The words “entrepreneurial spirit” may not be ones heard often in many workplaces. However, it is a concept stated in our mission statement and ingrained in how we operate and strategically plan our next steps. Our 100-year history growing from a small family-owned operation to a leading player in the metal fabrication industry has instilled in us a deep appreciation for innovation, resilience, and the willingness to take calculated risks.
We understand the challenges of scaling a business because we’ve been there ourselves. Inevitably, our mindset, combined with our experience heavily influences our approach to serving our customers.
What is an Entrepreneurial Spirit?
Ingrained into our culture by our CEO Troy Berg, our mindset is characterized by innovation and a desire to adapt, grow and change. As a result, we’re always looking forward and pursuing strategic change. Whether it is acquiring new capabilities using the latest technology, purchasing land to position ourselves for growth, or strategically tackling new challenges, we do them with a mindset geared towards solving our customer’s problems and anticipating their future needs.
In fact, this spirit has been a part of Dane Manufacturing for many decades. Dane’s operations ceased in mid 1942 in compliance with Federal restrictions during WWII. As a result of the changing landscape, Dane’s shareholders expected a significant rise in costs and growing competition. Leveraging their spirt for growth and innovation, they used the time during the shutdown to evaluate manufacturing methods searching for operational improvements that would make them more profitable and planned for capital investment in new equipment to further improve their manufacturing capabilities.
Today, this spirit continues. In 2021, Dane acquired a new campus featuring over 510,000 square feet of manufacturing space and evaluated operations and plant layout to optimize efficiencies. We also continue to invest in technology, most recently with the strategic installation and integration of our STOPA material handling system, which fully automates portions of our manufacturing capability.
“We get excited about innovation and change. By constantly looking forward, we’re able to continually pursue operational excellence and can rapidly address our customer’s growing needs.”
Troy F. Berg, CEO
Embracing Innovation and Change
How does this mindset impact our customers? The entrepreneur in us ignites our passion for growth and innovation and drives us towards strategic investments in capacity creation, operational improvements and speed, which are pivotal for supporting the sustained growth of our customers.
- Anticipate Customer Needs: With our in-depth industry knowledge and forward-thinking approach towards manufacturing, we collaborate with our customers to identify growth opportunities and develop tailored strategies for their business.
- Enhancing Efficiency Together: By leveraging our advanced machinery, cutting-edge technologies, and proven process optimization techniques, we provide customers with streamlined operations, minimized downtime, and maximized output without compromising on quality.
- Expanding Capabilities: Our success hinges on our customer’s success. Our customers gain access to a wide range of capabilities and expertise that are positioned to support them every step of the way, and we constantly add to or evolve our capabilities through adoption of the latest tech.
- Building Stronger Connections: Our mindset is to innovate and change so that our customers can grow. But change requires constant collaboration, knowledge of our customer’s businesses, and continual partnership. Our teams constantly apply a partnership mentality and look for ways to adapt, grow and change in a way that will impact our customers directly.
Locking It In Through Our Core Values
The mindset is just the start. To turn a mindset into a tangible benefit that customers feel and experience, it must be engrained into company culture. While our leaders are entrepreneurs at heart and innovation and change comes naturally, our entire company must embrace this mindset.
As a result, we work hard to instill a company culture that is value-based and focused on innovation and excellence. Our company’s core values set the tone and are shared prominently to serve as marching orders for our leaders, production team and everyone that works at Dane.
Manufacturing That Delivers
The words entrepreneurial spirit are not just a buzzword at Dane; it is a fundamental part of our DNA. From our earliest beginnings, to our current status as a Top 40 metal fabricator in the industry, our history has been fueled by innovation, resilience, and a proactive approach to challenges. This spirit drives us to constantly seek new opportunities and solutions that anticipate and meet our customers’ evolving needs, giving them confidence in their future with Dane.
Want to learn more? Contact Us.