Matthew K. Hlavin was not happy with the relationship his company, Thogus Products Co., had with the automakers that the company worked with. The automakers were controlling the terms by which Thogus had to work and, therefore, hindered its growth potential. He often referred to Thogus as a savings and loan company for its auto clients. Hlavin, president of the company, knew the only way to fix this problem was to make a clean break from his auto customers. The automakers made up 56 percent of the company’s business, so Hlavin took a huge risk.
Evidence began to show that the risk had a positive outcome when the company developed two new divisions: Radiation Protection Technologies and Rapid Prototype and Manufacturing. Both new divisions are contributing to success in ways that the company had not seen at any other time in its 60-year history. Noticing that officials would soon ban the use of lead in medical devices, the company developed a new process to replace lead-fabricated parts in radiology equipment with sustainable tungsten-filled polymers. Developing solutions like tungsten-filled polymers wouldn’t have been possible if Hlavin hadn’t moved the company away from its bad partnerships. Radiation Protection Technologies anticipates this new process will soon be indispensable to manufacturers who need to comply with the regulations. Rapid Prototype and Manufacturing also made strides with its Stratasys FDM machine, which can produce a quality thermoplastic component in an hour. The machine can produce items ranging from cell phone covers to blending machine pitchers.
The company takes smart risks in other areas, as well. It recently added a third division, called Biomedical Engineering and Design, to keep up with FDA submissions, medical device design and industrial design. When Hlavin decided to break away from the negative business relationships that his company was involved in, he opened endless possibilities for innovation. The company’s profits increased 80 percent last year, and it was able to add 16 people to the work force. The company also reaches out to various educational institutions, including the University of Akron, Miami University and the Cleveland Institute of Art to coordinate cooperative education programs for students as a way to continue innovation into the future.
How to reach: Thogus, (440) 933-8850 or www.thogus.com
