Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/489016
26 | I NSIGH T • A p r i l 2 0 15 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m 30°±1° DETAIL A R 0.0473±0.0078 R 0.0788±0.0078 0.7795±0.0039 0.8425±0.0039 4X R0.0158±0.0038 65°±2° 2.630±0.0058 2X 30°±2° 2.7087±0.0058 2X 0.0394±0.0078 R0.2953±0.0394 DETAIL B DETAIL A SCALE 3 : 1 0.0039 B 0.0039 B ACTUAL SIZE 0.2165±0.0039 4X 0.0315±0.0039 0.1536±0.0038 0.0906±0.0038 R0.0158±0.0058 DETAIL B SCALE 4 : 1 BREAK EDGE 0.0078 MAX. A B C D 8 8 7 6 5 Marinette County Association for Business and Industry, said Winsert was able to reorganize and "started growing before many other companies in this area. ey were one of the first ones that would be able to really show that they could turn things around." Hartnell says she's watched Winsert grow from a relatively small company to becoming one of the most dynamic in terms of growth and innovation. "Walking through their company is a joy, not only because it's clean — no one would ever guess that they poured metals there unless you watch them do it — but the atmosphere in the place also shows that people enjoy working there." Giving the company solid ground so it could be a strong employer was a prime goal during the economic downturn. "We really made some very conscious decisions not to do short-sighted things in order to survive the recession," says David Eickmeyer, Winsert's vice president of engineering. "ere were a lot of gut-wrenching decisions on cost-cutting measures that we had to do. But what really helped us was making sure that we kept the long-term vision." at meant a focus on customers — keeping the ones they had and finding new ones. "One of the biggest ways that (Lemery) personally contributed during the recession was she redoubled her efforts on becoming our sales leader in our new product development area," Eickmeyer says. "So she not only was in charge of running the company, but she was out there contacting Polished to perfection c o n t i n u e d customers nonstop, and potential customers more so." Winsert didn't reduce funding to its R&D department or to business development. Lemery put a concerted focus on sales, traveling around the United States and Europe to build the company's client base. It gave Winsert an edge because other companies had placed a moratorium on travel. "She majors in CEO and minors in sales," Eickmeyer says. "It's such a passion for her that it made sense that she continue to drive that even aer the recession. She's one of the biggest forces that we have as far as going out and searching for new products and new markets." As a result, the company was able to hire back most of its workforce and since bounced back well beyond where it was positioned during the recession. While last year's 36 percent growth was unusual, this year, it's expected to grow a steady 15 percent. Rock-solid, yet flexible "W e have tremendous flexibility as a small organization," Lemery says. "We can make things happen in days, versus months or years." While Lemery says company leaders recognize and remind each other that there is no such thing as perfection, they certainly try to get as close as possible. "We have yet to work on a project and not meet success for the customer," says Paul Dickinson, Lemery's brother. Winsert's R&D team works on developing alloys and products through scientific trial and error, Dickinson says. "When we work together we can eventually get to the solution," Dickinson says. "But it could require multiple paths. For instance, we might have to have Path A, B, C, D, E, F. I've gone as far as 'J,' I think." Winsert also tries to work with a client's design group so they'll understand exactly what they're getting themselves into. "A lot of the products we make typically are the most expensive components that go into the deliverable," Dickinson says. Being involved in a client's design phase, however, is new to most companies, he says. ey're used to a supplier, not a partner. "We make it a point to really contact the engineering-design folks and work with them — we add that customer service." Winsert recently expanded its Marinette facilities, pictured, and maintains an office in Germany. The company employs about 190 people and has rebounded since the Great Recession, a time when it endured layoffs. C O U R T E S Y W I N S E R T