Leadership team (from left): Mark Leubke, Operations Manager, Jason Fogt, Engineering Manager, Matt Oldiges, GM - TruRebel, Chuck Warner, GM - Valence Industrial, Chuck Pisciotta, CEO, Josh Price, AGM - Valence Industrial.
FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2024 - SIDNEY, OH
More financial stability for contract manufacturing
As a top contract manufacturer in Ohio and Kentucky, Valence Industrial (Valence) is excited to announce the acquisition of TruRebel, a self-propelled trailer manufacturer (see the PR release). TruRebel, a family-owned and operated company that has manufactured self-propelled trailers since 1982, started its roots selling to the death care industry in the Bellefontaine, Ohio area.
TruRebel moved its operations into Valence's manufacturing facility in Sidney, Ohio. Because of the growth, Valence has been able to open a new wing of the facility to add an additional 10k sq. ft. to now have a total of 89k sq. ft across both, it's Sidney, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky facilities.
"We expanded our contract manufacturing by 10% year-over-year in sales, and as part of it we have recapitalized the company using $1.3M of infrastructure and equipment," according to Chuck Pisciotta, CEO, Blue Skies Operating Corp.
The company is excited to have gained additional highly skilled employees including a new operations manager along with welders and tradesmen from TruRebel.
With this growth, Valence is able to better serve custom fabrication and machining customers:
More capital investments to increase productivity and capabilities
An investment in new lighting and electrical backbone across the entire Sidney, Ohio facility which supports future equipment installations
New hoists, inventory racking & other heavier fabricated items for more precision, storage space and increased productivity
Two new welding bays in the process of being finalized with OTC welding capabilities (see a weld cell that our partner recently entrusted us to weld). And an investment in our exceptional welding talent including TIG structural welding (electrical cabinetry has been good to us recently)
A new, more advanced machine centers in both, Lexington and Sidney
Pisciotta went on to say, "real-life examples that impact our customers because of our heavy investments include new lighting in every section of the factory, and the replacement of the entire electric backbone. That will help add new machinery in the future."
Key, tenured personnel continue to be a focus
Chuck Warner, General Manager, continues to be at the helm of Valence's Sidney, Ohio location helping to maintain steady growth, after being with Valence as Welder, Operations Manager, and now - General Manager for over 10 years.
"We’ve seen John Cromika, General Manager, of our Lexington location, grow the factory by 50% in revenue since joining the company in 2021," according to Pisciotta.
Cromika has been at the forefront of the ISO 9001 certification, and the addition of CMM equipment being added (that measures up to 6-1/2ft x 3.9ft x 3.2ft) to continue to refine fabrication & precision machining control. See Valence's machining capabilities.
"Sidney & Lexington, over the past year have developed strong customer relationships to the point of being single sourced on numerous ongoing projects," according to Rich Barker, VP of Operations, Valence Industrial.
He went on to say,"These companies’ markets include gas compressors, water purification systems, material handling, robotic process cells, and reverse engineering."
ISO 9001 Certification
Valence is excited to announce that its Lexington, Kentucky location recently had its quality management system certified by ISO 9001. The Sidney, Ohio location is in the process of preparing to certify its program in 2025, incorporating the trailer manufacturing processes in its system.
According to Pisciotta, "While some are indifferent to certifications, we can say that it has been well worth the investment to document and clarify who is accountable at each check-point. We are proud to have a 100% on-time delivery rate in 2023 for the Lexington facility. And a 95% on-time delivery rate in 2023 for the Sidney location. We have a clear continuous improvement process as we drive growth at both facilities."
Valence recently added brake press dies to its 5230 Trumpf Press Brake. This 144" bed forms one-inch thick mild steel, stainless steel and aluminum.
One full piece of steel can be built rather than welded sheets combined with a joint, allowing for more squareness from one end to the other end,
Less weld rejects and possible leakage.
A reduced cost because of efficiencies in labor time.
This new Trumpf brake press integrates the manufacturing processes with the Trumpf 3040 large bed fiber laser for exceptionally reduced lead times.
About Blue Skies Operating Corporation:
Chuck Pisciotta, CEO, started Blue Skies Operating Corp. (Blue Skies) in 2019, by bringing together a group of dreamers (and investors) who believed in the power of the midwestern worker, the pride of homegrown engineering talent and the power of scaling several well-run companies.
Blue Skies positions well-run companies for faster growth by focusing in on organizational structure, targeting on key people, creating operational synergies with other businesses in the portfolio using a shared services approach, and using value-added investors. Valence Industrial, a custom fabricator with factories in Sidney, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky – was acquired in 2019. TruRebel was acquired in 2023, with its headquarters in Sidney, Ohio.
“When I retired, I didn’t need to go back to work. I came back because of how much I love manufacturing. I wanted to find companies to invest in that were well run, with people of good principle—and focus on hiring more people in a community I loved growing up in,” said Pisciotta.
Blue Skies is committed to bringing more jobs to local American communities, with a focus on employing talented innovators and specialists in their craft.
Media:
Samantha Mooney
614-561-7632
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