Defining a Top Shop: Quality, Quickness, Communication, Community

There are three things Meghan Bates believes sets Luke Engineering & Anodizing Co. apart from the rest: quality, fast turnaround and good communication with customers. Bates, who is the president of the company, is a granddaughter of founder William Hayduk, who brought the shop to fruition in 1964. The company has stayed family-owned since its inception. Located in Wadsworth, Ohio, with a second plant in Rittman, Ohio, Luke offers full-service light metal finishing for a multitude of industries, but its main staples are type two and type three anodizing. The Rittman location, run by General Manager Jon Allen, focuses primarily on type two with colors/dyes. In addition to anodizing, the company offers stainless steel passivation and chem and dry film capabilities.

Luke takes on a diverse customer base, making a presence in markets including automotive, aerospace, industrial, recreational and more. Across its two facilities that run 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, Luke has 80 employees, with a variety of roles that have been introduced in recent years, including a designer, a training coordinator and two customer relations positions. The company has put an emphasis on training and video training in recent years as well.

Quality comes first

As anodizing is the last step in a series of manufacturing processes, a mistake at that point in the game can cause significant profit and productivity loss. Luke actively pays close attention to its processes to avoid this kind of loss. Leaving no room for mistakes, Luke takes pride in its quality and quick turnaround back to the customer, making quality assurance a paramount priority on its list.

“Our quality has gotten us a lot of recognition, gotten us a lot of business,” Bates says. “We do some work for the government because of our quality.”

The proof is in the anodizing. Luke’s diverse customer base demonstrates its ability to cover a variety of markets with its quality. It is currently the only shop approved to run a part for a well-known automotive company through one of its customers. The order calls for 350,000 parts a year of considerable size, pushing the company to seven-day processing.

Turn it around

While COVID-19 put a strain on many different industries, not just manufacturing, Luke says its quick turnaround time won it a lot of business during the pandemic. Competition was quoting lead times several weeks long — sometimes 12 to 16 weeks — while Luke was turning around in just 48 hours.

Current lead times at Luke are anywhere from one to two weeks. It attributes these quick turnarounds that set it apart to the ability to run 24 hours, seven days a week at both facilities, addressing any needs for speed that customers desire. The company also has weekend shifts and allows employees to work overtime when they want.

Communication is key

Communicating well with customers is important when it comes to establishing a good relationship — a detail some shops overlook. Luke strives to maintain good customer relations, specifically through consistent, personable communication, much like customer service.

“Just anybody calling me off the street — I’ve never met them before,” Allen says. “I answer the phone and greet them with a smile. You can tell when somebody smiles on the other side of the line. We can win the product 99 out of 100 times if I just answer the phone call and explain, you know, what they’re looking for and help them.”

Luke displayed its commitment to good communication by hiring two roles, one at each of the facilities, that are designated to production scheduling and customer relations. The addition of these two roles ensures that no customers are left hanging; they will receive a response.

Community inside and outside the shop

Luke is dedicated to building a hospitable environment for its employees. The result of this has come in many forms, including the modernization of facility amenities, such as the time clock, and the addition of new technology, such as a 3D printer that contributes to laser marking capabilities.

“We’re trying to keep up with the times of what employees want and need and feels good to roll out,” Bates says. “We have a digital timekeeping system now where they just scan a card, and there’s a lot of visibility of their hours and time worked. And, you know, it’s exciting to modernize a little bit.”

As another recent example, the company created a “hype” video to excite new staff or to show at temp agencies recruiting personnel. The video seeks to show what the company is and what it’s all about. The company also understands the importance of working with employees on flexibility and accommodation.

“We try new things,” Allen says. “We’re gonna keep an eye on adjusting our policies and procedures to open up a lot more flexibility. We want to make sure people want to come in. The last thing I want them to do is be driving home thinking, ‘Why the hell do I work for Luke?’ They want to be thinking, ‘Who can I get in here with me?’”

Outside of the shop, Luke is also active in its community. It provides scholarships through the Luke Foundation that donates back to the community. Two students were awarded scholarship money in 2022. The company was also honored at the Wadsworth Chamber of Commerce 41^st Rosie Awards ceremony with the Outstanding Business of the Year 25+ Employees award. In addition to this award, Luke has been a Top Shop for Products Finishing in the past.