building long-term relationships, especially with resellers and procurement teams who need reliability and top-quality product and culture.

“The 2025 Quality Plant recognition isn’t marketing—it’s operational reality,” he stresses. “From incoming inspection to AQL standards to final production checks, quality is systemic.”

Not a company to rest on its accomplishments, Spectrum also looks to expand its strategic reseller relationships, enhance internal SOPs and training systems, improve quote turnaround times and communication flow, and invest in leadership development and operational clarity, all while continuing to value how it treats employees and how it serves customers.

“At 45 years, we’re not just celebrating longevity; we’re celebrating evolution,” says Pereira. “Spectrum has stayed relevant by investing in quality, people, and partnerships. And the next 45 years will be about scaling that excellence without losing the family-owned values that built this company in the first place.”

The post Where Quality Meets Commitment<p class="company">Spectrum Custom Packaging</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Sustainability remains at the forefront of its daily operations. “Wood is the only significant construction material that is both natural and renewable,” says CEO Shawn Hicks, who, with partner COO Dan Dunkley, strives to ensure the company’s green message is upheld throughout all of its operations. “Our business can demonstrate the chain of custody from forest to customer, and our main suppliers hold certification from the FSC,” he says.

Buying from FSC-certified forests that use the world’s best management practices allows for the protection of wildlife while ensuring reforestation of the land after harvest to help supply lumber for generations to come.

“Trees and lumber utilization are a huge part of the carbon cycle story,” Hicks tells us. “CPS buys salvaged lumber from the lumber mills—essentially leftover materials from the construction industry. We cut out the bad portions, areas where the lumber didn’t make construction grade, and upgrade the rest in shorter lengths to make our customer quality products.” CPS then shreds the waste and sells it to the farming community for animal bedding, and in turn, the chicken farmers sell their waste to mushroom farms to fully ensure the utilization of the lowest quality of lumber from the sawmills.

As for the company’s pallets and crates, they yield a net 1.1 pounds of carbon trapped per board foot of lumber sold up to 1,000 miles from its factories.

“We have the greenest packaging product available, and we fully utilize every piece of material,” explains Hicks. “For our waste outside of lumber, we send near zero waste to landfill—one 40-yard bin per month.”

CPS also prides itself on its excellent relationships, both with its 500 employees and its numerous clients, who are treated like members of the CPS family and viewed as partners. “One of the cornerstones of CPS is our vendors,” Hicks stresses. “We couldn’t do what we do without them. For 40 years, the key area of our success has been taking care of suppliers well.”

This means paying on time, taking discounts if offered, and ensuring the company is the lumber mills’ first choice to sell to. Rail siding is key here, as CPS can accept lumber directly from the mill to its yards in both Cobourg and Martin, Tennessee. Boasting industrial-grade materials, CPS is the only customer of most mills with direct access to receive lumber by rail. “We work very hard to be the first-choice customer for our supply base,” Hicks says.

Another vital aspect of the company’s ongoing success is its dedication to automated operations, with its cut line being state-of-the-art and a key differentiator between CPS and its competition, resulting in the lowest cost of material ready for final assembly. “Our ongoing investment includes a $3 million assembly machine due to arrive in June of this year,” adds Hicks.

Utilizing new technology such as machine/robotic pallet assembly lines and high-volume output using industrial-grade automation—alongside new staff working on AI adaptation and implementation in the office and on the production floor—results in standardized quality across pallet and crate construction, and ensures CPS’s position at the top of the industry.

Sustainability also means addressing the company’s own carbon footprint. “Due to the cost of electricity in Ontario for many years now, our procurement team is always looking for ways to reduce energy costs across all locations,” says Hicks. “Our forklifts have been converted from propane to electric on 75 percent of our fleet, along with a 1.305 GWH annual solar panel system installed in Cobourg.” Renovations of CPS offices have also allowed the company to upgrade to efficient heat pumps as well as improved Insulation R-values, he adds.

This ongoing commitment to environmentalism and sustainability stems from an understanding of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), a strategic framework for identifying, evaluating, and addressing organizational goals and activities, a company’s carbon footprint and sustainability commitment, workplace culture, diversity and inclusion commitment, and overall ethos regarding corporate risks and practices. This organizational concept has grown in significance, particularly for socially conscious investors who wish to put money into businesses that share these same values.

The three main pillars of ESG include environmental commitment, which covers all aspects of a business’s dedication to sustainability and its effects on the environment, such as waste, energy use, carbon emissions and footprint, and environmental responsibility; social commitment, meaning the internal working culture of an organization, employee retention, diversity, satisfaction, and health and safety; and corporate governance, which includes compliance, internal corporate culture, pay ratios, business ethos, and leadership responsibility and openness as part of a corporation’s commitment to corporate governance. Companies acknowledging a dedication to justice and equality in the workplace and the ability to adapt to changing laws and regulations are always of interest to investors, according to CIO.com.

As the effects of climate change worsen, companies’ environmental initiatives will only become more crucial, and it is anticipated that businesses that use resources such as water, coal, oil, and power more wisely will do better in the future when those resources become scarce in some places. Additionally, a firm dedication to appropriate governance and compliance will be essential for maintaining a business’s operations as more rules and regulations pertaining to technology, most notably General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), come into effect.

CPS’s commitment to sustainability and forest stewardship (the company also offers pallet recycle programs and repair programs) are just a few aspects that help set it apart, along with its rail siding on site, which lowers the cost of inbound materials, and state-of-the-art operations that allow staff to fully cut, resaw, notch, and stack over a railcar of lumber per shift.

“Our assembly lines are the best in the world and procured from all over the world,” adds Hicks. “This results in customers placing an order and then not worrying about it because we deliver on time, every time, at a consistent quality that our customers expect.”

Recent challenges for the company have included lumber and duty prices, which are “very much” top of mind in all of the lumber industry right now; duties and tariffs went up to 45 percent last August, and at the time, lumber costs in the U.S. were very low. “It was an easy pivot to just buy U.S. material in the U.S. and Canadian material in Canada,” Hicks shares. “At the moment, the U.S. material costs are rising so fast that they’re ahead of the cost of the Canadian material, and it’s causing a lot of pivots.”

The marketplace in general is being heavily impacted by tariffs, but CPS has operations and assets on both sides of the border, providing the company with a buffer that helps protect its clients as well, remaining “very well equipped” to supply customers regardless of tariffs.

Looking forward, CPS’s commitment to the utilization of all materials will remain at the forefront. “We’re literally selling $50,000 a month in animal bedding waste, where many companies are just giving that away or paying to get rid of it,” Hicks explains. “We have an asset there that we’re utilizing, but it’s really just the automation. The railcar access and the automation give us the lowest cost of material ready for assembly versus every competitor in North America. That puts our customers in a good position from a cost perspective, but also puts us in a pole position on being able to compete.”

In terms of retaining customers, CPS offers several customized programs, such as looking at clients’ schedules and plans and supplying their needs proactively. “For our largest two customers, we operate in a replenishment of inventory scenario, not a purchase order. Traditionally, they look at what they need and place an order,” Hicks says. “We go outside the box on that one, and we take care of them. Sometimes they don’t know how we know their demand so well.”

This level of quality of care is absolutely a priority for the company, Hicks stresses, along with embracing growth and maintaining a true devotion to sustainability. “We have always been committed to [sustainability] and will continue to further reduce our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions,” he assures, whether that’s zero waste to landfill or maintaining an ethical supply chain through forest stewardship.

Social factors for CPS will focus on its workplace culture, diversity, community engagement, and human rights, as well as fostering a collective experience to keep longstanding employees satisfied and foster employee development.

Whether it’s supporting community service and philanthropy or assisting customers with a wide range of issues and logistics that need solving to keep their business running smoothly, CPS’s longstanding experience, knowledge, and skill can handle it all, Hicks says.

“We find an issue that needs solving, and we solve it.”

The post Into the Woods: Sustainable Packaging through Forest Stewardship<p class="company">CPS Wood Products</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Septimatech’s workplace culture shapes how teams collaborate with one another and with customers, ensuring technical capability is matched by strong relationships and consistent execution.

“Customer challenges are our challenges as well,” says Blain Parkinson, Septimatech Group’s Sales Leader. “Our customers operate in fast-paced manufacturing environments where downtime is costly and consistency and reliability are critical.”

These challenges include tight delivery schedules, evolving product requirements, dynamic production environments, time pressures, skilled labour shortages, and the need for Septimatech’s equipment to integrate seamlessly with customer equipment. The company addresses them by utilizing its longstanding partnerships, taking a solutions-based approach, and working closely with customers early in the process to fully understand their applications, constraints, and long-term goals.

“We’re an engineering company, so we have to understand what their challenges are and then provide that need-based solution for them,” Parkinson emphasizes.

Indeed, this is a company that prides itself on always putting customers first, and this is enhanced by its investment in its team through fostering a culture of collaboration, communication, and continuous growth. “Our investment in our people is anchored in two complementary terms that are becoming cultural pillars: One Team and One Legacy,” says COO Eric Murray. “Together, they provide clarity around both how we work together and how each person contributes.”

One Team defines the shared commitment to act in the best interests of the company and its customers, above individual priorities and individual departments, a mindset reinforced through the One Team Leadership Team, which meets regularly to focus on leadership behaviours, tools, open communication, and alignment.

“We strongly believe that investing in our people directly impacts the value we deliver to customers,” Parkinson says. “We foster a culture built on collaboration, open communication, and continuous growth. Cross-functional teamwork between sales, engineering, and manufacturing ensures alignment and accountability at every stage of a project.”

Ongoing training, mentorship, and knowledge sharing are priorities, helping the team stay ahead of industry trends and emerging technologies. By empowering employees to contribute ideas and take ownership, Septimatech creates an environment where innovation thrives and customers benefit.

“These discussions centre on accountability, trust, empathy, respect, and psychological safety,” adds Murray. “They ensure we lead consistently, communicate openly, and support one another as a unified team. This alignment at the leadership level sets the tone for collaboration across the organization.”

One Legacy puts the responsibility back on each employee, building on the foundation created by Septimatech’s seven founders. In fact, Living the Legacy represents the seven values, principles, and beliefs that guide how employees show up every day, with each employee building their own legacy from their very first day at Septimatech.

To support both One Team and One Legacy, a shared Accountability Ladder gives teams a common language to hold themselves and each other accountable by clearly defining above-the-line and below-the-line behaviours to remove ambiguity around expectations and create a constructive way to address challenges.

These cultural investments have helped elevate how everyone works together, aligning behaviour, accountability, and purpose, and strengthening performance as One Team, while empowering individuals to build One Legacy that carries the company forward.

Embracing empathy, Murray adds, is another vital company component and begins with putting yourself in another person’s shoes. “Each of us manages pressures that others may not always see,” he says. “It’s about stepping into the perspective of sales, engineering, manufacturing, or finance and understanding the challenges they’re facing. When we look at situations from both sides, we make better decisions in the best interests of the One Team and of our customers overall. That mindset is one of my passions.”

On the manufacturing side, Septimatech has also worked to reduce its design and manufacturing times through value-added and automation enhancements. “We’ve been very deliberate on reducing design and manufacturing times,” Murray says. Using Value Stream Mapping, the company starts by mapping out the process end-to-end for a product, looking at the current state, design, manufacturing, materials, quality, and shipping. “That gives us a clear picture of where improvements can be made and allows us to define a future state.”

As part of that work, a significant portion of the company’s automation has been focused on improving the quality and reliability of engineering outputs by implementing automatic checks and structured design-release steps to ensure critical requirements aren’t missed. As an engineered-to-order company, every order is unique, but there are still common elements that lead to a successful, high-quality outcome. “Automation helps us consistently apply those proven elements while maintaining the flexibility that our customers require,” Murray explains.

Standardized design platforms, improved internal processes, and advanced testing capabilities have also helped accelerate development without compromising quality. “In manufacturing, automation enhancements and continuous process improvements have increased throughput, repeatability, and efficiency,” Parkinson adds. “These investments allow us to respond faster to customer demand while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.”

All of these improvements operate within a standard PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle. Plans are changed based on Value Stream Maps and implemented in a controlled way, and results are measured, adjusted, and then standardized. This continuous improvement loop affords reduced cycle times while steadily improving quality and predictability, resulting in better quality upfront, fewer iterations, and more reliable outcomes.

“We add value by taking the time to truly understand our customers’ pain points and then applying our expertise through the right product solutions,” says Murray. “By working closely with them early, we can tailor solutions to their specific application and constraints rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach.” Consistency and reliability come from strong alignment and follow-through, he adds.

One of Septimatech’s biggest challenges recently has been operating in a more complex global environment, dealing with factors such as tariffs, evolving cross-border requirements, and rising costs that have added uncertainty for both customers and internal planning. “These pressures can create hesitation around project timing and investment decisions, particularly for engineered-to-order solutions where predictability matters,” Murray says.

Despite these challenges, the team has enjoyed strong order growth, expanded its customer base, and successfully delivered several large and complex projects. “These accomplishments are a direct result of our team’s adaptability, resilience, and commitment to customer success,” shares Parkinson.

Indeed, Septimatech has responded without disrupting customer operations by focusing on being proactive and working closely with customers to simplify complexity by supporting shipping documentation, customs requirements, and related paperwork. This approach has helped ensure smooth, predictable delivery and turnaround times, allowing customers to maintain momentum even in uncertain conditions.

“Internally, we’re also proud of the progress we’ve made in strengthening our capabilities,” Murray says, citing advancements in standard costing, pricing strategies, and continuous improvement initiatives that have reduced design and manufacturing times while delivering some of the strongest quality metrics in the company’s history. “We’ve introduced value-added product enhancements and thoughtfully applied automation to improve consistency, streamline processes, and elevate the customer experience.”

As for milestones, there are some clear similarities in how Septimatech thinks about the future and how it approaches a Value Stream Mapping exercise, starting by honestly evaluating its current state, then looking ahead to the vision of where it wants to be, and finally defining the steps required to move from one state to the next.

It’s an approach that carries directly into its annual business planning, where the company sets priorities, aligns the team, and turns longer-term vision into practical, achievable actions. By following the plan and taking deliberate steps forward, the company can make steady progress toward its goals rather than chasing short-term wins.

“For us, the focus is on continuous improvement from today’s reality toward tomorrow’s vision—measuring progress, adjusting when needed, and staying disciplined in execution,” Parkinson says.

That mindset keeps Septimatech aligned as One Team, ensuring the milestones pursued translate into meaningful, lasting improvements. “We don’t spend a lot of time focused on competitors,” Murray says, adding that Septimatech is very clear on who it is, the products it offers, and the value those products deliver. “Our success has been built on strong customer relationships and taking the time to truly listen and understand each customer’s specific application and challenges.”

That focus allows the company to apply its expertise in a way that’s practical and tailored, rather than forcing standard solutions where they don’t fit. “We believe that understanding the customer’s environment, constraints, and goals is the foundation of delivering reliable, high-quality outcomes. It is what we believe in, and it’s what has driven our success,” says Murray. By staying focused on customers, culture, and continually improving how it delivers value, the company has built long-term partnerships that matter, which remains a priority moving forward.

The future for Septimatech will bring expanded automation capabilities, further reductions in lead times, and deepening partnerships with key customers while also focusing on strategic planning for growth, such as investments in technology, talent development, and new market opportunities. In another move, the company also recently entered a new partnership with Magnetic Technologies Ltd., bringing advanced magnetic capping headsets to manufacturers seeking to maximize productivity and streamline changeover processes. “By integrating Magnetic Technologies’ industry-leading hysteresis capping headsets into our cap handling solutions, Septimatech has expanded its abilities to enable fast, accurate, and repeatable setups,” says the company. “These magnetic headsets are designed to be compatible and interchangeable with OEM cappers, ensuring seamless integration into existing production lines.”

“What truly differentiates us is our combination of technical expertise, customer-first mindset, and collaborative culture,” Parkinson says. “We don’t just supply equipment; we become a trusted partner. Our ability to listen, adapt, and deliver reliable, application-specific solutions consistently sets us apart from others in the industry.”

As Murray stresses, “Legacy isn’t something you only define years later looking back; it’s built every day through the choices we make, the standards we hold ourselves to, and how we support one another and our customers. Over time, it becomes something you can reflect on and be proud of, but it really starts on day one and grows each and every day.”

The post Trust, Loyalty, Legacy<p class="company">Septimatech Group</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Throughout its 50-plus years in business, Great Northern Cabinetry has worked with leading kitchen designers to offer an extensive product line with numerous personalized options and attention to detail that is second to none. Working with an array of premium materials, the company creates one-of-a-kind cabinets tailored to each client’s needs and tastes.

Now, after successfully weathering a particularly challenging year, GNC has emerged ready for the year ahead and many more to come. “The reality is the cabinet industry has gone through a tremendous amount of turmoil in the last six months, given all of the challenges around housing and housing-related products and categories,” says owner Tim Ford. “There have been several significant cabinet companies that have folded their tent and closed up shop, but we’re still here, fighting and managing through it.”

Despite these extraordinary challenges, Ford considers present success in three ways: one, how is GNC performing commercially; second, how is it performing operationally; and third, how is it performing financially?

“Commercially, a year ago, we had a limited sales force,” he says. “Our sales manager had retired, we had a new sales leader, and over the past year, we’ve almost completely changed out our sales team, bringing on new sales reps who are very deeply ingrained in the industry.”

This means well-connected reps who have a deep network of customers that they’ve worked with previously. “From a commercial perspective, we’re in a really good place to grow our business, and in fact, we’re starting to see the fruits of that,” Ford shares. “In the fourth quarter alone, we had several dozen new dealers sign up and join our dealer network, and we’re beginning to see that turn into new business.”

Knowing you’re starting the new year with a “bit more wind in your sails” than a year ago when the future looked unclear feels good, he adds. “The tale of last year was that it started with a great deal of enthusiasm, but the uncertainty regarding tariffs and other related activities caused a degree of question and concern, and then people pulled back. But as interest rates have started to come down and things are starting to thaw a bit, it’s starting to feel similar to the start of last year from an enthusiasm standpoint.”

As GNC anticipates significant growth in 2026, a material delivery system implemented last year will enable the company to more efficiently manage material flow, material consumption, and inventory. With sales expected to grow more than 20 percent, inventory should increase less quickly and doesn’t need to grow at the same rate as sales, Ford explains. “We feel really good about the kind of activities we’ve undertaken in the processes we’ve put in place over the past 15 to 18 months to make sure that as the business grows, we can leverage that base level of inventory that any business has to carry,” he adds.

While the total amount of raw material on hand isn’t significantly different than before implementing the new system, the ability to leverage what GNC does have is completely different than what it was a year and a half ago. A critical part of the new system is the company’s implementation of its material planning process, called “Plan for Every Part,” or PFEP.

“It sounds simple, but in my experience, most manufacturing businesses don’t have a plan for every part they use,” says Ford. “We’ve implemented this SKU-by-SKU plan, which includes a minimum inventory level, the average daily consumption during a planning period, lead times and replenishment cycles from each vendor, and so on.”

The PFEP and material system have brought a fundamental change to the way GNC manages inventory and delivers materials. Like most companies, GNC would previously order material, and if three departments use the same material, it would be split up, with each receiving one-third of the lot; one department would inevitably run out. This would lead to needing more material and putting in an order for more while the other two departments still had plenty.

In addition to the PFEP, the company now employs a supermarket concept, with raw material centrally housed in one location and delivered to the team members as needed, rather than being spread out throughout the plant. “We’d end up with more in aggregate, so what we’ve done is pull it all back,” Ford explains. “Instead of having that material in three locations, it’s now housed in one central location, and we deliver it to the operator. That puts much more control in our hands,” he says.

“We’ve created what I would characterize as a surgeon/nurse concept where the surgeons are our operators, and the nurse is our material delivery system that brings enough material to each operator for them to work productively for the next two hours. They are replenished at the right time with the right quantity of material,” says Ford. “This system allows us to manage material flow and inventory much more deeply and closely. While we have a minimum level of raw material we have to carry, we are much more dialed in on how much we actually need to have on hand. As we grow the business, the amount we need to carry will go up at a much slower rate than sales will.”

One side effect of this change is improved employee satisfaction and morale thanks to a smoother process. “It’s not just the inventory level that matters; it’s the overall productivity in the plant and employee satisfaction, which are a little bit less obvious in terms of numbers, and a little bit harder to measure, but very clearly, those have a big impact on what we’re doing.”

Company morale is a matter GNC takes to heart, even when it comes to the sometimes necessary business of reducing employee hours during downtimes. “Like a lot of companies, last fall we had to cut back hours, so people who were working 40-plus hours a week were working less than 40 hours a week over the last three to five months of the year, because demand was down,” says Ford. While normally that would create a great deal of anxiety and trepidation, GNC was transparent with its workforce about what it was doing and asked for management hours to be cut back as well. “We didn’t need to do that financially, necessarily, but it was the right message to send to the hourly folks that we’re all in this together.”

The show of solidarity was greatly appreciated, he adds. “We’re trying to create a culture of teamwork, one where we win together and we lose together. It’s been that kind of behavior that has been particularly well received.” Now, when management needs to make changes and implement new processes, there’s a level of trust that has been built with the understanding that everyone is rowing in the same direction.

Ford’s commitment to GNC’s culture and future success means always trying to look forward, he stresses. “I’m the eternal optimist,” he says. “In some ways, you’ve got to be a realist in the moment, but you want to have optimism as well. As I think about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going, I’ve been in the business for five years, and I feel like I’m just now getting to the starting line.”

For his first couple of years, there was a “wild swing” of demand that went through the roof, he says. Material costs were tremendously high, and the industry saw a pullback in the last couple of years. Ford learned a lot in the initial phase, particularly when there was a rapid ramp-up of demand in 2021 and 2022. “Had we not experienced that significant increase in demand during that time, I might not have fully appreciated how much work needed to be done to be able to set the company up for growth,” Ford says. GNC has worked very hard over the past three years to build scalability into its operations so that when growth comes, the company is prepared for it. And in fact, GNC is in a much better position today to handle growth than it was during the past five years.

“What gives me optimism is the fact that we’ve done that hard work,” Ford says. “We’re still here fighting the fight, and we’ve got all of these opportunities to prove our capability with the revitalized sales force and the new dealers we’re bringing on. I’m optimistic about 2026 and where I think things will go, and all we need is a little wind in our sails—not a gale force wind, but a little bit of wind in our sails—and we’ll be in a good place for this year.”

The post Creating a Culture of Teamwork<p class="company">Great Northern Cabinetry</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

While initially, PMF manufactured specialty stainless steel products using a unique flow-turning process, under the leadership of Birger H. Engzell, the company expanded into components for jet engines, the food industry, and pulp and paper manufacturing, prompting a relocation to Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1955, a move that helped launch Williamsport’s Industrial Park and set the foundation for PMF Industries.

In 1961, Engzell founded Precision Metal Forming (PMF) in Williamsport, leasing a 5,000-square-foot facility and setting the company up to grow quickly. The facility was expanded a number of times in the 1960s and 1970s to accommodate increased production and new equipment, and the company soon becoming known for precision stainless steel hollow-cone, cylinder, and ogive shapes serving the aircraft, food, filtration, and pulp and paper industries.

Leadership transitioned to Donald E. Alsted in 1982, and in 2001, PMF was acquired by principals John Perrotto and Ken Healy, with the remaining stock allocated to a PMF Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This alignment of employee success with company growth fosters a motivated workforce.

Since the buyout, PMF has grown to 85 employees and over 175,000 square feet of manufacturing space, confirming its position as a leader with a bright future in advanced metal manufacturing.

“We’re committed to reinvesting in the company to best serve our growing list of customers,” says John Perrotto, President and General Manager. “We continue to bring on supporting processes to our niche—which is flowforming—and to do a lot of research and development. We’re always looking at new technologies. It’s all to do with the best way to manufacture a customer’s component.”

PMF’s 65-year milestone reflects its longstanding dedication to precision manufacturing, innovation, and strong customer partnerships, Perrotto adds. Since 1961, the company has become a trusted leader in flowforming and specialized metal forming for the aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial markets, with success driven by a skilled in-house engineering team, fully integrated manufacturing processes, and a hands-on, problem-solving culture.

“By keeping design, tooling, forming, machining, heat treat, and inspection all under one roof, PMF maintains exceptional quality control, protects customer confidentiality, and accelerates response times,” says Ken Healy, Executive Vice President and Director of Engineering. Additionally, with decades of technical expertise and a commitment to continuous improvement, PMF remains a go-to partner for complex, mission-critical components, perpetuating a legacy of craftsmanship, engineering excellence, and customer trust.

That trust is certainly enhanced by PMF’s in-house engineering team, a key strategic advantage that enables seamless collaboration between design, process development, and manufacturing. Working alongside machinists and operators, the engineers can accelerate problem-solving, improve communication, and optimize forming solutions. For customers, this means faster development cycles, higher reliability, and greater confidence in prototypes and final products. Sensitive designs and proprietary processes remain secure on-site, while PMF’s integrated approach ensures precision, consistency, and innovation, making the company a responsive and trusted partner.

It’s also important that PMF continues to emphasize investment and the development of supporting processes. “I don’t know of any other flowformer who is able to complement the flowforming process with the supporting process as we do,” says Perrotto. “These are processes that really give us the ability to produce the unique shapes and other products that customers are looking for.”

For example, incorporating heavy flanges within the flowforming process—a unique capability of PMF—is a result of PMF’s highly developed available technology as well as its extensive knowledge of manufacturing processes. “We also collaborate with our partners to come up with the best scenario; we just really work very well with our customers,” Perrotto says.

PMF actually works with its customers toward clear-cut, improved ways to make a part, adds Healy. “What are the areas they’re having problems with? Were they looking at trying to move from another vendor to PMF? What are some of the trouble areas we could re-engineer to make a better quality part for them?”

Once those questions are addressed, PMF handles everything from the initial quote to final inspection, keeping the customer fully involved. “We want them to be satisfied with what they have as a product,” Perrotto says. “That’s why our customers have kept coming back for more than 40 years.”

PMF also distinguishes itself from other contract manufacturers through its depth of expertise in advanced metal forming technologies, utilizing integrated manufacturing processes and rigorous quality control standards that serve critical industries worldwide.

“At the core of PMF’s capability is our proprietary flowforming process that achieves exceptional dimensional accuracy, uniform wall thickness, and superior mechanical properties, often eliminating the need for secondary machining or welding,” says Healy. Complementing these qualities are PMF’s deep drawing, hot spinning, press forming, and vacuum annealing capabilities, which can form complex geometries with a wide range of materials including stainless steels, nickel alloys, aluminum, and other specialty metals.

PMF’s fully integrated production facility provides complete in-house control over every stage of manufacturing, from raw material processing and forming to heat treatment, CNC machining, electropolishing, passivation, and finishing, an integration that ensures consistent quality, short lead times, and traceable production records that meet or exceed the most demanding customer and regulatory requirements.

Additionally, PMF’s engineering and tooling design teams collaborate closely with customers from concept through production, optimizing part design for manufacturability, cost efficiency, and long-term performance.

The company’s Nadcap-accredited quality systems and AS9100 certification reinforce its commitment to process control and continuous improvement. By combining decades of specialized metal forming experience, multi-process capability, and precision-driven manufacturing culture, PMF Industries sets the benchmark for technical excellence and reliability. The team’s continuous innovation and improvement in technological ability have paid off, and PMF Industries has grown significantly in recent years, driven by its advanced metal forming expertise and reputation for manufacturing precision-critical components.

“Leveraging our broad capabilities in flowforming, deep drawing, and precision machining, PMF is now being engaged by several of the industry’s top prime contractors to support next-generation defense and aerospace programs,” says Perrotto. “This includes the manufacture of rocket motor cases for military applications and high-pressure cylinders for commercial satellite and launch vehicle systems.”

This continued investment in technology, process development, and quality assurance has positioned PMF as a strategic supplier for complex, high-performance components and assemblies where reliability, strength, and dimensional accuracy are paramount.

Focused on expanding its market share through strategic investment in advanced manufacturing technologies and process innovation, PMF Industries’ technical roadmap includes increasing its in-house capabilities in heat treating, precision metal forming, and materials processing to enhance product performance and reduce lead times. In parallel, PMF is pursuing strategic partnerships with industry leaders to integrate complementary technologies—specifically carbon fiber overwrapping and additive manufacturing (3D printing)—with its core metal forming expertise.

These combined technologies will enable the production of next-generation hybrid structures that deliver superior strength-to-weight ratios, reduce lead time, and enhance design flexibility for aerospace, defense, and commercial space applications. With its collaborative engineering approach, PMF aims to deliver even greater value to customers and strengthen its position as a leading innovator in precision metal forming.

The company has also committed more than $7 million to expand its manufacturing capabilities in response to growing demand for commercial space components. This investment includes large-diameter spinning equipment designed to handle larger flow-formed cylinders, enabling the production of closed-end cylindrical vessels with precise material thickness.

Complementing this capability is one of the largest vertical heat treat spray-quenching furnaces for aluminum tempering in the industry, providing superior mechanical performance. Together, these state-of-the-art assets position PMF as a leading supplier of larger-diameter COPV (composite overwrapped pressure vessel) liners, supporting commercial space programs—strategic investments that underscore PMF’s commitment to advanced manufacturing, technological leadership, and the ability to meet the evolving demands of the aerospace and defense sectors.

Healy tells us that skilled labor shortages and delays in critical materials, necessitating careful planning and flexibility, remain a challenge in the industry; PMF, however, continues to deliver precision components 98 percent on time.

“The company has leveraged its in-house engineering and fully integrated manufacturing capabilities to overcome supply chain and staffing pressures, successfully supporting complex R&D programs and mission-critical production,” says Perrotto. “These achievements highlight PMF’s resilience, technical expertise, and commitment to customer success.”

In the coming years, PMF aims to expand its technical capabilities and manufacturing footprint with key milestones that will include advanced aluminum heat treating processes, large spinning operations, and hybrid manufacturing techniques.

“These will enhance the company’s ability to produce complex, high-performance components with efficiency, precision, and innovation, reinforcing PMF’s position as a trusted partner in the most challenging aerospace, defense, and industrial programs,” stresses Perrotto. “For the future, we’re always looking at coming up with the latest technical advances so we can enhance those processes.”

And, of course, he says, PMF will continue to place customer service at the forefront. “That’s one of the things that sets us apart: our ability to partner with our customers, helping them develop the best manufacturability of the products they’re looking to manufacture, and helping them research and develop that.”

The post Making Magic with Metal<p class="company">PMF Industries, Inc.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

H&S offers a wide range of industrial gearing repair and servicing options, including the ability to accurately identify any gearbox issue and advise clients on the best course of action for maintenance, repair, or replacement. With its top concern being clients’ production schedules, the company provides a thorough assessment of scope before beginning any job. Because it stocks its own materials, speeding up the process, the company can often complete the typical six to ten-week project in just four weeks, and complete rebuilds even quicker.

Key capabilities
With many decades of experience creating, producing, and servicing gearboxes for heavy-duty applications worldwide, the technical team at Horsburgh & Scott handles a variety of gears with speeds ranging from 0.5 to 3600 rpm and up to 5000 HP and 4 million ft-lbs., together with the ability to design and build a bespoke gearbox for any specific use the client requires.

Over the years, H&S has expanded to include offerings such as on-site field service and major overhauls, laser alignments, and the reverse engineering of components that need to embody fit, form, and function within the precise confines of the host unit.

“The company has many other in-house capabilities that allow it to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations,” says President and CEO Randy Burdick. “This includes our very own on-site fabrication department for gears up to 26 feet in diameter and our state-of-the-art heat treat facilities for both carburizing and induction hardening.” These particular capabilities enable the H&S team to control for both unparalleled quality and speed of response, he adds.

A team of experts
With its rich history and a knowledgeable and skilled workforce with massive, industry-leading experience in large, complex gearing applications, the H&S team is often sought out by customers to resolve gearing issues where others have failed.

“With our extensive engineering, fabrication, manufacturing, and field service capabilities, we offer a great level of confidence to our customers,” Burdick adds. “We return their critical assets to a like-new, reliable condition, and we meet the time-sensitive deadlines that are everywhere today.”

In addition, the skilled technical staff at Horsburgh & Scott can provide clients with finite element modeling services, further increasing the company’s capacity to address clients’ intricate gearing and gear drive system problems.

Burdick is enthusiastic about this advance. “This, coupled with our extensive reverse engineering, vertical manufacturing, and field service capabilities, positions the H&S team to ‘Deliver the Difference’ in everything we do.”

Partners in reliability
The H&S field service team members are not just experts in gearbox installation, repair, and rebuilding; they are their customers’ reliability partners, ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of critical drive systems. With a steadfast commitment to “Delivering the Difference,” Burdick tells us how they set the standard of excellence in the industry for field service, bringing extensive expertise in the design, manufacturing, installation, and repair of a wide variety of gearing and units.

“These include speed increasers and reducers, helical units, bevel units, planetary gears, worm drives, spur gearboxes, cycloidal units, differential units, and high-torque and high-speed units,” he explains. Activities also include the design of custom drives for a clean sweep of applications in steel, pulp and paper, tire and rubber, plastic extrusion, power generation, sugar, grain, marine, cement, water management, container terminals, aerospace, bridges, mining, and oil & gas. In addition, there’s the design, fabrication, and manufacturing of spur, helical, and double helical gears up to 26 feet in diameter.

“No matter the complexity of the gear system, our skilled technicians perform repairs and rebuilds to the highest standards in the field to ensure the reliability and efficiency of the drive and application,” Burdick says. “We are a company that is tailored to a customer’s needs, whatever the complexity or the industry.”

Talented people
When asked what has shaped the company over its impressive 140 years and fomented its continued success, Burdick cites several reasons, including the team’s unique engineering and manufacturing capabilities and a dedicated workforce. “Additionally, our knowledgeable and devoted commercial team works closely with our customers and can move quickly and efficiently when our customers are in a time of need,” he adds.

While H&S has experienced its fair share of challenges over the years, recently the challenge has been to find talented people with the dedication it takes to uphold H&S’s commitment to its customers, says Burdick. “Also, maintaining a supply chain that can perform with the speed and dedication that the H&S team expects of itself to service our customers at the highest level can be difficult,” he says.

But even in the face of challenges, achievements are meant to be celebrated, and some of these include the company’s tripling in size over the past six years, diversifying its end markets, and expanding the number of opportunities that are available to support gearing and gear drive systems replacements or repairs.

“We’ve also made two significant acquisitions over the past two years that have put us closer to our customers,” says Burdick. To facilitate Horsburgh & Scott’s entry into the maritime sector, the company has also obtained ABS certification.

Reverse engineering moves forward
In addition to the company’s many advantages and rich expertise, Horsburgh & Scott stands out thanks to its committed staff as well as its production, engineering, and services. “Our extensive reverse engineering capabilities are available both in the field and in any of our many service centers,” Burdick shares. “Our reverse engineers utilize FaroArms for in-field reverse engineering when customers can’t come to us.”

There are also dedicated CMMs and gear checkers in climatized environments for when the client can send in their equipment for a comprehensive reverse engineering overview.

Additional services include detailed inspections and evaluations, dynamic modeling and optimization, no-load spin testing, equipment evaluation/analysis, gear alignment installation and startup supervision, lubrication system evaluation, nondestructive testing (NDT), preservation and long-term storage, rebuilds of all manufacturers, spare OEM parts, and 24/7 rush breakdown service.

A modern laser welding technique from Horsburgh & Scott also guarantees that shaft journals are precisely welded and long-lasting, ensuring performance in even the most challenging settings by minimizing distortion and maintaining perfect dimensional integrity with the application of concentrated, localized heat.

The company’s precision laser welding, meanwhile, ensures long-lasting joint integrity that prolongs the life of equipment by offering durability, excellent fatigue resistance, and endurance of repeated cyclic loading. Whether machinery powers a petrochemical plant, steel mill, or mining operation, H&S’s welded components are made to withstand the most difficult challenges.

Additionally, to safeguard customers’ goods during transportation and storage, H&S provides the best gear rust prevention solutions available, including water-based rust preventatives (vapor corrosion inhibitors) that offer continuous protection for long-term storage, are easy to apply and do away with dirty oils or greases, and are designed to prevent rust and the costly damage it causes.

From the standpoint of design, production, installation, maintenance, repair, and replacement, the company covers the entire product lifecycle of its clients’ gearing and gear drive systems, both H&S-branded and competitors, Burdick stresses. “Our philosophy of ‘speed kills the competition’ is deep-rooted in the culture of H&S, and this, combined with our commitment to quality, brings significant value to our customers, especially in times of need,” he adds.

Illustrious past, investment in the future
With an ever-present focus on the customer, Horsburgh & Scott aims to continue investing in both its people and the equipment that enables the company to serve its customers to the highest standards in the marketplace.

And while the company has experienced robust recent growth, it is looking for more. In the next three to five years, the team plans to double its business organically and through strategic acquisitions.

As Burdick explains, “We will continue to expand into different geographies and continue expanding our service offerings and capabilities, all to better support our valued customers.” This is an approach this company has well understood for nearly 140 years.

The post Delivering the Difference: 140 Years of Gearing Up for Client Success<p class="company">Horsburgh & Scott</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

With more than 92 years of experience in the foundry industry, the company has the technology and creativity to compete in today’s market, as well as the history and expertise to deliver flawless production outcomes to its clients. Serving loyal customers in the military, medical, robotics, power generation, and many other private and commercial sectors, Boose has continually nurtured those relationships by delivering only the highest-quality castings paired with unrivaled customer service.

The company is also particularly proud of the implementation of its automatic green sand molding line. “Since 1933, we have utilized manual machines in our green sand molding process,” says Justin Sweigart, Director of Business Development.

Progressively over the years, it became more and more difficult to locate and hire skilled labor with a strong manual work ethic, Sweigart adds, and with retirements of long-term employees on the rise, an investment in a more automated solution was made in 2021 with the purchase of an automatic Hunter molding machine.

“Prior to taking receipt of the new machine, Boose had a devastating fire, which forced us to re-evaluate the layout of the manufacturing facility,” Sweigart explains. Consequently, the decision was made to decommission a larger, more inefficient machine and reutilize the space for the new Hunter and existing manual machines. “Boose Aluminum still has the capabilities to manufacture products off of original manual molding equipment, but now has the ability to produce low- to medium-volume orders more efficiently at competitive costs on our automated molding line.”

The company is also proud of its in-house heat treating services. Under stress, untreated aluminum components may break, deform, or distort. Compared to materials like steel, aluminum is a relatively soft and pliable metal. Nonetheless, it’s a highly sought-after material in dozens of industries due to its light weight and resistance to corrosion. While there are many different types of heat treatments, they all entail heating and straining metal parts to encourage greater strength and appropriate shape.

For generations, Boose has gained the expertise of heat treating aluminum. Without the heat treatment process, the properties and dimensions of the aluminum castings would take 55 years to naturally stabilize. These days, a wide variety of heat treatment techniques and procedures are distinguished and defined by the T system of classification. Every technique has advantages and disadvantages for the final output.

One of the most used heat treatments for aluminum is T6. The first step of this process “Solution heat treatment,” heats the castings to a little below aluminum’s melting point (1,221°F/660.3°C) for a period of 8 to 12 hours, and melts any alloy constituents in the casting. Strength and support are provided by the homogenizing and redistribution throughout the casting.

Next, the castings are rapidly quenched and chilled, with the microstructure that develops during the solid solution phase being solidified by the quenching. The quick cooling also makes the casting considerably stronger.

The castings are then artificially aged in an aluminum heat treat oven following quenching. During this phase, they are baked at a temperature close to 310°F/154°C, far below aluminum’s melting point. The alloying ingredients can create chemical bonds within the casting during this aging process, reinforcing and strengthening the item. Baking the product speeds up the natural process of aluminum age hardening.

Between the solution and aging process, straightening and quality control procedures may also be carried out to guarantee that the casting’s shape and form will satisfy all requirements.

Another common heat treat process that is performed at Boose Aluminum is a T51, or solely an “Artificial Aging” cycle. During this single step process, the castings are heated in an oven between 300 and 400 degrees for an extended period of time. This process is an excellent option for dimensional stability in castings that are highly complex in design, or when close tolerances are required.

Boose also performs radiography testing, sometimes known as X-ray testing, a nondestructive testing technique that looks into parts’ internal structures using X-rays. Without causing damage or changing the object, the process allows the team to identify internal irregularities such as shrinkage, voids, inclusions, or porosity. The company employs radiographic testing as a quality assurance checkpoint during the sampling process of new products, or when required by the customer to conform to quality specifications during production runs.

What can radiography assist with? Internal defect detection can identify internal casting flaws that reduce strength, while decreased failure risk identifies discontinuities early on to help avoid problems like cracking, leakage, and in-field part failures. Finally, radiography helps boost cost-effective quality control to avoid machining defective castings or scrapping finished parts. In short, radiography ensures only good castings advance through production.

Boose Aluminum supports industrial companies that require high-integrity aluminum castings, providing services typically used by defense contractors, heavy machinery manufacturers, medical industries, pump, valve, and fluid handling manufacturers, and utilities and infrastructure contractors—customers that often operate in high-pressure environments where failure is not an option. Radiographic inspection guarantees that the company’s parts fulfill their standards and needs.

Another value added quality assurance service Boose Aluminum offers is liquid penetrant inspection (LPI). When required, the in-house LPI process inspects the castings for surface flaws including porosity, laps, and fractures before it leaves the foundry. Undetected, these defects could lead to machining defects, leak paths, or casting failures.

Boose Aluminum also offers casting dimensional inspection and layout services to give engineers, quality managers, and production teams the assurance that castings are checked against the highest standards, whether it’s a First Article Inspection (FAI) or a production requirement. Before parts are put into production, these services, which are supported by skilled specialists, make sure they fulfill important requirements.

Although Boose Aluminum Foundry has faced its share of transitions and challenges, resolutions include the implementation and enforcement of SOPs, a new ERP system, and automated processes, says Sweigart. “We’re currently in the process of implementing a new no-bake sand reclamation system, along with additional sand storage capacity,” he adds. “This will provide additional sand capacity to support future growth in our no-bake molding operations.”

While there are numerous qualities that help set Boose apart within the industry, Sweigart emphasizes the importance of the company’s ability to provide clients with everything they need all under one roof.

“Boose Aluminum is very diverse in the capabilities we offer,” he says. “With production weights ranging from less than one pound to 800 pounds, volumes from one to thousands of parts, and quality ranges from commercial grade to military standards requiring X-ray and liquid dye penetrant inspections, Boose Aluminum is a one-stop shop for all your casting supply needs.”

The post Providing Diverse Capabilities in a One-Stop Shop<p class="company">Boose Aluminum Foundry</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

An ISO 9001-certified company, Samco proudly serves clients in more than 35 countries, combining deep industry expertise with a commitment to engineering precision and innovation. Every solution is custom-designed and engineered-to-order, ensuring that each customer’s unique production requirements are met with efficiency, quality, and reliability.

Vertically integrated: empowering customers through flexibility
While Samco was originally established to meet the market demand for roll forming machinery, helping customers achieve speed, precision, and high-volume production, the company has since evolved to meet a broader range of manufacturing needs.

Through its Rolling and Fabrication Divisions, Samco now supports organizations whose requirements may be smaller in scale, i.e. companies without high production volumes, with limited floor space or startup capital, or those whose business models are better suited to contract manufacturing rather than equipment ownership.

“I’ve been with Samco 11 years, and my job was to look for those opportunities and seek out organizations that required that type of service,” explains Darryl Levesque, Vice President – Rolling & Fabrication Division.

Samco’s deep focus on customer-centricity led to the creation of its Custom Roll Forming Division, designed specifically to serve clients who needed manufacturing services rather than full-scale roll forming machinery.

“That’s where the Rolling and Fabrication Divisions came in, to satisfy those customers who didn’t need a roll forming line; they simply needed a roll formed or fabricated product,” says Darryl. “Many of these companies weren’t interested in producing in-house. They were looking for a contract manufacturing partner who could do the work for them.”

By leveraging its expertise and advanced production capabilities, Samco helps clients save both time and capital, producing the volume they need without requiring investment in machinery or specialized labor.

“We sought out these opportunities, grew the business, and found customers that really needed that type of service,” Darryl adds. “Whether it’s prototype parts or small production runs, our vertical integration gives customers the ability to start small—and dream big.”

Rolling out the Rolling Division: extending Samco’s customer commitment
Samco’s Rolling Division represents the same dedication to excellence that has defined the company since its founding, a relentless drive for execution, delivery, and customer satisfaction.

Relationships at Samco are built on trust, expertise, and shared success. The company’s collaborative approach begins with active listening, which fosters open dialogue, sparks innovation, and leads to process improvements, shorter lead times, and reduced costs.

“The customer is everything,” Darryl stresses. “You’ve got to put yourself in their shoes. They’re not familiar with the roll forming process or the technology, so through our ability and knowledge of what can and can’t be done, we are able to confidently educate them about what we are, and ultimately, what they are capable of achieving.”

From concept to completion, each project is guided by Samco’s commitment to precision and efficiency. Depending on the complexity, the journey from development to tooling can be extensive, but Samco’s in-house design and tooling teams streamline this process from start to finish.

“That’s one of the benefits we have with design staff in-house,” Darryl explains. “We design our own roll tooling in a way that meets our standards and, at the end of the day, produces the product the customer is looking for.”

Furthering fabrication: completing the vertical integration
Five years ago, Samco identified both a need and an opportunity to expand beyond roll forming and become a fully vertically integrated manufacturer. The company responded by investing heavily in new equipment, advanced capabilities, industry certifications, and deeper engineering expertise.

“There are a lot of other fabrication shops and competitors out there,” notes Darryl, “but what we offer is the engineering knowledge and backing, the right equipment, and the understanding of where the customer wants to take their business.”

Today, Samco offers a comprehensive suite of fabrication services including laser cutting, brake pressing, shearing, bending, robotic welding, and certified structural welding. This end-to-end capability provides customers with economies of scale and the convenience of a one-stop shop.

“The one-stop shop mentality works in leaps and bounds,” says Darryl. “Not only do we have the core competency to offer all those processes, but we’re already pre-qualified in terms of quality.”

Samco’s ISO certifications further reinforce its dedication to quality. “We take them very seriously,” Darryl emphasizes. “We have extremely high standards and requirements in-house.” Each Samco division is individually ISO certified, giving customers the added benefit of time, cost, and efficiency savings.

Building relationships: the core of Samco’s success
At the heart of Samco’s continued success is a commitment to people, both customers and employees. The company’s focus on building strong, lasting relationships has been central to its growth for more than five decades.

“The machinery side is incredible, one of the first things that drew me to this company,” says Darryl. “Building the Rolling Division was really an extension of our pride in what we’ve accomplished on the machinery side, knowing that our machines have been in the field for 40-plus years and that our customers trust us for quality.”

That same innovative spirit drives Samco’s engineering team, a “fantastic crew,” as Darryl describes them, who are developing proprietary software and programs that anticipate and integrate AI-driven process advancements.

“There’s an expectation from the marketplace that if AI exists, it should make a client’s process easier and we’re addressing that,” says Darryl. “We’re constantly investing in R&D and reinvesting in resources—not just equipment, but knowledge to help our customers be more successful and efficient.”

For Samco, the formula for long-term success is simple: listen, innovate, and deliver.

“It’s about clients knowing they can count on us,” Darryl concludes. “Knowing that Samco will deliver and go to the ends of the Earth to meet their needs.”

The post From Roll Forming Leader to Industry Pioneer: Samco Redefines Custom Roll Forming and Fabrication<p class="company">Samco Machinery</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

With warehouses spread throughout Canada, WeldCor offers the best and most reliable products and services, including industrial and welding gases, safety clothing, welding and fabrication equipment, and a comprehensive line of MIG, TIG, hardbanding, and hardfacing products for a wide range of industries.

“WeldCor’s commitment is to make sure the customers’ needs are met,” says Billesberger. “We always stress the quality of various products and try our best to assist the customer in making the correct decisions.” This is done by properly serving the customer from the proposal stage of their request through to delivery.

Taking a different angle
“From the corporate aspect, we believe in a triangular ideology that incorporates quality, service, and price, and for this reason, WeldCor takes a strong stand against any inter-company business bribery for financial gain,” Billesberger says firmly. “For all employees of WeldCor, we stress the triangular personal commitment of honesty, integrity, and ethics.” With the welding supply industry servicing a small subset of companies, it is vital that customer relationships are valued by every member of WeldCor’s staff.

As WeldCor’s customers come to know its culture of honesty, they also come to trust its employees to assist with important decisions, understanding that the company has their best interests at heart (even referring them to a different firm if that means that their needs will be better met). “We’ve become known for not just selling product to an end customer but also as a unique part of their supply chain with our willingness to help them out,” Billesberger says.

Instilling a deep sense of honesty and commitment into his employees to pass along to clients is a top priority for Billesberger and could be considered the backbone of WeldCor’s ongoing success. “We’re also known as being very technically strong, and we have technical knowledge within this company,” he says, adding that there are 200 to 300 years’ worth of combined experience amongst WeldCor’s employees. “Between us, somebody has the right answer, and we’re smart enough to know that it’s not just knowing the answer, but knowing when you don’t know and finding someone who does.”

Source of strength
This commitment to care extends, of course, to WeldCor’s products, sourcing quality items either nationally or from mills in Italy, South Korea, Vietnam, Ukraine, or Japan, and passing along good prices to clients.

“We could make more profit, but we believe customers will always return if we’re always honest with them,” says Billesberger. “They trust us to give them quality product at a competitive price. Getting their product on time, and knowing that what they get is a good quality product, is very important to them.”

This commitment to fairness and reliability runs deeply throughout WeldCor’s policies and practices, with Billesberger striving to maintain them for the sake of both the company and its customers. “You reap what you sow through honesty and integrity, and your customers realize you have ethics, and they trust you,” he says. “That’s really what’s important. You can look at yourself in the mirror—if you have a conscience—and say, ‘That was a good day.’ We feel very humbled that customers trust us as much as they do. It’s absolutely amazing.”

Giving back
The team’s integrity extends to involvement in its community, another vital component of the company’s success, whether it’s the MS Society of Canada, Cycling for Cancer, or a local car racing sponsorship. But WeldCor’s biggest charitable effort goes to supporting the “Make-A-Wish” Foundation, raising, with the help of customers, more than $125,000 to date, with hopes to improve that this year to $150,000 through an annual golf tournament as well as its Christmas “Welding For Wishes” campaign in November.

“It’s a core philosophy that we should give back to the community that supports us,” says Billesberger. “We need to help our kids out because I believe that when we have local issues, we should try to help with local issues, and then we can expand from there.”

Make-A-Wish has been very important to WeldCor over the years, with the company putting between $15,000 and $20,000 of its own cash into the golf tournament, and vendors and suppliers donating a variety of items such as golf clubs to be auctioned off. “It’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship between a vendor, ourselves as the middleman, and the end customer,” Billesberger says. “And the beautiful thing is that in a small way we can actually help some of those young kids who need help.”

Planning for growth
When it comes to future growth, it’s Billesberger’s desire that WeldCor be Western Canada’s leading independent welding supply company, the one that’s known for treating each customer as an individual, not a number.

“I started this as a single store, and my long-term goal was to be the largest independent in Western Canada, because that’s where I was born and raised,” he says, adding that he now has stores in Prince George, Surrey, Chilliwack, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, and a new store in Winnipeg. “The only place we don’t have a store is Calgary, and we’re working on that right now,” he shares. “When that’s done, that’s a long-term goal accomplished.”

Beyond that, other notable goals include keeping those triangular ideologies going strong within the company. “What I hope to achieve is, if people hear of someone needing something for the welding industry, they’ll say, ‘Go to WeldCor, because they will treat you right,’” Billesberger says. “That’s our focus, and that’s a great testimony; that’s what you want. It’s word-of-mouth more than anything else. Everything else is just dollars and cents.”

And while the company has faced some challenges over the past few years, including battling through all the effects of COVID, the ongoing stress of finding qualified employees, and now tariffs, these are all issues that every independently owned company faces, and it’s important to have a thick skin and “roll with the punches” to be able to operate in today’s ever-changing business environment.

Accomplishments and blessings
“Our biggest accomplishment is that WeldCor has employees who, because of our core beliefs, have been with us since the 1990s,” says Billesberger. “It’s truly a blessing to have employees and friends of this calibre. I have said to new employees over the years, ‘Welcome to the WeldCor family,’ and this is a true statement.”

Along with quality product and customer care, he is also a big believer in the importance of enjoying the workplace where you spend so much of your time. “The most important thing is I love what I do. This is fun,” he says, noting that whenever anyone visits WeldCor, that sense of fun is evident. “I’ve had people say, ‘I can see you really love this business. Your eyes light up.’”

A welder by trade and a self-described “tinkerer,” Billesberger says he enjoys playing around while trying to build something better, but his extensive knowledge means he provides technical support as well. “We’re a technically oriented company, doing tech support for probably about 200 welding distributors across the United States,” he says, adding that he’s well known with the independents in the USA, even offering a 200-page product catalogue, with about 7,000 to 8,000 books circulated.

But proud as he is of what he’s built over the years and the reputation WeldCor commands throughout the industry, he stresses that one particular person in his life is owed a huge debt of gratitude.

“None of this community would be possible without the fact that by my side I have my wife, who supports me 110 percent and always has,” he says. “There’s no doubt that it makes a person want to get up in the morning and try to do a little bit better.”

Doing better in business means perfecting the quality of service so that clients always know that WeldCor will treat them right. When asked what most sets the company apart from others in the industry, Billesberger answers immediately: “We care.”

The post Honesty, Integrity, Ethics – Weldcor’s Angle on Business is a Triangle<p class="company">WeldCor Supplies Inc.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.