Custom Manufacturer Wins Big Contracts
After Advertising On The Thomas Network
Jonco Industries was founded in 1980 as a small contract packaging and converting services company. In the mid-2000s, they changed their focus and their business model, purchasing new capital equipment that would allow them to deliver custom manufacturing services to new customers in a broad array of industries. The only problem was they didn’t have a way to connect to those customers. In fact, the company didn’t have a single salesperson.
Seeking a way to increase sales without increasing their salesforce, in 2009 they started advertising on the Thomas Network at Thomasnet.com. The results have been tremendous. The company receives 5-6 leads through the platform every day, and they have won contracts with an impressive list of clients that includes GE, John Deere, and others:
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While these represent large, established businesses, Jonco also helps small shops and companies get off the ground. Recently, one of those leads came from a pair of mechanical engineers in Madison, Wisconsin who had a passion for craft beer and a vision for a new business — Beer Cap Maps.
Thomas has allowed us to exponentially grow sales without growing our sales force. Our presence on the platform has been instrumental in our success.
— Jesse Darley
Owner, Beer Cap Maps
Jesse Darley, an engineer from Madison Wisconsin, and his 6-year-old son, Jasper, attended lots of family barbecues and picnics. But Jasper didn’t just come for the food — he also came to collect bottle caps.
As Jasper’s collection began to grow, he needed more than just a Ziploc® bag to keep all of his caps together.
Jesse crafted a wooden wall mount in the shape of their home state of Wisconsin to display his son’s collection. He shared pictures of the map on social media, and people loved it. One of those people was Jesse’s co-worker, Steve Latham, who asked for his own map in the shape of Missouri.
Steve knew Jesse had a special product with a lot of potential. The two decided to partner together to start selling the maps. Less than one week later, they made their first sale.
It wouldn’t be their last, however. The demand for the new map was outpacing their ability to produce them.
As mechanical engineers, Jesse and Steve knew exactly how to make their new maps. However, they couldn’t make enough to cover their orders, which were coming in faster than they expected.
It was time for this engineering duo to find the right supplier who could help their budding business grow.
They set out to find a laser cutting and finishing provider. However, while they were able to find plenty of precision laser cutters that handled metal and other materials, they had trouble finding a supplier that could also finish their product and potentially ship them as well. Steve logged on to Thomasnet.com, where he came across Jonco’s supplier profile.
Jonco became a one-stop-shop for Beer Cap Maps. Not only could Jonco cut and finish their wooden maps, but they could also ship their products all over the country. Jonco was even able to help prototype new products for the company.
Just like Jonco helped Beer Cap Maps grow, so too has Thomas helped Jonco.
When Jonco purchased a machine to mark company tools with part numbers and logos, they wanted to increase the capacity of the machine beyond internal work.
They collaborated with Thomas to market this new capability on Thomasnet.com and, within a few months, they acquired an automotive customer who was projected to generate up to $650,000 in new business!
Create your Thomasnet.com free Company Profile here and begin to grow your business the same way Jonco did.
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Jonco Industries delivers custom manufacturing services to clients nationwide. A full-service promotional marketing and fulfillment house, Jonco Industries provides projects and products that are innovative and well designed.
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