Michigan Ball Screw Wizard Dennis Johnson Says Balls To The Bruised Economy

    DETROIT, MI, March 31, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In Thread-Craft's 40,000 square foot Sterling Heights plant, neatly organized rows of computerized mills, grinders, drills and lathes hum loudly under a 30 ton overhead crane. The plant floor is shiny and spotless. Keeping an eye on things in his crisp, button-down white dress shirt and dark blue down-filled vest is President and owner Dennis Johnson. Born and raised in the machining and thread grinding business, he could be Henry Fonda's mechanically inclined nephew. Johnson bought Thread-Craft from his Dad in 1986 and has since grown the 50 year old company into a multimillion dollar leader of the ball-screw industry.

If you don't know what a ball screw is you're not alone. Although they are commonplace, they are almost always hidden from sight. Ball screws are high precision threaded shafts with nuts that have ball bearings inside them. They can translate the spinning motion from an electrical motor into precise, closely controlled linear motion. Used in everything from electronics to transport plane tail assemblies, small ball screws move things like DVD trays and large ones raise and lower tail flaps on airplanes.

A hands-on, second generation ball screw company owner, Johnson says he's heard enough jokes about balls and screws to last ten lifetimes, so he's used to being made fun of. He remembers when ball screws were regarded as a novelty, ridiculed for causing more problems than they solved. In spite of the many Nay-Sayers, Johnson saw the potential advantages and quietly worked on ball screws behind closed doors for five years before he felt ready to offer his expertise to the world. The ball screw business is still growing today and the rest of Thread-Craft's story is, as they say, history.

Dennis Johnson credits non-stop innovation, hard earned growth, and his motivated, customer-focused team of employees as key factors in Thread-Craft's success.
With a planned expansion in Sterling Heights and a new plant opening up in Ramos, Mexico, Johnson is too busy running his business to gripe about the challenges of today's bruised economy.

A personable, self-admitted shop rat, he is often seen walking the floor, quietly watching or offering his insight. He leads by example, starting each 12 hour day at 6 AM sharp. He is quick to offer help and to give credit to his team members for their 'above and beyond' effort. After pacing out his management miles on Thread-Craft's shop floor, Johnson stops in at the gym for a work-out on his way home. He claims that it's the best way to keep his own mental and physical equipment running as well as his company's does.

Many of Thread-Craft's employees have been with the company for over thirty years. They credit their longevity to Johnson's welcoming 'part of the family' attitude and his team-based management style. Like any business owner, Johnson has seen his fair share of management and staff move on to new opportunities, but his turnover is much lower than industry standards. "We love the guy." Says one of his precision machining operators. "His passion for what we do is contagious and he's always right there, literally when ever you need an answer you can't seem to find anywhere else."

Thread-Craft is a world leading innovator in ball screw, worm gear and lead screw engineering, manufacturing and repair. Based in Sterling Heights, Michigan, the company is family owned and has done work for NASCAR, NASA and Raytheon, as well as many OEMs, Tier One and Tier Two automotive vendors.

Website: http://www.threadcraft.com

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