How an acquisition in metal fabrication saved jobs
Two complementary manufacturing operations are poised to grow together
2 lasers, one with a rotary fixture for cutting tube and pipe.
2020 was a year full of staggering challenges and personal tragedies: lost lives, jobs, careers. But not everyone has a tragic story to tell. Tumultuous times force people to adapt, and change, however unplanned or rapid, can sometimes lead to better things.
That was Mark Welle Jr.’s 2020. As the president of WESCO Laser Machining, a laser cutting-only job shop in Littleton, Colo., Welle recalled 2020 starting strong. Then, of course, came COVID-19. When the lockdown ensued during the second quarter, WESCO adapted. Welle and his salesperson, Bill Fowler, began working from home while his operations manager and operator held down the fort, remained socially distant, and kept the company’s two lasers running. Of course, being only a five-person operation, making the transition wasn’t too arduo