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James Miller Machine Co, a
history
The
tradition of precision
machining was started by
James L. Miller in 1946 as a
tool and die shop which soon
progressed into low volume
machining of parts for the
auto industry with his
customers primarily the Tier
1 (large, direct) suppliers
to the auto assembly plants.
The
original factory was located
in a remodeled barn behind
the family home at 218 W.
Adams St. in Homer. In the
mid-1960’s the company
purchased, remodeled and
moved to a building at 124
W. Platt St. in Homer
(formerly the Campbell
Creamery). This
approximately 6500 square
foot facility was added on
to many times to its present
size of 33,000 square feet.
In 1978
James Miller sold the
business to 3 of his 4 sons,
Chris, Tom and Pat to allow
himself to concentrate on
developing True Grist Dinner
Theatre in the old
Cortwright/Van Patten mill
building. The brothers
expanded the business and
building to 30 employees and
$2 million in annual sales.
In 1984
the business was sold to
Sudbury Holdings, Inc. a
Cleveland, Ohio based
acquistion conglomerate
which provided an infusion
of capital for further
expansion to 140 people and
$9 million in annual sales.
In 1987
the James Miller Machine
Division of Sudbury
purchased Steel Products and
Service Products, locally
owned by Keith Rosenau. The
operations were merged under
the J.Miller Co. name using
2 facilities. Steel Products
was moved from east M-60 to
the Platt St. location used
by James Miller Machine. At
the same time the former
Steel Products location east
on M-60 was expanded to
100,000 square feet and the
J. Miller machining
operations were moved there
along with the company
offices.
In 1991
the Sudbury Holdings
fortunes declined as the
result of over expansion and
a stock market crisis. The
J. Miller facility east of
Homer on M-60 was sold by
Sudbury to Motor Wheel
Corporation from Lansing,
Michigan and then merged
with Hayes Wheel Co. of
Detroit and a German company
Lemmertz, Inc. This
operation is now operated
under the name of the Homer
Division of Hayes-Lemmertz,
Inc., manufacturing
primarily brake drums and
rotors for auto and truck
use.
In late
1990 Chris and Pat Miller
left Sudbury employment and
purchased the former Lynn
Chevrolet building west of
Homer on M-60. Starting with
7 employees including
themselves in early 1991,
they remodeled the building
and purchased equipment to
enter into the low-volume
machining business as
developed by James Miller.
Through several building
expansions and employee
additions the business is
now at $25 million in
105,000 square feet with 160
employees, with Tom Miller
as general manager.
The
business still focuses on
the low-volume machining of
components for the auto and
truck industries, shipping
to customers world wide,
however, they continue to
look at other products to
manufacture in order to
diversify their markets. For
instance, from 1993 to 1996
Miller Bros Mfg Co was
involved in the design,
manufacture and assembly of
the Total Knee Geometric
Locking System, a prosthesic
device that imitates natural
knee motion as used by
above-the-knee amputees to
allow them to walk normally.
This joint venture with
their customer Century XXII
Innovations was an example
of the variety of components
Miller Brothers can be
capable of making.
Using
high tech CNC (computer
numerical controlled)
equipment, highly skilled
people Miller Brothers
highlight what they believe
to be the virtues of small
town living, a close knit
workforce, a strong work
ethic, pride in workmanship,
and dependable, quality
service to be consistently
successful.
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