Exceeding the Needs and Expectations of Their Customers
PEMMCO Manufacturing, Inc., headquartered in Asheboro and just a stone’s throw away from the North Carolina Zoo, offers their customers six decades of experience in precision computer numerical control (CNC) machining, CNC milling and CNC turning. Each of these manufacturing disciplines utilizes the latest technology and equipment to be a leader in the large OEM and aftermarket supply chain.
Originally established as a job shop, the company has transitioned to a production shop with volumes ranging from 50 parts per year to 700,000 parts for year, and runs an average of 10,000 parts per day. PEMMCO, certified in ISO 9001, IATF 16949 and ISO 14001, supplies customers in a variety of industry sectors, including aerospace, automotive, lawn and garden and more.
The company, with a value system dedicated to exceeding the needs and expectations of their customers, employees, suppliers and community, credits much of their success by providing exemplary products and services to the markets they serve. Yet, they wanted to grow. And to do this, they needed some assistance.
Diversification of Sales Channels
“It’s no secret that growing a small manufacturing company in the U.S. has its challenges,” said Brian M. Powell, national sales director at PEMMCO. “So, in order to thrive, we had to look for new ways to grow the business. That’s when we learned of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), a partner in the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP) network. ”The company turned to EDPNC—a well-known state resource and trusted advisor—for guidance on expanding into international markets to support their vision.
“From EDPNC, we learned companies that exhibit in international trade shows are likely to find new buyers for their products,” said Powell. “But the cost of participating in these types of shows is often a barrier for smaller businesses like ours. In addition, we didn’t have staff dedicated to exploring and developing export markets,” said Powell.
PEMMCO worked with EDPNC’s international trade division to help them tap into some funds set aside for booth and travel reimbursement costs. PEMMCO, along with a delegation of other North Carolina businesses, attended multiple trade shows with EDPNC including ones in Paris, Dubai, Hamburg and London. EDPNC helped set up meetings with potential buyers and distributors at the shows and provided overseas market intelligence including economic, social and political data.
Access to New Customers
Success came pretty quickly as a result of PEMMCO’s international trade show participation. The business has been steadily growing. “We’re now selling our parts to a multinational aircraft seating manufacturer we met at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg,” said Powell. “This new sales channel most definitely contributed to our 2018 facility expansion and addition of new jobs. In fact, we estimate we have grown our business 30% by expanding into international markets.”
“Without NCMEP’s EDPNC, PEMMCO would not have been able to travel to England, France, Germany and Dubai, meeting customers in person and developing networks that improve every year,” said Powell. “For a small business like ours, the services they offer are invaluable. In addition, we were able to hire five new employees, saw $400K in new sales and realized a $350K investment in our facility as a result of our association with EDPNC.”
The PEMMCO value system, along with hard work and a little help from EDPNC, have all contributed to the company being the CNC machine shop of choice for a number of multinational and Fortune 500 companies today. Powell said, “EDPNC’s support has been extremely helpful for a small company like ours.”
