Building with culture first

Image courtesy of Anchor Fabrication.

When we began our path as a metal fabrication job shop in 1990, we didn’t expect to grow into the multiservice contract manufacturer we are today. We started with the purchase of a 25,000-square-foot facility and proceeded forward. That’s not to say growth wasn’t top of mind, but we grew—as did many of the fabricators who read this publication—piece by piece and to the extent we could afford.

When you look at Anchor Fabrication at the end of 2016, we have more than 1 million sq. ft. of space in six facilities. We will shortly be moving our welding operations, the largest department at Anchor, into a new, 224,000-sq.-ft. facility. We hired more people and purchased more capital equipment. We invested in engineers and started going paperless in project management as technology changed around us. We now can forecast our work capacity months in advance to help accommodate for future projects. In short, Anchor Fabrication has changed considerably since its inception.

That said, what matters more is how we haven’t changed. Many of the people that joined Anchor in the early ’90s are still with us more than two decades later. We’ve fought through the lows, such as the 2008-2009 economic recession that devastated our industry, and continued growing. We stayed committed to our people and true to our culture. Our guiding principles have stayed with us from the beginning and will continue to do so. This foundation, we believe, is critical for the success of any metal fabricator.

These are our guiding principles, defined:

1. Care. This reflects our commitment to everyone in the Anchor family. This includes not only employees, but customers, suppliers, and partners. Everyone matters. We’re proud to say many of our employees have been with us since the beginning and continue to build us.
2. Commit. We do what’s right, the right way, at the right time. We accept responsibility and deliver quality with integrity. We hold to this principle from management to the operator level. We hold true to the promises we make.
3. Create. We work smarter rather than harder. We’re not afraid of taking risks and finding alternative solutions to the constraints we face on a daily basis. We turn challenges into opportunities to optimize processes and find efficiency.
4. Go beyond. We strive to grow and achieve more. We stretch ourselves to realize our potential. We look to improve our processes and ways of working as often as we can.
5. Act with purpose. We anchor our lives in God and work with our head, hands, and heart to serve others.

When original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, approach us or vice versa, our culture is transparent. We hope prospective partners are cognizant of culture as a primary reason they choose not only Anchor, but any partner in the manufacturing process. When manufacturers enter a relationship with us, we expect mutual trust and an understanding we have each other’s backs from the start.

In a world where price speaks loudest, the value of culture and relationships should never be disregarded. Doing business the right way matters. Metal fabrication is no exception.