Ferro Technique names new president, prepares for manufacturing’s future

After more than 35 years with the company, Ferro Technique President Brian Donnelly is retiring as president. Replacing him is Matt Fleming, a veteran executive with many years of corporate leadership experience in the capital equipment industry.

“I started looking at transitioning out when we sold the company back in 2019, and then, to stay on for a period of time during that transition,” explained Donnelly. “I’m working in a reduced role, which meant we needed a new president to run the business. I’m still involved with some of our key accounts that I’ve dealt with for years to the point that they're as much friends as they are customers per se.”

Enter Matt Fleming, the new president of the Mississauga, Ont., machine tool distributor, who is looking forward to adding to the existing culture and family business feel of the company.

“I thought it was important for the company to hire somebody that had a vision that was a little more modern, and who could also put into place new procedures and implement incremental changes that would help the company going forward as it continues to grow,” said Donnelly.

Fleming spent the last 15 years in numerous sales and management positions with Biesse Canada, a seller of machines for wood and advanced materials processing, most recently as chief commercial officer.

“I’ve walked into a beautiful situation here where sales are extremely strong and the company is in great financial shape,” said Fleming. “Job No. 1 is don't mess it up. Hopefully I can put my mark on the business with little tweaks, like developing a CRM to help our processes a little bit, but I really just want to continue to work on the job that Brian and Jeff [company vice-president Jeff Veldhoen] and the others have been doing over the past years.”

A lot has changed in the three-plus decades since Donnelly first joined the company. Gone are the days of simply selling a piece of equipment and moving on to the next sale. Now, more than ever, a machine tool distributor needs in-house resources to help its customer base produce at the highest possible levels.

“It’s definitely a multifunctional role now,” explained Donnelly. “Before, we used to sell the machine and that was that. Now, there's interaction between us and our customers right from the get-go because they need applications support or programming support, and obviously great service as well.”

In Donnelly’s time with the company, he has seen the company’s support staff grow from just four service people to more than 20 working out of Ferro’s headquarters as well as its satellites in Windsor, Ont., and Saint-Laurent, Que.

Challenges await, however, as the company finds its way through the modern manufacturing landscape. While Donnelly and Fleming don’t see rising interest rates as a huge speed bump, other hurdles do exist, including the dollar. As a capital equipment dealer that imports from other regions, it’s important to see how the loonie stacks up against other currencies.

Brian Donnelly, Vice-Chairman

“The dollar is a bigger challenge than the interest rate, because when you amortize interest, even if it’s a couple of percent higher, over five years it isn't a lot. If you look the exchange rate, it can mean higher prices for equipment overall. That’s more of a big deal,” said Donnelly.

What will help Canadian manufacturers in the near term is Ferro’s wide line of manufacturing equipment, including DN Solutions [formerly known as Doosan Machine Tools], which feature much-needed automation.

“We need to be able to help our customers with their automation,” said Fleming. “Everyone is in the same boat; they cannot find labour. Sometimes adding an additional machine makes sense, but sometimes adding a machine with loading/off-loading capabilities is equally important to them. That’s why we're getting approached for more turnkey systems, which requires our applications help.”

Automation doesn’t necessarily mean a robot, Fleming said. It can be that a robot is the right choice, but it also can be a bar feeder, pallet changer, or even software automation techniques.

“We want to be a company that can support customers on all facets, whether it’s software, hardware, applications, or turnkeys,” said Fleming. “I want to make sure that Ferro remains a full-service company that's easy to deal with and that customers think of us first when they are ready to purchase equipment.”

And that customer-centric focus doesn’t happen in a vacuum, either.

“We really try to promote the fact that we've got a great staff here, not just us at the top, but right through the company from shipping/receiving and the office staff to obviously our service technicians and application support staff,” said Donnelly.

Donnelly credits his successful run in business to George Senecal of Modern Tool, who gave him his start back in 1971.

In other company news, Frank Cirino, the long-time owner of Lomar Machine Repair has retired.

“It is with mixed feelings that Ferro Technique and Lomar Machine Repair announce the retirement of Frank Cirino,” said Fleming. “For almost 30 years, Frank and Lomar have provided the industry with top-notch service and sales to the Windsor area and beyond.”

Matt Fleming, President

Cirino established Lomar Machine in 1993 as a much-needed service provider before growing the business to also import international machine tool brands.

“Frank and his family have grown Lomar to a team of qualified service technicians and a multi-line machine distributor providing timely support to hundreds of customers. In 2020, Frank began succession planning for his eventual retirement to ensure both Lomar’s customers and employees would continue the legacy he has built. Ferro Technique and Lomar Machine Repair will continue to maintain the customer-first mission that Frank started,” said Fleming.