How Norwalt Automation has developed an innovative and young engineering department through internal training 

Norwalt Automation is a family-owned business that began over 50 years ago. Director of Operations, Matt Seitel, elaborates on how the business has evolved into a preferred and trusted resource for elite automation machinery: “My grandfather founded the company in 1971,” he begins. “We make custom automation machinery. This can be anything from assembly to different types of packaging, including filling, cap lining, closing, and layer packing. We make machines that no one else likes to make; complex and difficult ones. We come up with the concept of catering to the customer, including any adaptations they might want. Typically, we start from scratch with a customer. They’ll come to us with an idea, we consider all of their requirements and then come up with a concept sketch. Then we design all the mechanical and electrical components. 

“We take pride in the quality of our machines; we always aim to impart the highest quality and the most efficiency possible into the equipment. We also prioritize our customer service. When a customer is experiencing issues, they can always call us, even at 3am, I will pick up the phone. In the US, we guarantee 24-hour on-site support.”

Matt then reflects on how demand for automated solutions has evolved in recent years: “There have been quite drastic changes. Since Covid, there has been a boom, not only with our customers but also internally. We have integrated a significant number of AI solutions, for example. We’ve seen many manual processes, especially in the medical field, become automated. Many customers have come to us looking to automate medical processes, such as handling test tubes, integrating vision systems and cameras, and installing robot cells into labs. This ensures that if any extenuating circumstances arise that prevent people from coming into the lab, essential medical services will still be able to continue. Such continuity measures are becoming a key facet of helping customers realize a sustainable future.” 

Matt then explains the company’s approach to the research and development of new products: “We have an internal board that meets every week. The team stays consistently abreast of the latest developments, as well as ensuring that we know what our customers are seeking. The team has also analyzed vendor relationships, and we’ve developed an entirely automated purchasing system. All the parts that we purchase are processed automatically. The system retrieves quotes and selects the vendor itself. 

“We’ve been able to make significant developments like this because of the great people we have at the company. We focus on getting the best people rather than seeking out specific qualifications and then train them within the specifics of our business approach. These people have brought brilliant ideas to the table over the years. In our Tampa plant, for example, we hired bright people who had no experience in our industry and trained them up from scratch. We already had an apprenticeship program in our New Jersey plant and were able to prove that it works in Tampa as well. It can be very tough to find workers, so we chose good people who enjoyed working with their hands and developed their skills internally. To combat the industry-wide difficulties, we have taken the initiative to build up the workforce ourselves. We have found that there are a lot of terrific people who are very eager to learn. 

“In both our facilities, we have taken a proactive, inclusive approach by teaching everyone a little bit of everything. For example, our assemblers are now able to build and wire a machine themselves. This creates a sense of ownership over the machine. Compared to the more compartmentalized, traditional methodology, keeping staff working on a machine for the whole production cycle makes the job more satisfying and maintains their passion and interest in the process. Our commitment to this strategy is reflected in the fact that training currently represents our largest investment. We work closely with vendors and trade schools who come in to teach skills like welding.” 

Looking forward to the year ahead, Matt outlines the company’s ambitions: “We’re expecting a significant amount of growth because of the new markets we have entered. For example, we have our new digital print division, where we have developed innovative direct object printing technologies that we have patented. We are also developing new concepts that to our knowledge no one else in automation has done with certain machines, such as magnetic tile systems. 

“We have a very bright group of young engineers. We have one of the youngest engineering departments I have ever seen. They’re constantly coming up with breakthrough developments that ensure we can stay ahead of the curve.” 

Matt concludes by reiterating the positive impact company culture has had on the business’s performance: “We make sure we stay connected to our employees. Our managers speak to every single team member every day so that everyone knows what is going on with every project. Despite almost doubling the size of the business in the last couple of years, we have maintained this connection. This creates a culture where we bring in a great young person without the skills and develop them into a troubleshooter or assembler within a couple of years.”  

norwalt.com