Mi-T-M Corporation 2009
November 2009PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE IS MORE THAN A SLOGAN FOR THE Mi-T-M CORPORATION
Mi-T-M has developed a reputation for supplying large quantities of equipment on fairly short notice. When Hurricane Katrina left sections of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi without power in August of 2005, the Peosta, Iowa, company was able to switch all production lines to manufacture hundreds of gasoline-powered generators within hours of receiving a sizable order from a customer. “During our first season of manufacturing generators, we sent 29 truckloads down to Louisiana,” says Sam Humphrey, Mi-T-M president. “Every generator was tested before it left the production line so we knew it would start the first time and continue to perform for many years.”
A.J. Spiegel, chairman and chief executive officer of Mi-TM, founded the company in 1971 to produce cold water pressure washers for the paint industry. He continues to own the company and today employs more than 350. The sprawling Mi-T-M complex includes a 390,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a 400,000-square foot state-of-the-art warehouse.
“A lot of what Mr. Spiegel brought to the company—his entrepreneurial spirit—is very much a part of the company today,” Humphrey says. “We’re always looking for opportunities. We would not be the company we are today if we had been satisfied to just produce pressure washers. We’ve constantly looked for new ways to grow the company.” Under Spiegel’s entrepreneurial guidance, the company has added generators, air compressors, compressor-generator combinations, jobsite boxes, space heaters, wet-dry vacuums, and water purification systems to its product line.
“Everything we do has some influence from a customer,” Humphrey says. “We manufacture products under private label for 35 customers. Our largest is John Deere. “A John Deere engineer, product manager, or other representative is here each week working with us on projects.” Deere has a dedicated area of the plant where product design and customer service personnel are located. A customer calling Deere about one of its Home and Workshop products talks with a customer service representative housed at Mi-T-M. “We do not make every Home and Workshop product for Deere, but companies manufacturing something like a barbecue grill do it to our specifications,” Humphrey says. “The quality that accompanies the Mi-T-M brand is leveraged to attract our private label customers.”
To compliment the quality of their equipment, Mi-T-M has made a considerable investment in customer service, believing it is another key reason for its continued success. “When someone calls MiT-M, they’re going to get a person on the other end,” Humphrey says. “They are not going to talk with a machine. We believe in providing customer service that is second to none.”
“We have a company of talented people who enjoy working together for a common purpose—growing the business,” Humphrey says.
Performance under pressure ... at Mi-T-M it is not just a slogan; it is an attitude. ■
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