Business
Pindel Global Precision entered 2020 making no ventilator parts for its customers. The New Berlin-based precision machining manufacturer exited the year having made thousands of parts for five customers. Bill Berrien, chief executive officer of Pindel, and his team were among the companies that moved quickly as the COVID-19 pandemic hit to find a way to contribute. The experience led Berrien to start a new venture in addition to Pindel called PRODx, short for Production Expediting Technologies. The idea behind PRODx is fairly simply. Buyers at larger manufacturers will turn to PRODx when they run into issues with their existing supply chains. PRODx will then take the order to a network of machining companies, ask them to quote it and then return it to the buyer, ideally fulfilling what Berrien describes as the buyer’s “hair-on-fire” need. Berrien joined associate editor Arthur Thomas on the BizTimes MKE Podcast to discuss his new venture, the inspiration it draws from Uber Black and his time in the Navy SEALs, and how it fits into a larger vision for manufacturing in the U.S.