Rocklin Manufacturing renovates historic Iowa building

Rocklin Manufacturing Co. President Ross Rocklin (center with scissors) and employees unveiled the company’s newly renovated headquarters during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2018, in Sioux City, Iowa.

It took a little bit of history for Rocklin Manufacturing Co. to see the future.

The Sioux City, Iowa, industrial electronic equipment manufacturer of the renowned Rocklinizer and MoldMender product lines recently relocated from its longtime headquarters to a renovated adjacent 106-year-old building, which the company originally used as its main facility more than 50 years ago.

“We were fortunate that we had this building literally next door to support our current business model and future growth,” said Rocklin Manufacturing President Ross Rocklin, whose grandfather, I.J. Rocklin, founded the company in 1934. “This is the final piece of the puzzle that's going to allow us to really accomplish all the goals that we've set – some of which were a little bit restricted based on our prior footprint.”

Rocklin Manufacturing is also in the process of having the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its involvement in both World War I and World War II as well as for how much of the original brick foundation and prominent architectural features are still intact even after the exhaustive restoration process.

What’s New?

Renovations for the historic building, which was built in 1912 and home to Automatic Valve Seating Mach Co. and then Albertson & Co. before I.J. Rocklin purchased it in 1942, began in early 2017. Completion was unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2018.

The newly renovated, 8,000-square-foot building features a product showroom; a modernized testing/quality control space with greater automation technology, expanded office space for employee growth; a digital whiteboard that allows for streamlined communication and work flow throughout the building; and a conference room with video-conferencing technology to connect with partners, customers, and sales representatives scattered across the world.

“It's a much better work environment, and it's going to improve the way we do things in terms of our production and our inventory management,” Rocklin added. “We've already started introducing some new technologies that will allow us to do things even better. We set up a system that will transmit information in real time, so we can react quickly, produce what's needed, and get things out the door for our customers, keeping them satisfied.”

These renovations also allow Rocklin to continue to import products for distribution throughout North America and expand its footprint as a global company, furthering European partnership developments with a marking equipment company from Germany, a laser marking company from Italy, and a microwelder production company from France.

“Our growth model is really centered around identifying additional products for distribution,” Rocklin said. “We want to leverage our distribution network as we take on additional products, additional inventory, repair capabilities, things like that. The building is ideally suited for growing and continuing to serve those partners and serve our customers as well. So, it's an exciting step for all of us to have a state-of-the-art facility in a historical building.”

Historical Significance

Rocklin Manufacturing is famous for creating Rocklinizer equipment, which applies a hard and wear-resistant surface of tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, and Rockhard electrode material to metals, tools, and dies. It also manufacturers the MoldMender Microwelder, which uses metallic ribbon, wire, paste, or powder to repair steel molds and dies.

Rocklin Manufacturing Co.’s newly renovated, 8,000-square-foot building features, among other modernized amenities, a product showroom and a conference room with video-conferencing technology to connect with partners, customers, and sales representatives scattered across the world.

But Rocklin is also equally known around northwestern Iowa for manufacturing tank equipment, including running gear, escape hatches, and bogies (the suspension wheels that support tank treads between end drive wheels) for the U.S. military during World War II. Rocklin’s service even earned the longtime family-owned firm the rare and coveted Ordnance Corps flag from the U.S. Army in recognition of its notable production record.

As the war escalated, however, so did the company’s need to ramp up production. Rocklin, in order to sustain an expanding workforce of 250-plus employees, quickly constructed two additional structures next to the main building. And by the time World War II was over, the company was using one of the newer structures as its official headquarters, leaving the two-story brick building mostly abandoned and increasingly derelict over a five-decade period.

Then a couple of years ago, Rocklin and company realized it had outgrown its World War II-era space. And it only had to look next door for its new location. But it all came down to whether to start from scratch by tearing down the old building or to go through a massive restoration project.

Tearing down the dilapidated 106-year-old building was the most likely solution until Rocklin looked past the boarded-up windows and holes in the roof to realize the significance of the architecture.

“Our general contractor was the one who talked us out of [tearing down] and saw some value in the brick foundation – that it was something that could be salvaged,” Rocklin said. “Then, obviously, we saw the value from a historical standpoint. Financially, it started to make sense as we started looking at the support we could receive from historical tax credits as well.”

The project restored the building’s windows, exposed beams, columns, and flooring to look exactly the way those features were almost 100 years ago. Renovating also meant Rocklin could preserve a 32- by 40-foot mural painted in 2005 on the outside south wall, depicting the company’s proud historical significance throughout the years, its founder I.J. Rocklin, and second-generation family president (I.J.’s son and Ross’ father) Jim Rocklin.

“We all appreciate the history of the building and what it represents both for our company, for our employees, and for the community as well,” said Rocklin. “We pride ourselves on producing high-quality products and responding to customers very quickly. This building is going to allow us to do that even better.”