President’s SUITE Update

2021 4th Quarter Recap

Ken Manninen, President

Ken Manninen President
Poster with acronym SUITE

Thank you to Alliance customers, vendors, employees, Advisory Board, and to all who helped make 2021 a success.  We all have had to overcome obstacles and challenges as we navigated the various impacts of the pandemic.  I am happy to report that Alliance experienced a record year in sales revenue, a trend we are hoping to continue into 2022.  We have expanded our presence in the automotive markets and recently secured a vendor number with a major auto and small engine manufacturer.  Our introduction of the ILSA line of vacuum degreasing systems is helping us to expand our presence in aerospace, medical, 3D printing, and several other markets needing ultra-critical cleaning.  We are excited about the new year and hope to share several new developments in the coming months.

Products

About 10 years ago I attended my first town board meeting.  The topic of conversation was water quality and the spreading of manure on the local farm fields.  An old friend of mine and lifelong dairy farmer (who has since passed on) stood up and said, “If we don’t have clean air and clean water, we don’t have life.”  Without life we don’t have shit, literally and figuratively.  This comment stuck with me for a long time, and I agree that we need to protect our most valuable resources.  Over the past year we have been actively working to develop our R3 Program.  The R3 Program relates to Recondition, Retool, and Reuse of older Alliance parts washers – to keep them from ending up as waste material.  We are advancing our efforts to be sustainable by seeking out used Alliance machines and helping them to stay in active service.  Although I will say, this can be challenging – we have several machines that are 25 plus years old and are still in operation with the original owners!  If you have a machine that is no longer in use, please feel free to contact us today.

Processes

As an organization grows, it seems that effective sharing of information becomes more and more challenging.  At the root of all document storage systems, it is very important to develop shareable file information that can be readily accessed across all departments.  Last year we started an initiative to make information sharing a top priority.  Our process team collaborated across departments to develop a file storage system that improves accuracy and efficiency.  We have started company-wide training, which will bring value to both our internal and external customers.

People

I want to send a special welcome to the most recent addition to the Alliance team:

Dean Barrett (Welder)

Dean relocated to Wisconsin from Upstate New York.  He moved from Central Wisconsin to the Fond du Lac area to be near family.  He enjoys hunting, boating and ice racing – when it comes to ice, you can usually find plenty here in Wisconsin.

Retirements

Jim Vogds (Mechanical Assembler)

I want to extend a special thank you to Jim for 17 years of hard work and dedication to Alliance.  He is what I would consider to be a Master builder of Alliance equipment.  Jim has built every assembly that goes into our machines from piping spray kits to conveyor systems.  He has been a great asset to the company and he will surely be missed.  We want to wish him a relaxing and fulfilling retirement. Jim is an avid fisherman and hunter, so I am guessing if you want to find him, check the lake or the woods!

Special Thanks – Retiring Advisory Board Member, Randy Lorenz

Randy Lorenz recently announced his retirement as an acting member of the Alliance Advisory Board.  Randy has been instrumental in helping us strategize for business growth in both equipment and aftermarket sales and support.  Randy is ready to take a step back and spend a little less time on business and a little more on pleasure.  He has offered an objective/independent viewpoint for Alliance and was always willing to face the difficult topics.  Thank you for your help and input over the years – it has been a pleasure working with you!

SUITE Employee Award – The SUITE award is an open vote process by our peers, to quarterly recognize an individual within the company that has gone above and beyond for their co-workers. This quarter’s SUITE award goes to…

Eli Wessel (Welding Lead)

Eli’s co-workers commented:
  • “Hard worker willing to help whenever and wherever.”
  • “Takes great pride in his work and really cares about top quality.”
  • “Took time, even though he was busy, to teach me a technique.”
  • “Makes things look easy and never stresses even under pressure.”

Thanks Eli… You are a true craftsman, and it really shows in your work!

Respectfully,
Alliance Manufacturing, Inc.
Ken Manninen
President