Before coming to work at TMI in 1980, President Gerald (Jerry) Hoffman, a Vietnam war vet, had earned a degree in mathematics and an MBA from the State University of Illinois, and spent a few years as Sales Manager at Strippit Inc., now part of the LVD Group that supplies sheet metal working machinery and software.

Over the past 42 years, through diligence and determination, Hoffman has developed TMI, a company his father began as a small one-man tool and die machine shop in 1970, into an 80,000 square foot operation that does business with hundreds of companies around the world. Its capabilities include welding, stamping, sawing, grinding, plasma cutting, and inspection.

This growth can be attributed to an “unwavering commitment to our employees, customers and community,” according to the company website. “TMI is continuing that trend by training dedicated employees to meet the demands of a constantly advancing industry, resulting in quality manufacturing solutions for today’s international companies and tomorrow’s global firms.”

As Hoffman told FMG Researcher Erika Arenas, TMI primarily uses raw materials from North America, although it does purchase some from Asia, but ships products made at its shop in Fairbury, a small town with a population of just over 3,000, to countries all over the world.

Company spokesman Seth Welch further explained the company’s strategy for success in a May 6, 2017 interview with Luke Smucker of the Pontiac Daily Leader.

“Although manufacturing is a fluctuating industry, TMI is at a competitive advantage. For the past decade, Jerry Hoffman, the company President, Caryl Hoffman, Vice President, and Becky Young, the Director of Operations, have worked hard to diversity the business’ customer base,” said Welch.

“We’re not just serving the energy extraction and heavy equipment customers; we’re also working with agriculture, forestry, and transportation. By diversifying our clientele, we don’t experience a big fluctuation like a lot of the big manufacturing companies do,” Welch concluded.

As a manufacturer of prefabricated metals such as iron, steel, and aluminum, TMI provides precision machine parts and metal stamping components and has made substantial investments in state-of-the-art equipment that provides the company with wide-ranging capabilities. This allows the team to perform some specific, intricate, and extensive work, producing over 2000 different pieces for customers.

When local radio host Paul Garcia was preparing for his interview with Hoffman about his Vietnam experience, he visited the TMI plant and later described the company on its Facebook page.

“I think it’s safe to say that 99 percent of people in this area have no idea how elaborate an operation this place is,” he wrote. “I was amazed by the technology they have and the sheer size of the place.” Among the equipment he saw was, “a laser that instantly made a 3D rendering of my hand. It’s an incredible place.”

It seems that whenever TMI acquires new equipment it makes the news. For example, the February 2012 edition of Manufacturing News featured an interview with Hoffman who had recently chosen “a Samsung mill-drill turning center, as a best buy for cost, features and availability. The larger diameter of the lathe was needed for shaft work, and other reasons for the choice included the turret size, live tooling systems, rigidity, and two-speed gearbox for low-end torque. This machine fit our needs.”

TMI’s website provides an up-to-date list of the state-of-the-art equipment that is ready to meet the exacting needs of its customers. Among them are seven horizontal mills and six vertical mills of varying sizes for milling, drilling, boring, reaming, thread milling, roller burnishing, grinding, and branching, with overhead crane assist for heavy parts.

In the grinding department there are seven grinders, including three with CNC capabilities, one manual, two surface, and one centerless capable of grinding lengths up to 12 feet to an accuracy of ±0025mm.

The lathe department has 19 CNC lathes with a range of sizes to accommodate precision shaft work and sub and twin spindles to maximize productivity, while the seven pieces of equipment in the welding department include robot welders with turntable and plasma cutter, a TIG welder for aluminum alloy steels and stainless steel, and two MIG welders.

The facility also has an abrasive waterjet, manufactured by Mitsubishi, capable of cutting through up to 8-inch-thick steel.

There’s an issue, however, with having so much highly technical, computerized precision equipment, and that involves finding highly skilled people to operate it.

As Hoffman told Arenas, that’s not an easy task. He places much of the onus on the educational system because it’s not training people to work in the sector, totally bypassing the skills needed. Moreover, teachers and guidance counsellors are “taking students away from the sector by telling them there’s no future in it.” But he believes the work is interesting and challenging, and thinks that young people who are interested in computers and grew up with them would enjoy it. Manufacturing today is not at all like it was years ago and that’s something young people need to understand.

Because staffing is such a big challenge industry-wide – and will continue to be in the future if this trend continues – Hoffman has started attending more high school job fairs and inviting students to TMI’s facility so they can see for themselves how interesting and challenging manufacturing can be. This was made more challenging for him by closures due to COVID, but he hopes to continue when possible.

In the next month, he told Arenas, TMI will be installing three new robots to improve productivity and delivery, and he is hoping this will pique the interest of students. Moreover, there are many benefits to working in manufacturing, including good paying jobs. With companies like TMI in the area, it’s not necessary for young people to leave their homes to find opportunities –not when there are opportunities waiting for them right next door.

The post Where Precision Meets Production<p class="company">Technical Metals Inc.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

“We’re a second generation business, and I’m the second generation,” says President and CEO Bob Repovs. “I’ve been here 25 years and over those years we’ve done a lot of amazing things. One of the major areas we really focus on is our people, and that’s never changed.”

In fact, Samco’s motto is ‘People. Products. Passion.,’ a maxim that embodies the company’s overriding principles in conjunction with its Patriot Values, an acronym for passion, accountability, trust, respect, innovation, open communication and teamwork, all essential to its culture, adds Repovs.

“Those are our Rules of Engagement, how we operate and make things happen throughout the company,” he says.

With manufacturing facilities built to simulate the plant of any customer, along with various adaptations, expansions and modernizations over the years, Samco produces the highest quality roll forming equipment, with its main design and manufacturing hub housed in its 164,000-square-foot Canadian facility. Here, equipment is designed and built for a variety of industries including construction, automotive, racking and shelving, garage door, and HVAC, going from a coil or a piece of sheet metal to a finished product through a series of multiple operations including in-line punching, bossing, and welding.

Vertically integrated across one location for those diverse industries, Samco has all the necessary ingredients including Wire EDMs, milling machines, cylindrical grinders, and a CNC Machining Center. The company’s impressive Tool Room assembly also assists with fabrication of roll forming lines and helps the design department.

“In the old days, the machines ran slower, with roll formers running at 50 feet per minute,” says Jaswinder Bhatti, Vice President, Applications Engineering. “It was a lot easier to handle those manually. As time passed, those machines ran faster and now we’re running machines up to 400 or 500 feet per minute. Now humans cannot deal with the way the machine processes the material.”

Due to both progress and the onset of COVID, designing material handling systems has become even more challenging,” he explains.

“Due to COVID, people couldn’t be close to each other, but sometimes you had to put two or three or four people together in order to work with the incoming and outgoing material,” says Bhatti. “Now we need to come up with something where you don’t need any human interaction.”

Employee shortages have also played a role, in part due to COVID. When you have machines running but no employees at the end to handle products, automation becomes even more vital.

“If you don’t have automation and employees may not be able to show up, the machine works for nothing because you can’t produce anything,” Bhatti says. “Material handling automation has been a big accomplishment any company can have. It’s never-ending because technology keeps changing.”

Along with advanced automation, Samco is also proud of its efficient project management system. “Once the project has launched, each of our projects is divided into different stages, starting at M1 and going all the way to M13,” says Dhruv Pandit, Sales & Marketing Director. “There’s a specific project manager managing each project, so if a customer has any questions or concerns they want to understand about where the project is, they have one go-to person.”

M1 and M2 involve understanding the requirements for the customer and for the launch, which happens at M3. “M4 is an important stage for us,” says Pandit. “This is where the engineering team at Samco talk to the engineering team of the customer’s to try and understand exactly what their actual requirements are.”

Essentially, Samco strives to maintain open communication between the company and its customers, gathering requirements initially as a sales team and talking to managers and higher-ups in the company before proposing a solution. Often, Pandit says, there’s a disconnect between what management wants and what the company requirements are.

“Our project management system gives us the opportunity to talk to the people who would actually be using the machine,” he says. “We bring them into the conversation and that’s how we work with them to try to understand.”

This could be something as simple as how the factory isn’t tall enough to accommodate a machine, or in the case of a material handling solution, a pillar somewhere in the facility could impede how Samco is designing the machine, which management may not be aware of.

“When we talk to the facility staff, engineers and floor manager, that’s when those challenges come to us,” says Pandit. “We learn about those challenges, and our engineering team sits down with the customer.”

Some customers will come to the team with an established scope and know exactly what they’re looking for, adds Bhatti, and then Samco will design the machine accordingly. “Other customers come to us with challenges they have. They’ll say, ‘that’s what we’re doing right now but it’s not working. We’d like to do better than this, and how can you guys help us create the scope for us?’”

Samco interacts with a customer in the initial stages, addressing challenges and issues and ultimately creating a solution.

“It could be a challenge that could even come three or four years down the line,” adds Pandit. “Sometimes we get customers that come back to us and say, ‘we have this machine that used to produce this product, but there’s another product coming to market which is in a similar family of products, but it has some variances.’” Samco then goes back to what they have designed to see how they can accommodate that new family of products, providing tooling or other changes.

All three agree the primary objective they’re aiming for is open communication, ensuring the customer talks to them and they talk to the customer to understand what they need and then provide them with what they need. “Sometimes it’s that conversation that helps us all understand,” says Pandit.

Aside from that challenge, Samco’s biggest hurdle over the past few years has been the supply chain, and managing that by learning to adapt, going virtual, and making positive changes.

“If customers are far away, now we do more Zoom or Teams calls when we present things,” says Repovs. “We do virtual tours with our clients. We’re more creative. We use technology better as a result of COVID because of that learning process.”

Labour has been another ongoing challenge in terms of not only a shortage of workers, but employees retiring. This has meant going into schools to promote what Samco does.

“We now have a young generation, we have new apprentices and eager beavers learning the business,” says Repovs. “Then we have some of the older generation class that are very knowledgeable and have years and years of experience, like Mr. Jaswinder Bhatti here, sharing the knowledge to the younger generation.”

It’s a really exciting time, he adds, making the effort to go after the colleges and universities and getting out to high schools.

“It’s about selling yourself and your company and showing them some of the technology we’re building, which is pretty amazing,” Repovs says. “We have some successes and you just work hard at it. When they come on board, you also have to know how to onboard them. That’s another whole process because they don’t come with a lot of experience, obviously, literally out of school.”

“Each department has its own training centre, and that’s part of a requirement that we have, where everybody’s training each other,” says Pandit.

Along with bringing in a younger generation, Samco looks to continue roll forming, along with its innovative and unique approach to building machinery while also building up its fabrication division in an ongoing effort to be a “one-stop shop,” says Bhatti.

“A customer comes to us with some low volume, pays for the tooling, and we do production for him, and eventually if business picks up and he can afford the machine, he buys the machine from us,” he says. “We have vertically integrated, and will eventually come up with something else in the future to make our offering even more unique.”

“We’ve also been here for 50 years so that itself is a great achievement,” says Pandit. “We’re looking forward to another 50 years, but also our 10,000th order is coming up soon, something we’re all working toward.”

Pandit also emphasizes that Repovs makes a point of walking the facility floor every morning. “Bob knows what’s going on, what’s coming in, what’s new, and at the same time he knows personally most of the people by name,” he says. “The fact that he goes around and walks with them adds a personal touch to every single employee. It makes them feel good to work in a company where they know the CEO. To me, that’s an important aspect which brings us back to the very first point: people.”

People have been at the core of this company for the past 50 years and they still are, Pandit stresses. It’s what really sets Samco apart because it makes people personally invested in the company.

“We’ve got our equipment in 35 countries and we’re proud to say that we have 42 different nationalities working within our operation here in Toronto,” says Repovs. “We have a wall of flags on our wall in the building that really represents our people and our diversity. It’s something we’re really proud of alongside our values and who we are as a business.”

The post People Power: Communication, Innovation, Teamwork<p class="company">Samco Machinery</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

These first-generation industrial robots have traditionally performed work that is deemed dull, dirty, or dangerous. And the robots themselves present a level of danger, too, lacking senses that would alert them to approaching human counterparts. This meant that robots were largely relegated to functioning in a static location or inside a caged area on shop floors.

“What we’ve been dealing with so far is a robot that is fixed in place, so a person has to approach the robot in order to be exposed to its hazards,” says Carole Franklin, Director of Standards Development for the Robotics Industries Association.

Now we’re on the cusp of change. Advances in technology have produced collaborative robots, and industry is exploring the realities of strategic robot-human collaborations.

Robot becomes cobot

Collaborative robots, now better known as cobots, are becoming smaller, nimbler, and more intuitive thanks to advanced software.

Collaborative robots from Universal Robots in Denmark, a leading manufacturer in the cobot market, work side-by-side with their human colleagues performing precise and repetitive jobs. They can handle any processing task, from assembly to painting, screwdriving, polishing, and injection molding, and help companies large and small become more productive and competitive.

Quebec-based Omnirobotic develops autonomous robots that, among other things, precisely apply clear coat finishes to painted vehicles. ZenRobotics of Finland has served frontrunning recycling companies since 2007 with robots that intelligently and efficiently sort waste and help reach circular economy goals.

“Collaborative robot systems allow for partially automated tasks where the robot and human can both use their own strengths to the best effect,” says Franklin. “You have the strength, precision, endurance and repeatability of the robot, and you also benefit from the flexibility and sensitivity of human touch, as well as human problem-solving and creativity.”

Another example of cobots solving labour issues comes from Dynamic Group, a Ramsey, Minnesota-based injection molding business that currently uses five robots, three of which are collaborative robot systems.

“We have some jobs that just aren’t very fulfilling or attractive,” CEO and co-owner Joe McGillivray says. “They’re repetitive, boring – things no one really wants to do, no matter how much you’d be willing to pay them.”

His robot systems play a key role in production and revenues.

“I have work getting done on all shifts that wouldn’t be done otherwise,” says McGillivray. “The robots don’t quit, find a better job, or get sick. They’re able to keep going and going. People on the shop floor love them. They don’t want to be doing the jobs the robots are doing.”

Changing the atmosphere
Robots and AI powered technology are also combining to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 2.4 gigatons by 2030. To visualize a gigaton of this gas, just imagine an area the size of Central Park in New York, 2.5 miles long and half a mile wide. Now imagine a structure filling that area and rising 100 stories into the air – that building approximately fills the space occupied by one gigaton of greenhouse gas.

This strikingly swift drop, says a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Microsoft, is the outcome of many sectors of the manufacturing industry deploying robots.

The damaging effects of climate change are on the agenda, with businesses looking to ‘green’ their operations and protect their own long-term interests. Technology, although a substantial upfront investment, is increasingly being called upon to offer solutions that reduce carbon outputs.

Good for people

It’s important to note that robots are not displacing human employees. AI is all about creating advantages and new skills for skilled trades, where engineers and technicians, for example, learn how to design and train robots to perform multiple tasks. The goal is to make their human coworkers more efficient so there’s less waste and higher productivity.

McKinsey Global Institute says the trend is for more workplaces to involve diverse forms of human-robot collaborations. Ideally, robots can take over mundane, round-the-clock, routine manufacturing tasks for precise, error-free outputs.

Deployment of robots to take on these tedious processes frees up people to focus on what humans are uniquely good at: complexities of management, exercise of creativity in production, and work-related interactions – all tasks that involve decision-making based on values.

“Robots are not going to replace humans. They are going to make their jobs much more humane. Difficult, demeaning, demanding, dangerous, dull – these are the jobs robots will be taking,” says Sabine Hauert, a UK scientist and cofounder of Robohub.org, a not-for-profit online communication platform connecting businesses with experts in robotics research.

For example, the rise of e-commerce has warehouse robots picking items off shelves and placing them in boxes for shipping. When new items are added to the stock, reprogramming a robot would require hand-labelling thousands of images to show it how to grasp and store the new items. Now MIT researchers have developed a training technique that enables a robot to learn a new pick-and-place task with only a handful of human examples, speeding up the entire training process.

Fitting in

Robots are not perfect and are still subject to the human error of those who program and install them. However, robot errors, in general, are predictable and systematic. These types of errors, unlike often intermittent human errors, are much easier to detect and resolve.

Economists say that robot technicians will be indispensable in the war against climate change as they will be called upon to not only implement but maintain robots at peak efficiency.

Right now, many of the incoming industrial robots are replacing aged manufacturing equipment. These more compact robotic machines require less power to operate, reducing energy consumption and pollutants. A fitting example of this is the robot replacement of the ubiquitous gas-powered forklift. Electric robot pickers can autonomously perform pick and pack operations quickly and cleanly.

Then factor in the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed digital transformation to the forefront. The use of delivery robots surged, in part because of the increased demand for home delivered goods, and in part because of human resource shortages as public health protocols urged workers to stay at home. Some of this expanded use of robot technology will undoubtedly stay in effect.

Another benefit is cities across the globe seeing the use of autonomous delivery robot vehicles which are lowering the emissions associated with transportation and could play an important part in reducing climate change.

The largest advantage, in terms of emissions, that autonomous robots have over traditional forms of delivery vehicles is their compact size. Electricity powers this smaller, lighter vehicle, not gasoline, and it requires far less power to do the same job. As well, it navigates using AI algorithms mapping out the most efficient routes to get to a destination.

Opening new opportunities

Robots and automation are greening manufacturing and the planet, putting them squarely on the frontlines of fighting climate change and pollution. The applications appear limitless. They are being deployed in the depths of the ocean to filter microplastics from the water and the food chain.

Robots are also aiding massive tree planting campaigns in remote regions. Australia-based SkyGrow is using its Growbot, an unmanned vehicle to plant trees 10 times faster and at half the cost of enlisting people to plant.

With AI and robotics evolving to create business and manufacturing solutions, they are dependent on the innovation and guidance of people.

As Andrew Ng, cofounder and lead of Google Brain sees it, “The amount of work we can automate with AI is vastly larger than before. As leaders, it is incumbent on all of us to make sure we are building a world in which every individual has an opportunity to thrive.”

The post Greener, Cleaner Robots<p class="company">A Skilled Trades Revolution</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Through determination and attention to detail, the firm has earned itself a reputation for making clients’ components and concepts more suitable for manufacture while improving quality and useful life to such a level that it ultimately functions as an off-site division of clients’ operations. Dalsin is particularly proud of its longstanding partnerships with clients and suppliers.

Despite recent global challenges, Dalsin is expanding. To solve supply chain issues that still arise for its clients across the continent due to post-COVID-19 concerns and current supply chain constraints, the company is opening a second facility.

“We come with a high level of quality and engineering expertise, so we can certainly help OEMs with solutions, especially when their partners supply products closer to their facilities,” says Chief Executive Officer Tom Schmeling.

This new facility measures 42,000 square feet and is based in Lakeville, Minnesota, just under twenty miles from the Bloomington headquarters. “Inside this facility will be a highly automated material handling, punching, and bending system produced by Salvagnini,” says Vice President of Production Operations, Bob Borgerding. “We are planning on running the facility with very few employees. [Our team is] familiar with this type of equipment as we have been running Salvagnini equipment since 1995,” he adds, stressing that these two fully automated lines will allow the firm to handle even more precision work.

As the firm takes pride in running its facilities to the highest standards, this one will impress just like the Bloomington manufacturing facility, which spreads across 135,000 square feet. It houses another extensively automated sheet metal fabrication facility that handles materials, laser cutting, punching, and more. Its welding division is also highly automated. In addition, it has a next-generation testing department, plus an in-house powder coating facility and a design-for-manufacturing department.

Technology and automation are integral to Dalsin’s work, and it takes care to keep up with the latest developments on this front. “We work very hard to integrate technology and stay on the leading edge of technology and automation. The most exciting thing we are currently integrating is the Salvagnini S4, P4 lines and the materials handling automation that is associated with it,” says Schmeling.

Because Dalsin Industries, Inc. is all about service and commitment to quality, its leadership knows that its people’s intricate knowledge of the company’s machinery and technological capabilities gives it a significant advantage. The company works differently than others that use “the same technology because of our deep understanding and long history with the technology. Technology by itself is one thing. Having a team that knows how to use it very well is [our] differentiator. [Our people] know how to make it hum,” says Vice President of Technical Operations Keith Diekmann. In this way, the company creates custom work and components that put it in a class of its own.

Mitigating its impact on the environment as far as possible is another aspect of the business that Dalsin takes seriously. To this end, it patented IntelliBurn Technology™ in its Memphis Grills division’s wood-burning barbecue grills. The technology combines primary and secondary combustion systems which means fuel savings and lower pollution thanks to a cleaner burn. In addition, variable speed fans make for more efficient temperature control.

“We can control the temperature of the inside of the grill tighter than we can control the ovens inside of our homes,” says Diekmann, who is also the patent owner.

Effectively training staff is crucial in being able to create specialty components. Intimate knowledge of the materials and tools is the first step to achieving superior work, and, as the dividends far exceed the original investment, it is worth the time and effort that the company plows into its people, making continual development a part of its legacy.

Dalsin Industries, Inc. started in 1945 as a family-owned architectural and sheet metal fabricator, growing its capabilities to answer its customers’ needs. Boosting its size and geographic reach naturally followed. Even though it has grown significantly, the company retains its family values and entrepreneurial approach to everything it does. It is constantly adapting to the market and its clients as time passes, to be as agile and responsive as ever.

When a customer initially approaches the company with a project, a dynamic team of professionals from every relevant department is appointed. The customer request is then studied, and production is discussed and mapped.

A project leader keeps everything running in line with the International Standards Organization’s (ISO) guidelines during the entire project, ensuring that all stakeholders are well informed and kept up to speed with developments. Some of the official standards in which the company is certified include ISO9001:2015 and ISO14001:2015. It is also registered with the American Welding Society, among several other certifications – for which it is regularly audited, ensuring that its products remain safe to use by clients and end-users.

COVID-19 affected the company’s operations to a limited degree. “We had a small downturn at the very start of the pandemic; however, we bounced right back out of that. As durable goods sales were very high during that period, we [could] meet [many] our customers’ needs through a robust supply chain,” says Diekmann.

Assigning bill allocations was one way in which the team could predict demand to remain sufficiently stocked. While some international materials shipments remain a challenge, Dalsin is marching on, providing the fantastic service on which it has built its name.

Of course, Dalsin would be nowhere without its 160 industry experts, and the company could not be more aware of that. “We can have all this equipment and put it in the building but without the right kind of engaged people [using] it and understanding how to [use] it, it is just equipment sitting there,” says Schmeling. It hires creative professionals who enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, where customer relations and collaboration rule supreme.

A recent visit from Women in Manufacturing to its facility confirmed the team’s efficiency. The visitors noticed people’s drive and energy “at every level of the company,” Schmeling says. The representatives were impressed and spoke “about how and why we accomplish that.”

Everybody’s ideas and input are valued, and teamwork and respect are vital. Profit-sharing means that every employee has a stake in the firm’s prosperity and is motivated to work toward the most sustainable and lucrative outcomes.

With exceptional organic growth driving continued expansion, Dalsin Industries, Inc. will continue to do what it takes to meet its clients’ needs and market demands. Following this, environmental sustainability remains an important goal. From growing investment in clean energies – like the 1.3-megawatt solar panel array that supplies more than forty percent of its electricity – and a subscription to a local community solar garden to working toward the same zero-waste certification it achieved in previous production locations, Dalsin Industries, Inc. is open-minded about its opportunity for continued meaningful sustainability programs.

The post Making Technology Hum<p class="company">Dalsin Industries, Inc.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Previously profiled in December 2020 in Manufacturing in Focus, the company is on an upwards trajectory. “Since 2020, the most drastic change at co-ax®, and one most businesses had to adapt to in the last two years, would have to be the COVID-19 pandemic. co-ax valves inc. was fortunate to overcome the pandemic better than most,” states Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ralf Hinz.

Just prior to COVID, the firm went paperless which “made it a lot easier for everybody to work from home and share information,” he says. “CVI sales staff transitioned to working remotely one hundred percent. The ones who were not able to work remotely came into the office but had to maintain safety protocols.”

Adjustments were made in other areas, as co-ax® adapted to new circumstances brought about by COVID. The pandemic actually increased demand for some CVI products, which range from direct-acting coaxial valves to high-pressure valves, lateral valves, externally-controlled coaxial valves, and more.

“When business slowed down in some industries, co-ax® was able to grow in some old and new industries. The demand for oxygen skyrocketed during this time period, and co-ax® was able to provide for this industry,” he says. “Regardless of COVID, the hydrogen market has also grown dramatically. co-ax® was able to find a solution and provide it to this industry. Hydrogen is now one of our fastest-growing markets.”

This spirit of adaptation, matched with innovative product offerings, has been central to the company’s success over the decades. CVI’s flagship product—the coaxial valve—was invented by company founder Gottfried Müller in 1960 to address a growing concern. At the time, higher pressures in machine tool and manufacturing operations were causing valves to fail. To prevent such failures, the coaxial valve is pressure-balanced, meaning the element inside the valve always stays balanced in both the open and closed positions and during any transition between the two, regardless of outside forces.

“At its simplest, the co-ax® valve incorporates two co-linear, cylindrical, longitudinal elements, one inside the other. The larger of the two cylinders is the external housing with inlets and outlets. It’s always stationary. The smaller of the two cylinders is the control element, called the control tube. The control tube forms the flow channel through the valve and moves back and forth longitudinally inside the housing when actuated, toward and away from the valve seat. The external housing and the internal control tube share the same axis,” reads company literature.

In addition to being pressure-balanced, all co-ax® valves are compact and leak-free as, with no external actuator, there is no risk of actuator stem leakage. They are also energy-efficient and have a long cycle life since the internal control tube and external valve housing are positioned parallel to the flow in a co-linear fashion, so they are not hugely affected by pressure and, therefore, do not incur much wear. The valves have air consumption that is less than ten percent of conventional valves. co-ax® valves are custom-designed according to customer specifications.

Parent company müller co-ax gmbh in Forchtenberg, Germany, opened its Bristol-based U.S. subsidiary in 1997. It also maintains regional sales managers for South America, Canada and the United States.

co-ax® valves are used extensively on gas turbines, machine tools, and processing, specifically, plastics, paints, and inks. Serving the North American machine tool sector was one of the key reasons co-ax® launched the Bristol subsidiary, according to Ralf Hinz. The company currently does “a substantial amount of business with high-pressure coolant within the machine tool industry,” he notes.

Aerospace represents another burgeoning market for CVI. Its valves are not used so much on air or spacecraft but on ground-based support equipment.

At present, co-ax®’s best-selling product is, “direct-acting, one-inch solenoid valves with 232 psi working pressure. This valve is commonly used on generators that run on dual fuel. The robust design keeps downtime to a minimum while the superior sealing performance helps maintain safe operations,” he states.

For all its accomplishments, the company refuses to sit on its laurels. It takes pride in its ongoing research and development efforts, and in addition to developing new products, it works hard to improve existing valves.

This April, co-ax® released a “newly designed VMK-H 10, 2/2-way valve with a 3/8 inch orifice, pneumatically operated, with a maximum pressure of 2900 psi. This high-pressure valve was advanced from the well-known VMK 10 series (1450 PSI). Its most distinctive feature is its cylindrical valve body,” Ralf Hinz says.

Designed to “bridge the gap between our high-pressure solenoid and externally-controlled, high-pressure co-axial valves,” the enhanced VMK-H 10 also boasts increased flow rate and lower operating costs.

The firm has ISO 9001:2015 certification, which is “maintained regularly with internal audits, management review meetings, customer satisfaction replies, receiving and final inspection of parts, and final products. We hold our suppliers to high standards by monitoring on-time delivery and quality of parts and product. We also are working to continuously improve the effectiveness of our quality system,” states Ralf Hinz.

co-ax® focus on quality and innovation has earned praise. The company was selected as the world market leader in 2022 in the categories of coaxial valve technology and high-pressure valves by renowned German magazine Wirtschaftswoche (English translation: Economic Week). This marks the second time in a row co-ax® earned this honor, he notes with pride.

Given such high standards, CVI is careful about whom it hires. It wants workers who are organized, enthusiastic team players, with good communication skills and a willingness to continuously expand on co-ax® knowledge. All new employees receive comprehensive training across the entire product line. When possible, new hires are given additional hands-on training in the assembly department of the co-ax® parent company in Germany.

Training is not just about acquiring technical skills, however. The company also encourages staff to think of themselves as part of a team that is focused on positive client interactions.

“Our company culture is driven by customer satisfaction. If the customer is happy, we are happy. We can only succeed if we work together; therefore, teamwork is extremely important. The company sponsors team events, such as golf and baseball games. We are a subsidiary of a German company, and employees are allowed to travel overseas to meet their colleagues in person. We want everybody to feel respected and supported with learning and development opportunities,” Ralf Hinz says.

This outgoing attitude was put to the test during COVID. The pandemic shuttered most in-person trade shows and industry events, so co-ax® had to find new ways to promote itself. The company did more digital advertising and emphasized marketing search engine optimization. It is also building a new, enhanced company website. Thanks to these online efforts, CVI remained in contact with existing customers during the worst of the pandemic and attracted new clients as well, he reports.

COVID has also created a major challenge in the form of supply chain interruptions around the world, with long delays in shipping products, materials, and components. Supply chain woes have also been compounded by ongoing labor shortages, says Ralf Hinz.

These challenges “have caused our lead times to increase. We are proactively managing our supply chain by monitoring quotations, back orders, commit dates, inventory levels, production facilities and logistics networks to identify and communicate issues and explore alternative sources as needed,” he states.

While these difficulties might cause headaches, CVI is confident they can be overcome. After all, “We are known for being extremely adaptable to new challenges,” notes Ralf Hinz.

Indeed, the company has big plans for the future based on continued growth, new markets, and new products, with the co-ax® engineering department “currently working on a design for a valve that can handle hydrogen exceeding 14500 psi,” he says.

CVI is also looking to increase its presence in certain sectors. “Over the last couple of years, co-ax® has ventured deeper into new market segments, such as aerospace and gas processing. Recently, we found some new opportunities in the medical diagnostic equipment market. This is all very exciting, and we will stay on this path. We believe that we will continue to grow in a healthy way and will be able to manifest our position as a market leader,” says Ralf Hinz.

The post Showing Grace Under Extreme Pressure<p class="company">CO-AX Valves, Inc.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Celebrating thirty years in the industry last year, Pyramex Safety Products is a leader in top-quality protective equipment and clothing.

“We want to provide the best possible products, the best possible service and, most importantly, we want to make our customers’ lives easier on a day-to-day basis,” says Robert Shearon, Vice President of Industrial Sales.

As a result, the company’s product range is diverse and includes everything from eye, head, hand, and ear protection to welding and cooling gear, N95 respirators, a choice selection of accessories, and more. Its durable, trusted in-house brands include Venture Gear, Venture Gear Tactical, Ducks Unlimited, and Carhartt. Some of the company’s latest introductions to the market include its RVHL31BR series of Hi-Vis vests; the XR7 Display stand, which holds 20 units; cowhide and polyurethane gloves; and the Venture Gear Tactical Drone 2.0 anti-fog safety glasses, which adhere to the highest impact standards.

Pyramex serves around 2,500 clients in over sixty countries. While the company has its US roots firmly ensconced in Piperton, Tennessee, it also has another warehouse on the outskirts of London in the United Kingdom. From here, its merchandise gets distributed across its European network.

Developing longstanding relationships with clients and distributors is part of its commitment to outstanding service and so is supplying quality products at a reasonable cost. “We have quality products at a fair price. Most companies will tell you that our primary goal is to make our customers’ lives easier! We strive to build relationships with our customers that go beyond business,” Shearon remarks.

The company’s focus on protecting people gives its fine craftsmanship meaning and value in a market flooded with lesser products. By concentrating on the requirements of demanding terrains and often dangerous work environments, Pyramex is well-versed in looking at its market and providing what is needed.

Everything the company does comes from valuing service. “It is a constant challenge. We try to maintain this focus through servant leadership and honoring God in the workplace. We seek to do the right thing and treat all people the way we would want them to treat us,” says Travis Slater, President of Pyramex. “Building strong relationships centered on trust is the foundation of our success. It all comes from a servant’s heart. For over thirty years, we have been blessed and honored to serve and protect others through PPE.”

What has become a thriving enterprise anchored in three decades of expertise started in 1991 with humble beginnings. It grew over time, and in 2018, moved into a new facility that now serves as its headquarters and distribution center. This has now become phase one of three in a $45 million property investment spanning fifty acres of land that allows for up to 700,000 square feet of expansions.

The company’s new operations are set to include a new printing center, product testing facility, and training laboratory, among the additions. It will also include significant technological improvements with a new Oracle warehouse management system being introduced to improve the overall performance of its research and development and fabrication facilities. Despite its success and incredible growth, the team works to keep the warmth and sincerity of the early days alive.

People matter, and with around 230 employees and sales representatives working to build its brand globally, that feeling of belonging creates a valuable bond between coworkers across vast distances. “The thing that makes them great is that they value others, and they get joy from serving others. When we hire at Pyramex, we… look for these attributes in the candidate. If the candidate has them, then we know they will fit in well with our culture,” Slater says.

Part of the motivation to continuously improve is its commitment to serving with integrity, and establishing this culture of trust plays an important role. “You cannot effectively motivate people long-term if they do not trust you. As a company, we seek to follow through with what we say we are going to do to [consciously] build trust. That is essential. Every position matters. Every position is valued,” he adds. To communicate its appreciation of its people’s time, work, and diligence, the company ensures that there is plenty of time for bonding, feasting, and playing together.

By building closer bonds, the team also secures solid relationships with one another, extending the sense of family on which the company was built. “Pyramex is a family-owned business, but for many of us here, it is like a second family. It is a culture built on love, respect, and hard work. It is our people that make Pyramex special,” Slater says with a smile. It was this camaraderie that kicked in when the company faced the difficulties brought about by COVID-19.

“The first thing we did as a company was pray for direction and peace. Throughout 2020, we started each week as a company in prayer. Looking back on it, I am so thankful that we have not had to close for one day due to COVID,” Slater says, describing as rewarding the experience of providing PPE to frontline workers throughout America during such a time of danger.

“Each week, we would get letters from doctors’ offices or hospitals where we donated PPE products. From their responses, you would have thought we have given them a million dollars,” he says. This certainly put the company’s positive impact on the world around it into perspective.

“At Pyramex, the answer to prayer through this time was peace in the workplace. We did not have an employee get COVID until much later in the year when a lot more was known about the virus,” Slater adds, expressing his gratitude to his team for being a blessing during these troubled times.

Yet, while the initial crisis and the spiked demand for medical protective gear may appear to be drawing to a close, the lingering effects of COVID-19 continue. Some of the continuing challenges still influencing the PPE industry revolve around common issues that many other industries are also facing. These include intermittent supply chain factors, increased backorder demands, and inflation amongst other hitches.

To curb these significant problems, the company is actively securing materials and increasing the size of its inventory to mitigate any possible future stock crises. In this way, it continues to serve its clients with sought-after safety gear, allowing them to focus on getting to work.

Looking toward a bright and fresh post-COVID future, Pyramex Safety Products has committed itself to improve its products even further. We look forward to following the growth and exciting developments of this trusted international brand.

The post Protecting the World with Quality PPE<p class="company">Pyramex Safety Products</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Working for clients in telecommunications, aerospace and defense, banking and sorting, oil, gas, alternative energy, and other industries, All Metals continues growing while offering the kind of quality, timely service that comes from dealing with a family-owned business.

Lance Thrailkill serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, and represents its third generation. Lance put in a few summers at the company during his youth. In 2004, he went on to get his Master’s in Accounting from Southern Methodist University, which benefitted him when he returned to All Metals on a full-time basis. Thrailkill served first as its Controller in 2008 then as Chief Financial Officer through 2018 when he transitioned into his current role as CEO.

Tradition and customer service

Headquartered in the City of Allen – part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area – All Metals Fabricating has been in business since the 1950s. It was bought by Lance’s grandfather William ‘Bill’ Thrailkill in 1978. A year later, he was joined by his son, William ‘Billy’ Thrailkill, Jr., who today serves as President. Steadily acquiring the company from his father since he came on board, Lance is now the majority shareholder.

Although it was already an established business back in 1978, All Metals saw its sales quadruple in the first year of Thrailkill family ownership. Over the past four decades, the company has maintained its core values of: We Care More!, Whatever it Takes!, Relentless Pursuit of Excellence, Innovation, and Integrity.

In the early days, All Metals made metal housing for exterior drive-up banking equipment, and the company still services that customer today. With the telecom boom in the Dallas area throughout the eighties and nineties, All Metals grew by riding that wave. By 2000, the bubble burst, and All Metals’ sales went down over 40 percent in just one year. “After that, we began actively diversifying, and now we serve every industry,” says Thrailkill.

While telecom still represents about 30 percent of the company’s work, other sectors include Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), alternative energy, medical, aerospace, oil, and gas. Banking equipment remains a significant source of revenue for the company, which makes metal housings and cash processing equipment for international federal reserves’ counting and sorting bills and checking for counterfeits. “We make all the subassemblies for them, and all their metal parts,” states Thrailkill, “for both sides of banking: federal and retail.”

One-stop shop

With 68 employees, a massive 86,000-square-foot facility, and the latest state-of-the-art technologies, All Metals is truly a one-stop shop. With its experienced team, the company supports clients from early design concepts and prototyping through to production, finishing, assembly, and anything else required.

To provide the best quality products in sheet metal fabricating, machining, welding, electro-mechanical assembly, and powder coating, All Metals continues investing in the most state-of-the-art equipment and machinery. Services include engineering/design, laser cutting, tube laser, punching, forming, machining, graining/deburring, welding, roll forming, powder coating, electrical wiring, quality control and more.

Working through the pandemic

Deemed an essential business during the COVID-19 pandemic, All Metals ensured the safety of its workers and customers from the beginning, and provided hazard pay. This included the entire building being sanitized nightly for three months and – to keep the risk of exposure down – All Metals brought in lunch for two months for everybody and paid for it so they didn’t have to leave. “We actually gave everybody the option of taking two weeks of paid leave from the government, and only a few people took it, while everybody else kept working,” says Thrailkill. The only reason a few staff accepted paid leave was because they were Dallas-area residents who thought they could have been arrested if they were seen out driving during lockdown.

Realizing many of the men and women who work for All Metals have their own families, the company allows its dedicated people the option of working up to 20 hours of overtime (60 hours a week total), to make ends meet. “Most people would probably think, ‘You’re making less money as a company,’ or ‘That’s not sustainable,’ but what we find is, they’re not factoring in the costs of hiring, layoffs, and taxes that come with turnover,” states Thrailkill. “That’s not why we do it; why we do it is because we want to provide a better life for our employees, because our employees are our number one priority. If we take care of our employees in a radical way, then they take care of our customers in a radical way and put the company first. It’s this whole mindset: we put our people first, and our people put our customers first. That really proved true through COVID when everybody chose to keep working, even when offered the paid leave.”

Even though sales went down for a time during COVID because some customers had to close operations, All Metals was able to pivot, and did some marketing on LinkedIn. One company contacted them urgently needing sanitizing carts. The challenge was, the company’s carts were injection molded plastic, and came from China, making it impossible to receive them in time. “We re-designed the carts to be made from sheet metal and we made about 5,000 of them for this new customer. In the end, our 2020 sales nearly totaled our 2019 sales.”

Investing in the future

In the past five years, one of All Metals’ main points of focus has been automation. “Our 10-year goal is to be the most automated and best job shop in the world,” says Thrailkill. “We spent about $5 million in the last six years on automated equipment, and we are in development for another $5 million to $7 million investment in the next two to three years on even more automation. We are marching rapidly toward this goal, and we won’t stop until we get there. We are automating our departments and our processes. Every department from front office to back office either already has or will have automation built into their processes.”

To help reach its automation goals, All Metals joined forces with Paperless Parts, which is behind advanced estimating and quoting software for the manufacturing sector. This has enabled All Metals to use sophisticated software that quotes parts incredibly quickly, unfolds parts, and has all cutting parameters for lasers and punches. “It basically quotes the part for you once you input what type of material it is along with the type of manufacturing process, finish, and quantity – and will fill in the quote in less than a minute. It is remarkable software, and it also allows our customers to do it on our portal and upload the parts while the quote is being built in the background without us doing anything.”

Once the quote is complete, staff verify it and can further process the order if necessary. This is fully integrated with the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which works seamlessly with the scheduler. Other automation being embraced by the company includes machine monitoring software with measures utilization rates, which further increases efficiencies. Every Monday morning, every department lead gets a four-week snapshot of how their department performed that week compared to the previous three weeks on the utilization rates of every machine in their department. They can also log downtime, so when a machine isn’t running for 15 minutes, staff can look at trends and track data to see how to reduce downtime.

Even with technology on its side, the company still believes in supporting its loyal, experienced staff in any way possible, and in putting its people first. “By putting our people first – even before ourselves as leaders in the company – this means you have a much happier workforce who, in turn, also wants to put the company first,” states Thrailkill. “In a world where the bottom dollar is all that matters and layoffs are so common, if you really put your people first, nothing is more impactful to the bottom line than that. We’ve only had one layoff in 45 years of my family owning All Metals Fabricating, and we are very fortunate and proud to have that accomplishment.”

The post Family Matters<p class="company">All Metals Fabricating</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

The company provides custom fabrication of ASME pressure vessels and API tanks, skids, cyclones, ductwork, and heavy plate fabrication. Its vast Texas facility enables total fabricated-weight capacities of up to 500 tons and accommodates diameters with dimensions of up to 26 feet (7.93 m).

Add to that the attention to detail in even these awe-inspiring jobs where the company’s standing challenge to itself that ‘We keep tighter tolerances, achieve better fittings, and as a result, get better welds,’ plays a big part in the phenomenal success rate of their fabrications.

And of course, don’t forget the exceptional customer service.

Pushing technology forward

The plant – conveniently located between the Port of Freeport and the Union Pacific Railroad in the heart of Freeport, Texas – enjoys direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway, allowing it to be reached by train, highway, vessel, or barge.

With its major business the fabrication of pressure vessels (the company boasts qualification in more than 1,500 welding techniques, and ASME Code Stamps U, R, U2, & NB), Freeport is dedicated, as an industry leader in technology, to researching and developing new methods, tools, and procedures that streamline the fabrication process to the benefit of everyone.

To that end, the company has established what it refers to as a 21st century fabrication production system, which entails a complete re-engineering of the fabrication process, including logging inquiries, estimating, generation of quality production plans, inspection reports, schedules and cutting parts.

The system employs industry-leading computer technology with 50 networked computers, three of which are located in the shop.

In its ongoing drive to produce products that fulfill the needs of clients, both internal and external, at reasonable and competitive costs, Freeport Welding also strives to provide a clean and safe working environment for all employees, as well as the facilities for continued research and the creation of innovative methods, equipment, and procedures while streamlining the fabrication process.

Re-inventing operational software

In keeping with this commitment to innovation, in 1985 Freeport Welding started developing, its own operational software.

To achieve cost-cutting and quality-control objectives, Freeport realized it needed a computer software application to act as an integrated control system, one that would gather all relevant information from across the organization and make it accessible to all – management, estimating, accounting, scheduling, safety, quality control, and supervisory workers, via a computer network.

It was immediately clear that there were no existing applications that could meet its requirements, hence the initiative that has resulted in the company’s own super-application, JobTrax®.

“Our Critical Process Management System, which works in tandem with JobTrax®, has put us miles ahead of ISO-based fabricators,” says President Roy Yates.

“We work for all the major refiners, chemical companies, and EPC firms in the United States, as well as a number of international firms. Most people have lost faith in ISO and now conduct their own quality audits; after seeing ours, we were never asked to seek ISO accreditation.”

Application development and enhancement are still ongoing, and the company employs a full-time systems developer who has spent the past 20 years working on the project.

JobTrax® performs numerous functions including customer / owner purchasing, technical, quality rep database, work orders, estimating, purchase orders, vendor database, drawings, scheduling, non-compliance reports, and payroll. With direct access to about 60 network users in the organization, management has complete access from their homes.

Doing it with Dow

Freeport was also sought after to join the “Dow Supplier Partnership Program” by Dow Chemical in the mid-90s, in which they were to conduct quality improvement steps comparable to ISO, but also cost-cutting initiatives, says Yates.

With the goal of cutting expenses while also improving the quality of goods and services given to the corporation by its global suppliers, Dow had contemplated requiring suppliers to get certified to an ISO standard, but determined these requirements wouldn’t effectively achieve its goals, particularly in cost management.

Freeport Welding was one of around 13 fabricators originally included in the list. Over the years, the program has undergone several adjustments, with numerous other companies launching similar initiatives.

The two ventures have proven to be useful to the company, and almost every major chemical, oil, engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company in the United States, as well as several overseas companies, has accepted Freeport as a fabricator.

The manual on quality

More than just a job management system, JobTrax® is also a complete business management system, and its Quality Manual section comprises all of Freeport’s Critical Process operating procedures – approximately 800 of them – such as engineering, estimating, drafting, document control, purchasing, safety, health and environmental regulations, and employee policies, totaling 1,927 line items.

The procedures falling under Critical Process, which have been established and refined over the past 40 years, are critical to the operation of Freeport Welding. The philosophy that has emerged over the years is that while the company has highly knowledgeable and competent workers, they must all operate within strict operating systems, as outlined in these documented procedures.

JobTrax® enables quick, up-to-date communication between departments as well as comprehensive recording of fabrication, welding, and quality operations.

Freeport documents and saves every step of these operations in the huge databases of its servers. From 1985 on, they have records on every job ever performed with the capacity to retrieve any recorded information in seconds. “Continuing to develop our software business is definitely a milestone in the upcoming years,” says Yates.

Conquering Horn Mountain

That experience and innovation has sourced impressive results, including the company’s work on producing Horn Mountain spar’s upper riser stems and deck stopper assemblies to exacting specifications.

Production risers for each of the eight producing wells and the two water injection wells installed on the Horn Mountain truss spar were of record length, but the riser assemblies were installed offshore without delay, with Freeport’s ability to meet exacting specifications and close tolerances facilitating the installation. Each upper stem / deck stopper assembly required cutting-edge welding technology and a large, covered shop space with generous overhead crane capacity.

This specification was met in the company’s 54,000 square-foot facility where the six overhead cranes in the 300-foot-long (91.5 m) main shop area were configured uniquely to fabricate and assemble the various components while maintaining the required close tolerances.

Freeport’s established rail transport system also benefitted the fabrication of the Horn Mountain riser components, permitting movement of each component through the fabrication bays under cover, outdoors for exterior preparation and coating, and then back under cover for final assembly.

The combination of multiple stages of the huge and cumbersome assembly simultaneously in production, as well as time-sensitive completion goals, generated significant logistical issues, says Yates. However, Freeport’s welders performed the task with a minimal number of repairs, and throughout the fabrication, assembly, and testing processes, the teams implemented critical process controls to ensure that quality was maintained and recorded.

As the final assembly of the riser systems was to be performed offshore, where accurate interface was crucial, meeting the Horn Mountain project’s fast-track delivery timetable was critical, as was compliance with all quality and dimensional criteria, he adds.

“The bottom line is that everything fit, and we delivered on time,” says Yates. “Our operating philosophy is clear: ‘When nothing but top quality, performance, and know-how will do.’”

Challenge and growth

Along with successes, Freeport has faced its share of challenges, particularly in the past few years, but has handled them admirably. “There have been challenges for sure, but the biggest ones have been dealing with foreign competition, and, of course, the virus disaster,” Yates says.

Overcoming these obstacles, Freeport relies on the dedication of its staff to quality product, and experienced teams who make every obstacle a spur to innovation, and service a priority.

“We have many skilled and knowledgeable employees who have been here for a long time. We’ve written procedures on all our processes, and have very extensive training and controls,” Yates says.

The company has gone through many changes and immense growth over its impressive time in the industry since inception in 1958, including a second shop purchased in 1977 in Clute, Texas; entering into a property swap with Dow Chemical and Port Freeport in 1998; and acquiring the 26.22 acres that it presently occupies inside the Freeport storm-protection levee system.

In 2000 the company built a 15,600 square-foot shop on the new property, plus an office building and garage. The second phase of the shop (15,600 square feet) came in 2006, the third phase (5,200 square feet) in 2008, and the fourth phase (20,000 square feet) in 2009.

Now boasting more than 150,000 square feet of floor space, a weight capacity of over 500 tons, a painting booth, and a shipping / receiving building, the premises house every tool necessary to produce a flawless finished product.

That impressive growth should continue as the company expands its network of the approximately 90 computers that generate quick, up-to-date communication between departments. With all its drawings, computations, layouts, and details computer-generated, and all components cut straight from those drawings on an NC burning table, nothing is laid out or cut by hand in the shop.

Specializing in completing urgent-turnaround jobs in a timely and efficient manner, Freeport can flame cut, roll, and bend practically any material without relying on outside sources, says Yates. All 15 of its important processes are flow-charted, with thousands of documented procedures built over many years of experience.

“We keep tighter tolerances, achieve better fittings, and as a result, we get better welds.”

The post Towering Achievements Come from Tiny Tolerances<p class="company">Freeport Welding</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

But these ‘electric avenues’ are little-known, and much more important – they’re what electric wire harnesses provide to organize and simplify the kilometers-long tangle of wiring built into all the millions of modern motor vehicles and many other electric power circuits.

Electric harnesses lend a customized structure to the wiring in auto-electric layouts of cars and other complex electrical power circuits. They group and route cables into optimized electric avenues that are easily identifiable and easily reached.

This is the way that MNSTAR wire harnesses simplify troubleshooting and repair and even the assembly of auto-electric units. MNSTAR’s harnesses are famed for their durability in the most demanding environments and are individually quality tested. This American product incorporates only the best quality craftsmanship and materials, including Deutsch connectors and superior braiding.

Harnessing technology

MNSTAR is a volume-driven, custom electric-wire-harness manufacturer serving customers in North America and further afield mainly in the marine, first responder, federal, agricultural, and utility markets, in construction equipment, recreation markets, and others.

Some of the big pluses that benefit its clients are a superb research and development team and well-honed capabilities in detailed, quality engineering and high-level customer support. These service specialties stem from its extensive experience in customization, making it the perfect partner – especially when it comes to high-volume, complex projects.

As a result, clients esteem it for its outstanding prototype engineering. “If our customers do not have a schematic or design, we can create one for them based on their vision,” says Tammy Wersal, Chief Operating Officer.

MNSTAR engineers visit clients’ facilities to establish the exact needs, demands, and specifications of a design before drawing up the architecture. “We offer that specialty, whether it’s crawling around in the helm of a boat or taking measurements for harnesses for a cab vehicle for agriculture and utility. I do not think other wire harness manufacturers do this,” Wersal adds.

Adding to precision engineering and the five in-depth quality checkpoints that each unit must pass, every electric wire harness is individually tested for quality and safety. In addition, MNSTAR stores every test report for easy retrieval should clients request copies or have queries.

Bringing compassion

After the company’s three decades in the business, Chief Executive Officer George Klus and his partners bought MNSTAR Group Highland Holdings, LLC two years ago. Klus made a name for himself as the owner of several companies in the healthcare industry.

“I started networking with many different business leaders in my area of Minnesota. I discovered many people, aged sixty and older, who’d been phased out of jobs and were looking for new ones. It was harder for them to find a job at their age,” he says. “And most were in manufacturing.

“So, one day, I said to myself, ‘OK – we’re going to look at manufacturing companies and get into manufacturing. And we’re going to hire leaders over the age of sixty.’ That doesn’t mean that we don’t hire younger people, because of course we do,” he says. “But looking at it as a way to go out and explore a new industry that I hadn’t been involved with has been a breath of fresh air for me.”

His passion for business is tangible. “I love to build and grow companies. I don’t buy companies for a lifestyle. I buy them because I see opportunities to give back, provide employment, and build products in the wire harness industry that I’m enjoying learning about. It’s a lot of fun. And it’s fun to do something new at this point in my life.”

Klus says that appointing the correct leadership is vital to success. Because, as each client-related industry evolves, the specifications and applications for harnesses also change. For this reason, leaders who know how to adapt and can lead the company to adapt to the constant market evolution are essential for MNSTAR’s own evolution.

And now the hard work is paying off. Wire Harness News Magazine recently featured MNSTAR on the cover, alongside a five-page spread introducing the entire world of electric wire harnesses to the inner workings of its industry-leading outfit.

“This was significant, high-profile publicity for us. We were at the expo, and it was handed out to all the people that came. Great publicity and marketing,” says Wersal. Fox Business Channel’s Manufacturing Marvels also featured MNSTAR on an episode not long ago, giving it yet another deserved moment in the limelight.

Diagram of a healthy culture

Cultivating a healthy company culture is one of the leadership team’s top priorities. To this end, it implemented flexi-time schedules alongside wage increases ranging from just under 10 percent to around 30 percent based on skill levels, which made a world of difference to the annual income of the staff.

“We’re very flexible with working schedules if the staff gets their jobs done. They didn’t have benefits before. So, when George came on, one of the first things he changed was to offer a full benefits package for our employees. We also did wage increases for them. We want them to know we value them. We take care of them. We’re like family here,” says Wersal.

Big-hearted giving rules at MNSTAR. Its open-door policy means that staff always have a shoulder and know that they are free to discuss any issues with management. “We will make exceptions with our employees and help them out any way we can,” Wersal says.

Working at MSTAR has become a lot of fun, too with everyone chipping in with good cheer while building new traditions. Like the employee-of-the-month celebrations that allow everyone to acknowledge in-house stars for sterling work, while birthday pizza lunches on the first Friday of each month bring everyone together to celebrate colleagues’ birthdays.

MNSTAR also implemented an employee committee with access to a brand new, dedicated fund provided by the firm for parties and other staff events and extends its generosity to the rest of its communities.

The company pays every staff member for eight hours of community service away from work. “We want our people to be active in the community, and we want our community to know who we are. We constantly ask our community how we can help,” says Klus.

One such exciting project the company recently supported is the Judy Garland hundredth birthday posthumous celebrations at the local museum on June 10. The event honored this iconic figure from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, who rose to stardom when she debuted as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz.

Its support of this big day is just one of the many ways in which MNSTAR shows its commitment to its people and those of the area. “My philosophy when I bought this company is that I would never move it. It belongs in this community because this is the community that supported it. This is the community where the workers are from. We will build our business in this community. And so, we want to be a part of this community,” he says.

Caring about community

This commitment to the community reflects in the warmth and hospitality extended to visitors to MNSTAR. From industry partners to fabricators, trades students, and community members, Wersal is known for taking visitors on tours of its facilities.

The company also welcomes students from establishments like North Dakota State University and other tertiary institutions who want to spend their summers gaining work experience in its manufacturing plants.

MNSTAR Group’s membership of the local Chamber of Commerce means that it gets to offer its support for the September golf tournament where it sponsors the chamber dinner and more. The list of organizations that benefit from its largesse is as long as it’s varied, including Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Food Shelf, United Way, and scores of others.

A plan for growth

Touching on their plans to double the company’s footprint soon, the two leaders allude to a brand-new facility being in the pipeline. But, since the writer’s request for more information was met with only a twinkle and a smile, it seems likely that further info on this impressive new project will have to wait for a later edition. So the suspense is real!

Current expansion plans are not a secret, however. The intention is to increase staff numbers from forty-five to around sixty by the end of 2022.

With staff morale at an all-time high, one can imagine that many would love to join such a stalwart team. Wersal’s praise for MNSTAR people could hardly be higher:

“We have a great pool of loyal employees who are passionate about their jobs. They are a close-knit little family. They love to make sure that everything is up to standard and that they produce a very high-quality product. They take great pride in that,” she says.

Naturally, the team also shows great pride in the company’s growth, and MNSTAR Group continues to invest in the latest in artificial intelligence and similar technology that will support its goal of growth. As market changes unfold, MNSTAR Group’s star remains on the rise.

The post The Stars of Custom Electric Wire Harnesses<p class="company">MNSTAR Group</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Not to mention the little matter of looking new for longer.

Long before founding STAR Inc. in 1986, Girish C. Dubey made sealcoating his passion and his profession. Holding a master’s degree in inorganic chemistry from India’s Gorakhpur University, Dubey furthered his education in chemistry at Wright State University in Ohio before embarking on a career with sustainable coatings company Hempel in the 1970s.

By the time STAR was created, Dubey’s knowledge of chemistry, manufacturing processes, and the technologies surrounding sealcoatings had become encyclopedic. Rather than keep this know-how to himself, Dubey has enthusiastically shared it with property owners and others, helping them select just the right products for their specific applications.

Anatomy of a sealcoater

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, STAR has grown today to a staff of 150 in North America, 15 plants, and three international manufacturing facilities in India, Australia, and China.

The latest plant to come on board, in May 2021, was Massachusetts-based Kol-Tar Inc. Through its technology licensing program, STAR is the only U.S.-based company to provide others with the opportunity to be a part of the growing sealcoating industry.

Different from an ordinary franchise program, STAR works hand-in-hand with its licensees and is dedicated to providing them with in-depth experience and knowledge of pavement maintenance and preservation.

To STAR, integrity is everything, proclaiming on its website that, “STAR Licensees have dedicated their entire business to the highest standards of quality and integrity. This stance is taken very seriously.” For Dubey, this means treating all staff and licensees with respect and the utmost professionalism.

Navigating the pandemic

The past two-plus years have been a challenge for many businesses and industries, who have had to deal with COVID-related worker shortages, supply chain and logistics issues, unpredictable weather, the Suez Canal obstruction preventing the flow of goods, and a great deal more.

These factors and others have sent prices soaring for everything from groceries to construction products and raw materials, such as those used to create many unique STAR sealcoating formulations.

Dubey estimates his costs have increased on average 25 to 30 percent. “Materials did not disappear, but the cost of operations increased a great deal,” he says, adding that material suppliers faced labor shortages, and it was hard finding new people to do the work.

“During that time, the raw material was there, but if there’s no one to process the material, it gets delayed. And when they get back to processing, they have to recover all the costs they have incurred. In the global market. There is a lot of back-and-forth. A lot of raw materials are imported, unfortunately, on Russian-flagged vessels. Now those are sanctioned,” he shares.

With supply chain stoppages and slowdowns, too few workers, and other factors that affect the flow of materials, manufacturers worldwide have passed on significant price increases to their customers and vendors. This is not the case with STAR. To soften the financial blow, STAR sacrificed its own margins as well, a remarkable show of Dubey and his company’s dedication to those who’s custom and loyalty had made STAR a success.

“The fact is, we have worked with our customers, and we’ve not let them bear the brunt themselves. We have shared these price escalations – we haven’t passed along the cost increases just indiscriminately to our customers. We look at every item and take some concessions to our customers.”

While manufacturers absorbing some costs might sound a tad unusual, Dubey and his team realize that everyone is in the same situation and experiencing stresses over global price increases.

Fortunately, even with higher prices for raw materials, STAR, as a mature, well-established company, remains competitive.

By giving concessions to its licensees for STAR products, Dubey is certain they are giving concessions to their customers on the front lines, with everyone working together in an uncertain, post-pandemic world.

Good stuff

Superseding earlier generations of sealcoatings which were made from skin-irritating coal-tar, STAR’s products are better for people, the planet, and customer pocketbooks. These products include the STAR-TRITON® line. Enhancing the life of pavement by about 300 percent, these products cost only 30 percent as much as a new installation.

Available in a dynamic range of colors, the company’s STAR SPECTRUM® coating products are unmatched in the market. Representing the next generation of pavement maintenance, STAR SPECTRUM products are colorfast, performance boosting, and formulated with durable, 100 percent acrylic latex polymers for attractiveness and resistance to chemicals and the elements.

Not limiting itself to asphalt, the company is also behind MACRO-DECK® – quality products made specifically to protect concrete.

Quickly penetrating concrete surfaces, MACRO-DECK brings an unparalleled level of protection, safeguarding against water, salt, and other harmful elements, and inhibits chlorine de-icing chemicals. With its water-like consistency, MACRO-DECK is easy to apply, safe and easy to store, non-flammable, and maintains the concrete’s flexural and tensile strength.

Along with STAR-TRITON, STAR SPECTRUM, and MACRO-DECK, the company is proud to offer customers many other products, such as STAR-CRETE ACRYLIC LATEX CONCRETE STAIN, STAR-CRETE STAR PRISM, STAR® ARMOUR-GUARD™, STAR-CRETE ACID-ETCH, and more.

License to prosper

Recently updating and adding more content and videos to its website (www.starseal.com), STAR has also enhanced its “Own a Star Plant” section, which outlines the many benefits of becoming a licensee, including help with plant layout, research and product development, marketing and sales promotion, video testimonials, and more.

“We are working very aggressively on the licensing program,” says Dubey of STAR, which is also investigating new North American locations.

Initiating a bold marketing campaign for licensee plants and working on new products, Dubey is confident the coming years will be successful and productive for STAR and its licensees. “Our plan is to get in touch with people looking at the testimonial videos and see if they are ready to talk.”

Although STAR saw a modest drop in business in 2020, the company was considered an essential business during the height of COVID. None of its plants were shut down for any length of time, and production levels were down only slightly. Last year, however, was “fabulous beyond expectations, the best year in our history,” says Dubey, who believes pent-up demand in the business for maintaining infrastructure was a factor.

And while there are still some domestic and international issues surrounding logistics, shortages and rising material costs, and even the availability of vessels to transport products overseas, Dubey remains idealistic and cheerfully realistic and about the future of the company he founded almost four decades ago.

“We are sailing for a perfect storm and, touch wood, doing so well,” he says. “Market demand is the pulling factor. At the same time, dedication and commitment – doing the best we can, working with our customers, keeping them supplied and satisfied – is the mantra of the company.”

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