Nu-Way celebrates 50th anniversary by gifting community that supports it

Nu-Way Industries manufactures, among other things, commercial ovens and other food service equipment.

In celebrating its 50th anniversary, metal fabricator and vertical manufacturer Nu-Way Industries, Des Plaines, Ill., displayed its products and thanked its customers and employees, as well as the state agencies and community that support it, while calling for more workforce and vocational education grants and programs.

“Our passion for this industry, our commitment to quality, and our endless desire to be better every day have remained unchanged in 50 years. But tangible improvements, like more accessible workforce development grants and more vocational education, are needed to ensure Illinois manufacturing stays strong as we move into the future,” said Steve Southwell, Nu-Way president and CEO. “We’re grateful for the partnership and hard work of our leaders, but there’s more to be done.”

The company, with both highly automated and manual operations, is one of the largest manufacturers in the region and employs 300 people. Customers include Siemens, Schneider Electric, Middleby, and Electrolux. That growth and success was not easily obtained. Nu-Way Executive Vice President and CFO Mary Howard, whose father and uncle founded the company, said that in the early days of the company, her dad would go out and sell and then come back at night to make the parts.

“My father and his brother started this company with a vision for doing things a better way—a ‘new way’—using cutting-edge technology to improve manufacturing processes.”

In a new way, or departure from most fabrication job shops, Nu-Way offers vertical manufacturing capabilities, working with its industry partners to supply entire products, in addition to making components and assemblies. Starting as a small welding shop in 1968, the company now fabricates commercial-grade ovens and cooking equipment, electrical enclosures, bus stop enclosures, display screens for cinemas, fast-food kiosks, and onboard automotive equipment.

“We’re all about delivering the whole solution,” Southwell said.

Regarding which types of skills the company needs and wishes to develop in its workforce, Howard said employees need STEM skills (science, technology, engineering, and math) and a curiosity about how things are made. “Our vision statement is inspiring manufacturing excellence, and that’s what we want to see—people who really value innovation and engineering, who go into a hardware store and ask, ‘How is that made? What could be done differently, better?’”

For young people wondering what skills they need to develop to become the next generation of manufacturers, Howard had this advice: “Get your face out of your smart phone and figure out how it works.”

State, local, and industry leaders attended the event, including Illinois Sen. Laura Murphy, Illinois Deputy Gov. Leslie Munger, Des Plaines City Manager Michael Bartholomew, and Mark Denzler of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association.

The company gifted the city of Des Plaines with one of the large interactive digital display boards it manufactures.

Nu-Way is both a vertical manufacturer, producing products in their entirety, and a fabricator making components and assemblies. The company produces a modern phone booth equipped with digital screens and connections, fast-food kiosks; digital cinema posters; and onboard automotive equipment.