MiMfg Magazine
INDUSTRY
22
October 2018
Member
Spotlight
Dave Mills
Azon
Member since January 1986 • Employs 53 Michigan workers • Learn more at www.azonintl.com
Whether you expand locally or grow your overseas
footprint, phone calls and e-mail can only do so
much. Making your mark and staying competitive
often requires face-to-face interaction and long-term
relationship-building. The team at Azon learned
this lesson the hard way — through years of trial
and error, missteps and false starts — before
finally realizing they couldn’t go all-in on global
growth by testing the waters with only one foot.
“It really comes down to two words — be
there. If you aren’t willing to commit fully to an
expansion it’s either going to fail or it will never
come close to its full potential,” said Dave Mills,
president, CEO & vice chairman for Azon, a global
supplier of manufacturing equipment and chemicals
for the aluminum industry. “Remember, most
Michigan manufacturers are competing with locations
where labor and production and everything else is
much cheaper. If you’re relying on long-distance
communication to get a foothold in a region,
you’re just going to find yourself falling behind.”
Headquartered in Kalamazoo, with production
locations in China, Korea, and the United Kingdom,
and more growth expected in Asia and on the
American West Coast; Mills and the Azon team
succeed using time-tested strategies.
“Even as the industry becomes more automated,
people remain an important resource of our growth
strategy,” explains Mills. “Who we bring in, how
we adjust to people leaving, and the people we choose
to collaborate with all determine our success and,
when done right, make it easier for us to be there
as we grow overseas.”
Like many manufacturers, Azon faces a talent
challenge as baby boomers retire and too few
millennials take their place. As Azon acquires new
talent and adjusts to long-time workers retiring,
they take key steps to facilitate transitions.
“Companies take on the personalities of
the people they hire and we target youth and
energy — we have amazing workers with 10-20
“
It really comes down to two words — be
there. If you aren’t willing to commit fully to
an expansion it’s either going to fail or it
will never come close to its full potential.
”
years of experience already, we want to hire in
the people who are happy to be in manufacturing,
are trainable, and are here for the long haul,”
Mills says.
He continues, “at the same time, we don’t wait
for people to hit the retirement age before thinking
about what is next. We’ll eat the short-term cost of
duplicating a job or moving people into consultant or
part-time roles if it means keeping their institutional
knowledge and allowing for new hires to benefit
from mentorship.”
Azon understands that failures on a global scale
can cripple company progress for years or generations
and is also focusing more on their outside resources
they use when entering new markets.
“Many small manufacturers have difficulties
taking that first step and feeling secure about their
overseas business,” says Mills. “We work closely
with the U.S. Department of Commerce, consult
legal experts both here in Michigan and in the
countries we have facilities in, and we bring in
local talent in Asia and Europe who have a unique
perspective about local cultures. Each
relationship we cultivate makes for an
easier transition from domestic
manufacturer to global innovator.”
The end result of these strategies
result in is a business capable of being
there in each of its overseas locations.
“Growing globally doesn’t happen
overnight,” reminds Mills. “It can
take years and you may not notice
the small successes along the way, but
by being there you can control your
costs, become a more effective business
The Azon team, including founders Jim and Ruth Dunstan (front
center), outside the company’s world headquarters in Kalamazoo. and truly reach your potential.”
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