A Different Kind of Job Shop
A few years after graduating from Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis, Marv Gustafson started a machine shop in Grand Rapids. Now, 28 years later, Northland Machine has progressed from a basic machine shop that produced machining and welding to a contract manufacturer. With 60 employees and an additional 25 temporary workers, Gustafson’s company maintains a steady workload combining old-world concepts of manufacturing with newfangled digital technology. The result is a different kind of machine shop: “For a job shop,“ Gustafson says proudly, “we have some very sophisticated equipment. The type you would normally find in a larger manufacturing company like Graco.”
From his 30,000-square-foot facility in northern Minnesota, Gustafson sustains recurring contracts from a number of companies. One of Gustafson’s largest contracts is doing completed assemblies for All Season Vehicles (ASV), a company that was recently sold to Terex Corp., the third largest construction manufacturer in the world. Despite the change in ownership, Gustafson says Northland looks forward to continuing its working relationship with ASV and subsequently Terex.
In addition to machining and assembling components for ASV and other organizations, Northland utilizes a number of digital technologies that operate with modeling/machining software, including Pro/Engineer interactive surface design extension, a program Northland started using before many other Minnesota based companies. Pro/Engineer is a specific technique used for making tooling for Polaris, Acrtic Cat and other companies that make seat components. A CAD file from Polaris or Acrtic Cat is used to make a pattern in order to produce an aluminum casting. Or, the tools are machined directly from billet aluminum.
With the different digital technologies, precision machining and other types of work Northland machines does, it’s surprising to hear the company has not gone through lean training. While Gustafson has yet to implement lean into his entire office, he is looking forward to working with MTI to communicate some lean manufacturing principles to key employees in his work force. How does Northland continue to grow after almost 30 years? It’s simple, says Gustafson: “You need good customers, good equipment and good employees.” A straight-forward philosophy, but one that’s worked so far for this sophisticated job shop in northern Minnesota.
— N.R.