Page 187 - BWA FEB 2013

February 2013 | Business World Magazine | 187
pendent on smaller, often obscured parts that
have been specifically designed for a particu-
lar application. In all of the noted cases, the
applications have been augmented by innova-
tions of a Michigan-based company known as
Peterson Spring. While their products are vis-
ible in a variety of industries, average consum-
ers may not immediately recognize the extent
to which this company operates. From the en-
gine valve springs in automobiles, jet skis and
motorcycles, to components that allow the
oven or dishwasher drawer to gently open and
close, from the spring clips and wire forms ap-
plied to wheel chairs or hospital beds, to the
springs that add functionality to elevators,
agricultural equipment, washing machines
and dock levelers. Their products can range
in sophistication from that used in airplanes
and engines of the National Hot Rod Asso-
ciation to something as simple and familiar as
that grip throttle on the lawnmower. To put
it plainly, Peterson Spring spirals into almost
every aspect of daily human existence.
Despite the corporate name, Senior
Vice President of Sales and Marketing Don
Lowe, is quick to dismiss any notions that
the company solely specializes in the manu-
facturing of springs. “We don’t just make
springs. We are a designer and manufacturer
of engineered metal products, which includes
springs, wire forms, spring-steel clamps and
hose clamps, retaining rings… everything we
make has been engineered for a specific appli-
cation,” says Lowe.