Member Profile: RB Royal Industries
In 1942, John Neumann Sr. founded the company that would become RB Royal Industries, Inc. In the early days, Mr. Neumann produced fuel and brake lines in the basement of his home and sold them—along with brass fittings—from his car.
In 1942, John Neumann Sr. founded the company that would become RB Royal Industries, Inc. In the early days, Mr. Neumann produced fuel and brake lines in the basement of his home and sold them—along with brass fittings—from his car.
Today, led by Mr. Neumann’s sons, the ISO 9001-certified company manufactures a variety of precision machined products, along with custom hose and tube assemblies for many fluid handling applications. All manufacturing takes place at RB Royal’s state-of-the-art, 90,000 square-foot facility located on 16 acres in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
The company uses “lean enterprise principles” to remain highly responsive to customer needs. A lean culture assists the 135 RB Royal employees in maximizing the efficiencies of single- and multiple-spindle cam automatics, CNC turning and vertical machining centers, and the equipment for custom tubing and hose assembly manufacturing.
A PMPA member since 1990, the company takes advantage of the opportunities offered to association members. “We’ve taken our managers to PMPA’s management update conferences, where they get to talk to other managers in the industry,” says Jim Neumann, RB Royal president and a son of the company’s founder. “It’s helped them to learn about the screw machine industry while being exposed to the latest management practice and theory.
“We sent some of our shop people to the last technical conference,” Mr. Neumann continues. “They talked with people who were doing things we wanted to learn more about. And they came back with a lot of useful information that’s helped us solve some technical challenges.”
Another source of helpful information is the PMPA Listserve. “I’ve used the Listserve, and I encourage others in our company to do the same,” explains Mr. Neumann. “Our engineers, human resources people and some of those on the machining side have all benefited from and contributed to the Listserve.
“I participate in a lot of the meetings for PMPA, and we have an active district here,” says Mr. Neumann. “I appreciate the chance to bounce ideas around with other people in the industry. I really enjoy the opportunity to work with these individuals face-to-face.” Mr. Neumann adds, “What PMPA offers is profoundly valuable, whether you’re a small company or a large company. The association allows people to work together with their peers—not only the owners, but also those who run the machines and manage the day-to-day operations.”
RB Royal Industries, Inc. is located at 1350 South Hickory St., Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54936-1168. Phone: (920) 921-1550. Web site: www.rbroyal.com.
