Displaying items tagged: RapidLine Inc

As one of the first students to graduate from a workforce development program funded by heavy metal band Metallica, Krista Steffens developed skills that sparked her creativity and fueled under her career.

Office furniture manufacturers have been late adopters of automation, particularly inside their West Michigan-based factories.

Manufacturers in West Michigan have turned to automation in recent years to get jobs done quicker and cheaper, and their investments in the technology shows no signs of slowing down.

Despite growing operational complexity and a period of industry-led change, office furniture suppliers say they remain optimistic.

When Mark Lindquist purchased Rapid-Line Inc. in 1989, he completed the transaction with a strategy for exiting the business already in mind.

For today’s engineering graduates, technical expertise remains paramount, but companies are asking more of their young workers, especially when it comes to so-called soft skills and the basics of business. 

Backed by a string of profitable years, many West Michigan manufacturers are investing in labor-saving technology and providing themselves a hedge against future softening in the market.