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Johnson Industries International Inc. takes pride in manufacturing equipment that can last for decades, President Grant Nesheim says. "Our first RMC molder that we put in has been in operation for over a decade," he says. "It just keeps working with very little maintenance. "It tends to last a little too long," he jokes.

The company, based in Windsor, Wis., manufactures machines that process pasta filata (stretched-curd) style cheese such as mozzarella and provolone. "Our products have the highest production rate in the world," he says. "That is undisputed." Although they manufacture cooking, molding, and brining systems rated for 4,000, 8,000 and 12,000 pounds per hour, many customers operate well above these stated capacities, he adds.

The company also makes machines that cut, shred and package cheese, and provides maintenance and special services, such as integration work. "We also provide custom design and fabrication services for our customers depending on their needs," Nesheim adds.

Many clients are large cheese manufacturers and processors, but "we enjoy working with many different operations from small regional producers to multinational businesses," he says. "It depends on the need."
The machines, ranging between $5,000 and $2 million, are a long-term investment for customers, Nesheim says, so the company designs and builds them to ensure they will last for decades. For example, the company uses a tightly integrated ERP system to ensure consistent business operational integrity as well as 3-D parametric solid modeling CAD software for manufacturing and design purposes. Combined, these systems provide vision throughout the design and manufacturing process to meet the established project goals, he says.

Its engineering and manufacturing departments consist of 60 experienced employees with an average tenure of over 10 years, according to the company. "You can see our trademark quality in every machine we ship," it says.

"We never compromise quality and robustness," Nesheim stresses. "The cheese and dairy [industry] operates 24/7; downtime is unacceptable"

Meeting Standards
Most of Johnson's customers are in the United States, but it has distributed products to Japan, France, South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Germany. With a worldwide distribution base, the company must adhere to multiple safety and sanitary requirements. "The sanitary requirements have elevated and continue to be refined," Nesheim says. "We are thoughtful in our designs so that our machines conform with the applicable regional regulatory requirements.

"Unfortunately, there isn't one universally accepted standard," he says, "only regional. However, we always make sure that our machines exceed all regional safety and sanitary requirements.
"We frequently look for international opportunities and being able to supply to the various countries and regions that have growing dairy markets," he adds. "The popularity of cheese continues to grow and they typically need to increase processing capabilities in those regions.

"It is our intent to grow throughout the world," he adds.

The company has benefited from the falling U.S. dollar. "Naturally, we become more price competitive in the international market as a result," he adds.

Market Changes    
Nesheim says a recent rise in U.S. dairy prices has not directly impacted the company yet. "We did get a bit of a chill after 9/11," he notes.

"The market has been somewhat volatile, and is going back and forth," he says. "Because of the size of the investment [of Johnson's equipment], customers typically take a longer view of the economy. "We are not a seasonal business, but we tend to get more opportunities based on the general economic conditions," he notes.