Evart’s message about recognizing, honouring, and celebrating the special bond between siblings rings especially true in the world of family-led manufacturing. Despite what we might think about many manufacturers being multinational corporations with thousands of employees, over 60 percent of Canada’s small and medium-sized (SMEs) manufacturers are family-owned. These range from small mom-and-pop operations with a handful of workers to large operations with hundreds of staff across multiple locations. No matter the size, all have one thing in common: their invaluable contribution to the nation.

According to Family Enterprise Canada, which supports and provides a voice to this important sector, family-owned businesses are not only important but “a critical component of the Canadian economy.” Family-owned businesses account for 63.1 percent of all Canadian private sector firms. Responsible for generating almost half (48.9 percent) of the country’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), totalling $574.6 billion, family firms are also responsible for 6.9 million jobs Canada-wide—equivalent to 46.9 percent of private sector employment.

Economic backbone
In the United States, family businesses also play an essential role in the economy, accounting for 54 percent of the country’s GDP. Responsible for 83.3 million jobs, family-owned companies generate 59 percent of U.S. employment.

Even when faced with economic challenges like inflation, labour shortages, and taxes, family-led businesses keep growing across the United States. In mid-2024, Family Enterprise USA’s Annual Family Business Survey—the largest to date, with 789 respondents spanning 40 states—revealed that America’s family businesses remain the country’s greatest private employer. In fact, the survey revealed 61 percent of family businesses grew in 2023. Many of these companies are engaged in the manufacturing sector.

“Despite the many challenges facing family businesses, this year’s survey shows family businesses continue to grow, add jobs, and pay more than non-family enterprises,” stated Pat Soldano, President of Family Enterprise USA and the Policy and Taxation Group, in a media release. “This year’s survey was our largest to date and the information in it we use to help educate our legislators on Capitol Hill so they understand the importance and size of family businesses in our economy.”

Sweat, tears and missed holidays
From cogs to car parts, North America’s SME manufacturers invest a great deal in their businesses. More than a nine-to-five job with weekends off and paid vacations, owners of family-run manufacturing businesses make countless sacrifices, especially in the early years. This includes everything from missing their children’s school performances to working long into the night—sometimes every night for weeks or months—skipping family functions, and even deferring their own salaries so staff and suppliers are paid.

Even decades later, many owners say it was worth it because they created a family legacy positioned to last for generations.

Then there is the cost of the business itself. Even small manufacturing facilities need all the basics of any office, plus a suitable location and the necessary machinery. Depending on the products being made, this can include drilling and grinding machines, lathes, CNC machines, extruders, mixers, laser cutters and waterjet cutting machines, forklifts, cranes, conveyors—the list is practically endless. And to keep up with the competition, merely investing in equipment isn’t enough. Many of today’s manufacturers need to invest in Artificial Intelligence, expensive software like AutoCAD and SolidWorks, automated assembly machines, 3D printers, and even industrial robots to remain competitive.

Manufacturing is unlike many other sectors because of the amount of capital involved, especially in fields such as automotive, which requires massive amounts of investment in training, tools, technology, and machinery.

Changing gears
Well-structured family-run companies often have a board and governance structure that has a say in the business, including decisions about spending thousands or even millions of dollars on automation, robotics, and other expensive technology. While these investments can be instrumental to a company’s long-term success, the outlay can also leave a manufacturer vulnerable to unexpected changes in the market. The same thing applies to expanding facilities. Many Canadian companies have put building bigger facilities on hold, something they wouldn’t have considered before U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order levying tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S. in February 2025.

In his book Succession for Change: Strategic transitions in family and founder-led businesses, author Harry Korine underscores how there is an overrepresentation of large family businesses in manufacturing, retail, mining, and finance, sometimes exceeding 50 percent. “These are capital-intensive sectors, where the patient capital provided by families has played an important role in supporting long-term investment,” states Korine. “Traditionally, capital intensity has also served as a barrier to entry, protecting these sectors and their firms from the threat of radical change from the outside.”

Korine goes on to state that four of the world’s largest eight family-controlled businesses are automobile manufacturers, namely Volkswagen, FCA, Ford, and BMW. And no matter how big or how small, family-owned manufacturers must reinvent themselves through technology, something sometimes overlooked by founders set in their ways.

“Reinvention is hard enough when attempted by the existing leadership of a family business, or the founder of a business,” writes Korine. “So many questions have to be answered: does the firm have the necessary capabilities? If not, should these be bought in, or is this the time to sell out to a more capable rival? Will there be resistance to a change of strategy, and how might that resistance be overcome? Bringing succession into the picture complicates matters considerably.”

Yet for all family-run businesses, there needs to be a successor. Sometimes the successor is not obvious. It is surprising how many manufacturers don’t have a successor, let alone a succession plan, in place. In these cases, or when there is disagreement among family stakeholders, it is best to work with financial planners, tax attorneys, and other experts to ensure a smooth transition.

According to a 2023 report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), the country’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses, “76 percent of business owners plan to exit their business within the next decade, a process that could involve the transfer of over $2 trillion worth of business assets.” This is compounded by Canada’s aging population and waves of retires in the wings. Exit strategies vary, including selling to non-relatives, selling to other families, selling to employees, transferring to existing family members (through inheritance), closing the business completely, or selling to international buyers. In all cases, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to business success.

What remains consistent, however, is the importance of thoughtful planning and open communication, particularly in family enterprises where business decisions are deeply intertwined with personal relationships. As one generation prepares to step back and another considers stepping forward, the same bonds that National Siblings Day seeks to celebrate can become a source of strength, continuity, and resilience. Ultimately, the future of family-led manufacturing will depend not only on market conditions and technological adoption, but on the ability of families to navigate change together while preserving the legacy that made their businesses possible in the first place.

The post All in the Family<p class="company">The Power of Family-Owned Manufacturing</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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