Welcome to Success Stories, where we sit down with duct fabricators and sheet metal shops of all sizes for genuine conversations about how partnering with Mestek Machinery has impacted their operations. Watch the interview or read the transcript to learn how we help contractors find the right machinery and equipment solutions to boost their productivity and improve their business.
In this episode, we sat down with Kevin Ryan, CEO of Sheet Metal Werks, Inc. in Arlington Heights, IL to discuss his journey with Mestek Machinery from his first purchase of a Lockformer® Plasma Table in 1989 to how Mestek Machinery has become his trusted partner for all his equipment needs.
As you evaluate your operation’s equipment needs, please remember that we’re always here to help. We’d love an opportunity to help you achieve your objectives so please don’t hesitate to reach out for a consultation. There’s absolutely no obligation — we’ll simply get some information about your operation and what you’re looking to do and see how we can help.
CEO | Sheet Metal Werks, Inc.
In August 1987, Kevin Ryan and and his father became business partners when they started Sheet Metal Werks. Kevin’s dad was a sheet metal worker and taught him to never to say no to work. One night when he was working at their shop in downtown Des Plaines, IL, a guy sitting at a traffic light heard my air hammer and stopped to get a quote on a project. Kevin gave him a price, the new customer gave the go-ahead, and the rest is history. And that customer is still a customer today.
The company has grown into an 80,000-square-foot facility that has been redesigned to improve workflow opening up 3,200 square feet in shipping and receiving and dramatically improving their efficiency. True to their drive for continuous improvement, the team constantly evaluates their resources which results in empowering and elevating their team members and taking their product to the next level.
In 2016, Sheet Metal Werks, Inc. placed third out of 138 firms in the U.S. and Canada within the 50,001-100,000 man-hour category of the 2016 Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association Safety Excellence Award Program (SSEAP) for their outstanding safety and health records.
With a staff of nearly 50, Sheet Metal Werks has the experience and capabilities Chicagoland customers have come to know and trust. Each product is tailored to the customer’s expectations, and each customer is treated like family.
So for me, the first piece of equipment, was through Lockformer. I’m old school. I’ve been dealing with these guys probably since the late eighties. And, pretty much a couple years or maybe a year or two after I started the business, I started forming this partnership with Lockformer. And the first piece of equipment, major piece of equipment I partnered with them was the plasma table.
It seemed like a no brainer to me. I looked at other optional pieces of equipment, but for me and my wife, Sue, it seemed like a very simple decision based on, location, support, and just the functionality of machine. It, by far, seemed so much more superior than than the competitors.
So for me, with the support from Mestek Machinery, Lockformer, Iowa Precision, it was a no brainer because of the serviceability. And, again, to me, location, at that time, Cedar Rapids, very close to the Chicago market. And for me, after the plasma table, we just grew and grew. It gave us the ability to service our contractors at the time, still being a relatively small shop — I think we had three guys going on the time at the floor.
The natural transition was to hop in and purchase a coil line. Again, shopped out their competitors, looked at the equipment, and to me, it was another no brainer to look at the quality and the way this thing was built. So the next purchase, was the Iowa Precision Full Coil Line. We didn’t get the TDC in the line right away because of cost. I was still a little guy. But literally months later, after we got through our original shop, moved into another shop, we simultaneously built the in line TDC and incorporated into my first line.
In 2024, Sheet Metal Werks purchased Iowa Precision Pro-Fabriduct Full Coil Line — which has been redesigned and re-engineered to produce Product — a finished duct with a full engagement longitudinal seam, which substantially reduces the chances of leakage in the corners of the duct’s transverse joint by up to 25% in most cases. This is what Kevin Ryan had to say about the new equipment: “This new coil line from Iowa Precision — the Pro-Fabriduct Line — is industry-changing. International Test and Balance performed pressure testing on 1-inch through 6-inch pressure class. Due to the improvement in notching and breaking, which closes the corners, the company now sees a reduction in typical air leakage by up to 40 percent. This technology will result in an improved overall quality, which allows Sheet Metal Werks to provide SMACNA contractors with a higher level of efficiency when it comes to sealing duct in the field.”
See the new model below.
Good, bad, or indifferent, the support they’ve (Mestek Machinery) given us and the support they’ve given my team, from my president on down, my superintendent, and my general foreman, whether it’s phone support or literally hopping on a plane or hopping in a car and driving over and being over the next morning, to me, that’s most important because I know Iowa Precision, Lockformer, Mestek Machinery, we can’t afford to be down. Right? We have spoiled our contractors with service, and they (Mestek Machinery) know how important it is and how critical it is to get us up and running in the quickest fashion possible no matter what that takes. If it’s literally holding our hand and taking us through the issues that we’re experiencing or if it’s something that they need to come in, bring a bunch of parts with them, and diagnose the problem and get it fixed. The support, bar none, has been amazing over the years.
Our most recent purchase, you know, Mike Bailey and I went back and forth, a lot of times for probably a year or two, was the Lockformer Vulcan Fiber Laser. The laser cutting table, has been a game changer for us, both in speed and accuracy.
What this machine has done for us to take our fitting side of the business to another level in turnaround time and in cutting time, it it’s it’s been incredible to experience, and it’s only been a short time, maybe six months or so.
The Lockformer Vulcan Fiber Laser Cutting System — installed at Sheet Metal Werks in 2024.
I would say without question, our business philosophies between the two companies are almost meshed as one. It’s truly about support and service. And for me, over the years, over the decades, it’s been a no brainer to make the decisions we’ve made. Even though the the pricing might not be where we’d like it, to me, the value add that Mestek Machinery as a whole brings in the table is worth every single penny.
I would say for support and the importance of partnering with a company like Mestek Machinery, for me, over the decades, and I would tell the new kid on the block, as you just asked me, to, like, truly look at the big picture. Right? Like, you could save a couple of dollars and have a piece of equipment and get the job done. But what we’ve tried to do at Sheet Metal Werks over the years is make the investments that separate us from our competitors.
And I feel over the years, the way Mestek Machinery, Iowa Precision, and Lockformer have looked at the issues, have looked at problem solving, have looked at creating space between us and the competition, to me, they are always cutting edge on the market. I look at them as the Ferrari of sheet metal fabrication equipment versus their competitors.
I feel that (the competitors) may take some shortcuts, in doing such things, just little things that tend to add up and kind of, I would say, minimize the quality that comes out to the end user, which is our contractor, our client. Like, our contractor is our boss. So for us, for me, since 1987, it’s been a no brainer for me to continue this solid partnership that we’ve developed over the decades, with these folks and their entire team based on the value add they give to us, based on the support they give us, based on the separation they give us between us and our competitor.
Mestek Machinery is comprised of a family of metal forming manufacturing brands with deep roots in the HVAC duct fabrication industry: Lockformer, Iowa Precision, Engel, and Roto-Die. Together, our brands design and manufacture the most complete, productive, and innovative metal forming solutions for the fabrication of HVAC sheet metal ductwork and fittings. With over 100 years of combined experience addressing every facet of the HVAC duct industry, our knowledge and experience allows us to develop cutting edge, precision technologies, and automated manufacturing equipment that saves sheet metal contractors and fabricators time and labor while ensuring a finished duct product of unmatched quality.
Looking to improve the productivity and profitability of your HVAC duct and fittings fabrication operation? Looking for a solution to address a particular application? Schedule a no obligation, 1-on-1 consultation with a Mestek Machinery Technical Advisor today.
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