JSC History

Business analysts measure a firm’s progress in terms of sales and profits, equipment and markets. Jagemann Stamping Company has progressed dramatically in terms of those criteria since it was founded by William P Jagemann, Sr., in 1946.

The language of business analysts, however, does not include all the criteria used to measure the success of this world-renowned metal stamping company. At Jagemann Stamping, success is also measured in very human terms.

“We have an exceptional group of people here at Jagemann Stamping Company,” says William T. Jagemann, Jr., chairman emeritus and son of the founder. “We can go out and buy machines, but without our people, we wouldn’t have a company.”

Of course, not everyone is suited to work at this progressive metal stamping company, lauded worldwide as a premier automotive fluid power connector supplier. This is not a place for people comfortable with the status quo. Jagemann Stamping fosters an environment in which teamwork is the norm, creativity is encouraged, and initiative is rewarded. Many of the more than 200 employees started working in the pressroom. Whether they are now team leaders, managers, tool makers, engineers, or administrative staff, Jagemann Stamping employees know their company’s products well, and are eager to help in the pressroom when a few extra hands will help satisfy the customer.

In 1998 Jagemann Stamping Company earned its QS-9000 registration, the coveted international automotive quality standard. The firm earned this distinction not only because of its already high standards, typically manufacturing parts to tighter tolerances than even its customers demand, but also because of its commitment to continuous improvement.

A dedicated continuous improvement team combines the talents of toolmakers, press technicians and engineers. The team responds to suggestions, tests their feasibility and cost-effectiveness, and ensures the successful implementation of any improvements in both equipment and procedures. In this way manufacturing equipment is modified on site by the press technicians who use it, rather than accepting performance limitations that may be inherent in machinery designed by far-away engineers.

The customized equipment and ever-improving processes enable Jagemann Stamping engineers, toolmakers and press technicians to manufacture quality automotive ferrules, (hose fittings), oil filter cans, and other deep-drawn metal parts. In fact, Jagemann Stamping ferrules are found on virtually every car sold in the United States and many throughout the world, creating reliable, leak-tight seals in fluid power and air-conditioning assemblies.

“We’ve combined lean manufacturing and progressive thinking,” explains Thomas M. Jagemann, the founder’s grandson, president and chief executive officer of the firm.
“Our speed and responsiveness set us apart from others in our industry,” he says. “It is our ability to respond quickly to both our internal and our external customers that has brought us to where we are today and will take us into the future. In fact, we strive to anticipate what will be hot in the future, and we’ll do whatever makes sense to be ready.”

Indeed, that is the foundation upon which this business has grown. From 1946 to 1975 Jagemann focused on fulfilling short-run orders manufactured on hand-fed single operation presses. Then in 1975, recognizing that booming automotive ferrule orders would soon surpass the company’s capacity Jagemann Stamping installed the first of many automated transfer presses, machines that stamp circular blanks from coils of metal, then carry the blanks through progressive dies that form each part to the customer’s exacting specifications.

However, automation is not limited to the transfer presses. The engineering and tooling departments have joined forces to utilize the latest in three-dimensional design software and computer numerical-controlled equipment to engineer and manufacture virtually all of the tooling required in more than three dozen high-speed transfer presses. In addition automated packaging equipment is used to pack and label product for shipment to destinations both domestic and foreign.

All of these automated processes, however, do not eliminate the role of the press operator. In fact, Jagemann Stamping is striving to increase the skill levels of every press technician. All employees participate in on-site technical, leadership, and team-effectiveness training, and all are eligible for tuition reimbursement at area colleges and universities.

To stay competitive in the international marketplace, we must do things better than we ever have before,” say Thomas Jagemann. “Our production runs are shorter, requiring more press set-ups that must be done more quickly than ever before. This has prompted our press technicians to design quick-change press tooling and to reduce set-up times between production runs, so the presses run more hours than ever before.”

To meet the growing demands of its ever-increasing customer base, Jagemann Stamping has moved its operation to a new manufacturing facility in September of 2000. The new building features a modular floor plan to accommodate the many, frequently changing functions of the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

“We’re coming full circle.” explains Thomas Jagemann. “We’re growing to increase our responsiveness to our customers, much as my grandfather did in the late 1940s and early1950s. William P. Jagemann, Sr. always said, ‘Do it right, or don’t do it at all.’ That’s an axiom that served him well, served my father well, and is serving us well as we begin the twenty-first century. We’re working diligently to ensure our continued success.”

Taken from the Publication: Manitowoc County: A Beacon on the Lakeshore