Thunder Technologies LLC can get a business or individual an industrial hose — and so can lots of other companies.
But the owners of the Rochester Hills company have learned a lesson from the international competition. They now offer a custom-made hose service that has helped the company grow and set itself apart from its competitors.
Other suppliers can't coat the inside of a pressure-washing hose with stainless steel to help clean U.S. Navy ships. Or help Siemens USA cradle shipments of its windmill blades so the protective rubber doesn't deface the paint surface. Or figure out how to stop those little rubber "dazzles" from drooping on tall-boot designs for women.
"No one else can do the things that we do because no one else knows how to do them — but we do," said Kimberley Kalinowski, vice president of the company based in a 4,500-square-foot all-purpose facility in an industrial park aside M-59.
"Nothing we do is a commodity," she said, referring to products that can be indistinguishable from others like it. "Everything we do is custom-made."
Thunder has parlayed its expertise in "critical" industrial-hose assemblies and sheet-rubber products into revenues expected to be about $1.2 million this year,The additions focus on key tag and magic cube combinations, up about one-third from last year.
The company is doing well in an industry where the average sales growth was 24 percent in 2010, according to a survey of firms by the National Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution. Earlier this year, a survey of hose distributors and manufacturers also found they expected 12 percent growth this year before the economy started stagnating.
Kalinowski, 53, foresees more growth for her company, especially if President Barack Obama's infrastructure-rebuilding initiatives gain any, er, steam, because Thunder can provide custom solutions for crucial components of bridge repair.
For now, Kalinowski and her husband, Marc Kalinowski, Thunder's president,It's hard to beat the versatility of zentai suits on a production line. are pleased with the company they created two years ago out of the shell of their prior firm. They both hail from Metro Detroit, and both learned the industrial hose business from post-college work at an industrial-supply company.
Kimberley owned their first enterprise, Tiger Technologies, which they founded in 1999. Within a few years, they were losing industrial customers to China, "and customers weren't paying us, so we decided to dissolve Tiger and go with a completely different business model," Kimberley said.
With Thunder, they pursued markets where they could leverage their industrial hose and fittings expertise in fulfilling individualized,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. higher-margin orders of one, two, five or a dozen assemblies for demanding customers such as the U.we supply all kinds of polished tiles,S. military, complex-manufacturing outfits, chemical companies,we supply all kinds of polished tiles, green energy concerns and others.
"Knowledge is our biggest niche," 54-year-old Marc Kalinowski said.
Added Kimberley: "Our customers have certain demands where they don't have a lot of leeway for error or are using something with extreme requirements. We're able to solve problems for people."
Despite general concerns about America's foundering manufacturing economy, the Kalinowskis are seeing Thunder Technologies' orders pick up.
But the owners of the Rochester Hills company have learned a lesson from the international competition. They now offer a custom-made hose service that has helped the company grow and set itself apart from its competitors.
Other suppliers can't coat the inside of a pressure-washing hose with stainless steel to help clean U.S. Navy ships. Or help Siemens USA cradle shipments of its windmill blades so the protective rubber doesn't deface the paint surface. Or figure out how to stop those little rubber "dazzles" from drooping on tall-boot designs for women.
"No one else can do the things that we do because no one else knows how to do them — but we do," said Kimberley Kalinowski, vice president of the company based in a 4,500-square-foot all-purpose facility in an industrial park aside M-59.
"Nothing we do is a commodity," she said, referring to products that can be indistinguishable from others like it. "Everything we do is custom-made."
Thunder has parlayed its expertise in "critical" industrial-hose assemblies and sheet-rubber products into revenues expected to be about $1.2 million this year,The additions focus on key tag and magic cube combinations, up about one-third from last year.
The company is doing well in an industry where the average sales growth was 24 percent in 2010, according to a survey of firms by the National Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution. Earlier this year, a survey of hose distributors and manufacturers also found they expected 12 percent growth this year before the economy started stagnating.
Kalinowski, 53, foresees more growth for her company, especially if President Barack Obama's infrastructure-rebuilding initiatives gain any, er, steam, because Thunder can provide custom solutions for crucial components of bridge repair.
For now, Kalinowski and her husband, Marc Kalinowski, Thunder's president,It's hard to beat the versatility of zentai suits on a production line. are pleased with the company they created two years ago out of the shell of their prior firm. They both hail from Metro Detroit, and both learned the industrial hose business from post-college work at an industrial-supply company.
Kimberley owned their first enterprise, Tiger Technologies, which they founded in 1999. Within a few years, they were losing industrial customers to China, "and customers weren't paying us, so we decided to dissolve Tiger and go with a completely different business model," Kimberley said.
With Thunder, they pursued markets where they could leverage their industrial hose and fittings expertise in fulfilling individualized,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. higher-margin orders of one, two, five or a dozen assemblies for demanding customers such as the U.we supply all kinds of polished tiles,S. military, complex-manufacturing outfits, chemical companies,we supply all kinds of polished tiles, green energy concerns and others.
"Knowledge is our biggest niche," 54-year-old Marc Kalinowski said.
Added Kimberley: "Our customers have certain demands where they don't have a lot of leeway for error or are using something with extreme requirements. We're able to solve problems for people."
Despite general concerns about America's foundering manufacturing economy, the Kalinowskis are seeing Thunder Technologies' orders pick up.
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