Sina Alimentos is a family-owned producer of vegetable oils that has thrived in the Brazilian market for close to a half century due to a savvy strategy that mingles both conservatism and dynamism. Michael Sommers discovers how constant acquisitions and…
In less than 30 years, Katzkin Corporation has emerged as the global leader in automotive interiors – especially seating. It’s all about leather, and the California-based company can make an upgrade easy, fast and affordable.
Invest Atlanta is the city’s updated and diversified economic development agency. With the incentives it’s creating, it’s fostering a vibrant business environment – and giving new meaning to that old nickname “Hot ‘Lanta.” Once known as the Atlanta Development Authority…
Despite its six decades in the Brazilian marketplace, Mueller Eletrodomésticos has never stopped being in the vanguard when it comes to the production of domestic appliances such as washing machines and stoves. Michael Sommers takes a look at what pioneering…
As its name implies, ClydeUnion Pumps has emerged as a leading global supplier of pump technologies that serve a range of industries and are deployed in numerous applications. The product portfolio is as wide-ranging as its geographic coverage.
Baltimore Aircoil Company is the world’s largest provider of evaporative heat rejection and thermal storage products and services. R&D spurs on continued growth and expansion. Click here to read the complete illustrated article as originally published or scroll down to…
With its three high quality brands of products, ASSA ABLOY OCCIDENTE, a company based in Mexico that manufactures lock sets and door opening solutions, leads the Mexican security market. Rachel Hartman takes an inside look at the company, which forms…
Nutriza may not be the biggest producer of poultry products in Brazil, but it’s recognized as one of the best – not to mention one of the most fully integrated. Michael Sommers looks at how, in taking full control of…
For more than 35 years, Ingenio Presidente Benito Juárez (IPBJ), a southeastern Mexico refining operation, has met demand for sugar in its own country, as well as in the United States. Rachel Hartman reports on the company’s recent growth spurt…
Prolink Fabrication Ltd. is a leading supplier to the domestic and international oil and gas, heavy oil, oil sands and mining industries. Specifically, it designs and manufactures oil and gas processing equipment for operation between the wellhead and the pipeline.
When politicians address energy costs, there’s too much talk, not enough action. The United States has numerous energy resources at its disposal. Which is the best? This is one question where the best response is “all of the above.”
There’s an old saying, “Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true.” Who hasn’t wished for an American manufacturing renaissance? The dream is coming true, but it’s fraught with new challenges. Douglas K. Woods, president of the Association…
One hundred years and counting, Steelcase is celebrating a century’s worth of innovation and looks forward to the future. This manufacturing methuselah – by dint of its longevity – has a lot of insights to offer.
A result of globalization is a diminished resource pool of imported engineering talent in the United States. Foreign students still take advantage of us educational opportunities but take their knowledge abroad. Realignment of engineering education curriculum – combining the theoretical…
The American Steel Industry remains a national cornerstone. Steel is a fundamental component of job creation, economic health and, in turn, U.S. culture and society, for now and the future. Nancy Gravatt, vice president of communications for the American Iron…
100-year-old St. Marys Cement has made major construction contributions to the great lakes region, supplying cementitious materials, concrete and aggregates. BUT it’s not just about longevity, says Dan Harvey. It’s about sustainability. Think green. Think algae.
For more than 25 years, U.S. clients have turned to Tecnologías de Manufactura Avanzada (TECMA), a company specializing in shelter services in Mexico, for their manufacturing needs. Rachel Hartman reports on this border-based company and its strategies to reduce costs…
Volvo Buses Mexico, a subsidiary of the Sweden-based Volvo Group, provides transportation alternatives, specifically in Mexico’s urban settings. The company makes public transportation more comfortable, safe and environmentally friendly. Follow the lead, encourages Dan Harvey, who spoke with the division’s…
When it comes to automotive drive shafts, IFA Rotorion is a global market leader. In the United States, IFA Rotorion-North America produces more than a million of these critical automotive components each year. But numbers don’t tell the whole story,…
Okuma America is an adaptive company. As machines and markets evolved, so did this North Carolina-based enterprise. Dan Harvey charts the stages of its evolutionary course. Click here to read the complete illustrated article as originally published or scroll down…
From cutting edge interior door designs to well tested safety features, Kasai Mexicana, S.A. de C.V., a supplier of automotive interior parts and components, offers clients the dependability they need when it comes to style and comfort. Rachel Hartman reports…
Maclean-Fogg Component Solutions’ recent name change underscores its increasing diversification of products, capabilities and markets. Click here to read the complete illustrated article as originally published or scroll down to read the text article.
For the past 58 years, Grupo Marhnos, a leading construction company based in Mexico City, has completed industrial, infrastructure, and real estate projects throughout Mexico. Rachel Hartman looks inside this company and the quality controls its uses to ensure clients…
Arizona-based MD Helicopters may not be the biggest but it’s certainly ranked among the best. Among its commercial, law enforcement and military customers, this aerospace OEM’s multipurpose single- and twin-engine ‘copters have achieved cult status. Dan Harvey explains the attraction.
A combination of talent, reinvestment strategies, and market trends has helped Diseko Soluciones (DKS), S.A. de C.V., a manufacturer of store fixtures and display systems and metallic accessories, earn the top position in its industry in Mexico. Rachel Hartman reports…
Canada is nouveau riche with new forms of energy, thanks to EDF Energies Nouvelles, a market leader in renewable energy development, implementation and operation. The innovative enterprise covers all bases – its integrated approach encompasses projects from start to finish…
Ceará-based Esmaltec is on the cusp of celebrating 50 years as one of Brazil’s leading manufacturers of gas stoves and other electrodomestic appliances. In an interview with Michael Sommers, CEO Annette de Castro shares the company’s house recipe for keeping…
Although it’s only in its “adolescent phase,” in a short time, Brazil’s Guimar Engenharia has managed a lot of important engineering projects for some of Brazil’s biggest companies. In an interview with Michael Sommers, Guimar’s President Heródoto Monte talks about…
When José Pessoa de Queiroz Bisneto left his generations-old family sugar business in Brazil’s northeast and went south, he bucked tradition and his family legacy by founding the Companhia Brasileira de Açúcar e Alcool. Now, as he tells Michael Sommers,…
A pioneer in the production of high quality, sustainably raised, genetically bred chickens, Agrogen had already consolidated its presence as a leading player in Brazil’s thriving aviculture sector before making the recent decision to become a supplier to its own…
Arcos Dorados (Golden Arches) is the largest restaurant operator in Latin America and the largest franchisee of the Mcdonald's brand worldwide. Triumphant in its achievements, the company is the golden egg of the fast food giant, with annual revenue in…
Biscuits Leclerc feeds the children – and adults, too. In business for more than 100 years, this Canadian-based company has achieved a balance that involves innovation, good taste, and nutrition – all the while satisfying customers of all ages. Flavor…
Active in Brazil for 110 years, Cestari, the nation’s leading manufacturer of gearboxes, is always on the go. Executive Director Alcides Cestari Netto tells Michael Sommers how increased competition coupled with growing demand for complete solutions has the company surging…
Craftsman is “America’s most trusted tool brand.” Reputation came through innovative product development and self-imposed standards of the highest order. Click here to read the complete illustrated article as originally published or scroll down to read the text article.
Adams Manufacturing is a combined “American Dream”/ “Made in USA” narrative. It began with the founder’s vision to create better fasteners. This led to other products, such as furniture. Dan Harvey could write a novel about this company’s incredible success…
Success has seemed to come easy for Advance Auto Parts (just look at its history and recent financial statements). But this Virginia-based company readily shares its good fortune with the communities in which it resides. Further, it takes seriously its…
