NB business a half-century old

By Barbara Brown
A walk through Branch Manufacturing on Pine Street in North Branch can give a visitor the sense of watching a educational program on how things are made.
Shop owner Delmer Fairbanks smiles and excitedly tells the stories of the various parts that are made in the store and obviously takes pride in the fact that the company has remained a steady force in the tool and die industry since it moved to the area 50 years ago.
In 1952, three men ñ H.E. Dahlstrom, John E. Olson and Vernon Atwater ñ who owned a St. Paul-area tool and die shop moved the business to North Branch for lower production costs and a better labor draw.
Other local businessmen and volunteers got together to raise the original 80-by-85 building. Several additions have been made to the property since then.
When Branch Manufacturing moved to North Branch, the newspaper printed a front page story inviting the public to visit the shop at an open house.
In recognition of the companyís work in the area, Fairbanks and his partners, sons Timothy and Troy, again are inviting the public to see what the shop is all about.
As when the shop first opened, a visit to the business is really the best way to get an idea about how it works.
On a Monday tour of the shop, Fairbanks explained the process of forming tool and die from the time the engineers receive plans and specs through the completed process.
He highlighted the multitudes of examples of previously used dies, including ones for original Tonka toy trucks.
The move worked out for the best and Branch Manufacturing has built its reputation in the field of tool and die to the point where its clients included companies like Arctic Cat, Tonka, Frigidaire, Toro and John Deere.
Currently, the shop is working on several projects at once. One of those projects is school desks that will be sent in pieces to the prison in Stillwater where inmates will assemble the desks.

Many clients
A diversified client base is what keeps Branch Manufacturing running even in slim financial times.
Fairbanks said the company has not laid off anyone in the past few years on the basis of cut-backs.
He said having a number of clients from all different businesses ñ from agricultural and recreation to appliances and government contracts ñ enables Branch Manufacturing to continue to make products and money.
ìWeíre building parts for all different sectors,î Fairbanks said.
The shop can build things from grease can covers to running boards for snowmobiles.
Branch Manufacturing does not assemble any machinery or other products in the shop.
The shop only produces pieces in an assembly line style that are then shipped back to the ordering company. That company sometimes uses parts in local plants and other times ships the parts all over the world for full assembly.

Technology works
While most of the process seems rather low-tech, many aspects of the die making at Branch Manufacturing are very much technologically advanced.
From the CAD/CAM drafting systems the engineers use to draw plans to the computerized cutting machines, the job shop uses all kinds of labor from computers to humans.
Employees at Branch Manufacturing have to be sharp and alert.
Not only do they have physical safety to worry about around the heavy, thumping, spinning and cutting machines, but they also must keep quality control in mind.
If a draft is misread and incorrect information entered into one of the computerized cutting machines, the piece could be ruined or worse, the machine could break.
But while the staff keeps safety and quality in mind, the work environment is welcoming and casual, lending to pleasant workers.

Family affair
Fairbanks went to work for Branch Manufacturing as an apprentice shortly after graduating from North Branch High School in 1958.
After working there for a couple years, he went to a vocational school and became a journeyman tool and die maker.
In 1969, Fairbanks was brought into the fold as a partner in the company.
By 1993, he was the last remaining partner after several power shifts and buy-outs.
His sons were made partners in the company after they had graduated from the University of Minnesota.
Both Troy and Tim Fairbanks had worked at the shop during and after high school.
ìIt has become a real family business,î Fairbanks said.
That family feeling is not only shared between father and sons, but between boss and employees.
Fairbanks knows all of the 50 employees by name and is cheerful and friendly when he walks through the shop.
Several of the employees have been working at the shop for years.
ìThe employees here are so hardworking and loyal,î Fairbanks said.
ìThey are probably our best asset,î he said. ìIt really has become a family business. We like it like that.î

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