 The unique combination of large corporate experience and the entrepreneurial spirit of a small business has enabled Brian Greenplate to propel the growth of Precision Cut Industries. 
Brian Greenplate (standing left) and some of PCI's employees
When German settlers came to south-central Pennsylvania in search of new opportunities, they brought many customs and traditions from their native land. When Brian Greenplate came to Hanover, Pennsylvania-based Precision Cut Industries (PCI) in 2004, he too imported elements from his former life in the world of large corporations. Since then Greenplate's ideas have taken root in the fertile ground of PCI, transformed the company landscape, and quadrupled revenues from 3 to 12 million dollars. A Legacy of Laser Cutting
Precision Cut Industries has been dedicated to high-tech laser cutting operations ever since it was founded in 1998. Four years ago, when Brian Greenplate arrived at PCI, the company already had five laser machines busily cutting customer parts. "TRUMPF lasers were part of PCI from the start," explains Greenplate, now PCI's owner, president and CEO. "The previous owner did a lot of research and carefully chose the laser technology he wanted to put into the company." A sole dedication to precision laser cutting served the business well in its first six years, bringing the company to $3 million in sales per year. In addition, the company had fostered a strong entrepreneurial culture in which employees felt empowered to make contributions. Despite the achieved level of success, revenues began to level off. Greenplate knew that the business model had to change in order to grow. Additionally, Greenplate had dreamed of owning his own business so when the chance arose to purchase PCI, he bought it. "I felt there was an opportunity to build upon PCI's successful laser operations, expand its capabilities, and off er more value-added services," he says. "But in order to get to the next level, PCI needed a more strategic focus and formalized procedures to support increased growth." Big Plans Realized
An executive and seventeen-year veteran of a German corporation whose turbine and generator products provide one-third of the world's hydropower, Greenplate was familiar with the advantages of larger, more mature companies. He also understood the benefi ts of long-term strategies and processes. "There's a certain level of structure, procedure and discipline a company needs to be successful," says Greenplate. "I wanted to marry a larger company's strategic focus and structure with the entrepreneurial culture and agility that comes with being smaller." While processes can bring stability, Greenplate acknowledges that too many procedures can create unnecessary delays and bureaucracy, particularly in larger companies. By contrast, smaller companies are sometimes able to more rapidly adjust operations to meet changing market demands. "The ability to quickly modify what your company is doing to meet your customers' needs is a huge advantage," he says. 
Structured with Flexibility
Greenplate and his team developed a plan to ensure their decisions correspond with where they want to go and how they want to get there. A living document, the plan is revisited regularly to guarantee each step goes in the right direction. "Our strategic plan helps us have the right people, thought process and culture in place so that we can achieve a vision that's consistent with the character of our business," says Greenplate. "We don't want to accomplish the plan in a way that compromises our values and integrity." PCI also developed the processes required to operate on a more professional level, which employees seem to appreciate. "When an organization doesn't have enough systems in place there tends to be chaos, which creates frustration for everybody," explains Greenplate. "We have enough structure that our employees understand what we want to do and their role, but we maintain enough flexibility so that we don't tie their hands." Standards for Quality
Adopting new procedures also helped the company meet the requirements necessary to achieve ISO 9000 certifi cation. Certification can create an advantage for smaller companies looking to acquire OEM contracts. The policies and structure maintain the consistency and quality which corporations expect from vendors. Greenplate concurs. "More and more of our larger customers and OEMs only want to deal with suppliers who are ISO certified." Greenplate believes that certification conveys the message that PCI has the right organization in place to support the needs of a larger corporation. "It provides a level of comfort that the supplier has the systems to produce quality parts on a consistent basis," he says. "Even though we are not a large company, we can prove that we understand what they're looking for and deliver it." Growing to Meet Their Partners' Needs
Today PCI is a high-tech contract manufacturer running three shifts a day, fi ve days a week. The company is devoted to keeping relationships with its customers ongoing, long-term and focused on contract manufacturing work. As part of this partnership, PCI makes a serious effort to listen to what customers have to say. "Our partners told us our laser-cut parts were great, but they wanted us to do more," says Greenplate. Numerous PCI customers explained that they were passing along their laser-cut parts to two or three additional suppliers, which was not cost effective. To grow the business in a customer-focused manner, Greenplate decided to offer more value-added capabilities. "Until we could provide more than just laser cutting, for customers requiring an increased scope it would be hard to fully partner with them and meet their needs," he says. Knowledge and Technology Create New Capabilities
Building up the capacity to provide new services required increased knowledge and staff. PCI also purchased additional equipment to provide a more complete array of capabilities. Over the last few years, the company invested in six additional pieces of TRUMPF equipment: three laser cutting machines and three press brakes. "TRUMPF technology fits well with our plan by providing the flexibility required to adapt to customer needs," Greenplate explains. "The lasers are incredibly fl exible and allow us to do a wide variety of jobs. And the press brake's precision and reduced setup time corresponds with our ability to provide total solutions." Strength in Flexible Diversity
Th e fl exibility to meet a variety of demands enhances PCI's ability to successfully maintain its diverse customer base. "We do work for customers in the art, conveyor, agricultural, energy, construction equipment, transportation and defense industries," says Greenplate. The value of client diversity to company stability is something Greenplate carefully considers. Too much work tied up with one or two customers can pose a risk to a smaller company, making it vulnerable to business cycles. "We pursue jobs in various industries so that the business cycles can off set one another," he says. "We never want to turn away business, but at the same time we are cognizant of the work we take on and aggressively target new market segments." ”Our partners told us our laser-cut parts were great, but they wanted us to do more.“ Facilities Build Confidence and Excitement
Soon aft er Greenplate's arrival, PCI moved to a newer, cleaner building. "We love to have customers tour our facilities," says Greenplate. "Customers often comment on how clean and organized our manufacturing environment is and all the technology we have. It really creates a positive impression." The company's physical appearance engenders confidence that work will get done in a timely and high-quality manner. "It is important for potential customers and employees to see what the company looks like," says Greenplate, noting that the company has also created a virtual facility tour on their website. "It really gives them a sense of who we are and how we do things." The production atmosphere and state-of-the-art machinery also play a role in the company's ability to attract bright young candidates. "Young people don't get excited about working in a dark dingy environment," he says. "But we have found plenty of talented young people excited about working for a manufacturer that uses high-tech equipment in a clean, well-lit, organized environment." 
Art with lasers, just one of many industries PCI Supports.
Lean Approach Yields Gains
Continuous improvement, Greenplate believes, is critical to keeping manufacturing alive. "It energizes people about new ways of doing things," he says. "Our employees are really excited about lean manufacturing. They are hungry to do things in a diff erent, more eff ective manner." In the last year, PCI has created a stronger focus on lean and cellular manufacturing. One of the company's cellular approaches yielded turnaround times and results that ultimately helped garner a supplier of the year award from FleetwoodGoldcoWyard. Greenplate explains, "As a result of changing how we produced the parts and by developing cellular arrangements, we produce the parts they need in half the time previously required." Not a company to rest on its laurels, PCI plans to continuously improve and expand by supporting its existing customers and gaining customers in new markets. "We are one year into a fi ve-year strategic plan," says Greenplate. "We want to be to 20 million in size. And TRUMPF machinery fits into the overall vision of where we want to go strategically." Laser cutting experts Who: Precision Cut Industries, Hanover, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1998, 75 employees. www.precisioncut.com What: Laser cut parts, components and subassemblies that become parts of manufactured products for customers in the art, conveyor, agricultural, energy, construction equipment, transportation and defense industries. How: Four TRUMATIC L 3030 (TruLaser 3030), Two TRUMATIC L 2530 Plus (TruLaser 2525), TRUMATIC L 2530, TRUMATIC L 3050 (TruLaser 5030), TrumaBend C 120 (TruBend 3120), Two TrumaBend V130 (TruBend 5130) |