As we start the 4th quarter of 2020, I reflect on the challenges faced by the many businesses that we serve.  The impact of COVID-19 was devastating to some of our customers while others have seen an increase in business since the beginning of the year.  We were planning substantial growth at ALMCO in 2020 based upon the activity in the last quarter of 2019 and the number of opportunities at that time.  That plan changed by March as we learned of the impact to some of our customers and orders slowed.  However, I’m happy to report that the third quarter was great for ALMCO and the fourth quarter is starting out strong.  Our opportunities have reached the highest level since we started tracking them in our CRM software and incoming orders were significantly above average in Q3.

ALMCO’s business is designing and building standard and custom machines for the deburring, polishing, washing or finishing of many kinds of parts produced in many industries.  We build heavy-duty industrial equipment made to withstand high production and built to last for many years.  In fact, our service department occasionally receives calls for replacement parts for machines built as far back as the 1960’s.  Along with our equipment and service offerings, we offer chemicals and media that are specially designed to work with our systems.

When I started this position in 2019, I went on a long trip with our sales manager Jordan Loehr.  We made many stops to visit distributors and customers and listen to what they had to say.  During our visits, we discussed past and present experiences, areas of improvement, equipment ideas and most importantly asked how we can serve our customers better.  At ALMCO, we strive to make every project successful from the moment the power is turned on at the customer’s facility.  Unfortunately, there are a couple of systems per year where things don’t go as planned and we must make some changes.  That is just part of the custom machine business.  In those cases, we analyze the problem and develop a solution.  Since our current management team has been in place, every problem was resolved to the satisfaction of our customer, regardless of the cost to ALMCO because we stand behind our equipment.  We make that commitment to every customer, every day.

I am proud of our people, our company and our ethics.  I am also grateful for our many loyal customers as well as the new ones.  ALMCO has been able to thrive in this rough economy because of all of you that give us your business.  I sincerely hope that your business is experiencing success and growth this year.  I hope that you and your family are well, and I wish you good health through the rest of 2020.  Until the next update in Q1 2021….

 

Best Regards,

Tim Grahn