The atmosphere of SALCO Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc. has undergone significant updates since its beginning in 1963. For over fifty years, the family-owned and operated company resided on the northern skirts of Jackson’s downtown. While the building was once sufficient, it was lacking in functionality and slowly becoming unable to provide SALCO with the necessary room to grow and expand. The company was confined to working bending processes and wire formation in old, prolonged ways. When the opportunity for a new space presented itself, President Jim Flack jumped on it.
SALCO Engineering & Manufacturing is dedicated to developing customized wire form products with efficiency and speed. With innovation at the forefront, SALCO materializes ideas by implementing the latest in 3D prototyping and design software. With more than 50 years of experience, SALCO is committed to maximizing product output while minimizing labor cost, operator fatigue, and material damages.
As one could imagine, halting operations and uprooting an aged company could have boundless negative implications. David Flack, Head Estimator and Vice President of Sales at SALCO Engineering, attributes the ease of the move to good communication and consistent goals.
“We’re creating a lot of [wire] baskets, for a lot of different clients. We want to maintain our solid presence in the automotive industry and continue to grow and develop. This new building is a great stepping stone in doing both of those.”
SALCO specializes in custom designing wire baskets, parts, wire inserts for plastic totes (returnable dunnage), carts, storage decks, monorail hangers, display racks and more. All parts are specific wire products as ordered from a variety of companies, including the automotive industry.
The company is now located in the southeast corner of Jackson, Michigan, amongst other heavy players in the industry. SALCO made it a point to stay in familiar territory when exploring options. Remaining close to the city and utilizing local vendors is also a priority.
With the change of space, came also a change of pace. Those on the manufacturing floor have direct communication with management and those in the front office.
“I can see all my guys and keep track of what they’re working on. There isn’t anybody working in the basement, and Jim and David aren’t upstairs, so it’s much easier to get ahold of them,” noted Rick Harbaugh, Plant Manager for the last decade.
Open communication leads to better turnaround on projects. The open floor plan in the new building has proved an asset in organization and design development. The new space allowed for the purchase of a CNC machine, which allows SALCO to form and bend wires in a significantly more efficient way.
“We’re able to produce 100x the pieces in a fraction of the time,” said Jim Flack. “This process will continue to be critical as we continue to grow.”