United Process Controls-The Year in Review
With 2019 around the corner, we look back at the top 3 corporate milestones that shaped United Process Controls in 2018.
USA HEADQUARTERS MOVES
United Process Controls, Inc. (UPC) has announced plans to relocate its USA headquarters from West Chester, Ohio to Oak Creek, Wisconsin this December. The relocation is the second-phase of the company’s initiative to unify its US operations to one centralized location. Earlier this summer, UPC completed the first phase that saw its two Wisconsin facilities come together under a larger facility in Oak Creek, WI. At present, the 30,000-square-foot premise located in the southeastern corner of Milwaukee county accommodates the growing flow controls business, and will provide additional manufacturing space for the company’s diverse product lines.
“This latest move is an exciting development for UPC and has been coming for a while, as the company has grown steadily over the past few years,” says Paul Oleszkiewicz, President of UPC. “With the acquisition of Atmosphere Engineering in 2017, we understood that moving all USA facilities to a new location was necessary to create operational synergy across our business units – heat treating controls, flow controls, and combustion optimization solutions. Sharing the same facility will bring more cross development and cross manufacturing opportunities, and this interactivity means that the latest products and systems are designed and delivered with better efficiency to our customers. Additionally, cross training will enhance the proficiency of our engineers, manufacturing and service technicians, building a greater team that can interact more effectively with our customers and sales network.”
Pat Torok, VP Sales & Marketing, added “UPC operations in the USA have outgrown its current space. The larger facility in Wisconsin allows for greater flexibility in inventory management and streamlined manufacturing, and will house an expanded laboratory, as well as engineering, manufacturing, sales, and service personnel. The space at 6724 South 13th Street also has room to accommodate future growth for product development.”
PROCESS-ELECTRONIC CHANGES NAME
On the other side of the Atlantic, our European affiliate Process-Electronic with operations in France, Germany, and Poland has officially changed its name to United Process Controls, consistent with the group’s company name strategy. “Since the founding of UPC in 2012, the brand has become synonymous with innovative process controls and automation solutions. The decision to use the group name reflects our position today to unify the company and its brands, which are well-established and trusted in the heat treating and combustion markets,” explained European Sales Director, Jens Baumann. “The changeover to the new name came into effect this past fall. The Process-Electronic name will stay as a product brand, alongside the group’s other brands – Atmosphere Engineering, Furnace Control, Marathon Monitors, and Waukee Engineering. As we step forward with the new name, I am proud to continue our tradition of providing quality, reliable solutions and services to customers in Europe and worldwide.”
ERP IMPLEMENTATION
Other important corporate developments at UPC include the digitalizing of the company’s global business. Following a six-month review of potential ERP software and partners, UPC partnered with SAP expert Projexia to oversee the implementation of SAP Business ByDesign system at its seven locations.
“The cloud ERP will streamline activities by improving synergies between operations within the group, help identify new market opportunities, as well as enable us to pursue further growth,” noted Jason Jossart, Vice President of Operations. “Additionally, SAP will ensure transparency of our processes and enable improved accuracy of production planning. Among other benefits are better control of inventory levels and effective intercompany cooperation to maximize the utilization of all company resources.” In the first phase, SAP was implemented at the company’s US operations. For subsequent implementations, the ERP system will be deployed across sites in Germany, France, Poland and China.”
