January 26, 2010 Supplying a Material World

Volume 13 | Issue 1

Streator Dependable Manufacturing knows its business. As part of a group of companies that supplies everything from van bodies to hydraulic

Streator Dependable Manufacturing was founded in 1945 and has been a family affair ever since, as uncles, fathers and now four brothers – comprising the third generation – have taken the helm at the business. Through the years the company has perfected its working relationship with family as it strived to also treat customers like family and in doing so, made itself as dependable as a trusty relative.

Streator, located in Streator, Ill. provides industrial bulk containers for heavy equipment companies, electrical equipment manufacturers, tire producers and other industries, with a customer list that spans the giants of industry from AT&T to Whirlpool. In addition to a wide range of products including material handling racks, skids, reels, containers, bins, hoppers, boxes, spools, tables, trucks, and pallets, the company offers a team of experts dedicated to listening to a customer’s needs and then developing products aligned with those specifications.

Streator is one among several companies under the banner of PMW Holdings; other companies include U.S. Truck Body, also in Streator, a leading manufacturer in designing, manufacturing, and distributing van bodies for the nation’s transportation industry.

Next is Brave Products, Inc., suppliers of hydraulic log splitters and wood handling tools direct and through hardware and farm supply stores nationwide. Brave operates a 250,000-squarefoot manufacturing facility, also in Streator. The company’s engineering department has years of expertise designing steel fabricated products and hydraulic equipment; Brave also has complete in-house manufacturing and powder coating capabilities.

Anthony Lift Gates, manufacturer of lift gates for trucks located in Pontiac, Ill., offers a complete range of durable liftgates to handle a variety of delivery needs.

Finally, Mushro Machine and Tool in Streator offers expertise that encompasses the broadest range of machining capabilities with production CNC capabilities and the latest production turning lathes and mills, for precision fit as well as uniform replication.

“We sell a lot to automotive companies and heavy equipment manufacturers and their support suppliers who build products and components that go into heavy equipment,” notes Streator CEO Paul Walker.

FLEXIBLE AND REFINED
With ISO 9001-2008 certification, Streator has the flexibility in its 240,000-square-foot plant to handle any type of application, working in a number of alloys, which gives it an advantage on the marketplace. It transformed its facility from an empty and decrepit warehouse used by a former bottle manufacturer into an attractive and functional state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, and in the process gave the plant and its operation a renewed outlook. “No one we compete with is capable of doing what we can do, in such a wide range,” Walker notes.

In the pursuit of helping its customers achieve their goals Streator touts its high level of job expertise combined with refined skills at project management, whereby a sales consultant, engineer, and project manager all take part in making sure that the project is in line with all of the customer’s objectives. Once the product is finalized and the order received, the project manager monitors the entire project using the company’s Visual Manufacturing software, staying in constant communication to deliver progress reports, process any changes, and maintain quality control.

After all, the company has built its business and reputation by offering quality products, outstanding service, and competitive pricing, which today is exactly what its customers expect.

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