| ATEK Medical Manufacturing
Press Release |  |
ATEK COMPANIES CELEBRATE 60 YEARS OF MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE
Manufacturing success built on a culture of partnership, creative solutions and unparalleled service started 60 years ago
MINNEAPOLIS (October 23, 2006) – As ATEK Companies celebrates its 60-year anniversary, Bill Bieber looks proudly at his family businesses which have grown into some of the Midwest's most successful manufacturing outsourcing and product companies. Today, he is mentoring his daughter Christy Bieber Orris, CEO of the businesses, as she integrates the five companies under one common name, "ATEK Companies." The newly reorganized ATEK Companies include: ATEK Manufacturing, ATEK Medical Manufacturing, Progress Casting Group, AcroTech Plastics, and ATEK Products Group (previously known as Larco Manufacturing). Bieber Orris, along with her business partner Kay Phillips, is ready to take ATEK Companies to the next level.
When asked about the company history, Bill can recall by name many of the employees who made the organization what it is today. He's the type of person who feels kudos should go to those who deserve it most: the people who work in the plants designing, assembling, and manufacturing products on time and on budget; the customers and suppliers who work in partnership with the manufacturing teams; and the management team who looks into the future to identify new markets to pursue. Bill reflects on the company's 60-year history and his 50-year involvement building the business that he will leave to his daughter and her business partner to carry on: businesses much larger and more diversified than what his father left to him.
In the beginning there was Acrometal Products
Acrometal Products was originally incorporated in Minneapolis in December 1945 as a metal stamping company and die shop. In 1951, Fred Bieber was named vice president and general manager, and in 1956 he purchased the company for $25,000.
With a newly acquired business and a family to support, Fred brainstormed ways to innovatively grow Acrometal. During this same time, 3M was looking for a supplier for its video, audio, and instrumentation tape divisions, and the company needed a high-quality aluminum spool on which to wind and package the tape. While searching for a supplier with packaging expertise, 3M discovered Acrometal – a company just across the river from their own facility – and thus began a 50-year relationship with 3M. That relationship developed into dedicated contract manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout Minnesota and on the East Coast servicing multiple 3M divisions.
While still in high school, Bill Bieber joined the company as a floor sweeper and he moved his way up the company throughout his college years. Upon graduating from the University of Michigan in 1964, Bill's role grew to include management of the company and growth of the business through acquisitions. As Bill expanded his manufacturing expertise, he developed the culture that would become the tenet of the ATEK Companies today: a strong partnership philosophy with customers and suppliers; creative problem solving and a total solutions approach; and an unparalleled commitment to high-quality products and service.
In 1973, at the age of 30, Bill Bieber became the sole owner and was named CEO and president of Acrometal. Over the next several years, the Biebers continued to diversify into additional manufacturing segments through acquisitions. Acrometal acquired Larco Manufacturing, an OEM manufacturer of automated switch mats and wall switches, located in the Brainerd Lakes area. Progress Casting Group was created through the purchases of Continental Castings in 1962 and Progress Foundries in 1982. Progress specializes in precision permanent mold and sand castings for the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. In 2006, Progress Casting opened a state-of-the-art facility in New Hampton, Iowa to complement its other foundries in Minneapolis and Albert Lea, Minn.
In 1995, Acrometal acquired AcroTech Plastics, an injection molding business, located in Kerrville, Texas. AcroTech Plastics provides total injection molding solutions to customers in the medical, automotive, industrial, and commercial markets.
Third Generation Takes Company to New Level
Much like her father before her, Christy Bieber Orris began working for A-Tek in her teens, assembling various products and picking orders to fulfill eight-track cassette orders. Bieber Orris decided to gain education outside the family businesses and worked in operations for Baxter Healthcare and brand management for General Mills in addition to receiving her MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth. In 1998, Orris became the CEO at Regent Aviation, a fixed-based operator, then part of the Acrometal Family of Companies. Subsequently, she became owner and CEO of A-Tek LLC, a woman-owned entity spun off from the Acrometal Family of Companies. In 2001, Kay Phillips joined A-Tek as president and became part owner in April 2002. A-Tek, LLC changed its name to ATEK Manufacturing in March 2003.
Bieber Orris and Phillips realized that ATEK's core capabilities and culture were an ideal fit for a successful entry into the medical device industry. In March 2003, ATEK Manufacturing entered into discussions with Medtronic Cardiac Surgery and purchased the medical device company's manufacturing business in Grand Rapids, Mich., forming the new entity ATEK Medical Manufacturing. Today, ATEK Medical Manufacturing produces more than 1,400 different products for a variety of medical device and biotechnology companies.
In August 2003, ATEK Manufacturing acquired Acrometal, the original company in the Acrometal Family of Companies, to broaden ATEK's capabilities and capitalize on the synergies between the two companies. ATEK Manufacturing continues to specialize in manufacturing subassemblies and finished electrical/mechanical products for the medical device, communications, industrial, and consumer industries in addition to its capabilities in high-precision metal fabrication.
The Future Looks Bright
Bieber Orris and Phillips have aggressive plans to grow the newly combined ATEK Companies, just as they have grown the businesses under their leadership these past six years. Since 2000, Bieber Orris and Phillips have more than tripled the company's revenue, employee, and customer base and positioned ATEK Manufacturing and ATEK Medical Manufacturing for continued growth and leadership in manufacturing outsourcing, new product development in medical, communications, industrial, and consumer product markets.
ATEK Companies is the preferred manufacturing partner serving such industries as medical, transportation, aerospace, defense, and communications. ATEK Companies distinguishes itself from the competition through its 60-year history of delivering unparalleled value in terms of quality, creative solutions, delivery, and costs. ATEK Companies offers total project management, including product design and launch, supply chain management, production, packaging, and distribution. ATEK Companies is comprised of five business units including ATEK Medical Manufacturing, ATEK Manufacturing, Progress Casting Group, AcroTech Plastics, and ATEK Products Group. ATEK Companies has facilities in Minneapolis, Albert Lea, and Brainerd, Minn.; Kerrville, Texas; New Hampton, Iowa; and Grand Rapids, Mich. For more information, please visit www.atekcompanies.com.
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