As the leader in fluid applicators and automated fluid application systems, Designetics has worked hard since our founding to ensure that all our products are designed to increase the safety of workers and the environment. And to further demonstrate our commitment to worker safety, we’re happy to announce that we now have the capability to have our precision pump panels cULus listed, according to the UL 508A program.

The cULus listing is applicable to our e3mini and e3multi pump panels, and gives users, Tier 1 and 2 suppliers, and OEMs the confidence that these products meet the safety requirements for electrical enclosures set out in both the U.S. and Canadian standards. Having a product that is cULus listed also eases the safety inspection process often required for equipment installed in industrial facilities.

Each quarter, we sit down with a Designetics innovator to talk about his or her career, what makes Designetics special and topics relevant to his or her field. This month: job setter Angie Pratt.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced several challenges for the automotive industry – from fluctuating demand, to parts shortages, to labor shortages. Case in point: In the beginning of the pandemic, when demand for automobiles dropped, manufacturers reduced shifts and implemented temporary plant closures, furloughs, and layoffs. But now that demand is returning, those same manufacturers are having difficulty filling job openings. And although parts shortages – especially those involving semiconductor chips and other components – are predicted to ease in the latter half of 2021 and through 2022, labor shortages could remain for longer.

The combination of an uptick in demand and difficulty filling open labor positions has led many automotive manufacturers and industry suppliers to investigate new ways to automate their manufacturing processes, including the application of fluid on glass and plastic components during assembly. In addition, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of delivering value to the customer – which, in the automotive industry often comes in the form of improved quality, better safety features, and a wider range of options. The way to do this while maintaining productive and profitable operations, is through automation.

Automation can support lean initiatives by promoting standardization and reducing opportunities for errors.

Designetics got its start more than 30 years ago, when an automotive manufacturers was tasked with finding a better way to assemble glass to vehicles. The founders of Designetics, Wally Krueger and Craig Williams, worked in Krueger’s single-car garage in Toledo, Ohio to develop a new fluid applicator that would dispense an even amount of fluid onto a substate. The applicator was a success, and Designetics was born. As our customer base – and our product range – grew, our operations expanded, and in the early 2000s, we moved to our current, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Holland, Ohio, where all of our fluid applicators and automated systems are “Made in America.”

In fact, we’ve created a vertically integrated manufacturing operation, where we control the supply chain and all manufacturing processes – from injection molding of plastic components to machining metal parts such as applicator tracks and air compliance adapters. All of this means that our customers get a high-quality, American-made product – and it allows us to deliver in accordance with our customers’ needs, typically within days rather than weeks.

Congratulations are in order: our very own Sydney Spraw, Ph.D., president of Designetics, has been named a finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year® 2021 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award. This prestigious award recognizes business leaders whose drive, acumen and ingenuity position their business for success and growth now and into the future.

According to Ernst & Young, the creators of the award competition that is now in its 35^th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated by an independent panel of judges on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans. Since its inception, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in 60 countries around the world.

The award winners will be announced during a special virtual celebration on Thursday, August 5 at 6:00 p.m. ET and will become lifetime members of a community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world.

“I’m deeply honored and humbled to be nominated for such a prestigious award,” Spraw says. “As an entrepreneur, I’m keenly aware of the challenges and struggles facing businesses today, and I’m heartened by the dedication and commitment to excellence Designetics’ employees have exhibited during these unprecedented times. That makes this nomination all the more special.”

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be announced in November of 2021. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June, 2022.