Metal fabricator's sales have increased more than 300% in last two years

By: Noelle Rulseh, Herald Times Reporter

Name of business: Heavy Metal Fabricators LLC (HMF)
Ownership: David J. Wage and wife, Sandra L. Murzyn
When business started: "The original company was founded in 2000 as Maritime Metal Fabricators," Wage said. "In 2005, the majority of the company changed, and to reflect the change in ownership the name of the company was changed to Manitowoc Metal Works. In November of 2006 the assets of Manitowoc Metal Works were purchased by the current owners and the name of the company was changed to Heavy Metal Fabricators (HMF)."
Location: 4551 Custer St., Manitowoc
Phone number: (920) 682-1033
Web site: www.hmf.com
Hours and days of operation: 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., Monday through Friday

Services provided/products sold: HMF fabricates and machines large weldments for the marine, paper, crane, foundry, petroleum and construction equipment industries, according to Wage.

How has business changed since opening? In the two years since the change in ownership, HMF's annual sales have increased more than 300 percent, with fiscal year 2008 sales growth more than 60 percent. Along with this growth has come a significant increase in employment. In the two-year period ending Dec. 31, HMF added 40 jobs.

HMF has made several significant investments. In 2007, a $250,000 robotic welding cell was added to serve the heavy off-road truck axle market. In 2008, HMF completed a $2.75 million plant expansion, which includes a 60-by-240 assembly bay, with a bridge crane lifting capacity of 70 tons.

The centerpiece of this expansion was the acquisition of a Toshiba BSF-150A CNC horizontal boring mill with a 2008 Fanuc controller. As configured this $1.5 million system has the capability to machine weldments more than 30 feet. This large investment has helped to stimulate local economy by adding numerous skilled labor jobs.

How is marketing done? HMF does its marketing through a direct sales force.

What are the keys to future success? The keys to HMF's success is attracting and retaining skilled welders and machinists, Wage said.

Factors under control or not under control of ownership? "Obviously the current economy is a big concern.
Most of our business is driven by the need for heavy construction equipment," Wage said. "If the federal and state governments of the United States move forward with some significant infrastructure projects, that should go a long way toward stimulating growth in our sector of the economy. At the same time, HMF is moving forward with sales efforts that seek to dilute our current heavy equipment market concentration."

What is your role of creativity or imagination in running the business or selling your products or services? HMF is constantly looking at every aspect of the business to find safe and efficient ways to manufacture the products, according to Wage.

What is challenging? Wage said it is challenging managing the fast growth.

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