The changes taking place with the transition in ownership of the BRADEN, CARCO and Gearmatic brands are creating the best kind of chatter. Arrowhead Winch is quickly defining new paths to success with their customers and within its manufacturing facilities as they look forward to continuing the legacy of industry-leading quality and innovation its brands have been building over the last 100 years.
The executive management team remains in place to continue to drive the growth of the company. But with the new ownership comes a fresh energy focused on proactive customer collaboration and maximizing efficiencies. It’s a chance to rewrite the rules and to challenge old conventions.
According to Mark Pickett, partner at Black Phoenix Group (BPG), “We’re investing heavily in agility. As an independent entity, we can now move faster to adapt to market needs. Our focus as business owners remains on delivering the ‘time-tested, industry-trusted’ quality our customers depend on.”
Chief Executive Office Mike Rogers states quite simply, “Strategic vision focused solely on the winch market directing our investments is where we are going to be able to make the biggest change to accelerate and satisfy our customers and industry requirements.”
BPG is confident he is correct, with Pickett echoing they are “leveraging their resources to ensure continuity and innovation, so partners can trust us with their most demanding projects for another 100 years.”
As a result, capital investment is flowing back into the Arrowhead Winch plants and facilities allowing for significant production improvements that continue to elevate manufacturing quality and efficiency.
For example, incorporating a new technology such as skiving to the manufacturing process has allowed for improved efficiency and a better quality gear. According to Chief Operations Officer Donna Deyo, “Skiving results in better, quieter and more efficient gear trains, and the machining is incredibly fast—it’s a win for both us and our customers.”
In addition, the company is focused on building and maintaining strong vendor and supply chain relationships. Critical consideration is being placed on inventory and production planning to ensure on-time delivery of orders. “It is always our goal to deliver the units and parts you need when you need them,” says Paul Hiltenbeitel, Director of Sales. “That’s what BRADEN, CARCO and Gearmatic are known for.”
Through more direct lines of communication between engineering teams, Arrowhead Winch is already making an impact by working with customers earlier and shortening lead times on new product development.
Consistent ongoing dialogue allows for enhanced levels of technical support, product innovations and evolution of new ideas. According to Chief Engineer Chris Etemadi, “Our engineering teams are actively interfacing with our customers to gain feedback and use it to make sure we are delivering the product functionality and performance they need.”
Another key to success is being able to bring products to market more quickly. Arrowhead Winch is structuring their engineering approach for greater adaptability and responsiveness to meet customer timeline requirements.
The latest innovations from Arrowhead Winch range from product line extensions to applications of new technologies, including:
There is much to continue to explore on the technology front: IoT, digital transformation, and electrification, just to name a few possibilities in play. “We know customers will desire to have more data from various sources from the winch or hoist communicated to the end unit,” says Etemadi. “We intend to be ready to respond by making sure our products are able to work in the new architecture our customers are developing.”
At Arrowhead Winch, the customer is clearly the focus of the business. However, product needs are just one part of the equation. The company is committed to being the best business partner in the industry.
As Hiltenbeitel states, “We want to work with our customers to win more business. We are also making it easier for our customers to do business with us by listening to their needs and being open to looking at things differently.”
This philosophy has led to establishing new options for financing, as well as developing long-term agreements with top customers. By providing pricing visibility over a multi-year period, the team can facilitate long-term planning conversations and mitigate risks on both sides. It is all part of a larger goal of removing barriers to doing business, looking for ways to provide solutions beyond just products.
There are plans to expand training and technical support at the customer level, building on the industry-leading programs the company has created for the offshore crane market. From OEM engineering teams to utility fleets and distributor sales and service teams, Arrowhead Winch is exploring ways to deliver value through education.
Investments have already been made in technology to allow unparalleled access to sales and service publications. Introduced last year, the new Publications Portal makes current and historical parts and service manuals for virtually all BRADEN, CARCO and Gearmatic products available online. The app, which can be used on both desktop and mobile devices, also serves as a library for service bulletins, technical documents and sales literature.
Improvements are also being made to the NetServices customer portal. Available only to direct customers of Arrowhead Winch, the portal enables visibility to pricing, order status and technical product information.
When looking at where the company will continue to grow, Pickett and Rogers are pointed in the same direction. As Rogers says, “We’re not just maintaining standards, we’re raising them.”
“I’m excited to work with this management team,” said Pickett. “This is a rare opportunity to steward a trusted industrial brand through its next phase of evolution.”
“It symbolizes BPG’s core philosophy: preserving a strong industrial heritage while unlocking modern value,” he continued. “But you better believe we’re going to be shaking things up, in the best way possible.”
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