Busch Precision Inc.
8200 N. Faulkner Road, Milwaukee
Industry: Precision machining, manufacturing, maintenance and repair
Employees: 48
www.buschprecision.com
Milwaukee-based Busch Precision recently acquired certain assets, including two lines of business, from West Allis-based Maintenance Service Corp.
As a result, Busch has expanded its capabilities through a new Maintenance Service division, which offers machine tool service and repair and CNC retrofitting.
The transaction brought a new client base and 11 employees with new expertise to Busch, which now has 48 employees. They fit easily into Busch’s existing 140,000-square-foot facility at 8200 N. Faulkner Road in Milwaukee.
The new maintenance capabilities complement Busch’s existing machine repair, precision machining, metalworking machinery maintenance and contract manufacturing offerings, said Michael Mallwitz, president and chief executive officer. The company specializes in unique specifications, critical tolerance parts and large components.
Busch and MSC’s culture and talent also fit well together, he said.
“We don’t really sell – we look for problems,” Mallwitz said. “And that’s what is attractive for both organizations.”
CNC retrofitting is the process of updating machine tools to the latest CNC hardware and software capabilities, which can include smoother finishes, network communication, automated tool and part probing or data collection.
“We can just about give the whole (retrofit) project back to the customer, where a new machine is going to be twice as much or more,” Mallwitz said.
Machine tool repair services can assist manufacturers with holding tolerance, preventing excessive downtime, inconsistent speeds and feeds and general breakdowns. Busch has a fleet of vehicles available for onsite repair services, or tools can be brought in shop for refinishing.
The Maintenance Service division is one of the state’s only authorized solution partners for both Siemens and Fanuc, major industrial automation system providers.
“A lot of the manufacturers have now gone to robots and we want to be able to service robots and Fanuc offers that,” Mallwitz said.
Busch Precision has about $6 million in annual revenue, and with the addition of its new division, revenue will grow to $10-12 million, said Joe Wiemiller, customer service manager.
The company works with parts of up to 180 inches in diameter and 56,000 pounds, Wiemiller said. It also makes its own precision tooling, including bench plates and straight edges used in industrial applications.
All of the capabilities Busch now offers make it a one-stop shop for manufacturers, Mallwitz said. If a company’s machine is down, for example, Busch has the capability to do its machining work while it fixes the machine, preventing lost productivity.
“We’re always looking in terms of, at the end of the day, what’s going to be best for our customers?” he said.
Mallwitz plans to continue to grow the company through acquisition when the right match comes along.
“We’re always looking for the right opportunities, and we do have space that we’d like to (grow),” he said.
He also plans to add an apprenticeship program in cooperation with Milwaukee Area Technical College and Waukesha County Technical College, hopefully beginning next fall and working with two to four apprentices per year.
“We are going to need more help,” Mallwitz said.
