Gary Fruth, Dalsin Industries
“Dalsin is a clear leader, as evidenced by over 20 percent annual growth over the past two years in an industry where 1.5 percent annual growth would be considered outstanding.”
alsin Industries is an award-winning precision metal product contract manufacturer that enables OEM’s around the world to create and deliver amazing products their customers love. The company’s progressive competencies, incredibly deep fabrication experience, and unyielding passion for quality translate into numerous advantages that improve its partners’ bottom lines and speed to market. Dalsin leads the market in high-value contract manufacturing of precision sheet metal products--delivering operation excellence through its unique integration of people, processes, and production technology.
DDalsin is extremely well-positioned as a market-leading full-service contract manufacturer with amazing customers across the globe. From industries as diverse as energy, transportation, appliances, construction, and everything in-between, Dalsin’s goal is to consistently deliver the highest value and quality to each and every customer.
And in 2012, Dalsin created its own line of high end barbecue grills that have taken the grilling world by storm. These tech-heavy outdoor wood pellet cooking appliances are designed by the company’s own technical staff. So, when it comes to finding a contract manufacturer with actual design and end product experience, you won’t have to look further than Dalsin Industries to help bring your product to market. Dalsin Industries is positioned as a full-service contract manufacturer with major OEM customers across the United States.
The company was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Gary Fruth: Interview Highlights
Our company was initially founded as a supplier of architectural products to the roofing industry. In the late 70s and 80s, we shifted gears to the manufacturing of precision metal parts. Another shift occurred toward diversification and business relationships with large OEMs. Finally, a more recent business initiative was expansion into global fabrication services accessing third-party material and production resources in multiple countries.
CEO: ‘We Help Our Customers do Better Business by Saving Time, Optimizing Product Performance, and Increasing Quality and Efficiency, while being a Precision Metal Manufacturer for OEMs’
Why was the company set up? And how did you expand your company and its offerings over the years?Tom Schmeling
VP of Sales & Marketing
Any company, big or small, must have a sense of authenticity and originality to succeed, is your company a leader or a follower?
Dalsin is a clear leader, as evidenced by over 20 percent annual growth over the past two years in an industry where 1.5 percent annual growth would be considered outstanding. This is supported by a unique value proposition that includes design expertise, rich production capabilities, high quality, and on-time delivery. Dalsin’s net promoter score (NPS) exceeds manufacturing industry averages by at least 10 points;its satisfaction scores have consistently been over ‘90’.
Our Global Fabrication Supply Chain program utilizes suppliers from China, Vietnam, Korea, Spain, Portugal, and Mexico to deliver unique materials and production capabilities. Dalsin manages third parties on behalf of its OEM customers.
Customer service varies, but companies can still be successful. How do you maintain your customers’ trust and loyalty?
Frequent check-ins and onsite visits (both onsite at Dalsin and onsite at customer facilities) are a part of our company’s policies. Dalsin operates with integrity and honesty in all its business dealings.
How does your company contribute to the competitive global IT platform?
It’s not what you say you do, it’s all about how you do it. For manufacturers, it’s meeting or exceeding quality and delivery requirements and adding value by helping customers find better ways of accomplishing their goals.
How do you stay relevant to the consumer interests and needs in this highly volatile market?
Dalsin continuously evaluates new production technologies to find the best “fit for purpose”. Robotics and automation are also integrated into our production operations.
Our company is often an early user of new production technologies and feeds performance data back to the equipment manufacturers.
Do you have any new products ready to be launched?
Dalsin has a captive product line called Memphis Wood Fire Grills, and there are new products available in this line in 2020, including built-in grills and the new Beale Street grill.
Where do you see your company a couple of years from now?
We continue to build a diversified customer base, grow revenues, and improve margins on a year over year basis.
“Earning trust and respect of consumers is through consistent focus on delivering high quality in all of our actions.” How do you interpret this statement?
How do you keep your company up and running? What are the factors that help your company to compete on a global platform?
Gold mining companies are a significant income and economic growth source, with an important role in supporting sustainable socioeconomic development. The gold mining companies contribute over US$171.6bn to the global economy through their production activities and expenditure on goods and services.
Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. is a growing gold producer operating in Canada and Australia. Supported by a strong balance sheet, the firm aims is to increase shareholder value by growing low-cost production. A key driver of the company's success is a commitment to exploration. It has a solid track record for growing reserves and identifying new areas of high-grade gold mineralization. In support of shareholder returns, the firm has paid a quarterly dividend since July 2017 and has increased the dividend six times.
Additionally, it pursues further value creation by looking to invest in new projects. The growing capital base and expertise can be deployed to support the development and operation of new, economically attractive gold mines. An essential
component of the company's sustainability is, at a minimum, replacing the reserves it mines to ensure ongoing production, investment, and employment. Sustainability also involves achieving high levels of performance in safety, environmental management, community consultation, and support. It works diligently with all stakeholders to ensure that Kirkland Lake Gold remains a welcome member of the communities in which it operates.
Mines and Reserves
The Macassa Mine: It is located in the Town of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, remains one of the highest gold grade mines in the world. Macassa commenced operations in 2002, and with the discovery of the South Mine Complex (SMC), it has been able to increase its production level over the past five years significantly. The SMC has been driving grade improvement at Macassa, with results from ongoing exploration drilling continuing to extend the SMC mineralization and adding to the Mine's Mineral Resources to support growing production and extending mine
life. In 2012, Kirkland Lake Gold acquired the Hurd McCauley claim, along with the South, East, and North claims, and facilitating expansion drilling of the SMC in multiple directions. The firm plans to increase production at Macassa to reach over 400,000 ounces per year over the next five to seven years.
Holt Complex: Kirkland Lake Gold obtained the Holt Complex assets through the acquisition of St Andrew Goldfields Ltd. in January 2016. The Holt Mine was built in the late 1980's by Barrick. In 2019, the mine produced 113,952 ounces of gold, at an average of 4.4 g/t. The Holt Mine Complex is a mafic volcanic, sulfide replacement hosted gold deposit. The mineralized zones are structurally controlled by both the McDermott Fault and the Ghostmount Fault Zone, which are splays off of the Porcupine-Destor Fault (PDF).
Health
Kirkland Lake
A Unique Commitment to Protect Environment
and Safety:
Gold is committed to integrating and promoting sustainability into its business
Our goal is to increase shareholder value by growing lowcost production at our existing assets, returning capital to shareholders, and pursuing new growth opportunities."
Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. – A leading gold producer, delivering superior value for its shareholders and cultivating a position within the mining industry
facets. Kirkland Lake Gold is committed to providing a safe working environment for employees, contractors, suppliers, and stakeholders. The firm strived to provide a zero-harm working environment through an integrated health and safety management system. It focuses on continuously improving performance to deliver on health and safety commitments.
The dynamic leader behind the supremacy of Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd.
Anthony (Tony) Makuch is President and also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. Before joining Kirkland Lake Gold, Mr. Makuch was President and CEO at Lake Shore Gold Inc. from 2008 until its acquisition by Tahoe Resources on April 1, 2016, where he became the Executive Vice-President and President of Canadian Operations. He also served as a Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for FNX Mining Company Inc. He held progressively senior positions with Dynatec Corporation, including VP, Operations. Mr. Makuch worked with Kinross Gold Corporation at a number of their North American operations, which included his role as General Manager of the Kirkland Lake Operations at the Macassa Mine and Timmins Operations – Hoyle Pond Mine.
Anthony (Tony) Makuch holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (Honours Applied Earth Sciences) from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, and both a Master's of Science Degree in Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration from Queen's University in Ontario. He is a professional engineer (Ontario) with over 35 years of management, operations, and technical experience in the mining industry, having managed numerous projects in Canada and the United States from advanced exploration through production.
Environmental Commitment:
Environmental Management Plan (EMP) provides a framework to address operational and environmental risks associated with its operations, including an environmental risk register, and environmental effects statement, and a monitoring program. The company's operations are actively working to reduce Kirkland Lake
Gold's environmental and carbon footprint. The firm focuses on minimizing the adverse impact of emissions from mining operations and processing facilities and improving overall energy efficiency. All of its operations have air quality monitoring and mitigation programs in place to track and reduce such emissions and reduce the amount of dust and other particulates related to mining activities.
Meet the leader behind the success of Kaon Interactive
Gavin Finn is the President and CEO of Kaon Interactive, the leader in B2B interactive sales and marketing applications that transform customer engagements, accelerate B2B sales, and improve marketing effectiveness. Gavin holds both a Ph.D. and an MS from MIT and is also a Professor of the Practice at Tufts University, where he teaches Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales, and New Product Development.
Finn, President & CEOThe desires and needs of customers drive the market. Due to the rapid pace of change customers’ needs tend to evolve, and it is essential for brands to keep up with the pace of those changes. Interactive content is highly effective in this change because it directly connects the users with brands on various levels. Creative and unique experiences can be rendered through interactive marketing because it is personalized to each user. The engagement will drastically increase, and the chances of the users seeking out the brands are higher. One major part
of interactive marketing is that it gives users some control over their experience. This makes the content seem more memorable and personal.
Marketing initiatives in interactive marketing will trigger customers’ preferences and behaviors. The shift from traditional campaignbased marketing efforts is strenuous, so Kaon Interactive makes sure that the transition is smooth and provides a highvelocity marketing platform that will revamp the company’s sales. Kaon’s patented technology platform helps global B2B companies implement and deliver high-impact digital transformation applications throughout their sales and marketing operations. Their interactive applications engage customers directly and are used by customers themselves rather than just providing presentation tools for salespeople or marketers. Created once and delivered in real-time to any device, anywhere online and offline, the platform provides marketing efficiencies, so companies do not have to spend money on one-off solutions
for a particular event, venue, or product. Kaon’s applications include advanced technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality. They are extensible and evolve to include a new product, solution, and customer stories as companies evolve over time. Customers can use these same applications in any format – be it a fully immersive VR environment, a tablet-based touchscreen experience, or a web-based interactive session in a browser.
Kaon Interactive is an interactive sales and marketing application provider based in Massachusetts, and it was founded in 1996.
Interactive
Studies have shown that the number one reason that B2B
Sales and marketing can’t go back to business as usual. Kaon Interactive’s customer engagement platform has transformed Fortune 500 B2B business strategies.
In conversation with Gavin Finn, President and CEO of Kaon
Why do companies need interactive sales and marketing solutions?Gavin
companies lose deals they should win is the inability of their sales teams to explain their competitive value differentiation consistently. Complexity in products and solutions makes it very difficult for prospects to understand how these products and solutions are relevant to the customer’s specific problems, and how they are different and better than other solutions. Especially now, when salespeople and marketers can’t meet in person with their prospects and customers, companies need digital engagement tools that go beyond the basic connectivity of people talking and seeing each other on a video conference. The customer needs to be directly engaged and involved, rather than participating as an observer of someone else’s presentation. Even the bestin-class global companies have diverse and distributed sales and marketing teams that are inherently inconsistent in their effectiveness at delivering relevant value stories. They need an agile solution that helps everyone deliver the right value message to the right customer at the right time. Traditional sales and marketing tools, such as video and slide presentations, are passive, lack customer engagement, and are ineffective at conveying complex stories.
interactive product tours. If they need industry solutions, they can explore how the solutions apply to their specific markets. These sales and marketing applications, therefore, help each persona in the buying ecosystem develop their understanding of the value of the company’s solution to their specific needs – all at their own pace. Research has shown that customers learn much faster and retain much more relevant information when they engage in this manner.
Creating interactive sales and marketing applications can be a resource and budget intensive task - you need tools, technology, staff training, customer understanding, and all of this can have a high cost. How do you manage to give your clients a cost effective sustained digital solution?
What is the future of B2B customer engagement?
In the future, customer engagement will focus entirely on delivering the most effective personalized experiences to each customer using whatever tools and technologies make sense for them. From Augmented Reality to Virtual Reality, and everything in-between, customers will be in the driver’s seat when it comes to their own journey. Presentations will be phased out, as customers recognize that those kinds of passive experiences deliver no value to them, and as their time becomes their most scarce resource.
What are your plans for the future development of your company?
Because customers are directly engaged with the interactive applications, and because they are designed to be non-linear in their navigation system, each person has a completely personalized and unique experience. If they need detailed product information, they can explore three-dimensional
Kaon has its own (patented and award-winning) platform. We use this platform as the springboard for each new customer application. Therefore, no individual customer is paying for the totality of the technology that is delivered – these R&D and technology infrastructure costs are shared across the hundreds of companies that use the Kaon platform every day. No other company can provide a rich set of benefits because the costs of building these on an applicationby-application basis would be much higher. This allows Kaon’s customers to use a wide variety of capabilities at a fraction of the cost. This results in incredibly cost-effective solutions that deliver valuable results in terms of increased win rates, shorter sales cycles, and more effective marketing events.
Our goal is to be mission-critical to our clients, and we are continuing to provide architecture and infrastructure tools and methods to make Kaon’s solutions scale dramatically to be available to as many users as possible within each of our customers. We see this evolution as a strategic focus for Kaon, as we support the digital transformation strategies of the world’s leading global companies.
SR
Our 3D interactive sales and marketing applications simplify our clients’ complex product or solution stories giving them the ability to effectively differentiate their VALUE at every customer touch-point.”
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How efficient and effective are your interactive applications at creating an engaging customer interaction?
Meet the leader behind the success of T.A. Cook
Frank U. Hess is Chairman and Co-Founder at T.A. Cook Consultants. After completing his master’s degree at the University Zwickau for Engineering and Economics in Germany he worked for an international software company as a maintenance technologist. In 1994 he co-founded T.A. Cook, a management consulting boutique for maintenance and asset performance management (APM). After working more than 30 years in this field Frank Hess has become an internationally recognized expert for APM excellence.
Asset performance management (APM) systems are used to improve the availability and reliability of an organization’s physical assets. This, in turn, reduces the operating costs and risks. The APM functions include predictive maintenance, condition monitoring, reliability-centered maintenance, asset integrity management, and technologies that assist in the collection, analytics, and visualization of asset health
data. APM involves application integration and information sharing to provide a comprehensive view of asset performance, production, and product quality. The organization’s objectives and goals can be clearly communicated with APM; furthermore, it extends into technology, organizational structure, and business processes.
Investing in APM can reduce unplanned downtime, and a firm known as T.A. Cook specializes
in providing excellent APMS for enterprises. In December of 1994, Frank Hess and his partner Thomas Cook founded T.A. Cook with a vision of working within capital intensive industries to develop and implement sustainable APM improvements that encourage long term client profitability. From the start T.A. Cook established a unique consulting approach by stepping away from wall-to-wall offerings and instead becoming specialists in maintenance,
A global expert in Asset Performance Excellence, T.A. Cook works in the capital intensive industries to develop and implement programs to increase sustainability
“With our long-term experience in Asset Performance Management, we support you in shaping individual strategies to increase reliability of your operations while ensuring optimal performance at a lower sustainable cost.”
reliability, and shutdown & turnaround management. Today T.A. Cook serves multinational companies, mostly in the chemical, petrochemical, and energy supply industries, and employs a growing team of 180 experts in offices in Berlin, the United Kingdom, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, and Houston.
T.A. Cook is an internationally recognized agency in APM. In 2019 the North American ALM Vanguard report ranked T.A. Cook as a top leader in APM with high marks in client impact, depth of consulting capabilities, needs assessments, and management systems. Also, in 2019, The Scientific Society for Management and Consulting in Germany recognized T.A. Cook as a Hidden Champion.
In conversation with Frank U. Hess, Co-Founder and Chairman of T.A. CookHow does T.A. Cook measure performance?
T.A. Cook measures the success and performance of projects through three primary indicators. The first is the “more work” indicator. “More work” refers to a client’s decision to continue with a new project. As of today, 90% of T.A. Cook clients choose more work following the completion of the first project. The second primary indicator of success is performance-based contracts with the installation of tangible financial benefits. This kind of performance ranking is measured numerically, making it extremely transparent. In most cases, T.A. Cook clients experience no “out-of-pocket” expenses because of the newly installed financial benefits. The third primary indicator is a net promoter score, which measures how likely
professionals are to recommend T.A. Cook to someone in need of our services.
Asset failures can impose severe financial, safety, and environmental risks to the organization. Maintenance, reliability, and shutdown/turnaround projects, when executed effectively, drive profits, safety, environmental performance, and business sustainability. Each project’s core focus, independent of a specific scope, is always to work with the client to develop an asset management strategy that addresses ineffective or inefficient business practices that lead to asset failures and high cost. This long-term vision for asset management is a subset of the operations strategy. The process begins by determining which assets are most critical, which guides the decision about where to start implementing improvements. The bottom line is that improving asset reliability improves the plant’s profitability, safety, and environmental performance.
T.A. Cook’s service offerings are focused on asset management effectiveness. All of these topics are fair game and targets for improvement as T.A. Cook guides clients in their pursuit of operational excellence. Rework due to poor workmanship, degradation of parts and materials due to poor storage and handling, stock out situations, etc., all erode asset reliability and performance, which adversely affects overall asset performance.
Over the past 25 years, T.A. Cook has operated from the approach that real change occurs on the plant floor. While the board rooms provide support, the consultants take action to drive change on the plant floor, where it counts.
What are T.A. Cook’s plans for the future?
Clients are always resourceconstrained. The project potential (i.e., financial results) determines what resources are required for the project. Most T.A. Cook projects deliver annual financial performance improvements of $25 - $100 million per client. These improvements directly hit the organization’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT/EBITDA). The majority of T.A. Cook’s client engagements are multinational initiatives.
Over the last 25 years, T.A. Cook has specialized in asset management consulting, which has resulted in incredible growth in knowledge, resources, and expertise. While T.A. Cook does consider potential opportunities to expand its consulting scope, the company has decided to remain focused on asset performance management, the core competency. T.A. Cook is currently developing specific apps within their service models that will establish a new category of performance software and bring asset management to a new level of excellence. T.A. Cook expects its business to double over the next three years. SR
How does T.A. Cook help clients in developing an effective and efficient operational strategy?
How does T.A. Cook ensure that clients are getting the most from limited available resources, people, equipment or facilities?
Extra operations like rework and unnecessary handling due to defects, overproduction, or shortage are the common yet complex challenges in warehouse management. What is T.A. Cook’s approach in bringing a more agile management plan?