Sweet Manufacturing Co • 937-325-1511 • https://www.sweetmfg.com/
Reprinted from Grain Journal March/April 2014 Issue
Quality and service are some of the most commonly used words in company literature and advertisements. Unfortunately, many companies only pay lip service to marketing jargon and don’t really “walk the talk.” But when it comes time to service a crucial piece of material handling equipment that’s been around for 50 or 60 years in order to get a customer back up and running, that’s when it becomes clear who’s doing the walking and who’s just talking.
For Sweet Manufacturing Co. in Springfield, OH (800-334-7254), the above scenario isn’t just a hypothetical one; it happens often, and the company’s reputation for quality and service to its customers has been hard-earned.
“We get calls regularly for replacement parts for older bucket elevators that are still functioning but need a tune-up, and they’ve been in service since the ‘70s,” explains Mike Gannon, vice president-market strategy and planning at Sweet.
Gannon says that customers will provide the serial number from the equipment and Sweet employees will look up in the files to determine how it was built and what replacement parts are needed, rather than telling them that they should simply buy a new piece of equipment.
“So that speaks to the quality of the product, but more importantly, that whole after-the-sale support. We don’t walk away,” Gannon says. “We’re there to help the customer tune it up, because at some point in time, they may need to upgrade that equipment, and we want to be there, ready for them, when that point in time comes.”
In fact, this dedication to customer service led Sweet Mfg. to develop an ad in 1972 based around one such occasion that Gannon refers to as “The Pillsbury Story.”
A peek into the Sweet archives reveals a brief, three-chapter narrative of how the giant mill was in desperate need of a 3,000-bph elevator leg for its Tab, IN plant. Within eight hours, Sweet Manufacturing had managed to receive and deliver the order to the customer. That same year, the scenario repeated itself, this time with Pillsbury requesting a 10,000-bph elevator leg and other accessories, which Sweet had in stock and delivered on time yet again.
Sweet’s dedication to customer service is built upon the foundation of supplying the grain industry with quality products, of course. However, as President and CEO Alicia Sweet Hupp points out, “we’re not just about building a quality product. We’re about building relationships, and I think that route is derived from being a family-owned business,” she says. “We treat our employees as family. We’re a very tight, close-knit group, and we also consider all of our dealers and customers around the world part of our family, too.”
Despite being a family-focused company, Sweet Mfg. is no stranger to global markets, having expanded its business all over the world to meet grain production demands. In fact, you will find Sweet equipment in more than 35 countries, including North, Central and South America, particularly the United States, Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. The company currently has strong representation in Ukraine and is expanding in Eastern Europe and Asia as well.
Growing Through Innovation
Like most companies, Sweet Manufacturing had modest beginnings before growing into a global manufacturer of grain handling equipment. In 1955, soon after the company’s founder, W. Dean Sweet, graduated from Ohio State University, he organized a team of associates to create Sweet Manufacturing Company, which was dedicated to innovation and change in a well-established industry.
“We’ve been in business since 1955, and we were started by Alicia’s father, W. Dean Sweet,” recalls Gannon. “He recognized a niche and an opportunity to provide the grain industry with premium material handling equipment.
It’s important to know that he studied agricultural economics at Ohio State, and when he transitioned into the work world, part of his initial experience was as an inspector for the USDA,” continues Gannon. “And so the way we came about is he saw that these grain elevators were not being provided with the quality c material handling equipment that he felt they needed.”
Building on this vision of quality, Sweet developed and produced its Silver-Sweet® bucket elevators and Sweetheart® elevator buckets with fabrication in mild steel and stainless steel in the 1960s. Original brochures and advertisements of this bucket featured a photo inset of the founder’s daughter and now CEO, Alicia, as “Miss Sweet.”
Sweet Mfg. introduced several additional new products and registered trademarks in the 1970’s, including Flite-Veyor® drag conveyors, Silver-Span® conveyor support systems, Silver-Stairs® line of switchback and wraparound tower stairs, all of which became popular in the company’s product line.
New generation changes continued in the ‘90s with the latest technology and the addition of computerized systems in engineering, manufacturing, and communication. Also introduced in the ‘90s was the CalorMatic® heat processor. Originally developed to roast soybeans and grain, a wide range of models also are used in processing and sterilizing eggshells, birdseed, nuts, and waste material. New applications are constantly being researched and developed.
“We pride ourselves on being a family-oriented and innovative, leading type of company within the industry,” says Gannon. “And one of the things that we are most proud to say is we are the pioneers of bringing galvanized steel into the industry and using galvanized instead of painted equipment. Virtually every manufacturer these days produces galvanized, and we were one of the first – if not the first –to bring that into the equation,” he points out.
With the new millennium, Sweet Mfg. Co. continued to bring innovation and technology to its vast customer base and a new generation to serve a different era of productivity and progress. New equipment, improved plant layout, and facility expansions have been implemented, which have led to improved efficiencies and a foundation for future growth.
“Our industry is changing, and you’ve seen a lot of consolidation in the industry,” says Gannon. “We have strategically made the decision to focus on what we do best, which is material handling equipment. Instead of trying to be all things and make all things, we have very consciously and very strategically decided to focus on doing what we do best. You know, when you do a lot of different things, it’s hard to do all of them to the highest degree of excellence.”
Points of Pride
That philosophy of excellence certainly has paid off for Sweet, in that the company has been recognized numerous times for what Hupp refers to as its “points of pride.” In 1998, Sweet was selected for the first time to receive the Ohio Governor’s Excellence in Exporting Award (E Award). This prestigious award recognized Sweet among companies of all sizes that have shown superior performance in exporting or heightened awareness of exporting as a vital component of the Ohio economy.
In 2005 and 2009, Sweet again was selected for the E Award. This notorious recognition continues to affirm the commitment that Sweet has made to the international markets.
Additionally, Sweet Mfg. earned the 2011 Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Award for the Food and Agriculture category. The award was given by the American Galvanizers Association (AGA), which honors the special skill and efforts of galvanizers, fabricators, architects, engineers, and contractors, as they complete projects that will remain durable, beautiful, and maintenance-free for generations to come.
“So what we’re doing is responding to the marketplace and the agricultural industry evolutions in not only the United States, but also around the world,” concludes Gannon. “We strive for outstanding customer service every day and being there for our customers. Not only before the sale, but during the sale, and after the sale, we are there, and we always strive for that extraordinary customer experience.”
