The Year in Review: CompanyWeek’s Best Mfg. Profiles of 2021

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CompanyWeek profiled more than 200 manufacturers in 2021, most of them based in the four states where we publish regular e-publications: Colorado, Utah, California, and — as of November 2021 — Texas. Of those, these 20 profiles stand out for a variety of different reasons: Some are industry leaders, others are trying to disrupt markets, and others yet are rethinking manufacturing and ignoring the status quo.

For a recap of the last 12 months in manufacturing, these stories are a great place to start.

California

Checkerspot (Berkeley)

Using algae-derived oils as the building blocks for better materials, Checkerspot aims to upend the supply chain with sustainable innovation. CEO Charles Dimmler sees a global market of manufacturers of all kinds, but the company started its own ski brand — Utah-based WNDR Alpine — to showcase the performance of its polyurethane alternative.

Read the profile (Jan. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/checkerspot

Jacquard Inkjet Fabric Systems (Healdsburg)

The company is a leader in the market for inkjet-ready coated fabrics, supplying artists, small and mid-sized businesses, and big apparel brands. “We produce fabrics that can be printed on any inkjet printer,” President Hunter Ellis told CompanyWeek contributor Glen Martin earlier in the year. “That’s our main selling point. No specialty printers are needed.”

Read the profile (July 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/jacquard-inkjet-fabric-systems

Photo courtesy Before the Butcher

Before the Butcher (San Diego / Irvine)

Angela Rose, CompanyWeek‘s California editor, profiled the manufacturer of plant-based protein alternatives to meat when the company was in the midst of building a new 30,000-square-foot plant in San Diego. “Once we’re up and running, we will have 20 million-plus pounds per year capacity out of that facility alone,” said founder Danny O’Malley.

Read the profile (Aug. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/before-the-butcher

Morf3D (El Segundo)

CEO Ivan Madera has fostered the company as a production partner specializing in additive manufacturing for aerospace companies. As the industry gravitates to additive’s many features and benefits, Madera said the rising tide lifts all boats. “We continue to certify components, but we also view production as an expansion of our certification services,” he explained to CompanyWeek contributor Glen Martin. “As an industry, we need to standardize processes, and that’s not a simple thing to do by any evaluation.”

Read the profile (Oct. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/morf3d

MeliBio (Berkeley)

The startup is working to produce honey via a fermentation process, without the help of bees. When editor Angela Rose interviewed CEO Darko Mandich, he said the company was aiming to start producing 40,000 pounds of bee-free honey daily sometime in 2022.

Bees are critical to the health of the planet, he added. “If we lose them, it will be looking like the surface of Mars. But that’s pressure for us to work as hard as possible to replace every pound of honey that’s coming from commercial beekeeping with honey that is produced using science so that wild and native bee species are not pushed back any further.”

Read the profile (Nov. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/melibio


Texas

Bloomer Trailers (Salado)

Photo by Bart Taylor

Founder Randy Bloomer saw an opening for a better horse trailer, and went after it with gusto upon launching his eponymous manufacturer in 1998. R&D has guided the company since day one, and that has sometimes involved Bloomer getting his boots dirty. “We found this stuff out by riding in the back of a trailer, personally doing it,” said Bloomer in the interview.

Read the profile (Nov. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/bloomer-trailers

CesiumAstro (Austin)

The company’s communications infrastructure is bringing a cellular model to satellite communications technology, with staggering results a cost that’s just 10 percent that of legacy technology. “The cost of infrastructure — everything you can imagine from cell towers to electronic equipment to antennas, everything — there’s a [metric of] dollars per bit of information,” said CEO Shey Sabripour. “I think these technologies will drastically reduce the cost.”

Read the profile (Nov. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/cesiumastro

Real Ale Brewing Company (Blanco)

President Brad Farbstein’s career is a microcosm of the craft brewing industry. After his early days as a sales rep, he bought Real Ale in 1998 with his life savings, when annual production was around 300 barrels. Nearly a quarter-century later, the company is brewing more than 50,000 barrels a year, with plenty of room to grow: The brewhouse’s capacity is 250,000 barrels.

Read the profile (Nov. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/real-ale-brewing-company

Colorado

Whiting Farms (Delta)

Tom Whiting launched his feather supplier for the fly-fishing industry in the late 1980s. His 27-acre ranch is now home to about 75,000 chickens at any given time, as Whiting Farms supplies about 80 percent of the feathers for dry flies.

Read the profile (Jan. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/whiting-farms

Big Metal Additive (Denver)

Photo courtesy Big Metal Additive

As the company’s name implies, founder Slade Gardner’s company makes additive manufacturing technology that’s designed to print big metal parts — parts as big as a car — that are often better than those made with legacy processes.

From the interview: “There are some structures that casting just can’t do and welded assembly just can’t do, and a lot of these advanced design software packages and advanced design technologies, they create geometries that look more like a dinosaur skeleton than a stick-and-plate engineer’s design. Those kinds of geometries, you almost need additive manufacturing to build them.”

Read the profile (Feb. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/big-metal-additive

StoneAge (Durango)

CEO Kerry Siggins has pushed the manufacturer of waterblast tools towards automation and the Internet of Things in a big way. Case in point: StoneAge’s Sentinel Automation Technology now runs equipment that cleans heat exchangers, with faster and better results. The company plans to integrate Sentinel into other existing tools.

Read the profile (Mar. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/stone-age

Photo courtesy Neota Product Solutions

Neota Product Solutions (Loveland)

Founder and CEO Jason Osborne has come up with an approach to metal injection molding that is competitive with CNC machining. He’s scaled up contract manufacturing as part of a turnkey operation that also helps clients with design for manufacturability and prototyping. Neota is also working to change industry perceptions about metal injection molding. “It’s a black art type of thing,” said Osborne during the interview. “We are really trying to change that stigma.”

Read the profile (Apr. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/neota-product-solutions

MMA Design (Louisville)

President and CEO Mitch Wiens’ aerospace supplier has carved out a niche manufacturing membrane-based antennas and solar arrays for ever-smaller satellites. “Being able to put something that deploys really big but packaging it really small is enabling,” Wiens explained during the call. “Instead of launching a much larger spacecraft that we would have done in the past, we can now put a similar capability on a much smaller vehicle, which brings down cost and allows you to fit more spacecraft on a launch vehicle.”

Read the profile (April 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/mma-design

Photo courtesy Fenceline CIder

Fenceline Cider (Mancos)

Sam Perry is breathing new life into ghost orchards in Montezuma County. While Perry planted trees on his own land that should start bearing apples by the middle of the decade, Fenceline is leaning on legacy farmers for a wide range of unique apple varieties in the meantime. “We have the bins and the picking team, and we go around from orchard to orchard basically,” explained Perry.

Read the profile (May 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/fenceline-cider

Victor Guitar (Denver)

CompanyWeek contributor Gregory Daurer’s midyear profile of Edward Victor Dick’s hybrid shop/lutherie/school captures the compelling craft — and the business — of stringed instruments in detail. He’s repaired and built countless guitars and banjos, and even invented a cross between the two: the banjola.

Read the profile (July 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/victor-guitar

Gates Biomanufacturing Facility (Aurora)

Executive Director Matthew Seefeldt, Ph.D., discussed the unique model as a contract manufacturer that supports the needs of researchers and medical practitioners on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus as well as outside clients in the biopharma industry. “There’s a definite financial piece to what we do — we can’t just live off of grants, for lack of a better description,” he said during his interview with CompanyWeek. “But then at the same time, we take that capital we pull in from the external biotechnology companies to make our systems better, then use that to support early-stage development work to get more drugs into the clinic.”

Read the profile (Oct. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/gates-biomanufacturing-facility

Utah

VORSHEER (Springville)

Three generations of the McCloud family work at “VORSHEER complex,” encompassing 18,000 square feet of space and equipped with a plasma cutter, CNC brake, and welding and wood shops. “We try to keep as much manufacturing in-house as we can for one primary reason: We can control quality,” says Steve McCloud, the company’s president.

Read the profile (May 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/vorsheer

Photo courtesy Roundy Boots

Roundy Boots (Toquerville)

Founder and company namesake Don Roundy found his calling making cowboy boots in the mid-1970s. Nearly 50 years later, he’s crafted boots for a long list of ranch hands, wannabes, and celebrities. “It all comes down to craftsmanship,” Roundy told CompanyWeek writer Gregory Daurer. “My business makes them the quality that they used to be in the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s.”

Read the profile (June 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/roundy-boots

Dustless Technologies (Price)

CEO Spencer Loveless strategized to control the destiny of his vacuum manufacturer’s supply chain by starting a second company, Merit3D, to 3D-print parts for Dustless products in-house. “Our game plan going forward at Dustless is to design all of our new products around additive manufacturing,” Loveless explained during the interview. “We can produce hundreds of thousands of components very quickly without the time frame, the tariffs, the molds, and everything else that comes with outsourcing.”

Read the profile (Aug. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/dustless-technologies

Photo courtesy Alinco Costumes

Alinco Costumes (Murray)

The Allen family business is the go-to manufacturer for NBA mascots. About 70 percent of the league’s teams — including the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and Denver Nuggets — outfit their mascots with Alinco’s performer-friendly products.

Read the profile (Nov. 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/alinco-costumes

Eric Peterson is editor of CompanyWeek. Contact him at epeterson@companyweek.com.

Q&A: Tim Reeser, CEO, Lightning eMotors

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Brewer, welder, bike-maker, and a community in the making

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We first published this column in November 2021 as we launched the TX Manufacturing Report. It’s highly relevant today as we launch the AZ Manufacturing Report.

We’ve learned from companies we report on that answers or solutions to production challenges often arise from, well, other manufacturers. Leave it to a manufacturer to explain why:

“A lot of this manufacturing is just like anything else,” says Mark Grubis, the founder of Durango Artisan Foods. “The essential, basic principles are the same, whether you’re making spaceships or jars of salsa. Many of the skill sets you learn are the same; people are people, products are products, manufacturing is manufacturing, finance is finance. They all operate on the same principles.”

Grubis would know. He was an aerospace engineer before launching a food co-manufacturer in the Four Corners region of Colorado.

We hope to facilitate more connections with the TX Mfg. Report, by reporting on manufacturers that are crushing it — companies finding new ways of solving old problems or positioning for the future. In a 2017 column, I thought leading manufacturers were:

  • Offering employment opportunities that appeal to a Millennial workforce.

  • Utilizing advanced manufacturing techniques and materials, with at the same time flashing a profound connection to the craft.

  • Building products at the forefront of a resurgent Made in America movement.

  • Renewing an American commitment to reclaim industries offshored or otherwise abandoned in pursuit of low-cost labor or services or materials.

  • Providing primary jobs in communities in need of new employers and diversified economies, while at the same time investing in the local supply chain to build a foundation for other manufacturers and makers.

  • Inspired to embrace the mantle of U.S. manufacturing exceptionalism.

At the time, I thought Colorado cycle-maker Moots checked all the boxes. In 2017, very few cycling OEMs were manufacturing frames in the U.S. More are today, but if today’s shortage of cycling components or bicycles is an indication, Asian outposts still have a hammerlock on the sector.

I thought as much reading Ben Wiese’s feature today in the TX Mfg. Report on Austin’s Dor Korngold and his e-bike up-and-comer MOD BIKES. Korngold relies on an Asian ecosystem to manufacture components he designs then assembles in Texas.

We write about MOD BIKES because unless we know why entrepreneurs like Korngold outsource a key component, our supply chains here can’t fill a need. If our goal is to make more here, we need to know what to make. Or, Korngold’s supply chain will remain offshore.

Mark Grubis might pivot from aerospace to food to electric vehicles. Or a Blanco beer maker or Houston tank maker might fabricate parts that fuel an outdoor industry supply chain. (Read this week’s profiles of Real Ale Brewing and Cedarstone Industry.) We need to know.

Our goal every week is to uncover what else we need to know to drive more domestic manufacturing, by reporting on companies like yours. There are NO FEES. This is what we do.

Email me for more information.

Bart Taylor is publisher of CompanyWeek. Email him at btaylor@companyweek.com.

CAMA must seize the moment and alter course to advance Colorado manufacturing

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You could argue that CAMA — the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association — was kneecapped before it got started.

The association was formed just before I launched CompanyWeek in 2013. I said this in an August, 2014 column, “Change at Colorado’s OEDIT an opportunity to upgrade Hick’s Blueprint”:

“OEDIT prioritized manufacturing by establishing CAMA — the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Alliance — at a time when confidence in the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology, then CAMT and now Manufacturer’s Edge, had waned. CAMA’s now an important advocate for regional manufacturing. Manufacturer’s Edge has also benefited, free from obligations of a trade association to operate true to its federal charter as a service provider to industry.”

I also thought the new association held promise to cut through the confusion around the Blueprint’s 14 Key Industries. “Advanced Manufacturing” — CAMA’s namesake — was labeled a Key Industry, even though it’s not an industry, and most Colorado manufacturers weren’t “advanced” at all, as much they aspired to be. For me, the upgrade to the Blueprint was that CAMA would build a true statewide, industry-wide, coalition of manufacturers — including low-tech producers in Colorado’s high-growth industries.

The model that made most sense to me was one in place across the U.S., then and now. CAMA would represent a cross-section of manufacturing interests as the state lobbyist for manufacturing, and from this clear mission grow and develop, much like CMTA in Sacramento, UMA in Salt Lake City, and TMA in Austin.

That didn’t happen. I’m sure that CAMA architects Ken Lund and Noel Ginsburg had good reason.

One explanation is that Chuck Berry, the influential CEO of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, was already doing it. Berry had assembled a powerful but small group of manufacturers — blue chippers like Reynolds Aluminum and Ball Corporation — in a manufacturer’s council. Whatever the reason, the model prevailed.

In my opinion, it’s not the best approach. CACI lobbies for multiple industries and sectors, on issues important to business. They do great work. But the most effective way to strengthen Colorado manufacturing and compete on a national level is to have the industry trade association working the statehouse, in a coordinated manner, around issues important to manufacturing. More, CAMA and Colorado are at a disadvantage without the alignment.

Timing may be on CAMA’s side. Chuck Berry is retiring. CACI will have a new CEO.

CAMA and OEDIT must seize the moment and work with CACI’s new leadership to effect a change that benefits both entities.

The Polis administration can also leave its mark on Colorado manufacturing with a sector “blueprint” of its own. I’m rooting for the following:

  • Relaunch CAMA along with the clear and exclusive mission of lobbyist for Colorado manufacturing. Require more transparency and accountability.

  • Establish a new Advanced Industries grant program for consumer brands including the outdoor industry. This was articulated clearly by local manufacturers to leaders of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office in a meeting I hosted in August. In a manufacturing ecosystem of small businesses, companies are desperate for new technology and need help in acquiring it. Rama Harris’ AI grant program is so important. It should be expanded.

  • Update the current blueprint: Colorado’s spectacular food and food manufacturing sector is a Key Industry, fully independent of Agriculture. Outdoor Recreation is more — it’s Outdoor Industry. And what of manufacturing’s Enabling Technologies?

  • Embrace the cannabis sector to create a new manufacturing workforce. I’ve heard manufacturing leaders say they don’t “support marijuana.” Wishing cannabis would go away isn’t a responsible policy position. Hundreds of Colorado young people are today cannabis manufacturing employees. Let’s keep these kids in manufacturing by providing alternative industry career paths, if they choose, that leverage their experience. Manufacturing is desperate for their services. Celebrating, not vilifying, their chosen industry, is a first step.

Other ideas? Send them to me. We’ll provide the platform to showcase a wave of modern thinking around the sector.

Bart Taylor is publisher of CompanyWeek. Reach him at btaylor@companyweek.com.


READ MORE on the topic from this author:

CAMA turns a corner

CAMA on SMART/FourFront: A Q&A with Tim Heaton and Karla Tartz

Colorado’s myriad trade groups compete to promote. A MFG partnership promises collaboration

Change at Colorado’s OEDIT an opportunity to upgrade Hick’s Blueprint

Stage is set for manufacturers to advance their interests

Time is now for a cohesive regional manufacturing strategy

Colorado is flunking manufacturing. Or is it?



Thinking big: CompanyWeek launches in Texas

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Eight years ago this fall, we launched CompanyWeek to report on Colorado’s over-performing manufacturing economy. Along the way, we added Utah and California editions of CompanyWeek Mfg. Reports.

Last week we opened a new chapter. With the launch of the TX Mfg. Report, we land in America’s most talked-about manufacturing ecosystem. A business-friendly reputation, access to labor, a rich R&D ecosystem, and a foundation of industrial acumen are combining to attract companies and entrepreneurs here. Texas assets are working like gravity to tug manufacturing companies into the state.

And people. I recently moved from Colorado to Texas.

Location matters, but then again, it doesn’t. The folks reimagining U.S. manufacturing share a bond that often transcends state lines.

Randy Bloomer thought he could build a better horse trailer. And did. Eric Wallace and his pals couldn’t stomach American beer. So he launched Left Hand Brewing and a craft beer revolution, along with others like Justin Gold, whose eponymous Justin’s Nut Butter helped change America’s staid food industry. Tony and Terry Pearce watched traditional mattress companies gouge consumers and launched Purple — from Utah.

Job shops operating in Tesla’s supply chain, like Hale Foote’s Scandic, are as transformational and agile as their OEM, as are Heather Bulk’s Special Aerospace Services and Pamela Kan’s Bishop-Wisecarver. Innovation is rampant. Entrepreneurial acumen is off the charts.

They’ve also all been featured in CompanyWeek. We write about manufacturers. And manufacturers are our readers. We’ve profiled more than 1,600 companies to date and over 15,000 comprise our region-wide readership.

We’ll profile three or four companies in every edition of the TX Mfg. Report, and do so twice a month to begin, and every week sometime in 2022. If Texas manufacturing is informed by people like Randy Bloomer, our success is guaranteed.

More, we’ll showcase manufacturers to each other across our publishing footprint, and use our SCoP supply-chain portal to connect companies with each other. Across the West. If your company can’t find a fabricator or producer across town, we may be able to help you locate one in your state, or the region. Either way, let’s keep that job in the U.S.

So buckle up and come along with us as we tell the story of Texas manufacturing through the companies and people leading it today. From California to Utah to Colorado to Texas, our reporting is showcasing the front lines of American manufacturing.

As in all our markets, if you’re a Texas-based company reading this for the first time, have your company featured — there are NO FEES. Or sponsor and advertise your brand. Manufacturers need your services.

Email me for more information.

Bart Taylor is founder and publisher of CompanyWeek. Reach him at btaylor@companyweek.com.

Bloomer Trailers

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Stitch Texas

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Manufacturing is hard. Long live Manufacturing!

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Greatness never comes easy.

The adage has never been more true for the stellar list of companies gathered last week in Denver, where winners of the 2021 Colorado Manufacturing Awards accepted trophies in person after a virtual “winners reveal” in April. Smiles, and a welcome sense of normalcy, displaced months of uncertainty and at times frustration, for one beautiful fall evening.

Yet comments from the CMA winners were uniformly blunt: Today, manufacturing is hard. Workforce and supply-chain challenges top the list — made worse by COVID-19. And for these companies, all flashing industry-leading attributes, recent headwinds only add to what still is a business culture that tilts away from manufacturing.

Their journey has clearly made success that much sweeter, though, and to a person, the companies and people in the CMA spotlight would be doing nothing else. A love of manufacturing runs deep in this group.

Others should be less sanguine. The blunt message from manufacturers here only works to emphasize a harsh truth: The consequences of abandoning U.S. manufacturing are coming home to roost, and it’s a sour symphony. The less we make here, the harder it is for companies to find employees, as products made for us by others languish in containers off the coast of California and other places. The number of vessels docked offshore seems to increase at the same rate as America’s trade imbalance — that again has reached record levels.

Many in business see it differently. Vocal, influential voices blame an inadequate supply and logistical network, not a lack of domestic manufacturing, for current disruptions. Others cite the inevitability of a service economy and downplay the importance of where products are made.

I’ve had a friendly debate going with Brian Lewandowski of the CU Leeds School of Business the past few years that goes something like this: Brian thinks I exaggerate the importance of the manufacturing economy in Colorado — and the U.S. for that matter. Even as I write this, Brian may be at work disproving my hypothesis — that the outcomes weighing on our economy have arisen as manufacturing employment has declined.

But if there’s no one to hire, it may not matter. The struggles of CMA winners to find qualified employees is more of the same. The sector is laboring through an employment crisis. To call it anything less is a dodge.

It begs the question we’ll address this fall in subsequent columns: What’s being done?

In the interim, congratulations to the people and companies in attendance last week to celebrate manufacturing — and look forward to early November when we open nominations for the 2022 Colorado Manufacturing Awards.

Bart Taylor is publisher of CompanyWeek. Email him at btaylor@companyweek.com.

2021 CMA Winners Recap:

CompanyWeek Q&A: CMTC’s Jim Watson on the Post-Pandemic Recovery

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America’s manufacturing workforce crisis may be most acute in California, where 70,000 manufacturing jobs are unfilled. We caught up with Jim Watson, CEO of California’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center, who describes the embrace of technology and automation underway in response.

CompanyWeek: Let’s start with the obvious question: has COVID-related remote employment exacerbated an already difficult environment for manufacturers?

Jim Watson: Yes, but other challenges had an impact on the environment as well. In manufacturing, the physical work makes it difficult to shift production to remote work. As a result, COVID-related employee absenteeism forced companies to work with minimal staff on the shop floor. This created uncertainty as to a company’s ability to build and ship orders on time. The loss of existing workers, even for a short time, compounded a workforce shortage that was a growing problem prior to the pandemic. In August, the existing workforce shortages combined with the fallout from the pandemic has resulted in almost 70,000 open manufacturing job postings in California, which has definitely limited the speed of recovery and growth in manufacturing. As a testament to the serious nature of the workforce shortage, in a recent CMTC California Manufacturing Survey, finding skilled workers was reported to be the top ongoing post-pandemic concern.

CW: Are more manufacturers turning to automation due to the workforce shortage?

JW: There is no question that manufacturers are using technology to transform their operations. However, the frequency and rate of adopting automation needs to increase to improve productivity and the ability to compete in the global economy. As a baseline, in CMTC’s California Manufacturing Survey, nearly one-half of the surveyed companies (46 percent) had not automated their manufacturing processes. However, 61 percent are planning to automate within the next few years. Manufacturers are beginning to see the benefits of automation, as 32 percent felt advanced manufacturing technology was very or extremely valuable and would provide a competitive advantage contributing to their long-term success.

This question is tied to the previous workforce question as technology adoption and finding and/or keeping skilled workers are closely linked. Both are critical elements as manufacturers begin integrating technology into their operations.

CW: What workforce changes do you anticipate will emerge from the pandemic?

JW: From February 2020 through July 2021, California manufacturing is down 74,000 jobs. As manufacturers are rehiring and technology is becoming more prevalent in small- and medium-sized manufacturers, the need for a workforce with a strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational background will continue to escalate. For the existing workforce, manufacturers will need to prepare their workers to embrace technology and not be afraid of the changes it will bring.

Pandemic, retirements, and turnover has depleted skilled workers in manufacturing. Two approaches are being used to fill the gap: 1) workforce apprenticeship programs, with students getting on the job training while still taking courses, and 2) up skilling existing workers. To find STEM educated workers, manufacturers will need to actively engage with community colleges and universities who have graduates ready to work. For existing workers, manufacturers will need to ramp up internal training. Both training approaches will be necessary for manufacturers to consistently find and match the right person, with the right skills, to the right job.

CW: Pandemic aside, manufacturers are adapting to new, more automated, technology-informed operations. Within CMTC’s customer network, what are the technology needs and expected outcomes of technology adoption by manufacturers?

JW: Manufacturers are adopting new technologies driven by the need to be competitive. To solve this critical need, manufacturers are turning to a few key technologies. In our survey, manufacturers selected robotics, additive, and smart manufacturing as the top three technologies of choice. They were selected because:

  • Robotics will increase manufacturing efficiencies and productivity, setting the stage for growth.
  • Additive will reduce the cost and increase the speed to market for new products.
  • Smart manufacturing will provide real-time data to improve decision making, resulting in better quality, energy efficiencies, cost savings, enhanced business planning, and improved customer satisfaction.

Technology is enhancing the ability of U.S. manufacturers to compete with foreign suppliers.

As technology adoption increases global competitiveness, we should see a return of some manufactured products to the United States, which would lead to more high-paying manufacturing jobs.

Because 43 percent of clients surveyed responded that they were not sure of their technology needs, assistance will be required to determine which technologies will solve the unique challenges facing each manufacturer. Building a strategic approach for manufacturers to find affordable technology solutions, a skilled workforce to operate the technology, and capital to finance the integration of new equipment will be needed for tech-transfer to scale across the manufacturing community. The desire of manufacturers to seek assistance will determine the rate of the industry’s technology adoption in the future.

Contact Jim Watson at jwatson@cmtc.com.

CompanyWeek Q&A: As manufacturers gather for NOCOM, a “new normal” remains elusive

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NOCOM, the NoCo Manufacturing Partnership’s Manufacturing and Trades Show, returns September 23 this year after an 18-month hiatus due to COVID-19. Attendees will gather at The Ranch on the Larimer County Fairgrounds in Loveland, Colorado.

The in-person event arrives at a delicate time: The Delta variant is again giving companies and people pause about gathering.

Yet in a brief interview with four executives whose companies sponsor NOCOM, an uncertain business climate is a more immediate cause of anxiety. Gathering in person portends some normalcy at a time when manufacturers are experiencing anything but.

Here’s my Q&A with:

CompanyWeek: Can you put into words what it’s been like the past 18 months?

Larry Caschette: Two words to start: unreliable and uncertain. Just the entire manufacturing ecosystem — the entire economy, really, is rife with unreliability, from supply chain to labor, to even customers. There’s a level of uncertainty that’s incredibly hard to manage right now.

Ashley Steinbach: Yes, one word comes to mind: rollercoaster! At the beginning, it was, “How’s this going to impact our business? How’s it going to impact our customers?” — and it’s been some good, some bad, and some ugly, and I don’t think we’re finished yet.

Chris James: Yeah, I would say rollercoaster as well. We’ll have tons of parts coming in that need to be heat-treated, for example, and a week later it’s pretty slow. It’s like everyone needs something all at once, then everyone drops off for a while. Very up and down.

Matt Hasseler: I have a different word that kind of echoes the same sentiment: anxiety! During that rollercoaster, we were fortunate enough to have work for the most part, but just the anxiety of: “What does the next week look like? What’s going to shut down, what customer’s not going to make it, what supplier’s not going to make it?” Just a lot of anxiety and uncertainty at our shop.

CW: As a follow-up, I gotta ask: Where are we on the timeline here? Are we still in the middle of it? Are we at the beginning of a new part of it? Are we out of it? Where are we?

LC: What we keep saying around here is that 2020 was a breeze compared to 2021. I don’t think we’re anywhere near through it. I think we have another year or two before the logjams begin to break down.

AS: I kind of agree. To me, it seems like we’ve shifted. Early in 2020, it was like, “We don’t have any orders, some of our customers have had to shut down — layoffs, furloughs, whatever.” And since then, we’ve actually seen an outpouring, where people are coming back to the office, and now we kind of have too much, where everyone’s in a rush to get as many parts as they can because they were down and are trying to ramp back up and become stable again.

Also, everybody’s been hit by supply shortages. So we’re shifting now to see what we can do to make sure we have materials available. It’s a different issue we’re running into. So I would agree: I don’t think we’re through this by any stretch, and I think it’s going to continue to change and evolve as we move forward in the next couple years.

CJ: I agree, I think we’re right in the middle of it — and there’s still a way to go before we get out of it. With the materials and workforce shortages, it makes people who’ve been down for a while in a rush to get parts in, and with the supply jam, it’s making it more difficult.

CW: So is the “new normal” uncertainty? Is there a new normal?

AS: We’re still in the process of defining what that is. For Snaptron, we’ve had this mentality of we want everyone in the building all the time, we’re reaching out to our customers as often as we can, but like a lot of places we’ve had to go to a remote workforce, so we’re still shifting, and figuring out that path forward. Especially in marketing, we’re seeing a shift for digital, so people have definitely jumped on the Amazon train, where everyone’s online shopping, they’re expecting packages to come to them.

We’re also watching the buying experience change, and asking how that changes our sales team, trying to get in front of buyers sooner rather than later. And I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like I’m getting 40 to 50 different prospecting emails every day clogging up my inbox. Traditional prospecting techniques aren’t working.

We’re just still trying to come up with new ideas to be more agile — that’s our new mantra right now!

LC: We’ve talked about the importance of “being flexible” for years now. But if you can’t be flexible now, hour to hour — in all honesty, if you’re not flexible with the workforce, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble.

There’s no better time to be in the entry-level or underskilled positions in manufacturing. They’re really calling the shots, and they have an opportunity to thrive and pursue great careers. But managing that is really driving hour-by-hour decisions.

CJ: For us, it comes down to a lot of rush-order parts right now, and we have to be able to process that and get those parts back to them when they need them, especially those companies that are trying to get started up again, and keep their customers.

It’s important for us: if we can’t get those rush-order parts done, they might lose customers. We’re trying to keep up with them, and the ability to be flexible about when we proces parts, what time of the day we’re processing to get them all done — that’s how it is right now for us.

MH: The biggest change for us — and we’re working with a lot of contractors and developers — is that with material shortages and raw material increases, we’re seeing a lot of pre-buy from the ownership, so we’re getting released to buy all the material needs for a massive job up front, which has really changed the way we handle inventory and materials.

I agree with the others about the need to be flexible. For us, it’s having the right staff that, when we get this giant wave of materials, we’re preparing them to work nights and weekends to get caught up, anticipating the next lull. Then the next wave of gear is coming through our shop, and so on.

CW: What can be accomplished by bringing the community together at NOCOM?

LC: I have a little bit of past experience in other parts of the country and one of things we noticed about Colorado is that it was very siloed, disjointed — a very protective manufacturing community. There wasn’t a lot of collaboration, coordination.

As a region, really across all types of manufacturing, we can’t allow that to continue. As people are starting to get back out, it’s so important to come together, meet new people, have open discussions, and network. It’s an important way we can spread the word about manufacturing to our youth, to our representatives in government, and to start to shift more of our economy to manufacturing.

AS: I agree and would take that one step further. We’ve talked a lot about workforce, and maybe how some of these entry-level positions are really calling the shots, but one of the things we’ve run up against — and I don’t know if it’s a sign of the times — but it’s the bad perception around manufacturing. I think having events like this, and pulling people together to showcase some of the cool aspects of manufacturing , can really help to recruit top talent.

We make small parts that sometimes aren’t the most glamorous things, but the industries we work with and some of the things we’re accomplishing can help showcase the benefits and excitement and value of working in manufacturing facilities.

MH: I’d agree. Having NOCOM is a great way to reach out to create visibility among workforce, but the role of the event in creating a community for manufacturers is also a plus, whether it’s opportunities to share work and help each other out, or just finding someone to commiserate with, someone who’s having the same challenges as you are. Knowing there’s other people in your world, who happen to be in your backyard, there’s value and comfort in that.

CJ: Yes, very similar thoughts, and just having the networking part, knowing what’s here and available is helpful, because I know a lot of people are sending things out-of-state to get things done. Bringing everyone together to get the word out about what we’re capable of doing here, in Colorado, is really important.

Bart Taylor is publisher of CompanyWeek. Email him at btaylor@companyweek.com.

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