Colson Group Acquires Finnish Caster Manufacturer Manner

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OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL., February 8th, 2023— Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel product solutions, announces their acquisition of Manner, a Hanko-based caster manufacturer.

“We are excited to be joining Colson Group, the largest manufacturer and distributor of caster and wheel products in the world,” said Tapio Manner, Chairman of the Board. “Since my family started Manner over 130 years ago, we have grown to become the leading caster manufacturer in the Nordic countries, with a reputation for quality and reliable service to our long-standing customers. I am confident that together with Colson Group, a company that shares our values and commitment to excellence, Manner will continue its long tradition of outstanding production in Hanko for many years to come.”

Manner is a Finnish company that specializes in the design, manufacturing and marketing of casters and caster solutions. Manner is a market leader in the design and manufacturing of more than 2,000 different casters for a variety of applications. Manner’s range includes equipment casters, medical casters, and casters for applications in logistics and in industry.

“We are pleased to have found a trusted partner in Colson Group, with its own long history of business excellence,” said Jukka Immonen, Managing Director of Manner. “I look forward to continuing Manner’s legacy of strong performance and unparalleled commitment to its customers, suppliers and employees.”

“Under the leadership and care of the Manner family, Manner has earned a reputation and track record of quality and reliability, as a leader in the design and manufacture of medical casters,” said Richard Kobor, CEO of Colson Group. “We are proud to welcome Manner to the Colson Group and to support the company’s longstanding leading position in the Nordic region. Across the world, Colson Group’s portfolio brands and products are known for their quality, safety, and innovation, and Manner will continue to excel under our new partnership.”

About Manner
Manner is a traditional family-owned company founded in 1890. Manner has over 80 years’ experience in the design and manufacture of a variety of caster products. The first Manner casters were manufactured in the 1930s, and since 1974, the company has focused exclusively on caster products. Today Manner’s products are used worldwide in demanding environments where quality, reliability and design are required.

About Colson Group
Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, creates and drives solutions that move lives forward. World renowned brands provide specialized mobility for every industry and market. A leading product portfolio and proprietary global value chain delivery unparalleled efficiencies and support. With over 1,600 employees across 25 global facilities, Colson Group is committed to its customers’ success.

Why Are Ergonomic Casters Important

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A lot of people don’t think twice about the kind of casters they use as long as they work. However, ergonomics is crucial to many caster and wheel applications. By utilizing ergonomic casters, your business, your workers, and your wallet can benefit tremendously.

 

What Are Ergonomic Casters

Ergonomics is defined as the science of designing things that people use to make them as safe and effective as possible. In the case of caster ergonomics, it refers to the force required in pushing and pulling a cart. Ergonomic casters are designed to be as efficient as possible by reducing the amount of force required in the start or maintain rolling process of the cart. This is especially important in warehouses or plants where operators push, pull or tug carts every day.

Safer Work Environments

The easier a cart is to use; the less likely injury is. Poor ergonomics can create dangerous work environments because workers are exerting more force, fatiguing more quickly, and becoming more susceptible to injury. Injuries may be caused by excessive stress to the wrists, arms, back or shoulders. Treating workplace injuries can be very costly and the money saved from reducing your potential injury costs can be huge. When employees aren’t injured, they’re working, and that means less downtime and increased productivity.

Higher Productivity

When an application is more easily moved, employees can move it quickly and with less energy exerted. Push, pull, and towed movements are completed faster instead of slowing down as workers tire of strenuous motions. Providing your employees with an ergonomic caster makes the job easier, more enjoyable, and more productive.

Long Term Cost Savings

Often, ergonomic casters come with a slightly higher price tag than their less ergonomic counterparts. But consider that over time the ergonomic advantages will pay for themselves by bringing new efficiencies into your business and having a longer life. Like with the Albion 28 and 38 Series Casters which are designed for improved ergonomics, long life, and quiet mobility. These casters have a 5-year warranty to back their durability and long-lasting quality.

 

Casters vary in quality and their ability to improve ergonomics. Many qualities make up an ergonomic caster such as swivel lead, the wheel type and size, and bearings. But you don’t need to be an expert at identifying an ergonomic caster for your application, let the experts at Colson Group do it for you.

Contact Colson Group today to learn more about our selection of ergonomic caster options that can provide you with a more productive and cost-effective workplace. Colson Group offers a variety of casters and wheels to help you achieve ergonomic efficiency and provide safer work environments, higher productivity, and long-term cost savings.

How Maintenance Free Casters Mean Less Work for You

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No one enjoys spending time and money on maintenance. Many businesses can’t afford to have downtime when a caster isn’t working properly, don’t have the ability to perform regular maintenance on equipment, and need a caster that’s able to withstand tough work environments. It’s in these scenarios maintenance free casters thrive and can provide your business with immense cost saving benefits.

In the industrial caster industry, the term “maintenance free” refers to casters that have a sealed precision ball bearing. The sealed precision bearing makes it so the casters never require a preventative maintenance schedule, which reduces downtime and increases efficiency. These bearings are sealed to keep grease locked in, while keeping contamination out.

Standard casters can last many years with proper maintenance and consistent greasing, the issue at hand is that many facilities don’t have a good maintenance program put in place for wheels and casters. Maintenance free casters eliminates this problem as there is no need for routine maintenance. Maintenance Free casters are designed to be ergonomic, meaning they require minimal start force to be set in motion. For workers, ease of use helps to prevent employee injuries.

Maintenance-free casters are designed for harsh industrial environments and have a long service life. The consistent performance of these casters makes a great choice for industries like automotive, warehousing, tow-lines, AGV’s, Hospitals and more. The new Albion brand launch of Maintenance Free 28 and 38 Series casters are designed for improved ergonomics, long life, and quiet mobility. They also feature wheel options such as polyurethane, rubber, and nylon, to fit your specific hand push or towing requirements.

Colson Group is the global leader and distributor of wheels and casters. Colson Group always wants to continue to innovate and develop products with unparalleled performance and quality that meet our customers’ needs. Reduce your replacement costs and injuries, all while enhancing your manufacturing efficiency with maintenance free casters.

Learn more about our maintenance free casters and their cost saving benefits by getting in contact with us today.

Colson Group Launches New Regent High Volume Program

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OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL., December 9th, 2022— Colson Group, the leader in caster and wheel products, announces the launch of their Shepherd brand Regent High Volume program. Customers are now able to have Regent High Volume orders shipped within 2 weeks following the purchase.

Customers can order any combination of wheels and casters up to 10,000 at a time through the new 2-week High Volume program. Multiple fastenings and wheel types exist for the Regent series, providing customers with great flexibility of both style and usage. This new program gives customers a competitive edge in a world where fast shipping is essential to business.

“Colson Group has made a significant investment in inventory as well as modern robotic assembly equipment to leverage our ability to fill large orders in 10 days with high quality products proudly made in the USA” said Brian Crain, Colson Group Product Manager.

Shepherd Regent casters are USA-made with steel rigs for increased strength and durability. These casters have RoHS compliant zinc plating for corrosion resistance and are great for many applications, including in industries like medical, food service, office, janitorial and more.

With all the Regent caster variations and applications, you’ll be sure to find the perfect caster for your business. Ensure that you receive the best quality, value, and delivery for your mobility needs with the Shepherd Regent High Volume program.

Speed up your high-volume orders with the industry leading Regent selection. Learn more about the new Regent High Volume program by getting in contact with Colson Group today.

About Colson Group: Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, creates and drives solutions that move lives forward. World renowned brands, such as Shepherd, provide specialized mobility for every industry and market. A leading product portfolio and global value chain deliver unparalleled efficiencies and support. With over 1,600 employees across 25 global facilities, Colson Group is committed to its customers’ success, ensuring proper products are selected or designed from the start, and always keeping the end-users’ safety, efficiency, and happiness in mind.

Colson Group Completes New State of The Art Manufacturing Facility in Jonesboro Arkansas

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JONESBORO, Ark. (December 6, 2022) – Colson Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of standard and custom application caster and wheel products, recently completed the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Jonesboro Arkansas. Through investments in the new facility, Colson has expanded its production and improved the working environment for its employees.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to reinvest and expand our operations; at the same time continuing our association with the great people and community of Jonesboro.  This expansion opportunity increases our USA manufacturing capabilities and enables us to better support our customers’ needs.” said Joe Bigelow, Vice President of Operations, Colson Group USA.

The new 146,640 square foot facility sits on a 25-acre site located in the Craighead Technology Park. Plating, welding, and stamping investments have exponentially increased production efficiency and output. It has also provided Colson Group with new delivery capabilities due to shorter delivery times for products manufactured and shipped directly from the U.S. rather than internationally.

“The decision to reinvest in Jonesboro and build a new state-of-the-art facility shows Colson’s continued commitment to our city,” said Mark Young, president of Jonesboro Unlimited.  “It demonstrates that we have the infrastructure and workforce that allows companies to have success for decades.”

 Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms, provided design-build services for the project.

“Colson Group has made a significant investment with the construction of this new facility,” said Brasfield & Gorrie Vice President and Division Manager David Gordon. “By opting for the design-build process, Colson Group maximized the project’s value. This process allows us to work hand-in-hand with the designer, which helps keep the project on budget and on time.”

This new plant gives employees a more work suitable and up to date environment and has increased production capabilities. Popular casters can now be produced even faster, and the facility is now capable of assembling a wider range of low volume and special caster products.

About Colson Group

Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, creates and drives solutions that move lives forward. World renowned brands, such as Colson Caster, provide specialized mobility for every industry and market. A leading product portfolio and global value chain deliver unparalleled efficiencies and support. With over 1,600 employees across 25 global facilities, Colson Group is committed to its customers’ success, ensuring proper products are selected or designed from the start, and always keeping the end-users’ safety, efficiency, and happiness in mind.

For more information, please visit https://colsongroupusa.stg.colsongroup.com

About Brasfield & Gorrie

Founded in 1964, Brasfield & Gorrie is one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms, providing general contracting, design-build, and construction management services for a wide variety of markets. We are skilled in construction best practices, including virtual design and construction, integrated project delivery, and Lean construction, but we are best known for our preconstruction and self-perform expertise and exceptional client service. Brasfield & Gorrie has 13 offices and more than 3,500 employees. Our 2021 revenues were $4.2 billion. Engineering News-Record ranks Brasfield & Gorrie 24th among the nation’s “Top 400 Contractors” for 2022.

Colson Group Launches New Line of Maintenance Free Casters

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OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL., November 30, 2022— Colson Group, the leader in caster and wheel products, announces their Albion brand launch of a new line of Maintenance Free casters. The new 28 and 38 Series casters are designed for improved ergonomics, long life, and quiet mobility.

The new Maintenance Free casters are equipped with a sealed precision swivel bearing. This makes it so they never require a preventative maintenance schedule, which reduces downtime and increases efficiency. They also feature wheel options such as polyurethane, rubber, and nylon, to fit your specific hand push or towing requirements.

The 28 and 38 Series casters extended leads significantly reduces push / pull force. This increases the safety and effectiveness of equipment operators. Their ease of use helps to prevent employee injuries and provides the performance customers require to keep their business rolling safely and easily.

“With the newly designed 28 and 38 series, maintenance free also means worry-free and helps provide an injury free workplace,” said Scott Fisher, Director of Heavy Duty Vertical Sales.

As a world leader in design and production, Albion is proud to manufacture some of the highest quality made in the USA casters in the market. To stand by their quality and performance, Albion brand’s new line of Maintenance Free 28 and 38 Series casters are backed by a 5-year warranty guarantee.

Maintenance-free casters are designed for harsh industrial environments. The consistent performance of these casters makes a great choice for industries like automotive, warehousing, tow-lines, AGV’s, hospitals and more.

Reduce your replacement costs and injuries, while enhancing your manufacturing efficiency with Maintenance Free casters. Learn more about Maintenance Free casters and their ergonomic and economic benefits by getting in contact with Colson Group today.

About Colson Group: Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, creates and drives solutions that move lives forward. World renowned brands, such as Albion, provide specialized mobility for every industry and market. A leading product portfolio and global value chain deliver unparalleled efficiencies and support. With over 1,600 employees across 25 global facilities, Colson Group is committed to its customers’ success, ensuring proper products are selected or designed from the start, and always keeping the end-users’ safety, efficiency, and happiness in mind.

About Albion: Since Albion’s founding in 1947, they have become The Caster Experts and are one of the most recognized names in the material handling industry. Albion does more than just sell wheels and casters; they deliver custom-engineered, reliable solutions for the most challenging material handling problems. As a brand of Colson Group, you can be sure Albion will have the resources to service and supply your needs.

Colson Group’s New Jonesboro Facility

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Colson Group’s new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Jonesboro is now completely operating at full capacity. While the old plant is being used for distribution, everything else has been transferred to the new building. Through investments made toward the new facility and its capabilities, Colson Group has expanded its production, standards, and improved the working environment for its employees.

More Products Made in the USA

The new 146,640-square-foot manufacturing facility now offers more production capabilities in the United States. Popular casters can now be produced even faster, and the new facility can assemble a wider range of low-volume and special caster products. This has given Colson Group new delivery capabilities with shorter delivery times for products manufactured and shipped directly from the U.S. rather than internationally.

Increased Internal Zinc Plating

There was a huge investment in a new line for zinc plating making it an expansion of the last plant. This investment allows Colson Group to have more product offerings, production lines, and an increase in the internal plating of main products in Jonesboro. It has even given them the capability to plate all Colson Group USA components at the new facility.

Advanced Robotics and Technology Advancements

Over the past year, there was an influx of investments in three new welding robots. Their technological advancements have helped to increase efficiency and product quality. With the addition of new robots and automation, the Jonesboro plant now has the capacity to weld over 2.3 million pieces annually with a 2-shift operation.

Expanded Stamping Production

Three additional manual presses and heavy-duty stamping press lines were added upon the new facility build. This, along with the latest technology in steel stamping lines, has expanded production capabilities. Additionally, the new facility now has a tool and die repair and maintenance area next to the stamping department which is capable of both tool maintenance and quick changeovers.

More Suitable Work Environment

The new plant has given employees a more work suitable and up-to-date environment. There was the addition of an environmentally controlled air system in the new facility. This was designed to maintain the air from various production lines such as capturing smoke and fume handling systems to ensure air quality. Aside from the air system, the lighting is more efficient for visibility purposes, there was a new temperature system installed which heats and cools the production area, and all other amenities are brand new.

In the future, they are looking into investing in enhancing assembly capabilities. Assembly was mainly transferred over from the old facility without much advancement. The goal is to expand and enhance it for efficiency. In terms of output, Colson Group hopes looking forward with investments in production capabilities, they will be able to drastically increase their product outputs in large amounts. This way they can continue to meet demands and exceed the standards expected by customers.

Facility photo by Nelson Films & Photography

Corrosion Prevention on Your Casters

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When you see rust, you’ve got a problem. Corrosion in casters can occur in a variety of elements and for many different reasons. Moisture in the air, swinging hot and cold temperatures, chemical exposure, and other harsh environmental factors can cause your caster or wheels to corrode. Caster corrosion can leave your caster useless or in need of repair, which can lead to downtime, loss of productivity, unnecessary strain, and sometimes injury. 

Given that most casters are made of metal, from the plate or stem to the wheel bearing or wheel, if any parts of the caster become corroded, it can have a significant impact on its function. Knowing how to prevent corrosion from the start can keep your casters functioning longer and your business productivity moving efficiently.

Various environmental factors can wear casters down quickly and it’s important you monitor the condition of your casters to act fast in the event of corrosion. When there is corrosion in a caster it can lead to failure faster, and failure can lead to injury. For this reason, there are specific casters and wheels designed and carefully tested to withstand severe conditions without wearing down or corroding.

Stainless steel casters are the best option to prevent caster corrosion. Regular steel or zinc-plated metal casters work in traditional applications, but these are far more vulnerable to corrosion in demanding environments. In applications, where there are wide temperature changes in the facility, stainless steel casters are best to withstand these intense temperatures. They are also great for marine environments that encounter salt water. In the medical field, stainless steel casters resist damage from sterilizing chemicals they may meet, and they resist bacteria due to their lack of oxidation.

We understand there may be hesitation with paying more upfront for stainless steel, but in the long run, it will pay off. There’s no sense in buying new casters that will need replacing in a short amount of time. Paying upfront for a caster that can withstand harsh environments will result in better productivity and less downtime in the end. Such as with the Colson D4 Defender Series, designed for customers requiring lasting performance and corrosion resistance.

If you need a replacement or are looking to purchase for the first time, you can trust the knowledge and expertise of Colson Group to provide you with the best casters and wheels for your business, no matter the application or environment. 

Learn more about our stainless steel casters or other options for your business to prevent corrosion by contacting us today.

POTENTIAL HIRES

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Colson has become aware of a fraudulent effort to defraud individuals with illegitimate offers of employment asking for personal information. For information regarding actual open positions at Colson Group, and to apply for employment with Colson, use the careers section of this website. Colson will never ask for banking information prior to accepted employment.

https://secure4.entertimeonline.com/ta/6142183.careers?CareersSearch

Colson Group Makes All Employees an Owner with New Employee Ownership Program

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OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL., April 5th, 2022—Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, has unveiled a new equity participation program which grants employees shares in the company and encourages employees to “act like owners.” Chief Executive Officer Rich Kobor announced that the organization will provide this opportunity to all Colson employees worldwide at an employee appreciation event held at the construction site of the new Colson Group facility in Jonesboro, AR.

“We are working to create a culture of ownership and transparency,” said Kobor. “Our employees make our company what it is, and we want all of them to better share in our success. Our goal is to inspire our employees to act like owners, so that they have a stake in our company’s growth and a voice in our direction.”

The program, which is being structured and implemented in partnership with non-profit Ownership Works, aligns with Colson Group’s interest in creating and developing a strong culture of pride and engagement among its employees. The program aims to encourage employees to take greater responsibility for their work at the company by aligning the interests of both the company and the individual.

“Importantly, we believe this program could make a meaningful difference in the lives of our employees and their families, while driving increased value for Colson,” said David Wells, Chief Human Resources Officer.

This approach is based on the conviction that employees are significantly more likely to personally identify with their company if they own a part of it. Employee co-owners are more motivated and committed, willing to assume responsibility, and contribute to their company’s long-term success.

Colson Group is a portfolio company of Blue Wolf Capital Partners LLC, New York-based private equity firm that builds stronger businesses by combining financial and operational discipline with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles.

About Colson Group:
Colson Group, the global leader in caster and wheel products, creates and drives solutions that move lives forward. World renowned brands provide specialized mobility for every industry and market. A leading product portfolio and proprietary global value chain delivery unparalleled efficiencies and support. With over 1,600 employees across 25 global facilities, Colson Group is committed to its customers’ success, ensuring proper products are selected or designed from the start, and always keeping the end-users’ safety, efficiency, and happiness in mind.

Press Contact: Eric Gorte
Phone: 989-859-1864
Email: Eric.Gorte@ColsonGroup.com