Simpson Electric has a long history dating back almost a hundred years.
It was started by Ray Simpson supplying early products to NASA.
“It kind of got them on the map and then since branched out and started producing products for different industries, test meters and panel meters that that are used pretty extensively for diagnosing difficult electronic troubleshooting issues,” said General Manager Kevin Deckard.
Deckard is helping bring Simpson Electric to the next stage in its growth with new product innovation, rebranding, and a push to international markets.
“One of the major initiatives that we're doing now, while we're developing these products in the background, is we're taking our products internationally,” said Deckard. “We do sell internationally, but it's a small percentage of our current sales.”
To help meet help this “rebirth”, as Deckard calls it, Simpson Electric broke ground last week on a new facility in Lac du Flambeau.
“Right now, with us having two buildings that are all broken up in different areas, it just doesn't flow well,” said Deckard. “The fresh start to be able to we've laid out the equipment already, so we know what that's going to look like, and it's going to be a much more productive environment for us.”
Simpson Electric is fairly unique among manufacturers.
Falling under the Lac du Flambeau Business Development Corporation roughly half of its 54 employees are Native American.
It’s also one of the few manufacturers in Vilas County where only about 6% of employment falls into the manufacturing category.
“We have 53 employees currently who have a compliant 800 years of service at Simpson. That's an average of 15 years per employee. There's a loyalty and a dedication to the cause of producing a good part for the customer and providing employment for the community,” said Deckard. “I think because of that tight knit-ness within the community, there's always availability of resources, and a lot of our processes are scalable in terms of adding additional labor resources to be able to grow to meet demand from our customers.”
The facility is being built near the Lac du Flambeau Business Development Corporation.
