Page 178 - BWM March 2013

178 | Business World Magazine | March 2013
Consider for a moment, the cheering droves
of spectators that revel in the rocket-like blast
off from their favorite Formula-1 or drag strip
racer, or maybe, reflect upon those passengers
relieved when the airplane’s landing gear de-
ploys to mark the end of a long journey. Con-
sider shorter passages, in the up-and-down
excursions made on an elevator, or even, the
simple yet strangely satisfying, back-and-forth
rocking allowed by your favorite office chair.
Within each of these instances, the function-
ality of the mechanism involved is totally de-
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