For 80 years, the Colorado-based company has been recognized for one thing above all: its commitment to long-term partnerships. By tailoring materials to precise applications, purities, packaging, and formats, GWI ensures that its customers’ most specialized needs are not just met, but anticipated.

Rooted in history, focused on the future
Founded in 1946 in Denver, GWI’s early success came from manufacturing sensitive, high-performance materials in the region’s dry climate—perfect for handling delicate chemistries. From the beginning, long-term relationships were formed and are the cornerstone of the business, keeping GWI closely aligned with emerging technologies and ever-shifting industry needs.

“We have evolved through every major industrial shift over the last 80 years,” says Plant General Manager Shaun Sellers. “And we’re taking the same approach to planning for the future.”

A culture of family and responsiveness
Beyond its technical expertise, GWI prides itself on its culture. This year, Vice President of Products, Amy Chuang, celebrates over 10 years with the company. She points out that collaboration and a family-oriented atmosphere are at the heart of daily operations.

“The affirmation ‘Made in USA’ is our pride,” Amy says, noting that GWI produces more than 90 percent of its products in the U.S. “Our consistency comes from robust procedures, detailed documentation, and a team of experienced chemists.”

That dedication extends beyond internal culture to customers. As Amy explains, GWI’s responsiveness and cross-department teamwork ensure that clients receive the most effective solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Meeting customer challenges head-on
In today’s fast-moving markets, sourcing advanced materials has grown increasingly complex. Niche applications in particular can face long lead times, vague documentation, and limited technical support.

Shaun acknowledges these challenges but views them as opportunities: “Customers working with non-standard specifications or small-volume orders are often at the forefront of innovation,” he says. “We treat these projects with the same precision, speed, and technical expertise as full-scale production.”

This philosophy enables GWI to serve both pioneering start-ups and global industry leaders with the same high-touch service. By keeping synthesis, testing, packaging, and recycling under one roof, GWI helps customers balance supply chain risks, sustainability goals, and speed to market.

Case study: Chromium Chloride
One example of GWI’s specialty expertise is its proprietary synthesis of Chromium Chloride, a compound used in chemical synthesis, electroplating, pigment production, and textile treatment.

Chromium Chloride is highly sensitive and notoriously difficult to manufacture consistently, making it a compound rarely stocked by many suppliers. Yet GWI has developed a proven, repeatable process entirely in-house, refined over decades.

The result? Speed, consistency, and cost-efficiency, with savings passed directly to customers. Just as importantly, GWI provides real-time technical support, ensuring the compound performs as intended for each unique application. It is the difference between a vendor and a true partner.

Built on four pillars of quality
Underpinning all of GWI’s work are four pillars:
• Quality Assurance – aligning specifications and documentation from the start
• Quality Care – strict environmental, health, security, and safety compliance
• Quality Commitment – flexibility, partnership, and responsiveness
• Quality Testing – in-house labs, backed by ISO certifications

These standards are more than guidelines—they are the backbone of the company’s success.

Scaling with purpose
Looking forward, GWI is scaling with purpose. Expansions in global sourcing, manufacturing, and logistics will support customers with production-scale needs while staying true to the company’s expertise in custom work.

“Even as we grow, we remain committed to the custom, specialty work that drives innovation,” says Amy.

This includes new capabilities in closed-loop materials recycling, helping customers reduce waste, recover valuable metals, and meet ambitious sustainability goals. Amy adds that GWI is also preparing to deliver larger volumes of materials: “We’re excited to provide bigger quantities in the future—all while maintaining the high level of quality customers count on.”

A bright future
With a loyal customer base, a highly skilled workforce, and 80 years of industry experience, GWI is poised to lead the next generation of technological advancement. By blending global reach with customer focus and environmental responsibility, the company continues to prove that its legacy is one of innovation, quality, and true partnership.

The post Eight Decades of Expertise in Chemicals and Materials Sciences<p class="company">Great Western Inorganics</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Lanco takes the guesswork out of these challenges, thanks to its expertise and longevity as a global systems integrator of precision-engineered automation, assembly, and test solutions for multi-piece, high-speed production systems.

As a global integrator, Lanco has an expansive footprint—but with a specialized local touch, able to meet customers where they are. This is important for multinational customers, particularly those in the automotive, medical and life sciences, aerospace and defense, electronics, and consumer product sectors where tight tolerances, rapidly evolving technologies, and production values are top of mind.

As a problem solver, Lanco leverages deeply rooted design engineering, technological integration, and risk-mitigated project management to devise customized solutions, offer valuable market insights, and support a project through its lifecycle until long after installation is complete, which makes Lanco an enduring partner in automation.

Going global, staying local
Lanco Integrated is a legacy company, but one in evolution. The company dates back to 1873 in Switzerland, with origins in manufacturing watch components for Rolex. Through several iterations, acquisitions, and expansions, the precision engineering and automation specialist has positioned itself to support its customers wherever they may be, both geographically and in terms of market readiness.

As a global integrator, Lanco has had a presence in Asia since 2008, establishing an operation in Malaysia in 2021 to further enlarge its global footprint. This expansion allowed the company to flex its might as an integrator by bringing together two separate locations and unique cultures from opposite sides of the world to work seamlessly as a team. “We are a global company,” says President and Chief Executive Officer, Bob Kuniega, “but to be able to execute to that level—to deliver on your promise of ‘design anywhere, build anywhere, identically to one another’—that is a completely different game,” he says.

“The infrastructure has to be set up and the training has to be done; the business management systems and the processes and the forms and the tools all have to be in place, and everybody’s got to be using it all in exactly the same way.” This ensures that “everyone is working toward the same goal,” says Kuniega.

By engaging its people, creating a system of accountability, and blending established institutional knowledge with the ideas of the next generation, Lanco has continued to add value to its customers’ operations with its exceptional precision engineering capabilities and specialized market insights. As an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) company, Lanco is uniquely differentiated from other businesses as its employees are also owners. The ownership mindset drives a heightened interest in not only satisfying customers but also ensuring profitability, as everyone’s individual success contributes to the collective success of the team. From Kuniega’s perspective, the company has the potential and opportunity to capitalize on fast-moving markets, both mature and emerging, to advance new products to market and scale up production to take advantage of unique market conditions.

“Whether it be tariffs and reshoring, or supply chain disruptions because of a pandemic, [conditions are] requiring our customers to scale up in the local markets where they have to supply their solutions, so we’re well positioned not only here in the United States because of our legacy, but also in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world through our facility in Malaysia,” Kuniega explains. He sees it as supporting those customers as they face rising costs, resource challenges, rapidly evolving technology, and highly competitive markets.

Embracing change
A significant part of the value delivered by Lanco is the team’s ability to anticipate customers’ needs, for today and for the future. “We have a modular solution,” explains Kuniega. “Each discrete operation is a self-contained module. For instance, if the control system within a module goes down, you don’t have to stop the whole production line.” This affords flexibility and the ability to adapt, reconfigure, and expand operations without the need for costly redesign or reengineering.

These modules comprise all the latest technologies, where needed, such as (take a deep breath!) vision-guided pick and place, dispensing, laser processing, various attachment solutions, multi-axis articulated robot-based mechanisms for material handling, feeders, transport systems, intelligent and smart devices and sensors, industry-leading programmable logic controls, PC-based network systems, and data management solutions.

Essentially, Lanco provides what Kuniega describes as “the glue that holds the whole supply chain together. We’re the best R&D for some of our vendors because we’ll test their products to the limit and in some cases, we’ll tease out some flaws in their software or their hardware and we’ll give them ideas of what they need to enhance their product so they can differentiate themselves.” He notes that this is all while ensuring that customers have the best available technological innovation at their disposal.

This approach is built upon the understanding that with technology advancing at a rapid pace, it becomes harder for customers to understand the breadth and depth of the technology, much less how to unlock its potential, as they may lack the intimate application and market knowledge that sets Lanco apart as an integrator. Lanco takes everything a step further by aligning with sectors where it can deliver the greatest value, leveraging its market insights, precision engineering, and automation expertise to not only add value but also mitigate risk.

Integrating risk management
This team is not only in the business of precision engineering and systems integration; it is also in the business of risk management, and a big part of this approach is centered on its Design for Automation principles, which are applied early in the design cycle to identify and address any potential process and scalability issues while avoiding the potential for costly delays and rework.

“We evaluate our customers’ products and processes, their competitors’ end-market needs, and trends, and engage our critical supply and technology partners as we embark on engineering the right solutions, tailored to address markets’ and customers’ needs,” explains Global Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Barry Rahimian.

From concept to the unique Design for Automation process—as well as data management, line integration, performance optimization, finalization, and post-installation support—Lanco Integrated remains a constant in a market of changing variables.

“At core, we are problem solvers, and we look for difficult automation projects where we can leverage our talents in design engineering, integration, and risk-mitigated process management to provide value to our customers,” Rahimian says. To this end, Lanco Integrated considers all commercial, technical, supply chain, quality, legal, project, financial, and environmental risks and provides comprehensive risk mitigation plans, potential backup plans, and strategies.

Supported by a well-defined and documented risk assessment process internally, Lanco Integrated mitigates risk for itself as well, which helps maintain its robust ability to step up to the plate for its customers. With over 1,000 days without a lost workday at its U.S. operations and pushing 700 days in Malaysia, its strategy and performance speak for themselves.

Future-forward
As part of its approach to forecast and mitigate risk for its customers, in 2024, Lanco established a “Futures” initiative that was, as Rahimian notes, “engineered to align our technology and innovation development efforts with our go-to-market (GTM) strategy, and which was fundamentally based on meeting the needs of our customers and markets.”

This is particularly important where speed to market, market share, and cost-related challenges are concerned, since, as he explains, “we don’t have anything off the shelf that people can order; everything is customized to customer-specific requirements. Everything we do is heavily tailored to their needs, so we have to anticipate our customers’ current and future requirements.”

Key to this value-add is a deeply rooted knowledge of the markets being served, which is why Lanco has undertaken a detailed and expansive market segmentation strategy to ensure its solutions are timely, relevant, and insightful, even where technology is forging ahead. The goal is to ensure that processes remain competitive in the one to two years it takes to implement them in the market.

“Markets will change and evolve in that time, so it’s critical for us to anticipate and be cognizant of the market trends and our customers’—and their customers’—needs and accordingly be able to plan proactively and make sure we keep their future requirements in mind,” says Rahimian.

“We want to show our customers that we know their application, their pain points, their challenges, and we want them to minimize their risk by going with a supplier who has done this over and over, who can bring to the table new thoughts that they hadn’t thought of before,” says Kuniega, referring to the way the company has proven itself through its performance for over a century.

It’s this ability of Lanco’s to evolve, grow, and stay at the leading edge of technological innovation and market trends that has proven to be a sharp strategy for its customers and its vendors. And so Lanco Integrated continues to prove that it is second to none as an automation and precision engineering specialist, capable of optimizing performance on the manufacturing floor while remaining profitable in the most competitive of global markets.

The post Global Automation That’s Got the Local Touch<p class="company">Lanco Integrated</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Reinhausen Manufacturing Inc. so successfully and famously produces high-quality and long-lasting components for the power transformer industry that over 50 percent of the world’s electricity flows through products created by this company.

Working with well-known and respected power transformer manufacturers, energy utilities, and heavy industry, Reinhausen’s decades of experience, quality products, innovative solutions and outstanding service makes the company a top choice for a certain kind of customer – experienced transformer manufacturers who demand longevity and dependability for their high-voltage systems.

Active in every area dealing with the flow of energy, Reinhausen Manufacturing’s commitment is to innovation in voltage regulation and the global supply of energy.

With extensive experience and core competencies second to none, the company’s products crop up in a variety of applications, including transformer production, oil transformers, dry type transformers, and sealed power transformers.

From on-load tap-changers and off-circuit tap-changers to voltage regulators, monitoring systems, drives, protective relays and a great deal more, any power transformer must stand up to the harshest conditions at all times. That’s non-negotiable.

“Transformers have a long life,” says Bernhard Kurth, President of Reinhausen Manufacturing Inc. “They are not something that you replace after five or ten years. Transformers built in the 1920s and 1930s are still in use. It is very important for the owners of those transformers that there are still opportunities to maintain the components that were used by the original transformer manufacturers so many years ago.”

Kurth joined Germany’s Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen – an established and prominent company with a rich history – back in 1987. With its operations expanding to other locations across Europe and worldwide, including Milan, Moscow, the Middle East, India, Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Sydney, Japan, China, and Canada, Kurth traveled to Humboldt, Tennessee in April of 1991 to head up Reinhausen’s American operations.

150 years of excellence
With over 40 subsidiaries and affiliated companies around the world, Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen has grown to almost 3,000 staff globally, with approximately 110 working at Reinhausen Manufacturing’s operations in Tennessee.

Founded in 1868, the company is headquartered in Regensburg, Germany, which remains the global hub for marketing, sales activities, research and development, significant production, and the testing and innovation center.

All of these activities at the center of Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen contribute to the success of the company and its global network of over 20 subsidiaries, which includes production sites in Germany, Sweden, China, and the United States.

“We are a company that started producing products back in 1876,” says Kurth. “Reinhausen has been in the business we are now in with transformer components since the 1920s – our first patent was filed in the 1920s – and we have been able to continue as an independent company since the start.”

It was, however, in 1926, when Dr. Bernhard Jansen invented the high-speed resistor-type tap-changer that allowed the transmission ratio of transformers to be changed under load without interruption that the company truly became a global force.

Working in collaboration with brothers Oskar and Richard Scheubeck, Jansen achieved an industry breakthrough that became known worldwide as the “Reinhausen tap changer,” and demand for the company’s high-quality products grew.

With tap-changers – devices used in power transformers to regulate output voltage to required levels – as the company’s main product, every one of Reinhausen’s tap-changers are customized. Built to exacting specifications from each transformer manufacturer, they are precision made and tested.

“Almost everyone who builds power transformers in the North American market buys from us,” says Kurth of the company, whose clients include Virginia Transformer, Delta Star, CG Power Systems, Mitsubishi, WEG Electric Corporation, Siemens, and many other well-known and respected global entities.

At the Reinhausen operation in Humboldt, the primary focus is not on the manufacturing of the company’s products, but assembly.

Parts are purchased from suppliers across the United States and Germany and brought into the facility, where assembly and testing is carried out. “All parts are exclusively made for us with our own tooling. So the tooling that is necessary to produce the part belongs to us,” says Kurth.

These assembled components are then sold to transformer manufacturers. “The tap-changers that we produce in Tennessee are not produced anywhere else in the world. Even our main plant in Germany does not produce the same type and model that we produce here in the States. The product that we produce here is dedicated to the U.S. market.”

Research and development
The products assembled at Reinhausen’s Humboldt facilities are the result of rigorous research, development, and ongoing testing at the company’s main operations in Germany, where there are over 200 engineers solely dedicated to R&D.

One of the key pillars of the company’s success for decades, Reinhausen is dedicated to not only maintaining the superior quality of its existing products, but remaining ahead of the competition by investigating emergent technology and product ideas that offer clients added value.

“Our engineers are also inspired by unconventional ideas,” says the company. “To develop new, innovative products, they pursue their own paths and constantly question existing rules and conventions.

One thing counts
“At the same time, they use MR’s unique wealth of experience to continuously improve the reliability of our products. Because only one thing counts in the world of energy supply – the reliability and availability of the operating equipment.”

All products are tested, and every new development must be absolutely reliable from the moment it is launched. At the company’s unique Test Center, tap-changers are subjected to a number of tests – electrical, mechanical, and climatic – to ensure they will be able to perform reliably in extreme conditions without exception.

In addition to providing clients with the most reliable products on the market, Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen will tool products based on customer feedback. “The products are not developed to be sold by themselves, they are designed to be installed in a bigger piece of equipment, which is a transformer,” says Kurth.

Tap-changers, drive systems, and accessories created by Reinhausen are not only the result of years of design and manufacturing excellence, but are made to have an extremely long lifespan, in many cases lasting for decades.

In recent years, the company has taken on a number of initiatives, including the introduction of SAP (Systems Applications Products), the re-examination of a number of existing products, and plans to introduce a new motor drive for tap-changers later this year.

For customers, the delivery of products from Hamburg, Germany to the U.S. will also be greatly expedited, from an average of 14 to 15 weeks to just seven or eight. “That’s a big step for us,” says Kurth. “That, and the ability to respond to customers more quickly when clients need quotations and drawings. With the system in place, within five days we are able to provide all drawings needed to a customer.”

New product development
Back in 1999, the company acquired MESSKO® Albert Hauser GmbH and Co KG, which were added to other companies within the Reinhausen Group family.

A sister company in Germany, MESSKO® concentrates on smaller components, such as oil level devices, relays, sensors, and transducers. Some, like the Buchholz Relay, are commonly found in Europe; in the U.S. they are only used in very large power transformers. In this case, the design was driven by the European market.

Other MESSKO® transformer accessories include voltage-regulated distribution transformers, active filters, and oil level and temperature indicators for transformer manufacturers, utilities, and industrial customers; pressure relief devices, dehydrating breathers, electronic thermometers, and more.

“Our continual investment in technology and new products is the foundation of our continuing existence in this market,” says Kurth. “We have the same values we had when we started almost 150 years ago.”

Independence and quality
While many companies grow through acquisition, Reinhausen remains independent, and offers the same quality, selection and exceptional service it has provided for decades.

“We have a unique proposition to customers, in that even today we offer support for products that we produced 50 or 60 years ago,” Kurth shares.

“We are still the original manufacturer, not a company that got bought up by another company and at some point discontinued a line of products and support. We have maintained it, and still offer support to any of the products that we have produced.”

The post Long-Lasting and Powerful Transformer Components<p class="company">Reinhausen Manufacturing</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Where some press manufacturers specialize in a core faculty, Macrodyne’s repertoire embodies various forming, extrusion and molding specializations including, but definitely not limited to compression molding, forging, stretch forming, and superplastic forming. It offers custom presses, automation, and die handling equipment for any application.

Macrodyne’s presses serve countless industries including automotive, aerospace, refractory brick, pulp and paper, and other market commodities. Its expertise is diverse, yet it continues to expand, as new clients challenge its capacities with new applications.

This diversity was particularly important during COVID. The pandemic emphasized the fragility of global supply chains and their susceptibility to unforeseen interruptions, but it also posed a unique opportunity for Macrodyne to pivot to where the market was strongest.

As sectors like aerospace and automotive slowed though decreased demand and supply shortages, there was a defined uptick in sectors such as home improvement products like bathtubs and doors.

In lieu of vacations abroad, homeowners were investing in renovations, particularly among those who moved to a work-from-home lifestyle, and set out to bring a better balance of work and life to their home space. Service-based spending was low, but goods and commodities were in high demand.

Demand grew in other sectors like paper and packaging, which experienced a surge in unison with the increase in online shopping. Raw commodities like steel and aluminum production are also picking up steam in the market.

Aluminum extrusion, in particular, is growing rapidly. So to ensure that it can service this market fully, Macrodyne has established a relationship with Belco to offer stronger post-handling automation for that industry and provide turnkey solutions to customers who need the support.

“The whole supply chain is probably under the most stress it’s been under in a hundred years, but those who take on that challenge and find solutions for it will take market share. And that market share will continue indefinitely,” says President and CEO Kevin Fernandes.

“What happened in the first year or eighteen months of COVID was that everybody was shy to spend money,” he adds. “They thought the sky was falling. As the election came to a close and as COVID started to settle out and people got accustomed to it, they felt more comfortable spending money and the first thing that goes is Capex.”

This spending is apparent in the increasing demand for Macrodyne’s presses, encouraging the company to invest in new capabilities.

One such investment was the acquisition of a 60,000-square-foot facility directly across from its headquarters in Concord, Ontario to help it deliver on any and all orders that come its way, whether from new or existing customers.

As a press manufacturer, Macrodyne has established itself as the leader in the North American market, with a reputation for high performance presses and service that cannot be beaten. However, it is expanding its international presence as well, with growth that has been both intentional and strategic, especially during the pandemic.

“When COVID hit, we knew that we had to reach out much more broadly than we had in the past, otherwise we wouldn’t be successful when the economy started to pick up again,” says Fernandes.

Historically, upwards of ninety percent of Macrodyne’s orders were from the U.S., so while it generated business leads internationally, it was compelled also to maintain its relationships with its American customers as a priority. It accomplished satisfying both markets by bolstering its U.S. and international field services network to offer better remote support. This made installs significantly different from what they were in the past.

During the pandemic, the manufacturer completed many installations in the U.S. and Mexico. Much of that work could be done remotely thanks to its American and Mexican field services support who were, as Fernandes said, “able to get these customers up and running without us being able to be on site. That was something we’ve never done before.”

Having the infrastructure in place for international projects during a pandemic has been paramount for Macrodyne, especially in the context of the European market which is a challenging market to break into. According to Jeff Walsh, director of business development, “We’re finding that we’re competing more often now in Europe, not just in our backyard but theirs.”

There are countless reputable press manufacturers in Europe, and regardless of how competitive Macrodyne is in price, service, and performance, it often makes more sense for European customers to purchase European-built presses. The good news is that things are starting to change, and the company is positioning itself to be a contender in the European market via strategic partnerships.

Macrodyne has proven that it can compete with large European press manufacturers by demonstrating the same commitment to quality, and by its possession of a rich engineering tradition similar to what put these companies on the map. Its presses are designed to perform and are built to last.

As Machiavelli notes in The Prince, “For one change always leaves the toothing for another,” the delivery of one project typically leads to more advanced, or increasingly complex, press designs for new applications, which is an area in which Macrodyne thrives.

A recent example of this incremental growth in capacity was Macrodyne’s ability to deliver three ten-thousand ton forging presses for a client. Upon project completion, the team was able to turn around and quote a thirty-thousand ton forging press for another client leveraging that expertise.

“Just by taking these steps and executing on them,” Fernandes says, “allows us to take more and more market share away from our competitors.” One project validates the next and Macrodyne continues to push the limits of what’s possible.

Whether it is the sheer size of the presses, the force they deliver, the complexity of their function, or the integrated automation, each press is a mammoth accomplishment, especially in the longevity and performance they deliver.

In fact, it’s quite common for Macrodyne’s presses to outlast their original purpose and hold their value in the resale market. In an economy where product life cycles are short and most things easily disposable, this is a breath of fresh air.

Solid success in the hydraulic press industry for over three decades is a testament to the quality and service Macrodyne offers. Despite the physical growth and increased market share it has gained, the culture at Macrodyne remains one of innovation and the drive for growth and collective success is strong.

“Macrodyne prides itself on fostering a good team environment. The successes we had during the challenging times of COVID are apparent, and we couldn’t achieve all of those successes without the support of the employees,” said Nadia Bomben, Director of Human Resources.

“This time has been an important opportunity to strengthen our trust and engagement with employees – and through the successes we’ve achieved, it really has shown.”

The post Applying Pressure to the Competition<p class="company">Macrodyne Technologies</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The company manufactures overhead bridge cranes, gantry cranes, jib cranes, monorail systems, hoists, and custom lifting equipment. This overhead lifting expert has grown to become the largest independent crane and hoist company in the United States, providing manufacturing, distribution, and full customer-centric service.

“We do everything from the design, the engineering, the installation, the inspection and maintenance, and the repairs of overhead cranes and hoists. That makes us very unique because the industry is often fragmented,” says Ace Industries’ Chief Operations Officer Daniel Arwood.

The various services offered by Ace Industries are frequently split across separate design engineering firms, steel erectors, inspectors, service providers, and original equipment manufacturers. “We really bridge the gap for our customers, but we specialize in the niche of overhead lifting with overhead cranes.”

Ace Industries provides light-duty ergonomic lifting solutions as well as large overhead cranes with the capacity to lift hundreds of tons. The lighter lifting solutions, which are regularly used for automotive plants and assembly operations, require a deep understanding of ergonomics, since employees are using lifts repeatedly throughout the day. The heavier projects in need of large equipment such as power generation, metals production, and forestry operations call for Ace’s expertise in automation and reliability engineering for process applications.

In addition to establishing itself as a quality manufacturer and designer of lifting equipment, Ace is known for providing exceptional customer field support in these demanding environments. Its equipment goes into heavy industry processes, so in order to design the equipment efficiently, the team must comprehend its application. Ace has the experience to navigate the safety requirements, physical requirements, and other environmental factors within heavy industries.

“We’re a technical company at heart, and we really focus on servicing and manufacturing critical equipment. We focus on building reliable equipment, and we try to service that equipment with efficiency and speed, and that makes us a unique fit for companies in aerospace, military and defense, paper and forestry, metals production, automotive, oil and gas, energy, and power,” says Arwood.

Ace Industries was founded in 1932 under the name Ace Electric Company, by Daniel’s grandfather Harold Arwood, Senior. It began as a motor repair facility with an office on Edgewood Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, steps away from the Georgia State Capitol. The intention, from the outset, was to create a family business, and by the 1970s, Harold’s son Bud had taken over and led the expansion into the crane business. The current chief executive officer is Josh Arwood, Harold Sr.’s grandson and Daniel’s brother.

With Bud Arwood at the helm of the company in the 1970s and 1980s, Ace transitioned from a small electric motor repair shop to a parts and new equipment distributor for US-based hoist and crane manufacturers. The company had excellent inventory controls and the ability to ship the same day, which was rather unique at the time. This quality led Ace to become a master dealer for Coffing, Yale, Budgit, Shaw-Box, Harrington, R&M, Stahl, Duff Norton, and the Columbus McKinnon Corporation.

The expansion into manufacturing and services in the nineties was based on a combination of market changes and end user demands. As international equipment manufacturers entered the U.S. market just as domestic suppliers went through a wave of aggregation, customers began to look to Ace to guide product design and selection decisions for increasingly complex lifting scenarios. As the company was able to offer both domestic and internationally supplied components for its clients, Ace was able to simplify selection decisions and provide the most effective solution to its clients.

To increase its capacity to manufacture overhead cranes, Ace acquired a new facility just outside of Metro Atlanta and soon began to open regional service centers. The first were in Birmingham, Alabama and Cincinnati, Ohio, and since that time, the company has continued a methodical expansion both organically and through the acquisition of other crane companies. Ace now has over thirty-six offices in the U.S. from Florida to Washington State, and in the future, it hopes to expand further into the Midwest and Northeast.

Ace began during a difficult time following the Great Depression, and it has endured a number of economic and political challenges throughout its journey. These have taught the company to be adaptable and pivot when necessary. “There are great legends at Ace about the many changes that have happened, and I do say legends because Ace has been around for a lot of years, and we have developed a reputation in the industry for being ethical, responsible, responsive, customer-centric and good at what we do,” says Arwood.

Many companies in the manufacturing industry have experienced a ripple effect in material prices and demand due to the pandemic. Steel has seen significant price fluctuations and caused inflationary pressures for overhead crane manufacturing since it is the primary commodity used in a crane. “When you’re building a crane project that has 200,000 pounds of steel in it, and the price of steel goes up from $0.85 a pound to $1.35, it’s a problem, but I think we can reasonably expect to see that stabilize,” explains Arwood.

The company’s services are considered essential since overhead cranes are used to transport products through manufacturing facilities. If it had suspended its services, it would have caused a bottleneck in production. “It has been really important for our business, for Ace to be able to continue to faithfully serve our customers safely through the pandemic because of the highly essential [production]. Lights need to come on; oxygen needs to be produced; toilet paper needs to be made, and we are right there lockstep with our customers during this time through it,” says Arwood.

Another current challenge in the market is the demand for sub-assembly components. However, Ace has also found ways to work around this complication to ensure that its customers do not have to face the chaos behind the scenes. “Our inventory on hand has been able to float the sub-assembly components problems. Our sourcing and materials management for steel has enabled us to price effectively and not pass massive cost price increases to our customers and that directly translates to our customers being more competitive, saving money, and being more efficient,” says Arwood.

Ace is leading the overhead crane and hoist manufacturing industry with its experience and drive. Chief Executive Officer Josh Arwood is the outgoing president of the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), an organization that helps set the standards for the entire industry.

This display of leadership is also clearly extended within the team. The company’s leadership regularly spends time in the field working on equipment with the service technicians and all employees support each other and each other’s customers as one large team across regions.

The overhead crane industry is rapidly changing hands due to consolidation, and the future of the market is somewhat unknown. No stranger to this type of environment, Ace is focused on its strategic goals, and it is strongly committed to continuing the enduring legacy that has been established.

“My daughter, who is nine years old, has repeatedly reminded me over the past few years that someday she wants to work in the family business, so I think we’re doing something right,” Arwood says proudly.

Ace plans to continue expansion on the West Coast, where there is plenty of opportunity, the Midwest will follow, and finally, the company will establish itself in the Northeast to offer full coast-to-coast overhead crane services. “In an industry that is changing and moving fast, where private equity is running through and buying up crane companies, we’re going to continue to do what we do best, which is continue to grow our expertise, our skills, and our strategic advantage,” says Arwood. “We’re going to continue to do that without taking on debt or taking outside capital, and we’re going to stay true to our people.”

The post A Family Business Committed to its Legacy<p class="company">Ace Industries</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

“All of our groups can operate independently. They have their own set of customers and business streams but, combined, we make up ArtiFlex,” explains Marketing and Estimating Manager Lynnette Cowger.

The company’s manufacturing group is based in Wooster, Ohio and brings in the most revenue for the firm, handling stamping, assembly, and e-coating, among other duties. A tooling group in Grand Rapids specializes in tool and die and engineering work while an automation group in the same city designs, builds then installs customized robotic systems, automated machines and packaging and assembly equipment. An innovation group in Rochester Hills, Michigan is responsible for design, development, and engineering. For most projects, the emphasis is on low-volume (under 40k units) production and tooling.

“ArtiFlex is a leader in engineered solutions for large, complex metal assemblies,” states Director of Business Development Steve Delmoro.

In addition to its own work, the company has sufficient capacity and capability to offer factory assist and emergency offload services for clients in need.

Such assistance is provided when a customer “needs a quick turnaround because of a situation in their manufacturing facility. Maybe their press went down; maybe they’re over capacity or have some planned maintenance, or there’s a lack of labor. If a client has an issue and needs to have parts manufactured and they can no longer do it in-house, they can call ArtiFlex,” says Cowger.

Offering a comprehensive array of services has been central to the firm’s success, she continues. In fact, establishing a vertically-integrated operation was the primary reason “why ArtiFlex was formed—being able to be that one supplier for our customers who is involved early in the design of the part or the tooling or assembly system. [We’re] able to contribute to engineering cost-saving ideas and [ideas] for the launch of a product. We work clear through to the end of the product’s life and can provide service parts when production is over.”

Innovation is also central to the company’s vision. To this end, the innovation group “tries to find creative ways to design a product and design manufacturing processes that leverage existing [assets],” says Delmoro.

The company also demonstrates a flair for innovative thinking when it comes to seeking new niches and opportunities. He points to the heavy and mid-sized delivery truck sector as an example. The market for such trucks has grown enormously in recent years, with delivery vehicles from grocery and meal suppliers to Amazon and other companies now sharing the road with established fleets from FedEx and UPS.

“How do you create unique products that support those types of vehicles and align with the needs of the new market?” asks Delmoro. To this end, ArtiFlex developed an expertise in sliding doors, a defining feature of most delivery vehicles. Additionally, EV Battery Trays, Customized Hoods and Doors are also market segments where ArtiFlex is a leader.

The company is equally adept at business dealings, as demonstrated by its relationship with manufacturing partners in Asia. “To participate effectively in tool-and-die build, you’ve got to have partners overseas,” he says.

The company designs and builds stamping tools in Grand Rapids. ArtiFlex also leverages partners in low-cost locales in South Korea and China as needed to meet capacity, cost and timing requirements. Tools outsourced to these partners are manufactured, and then returned home to be completed. This process allows ArtiFlex to reduce costs while maintaining control over design and manufacturing.

This is a relatively new company and is a product of the recession of 2008–2009. During this grim period, Erin Hoffmann, owner of International Tooling Solutions (ITS), began seeking new prospects to boost business and teamed up with the Gerstenslager Company, a venerable Ohio firm owned by Columbus, Ohio-based Worthington Industries.

The Gerstenslager Company specialized in recreational and service vehicles. It made cargo trailers during World War Two and the first Oscar-Mayer ‘Wienermobile’ promotional vehicle. Worthington Industries acquired the Gerstenslager Company in 1997. Fourteen years later, ITS and the Gerstenslager Company partnered in a joint venture called ArtiFlex.

The name was chosen to reflect the fledgling company’s commitment to artisan-level quality and a flexible approach. Today, ArtiFlex has ISO 14001 environmental, ISO 9001:2015 quality, and IATF 16949 quality certifications, the last being standard for working in the automotive industry. “Quality is built throughout all of our processes and systems. We use the IATF standards to guide our business processes,” states Cowger.

Flexibility, meanwhile, entails “leveraging the talent, resources and equipment we have to come up with a solution,” says Delmoro.

The company has launched a growth initiative called Body by ArtiFlex which is based around potential partnerships. The client provides a design, and ArtiFlex provides enhanced support to bring the design to market economically. The program is geared towards customers who want to market a product quickly, but not in massive volumes.

The automotive industry, one of the main sectors in which it works (along with appliances, trucks, and agriculture), is the key target market. The company hopes the initiative will garner new assignments from traditional automakers and start-ups alike.

“We want to partner with the right customers. There are many low-volume [electric vehicle] start-up companies, but there are also many traditional [original equipment manufacturers] that want to bring a low-volume derivative product to the market,” says Delmoro.

Even as Body by ArtiFlex gets underway, the company is still coping with the lingering effect of COVID-19. It operates within an essential industry, so the company did not have to stop its manufacturing when the pandemic struck. The company responded quickly to the virus, forming a task force, introducing social distancing and other health measures, and sending some employees home to work remotely.

“COVID has been hard on everyone, but ArtiFlex weathered the storm fairly well. We are looking forward to continued profitability,” states Delmoro.

The company took time during the pandemic to “really improve the look and feel of our operations. We restructured some of our plant layouts and gave the plants facelifts, so to speak. We really take pride in what our operations look like,” says Cowger.

With most trade shows and industry events closed, it “increased our social media presence, trying to get more engagement with our company Facebook page and LinkedIn page. We’ve updated our YouTube page to include more in-depth reviews of what each of our facilities look like, highlighting all our capabilities,” she continues.

The firm’s efforts were recognized by Smart Business magazine, which gave ArtiFlex a 2020 Evolution of Manufacturing Award. “One of the driving factors behind that award was being able to come out of the COVID pandemic and being able to still maintain profitability and key personnel through very challenging times,” states Cowger.

ArtiFlex presently has 556 employees across all its companies, versus nearly 900 this time last year. Currently in hiring mode, it has certain prerequisites in mind for potential new employees.

“We don’t want someone who wants to come in for two weeks, grab a paycheck, and leave. There is significant training, there is significant upside [for employees] with profit sharing and 401(k) benefits. We’re looking for team members for the long term. We offer growth opportunities. [An employee can go] from being a manufacturing operator to a technician to a robot operator to tooling. We also pay competitive wages,” says Delmoro.

The company likes employees who demonstrate “a problem-solving mentality—being able to address an issue, come up with a solution on your own, or at least bring a solution to the table for review,” adds Cowger.

In similar fashion, the company always keeps an eye out for new equipment or technology that might enhance operations or allow it to take on new services. ArtiFlex utilizes 3D printers, for example, and is planning to acquire additional high-speed, five-axis laser machines.

Despite the team’s workload and ambitious growth agenda, they still manage to make time for charity and community events. The company is hosting its second annual car show this September to benefit the Wooster, Ohio Boys and Girls Club. In addition to showing off various vehicles, the event will feature plant tours for residents of Wooster.

“A lot of time, in a large manufacturing town, nobody knows what’s inside the walls. Somebody who looks at a car today doesn’t know a 1,000-ton press that made the fender,” says Delmoro. The plant tours in Wooster are further evidence of the company pride shown by ArtiFlex employees, and the company forecast is also bright.

“We’ve been working hard to be stable and profitable. Those are two main tenets in our mission statement, and the third is growth. Once stable and profitable, you have that ability to grow. We are looking to expand with current customers, expand with new customers, and see where all our capabilities can take us,” says Cowger.

The post Positioned for Growth<p class="company">ArtiFlex Manufacturing</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.