New not always better This is a close-up of one of the older machines used by PTI Manufacturing located on the Crooked Road to Flora/Delphi to machine parts more efficiently than a newer machine. Owner Jim Proffitt said the best machine for the job is used, not necessarily the newest machine. Comet photo by Debbie Lowe With all the hand-wringing and complaining about the need for Carroll County to engage businesses to locate here for economic development purposes, it might be easy to forget that there are businesses here that are producing goods, succeeding in their mission and doing it quietly under the radar screen. One such entity is PTI Manufacturing located on the Crooked Road to Flora/Delphi.

"We're usually pretty quiet," Battle Ground native and owner Jim Proffitt said recently during a tour of the plant.

PTI relocated from an 8,000 sq. ft. building in West Delphi on Wells St. after 12 years to the 14,000 sq. ft. building on a three-and-a half-acre site (the old Walton Manufacturing building) approximately oneand a-half years ago. The company extended a blanket invitation to local leaders to tour the facility and learn about the plant and its products. Delphi Mayor Randy Strasser visited recently for a first-hand look at what the company offers to the county and the global manufacturing world.

"This is a diamond in the rough for Carroll County," Strasser said. "I wish others in the community understood what the area has to offer these small businesses."

PTI machines "Swiss Precision" parts (named after fine Swiss watches) for 50 to 60 companies including TRW, Parker Hydraulics in Illinois and Nelson Irrigation in Washington State. Other parts machined include airplanes and gun parts. Proffitt said much of PTI product is shipped overseas. The plant runs machines 22 hours each day and employs 12 people who live locally.

But Proffitt does not always use state-of-the-art equipment. He said new is not always best for his needs. Each piece of equipment has been evaluated by experts at no cost to the plant from the Purdue Research Park for efficiency and cost-analysis ratio comparison to determine if it is the correct piece of equipment to best suit the needs of PTI. Some of PTI machines are termed "robotic" and some were made in the 1960s, but have a higher production rate than newer machines made for the same purpose. Proffitt said he purchases approximately six new machines each year.

"Some of these machines might seem obsolete," Proffitt said, "but they produce parts at a faster rate than a new machine. And some of the parts they make we sell to China."

Proffitt said he has a good working relationship with the research park and it has paid off for him and in turn, he believes, for Carroll County.

Proffitt said he received no tax incentives to either locate or remain in Carroll County. He considered the lower county tax rate incentive enough to help the company realize a healthy profit.

Proffitt said parts made for Duncan Electric/Landis & Gear are now shipped to Mexico because the company moved there from their Tippecanoe County site.

According to Proffitt, employees can take up to six years to fully train to be able to operate all of the machines used in the parts manufacturing at the plant.

PTI leaves no stone unturned to maximize profits in order to survive in the global market. Nearly all waste is recycled for reuse, including oil, floor dry, all scrap metal turnings, cardboard boxes, plastics and glass.

"We have very little actual waste here," Proffitt explained.

Proffitt, who uses steel and iron to manufacture parts, said he tries to purchase as much product from U.S. companies as possible. However, what he needs is not always available from U.S. distributors, which forces him to shop from foreign competitors.

Proffitt strives for long-term growth by maintaining longterm relationships with buyers. He said the PTI kind of business is what Carroll County needs to survive rather than waiting for a large operation to swoop in and save the day for the county.

"I'd like to see the county encourage other small manufacturing businesses to locate here," he said.

Proffitt suggested county leaders should engage the free help offered by Purdue Research Park because those researchers will offer help and guidance to encourage growth in small manufacturing businesses.

"Carroll County has great opportunities to offer to small manufacturing concerns," he concluded. "I want to see the county prosper and I think this is the way to do it."