Milwaukee-based Capitol Stampings Corp., a stamping company that also offers welding, assembly and related processes, recently won a three-year contract to build components for Maysteel LLC, an Allenton firm with operations in Menomonee Falls and Columbus.
Maysteel, like Capitol Stampings, is a contract manufacturer. The components that Capitol Stampings will make for Maysteel will eventually be built into large business computers. Gary Wenzel, president of Capitol Stampings, was not able to disclose the end user of the components.
"These are for a large AS400 computer system," he said. "We’re doing the stamping work, and (Maysteel) are the end manufacturer for the product."
Capitol Stampings, located at 2700 W. North Ave. in Milwaukee, has a large portion of its business in the lawn and garden business. The company’s long-term goal is to diversify into other areas of manufacturing, Wenzel said, and the multi-year contract with Maysteel is an important step in that direction.
Initially, Capitol Stampings will be able to fulfill Maysteel’s orders with its current approximate 100 employees. However, Capitol Stampings is now talking with Maysteel about adding additional steps to the work it is doing, Wenzel said.
"As we go down the road, we will probably have to add, within one year, three to five positions," Wenzel said. "It’s hard to say now."
Capitol Stampings may need to hire additional workers this year if some of its current talks come to fruition. Wenzel is now talking with a manufacturing company that is considering a move into Milwaukee, and that company would rely on Capitol Stampings for outsourced work, he said. He declined to name the company, citing ongoing negotiations.
"We’ll know more by the end of April," Wenzel said.
