We would like to congratulate Jim Clay, Machine Operator II, for his 32 years at O’Neal Manufacturing Services! His dedication to our facility in Indianapolis over the years has truly shown. Here are a couple of fun facts you may not know about Jim:

What’s on your bucket list: Play tennis with Roger Federer

What is the best meal you have ever had: Filet mignon from Copper Kettle

Favorite project to work on in the plant: Laser cut pieces for the Indy 500 winner’s circle

What is your background before working at OMS? Because Jim has been with us for 32 years now, his previous job was at a grocery store.

What is your favorite thing about your job?  Getting paid

What are you passionate about? Tennis

What is your favorite family tradition? Family reunion every year

What is the most helpful way for you to get feedback? “Have a conversation with me.”

What’s your favorite movie? Jack Reacher

If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive who would it be?  “I better say my wife.”

Favorite thing about coming to work at OMS #Indy? The feeling of accomplishing something

What are your hobbies? Tennis and cars

What are you currently watching?  “I watch the tennis channel 75% of the time.”

We appreciate everything you do for our company. Keep up the great work, Jim! #LetsBuildThings

We are pleased to announce that O’Neal Manufacturing Services has been ranked the #2 metal fabricator in The Fabricator’s 2019 Fab 40!

Our director of sales, Michael Richey, shared some insight on the productivity of our company and the profitability of the industries we serve. As unemployment rates remain lower than ever, we attract suitable employers through our competitive pay rates and attractive benefit packages. Our employee surveys also provide potential newcomers with an understanding of balancing work and home life, supervisor relationships, and overall satisfaction.

As we continue to bring in new members to our team, we are adjusting to demand slowdowns and peaks in the different industries we serve. While the agricultural equipment market appears to be in a downshift, rail and construction industries have brought us “solid gains.” With the help of our 1400 employees, we were able to bring in $241 million in revenue in 2018 by providing services including sheet metal, plate, tube and pipe, and other fabrication needs to our customers.

“After having such a banner year [in 2018], we’re investing it back into the company and making some major technology investments.” -Michael Richey

We celebrate in surpassing our 2018 Fab 40 ranking of #3 and strive to push towards the #1 metal fabricator in 2020! #LetsBuildThings

Manufacturing Advancements Amidst Falling Forecasts

The economic indicators appear to be somewhat mixed heading into summer.  The most recent jobs report shows a much lower job growth than anticipated as 75,000 jobs were added by employers in comparison to the 178,000 job gains predicted. Additionally, the unemployment rate remains at a 50-year low of 3.6%.  However, consumer confidence appears to be the highest since 2004.  More mixed results can be seen in the construction spending, housing and machinery, and equipment orders.  Construction spending remained flat while housing declined.  New machinery and equipment orders fell more than forecasted, and this decrease in demand signals prolonged uncertainty while the trade war with China continues.

On another note, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chris Coons intend to “bolster” advanced manufacturing with the release of a new bipartisan bill. With this legislation in place, job training programs will be revamped to improve opportunities for success in this industry. As a result, global competitiveness should increase, as our country should remain a top leader in the manufacturing industry from a global standpoint.

Mexican Negotiations

On June 6^th, officials at the White House threatened to continue with the tariffs on all Mexican imports in hopes to better control the influx of immigrants from Central America to the U.S. Trump imposed a threat to order a 5% levy on June 10^th and planned to increase it to 25% by October. In response, Mexico appears to be bolstering their efforts to assist in our immigration issue. Therefore, the Trump Administration has decided not to go through with this pledge.

Impact of Diesel Demand

Global investors have reason to believe China has been overstating official economic figures for years now. Growing suspicion has led economists to measure China’s productivity in other forms including diesel fuel demand and electricity. The demand for diesel fuel continues to fall as China experiences the repercussions of the trade war. Diesel demand, an indication of good transportation volume, has dropped 14% and 19% in the last two months.  Lower demand for diesel fuel indicates that China is not transporting the vast quantity of goods as in previous months.

Analysts predict no future trade deal between the U.S. and China following the G-20 summit in Japan this upcoming month. Amid Trump’s increase in tariffs to 25%, China retaliated by threatening to cut off Beijing’s rare earth minerals. While both President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, are expected to attend the G-20 summit, it will be shocking if the two sides reach common ground. If tensions continue to rise, changes in monetary policies for both China and the United States are predicted.

On April 27, 2019, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) of Alabama hosted the One Night Gala & After Party at Haven located in downtown Birmingham. This black-tie optional event raised funds and awareness for juvenile diabetes through both a silent and live auction. Additionally, dinner by Kathy G & Company, chance drawings, and live musical entertainment were provided to add to the fun.

O’Neal Manufacturing Services participated as a bronze sponsor of the event. Our sister company, O’Neal Steel, served as the title sponsor and our parent company, O’Neal Industries, received recognition for its long-term commitment to JDRF.

This year, ten live auction items and one hundred thirteen silent auction items were up for grabs. These prizes included travel items, sporting goods, jewelry, home décor, dining, tribute baskets created by children with type one diabetes, and two puppies.

Jennifer Bentley, JDRF Development Manager, shares that over $500,000 was raised in honor of the foundation! We applaud JDRF for planning such a wonderful evening for an amazing cause. We encourage you to show your support of this foundation by donating through the link below. #LetsBuildACure #LetsBuildThings

https://www2.jdrf.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app30116a?19988.donation=form1&df_id=19988&s_src=bing_cpc&s_subsrc=190918_Bing_6&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=190918_Bing_6&msclkid=19ef3a29328b1131a1ab66dffb06b785&NONCE_TOKEN=D24D923ADBB8E5A1D7F10052C370A170

Coming Together to Help Families Pay for Laundry

 At O’Neal Manufacturing Services (OMS), Louisville employee Clara Jewell saw a need and came up with a solution. After speaking with General Manager Federico Fraga, OMS quickly jumped into action with Abby Vegas-founder of Laundry and More. Laundry and More exists so that families in the City of Lawrence can wash their clothes and bedding for FREE. Her mission is to ensure all families and children have clean clothes when they wake up, go to bed, or go to school. With the growing program, it came to a point where Abby was running out of resources. This is when Clara Jewell saw the story and answered the call to help.

OMS employees donated: 14 boxes of heavy-duty trash bags, 40 boxes of fabric softener, 695 loads of fabric softener, and 2,404 loads of laundry soap. That comes to 3 months worth of supplies! Over 162 families have been served thus far.     

One of the core values of all O’Neal companies is investing heavily in our local communities. All O’Neal Manufacturing Services’ locations are involved with different kinds of community service in their area. Clara Jewell stated, “I am so blessed to work for a company who steps up to the plate. I have seen how they step up and I have only been here for 7 months. So proud of where I work. I get teary eyed every time I see this.” We thank everyone from the Indianapolis facility for getting together and helping such a great cause. #LetsBuildThings   

Click the link below to watch RTV6 narrate our partnership with the Laundry and More team. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3jOQxMlzVI

As seen in the April 2019 Issue of FF Journal: President and COO Holman Head and President and CEO Kent Brown took time to sit down with the FF Journal to talk about the history of the O’Neal companies as well as their formation of O’Neal Manufacturing Services (OMS) and the difference between O’Neal Steel (ONS).

Value-Added Services:

O’Neal Industries (ONI) is the nation’s largest family owned full-line metals service center. O’Neal Industries-parent of Leeco Steel, O’Neal Manufacturing Services, O’Neal Steel, TW Metals and United Performance Metals- was formed to better support overall growth. Kirkman O’Neal borrowed $2,000 and founded his company in 1921 as a small steel fabrication shop. Today, ONI now employs more than 3,000 people in 70 locations in North America, Europe, and Asia. The Great Recession prompted O’Neal Industries to re-examine its business model.

“We felt it was time to figure out how to split up tasks, equipment and personnel,” Head says. The “division of property” created a shopping list for O’Neal Industries. The company needed to beef up the skill sets of its people. “We needed equipment like plasma and laser cutting, machining centers and robotic welding. We also examined throughput and identified a fundamental difference between distribution and fabrication. O’Neal Manufacturing Services, for example, is more capital-intensive in terms of equipment and labor, versus O’Neal Steel, which is capital-intensive in terms of inventory.”

The Start of OMS:

In 2011, ONI created O’Neal Manufacturing Services as a freestanding business unit. It supplies fabricated metal components and welded assemblies to equipment manufacturers around the world. It punches, forms, machines and welds components. The company provides plasma, laser and oxyfuel cutting as well as precision leveling, kitting and assembly. It serves as an extension of each customer’s business by “providing a complete supply chain solution.” OMS’s niche is high-volume, large orders for heavy plate up to 6-in thick, primarily for the heavy manufacturing, material handling and construction equipment markets.

President and CEO Kent Brown of OMS says, “We focus on multi-step processes. We want to machine it, form it and weld it. The more value we can add, the better. O’Neal Steel or Leeco will sell you a truckload of steel, we don’t do that. We provide a finished assembly or parts for an end product. The ability to perform up to four-step processing frees up floor space for the manufacturer and allows them to focus on the final product.”

Since the beginning O’Neal Manufacturing Services has grown by leaps and bounds. It has facilities in seven locations, including Mexico. “The foundational reason for opening the fabrication arm is tied to O’Neal Industries’ long-standing culture of family values. The key driver was to strengthen relationships with our customers and not just be sen as a steel distribution company,” Kent Brown says. “Adding fabrication steps [and] meeting tighter tolerances moves you into a closer partnership with your customer. We have developed a symbiotic relationship with OEMs. we’re making parts so they can get finished assemblies out the door.”

For more information about OMS’s history, culture, and capabilities, please visit: https://www.onealmfgservices.com/

Let’s Build Things!

No matter your feelings for February 14th, most everyone can agree they love receiving a sweet Valentine’s Day card. This year, in addition to sharing the love with family and friends, why not make some Valentine’s Cards for kids in the hospital ?

In honor of the big day, children’s hospitals all over the country are holding Valentine Drives where anyone can send a free digital valentine to a patient. Each hospital has their own designs- many of which are designed by patients- and are such an easy way to brighten up a patient’s day!

So take a moment and visit one of the websites below and make a child’s Valentines Day more special!

• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (Illinois)
• Arkansas Children’s (Arkansas)
• Boston Children’s Hospital Trust (Massachusetts)
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (Ohio)
• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (California)
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (Ohio)
• Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital (Texas)
• Children’s National Hospital (Washington, D.C.)
• Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation (Arizona)
• St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (National)
• Texas Children’s Hospital (Texas)

Cedar Falls, Iowa. (December 17, 2018) Roger Blakesley is the owner and operator of Yard Engineered Products in Iowa and when the economy crashed he came up with the idea of producing an outdoor lighting product for homeowners that would reflect their own interests and aesthetics.  The main goal was to take his daughters artwork, wrap the designs around a strong tube that is laser cut so that the image shines through in the evening.

Sourced Locally:

Yep Lights went with a metal processor close to home to take on it’s new product. It just so happened that Roger Blakesley has worked at O’Neal Manufacturing Services (OMS) for 28 years. OMS who is a supplier of fabricated components and welded assemblies runs an industrial- scale laser cutting operation in Cedar Falls. Describing the process Blakesley states, “OMS takes our artwork and puts it into a usable format and program so it can be produced on their tube laser.” Along with that, the top of the tube is cut to accept the solar light and the bottom of the tube is cut to create steaks. Yep Lights does production runs at OMS every couple of months.

The Process: 

In producing a new design, “we bring in a hand drawn picture of the artwork we want.” Everything goes through the OMS sales department. The drawing goes to the engineering department, and an engineer looks over the artwork. Sean Alexander, Account Manager at OMS handles the Yep Lights account. He sums up the production process by saying, “on a new design, they will give us the artwork and we digitize that into CAD models, view it electronically and program it, then quote total cut time for the material.” Sean also manages any repeat orders, and conducts price reviews as they move through material pricing, and produce new quotes as designs change. He adds that, “Yep Lights purchase the raw material through us, too. Our supply chain team takes care of all those orders.”

For more about this article and how OMS helped Roger Blakesley achieve his dream, visit: Modern Metals

#LetsBuildThings

Check out this week’s “Facility Spotlight” on our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania plant! This facility first opened in 1993 as a part of O’Neal Steel and separated from ONS in 2011, becoming an O’Neal Manufacturing Services plant.

General Manager, Gus Cassida, has been working for our company for 22 years now. When asked what makes Pittsburgh unique, he states that the facility handles big machining and forming by formulating a strategic approach to attacking large, difficult parts.

As our most eastern location, Pittsburgh specializes in many industries including mobile cranes, aerial work platforms, rail car, and bridge. Cassida shared that Pittsburgh excels in maintaining continuity with sales while also making smart decisions for the company.

#LetsBuildThings