Page 23 - MetalForming December 2011

Pioneer Metalformers
Invest in Workforce Development
Case Study:
McGregor Metalworking
In 1965, John McGregor acquired Morgal Tool & Die, a business focused on manufacturing tools
and dies. Forty-six years later, the McGregor family presides over five manufacturing facilities, known col- lectively as McGregor Metalworking Companies. Springfield, OH, is home to four, with a fifth located in South Carolina.
Over the years, the McGregor umbrella opened up to shelter stamp- ing, welding, spinning, assembly and machining operations. But the man- ufacturing landscape is littered with ruins of businesses that grew and grew, only to shrink and die seemingly just as quickly, all victims of world- wide competition, higher costs and lower prices for their products. Why did McGregor Metalworking Compa- nies survive and thrive?
“Our mission remains much the same as what the business was founded on,” says company presi- dent Dane Belden, “the understand- ing that great associates and great assets can provide attractive economies for customers and a fair return for the shareholders.”
Great assets can accomplish great things. But without the skilled con- tributions of associates, buildings
are merely buildings and machines are merely machines. By focusing on training, and rewarding skill-build- ing, McGregor Metalworking has rec- ognized what all too many manufac- turers have forgotten: People make the difference.
Centers of Excellence
McGregor Metalworking’s roster includes Springfield operations Mor- gal Machine Tool Co., Rose City Man- ufacturing, Ohio Stamping & Machine LLC and Carmichael Machine Corp., with SC Metal Products in Aiken, SC. Across these five plants, McGregor Metalworking focuses on its core processes of metal stamping, spin- ning, robotic welding, machining, and tool and die manufacturing. The contract metalformer, on pace for a record $90 million in sales for 2011, mobilizes these centers of excellence to supply a variety of markets includ- ing lawn and garden, automotive, locomotion and energy, fitness, and agriculture.
The organization has developed expertise in manufacturing split pul- leys in V-groove and poly-V-groove configurations, becoming one of North America’s largest producers. It also boasts sophistication in the manufac-
“These machines don’t run them- selves,” says Dane Belden, president, McGregor Metalworking Companies. “Our workforce development is a com- petitive advantage.”
ture and assembly of electric-motor laminations, rotors and stators. The investment in technology and skill sets to accomplish such tasks allow McGregor Metalworking to employ more than 350 associates across its five plants, with nearly 80 percent of its workforce involved in production.
As just one example of the com- pany’s standing in the metalforming universe, it was honored in 2011 with John Deere’s highest supplier rating. McGregor Metalworking’s Morgal operation was recognized as one of only four Deere & Co. metal-stamp- ing suppliers throughout the world to reach the agricultural OEM’s Achiev- ing Excellence Partner level. Partner
Springfield, OH
BY LOUIS A. KREN, Contributing Editor
www.metalformingmagazine.com MetalForming/December 2011