STATE FOCUS | MINNESOTA
Minnesota is a national hub for manufacturing, with industries such as manufcaturing, agriculture and iron mining going back a long way.
lower them, but we can speed up the permitting process. It is more about the efficiency with which programmes are administered. Taking less time to issue a rigorous air quality permit, for example, could be an important criterion in getting businesses to set up faster.”
The industry gets a lift There is clearly a drive to change the environment in which small and medium-sized businesses operate in Minnesota. Many of the state’s crane and hoist companies – among them Oz Lifting, Sharrow, Winona-based Thern, TC/American Crane Company in Elk River – stand to benefit. Some are already in an expansion phase, and Oz Lifting’s new facility is one of the success stories in the state, suggesting good prospects for the local crane and hoist industry going forward. In early October, OZ Lifting held its grand opening for a new facility in Winona, marking the culmination of a major project to construct a new building four times larger than its previous location. “When I started OZ Lifting Products as a small, family-owned business 20 years ago, I never imagined the scale of what we’d build together, yet we’ve held on to those same small-business values every step of the way,” said Napieralski at the opening ceremony. “The support and excitement around our grand opening really reflect how far we’ve come, and we’re looking forward to continuing that momentum as we grow into the future.” The company, which was launched in 2004 with just two staff now has 30 full-time employees and a global distributor network. The new 40,000ft2 facility, which sits on a five-acre lot, represents the company’s fourth relocation over 20 years,
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and it will not only enable the business to expand its production, warehousing and innovation capabilities, but also serves as a platform to facilitate further expansions further down the line. Visitors to the opening were able to interact with davit cranes and base styles, as well as hoists, clamps, trolleys and winches. They were also able to experience recent innovations, including the 250lb capacity parapet davit crane base, which is compatible with the XR Series 250 davit crane, and can be temporarily installed on rooftops without causing damage on installation or removal. “This is our fourth and last move,” Napieralski
told OCH. “We have enough space to expand right here on this lot. It is a great new facility, much larger than the last one, and we have already filled it up. When we look back on where we were at and what we did at the last site, we really were butt to butt, and we had small offices. Now, it is much more fun to come to work.” The company has created a flexible space within the building and is able to adapt it to its specific needs as they change. Products can now be built more safely and more efficiently. Furthermore, there is more room for prototyping and exploring the new ideas that will shape the company’s future.
“For us, the number one driver is innovation,” says Napieralski. “Our new facility is even located on Innovation Drive. Personally, this is the only industry I know, and since I began in 1988, I have always been involved in lifting and rigging. Now, we have seven patents and some new products on the docket to launch next year or the year after.” The company was the first to bring composite technology to the industry in the US, where the
majority of products are still made with steel. Now, people can see a boom section made of composite little more than 80lbs lift a load of 1,200lbs. The latest expansion was the logical next phase for a company so keen on innovation. The new site is not dedicated to manufacturing products. It has plasma cutters, welding capability and CNC machines for cutting, drilling and shaping materials with high precision, but everything is geared towards prototyping and assembly. Napieralski sees a potential tipping point in
the future where ROI will come from investment in manufacturing, but for now the company is focused on coming up with new concept that its engineers can work up into new products, Whether that is in the form of 3D printed prototypes of blueprint that marketing and sales can clear for manufacture, the ideas will be improved and refined before going to vendors who will quote for the manufacturing process. “At some point, we will invest in manufacturing equipment, though that is not an area in which I have any specialist skills,” says Napieralski. “I am a sales guy, but manufacturing will be the next step, I just don’t know when. For now, we are profitable, but there will be a tipping point. We are not operating in the best business climate, but we will keep innovating and bringing new products to the market.”
Whether that positivity is just a reflection of the optimism that comes with the Minnesota nice, or whether it is born from the efforts the state is making to encourage business development and industrial growth, the state certainly has an opportunity to help its crane and hoist industry grow.
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