American manufacturing is poised for a comeback thanks to companies such as Wauseon Machine and Manufacturing (WMM). Founded as a small contract machine shop in 1983, the company continues to evolve as it nears its 30th anniversary in 2013.
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People who can set up a small shop to assemble material handling manipulators and tooling might consider themselves competitors to Positech Corp., but that is not the way President Mike Olson sees it. “We consider our strongest competitors to be about a dozen [companies], but if you look at people who sell material handling manipulators and tooling, they’re probably in the hundreds,” Olson calculates. “Anybody who can build this little piece of equipment in their garage gets to consider themselves qualified, but we don’t agree with that.”
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Unlike many battery manufacturers that work strictly for OEMs, Global Technology Systems (GTS) has made its name by working directly with end-users of its batteries since its inception in 1999. This distinction, according to COO Mike Grosberg, is the difference between customers getting the best performance available today vs. having to purchase new devices to get the latest in battery technology from manufacturers.
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Some firms limit the autonomy of their workers, but not Applied Energy Solutions (AES). Instead, President Vern Fleming says the company gives them the opportunity to make important decisions on its work floor.
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Labor Day is a happy civil holiday – most people enjoy a long weekend, and the holiday is filled with barbecues, parades and activities that allow Americans to enjoy the end of summer. But the reason for the holiday is to celebrate workers and their economic and social contributions to our society. And it is the manufacturing industry and its millions of workers that continue to contribute to the U.S. quality of life in a major way.
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