HUSCO International
Address: 2239 Pewaukee Road, Waukesha
Year founded: 1985
Product or service offered: Designer and manufacturer of hydraulic and electro-hydraulic components that improve the overall efficiency, controllability and performance of automotive and off-highway mobile equipment.
Projected 2014 revenue: $385 million
CEO: Austin Ramirez
Target clientele: Off-highway construction, earth moving equipment, and automotive manufacturers
Business organization memberships: National Fluid Power Association, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, British Fluid Power Association
What has fueled your company’s growth? “HUSCO’s strong sales growth is attributable to the company’s ability to consistently and creatively push the boundary of what is possible in ways that create immediate value for our customers. This is accomplished as a result of HUSCO’s ability to attract and retain outstanding employees in all areas of the business who are focused on maintaining exceptional quality, and cost and delivery performance.”
What is the biggest obstacle to your company’s growth? “HUSCO has experienced strong growth domestically as well as internationally and has made significant investments in equipment and staffing in the U.S., as well as in the U.K., China and India, in order to achieve this growth. The ability to instill the company’s culture with new employees, particularly those outside of the U.S., and educate them on the company’s key competitive advantages such that they understand how they can help execute and improve upon those competitive advantages has been a critical challenge the company has successfully overcome. The economic volatility in much of the developing world is another continuing obstacle to our growth.”
Who are the business people, locally or nationally, whom you admire? And what traits do those people exhibit that make you admire them? “Charter Manufacturing and the Mellowes Family are a tremendous local example of a large, privately owned business that is growing rapidly while maintaining a deep commitment to community leadership. Milwaukee is blessed with an abundance of entrepreneurs who have both built successful businesses and give generously of their time and talent to the community (Ted Kellner, Bob Kern, Lubar Family….just to name a few). We don’t do enough as a community to recognize the importance of private business or celebrate their leaders.”
What is the outlook for the business conditions of your industry over the next several months? “Although HUSCO will achieve record sales in 2014, business conditions in our industry remain relatively weak.”
What is your company’s most important growth strategy right now? “In order to maintain strong future growth, HUSCO is focused on three primary pillars: maintaining exceptional quality, cost and delivery, continuing to leverage our global manufacturing footprint to benefit from growth in international markets, and developing new technologies that differentiate our products in the marketplace with a particular emphasis on improving fuel efficiency. “
