Bill Berrien, chief executive office of New Berlin-based Pindel Global Precision, joins the Rotary Club of Milwaukee to discuss his company’s quick actions to begin making ventilator parts for OEMs around the country as the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Berrien volunteered on a LinkedIn post to have his company make parts at cost during the outbreak. That led to emergency purchase orders with tight turnarounds on parts the company had never made before. Berrien scrambled to find suppliers and vendors who could help on those tight timelines and a week later parts were delivered.
During the Rotary webinar, Berrien discussed how his time in the Navy SEALs has informed is leadership approach. He also touched on his expectations for the future of manufacturing in the United States.
“There actually is a tremendous amount of untapped capacity across the equipment with companies like Pindel all across the country and the question is probably going to turn on, how do we better tap that, how do we take advantage of that capacity?” Berrien said.
He also said the company’s investments in training for its employees have paid off during the pandemic in having the human talent to be able to take on new challenges.
“I think without a doubt, for defense purposes, for commercial purposes, we are coming to the realization that we need to have a strong manufacturing base, that the legacy decisions of the past 30 years, let’s have someone else be the manufacturing floor for the country, that’s coming home to roost here when you are encumbered by these global supply chains that are disrupted,” Berrien said.
A partnership with the Rotary Club of Milwaukee.
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