Bradford Company (CONT’D FROM PAGE 26)
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
tion and order software, in which the focus is on develop- ing and streamlining the order entry and workflow process for Bradford’s multiple lines of material handling products. Tom Bradford explains, “About 25 years ago, we devel- oped some custom tools. Ten years ago, we began retool- ing, and we rewrote it from the ground up and built it on a new foundation. There have been a lot of advancements in code, and so we incorporated a lot of that to create mobility.” The Breadth Of Market Coverage The breadth of Bradford Company’s market coverage and its customers’ diverse engineering demands motivate its laser focus on quality assurance and early detection of defects. A snapshot of Bradford’s quality and process cer- tifications reflects its global reach and status as a principal, multitier automotive supplier, to wit: • International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001, U.S., Canada, and Mexico. • ISO 14001, an internationally recognized standard that helps companies improve their environmental perfor- mance. • International Automotive Task Force (IATF) 16949, a technical specification outlining a quality management system for the automotive industry. In addition, Bradford operates International Safe Tran- sit Association-certified testing laboratories at each of its nine locations. The talent to design, engineer, manufacture, and over- see production of Bradford’s broad line of material han- dling systems is homegrown, that is, native to and a par- ticular advantage of Michigan’s manufacturing economy. “We are very lucky here that in the triangle from Hol- land to Grand Rapids to Muskegon—that metropolitan sta- tistical area—we have the most people in manufacturing per 100,000 population. Everyone thinks automotive, but we have boat building, office furniture, heavy truck, auto- mation design companies, and now a variety of battery and energy systems manufacturers,” says Bradford. Bradford Company’s attention to its customers’ needs is in its DNA as an independent company, and customer service is the keystone of Bradford’s culture. Tommy Brad- ford explains, “We challenged ourselves for years to ask, ‘Are we a manufacturing company that provides a service? Or a service company that happens to manufacture?’” Bradford continues to build on this trajectory and main- tains a level focus on all of the cylinders of its production engine. Maintaining fealty to its paperboard partition roots, Bradford in 2018 brought in Bill Baumgartner, senior vice president. Baumgartner’s résumé in the corrugated indus- try provides the experience to build the overall operation across chipboard and corrugated partition lines. “He’s senior vice president with a big eye on this end of our business,” Bradford says. “He’s really good at the exter- nal-facing and meeting with customers and suppliers due to the connections he has.” Bradford’s 2023 acquisition of
THE HAIRE GROUP www.hairegroup.com
Haire Group is the premier provider of new machinery for the corrugated industry. From the Apstar line of flexo folder gluers and rotary die cutters, the Encore line of flexo folder gluers and rotary die cutters, and the Engico flexo folder glu- er, Haire is able to pair clients with the best machinery solu- tions for the best value to meet their needs. Haire Group’s service department helps its customers maximize uptime and profitability through superior 24/7 service and support, a pre-install training center, and over a million dollars’ worth of spare parts at their offices just outside of Chicago. Haire Group has been the industry’s #1 pre-owned machinery bro- ker and plant equipment appraiser since 1976. HarperLove is the leading provider of specialty adhesives, performance additives, and wet-strength resins to corru- gated packaging manufacturers. With the largest and most experienced field service and technical support team posi- tioned throughout the U.S. and Latin America, HarperLove has a long-standing reputation for providing outstanding service and delivering demonstrable performance improve- ments. HarperLove’s renowned services include not only innovative product development and custom product for- mulation, but also machine and process assessments, ad- hesive formula adjustments, machine tuning, detailed ser- vice reporting, and more. HARPERLOVE www.HarperLove.com Kernic Systems has been a leading global provider of re- cycling equipment solutions since 1978. For over 40 years, Kernic Systems has provided balers, air conveying and dust collection systems, shredders, industrial vacuums, and re- cycling equipment to a wide range of markets. Today, Ker- nic Systems serves customers with an expanded offering of standard products and custom-engineered systems through three primary business divisions: Recycling Solu- tions, Dust Collection and Air Pollution Control, and Material Handling. Kiwiplan provides state-of-the-art software solutions to cor- rugated, folding carton, plastics and flexible packaging fa- cilities around the globe. Kiwiplan’s Total Solution delivers comprehensive, seamless real-time flow of information from sales order management to dynamic total plant scheduling and inventory control through shipping. With deep manu- facturing and distribution expertise, Kiwiplan knows the specific problems customers face and provides the spe- cialized software they need to adapt, compete, and win in today's rapidly changing world. KERNIC SYSTEMS www.kernicsystems.com KIWIPLAN www.kiwiplan.com
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August 4, 2025
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