Manufacturing Today

An all-star competitor. Alleson Athletic
Focusing on quality since 1960. Southern Components
Having superior equipment is paramount. Solar Atmospheres
Celebrating 100 years of success. Anderson Chemical Co.
The drive to be No. 1. Atlas Resin Proppants LLC

Profiles

Zentech Manufacturing Inc.

In 1998, when founder and CEO Brad LaPray launched Zentech Manufacturing Inc., he wanted his new operation to reflect the strengths of the successful operations he had worked with previously – Boeing,...

World Class Manufacturing Group

At the end of 2008, as the recession began to fully take hold, an idea popped into Bob Peltonen’s mind. To combat what was taking place in the economy, he thought it would be best for company’s in...

Woodharbor Doors & Cabinetry Inc.

Philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson originated the phrase “build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” Businessman Jack Welch said, “An organization’s ability to...

TSE Industries Inc.

Started in 1962 as a mom-and-pop plastic distributor, TSE Industries now is an industry leader with more than 200 employees. “Our guiding principle remains the same: We treat our customers and employees...

Top 40 Woodworks

During an economic slowdown, most companies tighten their belts by laying off employees, spending less on advertising and cutting back on major purchases. Top 40 Woodworks is not like other companies....

Thermacore Inc.

For 40 years, Thermacore Inc. has designed, developed and manufactured custom thermal management systems and components. The company offers clients a partner that works to resolve the most challenging...

Syndero

Through its network of manu-facturers, formulators and chemists, San Francisco-based Syndero develops a variety of products that it markets direct to consumers through online ads and TV infomercials. The...

State Industrial Products

Although the U.S. manufacturing industry absorbed some of the hardest hits as a result of the crash of the economy in late 2008, State Industrial Products continues to thrive. In fact, the industrial cleaning...

Rolls-Royce – Plainfield, Ind.

Rolls-Royce has added new wind under its wings. Plainfield, Ind.’s “focused factory” will produce LiftFans for the Joint Strike Fighter. A strong competitive strategy and a high-tech facility is...

Robinson Industries Inc.

Thermoformed and injection molded plastics are versatile materials that can be used in many industries. Yet, like many Michigan companies, Robinson Industries Inc.’s business in reusable plastic packaging...

Parker Hannifin

The electronic controls division of Parker Hannifin provides its customers with a full spectrum of system solutions including control modules, displays, sensors, harnesses and electromechanical products....

Pacific Office Automation

One corporation describing itself as a problem solver is hardly a novelty, but actually being able to stand up to that claim is another matter. With more than 30 years as a leading distributor of document...

Columns

Adopt the Will to Win

Over the last few years, the economy has taken its toll on many small businesses and their owners. Not surprisingly, they are feeling beat up and hopeless, and lack the courage to fight. Some have given...

Prepare Your Defense

America’s sales tax system is broken! Sales tax collection is spread across more than 17,000 individual sales tax jurisdictions in this country, yet the rules aren’t uniform from one county to the...

Effective Business Planning

For nearly three decades, companies have relied on sales and operations planning (S&OP) in their effort to improve business performance. What originally started as basic production planning in the...

Keep It Simple

Virtualization is a fact of life in information technology today. More and more systems are migrating to virtual machines (VMs) or to entire private cloud platforms, while major vendors have moved to fully...

Teamwork

There is something magical about the performance of effective teams – the way the members come together, align their talents and put aside their differences, and then almost flawlessly execute to achieve...

Outsourcing

The outsourcing of IT, engineering and business services has benefitted the manufacturing industry profoundly over the past few decades. Outsourcers have successfully taken out costs and helped customers...

Global

From the G-7, to the BRIC, to the N-11, the search is ongoing for markets that promise growth and new opportunities for businesses around the globe. To that end, Goldman Sachs and others have conducted...

Employee Focus

There are many factors that contribute to a company’s success, but one of the most important is the often overlooked role of retention of top performers. While meeting or exceeding company goals might...

Washington

For the manufacturing work force, selecting and requiring the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of the most important elements of assuring a safe and healthful work environment. What PPE...

Improvement

Companies can replace or recover most assets of the organization, but in many cases, “most” is not good enough. The mass amount of data generated over the years is far too valuable and irreplaceable...

Special Focus

Electroimpact Inc.
Chemtall Aerospace Technologies
Precision Gear Inc.
Tomlinson/Erwin-Lambeth
Columbian Home Products

Electroimpact Inc.’s engineers do more than draft concept drawings – they guide every aspect of the products they work on.

“What sets us apart is being the ultimate engineers’ company,” says Ben Hempstead, a mechanical engineering lead. “Of our 431 employees, 352 are engineers. Their responsibility is from concept design through calculation, analysis, simulation, drafting, purchasing, assembly, debug, testing, shipping, installation, final acceptance and factory support.” Read more...

The approximately 40 subsidiary businesses of Chemetall GmbH emerged from the combination of expertise in chemistry and metallurgy, which is mirrored in the company’s name. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, the specialty chemicals group is the global leader in products and processes for the chemical treatment of metal surfaces and plastics. Its surface treatment solutions benefit a variety of markets, such as aerospace, automotive, coil, cold forming, aluminum finishing, oil and gas, and several niche industries. Read more...

For Precision Gear Inc. (PGI), failure is not an option. The College Point, N.Y.-based company specializes in manufacturing parts for the aircraft and jet engine industry, including external and internal spur, helical, cluster gears, elongated shafts, splined shafts, high-speed shafts, free wheel cams shafts and hydraulic assemblies. Read more...

As a recognized leader in upscale home furnishings since the turn of the 20th century, Tomlinson/Erwin-Lambeth, Directional and Carter’s posh furniture has adorned the homes and yachts of European royalty, U.S. presidents and celebrities for generations. Thanks to its alignment with the industry’s top designers – including Barry Dixon, Larry Laslo, Michael Wolk, Vladimir Kagan, Rob Jones, Diane Grande, Denis McCullough and Nancy Barnett – its name is synonymous with comfort, quality and style. Read more...

As a niche provider of porcelain-on-steel, hand-crafted wood, and specialty ethnic kitchen and cooking products, Columbian Home Products has distinguished itself as the big fish in a small pond. While aluminum and stainless steel have taken over the market for mainstream pots and pans, there is still a strong consumer base in need of items such as stir-fry pans, bamboo steamers, tamale and menudo pots, seafood steamers and turkey roasters – items that are Columbian’s niche. Read more...