Tucked away in a nondescript commercial building in Laurel, Montana is an American manufacturing success story that could easily be a feature of 60 Minutes or 20-20 news magazines. This innovative manufacturer is Wood's Powr-Grip.
I first came into contact with the Wood's vacuum lifting products as a stone mason apprentice in the late 1970s working in Los Angeles and seeing glaziers use the hand-held vacuum cups to install glass panels. It wasn't long before I started seeing stone installers using vacuum cups to set granite, marble floor tiles, and safely handling stone in many different installations. As a stone professional, I assumed that the Wood's story started in the glass handling industry and ended in the stone industry. Little did I know the "backstory" until I recently took a tour through their Montana factory.
What I came to learn was that Wood's PowrGrip first started in the hinterlands of snowy Wolf Point, Montana as Wood's Auto Electric, founded by the town's inventor and fix-it guy Howard Wood in 1964.
Howard could repair just about anything and was an avid motorcycle rider who ran the local dealership for Indian and Matchless motorcycles. Howard was frustrated with the tools available to lap (grind and set) engine valves and valve seats, so he invented the world's first pump action vacuum cup for engine valves. This pump action vacuum cup evolved into the extensive line of vacuum lifters manufactured today for many different industries.
What made the Wood's cup unique was the introduction of the red-line safety indicator which warns the user if there is any loss of vacuum. Additionally, a check valve system allows the operator to restore the vacuum without ever breaking suction.
The first patent for the pump-style vacuum cup was granted in March of 1966. In the late 1960s the first battery-powered lifter for use with overhead cranes and hoists was introduced and patented. For several decades, Wood's Powr-Grip continued to innovate and introduce numerous products that found their way into many different industries, all from the tiny town of Wolf Point, Montana. In 1990 the company moved to Laurel, just west of Billings.
When I took the tour of the factory, I expected to see a modern assembly plant. But I was pleasantly surprised to learn that in this age of industrial outsourcing, virtually everything is designed, engineered and manufactured under the Wood's roof. American-bred and -raised, the Wood's family employs more than 100 people and controls every aspect of design, engineering and production.
Raw materials are delivered at one end of the plant where aluminum plates and other materials are cut on a Flow waterjet system. Many components are processed on one of four CNC milling centers. The welding shop uses several types of welding techniques (Arc, Mig, Tig) depending on the materials used and the nature of the components being built.
In addition, every brass hand vacuum pump assembly is hand-braised in a semi-automatic assembly line using equipment designed inhouse over the years to speed up and improve quality and efficiency. Every component is rigorously examined and tested to maintain the quality and integrity of each part.
Once welded or braised, various parts go to the paint shop to be painted using custom designed conveyors and painting booths, again to insure quality and to improve efficiencies.
One of the most critical elements that go into a Wood's vacuum cup is the rubber cup itself. Over the years, the Wood's engineers have worked with rubber suppliers to develop the right compounds for the various models of cup to achieve the best suction for each material and to ensure lasting durability.
Pallets of raw rubber compound are sorted and stacked in preparation of the molding process. Much of the molding techniques are proprietary and cannot be disclosed for competitive reasons. Each style of cup is pressed in a custom designed and milled mold that is also made in their CNC milling shop. This molding process is remarkable in that every aspect of the design and equipment is handled in-house rather than being outsourced. Because the Wood's family has developed so many of the patents and processes over the years, this element of their products remain strictly under their tight control.
The assembly floor has several stations that assemble hundreds of parts and many components in strict conformance to design protocol. Every aspect of machining and assembly is guided by rigorous standards that make the Wood's company the only domestic manufacturer of vacuum lifting equipment that is ISO 9001 certified-a distinction they have enjoyed since 1998. The engineering team is made up of highly skilled and specialized mechanical engineers with more than 40 years designing vacuum lifting tools and equipment. Their Chief Engineer is a subcommittee member for Standard B30.20 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Understandably, it takes a long time for people to accept and trust vacuum lifters to carry a 1,500 pound granite slab or a sheet of glass and only a fraction of a second for the trust to be completely wiped out. For this reason it is extremely important that their products work, as advertised, right out of the box, every time.
Wood's Powr-Grip commitment to quality has been the foundation of their company since 1964 and they individually test every vacuum cup, vacuum lifter and other product before it ships from their facility. Specially designed testing equipment is used to rigorously test each lifting system to exceed safety limits to insure that any worker using a Wood's Powr-Grip tool does not risk injury while using it.
At Wood's, even the cases are made in their own thermoplastic vacuum molding presses to further insure that their equipment is stored in a safe and properly designed storage container. Lastly, large vacuum lifters are packaged in specially designed crates to insure that they are safely and securely shipped to destinations in the United States and around the world.
Since it's humble beginnings in Wolf Point, Montana, the Wood's family and development team has designed and sold equipment that greatly improves the safety of workers and materials for many different industries. Of course, the glass and stone handling remain their largest industry segment, but Wood's also designs vacuum lifting equipment for many different industries including specially designed lifters for exterior siding, for commercial applications.
Historical photo of founder Howard Wood working in his machine shop.
Above: Recent photo of PT10HV11 below-the-hook vacuum lifter in use at a stone shop.
Center: Historical photo of the original Valve Grinder tool in action.
Far right: The new N4300 hand-held vacuum cup for lifting stone. What made the Wood's Cup unique was the introduction of the red-line safety indicator which warns the user if there is any loss of vacuum. Additionally, a check valve system allows the operator to restore the vacuum without ever breaking suction.
Their designers and engineers can design specialized equipment to handle virtually any product that greatly improves the ergonomic handling of heavy goods or minimizes the hazardous effects of repetitive motion, reducing injuries while improving efficiencies that can add to the bottom line of many businesses. And true to the company roots, valve lapping vacuum cups are still manufactured and sold by the Wood's family.
Lastly, the Wood's Powr-Grip has contributed greatly to the local community over the decades and even built a baseball park on adjacent property to sponsor youth athletics. Wood's PowrGrip invests in their team members and community in such a big way while engineering best-in-class vacuum handling equipment exported throughout the world.
If you ever feel like America has forever lost its competitive edge in the world market, when you take your summer or winter vacation, travel to beautiful Montana, and schedule a trip to Laurel to see a world-class, American manufacturer. After I finished my factory tour, I saw once again why America is "Good and Great," and was proud to be associated with such a fine company and family.
Torin Dixon is owner and director of Montana Stone Gallery, an importer and distributor of stone slabs in Missoula, Montana. Contact him at tdixon@montanastonegallery.com
Above: MT8 vacuum lifter manipulating white stone. One of the most critical elements that goes into a Wood's vacuum cup is the rubber cup itself. Over the years, the Wood's engineers have worked with rubber suppliers to develop the right compounds for the various models of cup to achieve the best suction for each material and to ensure lasting durability.
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