Member Profile: Amerikam Inc.
Amerikam Inc. designs and manufactures precision products such as valves and fittings for the flow control industry. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the company recently celebrated its 70th year in business.
Amerikam Inc. designs and manufactures precision products such as valves and fittings for the flow control industry. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the The company also strongly supports education and recently completed a project with manufacturing engineering students from Ferris State University of Big Rapids, Michigan. The 30-year relationship between the manufacturer and the university has become a model for collaborative programs between educational institutions and the industry.
In the project, the students designed processes, tooling and equipment and presented their work to Amerikam engineers for a setup and production run. Representatives throughout the company also talked to the students about their roles in the company.
"The Amerikam/FSU project gives students a glimpse into the precision machining industry and ultimately leads to a stronger, job-ready workforce," Ms. Leonardos says. "We believe it is essential to do our part in that effort."
company recently celebrated its 70th year in business.
In addition to its precision machining expertise, its strengths are its research and development programs, technical support and knowledge of industry regulatory requirements. Capabilities such as these have helped to make the company a dependable resource for its customers.
"We are often seen as an extension of our customers' own research and development," says Stephanie Leonardos, owner, president and chief executive officer. "In many cases, we create an idea for a part or component to fill a customer's requirement and take it right through to manufacturing."
Amerikam is a company with a strong sense of community and has developed a reputation as a "hands-on" support team for many community activities. An example is the company's co-sponsorship of an annual 5K race that helps support Kids Hope USA and a local mission serving the homeless. The race features American Olympic medal winner Brian Diemer, a Grand Rapids resident.
The high value the company places on education is evident in its staff training. "Our employees have learned from PMPA technical training sessions and the exchanges at the PMPA roundtable discussions," Ms. Leonardos explains. "PMPA offers an abundance of information that is meaningful and useful—from benchmarking to critical machining skills training," she continues. "The association's publications and updates take us right where we need to go. It is not an ‘information that fits all' approach; it is specific to the needs of precision machining companies."
PMPA has benefited Amerikam not only with technical training, but also with information on management issues. Ms. Leonardos says, "I recently asked for information on a certification process, and PMPA's quick response was excellent. The information helped us in making a strategic business decision."
Amerikam, Inc. is located at 1337 Judd Avenue S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49509. Phone: (616) 243-5833. Fax: (616) 243-8711.
