E-Z LOK's President Reflects on Company, Industry
Ben Belzer, president and CEO of TCI Precision Metals/E-Z LOK recently reflected on several issues such as the impact of technology, changes in customer relations and the workforce and overall hopes for the future.
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Ben Belzer |
Working in the shop during his high school and college years, Belzer officially started his career with the company after graduating from the University of Illinois. Starting out with the selection and implementation of an ERP system, he eventually found his way to the sales board and ultimately, management.
E-Z LOK was founded in 1956 by Belzer’s grandfather, Bert, along with several partners. After a failed attempt at being a distributor for a well-known thread repair brand at the time, he came up with the threaded solid wall inserts for metal or E-Z LOK inserts.
Belzer stated that his grandfather would be proud of him and surprised to see how far the business has come, although he’d be overwhelmed by today’s technology.
Despite a negative future outlook in domestic vs. overseas supply, Belzer is not concerned.
“Global conflict and international trade policies can change rapidly,” he said. “I stay optimistic on the current mix and availability of both domestic and foreign supply.”
Among the things he highlighted was the company’s recent purchase of a LOCTITE machine and insert testing equipment.
“The LOCTITE® machine was purchased as a way to gain more control and satisfy our customers’ needs,” he said. “The logistics involved in sending parts to be coated is costly and time- consuming. Having the machine, E-Z LOK can coat parts the same day and offer greater flexibility to its customers.”
He noted that the testing equipment gave the company the ability to market the true capabilities of the inserts, including pullout resistance and torque.
“These are common questions from customers and instead of sending thousands of items for testing, we can test and perform quality inspections in-house,” Belzer said.
Through his years with the company, Belzer said he has not seen a big change in customer relations. However, he believes that the company has gotten better at providing more details and improved customer service.
Also, even though finding qualified workers has become increasingly difficult over the years, he said that technology has allowed the company to grow without a significant investment in human capital.
“Our ERP system, Netsuite, has had the biggest impact on that,” Belzer said. “It allows us to focus our current customer service team on real issues, while the ERP handles the operations automatically. The scalability allows growth without additional cost.”
Regarding the impact of the Internet and the company’s addition of its CAD download service on engineering input, he stated that although both have had a positive impact on customers, engineers will still be key to designing and producing the company’s inserts.
Referring to what excites him each day, Belzer said he enjoys “… the thrill of the chase and seeing the results of the hard work our team produces. I love a challenge, while finding and growing opportunities.”
His plan is for E-Z Look to continue on its established growth path, developing new products and solutions that will keep the company on the front edge within the fastener industry.