The pursuit of perfection prevails at Wolverine Advanced Materials as it continues to expand and diversify
Where innovation meets impact, Wolverine Advanced Materials (Wolverine) is dedicated to driving manufacturing excellence across all corners of the world. Founded in 1934, Wolverine boasts a remarkable legacy spanning over 90 years – an exceptional feat that’s representative of its ‘never ending pursuit of perfection’. The company specializes in the manufacture of advanced performance-critical elastomer-coated metals for the automotive, brake NVH and sealing industries, with extra damping and sealing capabilities. From initial conception to prototyping, manufacturing, testing, and distribution, Wolverine offers a comprehensive breadth of solutions suited to a vast range of applications, all delivered with an emphasis on providing the very best customer experience.
As it edges ever closer to that century milestone, Manufacturing Today sits down with Wolverine’s Chief Executive Officer, Douglas Campos, to discuss how the
company’s commitment to innovation continues to pave the way for greater expansion and diversification.
“Wolverine Advanced Materials has been here for over 90 years and it’s famous for innovation. It’s in our DNA and it’s the reason why the company has been able to sustain for so many years,” Douglas begins. “We’re a Tier 2 and Tier 3 supplier of advanced materials to the automotive industry, though we have plans to diversify further. We have a large R&D team comprised of engineers and chemists with PhDs and masters, and we have comprehensive laboratory capabilities to create and test new formulations before they go to market.
“Today, we have around 520 employees. We’re headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, and we’re present across North and South America, Europe and Asia. In July 2024, Wolverine became fully independent, and we now belong to a private equity group in North America. The market is receiving the change well and the board is very supportive of our business.”
Douglas was appointed Wolverine’s Chief Executive Officer last year following an impressive 25-plus-year career in manufacturing and is enthusiastic to bring his experience, ambition and expertise to new heights. Renowned for its customer-centric approach, the company is very proud of its global presence, which encompasses 12 locations across four continents. With facilities in North America, Brazil, Germany, and China, plus teams in Japan, India and Italy, Wolverine delivers fast, reliable solutions to an enormous international customer base, all with an unparalleled level of customer care.
One of Wolverine’s most recent developments, in fact, was the launch of its new state-of-the-art technical facility in Changshu, China, which opened in 2024. A multi-million-dollar investment, the new facility will boost Wolverine’s Chinese presence even further, with six dynamometers set to be installed to increase the efficiency and capacity in its brake testing business.
“We already have a sales office in Shanghai and the manufacturing plant in Changshu, but in Q1 this year, we inaugurated an R&D lab in Changshu, China. The Chinese market is really fast – there are so many OEMs and the volumes are huge – so it needs an expert partner like Wolverine that can find a solution quickly and bring it to market,” Douglas says.
The opening of this new technical facility falls directly in line with Wolverine’s strategic diversification plan. China continues to be an expanding market for the company, offering a wealth of opportunity to further broaden its capabilities. The EV sector, for instance, is a major growth area, particularly within the Chinese market where over 60 percent of new vehicles are NEVs (new energy vehicles), but the flexibility and adaptability of Wolverine’s solutions make them suited to a wide scope of applications and geographical markets – the possibilities are endless.
“In terms of diversification, we’re expanding both in regions and applications. Geographically, we’re exploring more opportunities in South America and Southeast Asia. On the applications side, we want to diversify into non-automotive markets, most likely into construction and appliances, as many of our products can be used within roofing, on garage doors, in microwaves, vending machines, refrigerators, and elevators, among others,” Douglas explains.
Grown from a single location to a manufacturing empire, Wolverine’s journey has been nothing short of a true global success story. Now in its 91st year, the company continues to flourish, with many exciting material developments, AI initiatives and geographical expansions on the horizon. Looking to the years ahead, Douglas is optimistic about the future, however not without paying homage to all the factors that have helped drive such longevity and triumph.
“What separates us from our competitors is our right to win, which lies in the reliability to deliver performance-critical, customer focused solutions globally, in a timely fashion with exceptional service at a reasonable cost. Lots of our customers are global companies, and Wolverine’s presence in every region is particularly special. It’s all about the continuous improvement mindset, a strong delivery and quality focus and having the right inventory in the right place,” Douglas reveals. “The Wolverine culture starts with individual mindset. We try to concentrate on trust, agility, team collaboration, and open communication, and by driving the right culture, along with our customer focus, we’re also able to drive growth and operational excellence.
“We also value our supply chain and our partners; everything starts with them. Over time, we’ve been working on improving our supply chain relationships so that we can really bring the best companies along with us on our journey.”
As our conversation draws to a close, Douglas shares his plans for Wolverine’s future whilst reflecting on its most important asset. “In five years’ time, I would like to see the business continue to grow at a significant rate, with a presence in even more regions and greater diversity in our solutions and applications. We will still be the same Wolverine, but bigger and more diverse.
“I love the Wolverine culture and really enjoy working with the team here,” he concludes. “We have a lot of talent internally, along with a number of long-term employees who have worked with us for 20-to-40 or more years, which is amazing and says a lot for the culture at Wolverine. There’s a lot of passion and excitement here.”