To Grow or Not to Grow

Diversified Manufacturing Technologies, located in Mount Vernon, Washington, provides close-tolerance CNC machining for many industries. With four employees, including the two owners, Diversified Manufacturing Technologies specializes in catering to new aerospace manufacturing.

Impact Washington, part of the MEP National Network™, reached out to Diversified Manufacturing Technologies through its small and rural manufacturing outreach program. Manufacturing extension agent Miguel Moreno explained the services available to Diversified Manufacturing Technologies through the MEP system, including the free services that Impact Washington strives to provide to small manufacturers across the state. Diversified Manufacturing Technologies had always found business through word-of-mouth, and had only added one new customer in four or five years. While they were busy, they weren’t growing. However, it took some time for the company to take advantage of Impact Washington’s services.

“When we first talked to Miguel, he had about a 10% chance of working with us,” said Seth Tromburg, co-owner of Diversified Manufacturing Technologies. "When he told us his services were ‘free,' we thought it was a scam at first.” However, the more Seth and his team worked with Impact Washington, the more they realized the value of the services. Diversified Manufacturing Technologies could choose to remain a small, versatile company, or it could choose to grow. Choosing growth would require selecting the best path for that growth. Impact Washington agreed to help the company think through these decisions.

Moreno encouraged Diversified Manufacturing Technologies to explore other pools of work, highlighting ways that other businesses have been successful in their expansion efforts. The company had never invested in any type of advertising in the past and was comfortable in its niche, but Moreno recommended trying new advertising strategies. He also advised Diversified Manufacturing Technologies to participate in a Small Business Day at NASA event. The company now plans to work towards AS9100 certification, opening opportunities for new business. Diversified Manufacturing Technologies upgraded its shop management software to better track project work flow and ease the transition to AS9100. It also bought a new CNC Machine to increase productivity, and started expanding the workforce. Impact Washington continues to serve as a trusted advisor to Diversified Manufacturing Technologies, answering questions and providing guidance as the company proceeds along its growth path to become a NASA Prime supplier.