8 MiMfg Magazine March 2021
MFG Game Changers
Jedco , Inc .
Daniel Szymanski • Chairman of the Board Chris Sorenson • President Kevin Connors • Vice President of Marketing
In the world of metal fabrication , Jedco occupies a unique place as an innovator . Considered one of the foremost problem solvers in the metalworking field , they are known as the place to go when customers have a challenging project .
“ With the high expectations of our customers , innovation is critical ,” says President Chris Sorenson . “ Our customers give us the hard work that most other metal fabricators would typically not consider .”
Being in a competitive field that revolves around a few major players , Jedco is always looking toward the horizon for the next breakthrough .
As a state-of-the-art supplier of highly engineered sheet metal fabrications , they ’ ve developed a groundbreaking process for aerospace that will make jet components lighter and tougher . Labeled as JED-CAP , with “ CAP ” standing for chemical-milling alternative process , Szymanski compared this process to stretching a piece of silly putty over the newspaper and copying the image .
“ Now imagine that silly putty is titanium and the image is distorted when copied ,” says Dan Szymanski , who is Chairman of the Board and started at the company in 1982 . “ When we
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Jedco ’ s development work includes Super Plastic Forming on the right and JED-CAP , an environmentally sound alternative to Chem-Milling , on the left .
stretch ( super plastic form ) the titanium from flat to 3-D shaped , everything moves into position making a ready-to-use , formed part .”
This new process will improve the accuracy and toughness while minimizing weight for superprecise metal components .
Secret to Success
Jedco has been in business for nearly 50 years starting with six employees and making simple metal components for furniture . Around the time Szymanski started , the company pivoted their focus to the aerospace and defense industries .
“ Today , there is nothing left of the original Jedco except for the address ,” Szymanski says .
What ’ s Next ?
Rolling out the JED-CAP process to more of its clients is a next step for the company but they are also highly focused on growing their own talent base . Given the highly technical and precise nature of the work , bringing
Learn More About Our Gamechanger
Headquarters : Grand Rapids
Phone : 616-459-5161 Web : jedinc . com
in the right talent and having effective training programs are some of Sorenson ’ s top priorities as president .
“ That ’ s a big push for us ( to bring in new talent ),” he says . “ We have employees who have worked here a long time , and many of them will be looking at retirement in five to 10 years . The next group we bring in will need to be as talented , but they also need to know how to use a robot and newer processes .
Whether the innovation is focused on a process , equipment and technology , or training and talent acquisition , Jedco is intent on remaining on the cutting edge .
“ As the innovation and technology and equipment all grow , we also need newer employees coming in who have a good handle on that technology .” 6