West Allis | Founded: 2008
Industry: Manufacturing
Employees: 260
Blast Cleaning Technologies manufactures shot blast equipment components, parts and systems for foundries and forge facilities across the country. Located in the historic Allis Chalmers manufacturing complex in West Allis, the company’s 150,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility allows it to design, build and fully test large-scale blast systems in-house.
Blast Cleaning has invested more than $8 million in manufacturing equipment since relocating to the West Allis facility in 2019, including overhead cranes, plate-cutting systems, CNC bending and sawing equipment and Cobot weld systems. Its newest technology includes its high-performance e-Wheel, which was specifically designed to upgrade existing equipment and wheel units.
Led by longtime president and CEO Carl Panzenhagen, Blast Cleaning describes its internal culture in four words: passionate, accountable, customer-focused and team players. Panzenhagen told BizTimes in 2018 that he attributes the company’s growth to customer service, innovation and continued investment in technology.
In a July 2024 interview with Metal Finishing News, he said Blast Cleaning has grown 2,000% since 2012, adding an average of 150 new customers every year.
“Expanding our manufacturing capabilities enabled us to better control the machine build schedule and enhance our customer support,” Panzenhagen told MFN. “We no longer need to rely on vendors to address urgent customer needs. We understand our customers are the key to our success.”
