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Local knife manufacturer cuts waste with grant’s help

Assistance program rejuvenates West Carrollton company.

Chuck Biehn, CEO of CB Manufacturing on Infirmary Road in West Carrollton,has made several changes to his business, a producer of industrial knives, to keep it afloat.

Staff photo by Jan Underwood Chuck Biehn, CEO of CB Manufacturing on Infirmary Road in West Carrollton,has made several changes to his business, a producer of industrial knives, to keep it afloat.

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By Thomas Gnau, Staff Writer Updated 11:32 AM Friday, August 5, 2011

WEST CARROLLTON — Chuck Biehn’s father, Charlie, started his industrial knife manufacturing business in his West Carrollton home in 1965. So, when the younger Biehn saw that he was importing more product from overseas, he felt a twinge of regret.

Chuck Biehn wanted to bring more manufacturing work back to the United States, but also cut costs, boost profitability and, in the process, pay homage to his father.

CB Manufacturing sought the aid of the University of Michigan-based Great Lakes Trade Adjustment Assistance Center to eliminate waste, refurbish processes and secure a $75,000 grant, which the company had to match.

The center helps essentially sound companies make needed changes, said Ruth Ann Church, the center’s marketing director.

“We help companies do what they already know they need to do, but do it faster,” Church said.

Her center also helps firms find markets and hone sales strategies. The nonprofit, federally funded center says the five-year survival rate of its clients is 94 percent.

In competing with Chinese and Indian firms, American businesses have natural advantages, Church said. Those include common language and being close enough to allow just-in-time inventories.

Roger Adams, CB’s vice president of manufacturing, said the trade assistance center helped weed out waste. Production workers used to give him all written work orders first, but sometimes that meant delays of up to half a day before work began. Adams forgoes that now.

“Sometimes, it’s the old adage, you can’t see the forest for the trees,” Adams said.

The results: Biehn’s profitability is up by at least 20 percent. The company — with a division in Centerville — has 100 employees total, up from 85 in 2009. Two employees were hired this week, and Biehn says he is still looking for sales employees.

Sales are down from an annual mark of about $30 million in 2007, but Biehn attributes much of that to the recent sale of a division, Certified Tool & Grinding. Today, companywide annual sales total about $25 million, Biehn said.

“We’re not just trying to grow for growth’s sake,” he said.

CB Manufacturing Inc.

Based: 4455 Infirmary Road, West Carrollton

Makes: Industrial knives and blades

Customers: Tire recyclers, carpet makers, others

Division: American Cutting Edge, Centerville, which specializes in smaller industrial razor blades

Employees: 100 total, about 80 in West Carrollton, the rest in Centerville

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