SIC-Lazaro emerges from yearlong restructuring effort
SIC-Lazaro, the Milwaukee-based manufacturer of custom OEM counterweights and machinery weldments for heavy duty equipment and elevators, is coming out of the final stages of a year-long turnaround orchestrated by the Cedarburg-based sales and marketing firm, the Vx Group.
“This is an exciting time for SIC-Lazaro,” said Kenneth J. Rawson, who recently joined SIC-Lazaro as General Manager. “Over the last year, the company has stabilized and started growing sales. Now, more than ever, we’re running leaner and stronger.”
Rawson’s hiring capped off a massive restructuring effort that began in 2017.
The American arm of a Spain-based company, SIC-Lazaro opened its Milwaukee plant in 2011 and over the years worked with the Northwest Side Community Development Corp. and the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. to fund its in-house growth initiatives. However, market shifts stalled the company’s efforts to appeal to domestic manufacturers of heavy-duty equipment and elevators.
“SIC-Lazaro was in dire need of some assistance,” said Ed Samera, VP of Management and Operations at the Vx Group. “We took a good hard look at what SIC-Lazaro was doing right, then used that to guide the creation of new growth initiatives.”
Under the guidance of the Vx Group, SIC-Lazaro began to focus on value-added counterweight designs – promoting the benefits of customized weights made from high-density concrete and steel over traditional steel weights.
With its colossal manufacturing footprint, SIC-Lazaro also started offering heavy-weight metal fabrication services – unique because unlike most metal fabrication firms SIC-Lazaro’s team of AWS D1-1 Certified welders is equipped to work on larger weldment projects.
Earlier this year, SIC-Lazaro launched a new product line for heavy duty equipment – custom-engineered Optimal Density Counterweights. By employing a mixture of fillers like high-density concrete, steel and/or lead – these counterweights give engineers the flexibility to build weights that meet their design requirements while taking advantage of cost savings over weights that contain higher cost materials.
Following a year of changes that have completely overhauled SIC-Lazaro’s manufacturing capabilities, stabilized its workforce and launched new manufacturing flows to meet customer shipment demands, Rawson said the company’s outlook is positive.
“With all of these changes, SIC-Lazaro is more focused, more responsive and more competitive,” Rawson said. “We are optimistic for the future, and we are ready for anything.”
