A new face at Mayfran

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAYFRAN INT’L

If you live on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio and drive I-271 north, then you’ve driven by Mayfran Int’l, a division of Tsubaki, which is a leading provider of material handling, coolant filtration, chip processing, and recycling systems, with a focus on engineering and innovation. The company’s chip conveyors, separator conveyors, filters, and conveyor accessories – chip and coolant management solutions – can be found alongside most of the machine tools used throughout all manufacturing markets.

While Steve Carlson has had a career in manufacturing – most recently at Howmet Aerospace as its vice president and general manager for the Asia Pacific region – moving to the side of chips and coolants is a change but one he’s enjoying as it was obvious from his enthusiasm during the tour of the manufacturing facility. Carlson notes the company’s close relationship with most major machine tool producers allows Mayfran to offer tailored solutions to meet the most demanding needs, whether it’s for a machine-side system or a central filtration and chip processing system that filters clean coolant back to the machines.

Since taking the helm at Mayfran, Carlson notes the company remains at or above 98% delivery performance – crediting the employees for their commitment to timely manufacturing production. When asked what he thinks makes a company solid like this, he notes four tenets. “First is customer focus. The customer is number one and should always be front of mind as we make decisions on how we produce items, how we develop new products, etc. This isn’t just the external customer; this includes the internal customers – each department at Mayfran responsible for part of the production of a piece of equipment, ensuring they get the part on time to do their part so it’s ready for the next stage,” Carlson says.

Next, he states, is operational excellence, which starts with safety and safe practices and being efficient in manufacturing quality products that ensure customers’ happiness. “Then we have to innovate,” Carlson says. “Everyone has competitors, and we want to remain ahead of ours and we do that by innovating. In July 2024 we launched two different products for two different segments of our business – the first being an auto belt cleaner for stamping and material handling systems. The second is the AT Mobile Separator, a portable separator system offering cyclonic cleaning with the advantage of being able to move between machines.”

Carlson’s last pillar is embracing long-term thinking, noting “we don’t want to make decisions for this month or this quarter. The company’s been around since 1933 and with long-term thinking that will keep Mayfran around for many more.”

About the author: Elizabeth Engler Modic is editorial director of GIE Media’s Manufacturing Group of magazines. She can be reached at 216.393.0264 or EModic@gie.net.