Dayton Manufacturing Company 3327 Elkton Avenue Dayton OH 45403
Brian Biser
Jul 19, 2023 By Blythe Alspaugh – Staff Reporter, Dayton Business Journal
Milestones are a major marker for companies across the board, and Dayton manufacturing is no exception. The Dayton Manufacturing Company, first established in 1883, is celebrating 140 years in business in Dayton. The Dayton Business Journal recently sat down with Brian Biser, sales manager for the Dayton Manufacturing Company, to discuss how the company has remained a cornerstone of metal fabrication in the region and what the future holds for the company. How does a company like the Dayton Manufacturing Company stay in business for 140 years? Staying agile, flexible and adjusting to the times is key. We’re also always looking for new business and are constantly building relationships. There are a lot of people in procurement, buying and sourcing, and they come back because of the quality, the workmanship and the service. We have really good relationships with the people we work with, and when they call us, they ask for us by name. We get a lot of customers because people will move from one company to another, and that word of mouth and building those relationships has been a big thing. What are some challenges your company is currently facing? How are you addressing those challenges? Currently, it’s people. I would love to say we’re not the norm, but everybody is having the same problem in finding qualified, skilled people. We’re always looking for welders, machinists, press brake operators – finding qualified, skilled employees is the biggest problem right now, and the toughest challenge I can speak on. Right now, we’re retaining our current workforce by maintaining a good culture. If you want to retain good employees, you have to pay good wages, and we try to do that. We’ve increased our hourly wages by 40% just in welding over the last two to three years. We also try to treat our employees like family; they spend so much of their day here, that your coworkers start to become something like a family. We’ve also increased the holidays we offer since the pandemic and offer sign-on bonuses. We’re trying to evolve to the current economic situation with getting employees.
What are some recent successes for your company? Making it to 140 years! I don’t think a lot of companies have gotten to 140 years. We’re also doing more in the restaurant equipment and food processing sectors; making one part for a customer and then making more after making a good impression. We work with Globe Food Equipment, and exclusively made their meat slicers for a while, and recently, they added a new line for cheese and gave us an opportunity to make a lot of those new parts for fabrication. It allows us to make smaller runs and allows them to have more control over their overhead. We’ve added several new customers over the last two years that have been great successes, and we’re always striving to add more.
Dayton Manufacturing Company Employment: 14 Headquarters: 3327 Elkton Ave. in Dayton Founded: 1883 President: Brett Houseman
February 7, 2023
All of us at Dayton Manufacturing want to let You know about our anniversary! Without our customers, our current employee’s and all our past employee’s we could not have made it to our 140-year anniversary in business. It seems unbelievable during the current times. We’ve weathered two world wars, twelve recessions, a few pandemics and several different owners. Yet we have continued to steam ahead, continuing to serve our customers. As you can see in the photo of our company picnic in days past, times sure have changed!
We are proud to announce our 140th anniversary in this year. Founded in 1883, our company has grown and prospered in more than one location but always in Dayton area.And now, as a part of the family of companies of the First Tool Group, the company has become an industry leader in the field of precision sheet metal fabrication and manufacturing.
We were first located at Third Street and Garfield Street, but the owners moved the company to a location with direct access to the railroad line — a key shipping component in its heyday. The plant originally covered 3 acres and employed 140 to 150 people with the watchwords of “concept to completion.”The company has since evolved and expanded through its 140 years now with a unique 50,000 square foot facility in east Dayton. With state-of-the-art equipment, Dayton Manufacturing provides quality parts to the following industries. Food Service Processing Equipment, Industrial Water Treatment Equipment, Railroad Equipment, Aerospace, Government and Military and Specialty Automobile Aftermarket.
With many loyal customers, the Dayton Manufacturing Company works hard daily to meet their expectations by delivering high quality, engineered, cost effective manufactured components and parts. Our company has succeeded with total teamwork, innovation and continuous improvement. Being a WBENC (women owned) certified company has assisted our company become a first-class contract manufacturer to many industry leading companies in recent years.
There are many other long established companies in the Dayton area like Esther Price Candies (1926) Smales Pretzels (1906), Rieck Services (1887) and Mikesell’s Potato Chips (1910) but the Dayton Manufacturing Company is one of the oldest and continuing operating companies in the Miami Valley.Many companies have come and gone, but today we are still proud to be a surviving and successful manufacturing company in Dayton, Ohio the “Gem City”. We would love to look at your projects and see how we can assist you in today’s challenging markets. We hope that you will enjoy this small token of our appreciation for your confidence in The Dayton Manufacturing Company. Sincerely, Brian Biser bbiser@daytonmanufacturing.com