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Contributors: Nathan Anderson, Radco Industries; Emily Dammeyer, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce
Innovative solutions to international industry-wide problems are being developed right here in Toledo. Radco Industries is a technology development house that offers their clients a blend of expertise to develop custom machinery and robotics integration. Rick, Mary and Nathan Anderson, the leadership team at Radco, are proud of the team that they have built to design custom automation from concept to solution.
Mary and Rick Anderson bought the 50 year-old Radco Industries to develop new technologies based on the custom automation and robotics capabilities of the company. Says Mary, “We bought the company because of the employees. We are more futuristic and needed people who think outside the box, those that can challenge themselves.” They continue to have some business with legacy customers from a rich history of building prototype equipment, but they spend a lot of time working on internal projects to develop new technologies in new industries.
Mary and Rick Anderson bought the 50 year-old Radco Industries to develop new technologies based on the custom automation and robotics capabilities of the company. Says Mary, “We bought the company because of the employees. We are more futuristic and needed people who think outside the box, those that can challenge themselves.” They continue to have some business with legacy customers from a rich history of building prototype equipment, but they spend a lot of time working on internal projects to develop new technologies in new industries.
When Mary and Rick bought the company, they wanted to shift from the historical automotive industry focus to develop new technology, primarily in small-scale food automation. That focus spawned the creation of InSitu Foods, a company focused on creating systems to enable the production of grain-based foods from raw materials, in place, on a small scale. InSitu’s first incarnation, a fully automated dough processing prototype machine, supplied bread to The Anderson’s retail outlets for two years. The successful pilot provided the necessary feedback to create the commercial system, intended for nation-wide application.
“By using these capabilities, we hope new businesses will be fostered in the Toledo Area and beyond.” |  |
Radco also acquired exclusive rights to the AURA Infusion Technology, which led to the launch of OmniFusion, LLC in 2011. The AURA process allows the company to provide a cost-effective and environmentally responsible way to deposit organic additives into post-formed polymers. Radco’s unique system development capabilities enabled OmniFusion to bring the lab-scale AURA technology to commerce. Example applications include infusion of UV absorbers into LED optical arrays which lower system-level costs for new street lighting and custom colored profiles enabling just-in-time (JIT) inventory management.
While many of their solutions are proprietary and confidential, the leadership team was excited to talk about their work process. Each of their solutions is built through a collaborative process with all of their employees. Rick shared, “The core of our success is innovation and the ability to take innovative ideas and turn them into processes for industry.”
The Andersons feel the Toledo region is the perfect place for their business because of the connectivity to the community and various industries in the area, as well as the accessibility to companies outside of the region. They enjoy proximity and partnership with the University of Toledo and employ of their engineering students as co-ops.
While many of their solutions are proprietary and confidential, the leadership team was excited to talk about their work process. Each of their solutions is built through a collaborative process with all of their employees. Rick shared, “The core of our success is innovation and the ability to take innovative ideas and turn them into processes for industry.”
The Andersons feel the Toledo region is the perfect place for their business because of the connectivity to the community and various industries in the area, as well as the accessibility to companies outside of the region. They enjoy proximity and partnership with the University of Toledo and employ of their engineering students as co-ops.
“Toledo is a great place to do what we are doing, because Toledo is the heart of what we call the ‘Rustbelt’. Over decades, skilled workers built the capabilities that Radco enjoys now. We are simply using those capabilities and skills to develop technologies for the future which we believe have great potential.” - Rick Anderson, President & Co-Owner
The team at Radco also recognizes that forming quality partnerships with other organizations and manufacturing companies is very beneficial for their business. They collaborate with the Regional Growth Partnership, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and Employers Association to gain business insight. They also take advantage of the plethora of sophisticated manufacturing capabilities in the region, farming out some complex machining tasks that can be handled more efficiently by others. The Andersons each reflected that the accessibility to decision makers in the market in our region is one of the major plusses of doing business in Toledo.
“Many of the capabilities we seek exist in the area with our rich history. Within 50 miles, you can find someone that has the capabilities you are seeking.” – Nathan Anderson
Mary especially appreciates the employees at Radco. As a manufacturing company, Mary says that Radco Industries takes great responsibility for their employees, 15 in all. “We have terrific employees,” says Mary, “they are very talented and creative. I am so proud to say that we are part of the company that they choose to work for.”
“We’ve got the younger generation coming up and they have wonderful ideas. Marry that with the more experienced generation and you will find a phenomenal grouping with tremendous potential.” - Mary Anderson, Radco Industries
Mary has advice for those entering the field. She believes that the future of manufacturing is no longer the outdated industry that some may picture. The new technologies that are available make her very optimistic for a bright future in manufacturing. For young engineers thinking about entering the manufacturing field, particularly women, Mary says, “Go for it! Our only limitations are those we make in our own minds.”
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