Finalist
Manufacturing
Ravinder “Rav” Sandhu watched his competitors in the automotive industry go out of business. He watched as many of his customers, including General Motors Co. and Ford Motors Co., struggled. He watched as his revenue declined. And then he did the unthinkable.
Sandhu, who is president of the family-owned Advanced Assembly Products, Inc., went to his customers and boldly asked for more business. The company offers stamping, welding and manufacturing assembly for cars and trucks. But Sandhu knew if AAP was going to survive this tough economy, it was going to need to do more business. So Sandhu asked.
While companies, especially those in the automotive industry, have scaled back services and closed their doors, AAP implemented new technology in its facilities in order to assemble a more diverse group of parts. Also along the path of recent growth, Sandhu led AAP through the acquisition of a local competitor.
Those decisions, coupled with the company reducing its number of employees, have not only saved AAP but put the automotive assembly business in a position to capitalize on market conditions and solidify its place among larger global competitors. While revenue has dropped in recent years, Sandhu’s leadership and decisions have allowed the company to maintain a strong balance sheet with modest profit and a low amount of debt.
Sandhu knew growing up he wanted to be an entrepreneur. He’s grown AAP from one customer, Chrysler, and one product, sheet metal stamping, to a multinational company that employees more than 100 people at four locations and has customers in six countries.
How to reach: Advanced Assembly Products, Inc., (248) 543-2427
