History
Don DeTray founded A-Z in 1941, during a time when the
United States was still recovering from the effects
the Great Depression had on our economy. Unemployment
was still at around 15% during the 30's, and it wasn't
until WWII broke out in late 1939 that our country began
investing money in national security and ultimatly creating
work. The manufacturing sector began to once again flourish
during the post-WWII years, and A-Z found great success
in the business of fabricating components for large
manufacturers on a job-to-job basis.
Don's
brother founded Detray
Plating Works in 1923 and to this day is still located
directly across the street from A-Z, however both companies
remain seperate entities from each other.
A-Z
began it's life as strictly a machine shop, and evolved
over time to accomodate all sorts of new and interesting
manufacturing technologies. (See our Shop
Tour page for a list of our current machines) Whenever
a state-of-the-art manufacturing technology would come
out, A-Z was always one of the first to embrace it,
much to the benefit of our customers. Some people at
A-Z still remember when our machines were programmed
and run by long strips of punchcards, fed through a
manual reader that translated the pattern into actions.
Looking back that technology seems ancient; with the
introduction of CAD and CNC
controlled machines, the game sure has changed.
Edd
DeTray inherited the company from his father in the
50's, and has worked in manufacturing his whole life.
He began delivering parts with the company truck when
he was 16, and in 2004 - 50 years later - he still found
the time to make the occasional delivery to friends,
family, and long-time customers. In 2004, Edd finally
decided to retire and pass along the company to his
decendants: Suzanne Barclay, Eric Pearson, and Russ
Pearson. Suzanne is Edd's sister and has worked at A-Z
for over 40 years; she is now the current acting president
of A-Z.
Today
A-Z
has the distinction of being one of the few (if not
the only?) woman-owned metal fabrication plant in the
U.S. Over the years we have instituted many initiatives
including Lean Manufacturing, ISO standardization, and
Just-In-Time delivery, and are always looking for ways
to improve our processes.
65+
years and 4 generations later, A-Z is still family owned
and operated. We take pride in our work, and are always
looking to partner with companies who see the benefits
of strategically outsourcing piece parts and assemblies
so they can focus on core competancies.
The
first Independence building built by A-Z in 1942 is
still utilized today as office and floor space, and
the plant now has 6 total inter-connected buildings
named "Building 1" through "Building
6". Our headquarters and most of our managerial
staff is located in Independence. In the 1980's A-Z
added our 70,000+ sq/ft Lamoni facility, where we primarily
process most of our thick material and large weldments.
Why
Should My Company Use A-Z?
We
at A-Z know that while the quoted price is always an
important factor when choosing a vendor, it is not the
only one. Several factors are involved, including delivery
schedules, attention to detail, and the ability to improvise
when plans change (as they often do). We do our best
to have the most competitve prices possible, and we
will always have the same great service you expect from
a business partner.
Our
competitive advantage lies in our ability to adapt to
each new job swiftly and accuratly. A-Z makes a concerted
effort to continually work with you, and develop our
relationship as a business partner and outsourcing authority.
We are accustomed to JIT delivery schedules, custom
crating requirements, and processing parts ranging from
simple brackets to large complex weldments and assemblies.
Many customers view A-Z as simply an extension of their
own company; gaining the ability to utilize the technology
to their advantage, but without all the costs of capital
investment and maintenance.
Further
questions? Feel free to Contact
Us and we'll be happy to answer any questions you
may have!
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