Vanamatic Company History
On May 1st, 1954, five modern-day pioneers came up with an initial investment of $40,000 to incorporate a business under the name of Vanamatic Company.
Operations began in a 6,000 sq. ft. wooden building with three screw machines, six employees, and one customer. The five original investors were Irv Ziegler, James Wiltsie Sr., Court Guynn, Charles Bond, and Forest Patch. James Wiltsie Sr. and Charles Hasselschwert managed the operations of the facility. Vanamatic Company’s name was derived from the “VAN” in Van Wert County and from the “MATIC” in automatic screw machines.
In 1961, James Wiltsie Sr. and Charles Hasselschwert purchased the remaining stock of the four other original investors. Their primary focus at the time was solidifying the company’s viability in the marketplace, expanding the customer base, and securing long-term employment for their 23 employees.
In 1965, a major fire destroyed Vanamatic’s first building. The company then purchased the vacant 10,400 sq. ft. facility located at 127 South Jefferson St. in Delphos and moved all operations to the new site. In late 1965, the company expanded its manufacturing facilities by 3600 sq. ft. and its office space by 530 sq. ft.
In 1976, the company dramatically increased its production capacity by adding 10,660 sq. ft. to its manufacturing area and 1,300 sq. ft. to the office. The increased space allowed Vanamatic to increase the number of screw machines to 18 with total employment now at 31 people.
The area previously occupied by the screw machines was completely renovated and converted to the second operation department. The 1976 expansion also included a 1,300 sq. ft. increase to the existing office space.
In 1982, SPC (statistical process control) became a major component in our manufacturing operations. SPC enabled us to better understand and improve our process capabilities and equipment maintenance.
At the time, readings were taken by hand and plotted on paper to provide operators with additional tools to monitor their products and processes. This system significantly improved Vanamatic’s quality understanding and capabilities.
September 21, 1992, marked a sad day in the Company’s history with the passing of President James Wiltsie Sr.
Jim was the last of the original founders and served in the capacity of President of Vanamatic from 1954 until his death. James Wiltsie Jr., Jeff Wiltsie, and Perry Wiltsie were elected by the board of directors to the office of Co-President of Vanamatic Company.
A little over eight years later the company lost a director, shareholder, mother, and friend. Pat Wiltsie served as Secretary and Treasurer from 1976 until her death on November 10th, 2000.
In August 1996, the “Vanex” building began operations across the street from the main plant. This location was built with the cellular concept in mind. The original 4,000 sq. ft. storage building plus a 2,500 sq. ft. addition were turned into the first Vanamatic Company work cell.
Three screw machines and supporting secondary operations produce the vast majority of the automotive work for the company. Self-directed work teams were implemented and became the model for our future expansion.
After numerous additions to our previous facility and faced with an inability to add space at our current location, Vanamatic began construction of a new building in October 2002.
The design process began in 1998 and incorporated many of the ideas received from employee interviews and operational flow charts. The actual building design was based completely on cellular operations and self-direction work teams.
Construction of our new facility was completed in 2003, and operations were moved to 701 Ambrose Drive, Delphos, Ohio.
The move from one building to the other left behind traditional manufacturing practices and incorporated new cellular practices designed to improve efficiency, and reduce inventory and lead time. Lessons learned from the original cellular concept developed in 1996 played a key role in the design of the new facility.
In 2009, Vanamatic invested in numerous primary and secondary CNC machines primarily to increase capacity and capability for aerospace contracts. The new equipment enabled products to be completed in one operation with significantly tighter tolerances and product feature capability.
In 2010, Lu Ann Armstrong, Vice President-Finance and valued employee for more than 37 years, passed away. Lu Ann was like family and cared deeply for the company and its employees.
Patricia Morris, a Certified Public Accountant and the younger sister of Jim, Jeff, and Perry, was hired as CFO.
August 2019 – Vanamatic Company has been owned and operated by the Wiltsie Family for more than 65 years. Second-generation owners; Jim Wiltsie Jr., Jeff Wiltsie, Perry Wiltsie, and Patricia (Wiltsie) Morris, in working on a retirement exit plan have identified a Strategic Group of key employees who have stepped up with great success in managing day-to-day operations. This group consists of Scott Wiltsie, HR, Adam Wiltsie, Plant Manager, Jared Wiltsie, Engineering, Steve Schroeder, Sales, and David Ricker II, IT.
Jim Wiltsie Jr. retired in 2018, Patricia Morris retired at the end of 2020 while Jeff & Perry Wiltsie remained with the company over the next five years as shareholders, Directors, and mentors to support the new ownership group as they moved forward.
“This transition ensures Vanamatic Company will remain privately owned and operated for the foreseeable future and gives confidence and security to our customers, suppliers, community, and most importantly to our employees that a smooth transition will occur. We have great confidence that the new ownership group will continue to successfully lead and guide Vanamatic Company well into the future.” – Jeff Wiltsie, CEO
On December 31st, 2021, Jeffrey S. Wiltsie – CEO/President of Manufacturing & Perry J. Wiltsie – Vice President/Quality officially retired from Vanamatic Company.
Jeff & Perry spent their lives, along with previous owners James N. Wiltsie, Jr., and Tricia Morris, building Vanamatic Company into one of the highest-regarded precision machining companies in the industry.
Vanamatic invested in a 2nd facility (40,000 sq. ft.) and significantly expanded CNC capabilities and operations to better serve our customers. This investment also allowed for significant growth and increased capacity at the screw machine division. With over 120,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space, we have the infrastructure, staff, and facilities to continue to meet our customers precision machining needs.
From our modest beginnings in a 6,000 sq. ft. wooden building to our current world-class 79,022 sq. ft. facility, Vanamatic Company has enjoyed over 70 years of growth. Employment levels have increased from the original six to the current level of 135+ employees. Our screw machine capacity has increased more than eight times, we have two divisions, and we have expanded our market base to include: aerospace, automotive, fluid power, electrical, refrigeration, and our own line of Vanamatic Industrial fittings.
Over 70 years later, the number of machines and customers has grown significantly, but our original customer still remains a strong partner. We feel this speaks volumes about how we do business and the customer relationships we have developed. Vanamatic possesses the technology, management philosophy, and most importantly, the people, to compete in today’s global economy.