____________________________________________ Traulsen
, a division of ITW Food Equipment Group
and build quality, often drawing directly on the ideas of its team members. On the fabrication side, the company is making additional investments in the automation of its metal shop, which produces all of the bent and cut metal components used in its refrigerators and freezers entirely inhouse. About 20 years ago, the company had installed a lot of automation to replace its manual, less safe brake press technology with computer-controlled automated cutters, fenders and punching machines. Some equipment installed at that time has now reached the end of its working life, so Traulsen is replacing those machines on a two-for-one basis. That consolidation frees up floor space in the factory and creates capacity to support further growth, all while bringing the fabrication process up to a higher standard of precision and efficiency.
Traulsen’ s decision to leave the Centerline brand and consolidate the line under the well-known name says something important about how the business thinks. Rather than persist with a brand strategy that was not working, the team looked honestly at what the research and data was telling them and acted accordingly, making a clever and effective decision. Obtaining that kind of clarity is harder to achieve than it sounds, particularly when years of investment are involved. Even though the pressure from lower-cost imports is real and not going away, Traulsen’ s answer, which encompasses higher quality engineering, better education, and brand trust, is a more durable response than cutting price. ■
www. traulsen. com
www. itwfoodequipment. com
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