Dan Schodowski faced a challenge. As president and CEO of Solon, Ohio-based JTM Products, Inc., Schodowski knew the company was ready to grow, and making the right investment choices would be critical. Should the company buy an existing facility or build a new one? What new material handling equipment would be needed to support the company’s growth?

Perhaps best known as the remaining piece of the original manufacturer of Murphy® Oil Soap, which was sold to the Colgate-Palmolive Company in 1991, JTM was founded in 1890 as the Phoenix Oil Company, producing axle greases, belt dressings and lubricants for the Industrial Revolution. Today, the company is still privately held by grandsons of the founder, Jeremiah Timothy Murphy, whose initials now form the company’s name.

JTM’s business centers around two product lines: Murphy’s™ tire mounting and demounting lubricants; and Phoenix™ pipe joint lubricants used in the construction of water and sewer lines. The company also does private label and specialty product manufacturing.

For Schodowski, JTM’s steady performance of up to $10 million in annual sales and an estimated 65 percent market share for its two main product lines gave the company financial stability on which to grow. But in the back of his mind, Schodowski knew that if he were to expand JTM, changes in production techniques would be inevitable for the 114-year old company, its employees and its owners.

Check out the full case study to learn how Honeywell Intelligrated helped JTM to make a shift toward automation and implemented a solution that is able to handle both product lines.