Reinvesting in People and Technology

By Troy Newport

DeWys Metal Solutions exemplifies a culture of pride and dedication to lifting up others. Since its founding in 1977 by Mark DeWys in a modest red barn on his family’s property, the company has grown exponentially, embracing innovation while staying true to its core values.

DeWys Metal Solutions—which contains the kindred brands of DeWys Manufacturing, DeWys Stainless Solutions, Wyze Designs, ReFab, American Grower Resource, and Shoreline Powder Coating—recently completed a 10,000-square-foot addition to its corporate headquarters in Marne, Michigan, extending their end-to-end fabrication services. You don’t evolve and expand like DeWys has over the decades unless you’re focused on quality, people, and processes. With the help of Sales & Marketing Coordinator Hannah DeWys, let’s look at the various DeWys brands and their synergies.

Integrated by Design
DeWys Manufacturing, Hannah says, offers everything from precision sheet metal fabrication to complex assemblies, and anything in between. With some automated machining equipment, complex shapes and high-quality parts can be manufactured with measurable precision and repeatability. To power through complex cutting projects, they are equipped with 9,000- and 12,000-watt fiber optic lasers, which feature automated picking, loading, and nesting capabilities. They can even run lights-out, or unmanned. Their advanced sheet metal bending and forming capabilities are highlighted by a state-of-the-art panel bender capable of processing 24- to 11-gauge metal into precise, tightly configured parts for OEMs. Adding to this efficiency is their cutting-edge in- house quick-change powder coating line, which leverages automation to handle up to 80 different colors in a single day.

In May 2023, DeWys acquired Shoreline Powder Coating in nearby Grand Haven, MI, to expand their powder coating capacity outside of that which is managed by DeWys Manufacturing. When asked about the strategic acquisition, Hannah says, “Manufacturing has evolved over the years so much that it can be difficult to meet product needs. The purchase of Shoreline extended our current operations and capabilities to help with improved lead times, quality, and responsiveness.” Hannah adds that the powder coating lines at DeWys Manufacturing and Shoreline each include advanced pretreatment processes, ensuring quality surface treatment. Besides the convenience of powder coating for DeWys- fabricated products, Shoreline also offers custom coating services to outside companies.

Shoreline is located near and supports the DeWys Metal Solutions ReFab location, which offers similar capabilities as DeWys Manufacturing, but specializes in quick turnaround metal fabrication services to accommodate urgent project needs. Primarily serving the commercial furniture, medical equipment, industrial equipment, and automotive industries, ReFab’s quick turnaround time—and added powder coating support—makes them a reliable partner for these industries.

DeWys Stainless Solutions, as the name suggests, works with non-ferrous metals. This company recently moved from its 7,000 square foot area carved out of the DeWys Manufacturing location to its own 40,000 square foot location in Walker, MI. Hannah says moving this company to its own space allows them to create their own culture around working with nonferrous parts, which requires a different approach from working with carbon steel and other ferrous metals. Having their own space to process materials is an immediate win for the Stainless Solutions team, as not having stainless steel mixed with other materials during automation processes limits the amount of cross contamination, which isn’t acceptable for a company that prides itself on quality. Adding a three-kW fiber laser cutting machine with simple pallet-in and pallet-out capabilities has helped machine operators to pick parts without damaging the surfaces. They also invested in a hand-held laser welding system to prevent surface distortions that can occur when TIG welding stainless steel parts.

But what if you don’t have an established product design yet and you need help with prototyping? Enter Wyze Designs, founded by Josh DeWys, son of DeWys Metal Solutions CEO Jon DeWys. Josh, whose experience includes working as a product development engineer for a global furniture company, began honing his design skills in his teens. At age 17, he created a better designed and more durable hog feeder. Wyze Designs has conceived products such as WyzerTM Bookshelves, WyzerTM Collaboration Rails, WyzerTM Post Mailboxes, and many other unique creations. Fast forward to today, and the hog feeder that Josh designed in his teens has become part of the product offerings at American Grower Resource, an OEM of agricultural equipment.

Consequently, American Grower Resource was folded into the DeWys portfolio of companies in 2017 after years of mutual collaborations on the food carts, grow racks, and other products for the agricultural industry.

As you can see, there is a lot going on at DeWys Metal Solutions and their complementary suite of companies. You can’t manage the synergies between these companies without commitment to communication, collaboration, quality, and of course, your people.

ImpACCT
When asked what differentiates them from other fabricators, Hannah says, “We believe that supply chains are clumsy, complacent, and complex when they do not need to be. Built on our own scalable supply chain, we continue to reinvest in experienced team members and technology to reduce manufacturing variability.” The word ‘team’ is not used lightly by DeWys leadership. This is evident in the DeWys values statement, which is made up of the acronym, ACCT: Advance the process; respect the Character; Customer centric; empower Talent. They have spent considerable time and energy incorporating these ideals throughout their value chain, and it shows.

Hannah says that the investment in their people and team approach to everything they do translates to higher quality products and services. For example, she says, they assign an interdisciplinary team to each customer to make sure strategic goals and processes are aligned. The teams meet in pods to look at quality from all angles of the process, which creates more frequent touchpoints with customers and facilitates responsive feedback for projects. “This helps to break down silos in an organization,” Hannah emphasizes.

Besides the interdisciplinary teams that work with customers, in 2013 they developed an Innovation Team to monitor internal workflow and processes. “They are assigned to improve processes, assess new technology and adoption, and review production challenges,” she explains. “The team consists of multiple members with varied backgrounds in manufacturing, welding, engineering, and lean business.” Hannah says they lean on their ISO and MedAccred certifications to inform quality processes and make improvements. These practices allow them to fabricate and finish tight tolerance applications for the electric vehicle, data center, and medical industries.

Learning on the Job
DeWys University, the company’s 12-week on-the-job training program, came from the vision of Jon DeWys after seeing they were spending resources on job fairs and other promotional events but not finding quality candidates. Hannah explains, “What began as a way to upskill team members eventually evolved to giving college credits for successful completion. Seeing the effectiveness of the program sparked more engagement throughout the company because wages can be tied to specific skillsets, offering a more robust compensation package to achieve personal, professional, and financial goals.” She says that some trainers have even gone on to obtain additional coursework to become college professors.

The first step for anyone attending DeWys University is six weeks of hands-on training immersed in the area that interests them, such as welding, press brake, machining, cutting, assembly, and of course, powder coating. For some training, a mechanical reasoning test must be passed before trainees can be instructed in those areas. For the powder coating section, trainees learn how to spray powder coatings, the fundamentals of loading and unloading the paint line, and how to conduct quality inspections. After successfully completing the first six weeks, trainees are incorporated into a production team where they learn more advanced procedures and are observed for the remaining six weeks. Once the 12 weeks are completed, trainees are considered trained team members ready to begin their career at DeWys.

But DeWys University isn’t just for new job applicants. Current members of the DeWys team can request to move to another area and be upskilled through successful completion of the training program. “We believe in reinvesting, looking at what processes people don’t like to do, and then automating those jobs and moving those people to where they want to be,” Hannah explains. “For example, the team implemented a grinding robot to reduce manual grinding time, which allowed employees to focus on other tasks.” Hannah says they have five full time employees dedicated to training, and they have received $560,000 in grants this year to help fund their training initiatives and program.

Look no further than DeWys President Mark Schoenborn for an example of upward mobility within the company. Starting as a janitor at the age of 16, Mark worked for years in the maintenance department. He attended a local college, receiving an associate degree while learning on-the-job through company mentors. His eagerness to learn inspired him to continue his education at Ferris State University where he earned a facilities management degree. While pursuing further leadership training through Michigan State University and local associations, he continued to excel at his work with DeWys, earning promotions and taking on additional responsibilities until he reached his current role with the company.

It is this culture of collaboration and camaraderie that persists throughout everything the company the does, whether with employees or customers.

Troy Newport is publisher of Powder Coated Tough.