Page 70 - MetalForming Magazine June/July 2022 80th Anniversary Issue

in-time, according to Weiss-Aug’s Weis- senrieder-Bennis. “As a company, we quickly recognized the seriousness of the pandemic, and we reacted quickly by increasing inventories and enacting safety protocols, and ensuring a stable supply chain, which increased our cus- tomers’ confidence in us,” she says. “My top medical customer, in fact, told us that we were their only supplier that did not shut them down during that time.
“As of late, I’ve spent more time talking to our material suppliers in the past 18 months than I ever have,” Weissenrieder-Bennis adds. “We’ve implemented business reviews with our suppliers on a more regular basis, and upper management here partici- pates in those. Customers depend on supplier stability and capabilities to shield them from any supply-chain difficulties.”
Adding Value
For many, such a roadmap also includes offering more processes and
Dallas Industries...
Generations of Innovations
Dallas Industries has been successfully nurturing innova- tion for generations, creating flexible press feeding and coil handling systems for more than 60 years. During the initial years the company produced state-of-the-art air feed equipment. Soon thereafter, it began developing an innovative new technology—servo driven press feed systems.
Today, the company’s products include servo feeds, pull- thru and powered straighteners, single and double end coil reels, load cars, coil cradles, threading tables, coil threading/restricting devices plus a host of other
“Five years ago, we had zero robots—today we have 40,” he says. This has allowed us to stabilize labor and still grow production. And com- petitively, we decided to offer higher starting wages than many other com- panies in the area and at the same, in a domino effect, increase the wages of existing employees.”
WTW also has developed a strong Department of Labor-certified appren- ticeship program, “which provides an incentive to new hires to follow a path to higher skills, higher pay and certifi- cates that they take anywhere,” Wiegel says. “Our goal has been to develop two apprentices every year. To maintain and even expand that pace, we’re look- ing to create a new position here, a full-time apprentice trainer dedicated to training and elevating our appren- tices so that we can get more volume through the program. With this newly created position, we can put some of our press operators through the apprenticeship program and then
DALLAS INDUSTRIES
• Cradle lines range from 4000 to 50,000 lb. capacity and in widths up to 84 in. wide.
• Cut-to-length line in widths from 6 to 72 in. wide and coil weights from 2500 to 60,000 lb.
• ProfileSelect control system uses a sinusoidal (cam motion) profile. This results in a smooth feed motion that utilizes 100 percent of the press feed window, reducing stress on the material and the feed’s mechanical components.
• AutoSet allows for some or all of the adjustable points on a feed line to be automatically positioned based on job recipe.
Dallas Industries
103 Park St.
Troy, MI 48083 248/583-9400 www.dallasindustries.com
options.
capabilities to customers, including increased value-added services. Exam- ple:WiegelToolWorks(WTW),inWood Dale, IL. “Four years ago, our metal stamping portfolio represented 90 per- cent of our revenue,” says company president Aaron Wiegel. “Today it’s 50 percent, and that’s our strategic vision as we continue to invest in new equip- ment and technologies. Moving for- ward over the next several years we’ll look to grow both stamping and other capabilities at the same pace. We’re a one-stop shop for many of our cus- tomers, and in fact refer to ourselves as a manufacturer with a stamping emphasis, rather than solely as a metal stamper.”
Expanding the range of capabilities, of course, means adding equipment and then the skilled labor to run and maintain it. However, in his efforts to optimize efficiency and minimize head count, Wiegel has taken a deep dive into automation and robotics, investing millions here in the last few years.
ADVERTORIAL
• Conventional lines with coil weights from 1500 to 60,000 lb. and widths up to 84 in.
• Three styles of SpaceSaver lines in coil weights from 10,000 to 60,000 lb. and widths from 12 in. to 72 in.
www.metalformingmagazine.com
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