Dominion Technologies

Source: Manufacturing Digital

Date :11/04/2008 02:09:51

Helping its customers solve their manufacturing problems, Dominion Technologies Group seeks to expand its capabilities into wider, global markets. The group is moving and expanding. Literally

Written by Rebecca Waters & Produced by Kristin Hurley

To explain, Dominion designs, manufactures, installs and supports the equipment that fits tires to wheels, before matching and inflating them. The plan now is to take this model and expand it globally. The group’s mission? “To achieve and then maintain a competitive position as a global leader in automotive assembly line processing equipment.”

“We’ve been worldwide for about 30 years; the previous owners were German so we had a European connection. We were in Europe for quite a while, in China also. We’ve been in South America, we’re in Mexico and of course, North America,” explains Larry Mitchell, Director of Manufacturing. “Ed Lashier, our current President and CEO, has given clear direction to expand our operations in the Asian Markets.”

Moving East

With an installed base of over 2,500 systems worldwide in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, Dominion is already a global competitor in the automotive assembly line and processing equipment market but Larry and Greg Miller, Sales Manager, explain that the group sees plenty of scope in these areas, especially in Asia and Eastern Europe.

China particularly will help Dominion stay competitive, so the group is working on leveraging that facility. “It gives us a presence over there, in that part of the world,” Larry continues. “It started off with a sales organisation over in China and then, at the start of this year, we leased a building in China. We’re currently in the process of facilitating that with equipment and employees.”

Branching out

Dominion Technologies has been in business since 1965. With a product offering that includes over 100 different models and types of standard, semi-custom and custom assembly solutions, the group is committed to helping its customers solve their manufacturing problems, a service that is strengthened by its subsidiaries: Sturgeon Tool, Sturgeon Controls and Viking Fabrication.

While serving a wide range of customers including the manufacturers of appliances, aircraft, tractors and motorcycles, Dominion’s specialism lies in the trim, chassis, and final assembly areas of the automotive industry. Such assembly line equipment includes filling mechanisms for brake/power assisted steering, coolant and air conditioning fluid, and for transmission and rear-gearbox lubricant. The group also provides roll-test equipment and steering alignment.

Despite this, Dominion is adding to its product line, and diversifying into new areas. “We’re trying to branch out,” Greg explains. “Currently we’re in the process of quoting on a new program that will put us into other areas of final assembly that we haven’t necessarily been into before.”

Tire wheel balancer

Before these products go out into the field, an R&D team of five or six specialist engineers work on all these new lines. Dominion has a large R&D department and a dedicated testing facility at Sterling Heights, MI. Over the last couple of years Dominion has spent somewhere around three quarters to $1 million on R&D.

This has allowed the group to branch out, expand and develop these new product lines, including the tire wheel balancer. The goal is to consolidate everything within the tire and wheel. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed that that’s going to turn into something of a commodity for us,” says Greg.

“And continually push us to go in different directions,” Larry adds.

In-house capabilities

Such a broad base of wholly-owned resources means that it has the in-house capabilities to provide complete turnkey solutions for the North American market in order to support current programs and continuous improvement efforts. These automation products and services include: Project management, Fabrication and Conveyors, Controls, Software and Installation.

The tight integration among these functions allows Dominion to develop simultaneous engineering techniques while also working with its customers, resulting in the provision of high-quality products, ease of manufacturing, greater cost effectiveness, and a shorter development cycle. With a wide range of advanced capabilities like FMEA, finite element analysis, process simulation, and reliability and maintainability analysis, the group can improve the work flow between its customers and engineers.

Surviving the downturn

Despite being a global leader in automotive assembly lines and processing equipment, Dominion has not escaped the downturn in the United States and recently saw its revenue slip by 32 percent.

However Greg does not see this trend continuing. “We’re very optimistic that we’re going to be able to bring people back by the end of the year because there are signs that things are improving out there,” he affirms.

“For example, one of our important customers, who we rely heavily on, has a lot of programs in the works. Like anything on paper, they can be cancelled as quickly as they’re thought of but there’s a lot of energy at Ford and there’s a lot of things that we’ll be included on in their planning,” he says.

“Right now, we’re quoting very aggressively, being a Production Parts supplier. We’ve been in a growth phase for about five or six years now, and the downturn in the industry has finally caught up with us. We’re looking to break-even this year and survive. We want to be the one standing as the economy re-bounds.”

Click here to view the corporate brochure on Dominion Technologies