Ardisam outdoor products hit the mark in all seasons

Employees are so satisfied with their working conditions they rejected unionization. Managers can view on-line the progress of hundreds of items in production. Product distributors around the globe are eager for their next product shipment. Sound farfetched?

The description exactly fits outdoor power equipment manufacturer Ardisam, Inc. in Cumberland.

The firm was established in 1960 when Arnie Isham, Dick Ruppel and Sam Ranallo (the company name derives from ARnie, DIck and SAM) decided to build and sell powered ice augers. Cumberland, about 95 miles south of Superior on U.S. 63, is surrounded by lakes, so the product filled a local niche — with virtually unlimited market potential.

Hand ice drills followed in 1975, then earth augers. In the mid 1980s the company began producing rototillers. Now Ardisam manufactures hundreds of different outdoor implements sold under three company brands.

Dick Ruppel bought out his partners years ago. In 1994 he sold the company to two of his seven children, Ron and Mark.

Older brother Ron is the CEO, in charge of marketing, sales, and strategy. Mark is vice president and the head of manufacturing. The two worked part-time at the company as teenagers, spread their wings, then came back in the mid 1970s, staying on to learn the ropes.

Their management style is to keep to their own sides of the business. “It’s very clean and works well for us,” says Ron, 48.

All manufacturing and quality control takes place in Cumberland, including welding, stamping, sewing, powdercoating, assembly and packaging. With seven buildings, diverse manufacturing processes are separated. For example, fabrication, a dusty process, is in a different building than packaging.

“We have the capacity, through overseas subcontractors, to produce all our needed parts,” says Mark.

Many of Ardisam’s parts suppliers are subcontractors located in the Pacific Rim, including Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and China.

Year-round products

“Diversification is the key to our success,” says Mark, 47.

In the past, seasonal peaks and lows resulted in workers being hired and then laid off. To provide steady employment and increase sales, the management team developed a mix of products that consumers buy year-round.

“Now we put our energy behind the line in season,” he says, explaining that workers perform different tasks throughout the year. “Assemblers aren’t doing the same thing day-in, day-out.”

In October, all three product lines were in production.

Ardisam’s spring product line is Earthquake® lawn and garden products, including rototillers, mowers, edgers, wood chippers/shredders and earth augers.

For summer-fall, there is the Rivers Edge® hunting line that includes deer stands and other items.

For the winter season, there are Eskimo® ice augers and ice shelters.

An imported line of fur hats, gloves and mittens is sold as Yukon Tracks®.

Products reach consumers through a network of distributors. Ardisam also sells directly to chain stores like Farm & Fleet, or to importers in Canada, England, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and several South American countries.

Competitor Feldmann Engineering & Manufacturing, in Sheboygan Falls, WI, claims it was the first to invent and sell a powered ice auger in 1951. Feldmann manufactures Jiffy® Ice Drills, as well as lawn aerators and earth augers.

“The difference is that our ice drill chips the ice. Our competition basically shaves the ice. Our technology has been different since Day One,” says Tom Miller, sales manager at Feldmann.

He says another distinction of Feldmann products is that they’re 100 percent made in the United States. Miller said he doesn’t track market share and doesn’t follow competitors such as Ardisam. The firm sells low, medium and high-end products through distributors and directly to chain stores, a strategy similar to Ardisam’s.

Another competitor, MTD, a Cleveland, OH firm established in 1942, sells lawn and garden outdoor power equipment under seven major brand names worldwide. Representatives of the privately-held firm would not compare companies or products.

Neither of the these two outdoor equipment manufacturers nor others scattered across the United States can claim the seasonal diversity Ardisam offers, however.

Award-winning operation

In 1996, Ardisam won the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award (small company grand award category) from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, in recognition of its commitment to cost-effective operations, strategic acquisitions and stable workforce.

At any given time the company is manufacturing hundreds of products. To stay efficient and keep on top of production, Ardisam has implemented several cost and time-saving processes:

• Products are dry-painted using a pollution-reducing, anti-fume powdercoating process.

• The company’s design team includes computer modelers and engineers who develop and improve products.

• Automated machinery ensures uniform manufacturing for many of the parts made in Cumberland. The computerized machinery ensures extremely accurate measurements.

• To track the status of each product, Ardisam uses software that monitors work flow, inventory and change processes. The sales team initially predicts manufacturing quantities based on customer expectations. The software then allows the work flow to be amended based on actual orders instead of forecasts.

• A three to five-person quality control team performs checks at verification points established for each step of the manufacturing process.

“Every motorized implement is hand-tested,” says Mark. “We take quality control seriously.”

This is especially important for products like Ardisam’s tree stands, on which hunters rest their weight at heights of up to 30 feet. Each stand is quality-checked at least seven times, he says.

Not all of their products have been successful. One not-so-hot product was a battery-powered electric riding lawnmower. It received a Popular Mechanics award in 1994 but just didn’t catch on.

“It was ahead of its time,” says Mark. “It couldn’t compete with gas horsepower. We did, however, learn a lot about design and manufacturing.”

Another product sold for only four or five years was the “5-in-one,” a joint venture with an Italian company, consisting of one motor and five interchangeable attachment tools.

“We ultimately decided to manufacture items with one engine per implement,” says Mark.

New products on the drawing board include All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) accessories, motorized lawn and garden implements, and motorized 22- and 27-ton wood splitters.

“We are price leaders of the quality end of the market,” says Mark. That means Ardisam is the most economical for the quality-minded, he says.

Mark wouldn’t say whether the firm is weighing expansion. But with its variety of products, automated manufacturing processes and satisfied workforce, the company seems to be on the right track.