Old school dip molder embraces digital marketing

Rochester, Mich. — On the surface, Harman Corp. looks like a traditional American success story in manufacturing. Started by a father and son in the 1960s with separate expertise in design and sales, the company based in Rochester now sits comfortably in the hands of Kevin Harman, the grandson and son of the founders.

But scratch the veneer of this $10 million dip molder and you'll find a business embracing the digital economy with a unique expertise in marketing and one heading toward a culture change.

First, there's the core business: Harman Corp. makes millions of plastic caps annually that cover anything from closet racks to underground piping.

“Our caps and closures are really used for part protection. To keep dust and oil off. It's more industrial use. It's more shipping caps. If you need a rugged durable cap in an industrial application, we're your go to,” said Kevin Harman, 43, who added that if you name an industry, Harman Corp. sells into it.

Forty employees work 23 dip molding machines at the Rochester facility as well as at the Caps 'N Plugs subsidiary in Brampton, Ontario. Harman Corp. owns the thousands of molds used to make the caps, too.

“Dip molding has been around from the very beginning. I would equate it to the art of candle making. Molds are heated with open flame and then dipped into PVC, then we withdraw the mold from the tank and then goes into a stage of baking, cooling and then blowing it off,” he said.

Next, a family history: Jack Harman started Harman Corp. with his son, Ron, in 1961.

Jack Harman made the machines that the company still uses today albeit with some technology upgrades like internal controls.

“He was one of these individuals who would go to bed at night with a problem and wake up with a solution. And he never would draw anything out. He could literally go into the tool room and start building these machines. It was amazing,” Kevin Harman said of his grandfather who passed away two years ago at age 93.

Kevin said his father, Ron, was the sales and business lead for years before retiring in 1992. His brother ran the operation for more than a decade before Kevin moved up to president and sole owner in 2013. Kevin has worked at Harman Corp. since high school.

“So, when we talk about our values, and I can reference my grandfather and his creativity and his integrity and my father's passion and energy. They were both a great fit,” Kevin Harman said.

Now, a digital revolution: Visitors to HarmanCorp.com may notice the sleek website design and quality user experience as it's called in the marketing world. That's no accident.

Kevin Harman also owns a digital marketing company called Brand Labs, a 30-person company that is housed in the same Detroit-area facility as the dip molder.

Harman said his dip molding company generates more new business from its website than from any other means.

“B2B businesses really have an opportunity to get new business and leverage online marketing channels. It's almost a shame when I come across some [business] websites. Here are some beautiful businesses that are quite successful and they have a very poor representation of their business online. In this day and age, that is your number one channel for exposure.

“I'll go to a trade show and see an organization investing $50,000, $100,000 easily on a booth. Then go to their website and think, ‘Wow, did their kids do that?'”

Changing the culture: Harman said he sleeps pretty well, so nothing is keeping him up at night.

“But then I got to thinking, what gets me excited? My family have really trusted me with the legacy of the business and the future health of it. The one thing that what I'm plotting here is really about where do we want to go as a company and really grabbing hold of a higher purpose. That's what really motivates me,” he said.

He wants to create success for the employees and have a positive impact on the environment for starters. For now, he's studying leaders of other companies and attending conferences that speak to these points such as the recently completed Conscious Capitalism Conference in Austin, Texas.

“That to me is what's keeping me up at night, the excitement of saying how can we take this organization to the next level.”