Founded in Brazil in 1911, Tramontina brought its business to the U.S. in 1986. The company has been manufacturing cookware at the Wisconsin facility since 2005. The plant is one of the facilities made available when the former Mirro Co. cookware plant shuttered its operations in 2003.
“At a time when cookware manufacturers were moving operations abroad, Tramontina revived a cookware factory in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, reemploying local laborers and bringing its aluminum production to the U.S.,” notes Tramontina’s corporate website. “Reviving this plant allowed a skilled local workforce to keep their jobs and allowed the town of Manitowoc to retain its long-established identity of craftsmanship in aluminum cookware manufacturing.”
Today, Tramontina manufactures more than 25 million pieces of cookware each year in the United States. In early 2017, Tramontina US Cookware invited the A.C.E. Team to make improvements and help expand the company’s Manitowoc manufacturing facility.
We Had Three Goals to AchieveA second goal was to increase the office footprint and amenities. New spaces were created: a visitor welcome and reception area, a board room, a product display area, and an executive kitchenette were incorporated into the design. Additionally, the project included new private office and cube workstation space.
Thirdly, A.C.E. Building Service installed built-in casework for display of a variety of Tramontina products. This handsome feature now greets visitors and guests who enter the building. Lastly, we paid attention to the small details that make a big impact. Finishing touches can make a big difference. The Tramontina project also offered benefits from freshening “face lifts” for existing offices, as well as minor alterations to enhance security and traffic flow.
[Click here to see more photos of this expansion project here >]
Working as a Team
Our work also included development of a concept for the exterior appearance of the addition. The existing building was a 350,000+ square foot facility originally constructed in the in the 1960s. Though it was expanded over the years, the appearance of the facility stayed the same, with embossed aluminum panel cladding and an industrial appearance.
“We chose to make the expansion stand out boldly from the existing building, intentionally drawing visitors and guests to the area,” explains A.C.E. Building Service project manager Eric Augustine. “We chose a pre-engineered structure for its design flexibility both inside and out.”
Timing is Everything
Flexibility Leads to Successful Finish
“We were most pleased with the professionalism displayed by the project managers and foreman,” said Jeremy Kass, Tramontina’s Manitowoc Production and Engineering Manager. “Tramontina changed the scope of the project before and during the project numerous times, and A.C.E. handled it very well and with little financial impact.”
Flexibility, it turns out, is a two-way street.
“This project was significant for us in many ways,” noted Chris Herzog, A.C.E. Vice President of Business Development and Marketing. “We were able to work with project stakeholders remotely (Tramontina’s stateside headquarters are in Sugar Land, Texas) and deliver a project with which they are pleased. It was the first expansion for this notable facility in more than two decades, and it was drastically different in design from the rest of the facility. We appreciate the flexibility that Tramontina extended to us to come up with a few out-of-the-box elements.”