TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN
BORIDE Engineered Abrasives is a leading manufacturer of bonded abrasives products used for grinding and polishing in the mold making, metalworking, ceramic and glass fabrication industries. BORIDE recently added a line of floor finishing products for the concrete industry called Blue Star Diamond™.
Proudly Made IN AMERICA caught up with the busy BORIDE management team and asked them a few questions about their Made in America manufacturing approach:
Left to right: John Sak, Larry Tiefenbach, Ken Osborne
How does it feel to provide Made in America jobs?
“I am very proud to own a business that uses American labor to provide industrial products around the world. There is a great sense of satisfaction to be able to make high quality consumable products right here in Michigan and be competitive in markets where the labor cost is a fraction of ours. One of our core values is that our employees are our most valuable asset. This is not just a slogan. Our employees have been key to helping make productivity improvements for our company. It has been gratifying to provide “Made in America jobs.” – Larry Tiefenbach, President
“Whenever I talk to friends, relatives, business associates and professional peers about our Company, they are always surprised we manufacture products in Traverse City and ship product around the globe to over 40 different countries. This tells me most people don’t realize companies can manufacture in the U.S. and be successful selling around the world. It is hard not to feel proud about this.” – Ken Osborne, Vice President, Manufacturing
What extra effort do you make to keep these jobs here in America?
“We focus on making everything with a good process. We work hard to reduce waste and cost. Our scrap rate is very low and our turnaround time is fast compared to industry standards and our competition. We pride ourselves in regard to on-time deliveries and excellent customer service. Our manufacturing approach and commitment is focused on the customer and our networking with customers and vendors is very good.” – John Sak, Vice President, Sales and Marketing
BORIDE Engineered Abrasives manufactures a full line of mold polishing stones including EDM, General Purpose, Specialty, Roughing and Sharpening.
Do you offer training or apprenticeships?
“Since we are a semi-skilled operation (by this I mean many of the manufacturing positions we have require learning skills which are only applicable to what we manufacture) our training is geared to developing Lean skills which will help drive continuous improvement and keep us competitive in the market place. Examples of these skills are 5-S, Lean Flow, Value Stream Mapping and Kaizen Bursts.” – Ken Osborne, Vice President, Manufacturing
What advice would you give others who’d like to start a Made in America Company or bring jobs back to America from foreign countries?
“Manufacturing locally allows for more product control and adaptation. And providing the right work environment allows us to be competitive with just about anyone. I would also tell those who are exporting to look at other markets. Rather than look at other countries as potential threats, look at their market as an opportunity. They may be surprised how many companies do want to purchase from the U.S.” – John Sak, Vice President, Sales and Marketing
“For manufacturers that outsource I would encourage the owners to do a thorough study of their true costs. When you consider the increased shipping lead time, communication problems, quality issues, lack of flexibility and the fact that foreign countries’ labor costs are increasing, and compare this to Made in America and the creativity of American workers, making it here makes more sense than ever. Plus you can put the Made in America label on your product, which is getting a lot more respect than it used to!” – Larry Tiefenbach, President
For more information about BORIDE Engineered Abrasives products, including Mold/Diemaker Polishing Stones, Diamond Compound, Mounted Points and Industrial Sharpening Stones, visit their website at www.borideabrasives.com.
For more information about their new Blue Star Diamond™ floor finishing products visit www.bsddiamond.com.
RM
