The TPR talked with Andy Stroh, Vice President of Sales and Engineering at Stroh Die Casting in Milwaukee, WI.  Family-owned since 1903 when it was founded by George Stroh in Syracuse, NY, this company has an unwavering focus on innovation and quality that has won it both industry awards and accolades from customers in a variety of industries. 

What is your company niche, and what does your company do that is notable, unique or different?

Stroh Die Casting is America’s oldest family-owned die caster that is still owned by the founding family.  I am a fifth generation Stroh to be involved in the business.  My great-grandfather developed a machine in his garage in 1903 to inject metal into molds.  He was one of the founding pioneers in our industry.  

We are different than most die casters because we are willing to take on projects with low and medium volume usage.  This is unique because die casting is typically a high volume process.  There’s a whole market of customers who require the advantages of the die cast process but cannot find any suppliers interested in running the parts because of their low annual usage.  We help our customers by taking on additional responsibility with surface coating, light assembly, and precision machining.  We try to offer a one stop shop solution.  We also provide our expertise in part design to help the customer reduce piece part cost and achieve maximum tool life.  There are a lot of foundries trying to win new business by providing the lowest price.  We try not to do that.  We really are an engineering and service driven company.

The other distinguishing feature of Stroh is our materials offering.  Many die casters will commit to one or two alloys. If a customer comes to us with an application that requires a special material we can accommodate them because we have processes in place to ensure that our materials are managed properly.  We offer a wide range of material choices in both aluminum and zinc.

When and how did you get into the industry, what attracted you to it?

I’ve always been interested in manufacturing.  I was involved in the business from a very young age.  After college, I worked as an inside sales person for a manufacturer of industrial lighting for marine and commercial application.  From there I went to an outside sales position and became a manufacturer’s representative.  The company I worked for represented a number of metal companies in the Midwest.  I was hired into the family business and became sales manager of both divisions.  Now I am V.P. of Sales and Engineering.  I have a brother and sister also working for the business.

Relate a notable "best time" for your company.

There are a couple of times I can mention.  One was during the Great Depression.  We were able to survive without one layoff.  We supported all of our employees and their families by having them paint walls and equipment because there was little or no work.  We just cashed the bonds and kept everyone busy.  Another notable time was when we received NADCA’s International Die Casting Design Awards.  We’ve received four of these.  It’s centered on tooling design, processing, and helping customers overcome challenges. One award was received for an engine block for Bombardier; another was for a 22-caliber range pistol for Smith & Wesson; another was for a platen housing for a label printing manufacturer; and the fourth was for an antenna base for residential water meters.  We’re very proud of all of these awards.

Similarly, relate notable challenges that your company has overcome.

A large automation equipment manufacturer came to us with a product that goes into an electronics application.  It is a chassis that holds electronic circuit boards.  They came to us with the current part, which was made from sheet metal.  This was a cost reduction project.  The current cost of producing each sheet metal part was around $25.  We took the part and re-engineered it to work with in the die casting process.  We met and corresponded with the customer for over four months and found there were heat sink qualities to the part, so we began working with them on the best alloy choice to maximize heat draw away from the electrical components.  We came up with a custom thermal conductive alloy, which, together with a better designed part, accomplished the customer’s goals.  Tooling costs were high, so before starting production of the tool we prototyped it for them, to ensure the part would work.  We provided a prototype composed of inexpensive tool-steel that provides samples for more accurate testing.  We will not only save this customer about half of their original piece price, but we also qualified the tool for casting ability.

When you are working on projects with your customers, what aspects would you like them to better recognize?

Trusting us with design support; getting us involved at an early stage.  The way I see our business, we are an engineered components manufacturer and the way we sell product is by offering engineered solutions.  The customer presents us with a project and we want to be able to solve any challenges before generating a cost.  Customers can come to us with design concepts and allow us to work with them to maximize the manufacturability of the design.

List newly acquired technology, machinery or key personnel (in last year).

The thermal conductive material I mentioned earlier was a recent acquisition.  This is a highly developed concept that was researched.  It’s a brand new technology and product offering for Stroh and geared for the electronics industry. Currently, Stroh is the only licensed user of the alloy.

We recently hired a new project engineer.  He is very knowledgeable about the new thermal conductive material and will help us market it and move it forward in the coming years.  Everyone on staff has background in the tooling industry and that’s important and unique – and it’s a benefit to our company and ultimately to our customers.

Has your company recently expanded?  Plans to expand or form partnerships/alliances?

We are currently working on a plan to expand our Mauston, WI, facility where we will either add on to the existing facility or purchase a building nearby that will add the same capacity. The Mauston location was originally opened to serve one customer, but now houses all zinc operations as well as some aluminum machines. Mauston is a branch of the original Milwaukee location which operates under the same ownership and quality standards.

Are you involved in any industry organizations or educational programs related to the trade? 

We are active members of the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA).  We have many employees involved in different aspects of NADCA.  I am a part of the marketing committee and others within our company serve in some capacity to further the industry. It is a great opportunity to see how the industry is being shaped, and to have an effect on die casting throughout North America.

What do you think about changes occurring in the industry due to globalization?  How has it         affected the way you do business?

When corporations review their budgets to find where they are spending the most money, die casting is often singled out as a large expense and sent to a low-cost country.  So globally we have seen a large portion of die casting sourcing going to off-shore companies.  However, there are ramifications to making those decisions and sometimes those customers will return to a domestic source.  There is a trend for the Far East, but it does not seem as prevalent as it was two or three years ago.  Corporations all over the world are focusing on reducing costs.  Now it appears that the economy is improving and corporations are making more money, so their R&D budgets are increasing again.  As a result we are seeing more new tooling orders.  Part of this is due to the economy, but part of it is also due to a need for faster product launch.  Speed of service is something you don’t always get when you go off-shore and we have that advantage.

What will the industry look like in 3 to 5 years?

The shakeout will continue and those who survive are doing things differently.  They are differentiating themselves to avoid the price game.  They are offering a true value proposition that takes the emphasis off price and puts more emphasis on better solutions.  The simple jobs won’t stay here.  Highly engineered, tight tolerance products, with quick turnaround requirements will keep die casting in North America.

Additional background information:

Number of years in business:  103 years in business 

Current number of employees:  150 in Milwaukee; 60 in Mauston

Current square footage (each location):  130,000 sq ft plant in Milwaukee; 44,000 sq ft plant in Mauston 

Additional locations:  Mauston, WI

Website:  www.stroh.com

Types of tools built and/or run:  Aluminum and Zinc die casting; 4 Slide Miniature Zinc, 5 Slide Miniature Zinc, High Pressure, Vacuum

Industries served: 

• Power Tools

• Lawn and Garden

• Computer Equipment

• Electronics

• Telecommunications

• Motors and Controls

• Pumps & Compressors
   

Contact Information:

Stroh Die Casting
11123 W. Burleigh St.
Milwaukee, WI 53222
Phone: (414) 771-7100    
Fax: (414) 771-1329
Toll Free: 1-800-843-2871
E-mail: astroh@stroh.com