One of the great realizations of our age must be that in reality—when it comes to the disposal of goods—there is no such place as “away.” Nowhere is this more evident, perhaps, than in the next big realization—that the disposal of first-world electronics shipped off to disappear into landfills and onto rubbish heaps in developing countries is not a solution, as all this does is cause significant environmental and health issues due to toxic chemicals like lead, chromium, cadmium, flame retardants, and others leaching into the soil and water of people who do not participate to the same extent in creating the problem. A solution had to be found. Enter the concept of electronic material repurposing.

A study by the United States Environmental Protection Agencyhttps://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/web/html/ (EPA) estimated the total repurposing volume of materials originating from electronics to be under 40 percent in 2018. The fabrication volume of electronics in that year weighed in at well over 2.6 million tons.

Within its framework of municipal solid waste (MSW), e-waste is defined as miscellaneous durable goods, or more specifically, goods with a lifespan exceeding three years or more. Within this category, personal devices and other electronic equipment are further categorized as selected consumer electronics.

Alongside the EPA’s figures, the Geneva Environment Networkhttps://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/events/international-e-waste-day-2023/ indicates a global 2019 e-waste tonnage of more than 53 million, the recycling rate of which is estimated at under 20 percent. The report notes that the calculations of the United Nations indicate the global average volume of e-waste of 8kg per capita in 2023 to collectively exceed the weight of the Great Wall of China. According to the same report, only about half of global recycling of e-waste is correctly catalogued. That includes what it refers to as invisible e-waste—ubiquitous items such as cables, e-cigarettes, electronic toys, and similar objects that most consumers do not consider recyclable.

With the writing on the proverbial wall now clearer than ever, imminent action is of the essence. According to the EPA, 25 U.S. states uphold laws governing electronics waste, with California passing the first such laws in 2003. According to a report from the University of British Columbia, Canada has also implemented stringent legislation placing considerable recyclability and reduced toxicity responsibility on the shoulders of brand owners. As a result, the country now has a host of recycling businesses focused on returning electronic materials to the fabrication cycle, including TechReset, a company with a zero-landfill policy.

As part of the Electronics Product Stewardship Canada (EPSC) initiative, member OEMs like Microsoft Corporation, IBM Canada Ltd., Apple Canada Inc., Samsung Electronics Canada Inc., and Sony North America release an annual performance report under the watchful eyes of organizations like the International Standards Organization (ISO) on their progress in fabricating safer, better recyclable electronics devices and their social responsibility, which is available to the public. Currently, the initiative claims to have been instrumental in rerouting close to 400,000 tonnes of e-waste toward recycling and repurposing and away from a certain grave.

Beyond recycling, there are initiatives to reduce the need for reuse by eschewing plastic packaging in favour of paper and overwriting obsolescence by extending battery life—especially in phones. To this end, Sony released its Xperia smartphone last year, featuring battery life that exceeds three years, while replacing a large segment of its plastic packaging with paper. How this trend fares long-term remains to be seen.

What is evident is that public push-back is reaping rewards as increased accountability from groups like EPSC has led to more companies developing return policies on used electronics. In January this year, prnewswire.com reported that Panasonic announced its new Take Back for Tomorrow pilot program, which recycles electric trimmers and shavers. Motivated by the notion that over 87 million people in the United States own at least one of these devices, it would appear to be as good a place as any to start recovering reusable parts and plastics.

To help prevent further environmental damage, governments are joining the conversation, with the United States Department of Energy (DOE) inviting public conversation from manufacturers when it published a request for information in March this year. With the goal of better understanding the complexities of circular economies like that of e-waste recycling and its potential to provide industry with reusable rare earth minerals, reduce the use of virgin plastics, and more, it is actively participating in the race to innovate methods for getting and keeping the public involved in taking up the necessary task of acting with urgency. By thoroughly researching existing processes, the U.S. government stands to establish improved solutions and infrastructure to solve the challenges.

In Canada, the Electronic Products Recycling Association, an industry-led organization, appears to be in the lead with finding solutions, according to environmentaljournal.com. By providing over 2,400 drop-off points throughout Canada, the association is inspiring and receiving good cooperation from the public. Following disposal and drop-off, devices are processed by approved recycling agents capable of handling hazardous materials. They also avoid illegal sales and shipping of materials while feeding and repurposing fabrication chains.

Despite vigorous public involvement on home shores, current reports indicate that the verdict on the nature and health of a global electronics recycling loop remains lacking in consumer awareness. With so many precious resources like rare earth minerals mined at tremendous financial, political, environmental, and human cost in countries around the world, retrieving as much reusable material as possible is imperative to the health of the planet, its inhabitants, and the electronics industry.

As such, North America does well to continue the good work of active participation and spreading awareness on the subject. In curbing the single-use electronics trends of yesteryear in favour of responsible consumerism by cultivating values and buying habits that secure a sustainable future for generations to come, the instant gratification of doing good is amply satisfied. And this, of course, is only possible through the committed participation of local manufacturing and recycling leaders.

The post Now and Again<p class="company">A Budding New Manufacturing Reality: Embracing E-Waste</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Today, it’s hard to imagine a time without this timesaving technology, appearing on everything from smartphones and self-serve kiosks in fast-food restaurants to handheld game consoles, all-in-one computers, ATMs, and more. And then there are the specialist applications, such as military and aerospace, transportation, industrial, medical, and marine.

Providing touch screen solutions to leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), system integrators, and value-added resellers, A D Metro’s range of control panels, kiosks, and mobile computing solutions continues to advance the technology and broaden the market, bringing the company repeat business and a respected place in the field.

A D Metro’s touch screen technology is also found in products delivered by Fortune 100 companies for applications in defense, aerospace, industrial automation and medical equipment.

Much of A D Metro’s success comes from the company’s well-earned reputation for service, quality, and stability, says Albert David, President, CEO, and Chief Technical Officer. The company creates the raw sensor technology which fits into monitors, terminals, and other applications.

Once products are qualified, they cannot be changed unless they’re re-qualified. One instance is a small medical patient monitor, which the company has supplied to a client for about eight years.

“Even if we wanted to change the simplest little component on the touch screen we make for them, they’d have to go through a re-qualification process, and that holds everything up,” David explains. “Once the design is set in stone, they start producing high volumes, but nothing can change on it. So the key to our success is delivering a reliable, quality product, with great service, to ensure that this captive audience in both medical and defense applications is not motivated to try and change developers.”

An industry veteran, David was active in technology long before founding A D Metro 30 years ago, and was working for a Japanese company distributing computer componentry. There was plenty of competition in the market, and the company—which rebranded product and sold it under its logo—began to lose market share. David’s assessment was that there was a market out there, but for an expanded product line, if he could acquire more suppliers. He soon found a partner in Montreal and launched ‘Prime Peripheral,’ which focused on PC point-of-sale peripherals.

About three years later, David bought out his partner, moved the head office to Ottawa, and changed the name to A D Metro. “It stands for ‘Alpha Delta Metro,’ not ‘Albert David,’ he laughs. “The reason for that was to get us to the top of lists in trade shows and publications with a name that started with an ‘A.’”

The company’s early years focused on point-of-sale and PC peripheral products like cash drawers, receipt printers and displays—essentially everything that would be connected to a PC to make it a point-of-sale system. The reason, he says, was that Canada introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 1991. “When GST came in, you had to be able to track input credits and apply them against what you had to pay at the end of the reporting period,” he explains.

“Dedicated cash registers weren’t able to do that at the beginning, so a lot of software vendors started developing software to make intelligent point-of-sale systems. Once that became successful, restaurant management systems began to flourish and use some of the same basic peripherals, like touch screens.”

Thanks to touch screen technology, businesses like restaurants were able to track orders and receipts. Servers couldn’t invite friends to have a ‘free’ meal, because nothing could be ordered through the kitchen unless it went through the point-of-sale system.

Along with deterring theft, point-of-sale systems unified orders and sped up how quickly they could be inputted. Touch screens became a natural evolution of point-of-sale and restaurant management systems, making ordering easier, incorporating barcode scanners, and being able to pick an item from a menu on a screen without navigating via mouse and keyboard.

“Touch screens were a natural evolution,” says David, adding that since these screens were also smaller than a keyboard and mouse, they helped to save table space.

At the time A D Metro started, all touch screens were convex-shaped bent touch screens, designed to sit in a cathode-ray tube (CRT), back when all monitors were CRT. The challenge was to find vendors who could ‘slump’ the glass to match the curvature of a 14-inch CRT monitor, form the polyester membrane with a conductive coating on it to fit the shape, and put everything together to make a membrane-type touch screen.

“You couldn’t just put an ad in the paper and hire an engineer who had touch screen technology and knew how to do this, and there were also trade secrets.” Using his engineering knowledge, David cobbled a system together and found a supplier who could make bent glass.

A D Metro then began making the first bent touch screens, selling them under their own brand. As technology evolved, the industry moved away from bent CRTs to flat-screen LEDs. Around the same time, peripherals sold by the company, such as receipt printers, cash drawers, pole displays, and barcode scanners, went from branded status items to commodities.

As competitive pressure from Asia grew, David realized there were servicing gaps relating to defence, military, medical, and industrial requirements. While offshore producers were putting out cheaper, consumer-type products, these were not suitable.

“Higher-end applications—industrial, medical, and military—can’t use and don’t want to use products like that,” he says. “We started looking for technology that would differentiate our offerings from cheap suppliers because there was a need, and people started coming to us.”

This led to his finding a way to put very thin micro glass on a resistive sensor, which resulted in the creation of the company’s flagship product, ULTRA. Described by David as “a game changer for medical, military, and defence applications,” ULTRA Resistive Touch Screens can go where capacitive and regular resistive technology cannot.

Working the same way as resistive touch screen sensors, ULTRA’s Glass-Film-Glass (GFG) construction features a borosilicate glass membrane (essentially tempered Pyrex), which reduces fracturing, prolongs lifespan, and has an extended operational temperature range.

Available in display sizes ranging from 3” to 24”, the ULTRA 5-Wire resistive armoured touch sensors are ideal for applications such as airports, railways, and rapid transit systems. “It’s still being sold, and is our number one product, with many patents on it,” says David.

Unlike capacitive touch screen technologies, ULTRA’s resistive touch technology does not emit any radiofrequency, so it is ideal for the stealth requirements of defense applications. It is able to operate in any weather, and the company’s demonstration video shows it taking a beating, still functioning after being burnt, frozen, and having ice scraped off it. Also able to operate underwater and in any environmental conditions, it is well-suited for outdoor applications, such as car washes.

David recalls a large Canadian Oil and Gas customer using ULTRA touch screen terminals outside car washes until recently, when the company making kiosks was replaced by another manufacturer and used touch screens from another maker. The new business didn’t use ULTRA, but some sort of projected capacity touch screen which was rife with problems, especially touch screens turning dark and discolouring from sunlight.

Recently, A D Metro received a call that the kiosk manufacturer wanted them back supplying ULTRA touch screen solutions. “That’s a good example of where we can go, and where other technologies cannot go.”

ULTRA is also used in many medical applications. Durable and salt-free borosilicate glass is resistant to many chemicals, which allows the screens to be sanitized.

Along with ULTRA, A D Metro has developed other leading technologies. These include LCIR (Linear Correlating Infrared) touch screens used in avionics, particularly in helicopters where the technology solves a problem specific to these aircraft.

The combination of a helicopter’s fast-rotating blades and sunlight can create a strobe effect that interferes with light-registering instruments. A D Metro came up with a unique technology that works in an environment where competitors’ products will not, since they can’t function with sunlight hitting the optics. As a frame-based technology working with infrared light beams, LCIR can tolerate direct sunlight.

With LCIR, there is no substrate glass covering the display, so nothing impedes the optics. This makes it ideal for radar, mapping applications, high-contrast applications, and avionics. While some manufacturers claim that their products can work with sunlight, it is only possible with a deep top to shield the optics, shading them from direct sunlight.

“That’s kind of inelegant, whereas we have a very compact design,” says David. “Our frame is one-eighth of an inch high and a quarter of an inch thick, whereas the competition might be three-quarters of an inch thick. The very tight restrictions in avionics control panels make them impractical to install where space is extremely limited and displays crush up against each other,” he explains. “That’s where we’ve got the edge. You don’t need that type of top cover to keep the sunlight out.”

Thanks to A D Metro, these screens are also impervious to dirt and debris. Since optics are in front, they’re easy to clean, and will actually instruct the user to wipe the screen.

The company is also behind the ARGON PCAP. A projected capacitive controller, it senses and adapts to the connected (off-the-shelf) PCAP sensor size, format, and cover glass. Projected capacitive controllers need to be programmed to the actual sensors they’re working with because they have a sequence of horizontal and vertical channels. These channels—and there can be 100 of them—are hard-wired to the computer. Plug in the ARGON controller and it will sense channels and parameters to ensure optimal touch performance. It is so sensitive it can be operated wearing latex gloves.

“We can do a lot of things with the ARGON product that we developed to make plug-and-play usage out of projected capacitive that you can’t do with just a standard projected capacitive controller,” explains David. There’s no need to work with suppliers on programming changes and operation, unlike with other products on the market.

The company has several prominent suppliers of Projected Capacitive (PCAC) chips expressing interest in ARGON. “We’re working with a few of them right now to see if we can make an industry standard of that to make it much easier to use projected capacitive technology without the high level of support that’s required.”

Although there are no particular plans to mark the company’s 30^th anniversary, Albert David is upbeat about A D Metro’s future.

“If we are here today, we won’t be gone tomorrow; we were here in 1993, and we’re still here in 2023. We’re not a fly-by-night operation, and we have a solid, in-demand product line. We’re servicing a niche market that a lot of higher volume suppliers don’t seem interested in.”

The post Driving Innovation<p class="company">A D Metro</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

The products the company sells are often used in mission-critical applications, like aerospace and medical products manufacturing. Building trust with customers is just as critical, and that means ensuring that components are exactly what they’re supposed to be. This is one reason the company is embarking on what Bruce Tharpe, K-1’s Manager of Strategic Allotments & Cost Analysis, calls an exciting new journey.

The company is highly accredited. It is AS9120 and AC0056 certified—both for its work in aerospace and defense—and also possesses ISO 9001 quality management certification. K-1 Technologies is now pursuing certification for all three levels of AS6081. With the support and assistance of its partner, Global Electronic Testing Services, K-1 has installed the equipment and accessed training for its staff that AS6081 certification will require.

According to NQA (National Quality Assurance), the body that provides the certification, the AS6081 standard was created due to a significant and increasing volume of counterfeit electronic parts found in the aerospace supply chain. The safety risk posed by these fraudulent parts is clearly unacceptable in these kinds of applications.

“You have to have those safeguards in place,” Tharpe says. “We have a responsibility to our customers to safeguard their reputation and their warranties. We’re putting up an even stronger defensive front to make sure they don’t receive substandard parts.”

For K-1 Technologies, the first level of protection is careful management of its supplier relationships. “We have 15-year relationships with some of our suppliers,” Tharpe says. “We know and trust them. A new supplier really has to prove themselves over time.”

Along with supplier management and product inspection, he says, AS6081 testing will complete the company’s three-prong strategy to protect its customers against the risks of faulty components.

In the past, K-1 Technologies has outsourced this level of testing when it’s been required. Going forward, the capability to do it in-house will mean consistently faster turnaround times for customers. And it’s not just about delivery timelines; according to Tharpe, the company plans to ultimately provide a minimum Level A testing under the AS6081 standard by default on every component it sells.

It’s all about building a high level of trust with customers. K-1 Technologies offers a 10-year warranty on its products, and this change means backing that warranty up with the confidence of extensive testing.

“We don’t have the luxury to make mistakes that could affect our reputation,” Tharpe explains. “Larger entities have more security because companies have to purchase from them; they can make mistakes. If we make a mistake, we could lose a customer forever. Our service has to be at a higher level to retain customers and continue to grow.”

Building relationships with customers as a trusted partner is nothing new for K-1 Technologies. In fact, it’s embedded in the operating philosophy of the company, and has been since day one.

The company was founded in 1995 by David Razawi. Razawi was working with a company that—like K-1 does today—provided support with distribution. Tharpe, who worked with Razawi at the time, remembers him saying that he thought the business could do better than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. “He’d say, ‘This can be done better. This can be done more efficiently, and more with the customer’s unique needs in mind.’”

With that end in mind, Razawi launched the business, and it’s been growing ever since. “The business was founded on the philosophy of building relationships,” Tharpe says. “Being closer with customers—not growing so large that everything becomes automated and you lose that personal touch.”

The company’s CEO, Michelle Gorman, sees that philosophy embodied in the company’s operations to this day. “We learned early on that great OEMs and CMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers and Contract Manufacturers) not only produce top products and excellent manufacturing,” Gorman says, “but the supply chain is supported by creative and flexible partners willing to do more and take on more responsibility. That’s the main reason we go above and beyond what our customers expect, even in an industry where extreme challenges, countless competitors, and fluctuations in demand are commonplace.”

The flexibility, and the personalized approach, pays off when it comes to attracting customers. “A significant number of our new customers come to us when they run into a roadblock with another supplier,” Tharpe says. “When there’s something another supplier couldn’t or wouldn’t do, we’re able to help them.”

For K-1 Technologies, this is what it means to be a true partner. It’s evident in the way the company responds to unforeseen events to support its customers.

When the pandemic first hit, the company’s leadership knew that their customers were at risk of supply chain disruption. The team immediately began using business data to predict what the impacts were going to be, and how best to mitigate them.

“We saw it coming,” Gorman says. “We knew this was going to create significant supply problems for our customers. Many manufacturers were shut down for several months, and that was on top of existing shortages. The pandemic compounded a situation that was already challenging.”

Although the impact of the pandemic on business was unprecedented, K-1 was able to anticipate and respond to the challenge because it had supported its customers through previous interruptions over its nearly 28 years in business.

“There was the analog to digital shortage in the late 1990s. There was a severe capacitor shortage, with the boom in cell phones, when demand for tantalum outstripped the supply,” recalls Tharpe. “More recently, there’s been an MLCC (multilayer ceramic capacitor) shortage.”

Sales Manager Dan Duffy agrees. “After years in the industry I learned many times how I could make a difference in our customers’ supply chains,” he says. “K-1 can do things other suppliers can’t or simply won’t do, saving them money and headaches in the process.”

Anticipating what was on the horizon, K-1 tapped into its global network of suppliers to identify alternate sources of components and other products. Moreover, throughout the worst of the supply chain challenges, the company kept prices as reasonable as possible, narrowing its own margins to help customers control their costs. Notably, the company did this at a time when some others were taking advantage of shortages to increase their margins.

Now, K-1 Technologies is helping its customers again with the flip side of that equation. Prices have dropped, and K-1 is making sure its customers know so that they can take advantage of the savings. In some cases, Tharpe says, those savings can reach into the seven-figure range.

This is another example illustrating how K-1 Technologies goes above and beyond. The company has the capacity to offer VMI (vendor managed inventory) service to its customers. K-1 purchases the components and stocks them, delivering them at the moment they’re required by customers. For those customers, keeping these components off the shelves—and the balance sheet—adds up to significant cost savings.

Unlike some of its competitors, K-1 Technologies offers the additional security of guaranteeing the price of those components through the life of the order. This gives customers a greater level of predictability when budgeting and forecasting. “Even a small price variance can add up very quickly,” Tharpe says. “Multiply that variance by hundreds of different line items, and it can become a logistical and financial nightmare.”

Given the compounding effect of price variances on large numbers of components, K-1 Technologies is always looking for innovative ways to reduce costs for its customers.

“We’ve picked up manufacturers and brands that are less known in the United States,” says Tharpe. “They’re ‘white label’ companies; they make the products for everyone else. The products are exactly the same, but their costs are lower because everything is done in-house. It’s vertically integrated.”

Indeed, K-1 Technologies occupies a uniquely balanced position in a competitive market. The company is large enough to have the capacity to offer its customers a comprehensive line of products and advanced distribution capabilities, and still small enough to provide flexibility and a personal touch. And now, with its pursuit of AS6081 certification, K-1 Technologies is building on a quarter-century of relationships with suppliers and customers alike, taking trust to an even higher level.

The post Trust at the Highest Level<p class="company">K-1 Technologies</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Leonhardt Manufacturing’s journey began with a vision to create high-quality metal products. The company serves a diverse range of industries, including indoor and outdoor furniture for hotel groups and restaurant chains, playground equipment, electric vehicles, and motorcycle parts. At its heart, the company’s success hinges on its expertise in metal tube bending and manufacturing, a complex and specialized field that demands unwavering dedication to innovation.

The company’s commitment to innovation is a driving force behind its longevity and continued success. Leonhardt Manufacturing has consistently embraced cutting-edge technologies and approaches to remain at the forefront of the industry. With a focus on precision and quality, the company has integrated advanced bending and welding technology into its operations.

While innovation is essential, Leonhardt Manufacturing recognizes that its workforce is the bedrock upon which its success is built. To maintain its leadership position, the company invests heavily in workforce development, ensuring that a new generation of skilled tradespeople is well-prepared to meet the evolving demands of the industry and drive innovation forward.

To achieve this task, the company collaborates with its local Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, which contributes to Leonhardt’s paid training programs by offering classes attended by its 18 apprentices. These programs include high-end training in mechatronics; a four-year robotic welding course; two-year quality technician training; a five-year program for tool and die fabrication; and more.

In addition, the company collaborates with the Hanover, Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce on its workforce development initiatives. The company also works with local school faculties to raise awareness of the secure, well-paid futures people can build for themselves within these trades.

At home in a 95,000-square-foot facility in Hanover, Leonhardt Manufacturing has been in business for more than 50 years, at present serving clients largely east of the Mississippi. Next year will see the company welcoming new European customers, an event eagerly anticipated by the team at Leonhardt. With a team of around 102 keeping the company at the top of its game, its leadership says it could not be prouder of the daily professionalism and innovation this team brings to its work.

“We are a very strong team. We all support the core purpose of the company in terms of development and growing people in the trades,” says owner Craig Aiello, with genuine admiration for how the team drives the company’s tenets of continuous improvement, teamwork, and individual responsibility to learn and grow.

And to ensure that it employs only the best talent and people whose goals match its own, the company’s process of identifying the best-aligned individuals to hire is analytical and value-oriented.

The apprentice selection process is thorough, allowing prospective apprentices to job shadow before entering formal training. This provides them with a basic comprehension of each discipline and establishes a frame of reference to work from, ensuring that they feel a real commitment to the line of work they choose for themselves.

This is followed by an application process before training starts. “It’s very important to align the students’ interests; it is not just about giving people technical skills. With us, training in the trades is about the whole person,” says owner Craig Aiello.

Once the students complete a set number of training hours, a salary increase marks the achievement and brings students into line with professional earning scales. The support they enjoy does not end there, either. During the first 12 months, students benefit from additional training such as life coaching, guiding them in setting and achieving goals—personal as well as financial. Providing solid training in financial management skills like budgeting and planning, these programs are an invaluable launch pad as they set students up with invaluable life skills and crucial knowledge.

Aiello shares the success story of an impressive young man he is especially proud of. Joining the company and defying all the odds stacked against him, the young man traveled to Ohio to train in robotics, earning the highest marks in his class. With the support of a sterling supervisor committed to providing him with the guidance he needed to shine, he achieved what seemed, at first, impossible.

“This is our way of giving back to the community—helping these individuals gain skills. And then, if we don’t have a spot for them, they can get a job at another firm in search of talent,” Aiello adds.

In addition to its human resources, advanced technology rounds out the company’s offering. It recently invested in four state-of-the-art robotic welding modules to further support its training initiatives and continuous evolution, alongside improving its changeover speeds and increasing productivity.

The introduction of robotic welding modules has not only enhanced the consistency of the welding process but has also ignited enthusiasm among the workforce. “It has added consistency to our welding process. And the students are more excited to run a robot than hand-weld. It gets a lot of them excited,” says Dustin Lippy, Engineering Manager at Leonhardt Manufacturing. This enthusiasm is a testament to the company’s commitment to keeping its workforce engaged and motivated through technological advancements.

But it is not only on the training and technology front that the company has taken big strides. Leonhardt recently received Women in Manufacturing’s Pennsylvania Chapter status, an achievement everyone is proud of. “It’s been an awesome experience. Our workforce was fewer than eight percent women in the company before 2020. We’re up to around 36 percent now,” says Jennifer Dutko, Supply Chain Manager, of Leonhardt’s positive shift in female representation.

Furthermore, a focus on generating opportunities for professional development, continuing education, networking, and other beneficial activities has enabled women in the company to step up and honor one of its core values, namely taking personal responsibility. Dutko also recounts a surprising amount of interest from students of all genders at an industry expo the team attended not long ago.

Indeed, the company goes all out to ensure that all its staff members feel valued and invested in. Additional training is available to everyone, not just recruits and trainees. “Our leadership really makes you feel like you matter and that what you do makes a difference. We all care about each other and promote that teamwork core value,” Dutko says.

Lippy confirms the considerable level of investment the company has made in his career. “There are not many places where you can go and feel the team spirit like you do here,” he says.

Looking to the future, the company’s commitment to innovation remains unwavering. Its ability to adapt quickly and its focus on emerging markets, such as the electric vehicle sector, position it as a forward-thinking industry leader. Craig Aiello shares the company’s vision, stating, “How transportation will be happening in the future is our focus—from electric motorcycles to flying vehicles.”

In addition, the company is investing generously in data collection software, machine learning, additional sensors, and other leading technology to support its increasingly modern fabrication outfit. This commitment to staying at the technological forefront ensures that the company continues to deliver exceptional value to its customers.

As Leonhardt Manufacturing continues to innovate and invest in its workforce, it sets an inspiring example for the manufacturing sector, proving that excellence is not a destination but a continuous journey of growth and progress.

The post A Team You Can Count On<p class="company">Leonhardt Manufacturing</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) is the voice of the public playground industry. Its goal is to advocate for its members and educate the public alike about the benefits of safer play, the positive implications of safer play on personal and collective development, and how IPEMA certification programs support those ends.

At upwards of 270 member companies strong, IPEMA is a true partner for its members and the broader industry. The organization represents the who’s who of playground equipment manufacturers, surfacing manufacturers and suppliers, and general members who have a vested stake in the industry.

Throughout its history, IPEMA and its partners have contributed to improving playground safety. More falls have been cushioned, safer materials have been developed, and more innovative and exciting playgrounds have been designed, all of which contribute to enriching community hubs where personal and social development take place.

Putting safety first
The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) was established in 1995 when a handful of playground equipment manufacturers came together to professionalize the playground and surfacing industry through certifiable quality and safety standards.

The organization’s certification program validates participating products that conform to ASTM standards, and by taking this unified approach to safety and quality in the manufacture and installation of playgrounds, it has created equipment and environments that allow children, families, and communities to develop to their fullest.

“What [ASTM] has done today is created a quality level that customers can rely on, so there are standards that playground equipment manufacturers and the owners of playground equipment should adhere to, and IPEMA certifies that the equipment that its membership is producing is compliant to those standards,” explains IPEMA President Brad Pittam.

Pittam further addressed the certification process: “That group gets together and starts the baseline conversation: what is play, what are play elements, what is an acceptable risk level, what is beyond an acceptable risk level? And then they set a safety standard to it. IPEMA then steps in once ASTM establishes a standard. Then we look at whether it makes sense to certify manufacturers to that standard or to a portion of that standard,” he explains.

Beyond this level of credibility and professionalism IPEMA promotes, it also offers members confidential sales reporting and data aggregation. Next year, the organization is slated to release its first Trends Report to offer insight into market performance and industry trends.

The benefits of play
While trends come and go, the benefits of safer play remain steadfast. From the physical, cognitive, and emotional aspects of development to the ability to process feelings and emotions, playgrounds facilitate individual and collective development, and the value of the interactions that take place on the playground are far reaching.

The playground is a community hub, a meeting place for friends that provides the backdrop for countless adventures of the body and mind, but it is also a place where children learn to be themselves and to interact with their peers, and it is a place where children and adults alike form bonds that will last a lifetime.

The physical benefits of play are the most obvious, as kids who are running, jumping, and climbing are honing their fine and gross motor skills, expending energy, and getting the exercise that their bodies need to grow stronger—but there is so much more to it.

Play is one of the best ways for children to process big emotions and the playground can be a safer place for them to do so. Whether supervised or unsupervised, playing independently or with peers, children build their self-confidence and self-esteem, and learn independence, creativity, judgment, consequences, risks, social norms, relationship building, and conflict resolution on the playground.

As Pittam notes, “A whole lot happens on playgrounds. If it’s well-designed, you’ve got a community hub, and what happens at that community hub is a benefit to many generations of people who experience it.”

Playgrounds are increasingly being designed with this intergenerationality in mind. While play is important for children, it is just as important for adults. It has been said that if you go back and think about what made you happy as a child, it is still likely to bring you joy today.

From Pittam’s perspective, “It sounds like such a basic thing but sometimes people forget to play and sometimes people forget why there is a benefit to playing, so we do spend a lot of time working on Voice of Play and making sure that our membership and their customers understand that there is a benefit to being a kid and goofing around on the playground.”

Voice of Play
Regardless of age, play is vital, and Voice of Play is one of the ways IPEMA communicates the benefits of play. The initiative was founded by past IPEMA President Tom Norquist, one of the original members of the organization, and takes an unbiased, scientific look at the benefits of play using proprietary research.

“Play shouldn’t always be seen as an extracurricular, optional activity, but rather an essential tool in a child’s development,” said Pittam, and Voice of Play provides education and insight into how play impacts the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development of its participants.

As Pittam explains, “Voice of Play helps push why play is important. Occasionally we push why risky play is important, and I think if you can effectively create an environment where children feel they are being challenged but they are in a safer environment, there is a benefit to the risks and rewards they receive.”

For instance, knowing that falls are inevitable, with equipment and surfacing that is IPEMA certified, the risks of these falls can be mitigated and injuries can be avoided. And, despite the standards being robust, they haven’t stymied innovation when it comes to the manufacture of new and exciting play equipment. Playgrounds are actually getting taller and more exciting, but never at the expense of a child’s safety.

“If you look at how climbers are developed, even how some slides are developed, manufacturers are going wider, some are going taller, some are using natural embankments; our members have done a great job of finding ways to be compliant to the safety standards, providing a very unique aesthetic and a very unique play experience,” Pittam explains.

Innovating the future of play
A great deal of thought goes into the design and manufacture of play equipment and playgrounds. From the location of the playground to the project’s budget and theme, there is a lot to consider. Luckily, IPEMA manufacturers have countless out of the box and custom solutions and surfaces to bring any playground design to life.

From the colors used to the activities included, playground manufacturers are complicit in creating environments to inspire. Playgrounds might be in a child’s community, but to the child they can represent faraway lands and places in their minds.

“Research shows that kids around the world still fantasize about being a king or queen, they fantasize about being a pirate or explorer on a ship,” says Pittam. “When you get themes like that that are consistent around the world and have been for generations, it’s interesting to see how that translates to play, pushing kids to be creative with their minds and how they play.”

Today’s playgrounds are colorful, open-air classrooms that have integrated sounds, textures, and movement to become inclusive, safer, accessible, and welcoming spaces for all, including those with sensory processing disorders. Playground equipment manufacturers are working hard to ensure everyone has the chance to play.

There is no denying the value that playgrounds bring to individuals and communities and for Pittam, “communities are recognizing the value of play in terms of what that means as a social hub getting the heart of the community together. When you have that, it draws tourism and commerce and improves real estate values. Playgrounds tend to be getting larger with more customization, which becomes a challenge for our membership,” a task IPEMA and its members are more than ready to undertake.

Driven by innovation and rooted in safety, the future of play is bright thanks to IPEMA, its members, and the Voice of Play effort. By unleashing a child’s creativity and imagination through physical play in the safest playground environment, anything is possible.

The post Striving for Safer Play in Vibrant Communities<p class="company">The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA)</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Of these goods, “I would say our mulch, boulders, and bulk products are kind of our bread and butter,” shares Andrea Feist, who co-owns the firm with her husband, Brian Feist.

The company’s services include custom stone fabrication, core drilling, and bagging. Rock Hard can cut steps from fieldstone boulders to create natural stone stairs, whereas core drilling involves drilling into boulders, often to create water features such as bubbler rocks. Bagging refers to placing rocks or mulch into bags so they can be easily transported.

Rock Hard can trace its origins to a lawn mowing business Brian Feist first established in middle school. The business was a hit, and he eventually expanded into landscaping. In 1998, two years after he graduated from high school, he founded Brian’s Lawn and Landscaping, Inc. The transition from lawn-cutting to landscaping was led by his fascination with machinery.

“When he was in sixth grade, he started with his first lawn mowing accounts,” recalls Andrea Feist. “So, he really just kept growing, from lawn mowing into landscaping. They go hand-in-hand, and your clients want both… He kept buying bigger machines to allow him to do more, and then he got into a lot of boulder work.”

Brian developed a specialty in which he set boulders and built walls for customers and contractors for whom he subcontracted. Eventually, he transitioned once again and began selling boulders, stones, and other items to contractors. In 2005, Brian founded Rock Hard Landscape Supply and focused on sales. As a supplier, he stopped doing any landscape work himself, and for good reason. “It’s a conflict of interest when contractors are your main customers. They don’t want you competing against them for work,” Andrea points out.

Rock Hard opened its first supply yard in 2008 in Jordan, Minnesota. The early days were a struggle. “The first couple of years as a hardscape supplier, that was hard because it takes a lot of capital to do that. You’re working to convince customers you’re the real deal… getting vendors to work with us was a challenge, getting people to trust you’re going to do a good job with them,” says Andrea.

Brian also suffered from unfortunate timing; the entire economy underwent a severe downturn in the years 2008 to 2009, which did not make life any easier for the young business. Through a combination of hard work, industry know-how, and constant reinvestment in the company, however, Rock Hard gradually expanded.

The company moved its headquarters to Burnsville, Minnesota in 2010, where it has remained ever since. That same year, Andrea made a career move of her own, giving up teaching (she has a degree in math education from the University of Wyoming) to concentrate on managing the company’s office work and raising their family.

In 2019, Rock Hard opened another supply yard in Farmington. Last year, a fourth location was added in Andover.

Rock Hard’s supply yards are vast, well-organized spaces filled with paving stones, natural stone, boulders, and other products of various shapes, sizes, and colors. It also carries outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, and fire tables which can be fuelled by wood, propane, or natural gas.

Landscape lighting, including pathway lights, spotlights, and other forms of illumination are available as well. Such lighting is designed to enhance the outdoor experience and boost safety by reducing the likelihood of tripping over something in the dark while also keeping burglars away. Rock Hard works with various firms to supply fire, light, and rock-related goods.

The company also grinds wood to make mulch, which is then either colored with non-toxic dyes or kept natural. This mulch can be used in gardens, alongside driveways, or in any spot a property owner sees fit. Rock Hard has worked on or provided materials for countless projects over the years, creating beautiful backyards, driveways, and patios featuring paving stones, stone walls, man-made waterfalls, and natural stone walkways with carved steps.

Rock Hard offers deliveries of its materials via its vehicle fleet which consists of dump trucks, semis, various trailers, and a boom truck with a grapple. The company’s larger dump trucks can haul up to 20 tons of material, while its specialty end dump trucks, used for moving boulders, can manage up to 22 tons. The smaller single axle trucks can handle mulch, dirt, and rock loads up to five tons. The boom truck is also used to move boulders, which are then put into place with the grapple. It delivers its wares throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, and into neighboring Wisconsin and North Dakota.

Having multiple locations in Minnesota has been a boon to the company’s bottom line, as contractors throughout the state appreciate the convenience of having a nearby supply yard and will sometimes meet customers at these yards to pick out products, inspect goods, or select colors.

Of course, Rock Hard’s success is attributable to other factors as well. Competitive pricing and excellent products and services helped the company establish a reputation for quality and fair dealing. Brian Feist’s background was also instrumental in building the business. Having worked as a landscaper himself, he knew firsthand what products and services contractors needed and the nature of their work. He also understood landscape industry terminology and conditions.

“People respected Brian when he was installing,” and that respect continued after he became a supplier,” says General Manager, Kevin Becker.

Today, about 80 to 85 percent of the company’s revenue stems from wholesale business with installation contractors, while retail sales account for the remainder. Rock Hard works with a range of contractors, from individuals who do projects for private landowners to commercial contractors who handle larger works.

For all its rapid growth, Rock Hard has not forgotten the importance of the personal touch. “Brian is open to a phone call from any customer. That doesn’t happen really anywhere else, where you can call the owner and ask a question,” states Kevin.

The company’s upward momentum was not stopped by the COVID-19 virus, which reached pandemic proportions in March of 2020. While the firm was determined to keep its staff safe, the pandemic actually resulted in a surprise windfall. “Sales-wise, like all building supply centers, those were definitely boom years for us.”

Due to the pandemic, many businesses went into total or partial lockdown, and employees were often encouraged to work at home. Given that recreational and commercial venues were frequently closed as well, many at-home workers decided to renovate their properties. As a result, hardscape suppliers such as Rock Hard were kept busy during the worst of the virus.

At present, the company has 45 to 50 employees, although staffing levels fluctuate depending on the season. Naturally, it is busiest in warm weather months when landscapers and contractors are most active. Rock Hard used to do snow removal, but ended that service a few ago to focus on better preparing for the busy season and selling bulk and bagged salt and shovels during the winter.

Anyone looking for work here “doesn’t have to have a background in this, but they have to be personable,” says Kevin. A strong work ethic, customer focus, the ability to show up on time for each shift, and a “get-it-done” attitude are also prerequisites, he continues.

Moving forward, the company aims to expand its bagging business and is focused on strengthening its existing capabilities and ensuring that “processes and procedures are tightened up,” and further efficiencies are found, Kevin shares. In terms of new business, Rock Hard relies heavily on word of mouth and referrals from satisfied customers, and having a fleet of branded trucks also helps get the company’s name in front of the public.

The firm faces challenges like any other business, but the future looks promising, says Andrea. “We’ve worked our way up from the bottom of the totem pole of suppliers,” she says, noting that the company wants “to be the top landscape supplier in the market and stay there. We want to hold on to our quality and not compromise.”

“Being at the top of the food chain does bring its challenges too,” Kevin muses. “If you’re on top, then people are shooting for you, but that’s okay. I’d rather be up there than down below.”

The post Products for Beautifying Properties<p class="company">Rock Hard Landscape Supply</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

A trusted full-service company, G.W. Becker boasts a staff of about 70, including the requisite team of skilled and experienced lifting-technology tradespeople. Mechanical and structural engineers, welders, electricians, machine operators, and service technicians round out the team, giving customers the overhead crane-related products that precisely meet their needs.

At G.W. Becker, custom overhead cranes are made to Crane Manufacturers Association of America Inc. (CMAA) specifications (Class A through F), or to the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (ASIT) Technical Report No. 6, covering electrical overhead traveling cranes for steel mill service.

A complete overhead-lifting solutions business, G.W. Becker is much more than a seller of cranes and crane solutions. The company is a passionate manufacturer of its own line of cranes and a distributor of the world’s premier crane brands. It also provides everything its clients need, including parts, service and repairs, inspections, and more.

Self-performing almost all of its work, including crane installation and service, ensures the highest degree of professionalism and safety. This vital aspect of the company’s activities includes a robust health and safety program that is second to none in the industry, bi-weekly Toolbox Talks, and monthly safety committee meetings. Safety here is everyone’s responsibility, and the attitude permeates the entire company.

Staff members are required, as a condition of employment, to actively participate in the company’s safety program and adhere to its policies. According to the company’s stand on the matter, “It is our goal to completely eliminate accidents and injuries. Because of the many different hazards of our industry, we must maintain a constant safety awareness to achieve this goal.”

As a further commitment to safety and quality, G.W. Becker is affiliated with some of the best-known industry associations in America. This includes executive membership in the CMAA.

Founded in 1927, the CMAA is a voluntary independent trade association in the material handling industry and a leading advocate for the safe application and operation of overhead traveling cranes and related activities.

The company is also proud to be part of the Material Handling Industry of America (MHI). Incorporated in 1945, the MHI is America’s biggest logistics, supply chain, and material handling association. Additionally, some G.W. Becker employees hold membership in the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST), a non-profit organization with 22 local member chapters across six continents.

Since building its first pre-engineered packaged overhead crane in 1981 soon after its founding, the company has achieved a plethora of milestones in the industry. In 1989, G.W. Becker saw its first West Coast overhead crane installation. About a decade later, the business purchased a manufacturing facility in Wheatland, Pennsylvania. By 2000, the company was designing and manufacturing custom overhead cranes, and in 2008, it installed 104 cranes in Alabama, a startling achievement in those days. This was followed a few years later by its first crane installation in Canada and installations in Mexico.

Celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2020, the company soon found it necessary to expand its production facility.

Indeed, in the past year and a half, G. W. Becker has been busy producing jib cranes, workstations, packaged cranes, fully automated cranes, DC-powered cranes, and more, says Sales Manager Ron Piso. Last year, the company installed and commissioned its first fully automated coil handling crane, which is in full service. Then, at the beginning of 2023, it designed and fabricated its second fully automated coil handling crane. Installed and commissioned in late spring, it is also in full service.

“Another automated coil handling crane is currently on the production floor, as well as a high-capacity DC-powered crane with three hoists,” explains Piso. “G.W. Becker continues to develop opportunities with customers that range from 1/8-ton jib cranes to high-capacity customer-built overhead cranes,” he shares.

“Our service department is involved in quite a few control and electrical upgrades, and our fully-staffed engineering department is in the process of multiple crane projects,” Piso continues. “More are coming through the sales department every day.”

The clients served by G.W. Becker come from a wide range of industries. A few of the sectors served include aeronautics, automotive, chemical, concrete, defense, food, heavy machinery, mining, oil and gas, steel—both primary and secondary producers—tool and die, warehousing, and water treatment.

“G.W. Becker, Inc. is quite diversified in our customer base, but if I had to pinpoint industries that are strong, they would be metals, steel, processing, and manufacturing,” says Piso.

Headquartered in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, the company provides overhead crane solutions, fabricating, machining, and other services to customers primarily in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia, and New York, with cranes installed and in operation in the Southeast, Southwest, South Central and Midwest United States as well as Canada and Mexico. And although the company has a long list of clients, the team strives to promote the many advantages of working with a full-service, single-source provider of choice for overhead cranes and solutions.

“This is an everyday, every-employee effort to communicate to our customers, both externally and internally, that we’re providing a unique package of offerings,” says Piso.

Clearly, this success is the result of overflowing enthusiasm, years of experience, hard work, dedication, and hiring bright, motivated individuals to the team. Holding to a consistent and clear-minded strategy that comes from being family-owned also makes a difference, says Piso. “G.W. Becker is a family-owned private company that allows its employees to participate in the success each and every day.”

As a family business, G.W. Becker believes in treating its staff with respect and believes in a positive workplace that promotes safety and teamwork while valuing employees for their input and abilities.

“An open door policy is the norm,” says Piso. “Ideas are shared and acknowledged, and success is part of the culture.”

And what of the future? The company’s long-held mission statement will not change: “To become an extension of our customers’ management teams in the area of Cranes/Overhead Material Handling Systems, providing premium products and quality service.”

At the same time, G.W. Becker will continue providing employees with a work environment that’s safe, fair, and diverse, and providing opportunities for personal and professional growth. “With the ever-changing world we live in, staying true to our mission and values is super-critical,” says Piso. “We’ll continue to work to provide our customers quality products and services, while at the same time supporting the livelihood of our employees.”

After more than 40 successful years in business, G.W. Becker looks forward to meeting the overhead crane needs of existing customers and attracting new clients. “G.W. Becker, Inc. has been on an aggressive growth path over the last five-plus years,” concludes Piso, “and we’ll continue that well into the future.”

The post One Company’s Drive to Lift Itself to Success<p class="company">G.W. Becker, Inc.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Hangcha was founded in China in 1956, and in 1974, its first forklift rolled off the manufacturing line. Since then, the company has become an international leader in the industry. Figures from Modern Material Handling (MMH) magazine place the company eighth worldwide in sales volume. Today, that market leadership continues, with over 80 subsidiaries in countries around the world and industry-leading technology.

Hangcha forklifts have been available in Canada for some time but, in 2019, the company deepened its footprint here. Robert Pitzul, Vice President of Sales for Hangcha Canada, was the catalyst. At the time, Hangcha forklifts were entering Canada’s dealer network through an importer. Pitzul approached the company about putting facilities on the ground in Canada, and with a U.S. expansion just under their belt, Hangcha Group agreed.

Hangcha Forklift Canada was incorporated in 2019—just in time for COVID to put a damper on its plans. The delay was only temporary, and the team picked up the keys to the warehouse in the fall of 2020.

Today, most of the company’s 35 employees are located at the headquarters just outside Montreal, in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. That first location was only one piece of the puzzle: the company also has a 30,000-square-foot warehouse showroom in Mississauga, Ontario and another 14,000-square-foot warehouse in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Louanne Rioux, Sales and Marketing Director, explains that the locations are strategically chosen, as is the inventory. “We wanted a presence from the West Coast to the East Coast because there are different applications and needs from one region to another. This way, we can provide the units best suited to the market.”

That line of units is broader than most, offering forklifts from Class I to Class VII, all manufactured by Hangcha.

The distribution facilities are a key differentiator between Hangcha and its competitors. The Mississauga warehouse has over 300 units on display for its customers, representing its full line of products. With that volume of inventory on the ground and a robust distribution system in place, Hangcha can offer customers much faster access to needed equipment. “Our lead times are second to none,” Rioux says. “Even if we have a factory order for a unit that isn’t already here, it only takes 16 to 20 weeks to deliver on average. Waiting periods of 12 to 24 months are more typical [in the industry].”

Randy Thistel, Regional Sales Manager for Hangcha in Ontario, points to that investment as an indicator of how Hangcha Group approaches its international expansion. “Hangcha has invested in the warehouse and put product on the floor. They made that commitment to have the units available for the dealer network and the end users. This is essential to what our success is going to be,” he says.

When it comes to forklifts, Thistel has “been there, done that.” He has worked in every corner of the industry for 30 years, from service to operations to sales. The decision to join Hangcha was an easy one for him. “I had known Robert for about 10 years. When he talked to me about Hangcha, how they were investing so many hours in development, taking a top-notch product to market at an affordable cost, I couldn’t say no.”

Rioux may be newer to the forklift industry than Thistel, but for her, Hangcha completes a circle. “Previously, I’ve worked in international shipping and logistics. My role here is closing the loop from ocean freight to logistics on the road to forklifts. It’s an exciting industry; it’s challenging, it moves fast, and it’s necessary.”

Working to establish Hangcha’s presence in Canada has been a whirlwind. “I was employee number three. It’s been an interesting ride. I worked with Robert to develop the structure, the dealer network coast to coast. Then we worked to build the sales team, starting with inside sales first, then the outside sales territories.”

The company has grown quickly in a short period, and it is intentional about the culture it is building. “It took some trial and error over the four years, but we have a dream team now. We’ve got over 100 years of combined industry knowledge and history on our team.”

Both Rioux and Thistel stress that the values of the company are not just words on the wall. The values of integrity, teamwork, responsibility, and sharing are embedded in the way the company does business, and decisions are made collaboratively.

“We’ve got a great foundation with our people,” Thistel says. “Every puzzle piece makes us so much better, and we make key decisions together, as a group. We’re creating things the right way.”

One of the challenges involved in expanding the company’s business and presence in Canada is introducing a technology that is still relatively new to the market: lithium-ion batteries. Traditionally, forklifts have been operated by either diesel, propane, or lead-acid batteries.

“With lead-acid, the more the battery drains, the less power you have,” Thistel says. “Your lift speeds will slow; your drive speeds will slow.” Lithium batteries, on the other hand, deliver full power continuously, and they are designed for what Thistel calls ‘opportunity charging.’

“With lithium technology, the battery wants to be charged all the time. The operator can charge them when they’re on break or at lunch, and you’ll never run out of battery. We have them in 24-hour applications, which would have been impossible for a lead-acid battery.”

What about durability? “We have some units with 4000 hours on them, and the batteries are still running perfectly. We stand behind them. We offer a 10-year warranty on larger units, five-year on the smaller units. It’s a strong warranty, and I believe we’re changing the industry for the better.”

Thistel and Rioux are clear: for Hangcha, the future is lithium. “By the end of 2024,” Thistel says, “we’ll have lithium in every unit, from a 100,000-pound capacity forklift right down to a 2,000-pound walkie. We’ll have lithium technology for it all.”

One reason this technology makes sense is cost savings, and for owners, those savings add up. “We’ve done the research,” Thistel says. “Over the first 10 years, between the purchase of the unit, charging, fuelling, and repairs, the cost savings amount to about $150,000 per truck.”

Although relatively new technology to the forklift market, lithium is catching on. In fact, Hangcha is putting these batteries into service with forklifts from other manufacturers.

“With our universal lithium battery system program, we can put lithium technology into any brand,” Rioux says. “If someone has a forklift with a lead-acid battery that’s no longer useful, we can install a lithium battery to replace it. The owner can keep it running, instead of scrapping the whole machine.”

“We’re even doing that for new trucks from other brands,” Thistel adds. “Dealers are putting our lithium batteries into new forklifts with lead-acid batteries because the technology is just better.”

For Thistel, the support Hangcha Canada receives from the manufacturer is key to the company’s continued growth in Canada. In addition to supporting its dealers and end users through the adoption of lithium battery technology, the engineering team in China also responds directly to input from this market. “We can take something to the manufacturer, and they’ll implement it immediately if it makes sense. We don’t have to wait until a whole new line comes out.”

How can a company respond that nimbly? The scope and scale of the facilities in China are part of the answer. The company has one million square metres of manufacturing space there and is continuing to grow and expand. If you are having trouble imagining that, it is understandable, and Rioux has a helpful parallel. “It’s the equivalent of 633 arenas,” she laughs.

“When we took our dealers there,” Thistel adds, “it helped them understand what Hangcha is doing and how they’re doing it. They saw the quality of the facilities firsthand and the sheer professionalism of the people.”

Hangcha Group’s expansion into Canada is a textbook example of how to do it well, and it is all about commitment: investing in the right spaces, putting quality products on the ground, and hiring and empowering a ‘dream team’ of the right people. This approach is not a one-off, either; in the few short years since its Canadian expansion in 2019, Hangcha has employed the same principles and expanded to Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and the Netherlands.

“Hangcha has committed to be the best at everything we do,” Thistel says. “We want to have the best product, the best availability, the best parts department. We’re continuously improving. We want to be the best, to set the bar for the industry in Canada.”

The post Lifting the Industry Higher<p class="company">Hangcha Forklift Canada</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

The center is funded with federal and state dollars through the U.S. Department of Commerce. Center President Ingrid Tighe says that, “The MEP network is so important to manufacturing in the U.S. and [the MMTC is] more vital now than ever.”

Today, as Vice President of Business Development and Strategy, Jim Gorman says, the center’s role is to lend its expertise to Michigan companies that may not be familiar with manufacturing and all that it entails and find affordable ways to introduce them to the wider world of that market.

The center has seen a great many success stories in its time, which began with its work in costing measures. MMTC helped businesses draw a line between business performance and cost performance using a ‘transformation planner,’ which gave way to modules on core team training, small business training, and helping small-to-medium-sized businesses enact a financial plan.

Currently, Manager of Operational Excellence, Chuck Werner, says that three of the center’s main pillars in helping Michigan-area businesses are technology adoption, workforce, and supply chain. The first has to do with addressing the ongoing workforce shortages in businesses, by helping companies in need adopt machining and technology solutions, including those within Industry 4.0, and teaching them how to implement these solutions.

Second, the center helps these companies with gaining and retaining their workforce. Finally, it educates businesses on how to build and pivot into different supply chains—for example, automotive manufacturers moving from internal combustion engine-powered vehicles to electric vehicles.

Werner says that businesses, business owners, and business leaders in Michigan do not always have time to enact strategic or continuous improvement in their businesses, which is where MMTC comes in. Center employees like Manufacturing Services Manager Bob Scipione help small-to-middle-sized manufacturers select and apply technologies based on the needs of the business. This has helped many machine/computer numerical control (CNC) shops and community colleges in Michigan push further toward initiatives like automation.

The center is also concerned with supply chain matchmaking and curates an extensive database where companies can inquire about help for producing a certain device or service. The center can identify a match and connect companies in industries like defense, aerospace, automotive, and more to do business together.

Tighe says that there is a national push on supply chains regarding matchmaking and identifying gaps nationally and locally. MMTC also facilitates grant opportunities for state businesses, such as the GoingPRO Talent Fund, which allows businesses two annual opportunities to gain up to $2000 per employee for use toward training or services; or the GEM (Global Epicenter of Mobility) grant, which helps companies pivot and find new opportunities in diverse areas.

The center continues to be aided in these efforts through its many partnerships. For example, MMTC allied recently with MEDC (Michigan Economic Development Corporation), Lawrence Technological University, and the non-profit Automation Alley to establish a grant that would help data gathering on technologies needed in the state. Research determined that local businesses lacked funding and planning, so the partnership determined a five-year plan along with a grant to conduct fund-matching for companies.

These partner organizations also act as trusted advisors to clients, helping them find the right technology and supplier. Tighe says that MMTC is very strategic about its partnerships and views its partners as multipliers. “We cannot be everywhere at all times, so these organizations can be an extension of our services… they will refer us to customers in need and vice versa.”

The center is concerned about working with its partners as well as with the state of Michigan to strengthen supply chains. This work is currently in the inquiry stage, as MMTC completes research to identify the current landscape and bring back data at all levels to strengthen supply chains. Examples of this work include helping a Michigan company that specialized in computer modeling and simulation convert a carriage house into a machine shop and a new plant. Another example is a prominent keyboard company, for which MMTC has completed a technology assessment and connected it to Industry 4.0, securing it an implementation grant as well as a pick-and-place machine. Gorman says that it is exciting to play even a supporting role in work like this.

Members of MMTC say that Michigan is amid an industrial revolution of sorts, with Industry 4.0 at the forefront. Many of the technologies associated with the movement have been around for decades but were previously cost-prohibitive and needed a great deal of technological knowledge to implement correctly; today, these technologies are easier to use than ever and are more accessible.

To make this happen, the center performed an assessment in the mid-2010s to measure business opportunities and needs, as well as using its laboratories and factory area to help business owners get their hands on this new technology. It also physically transports the technology around Michigan to allow these opportunities to continue through roadshows. It further developed an education curriculum to teach small-to-medium manufacturers about this technology, how to leverage it, and how to develop it over time.

Scipione says that part of the center’s funding comes through MEDC, which funds its Industry 4.0 team to perform a variety of activities, such as technology assessments. “Industry 4.0 shines with cost, is easy to implement, and [is accessible],” he says. A lot of manufacturers still think that the technology is only for big business and may not realize how approachable and affordable it is now, and with automation now at a fraction of its original cost, if a business does not adopt it, a competitor will.

Werner says that now is the time for businesses to start looking at affordable technology within Industry 4.0, including emerging tools like artificial intelligence that are developing quickly and presenting new opportunities. However, workforce issues in the state will not go away so easily, so some companies may need to figure out how to run a business with the availability of staffing being what it is—which is where automation can come in.

Werner says that cloud-based platforms and big data information systems are also key trends currently, allowing smaller manufacturers to pay a nominal subscription fee for access to a robust operating system for their plant. Digital work instructions also represent a big opportunity and are beginning to overtake traditional, paper-based methods in favor of videos and tablets. These ways are being heavily adopted by newer generations, so digital solutions will be needed to properly prepare people for the job.

The future will see MMTC work on further technology adoption and offer classes on topics including change management. Werner says that everything the center does involves change, whether it’s embracing new equipment or hiring new people; however, successful change must be managed and guided.

To this end, the center will be partnering with educational institutions and local economic development organizations to shake up its roadshows, as well as to bring those looking for employment into the same venue as those looking to adopt technology. This will, in turn, help younger, more technology-literate people match up with available jobs that need greater technological expertise.

“We are here for manufacturers; we are their trusted advisor and we make sure [they] have what they need,” Tighe says, noting that manufacturing is a dynamic industry in which technology is growing and changing exponentially. It is more vital than ever, she says, for MMTC and its organizations to work with companies to help them become more aware and educated so they can keep up with this evolution, as well as continually grow and expand.

Gorman says that Michigan, as a state, has more to offer than people realize and is constantly revitalizing itself beyond the industrial landscape of its reputation. Surrounded by abundant natural resources, associations like MMTC are soliciting electrical and computer science professionals to come and work in Michigan alongside the resilient people who call it home.

The work it does is not just about returning shareholder value for a profit, but to take the experience of all those who work within it and help other businesses to learn and grow. As Gorman says, “What else would I rather do than this kind of work?”

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As a global manufacturer and supplier of engineered components to Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, OEMs, and Tier 1 companies, Aerostar Manufacturing, from its base in Romulus, Michigan, services a mind-bending array of global industry leaders. These include internationally recognized and admired brands in the automotive, heavy truck, furniture, air handling, elevators, telecommunications, agricultural, electronics, hydraulics, and medical industries, to name a few, along with the hydrogen and electric-vehicle sectors.

Supporting more than 30 manufacturing-partner facilities throughout India via its operations at manufacturing plants in Romulus and Fort Wayne, Indiana, as well as sourcing and supply chain offices in Pune, Bengaluru, and Chennai, India, Aerostar offers extensive capabilities including but not limited to machined castings including gravity die, investment, permanent molds, high-pressure die castings, shell molds, fabrications, gear manufacturing, forgings, stampings, extrusions, and more.

Committed to embracing and developing the latest technology within the industry, Aerostar has seen huge advances since its inception.

“As a machining company operating for 50 years, you’re always exposed to a lot of machining technologies that improve over the years,” says Senior Vice President, Robert Johnson. “We have state-of-the-art machines, and we’re constantly bringing on new equipment year-over-year.”

Some of these innovations include lean principles, Oracle NetSuite ERP/MRP integrated across its manufacturing network, full gate review/APQP product launches, integrated inventory, and supply chain management software that provides real-time risk mitigation. There is also internal “dual-sourcing” with LLC and domestic manufacturing options, customizing supply chain strategies to adapt to customer needs, optical measuring systems/laser systems, high-tolerance CMMs, and project management software integrated online for project timeline and action tracking.

“We’ve always been a full-service company with fully staffed engineering, program management, and quality system departments,” says Johnson. “On the engineering side, we’ve put in technologies like 3D printing machines so we can work with advanced development and speed of launches.”

Aerostar also boasts a plethora of software that it continues to test while implementing the latest CAD and CAM simulation software for machining and assemblies and is installing a new Oracle-based ERP system corporate-wide.

The company has also been leading the development and assembly of commercial EV battery trays for one of the largest diesel engine manufacturers in the world, Johnson adds, applying its combined 100-plus years of manufacturing expertise in the latest light-weighting, commercial applications to support global clients.

“We’ve also built a tech-savvy team domestically and internationally to support our customers in North America and abroad, while transitioning daily projects and all program management tools, from basic Excel to Monday.com, which enables us to build intuitive and customizable dashboards. These make it easy to delegate tasks and track live progress,” he says. “They allow us to handle customers and projects with transparency and efficiency.”

The company has purchased new scanner technology that sustains its levels of world-class quality and is purchasing new wireless gauging technology, as well as additional CNC machines, to support the changes that come with improving technology for cutting metals.

This ongoing commitment to advancing technology has greatly aided the company’s flexibility in serving a wide variety of industries through a highly capable in-house engineering team.

“The bulk of the domestic activities of Aerostar are machining, sub-assembly, and testing work and it goes back many years,” Johnson explains. “We continue to grow domestically in the U.S., and we’ve partnered with one of our large strategic customers to develop sourcing strategies to supplement some products we were once manufacturing domestically.”

Aerostar has also partnered with several suppliers in India to provide engineered components used in assemblies and has continued to develop that business unit to supply sourced product, both internally for its needs and externally to direct customers.

“We have large growth in the engineered components, so all customer contact is through Aerostar engineering-program management, supplier development teams, and quality engineers located in the U.S. here at Aerostar.”

The company’s breadth of core competencies in machining parts in various metals, and their assembly, has led to the acquisition of different clients year-over-year, and to the ability to attract different markets.

“Our engineering team has a vast knowledge of machined and assembled components and can provide instant feedback to customers with design or build needs,” Johnson says. “We have positioned our engineering teams to be in front of the customer, but also in front of our suppliers globally to address all needs. We use the latest software to provide simulations or 3D models of critical components to achieve desired results.”

Additionally, Aerostar’s in-house team of manufacturing, process, and quality engineers combined with its overseas team members in those fields, work hand-in-hand with the supply base to bring the best ideas forward to the ever-growing markets Aerostar serves. “When you can mitigate customer risk while still offering a world-class quality product at a cost-competitive rate, you quickly become your customer’s go-to source for engineered components,” says Johnson.

While, at a glance, the company may be seen from the outside as a CNC machining operation for the automotive sector, Aerostar makes a significant number of component parts for other industries and businesses, including Google, making a fluid connection for servers that feed the global search engine.

In the last two years, Aerostar has seen its prospects transition from those of a $60 million company to a potential $260 million-plus company in the next few years through its active sales funnel, thanks to the acquisition of new leaders and team members, domestically and internationally, to the engineering, quality, and sourcing teams. “Our manufacturing base in India has grown rapidly over the last few years. Our customers are leaving China and asking our network in India to deliver,” Johnson shares.

“Due to our marketing efforts and customer support, our sales funnel has grown year-on-year to provide opportunities we never had before,” he says. “The latest accomplishments have been an award for the commercial EV tray assembly and Toyota Material Handling components for their new electric-powered hi-lo.”

In terms of analyzing a customer’s expectations, the Aerostar team does a great job of helping customers search out the price, quality, delivery details, and everything else they require, while also understanding and taking into account their tolerance for risk, and putting together custom solutions that satisfies their requirements.

“That may be a domestically sourced product or a dual-source product,” says Johnson. “We do a lot of internal dual-sourcing where we’ll manage low-cost country options, put an internal manufacturing supply chain strategy on top of that, and cover a lot of risk.”

Regarding expansion of the company’s facilities, Aerostar has recently opened its doors to a state-of-the-art, 54,000-square-foot light manufacturing and warehousing facility housing multiple assembly lines for critical fuel delivery systems, with plans to support newly-awarded programs launching this year and for the next five-plus years. The warehousing infrastructure includes a floor wire guidance system that enables the company to have automated self-guided lift-and-carry-and-deliver equipment.

“We’ve also implemented one of the top warehouse management systems in Oracle—NetSuite—to help manage the flow and tracking of inventory,” Johnson says. “In our existing manufacturing facility, we’ve reviewed all production equipment and processes to ensure we have the best running equipment and we continue to eliminate older equipment to make space for new, efficient, and more automated systems.”

Aerostar has also recently expanded into a third office in India with high-quality engineering and sourcing capabilities to manage its growing manufacturing activity.

Along with these advances, the company has faced some challenges that, fortunately, it has handled admirably. Producing world-class products while emphasizing globally competitive pricing is for experts, and requires the continual focused development of a worldwide, world-class team.

“The manufacturing industry is one of the oldest industries in the world,” says Johnson. “People come and go every day in search of their own personal goals and accomplishments. COVID may have stretched many companies and people’s will to work face-to-face with others or even in an office environment, but we know we can’t get product designed or manufactured, improve processes, and enforce them without good people working together side by side.”

Company milestones include an impressive history with its present owners and 15 years of a successful internship program with more than 100 interns leading to 25 percent direct hires from various schools.

“We work with a lot of the local colleges and universities: Henry Ford Community College, Wayne State, Eastern Michigan, as well as the University of Michigan, and we currently have somewhere between 20 and 25 percent on staff that have been hired direct,” Johnson shares.

Looking forward, the company has dedicated its resources to achieving sales goals by continuing to expand its customer portfolio and establishing KPIs and a solid marketing plan to drive sales higher, which will require Aerostar to muscle up its sales team.

“Our focus is to become a name that is synonymous with manufacturing engineered components,” says Johnson. “To become a global leader in the manufacture of engineered components and be our customers’ select supplier and ‘go-to’ choice for supply chain management.”

Aerostar also has an advantage over similar companies with its ability to provide full customer service from sales staff to product development team, and truly considers its staff to be a part of the family. “We have people who care,” says Johnson. “They care about the company, the customers, and above all, the quality of workmanship when it comes to their jobs.”

With a leadership team that enthusiastically embraces meeting customers’ requirements and expectations, as well as its lodestar of the highest quality at a competitive price, Aerostar has a rich and fulfilling future to look forward to.

“We were a smaller company, and we’ve continued to grow, and now we’re becoming a larger company but we’ve not lost that small company feel,” Johnson says. “We’re very customer-focused. Everyone who works here is part of the family and we know everyone’s story, and we know everyone’s family. It’s a good journey we’re on.”

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