Member Profile: Gormac Products Inc.

 Gormac Products Inc. of Racine, Wisconsin had its roots in the George Gorton Machine Company, which was founded in 1894 by George Gorton II. Initially, the company produced disc grinders and pantograph engraving machines. But over the years, the inventive Mr. Gorton built a wide variety of machine tools and
equipment that enabled his customers to be more productive.

During World War II—in addition to producing milling and engraving machines—the company made a Swiss automatic screw machine under license from Petermann of Switzerland. This was used in the production of components for armaments and
aircraft instrumentation needed in the war effort.

Also during those years, the company began to do a limited amount of production work on the screw machines. That led to the 1947 incorporation of Gormac (short for GORton MAChine) Products, Inc. as an independent job shop.

The job shop operation soon moved to rented space on the second floor of an industrial building near the original factory. In 1970, Gormac moved to a new building, and has since expanded twice with major additions to the plant.

Today, Gormac Products serves a variety of industries, producing parts for flow-control devices, hydraulics, electronics, aerospace and medical equipment. The manufacturer has a full range of Swiss-type automatics (both CNC and cam type), plus two- and four-axis CNC bar machines and other related equipment. Capacities range from 4 to 32 mm for the Swiss machines and up to 42 mm for the CNC bar machines.

Gormac has 52 employees, according to company treasurer Richard Gorton, grandson of George Gorton II. The younger Mr. Gorton is the last of his family to guide the business. “Our family’s next generation had a taste of the manufacturing world, but they were more interested in other areas,” Mr. Gorton says. The current president and CEO of Gormac is Mark Sommer.

In addition to his role at Gormac, Mr. Gorton happens to be the new PMPA president, a position he was elected to on October 3. “As president, I get to travel and visit member companies across the country, which I also did as vice president,” he says. “It has been most enlightening and interesting from a personal standpoint.

“I look at what our industry has gone through in the last five years and it’s been tough,” Mr. Gorton continues. “In my role, I try to provide some insights and let our members know when they are doing the right thing. I encourage them to continue to look for better ways to get things done and add value for their customers.”

Mr. Gorton believes that the PMPA is very good at helping its members find opportunities so they can grow and develop their capabilities and strengths. “They do this through the Listserves, conferences, surveys, reports and data that’s available to the membership,” Mr. Gorton says. “It all works together to provide a comprehensive business overview, as well as opportunities for both personal and corporate growth in terms of abilities, talents and ideas.”

Mr. Gorton, who has been with Gormac since 1963, attended his first PMPA Management Update meeting in 1982. He came back from that meeting and told his boss, “We should have been part of PMPA a long time ago.” The PMPA president believes that the association’s meetings provide invaluable ideas, resources and connections. “I’ve always said that if you come away from a show or conference with one really good idea, you’re ahead of the game,” he says. “I have always been able to come back from a conference with at least one good idea.”

The new PMPA president says that the comprehensive benefits of PMPA are “both specific and yet cumulative in terms of their overall impact on a business. Ultimately, the most important benefits are the networking and the sharing of information that takes part on the Listserves and at the conferences. There’s an enormous amount of sharing going on in an industry that’s very competitive,” Mr. Gorton sums up. “PMPA people are willing to share ideas in a unique and extraordinary way.”

Gormac Products, Inc. is an ISO 9001:2000-certified company located at 1836 Oakdale Avenue, Racine, Wisconsin 53406-4712.
Phone: (800) 596-0156. Web site: www.gormacproducts.com