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World Class grand opening - Bayfield
April 04, 2008
TOWN OF BAYFIELD — On Saturday, March 29, at 11:30 a.m., World Class Precision Products, a division of The World Class Manufacturing Group located in Weyauwega, will be holding a dedication ceremony for the opening of their new plant. The public is invited to both the dedication at the plant site and a later celebration from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m at the Bayfield Pavilion.
Robert Peltonen is the CEO and board chairman of the company which specializes in the manufacturing of precision metal machine components made primarily of steel and aluminum.
The plant is located on five acres of the 77-acre newly developed Bayfield Industrial Park at 36600 County Road J North. World Class Precision Products is the first business to be established at the industrial park
The building and industrial park is owned by Impact Seven, Inc., A Wisconsin Development Corporation. Impact Seven provides loans for businesses of all shapes and sizes. They are a statewide, private, non-profit, comunity development corporation committed to helping Wisconsin companies form, grow, and thrive. By injecting attractive debt financing or venture capital into new and expanding businesses, augmented by technical assiatnce, Impact Seven has assisted thousands of Wisconsin businesses.
Impact Seven also develops and sells/leases industrial or commercial buildings to spur business development. The World Class Precision Products plant falls under this category of financing. Peltonen has a lease/purchase agreement with Impact Seven.
Peltonen said manufacturing at the new plant will begin in April with a heavy emphasis on manufacturing metal couplers (water well couplers, standard couplers, oil industry couplers and custom couplers). A portion of existing orders will be transferred from the Weyauwega plant, Peltonen said.
The 25,000 sq. ft. plant will house machinery ranging in value from $100,000 to $500,000 with the capability to create precision machinery parts as small as one half inch in diameter to a four-foot cube, Peltonen explained. “Our strength is in our diversity,” Peltonen said.
There will be 15 machines installed initially, but Peltonen foresees at least 35-40 machines when the plant reaches full productivity. The Weyauwega plant, established 15 years ago by Peltonen, houses 100 machines. Looking to the future, the Bayfield plant was designed to include a removable rear wall section that allows for as much as a 50,000 sq. ft. expansion, Peltonen added.
Producing precision machine componnets is the top priority for his companies, Peltonen stressed. His Weyauwega plant is an ISO registered firm as will the Bayfield plant within one year of production. Customers seeking the very best products seek out ISO registered manufacturing companies because of its rating system, Peltonen explained. To become an ISO registered firm, manufacturing plants have to meet the highest standards in the industry from precise delivery times, safety and precision of products, documentation of all levels of production, operating documentation, environmental safety compliance, etc.
Because of the quality products produced by The World Class Manufacturing Group, they have customer companies such as Tyco, that produces fire prevention equipment, Toro and Honda that produce garden and lawn equipment, and other well known companies such as John Deere and Thomas Industries, as well as military contracts for large military trucks and Class A semi trucks.
World Class Precision Products isn’t just a company name, it’s a standard his company has achieved because of the importance of producing safe and reliable machine parts for assembly.
“When you’re producing safety related components for something like suspension systems for trucks, they have to meet the highest standard,” Peltonen used as an example.
The new plant is also providing new jobs including office staff, tool makers, maintenance technicians, manufacturing/industrial engineers, CNC lathe and machining center machinists, set-up operators, and programmers.
“We plan on hiring 15-20 people by April. We’ll have two shifts as soon as possible and hopefully a third in the near future. So far, we’ve had over 200 applicants. One of the reasons we located here was the strong labor force and great work ethic. We’ll provide the training for the operators, both men and women, and provide a good wage with insurance benefits and 401 K investment plans,” Peltonen said.
If production grows as planned, as many as 50-60 employees could be hired. Peltonen is fully committed to making that happen. He will be living in the Town of Bayfield where he owns a home and will be overseeing the daily plant operations. His staff from the Weyauwega plant will be interfacing with the new employees at the Bayfield plant during the first year to streamline operations and assist in the training.
The new plant is also environmentally friendly, Peltonen said. Set back beyond a border of trees, the facility will not produce any noise or noxious fumes or hazardous waste materials. Even the coolants for the plant are biodegradeable. The work environment is ideal for precision work that includes immaculate work stations, exceptional energy-efficient lighting that is easy on the machinists’ eyes, and an air make-up unit that provides a constant flow of clean air that doesn’t pollute the outside air, Peltonen explained.
Peltonen is very optimistic about the future of his new company at the Bayfield location. With a repeat customer base in place and new customers seeking out his services he said he looks forward to growing as his customer base keeps growing. He’ll be counting on his new staff to make that happen.
World Class grand opening - Bayfield
Dan Satran Jr.
Last updated: Thursday, April 03rd, 2008 09:39:34 AM
The County Journal
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