Winsert 2.0, a strategic evolution that transforms a focused manufacturer into a diversified solutions provider with dual core competencies. “The first go around, you know, say the first 40 years of our organization’s history, we were very focused on a specific market in a specific product,” Coduti explains. “That is what ultimately led us to get into the alloy development side of our business. But that alloy development has really kind of morphed into creating a second core competency for us.” The shift began out of necessity.To differentiate Winsert from competitors in the valve seat insert market, the company developed proprietary alloys resistant to wear and extreme heat. These materials proved so difficult to machine and grind that mastering their fabrication became a marketable skill in itself, opening doors to industries far beyond internal combustion engines. The company now holds five patented alloys, a remarkable achievement for a mid-sized manufacturer, and supplies critical components to Fortune 500 OEMs including John Deere, Cummins, and Daimler. Winsert has earned John Deere’s Partner-Level Supplier status for 13 consecutive years and holds dual induction into the John Deere Supplier Hall of Fame. FROM SPECIALIZATION TO DIVERSIFICATION The materials that set Winsert apart initially created manufacturing headaches. Valve seat inserts, the components that form the critical seal between an engine’s valves and cylinder head, must withstand punishing conditions: extreme temperatures,constant friction, and corrosive combustion byproducts. Coduti notes that the alloys engineered to survive these environments are resistant to wear and high heat applications, making them exceptionally difficult to work with and machine. “They are very difficult to grind,” he adds, describing the technical challenge that would paradoxically become an opportunity. The valve seat insert themselves and demand exacting tolerances. “Those valve seat inserts are of a very precise nature in terms of specification and tolerance that they have to be machined to,” Coduti says. Developing the capability to work with such 161 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 13, ISSUE 01 WINSERT
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