Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/1334077
26 | I NSIGH T • F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 1 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m 26 | I NSIGH T • F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 1 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m "ree days out of four, I'd be the butt of some humor ... and I didn't have a problem with that," Braun says with a laugh. Jokes aside, Braun, a 43-year veteran of the company who has a workhorse reputation, says it helped to have Shivaram communicating regularly during a time that was novel and confusing for everyone. Shivaram says maintaining "relentless positivity" was important, all while also acknowledging the gravity of the situation. He strived to be open and honest about circumstances and what he did and did not know, and it was that willingness to be vulnerable that resonated with people. e evolution was a feat that hours of formal company culture education couldn't achieve. "We could teach people about the values and we could say we were living the values, but until you have that bond, it's not that real. I think that's what happened during that coronavirus time, we built bonds," Shivaram says. FORGING AHEAD W hile 2020 had many manufacturers experiencing the same bust and boom WAF did, Shivaram doesn't take any of it for granted. e industry WAF operates in is capital intensive, and a lot of foundries have gone bankrupt in recent years. WAF is fortunate to have a strong reputation for its products, people, quality and 99.8 percent on-time delivery, he says. "We've earned it, for sure, but we're also blessed to be kind of in a group of manufacturing companies that are all doing pretty well." As 2021 begins, the foundry finds itself positioned for growth. It's wrapping up a $10 million expansion project, which added a new production line that will soon come online. e United States has seen a resurgence in general industry, Shivaram says. Some of WAF's big customers like Caterpillar and John Deere saw a tough first half of to anyone who did need to come in, a situation that persisted for three months. In June, the company was losing money but remained financially secure. Around that same time, orders began to rebound, with sales of consumer goods in industries WAF serves, such as cookware, lawnmowers and motorboats, picking up. By the end of that month, employees began coming back. e company took advantage of a State of Wisconsin workshare program that allowed people to work four days per week and take unemployment on the remaining day. "Our people made it through the period financially healthy," Shivaram says. In true roller-coaster fashion, sales at the end of July had come back stronger than they were in January. Business has been booming ever since. e plant is running around the clock, and hiring has been 12 percent higher than it was at the beginning of 2020. "It's a year I never want to live through again," Bob Braun, president of the foundry division for WAF, says of the tumult. Shivaram agrees that it was a surreal year of "disbelief, death and now better than ever." ough WAF emerged strong, operating during a pandemic proved challenging, and the company's workforce has been hit hard by illnesses and quarantines. "Right now, our workforce is 5 to 10 percent less effective than our actual number would indicate because we have that many people out," Shivaram said in late November. Amidst the adversity, though, a curious phenomenon emerged: e WAF team drew closer together than ever before. e change came down to consistency, says Shivaram, who also teaches a business ethics class at St. Norbert College. No one was traveling, few employees were working remotely and people saw one another every day. Shivaram began writing a daily newsletter as a way to share information during a time when everything was evolving so quickly. Once he started, he couldn't stop and eventually it also became a place for jokes and levity. e newsletter continued for 105 days and Shivaram cataloged all of the volumes for posterity. The foundry is the primary part of WAF's business. It also includes a cookware division and a machine shop. A low-pressure permanent mold is shown at left. "He comes with great insight and great leadership abilities. He's engaged and involved and wants to make Manitowoc a better place." – Tim Schneider, CEO, Investors Community Bank, and co-chair, New North, Inc. P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y W I S C O N S I N A L U M I N U M F O U N D R Y Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Co. Headquarters: Manitowoc What it does: Focuses include aluminum casting, molding and engineering. In addition to the foundry, it has a cookware division and machine shop. Year founded: 1909 Number of employees: Approximately 400 Of interest: It's played host to politicians from both sides of the aisle, with Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., visiting in October 2019 and President Joe Biden making a campaign stop there in September, an experience CEO Sachin Shivaram calls both an honor and "a whirlwind within a whirlwind" amidst the pandemic. Website: wafco.com