Celebrating 60 Years!
By Rick Ahaus, Chairman of the Board
Two thousand and six (2006) marks the 60th year Ahaus Tool and Engineering has been in business. As I recollect it, the early years (1946 – 1956) goes something like this:
“William Ahaus, known to many as ‘Buck’ and his youngest son, Irvin, known to most as ‘Butsy’, both being capable tool makers, borrowed $800.00 and opened Ahaus Tool Company in the two (2) car garage behind Buck’s home on South 11th Street in Richmond, Indiana in November of 1946. Butsy lived one house away on the same street in a duplex. Although they had limited space and equipment, their knowledge and energy generated enough revenue to move the business forward requiring a small addition to the garage. In 1948, Buck’s eldest son Loren, having helped out part time, joined the organization and the following year, Galen Miller, Buck’s son-in-law, was added to the growing list of employees. Each (Buck, Butsy, Loren, Galen) served in later years as President of the company.
As new opportunities in the post war economy occurred, more space, equipment, and employees were needed. A move to a different facility sharing space with an automotive body shop met the short term need. One such opportunity was manufacturing and assembling components for automatic twine tiers for “Case” Hay Bailers. The result was a spin-off product call ‘Tie-O-Mat’ and although only marginally successful, the spin off company provided the opportunity to add more people and machines. The company continued to grow!
During the early fifties, stamping dies were the bread and butter. Toolmakers were employed who could take basic die layouts, a part drawing, die set and bill of materials and in four (4) weeks provide sample parts and a die ready for production. The John Churches, Eliza Kline’s, Web Rankin’s, Jim Baer’s were masters at their trade. During the 50’s Richmond, Indiana was a ‘hot bed’ of rotary lawn mower manufacturing and Ahaus helped provide the stamping dies for component parts.”
Chapter 2, 1956 - 1966
By Galen Miller, Past President
Easter weekend of 1955 started on a sad note. William G. (Buck) Ahaus passed away at his home at age 60. He was sorely missed! The officers vowed to continue the growth and success as a family business.
Stamping, blanking, piercing and progressive dies were a few of the types manufactured during this period. Special application dies were built to produce intricate parts for electrical contacts, and latch parts for dishwashers for D&M Corporation of Connersville. Dies for lawn mowers including rotary and reel blades were still a large part of the business.
We continually added new employees during this period including Lloyd Oda and his son, Jim. Lloyd was a close friend of Buck Ahaus. The two Odas kept the rest of the employees laughing at their antics. Since we couldn’t always get specialized people for every aspect of manufacturing, we were all multi-talented operators at boring, grinding and assembly to completion.
Sometimes we weren’t as busy as we would like, so we made attempts to build products that weren’t necessarily tool and die work. Thus enters the famous golf cart. We spent hours on design and they worked everywhere except on the golf course. It was a wonderful toy for all our kids (and their dads.)
Then as business increased, overtime was popular. There were many 60/70 hour workweeks to meet deliveries. At one time, when we were busy and Dayton shops were down, seven men came over for work claiming to be tool makers. Butsy hired all seven in the morning. By evening all but three were fired. They stayed on to become good workers. That was in the days when paper work made management much easier.
Research and Development (R&D) became an integral part of our business. Partnerships with some of the more active companies were Tipp City Machine & Tool, Stolle Corporation, Alcoa who eventually produced the aluminum pull tab, and IBM Corporation who produced the ball typewriters. The R& D Department remains high on our list of priorities even today.
It sounds like we were all work and no play. Not true. Early on we started the traditional Christmas Parties. First were just employees, then later the spouses were included. One party still remembered by some was Jim Oda and his “June Taylor Dancers” who donned sweaters and balloons strategically placed. The balloons were soon deflated. But the parties have grown each year. Retired employees and their spouses are always welcomed back.
In the coming years, business continued to grow, and grandsons joined the company. As the next chapter unfolds, you can see the dreams come true, just as Buck Ahaus hoped they would.
Chapter 3, 1966 – 1986
By Rick Ahaus, Chairman of the Board
The Tuesday after Labor Day 1966 was significant for me ……………. I returned to Ahaus with an engineering degree, six plus years with General Motors (co-op student), and assumed the roll of “toolmaker in training”, and embarked on a 40 year career in the tool business. The next 20 years would see many challenges and opportunities. So much to tell, so much happened, let me break it down into topics:
Leadership: Irvin Ahaus, primary owner, served as President until his untimely death in 1972. Loren Ahaus (Dad) served as President thru 1982 and upon his retirement Galen Miller (son-in-law to founder William Ahaus) was elected by the Board of Directors to serve as President.
Facilities: A major expansion of the existing facilities occurred in 1967. That building, initially shared with a body shop, had undergone several additions, upgrades and expansions during the ‘50’s and early ‘60’s. The major expansion involved removing two small homes and adding 6,000 square feet of high bay manufacturing space. We had room to grow. Twelve years later in 1979, our neighbor, the Recycling Center, made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. On a napkin at breakfast, we consummated a deal to sell the building prompting an opportunity to relocate and build a new building to house our growing business. The following year we moved into a brand new 18,000 square foot, modern, fully air conditioned tool shop, a move that catapulted Ahaus into a new era of opportunity.
Challenges and Opportunities: There have been several key events that have changed the course of Ahaus history. I choose to call them challenges and opportunities. Let me share what I consider some of the most significant:
Primary to the business and one of the significant “keys” that have defined the future company was a relationship with IBM Corporation and the opportunity to make the molds and engraving equipment essential to the IBM Selectric Typewriter and the plastic ‘type-head’ which revolutionized the typewriter industry. We celebrated the capability to hold the close tolerances required with potential customers and just about anybody who would listen …….. it was our claim to fame.
A second significant “key” came in the late 70’s when Ford Motor Company developed the aluminum radiator and attached plastic tanks to each end. A Ford engineer called and asked us if we were interested in developing the assembly process and equipment to attach the plastic tanks. That request opened up a smorgasbord of opportunities to engineer, design, and build automated heat exchanger equipment for a variety of manufacturers throughout the world.
To fill the need for experienced toolmakers and machinists, in 1977, in conjunction with Ivy Tech (Indiana Vocational Technical College), we authored/created an Apprentice Training Program combining practical “hands-on” shop experience with classroom study in preparation for an associates degree and toolmaker credentials. If there is a most significant “key” to Ahaus success is has been the commitment to on-going employee training.
Together with employee training, introduction of CNC to the shop floor, and the opportunity to manufacture equipment for heat exchangers, we were able to purchase land and construct new facilities in Richmond’s Eastern Industrial Park. Facilities that represented value, capability, and growth to our customer base opened up many new opportunities especially in the design and build sector.
The continued growth in the design and build sector of our business prompted the decision to develop a ‘full-blown’ Engineering Department. Initiated in 1983 with the employment of Bill Ninde, the Engineering Department at Ahaus has become another “key” element in whatever success we have obtained. From drawing boards and T-square to solid modeling computer design programs, our capabilities have grown and matured.
The growth in computerized machining and CNC equipment and the willingness to adapt has opened up many opportunities over the last 20 years not the least of which was to be involved in manufacturing components for Nuclear Fusion Research. We consider the opportunity another “key” in the evolution and growth of the business. The very complex components we manufactured were assembled into “neutral beam ion sources” (large high power cathode ray vacuum tubes) used in laboratory settings to develop extremely high temperatures (several times the heat of the sun) to start the fusion process. The ultimate goal is to use sea water as the fuel to generate electricity. The components we manufactured created the highest sustained temperature every created and measured.
We have enjoyed many successes in the past 60 years but none so rewarding as being involved in basic research for alternative energy sources. William Ahaus would have been amazed and delighted by the involvement and the future.
Ahaus Employees 1986
Chapter 4, 1986 - 2006
By Rick Ahaus, Chairman of the Board
These articles on the past 60 years have taken us from the ‘start-up’ year
(’46 – ’56), where hay bailer components and stamping dies propelled us through the next 10 years (’56 – ’66), where IBM and typewriter tooling played a prominent role moving us into the ‘70’s and ‘80’s where the new NC and CNC technology took us to a new level of tool manufacturing. The last twenty (20) years have been a world-wind of high and low but with steady growth.
The decision to create an engineering department proved to be a good one as it provided the engineering capabilities to support design and build programs for large scale sophisticated equipment to assemble heat exchanger products. Automated crimp cells and core assembly machines became the main stay in manufacturing and we found ourselves “bursting-at-the-seams.” We needed more space.
Additional land was purchased, and new additions were added every four years from 1983 to 1995. The 1979 plant of 18,000 square feet by 1995 had increased to the 65,000 square feet we have today.
The boom year’s of the ‘90’s proved to be hectic, energetic, and profitable. Drawing boards were replaced with computers and the engineering department grew to twenty-five designers, control engineers and project engineers. A new engineering room provided the atmosphere for creative ideas organized on computer screens and manufactured on the shop floor. Manufacturing was changing.
Special machines to machine automotive and industrial parts were being replaced by CNC machines with multi-part fixturing for high volume production. Recognizing a need for suppliers of the highly specialized fixturing, we focused on ‘workholding fixtures’ for horizontal and vertical machining centers and supported the fixture sales efforts with exhibiting at IMTS and national advertising. Those efforts continue to provide on-going growth opportunities and continue to be a focus for the future.
Focus for the future ………… what are the expectations? Certainly in a post 9/11 environment, coupled with an ever changing world economy, the crystal ball of the future is not as clear as it once was. The post 9/11 downturn/recession has taken its toll on the tool industry. Hundreds of shops have fallen by the wayside; tragic for those but opportunistic for those of us continuing to focus on the future.
The focus will be an aggressive approach to sales and new customer opportunities. We have to capitalize on our ability to offer more than a machine, fixture or crimp die. We must provide the complete package …… concept, documentation, engineering, equipment, service and customer support to meet our customer’s expectations.
To meet those expectations, Kevin Ahaus, president and Jeff Sheridan, vice president of operations, are moving the company forward. They are the future and will be the primary stockholders of the corporation. With a motivated sales staff, an experienced group of design engineers and toolmakers, and continuing emphasis on training, the future looks promising for Ahaus Tool and Engineering, Inc.
