Originally located at W13910 US Hwy 45, Tigerton WI, Custom Fab and Body was started in 1994 with a welder, a shear and a
homemade brake in a 40’ X 60’ building. Production was
completed in the evenings and weekends.
During the early years, purchases and acquisitions were carefully
considered and planned. In April of 1998 a new 90-ton ironworker was purchased to meet the
increased
demand of custom fabrication parts.
In December of 1998, a new Piranha All Steel computerized 10’ shear was
purchased to grow production and improve the accuracy of the
sheared items.
Two additional welders were purchased in June of 1999 to keep pace
with steadily increasing
production.
A new Accupress 250-ton computerized 12’ brake press was added to our
production facility in the fall of 1999. This purchase allowed us to improve the accuracy of our overall product.
In May of 2000, another two new aluminum welders and a new TIG welder
were purchased to keep up with the high demand of aluminum products in
our production mix.
A 36’ x 72’ building addition was added in December of 2000, to provide
room for the increased demand in production at the Tigerton location.
Delivery in January 2001 of a new Euromac computerized control punch
press allowed us to further increase production and provide more
accurate material fabrication prior to forming operations. The
Euromac also allowed for greater speed, accuracy and exact replication
of parts and assemblies.
Wayne Block, the owner of Custom Fab and Body, worked at Marion Body
Works in the fabrication department, was lead man for the utility body
department, and worked in the fire and rescue department. Wayne
acquired a total of 15 years of fabrication and manufacturing
background before his departure from Marion in June of 1999 to
concentrate on the growing business.
In May of 2001, Bruce Stuhr was hired to help out with the
fire and rescue production department, (the fastest growing business
component of Custom Fab and Body.) Bruce brought with him 29 years of experience
building fire apparatus. Bruce has been a volunteer firefighter
since 1975 and has served positions of head engineer and fire chief.
The fire and rescue products of Custom Fab and Body really took off with
Wayne and Bruce and their combined 44 years of prior experience in fabrication
and manufacturing. Their experience fueled our growth and provided the
skillset required in the art of fire apparatus manufacturing. Providing our
customers with the correct products and an accurate assessment of the customer's needs.
We added Dean Zamzow as a Production Manager in 2006. Dean brought many
years in different fields of production with him to Custom Fab and
Body.
The completion of an entirely new facility in January 2007
at 158 U.S. Hwy 45, Marion WI provided much needed room for the
increased demand of our commercial and emergency apparatus. On January 20,
2007 we started full capacity production at our new 15,750 sq. ft
building.
Stay tuned as we continue to make history!
