“Part of our vision for MTI is to have an impact on the community around us. And I don’t think we can do that, one, if we’re not successful, or if we’re not part of the community anymore because we are bought off by some PE group that was from across the country or whatever. So, in order to fulfill that vision, we have to set the business up in a specific way to give ourselves a chance to be successful.”
Dan Adams, CEO of MTI
Welcome back to Anchors.
It’s been a while since our last series, but the questions that drive this show haven’t changed: How do small cities build lasting economies? And what can we learn from the companies that have managed to stay — by growing and adapting — right where they started?
In past episodes, we’ve looked at the companies that once anchored their cities. Today, we’re looking at one that still does.
This episode is part of a limited project we’re calling Closely Held — interviews with family-owned, long-standing businesses here in the South Bend–Elkhart region. Companies that have made it seventy-five years or more, or passed through at least three generations of leadership — each with their own way of staying connected to the place that made them.
We are starting with a company called MTI. They turn 100 years old next spring and are on their fourth generation of leadership and ownership, with the fifth generation starting in the business now.
They are still located on the same piece of land where the business was started in 1926. It has transitioned from a local tool and die maker to a global manufacturer of some of the most advanced welding machines in the world.
I got a chance to sit down with the current CEO, Dan Adams, in his office on West Washington Street here in South Bend. We cover the history of the company, the dynamics of the global market for friction welding, his story of coming back to the business, and the impetus on generational family businesses to think carefully about people, leadership, and succession.
I hope you enjoy the conversation.
Company Summary
Company: Manufacturing Technology, Inc. (MTI), formerly Adams Engineering Tool & Die
Year Founded: 1926
Owners: Adams Family
What They Do: Design, build, service, and operate friction welders for aerospace, oil and gas, automotive, agriculture, construction, consumer product electronics, and defense industries
Website: https://www.mtiwelding.com/
Select photos, newspaper clippings, videos maps, etc.
Location in South Bend
MTI & Friction Welding Videos
Historical Newspaper Clippings
Host: Dustin Mix
Edited and Produced by Dustin Mix
Podcast Music: Mirrorland Hotel by Benjamin Esterlis
