Making levels requires pinpoint accuracy. They are the tools professional carpenters, builders and electricians use to measure projects.
Empire Level Mfg. Corp. uses a proprietary process to make the specialty vials used in its levels.
“It has to be molded perfectly to maintain its accuracy,” said President Jenni Becker.
The company also makes other measurement tools, like squares and tape measures, and caution tape.
Empire’s fortunes are directly tied to the construction industry, so when housing starts dropped in the recession, so did Empire’s sales, said president Jenni Becker.
But Empire has seen a resurgence in sales this year, and has hired 25 employees to get back to pre-recession levels.
“We’re growing beyond where the market is recovering because we’ve been able to gain some market share,” Becker said.
The industry growth average is 4 percent. Empire is at about 10 percent growth for the year, she said.
“We’re definitely known for the quality we have to offer,” Becker said. “There’s an appreciation right now for buying something that’s going to last.”
Empire has also grown through acquisitions. In 2010, Empire acquired the American Level product line from Oklahoma City-based building supply manufacturer M-D Building Products.
Empire mainly serves the mass retail and contractor supply markets.
Henry Ziemann, the founder of Empire Level, invented the modern level and started the company in 1919. It uses a monovial, a liquid filled capsule with a bubble that indicates whether a surface is level or plumb.
“He was a carpenter and he wasn’t happy with his levels, so he started making them in his garage,” Becker said.
Empire’s first big customer was Sears Roebuck and Co. The company still makes Craftsman brand levels for Sears today.
Becker, the fifth generation of the family business, became president in 2002 and has since worked to increase marketing efforts and improve operational efficiency.
Empire’s Mukwonago campus includes four buildings that total 200,000 square feet.
Empire makes about 85 percent of its product in Mukwonago, and also has an assembly facility in Shenzhen City, China. Empire makes more than 900 SKUs and the company’s tools are shipped to 47 countries.
The products vary by size, magnet strength, material and measurement capabilities. Some measure pitch as opposed to just level, or a 45 degree angle in addition to level and plumb.
“There’s certain types of frames that a mason would like versus a carpenter versus an electrician,” Becker said.
The company plans to reduce its space by moving out of one 50,000-square-foot building in April. The consolidated operations will be more efficient, Becker said.
Empire employees punch holes in aluminum or plastic frames, and mold plastic cover plates for the holes. Measurement notches are engraved and painted onto the surface so they don’t wear off.
“If these pieces aren’t cut with supreme accuracy, then even if your vial’s good, it can only be as good as the frame,” Becker said.
Meanwhile, acrylic vials are made to be perfectly concentric using precise medical device machines. They are filled with liquid and capped, then tested for durability. They are then attached to the holes in the frame.
“There’s nothing super magical about the fluid – that’s what everybody thinks,” Becker said. “It’s the acrylic component.”
