LV Swiss has been named “Utah’s Rural Business of the Year for 2023” by the Governor of Utah's Office of Economic Development (GOED). This coveted GOED award honors companies across Utah's 25 rural counties for their exceptional accomplishments, growth, community impact, job generation, and innovation. LV Swiss has consistently excelled in each of these domains, as evidenced by the longevity of its employees, with 25% boasting over a decade of service with the company.
LV Swiss's journey to success traces back to 2009 when the privately held high-tech contract manufacturing firm was established by its three owners: Paul Klein Jr., serving as CEO; Darren Hatch, fulfilling the role of CFO; and Richard Hoffman, occupying the position of President. Each founder brought a distinct expertise to the table. Paul Jr. offered extensive experience in managing large corporations in Silicon Valley, Darren contributed invaluable proficiency in software and technology design, while Richard brought comprehensive knowledge in running a precision machine company. The synergy of their complementary skill sets has been pivotal to the company's triumph.
Situated in Southern Utah, within the city of LaVerkin, LV Swiss operates a manufacturing facility near the entrance of Zion National Park. The company specializes in Swiss Screw machining, precision CNC machining, milling, turning, custom prototyping, centerless grinding, and customized tooling on demand. Holding AS9100, ISO13485 (for medical device customers), and ISO9001:2015 certifications, alongside its ITAR Registration, LV Swiss is empowered to engage with various Fortune 500 companies across sectors such as Medical, Aerospace & Defense, Communications/ RF Connectors, and Industrial Products. Clients rely on LV Swiss for precision, small-diameter parts (starting from .018 inches) with high precision tolerance (+/- .0002 inches), spanning from prototype to production.
All three owners remain actively involved in the company's operations to this day, supported by a team of adept managers. Paul Klein III, appointed as North American Sales and Marketing Manager, brought his expertise in sales, marketing, industrial distribution, and general management upon joining the company over two years ago. Jeff Christiansen, serving as Director of Operations, brought over a decade of experience in manufacturing, particularly in the medical device field. Suzann Christiansen, Compliance Manager, leverages her 30+ years of expertise in the medical device manufacturing industry to ensure seamless compliance with all certification programs.
Reflecting on LV Swiss's commitment to excellence, Paul Jr. emphasized the company's dedication to delivering high-quality parts at competitive prices, coupled with swift and seamless service. Richard highlighted LV Swiss's investment in equipment, software, and warehouses to enhance manufacturing control and shorten delivery times, citing examples such as in-house toolmaking capabilities and centerless grinding facilities.
Said Paul Jr., “We are a cost-effective supplier to many large corporations, and this is facilitated by our location in Southern Utah, which affords us lower cost production and support. Even so, we intuitively recognize that we must do more for our customers than our competitors do if we expect them to continue to partner with us and to help us to achieve our growth strategy. We must deliver high quality parts at a competitive price to our customers; we must deliver them faster and more seamlessly than others do. It has to be easy to do business with LV Swiss.”
Meanwhile, Richard stated, “We’ve added equipment, software, and warehouses to shorten our delivery times and improve our control of the manufacturing process. As an example, we have an in-house toolmaker who supports our customers who need custom tooling to build their parts. Our centerless grinding capabilities mean that LV Swiss can grind raw material to a customized size rather than wait for the raw material vendors to do this. Our local warehouses enable us to maintain substantial inventory of materials – which proved invaluable to our customers during and after COVID when material shortages were rampant.”
Jeff underscored LV Swiss's adaptability to changing market dynamics, exemplified by the of two Haas Mills to complement Swiss Screw machining services and the transition to smaller volume, higher frequency orders. Emphasizing the importance of technology, LV Swiss's lead times outshine industry standards, supported by sophisticated software systems and quality performance tools.
“Our purchase of the 2 Haas Mills meant that our customers using our Swiss Screw machining services didn’t have to go to another supplier to get their parts CNC machined.” Jeff said, “We have long term contracts in place with a number of our large customers, which can afford them JIT inventory, Kanban and a consignment programs.”
A cornerstone of LV Swiss's ethos is its commitment to community engagement and fostering the next generation of machinists. Jeff and Suzann's involvement in the Southern Utah Manufacturing Association, alongside donations to the Dixie Technical College, underscore LV Swiss's dedication to giving back.
Paul III encapsulated LV Swiss's distinctive edge, highlighting their status as a high-tech, advanced CNC and Mill Machine Shop, with real-time software technology providing comprehensive insight into the manufacturing process from inception to delivery. “What sets LV Swiss apart from the competition? We are not just a CNC / Mill Machine Shop. We are a hightech, advanced CNC and Mill Machine Shop with technicians who deliver the highest quality parts. Our advanced in-house software technology gives realtime, up to date information on the progress of every part. It traces the manufacturing of a part from drawing to engineering to manufacturing to shipping, and finally to delivery.”
In accepting the GOED's Utah's Rural Business of the Year award, LV Swiss expressed gratitude for the recognition and extended an invitation for prospective clients to experience their superior quality, short lead times, and competitive prices. For more information, interested parties are encouraged to contact LV Swiss at (435) 635-1482 or visit LVSwiss.com.
Editor’s Note: A version of this article originally appeared in the Dec 2023 issue of A2Z Manufacturing
