The next time you’re driving down the highway or pass a business park full of what might seem like boring, rectangular buildings, take a few minutes to wonder what might be going on inside. Wisconsin is home to thousands of manufacturers that make a wide range of products, from lemonade to flagpoles to generators. For every one of those companies, there are also dozens or even hundreds of smaller suppliers that help make the final product.
These companies all need employees and offer a chance to build a great career. Take a look at the descriptions below to get a better idea of some local products and a glimpse at some recent job openings at these companies.
Flags and flagpoles
Eder Flag | Oak Creek-based Eder Flag Manufacturing Company makes flag poles and flags, including American flags. The company was founded in 1887 by seven brothers. It initially focused on making pillows, felt pennants, rag dolls and hunting jackets. Its flag-making business began in 1903. It began to handcraft American flags during the Great Depression. Today the company sells more than 20,000 different products and produces more than 5 million American flags per year. Eder Flag has been employee-owned since 2016.
Jobs at EDER FLAG
Production Lead: Communicates and coaches improvement in production methods, equipment and operating procedures; disperses job orders daily to production staff; monitors inventory levels of raw materials; monitors production process; completes and processes daily orders assigned by the sewing manager; assists with production planning; prioritizes work orders; trouble shoots and performs maintenance on industrial sewing and slitter machines.
Fabrication Utility: Does basic welding; operates plasma cutter; operates drills, saws, and machines in fabrication; drills, taps, cuts and deburrs products; assembles retainer rings and flag arrangements; produces cable assemblies; polishes flagpoles with lathe.
Lemonade
The King Juice Company | Milwaukee-based King Juice Company makes Calypso branded lemonade, limeade and tea in a variety of flavors. The original Calypso lemonade recipe was created in 1985 in Milwaukee by the owner of King Juice Company, who wanted to create a lemonade drink with real lemons and real sugar. The company’s original lemonade was given the name Calypso in 2000 and grew into four lemonade blends. By 2018 it had more than a dozen lemonade, limeade and zero sugar drink combinations available.
Jobs at KING JUICE Company
Process Operator: Monitors and records the product and tests the quality of the product. General duties include hooking up tanks, monitoring temperature changes in the facility, making flavor changes, adding the codes to the bottle and putting boxes on the line.
Maintenance Mechanic: Troubleshoots, repairs, and completes maintenance on the mechanical equipment. Also installs, dismantles, and moves heavy equipment according to blueprints or drawings.
Bar equipment
Perlick | Milwaukee-based Perlick makes commercial bar and beverage equipment, including taps and premium residential refrigerators. The company traces its roots to 1917, when Robert K. Perlick, a German immigrant, started R. Perlick Brass Works in Milwaukee. Perlick and his family grew the business into a thriving enterprise supporting the city’s booming beer industry. More than 100 years later the company is still family-owned. The company continues to evolve as a global manufacturing leader in commercial bar and beverage systems, premium residential refrigeration, and brewery fittings.
Jobs at Perlick
Press Brake Operator: Operate press brakes to perform a variety of forming and bending operations of various materials. Requires a knowledge of press brake equipment and procedures as is usually obtained in two years of high school or vocational school education program.
Journeyman Tool and Die Maker: Construct temporary fixtures and jigs, grind special-purpose tools; improvise measuring devices to check components and project assemblies. Grind, sharpen, recondition and repair cutting and forming tools and dies and replace worn or damaged sections when necessary; assist in repair of production machine tools.
Men’s dress shoes
Allen Edmonds | Founded in 1922, Allen Edmonds Shoe Corp. makes premium men’s footwear in Port Washington. The company uses premium leathers for its shoes that are handcrafted through a 212-step process.
Jobs at Allen Edmonds
Sales Associate: Interacts directly with customers. Resolves customer concerns and ensures a positive customer experience. Completes product and operational training. Stocks products and produces visual displays. One year of experience with retail sales or customer service required.
Product Development Specialist: Works with designers to make sure development information and updates are communicated to overseas partners. Monitors the status of each style from prototype to sample stage. Supports internal and external teams and collaborates on brand and product direction for the season. One to two years of design or product development experience required. Starting salary is $54,288.
Soy sauce
Kikkoman | Japan-based Kikkoman Corp., the world’s leading manufacturer of soy sauce, has a production facility in Walworth. The plant opened in 1973. The company selected the site in Wisconsin because of the state’s soybean farm production. Today, it is the highest-producing soy sauce facility in the world, with an annual output of more than 30 million gallons.
Jobs at Kikkoman
Mechanic and Maintenance Scheduler: Schedules and coordinates routine and non-routine maintenance and repairs. Obtains vendor quotes and submits work authorizations. Ensures that planned work is built. High school diploma and four-plus years of machine maintenance in a production environment preferred. $1,000 to $2,000 sign-on bonus.
PLC Technicians: Designs, programs, repairs and maintains programmable logic controller (PLC) systems. $2,000 hiring bonus.
Garbage Disposals
InSinkErator | Racine-based InSinkerator is the world’s largest manufacturer of garbage disposals and instant hot water dispensers for home and commercial use. Founded in 1938, the company has subsidiaries in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Jobs at InSinkErator
Assembler: Prepares workstations with necessary hardware and components for assemblies. Must work at a fast pace and know how to use hand tools. High school diploma and one year of experience in assembly, manufacturing and packaging are required.
Electrician: Installs and maintains electrical work on plant electrical systems and equipment. The use of ladders, raised platforms, caged lifts and manual climbing on equipment is required. Plans and installs wiring circuits, distribution centers, switches and controls. State of Wisconsin indentured electrical apprenticeship and four years of electrical journeyman experience required.
Gummy Bears
Haribo | Hans Riegel founded Haribo in Bonn, Germany in 1920. The company opened its first U.S. office in 1982. Today, Haribo is available in more than 120 countries around the world and produces at 17 locations worldwide, employing more than 7,000 people. The company’s first North American manufacturing facility opened this year in Pleasant Prairie.
Jobs at Haribo
Operator: Responsible for running and maintaining production and packaging equipment. Operates tanks, vats, boilers and kettles to prepare products. Ensures the machine is supplied with correct material needed to run and completes documentation. High school diploma and three years of progressive manufacturing or packaging experience required.
Quality Specialist: Responsible for the daily management and support of quality in operations and for strategic planning. Supports the implementation of food safety programs to ensure a food-safe product. Monitors quality complaints and works with operation teams to reduce complaints. Bachelor’s degree in microbiology, chemistry, food science, public health or related field required. Minimum of two years of experience in quality in a factory environment preferred.
MRI Machines
GE HealthCare | Chicago-based GE HealthCare designs, manufactures and distributes medical technology such as MRI machines, CT scans, X-ray machines and ultrasound machines. The company traces its roots back to 1893, when J.B. Wantz and C.F. Samms founded Victor Electric Company. As the company evolved, it began to provide tools for research of cells and proteins and large-scale manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals. GE HealthCare was incorporated in 1994 and has facilities in Milwaukee, West Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Oak Creek, Waukesha, Muskego and Madison.
Jobs at GE HealthCare
Clinical Product Surveillance Specialist: Ensures safe and effective products. Handles complaints and assesses risk by providing guidance on clinical workflow and how products are used to identify and navigate potentially dangerous situations. Bachelor’s degree or a high school diploma with five-plus years of experience in quality, clinical patient monitoring or product surveillance required.
Ultrasound Healthcheck Specialist: Works on-site collecting information on ultrasound assets and interviewing customers. Works with operations and finance teams to put together GE Ultrasound offerings for customers. Reports customer information to the technology planning team. Bachelor’s degree or a high school diploma with at least four years of experience in sales required.
Generators
Generac | Founded in 1959, Generac provides advanced backup and prime power systems for home and industrial applications, solar and battery storage solutions and engine and battery powered tools and equipment. The company is headquartered in the Town of Genesee and has additional manufacturing facilities in Whitewater, Berlin, Jefferson, Oshkosh and Eagle.
Jobs at Generac
Engineering Technician: Responsible for the planning, implementation and performance of advanced electrical, mechanical, audio and environmental tests of current and new product designs. Fabricates and leads assembly of test equipment and prototype products per blueprint specifications. Analyzes test data and prepares formal and informal test reports. High school diploma and five years of relevant work experience required.
Fabrication Machine Operator: Works under the direction of area supervisor to manufacture parts per plant specification utilizing fabrication equipment. Interprets drawings, schematics and machine specifications. Experience on equipment and automation consistent with metal fabrication, paint and assembly operation preferred. High school diploma required.
Mining equipment
Komatsu Mining | Milwaukee-based Komatsu Mining is a subsidiary of Tokyo, Japan-based Komatsu Ltd. Last year, Komatsu Mining completed construction of a new $285 million campus in Milwaukee’s Harbor District that includes a three-story office building and a 430,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The facility produces the major components of large mining machines, including electric rope shovels, hybrid shovels, draglines and blasthole drills.
Jobs at KOMATSU
Welder: Reads blueprints. Measures and cuts materials to specifications. Welds materials using the correct materials. Must be familiar with manual and mechanical welding techniques. A minimum of two years welding experience in a manufacturing environment is required.
Machine Cell Operator: Sets up and operates a variety of machines within the department according to routing instructions and part drawings. Loads and removes parts on the machines. Starting wage is around $30 an hour depending on skill level.