What a year it’s been for Wal-Tek!
In 2024, we experienced remarkable growth that pushed us to new heights. With a new owner at the helm, we hit record-breaking top-line sales, surpassing our projected goal by a landslide! In addition, this year, we continued to make strategic investments in our technology and our people, laying the foundation for an even brighter future.
With a successful year behind us, the Wal-Tek team is more eager than ever to share our mantra for 2025: “Your Way Forward.” This mindset reflects our commitment to improving outcomes for our customers and teams in the upcoming months.
Let’s explore what we achieved in 2024 before we dive into our 2025 plan and how we will support your way forward.
Our 2024 Achievements: Investing in Technology and People
In 2024, Wal-Tek Industries made $2 million in capital investments, a majority of which went directly into purchasing top-of-the-line equipment to populate the shop floor. Let’s go through some of the highlights:
Automating the Shop Floor
The Wal-Tek team has made significant strides in automating our shop floor to support our growth and streamline production. Here’s what this looks like as of January 2025:
- FANUC robot: Paired with our Haas UMC-500 5-axis machine, this robot, which we’ve affectionately dubbed “Armstrong,” allows our team to prototype during the day and run production at night to maximize efficiency.
- Okuma Lathe with live tooling capabilities: This innovative machine consolidates multiple operations into one setup, enabling complete parts to come off this machine and increasing throughput in our lathe department.
- Kitamura high-speed Smart Factory horizontal 10-pallet machine: This new addition is designed to handle high-volume, high-precision components with peak efficiency.
Advancements in Our Sheet Metal Division
- Trumpf 10-axis, 160-ton press brake: Equipped with in-angle measurement technology, this machine automates processes and delivers repeatable outcomes.
- Mitsubishi 4,000-watt fiber flat laser: This equipment enhances precision and speed in our sheet metal fabrication services.
Infrastructure Upgrades
Several targeted improvements ensure our facilities are optimized to perform at the highest level possible, from air compressors to micro bulk tanks.
Continuous Growth
In 2024, Wal-Tek achieved our best quality metrics ever, even in our busiest year to date. With new tools and investments, we’ve positioned ourselves for increased capacity and steady growth in the following ways:
- One-third of our machine shop now runs 24/7, thanks to the top-of-the-line automation on our shop floor.
- Faster equipment in the fabrication shop significantly reduces turnaround times.
- We’ve opened up multiple shifts across both divisions to ensure we can meet increased demand without compromising other areas.
Wal-Tek’s Most Important Asset: Our People
While top-notch equipment contributed to our success last year, we know that our performance is directly tied to our incredible team. In 2024, we enhanced employee benefits to make Wal-Tek a better place to work as part of our mission of attracting and retaining top talent.
Our Growth (and Growing Pains)
Our smart investments and strategic actions in 2024 led to outcomes beyond what we projected. Our fabrication shop grew by 20%, and our machine shop grew by a whopping 75%!
While we celebrated record-breaking months in 2024, this growth didn’t come without its fair share of challenges. With increased demand came growing pains, particularly in on-time delivery. Although this is a sore subject, these setbacks taught us valuable lessons about managing rapid growth and inspired us to improve our processes. We’d like to thank our customers for their loyalty and feedback as we navigated the challenges that come with significant growth. We’d also like to show how we’re turning former pitfalls into opportunities.
Wal-Tek’s Plan: A Leaner, Better 2025
During Wal-Tek’s annual executive planning retreat, our leaders identified our organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and threats, as well as opportunities to improve our customers’ experiences and outcomes. To pave the path for “Your Way Forward,” Wal-Tek is:
- Building upon our pre-existing Lean manufacturing initiatives
- Investing in best-in-class software to optimize operations, enhance efficiency, and help us become a digital organization at the forefront of Industry 4.0.
- Empowering our teams by continuing to equip them with the tools and autonomy they need to excel in their roles and push this business forward.
Our strategy for 2025 is simple: remain on the cutting edge while delivering the exceptional service our customers expect.
As we move forward, we’re thrilled to continue building partnerships with our loyal customers and empowering our team to put their best foot forward every day. Here’s to a year of innovation, reliability, and continuous growth—your way forward!
Ready to kick off your 2025 projects? Request a quote to partner with our skilled team.
