They say American exceptionalism is dead.

We Believed We Could… And We Did!

Ours is the kind of American success story that many are quick to write off these days—an American story as unique as the free enterprise system that put us here. The company was founded by Bob and Della Williams in 1963.

Bob was a true engineering genius whose designs would set the standard for innovation and invention that the company upholds to this day.  Della was the businesswoman who did it all: front and back office operations, sales calls, even machine operation and assembly.

The two shared a set of values that enabled the company to weather decades of economic ups and downs, political tugs-of-war, and fierce competition—hard work, straight talk, and a do-or-die commitment to never break a promise to a customer.

The Back Story

On December 7, 1941, Japan staged a sneak attack on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and, overnight, America found itself at war with three formidable and distant adversaries in Europe and the Pacific-Germany, Italy, and Japan.

At the time, America had an army not much bigger than Holland’s and no defense industry to speak of in the isolationist aftermath of “The War to End All Wars” (WWI).

So, in 1940, as France was collapsing under the withering power of the Nazi blitzkrieg and Great Britain was looming as the next target in their crosshairs, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called GM President, Bill Knudsen asking his advice on transitioning America’s peacetime industries to making engines of war.

Knudsen, one of the original gathers of mass production, persuaded Roosevelt that Detroit’s auto industry could lead that effort and, with the cooperation of others, create an “Arsenal of Democracy” – Weapons produced in such quantities as had never been imagined before.

Four weeks after those bombs fell on Pearl Harbor, Knudsen met with other titans of the car industry to form an Automotive Council for War Production. Together, the group outlined a blueprint for production that would ultimately produce 75 percent of all the aircraft engines, one-third of the machine guns, two-fifths of the tanks, and 100 percent of the trucks and other motor vehicles America would use during its participation in the war.

To produce that “Arsenal of Democracy,” American industry performed what is to this day considered miracles of mass production. Think of it: In 1941 the first Liberty ship left dry dock after 150 days of construction. It was 41-foot-long and made of 250,000 parts that weighed more than 14,000,000 pounds. As Nazi U-Boats continued to sink these ships faster that they could be built, US shipyards began a competition to see just how fast these cargo ships could be replaced. Little more than a year after that first Liberty Ship was launched, a shipyard in Richmond, California took the lead, building one in just 4 days, 15 hours, and 29 minutes.

The speed and scope of this production ramp-up was unprecedented. Over the course of the four years of America’s participation in the war, 2,741 Liberty ships were constructed and, incredibly, by 1944, American factories were producing one ship a day… and a plane every five minutes.

Therefore, if history can shine a light on what our country is capable of, it’s this: that the rumors of America’s demise are greatly exaggerated; that American exceptionalism is alive and well; and that we have the choice to either believe the lies and allow them to become self-fulfilling prophesies, or to live out the truth—that America is as President Reagan said: “A city on a hill… the last best hope of man on earth.”

Rosie’s Story

We Can Do It!

The name “Rosie the Riveter” was ingrained in the American psyche by the 1942 hit song of the same name. The song portrayed “Rosie” as a tireless assembly line worker doing her “bit” for the war effort. Only later did it become associated with the image of the bicep-flexing female factory worker on the “We Can Do It” poster commissioned by the Westinghouse Company.

The real-life inspiration for the song was a night shift worker building F4U Corsair fighter planes— one Rosalind Walter. But the “Rosie” most closely associated with the heroine of the song was Rose Monroe, a riveter building B-29 and B-24 bombers in Ford’s Willow Run Assembly Plant. As women began accepting that they could do a “man’s job” and do it well, millions of women from across the country responded, leaving ironing boards and mixers behind to enter the workforce and the war effort. In October of 2000, the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park was opened in Richmond, California, site of four Kaiser shipyards, where thousands of “Rosies” from around the country worked.

Our Mission

To provide our customers with the most innovative products manufactured to the highest standards of craftsmanship, delivered with exceptional value and our employees with a productive and motivating workplace that provides them with a working environment that rewards creativity and values ideas.

Our vision

We will continue to build upon and improve our areas of expertise while seeking to venture into new territory, confident in our past successes, and knowing that we have the talent and tenacity to take on the toughest challenge—whether it’s improving an existing product or inventing a new solution from scratch.

Our values

Customers Anticipating and satisfying their wants.

Integrity Taking the initiative to always do what’s right.

Quality Pursuing excellence in everything we do.

Innovation Constantly improving our products and processes.

Community Engaging the world beyond our walls with hearts to help.