MiMfg Magazine
September 2017
because we can attract and retain
employees with diverse skills and strong
work ethics.”
Since its 2012 acquisition of Solo
Cup Company, Dart Container has
invested more than $60 million in the
Mason campus and created over 500
new jobs. Dart Container’s Mason
campus and Holt ink plant have more
than 2,000 employees.
DeWys Manufacturing
Celebrates 40th Anniversary
West Michigan-based MMA
member DeWys Manufacturing Inc.
celebrates 40 years in business this year.
The road to success has taken
DeWys on a journey of changes —
from location and ownership to
technological advancements and the
development of DeWys University,
their in-house training program.
Starting in 1977 in a little red barn
producing fireplace inserts, DeWys
Manufacturing is now a 90,000-square-
foot contract manufacturer serving over
160 customers in more than 10 different
industries. DeWys’ ‘Circle of Companies’
includes precision sheet metal, contract
manufacturing, powder coating, machining
and product assembly.
The company has been quick to
adapt to changes in technology over the
past decades and worked as a team to
implement the new and upcoming trends.
“I’ve always encouraged our innovation
teams to be progressive, to try new things
without the fear of failing forward,” said
CEO Jon DeWys. “This mentality allowed
us to stay afloat during the challenging
economic recession from 2008-2013.
Because we were diversified in our service
offerings and customer base and have always
invested in technology, we made it though
and came out stronger than ever.”
Equally important is the DeWys
commitment to talent and workforce
development. The company realized
that as a manufacturer in Michigan,
they needed to create the talent required
to keep up with their growth. In 2012,
DeWys University was born.
“DeWys University has really allowed
our business to grow. We’ve been able
to build a team of motivated, well-trained
and knowledgeable employees who are
excited about their future with the
company,” said Laura Elsner, workforce
development manager for DeWys.
While the company will take time to
celebrate and acknowledge the major
milestone achieved, they’re also looking
forward to the future.
“We take a lot of pride in hitting
this 40-year mile stone. We know that
we’ll never be finished finding new ways
to innovate and we’re looking forward
to the growth ahead of us,” said DeWys.
Toyota to Sponsor Self-
Driving Research Site
The widely popular technology of
self-driving automation got a boost this
summer as MMA-member Toyota and
its Ann Arbor-based research institute
announced a $5 million investment to the
non-profit American Center for Mobility.
The investment makes Toyota the first
automaker to sponsor the self-driving
research site at Ypsilanti’s Willow Run.
“We are excited to be the first
automaker joining this effort to create
a test ground for advanced vehicle
technologies in our backyard,” said Jeff
Makarewicz, group
vice president for
safety and vehicle
performance for
Toyota’s research
and development
center. “Together
with industry
and government
partners, we
would like to set
a direction to
realize connected
and automated
vehicles to help
improve safety
and mobility.”
The American
Center for Mobility
is an arm of Planet
M, the Michigan-
based collaborative
established to boost
research into self-
driving cars and
connected-vehicle
technologies. The
center’s Ypsilanti
facility will be a
WW
335-acre testing
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and development location for work
supporting those technologies.
Companies can utilize the resources
at Willow Run to test new technology
in a closed environment.
“Testing is the place where we really
thought we could make a mark,” said
Lt. Governor Brian Calley of the state’s
effort to become a national leader in
new tech testing.
“... Not all test miles are created
equal,” said Gill Pratt, CEO of Toyota’s
research center. “The road to creating a
car as safe, or safer, than a human driver
will require billions of test miles including
simulation, real-world driving on public
roads, and closed-course testing where
we can expose our systems to extreme
circumstances and conditions. The new
ACM ... facility is a significant step
forward in this journey and will accelerate
our ability to help prevent crashes
and save lives.”
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