VAN WERT — Cool Machines creates machines that can blow fake snow, put the stuffing in pillows, insulate a home and more.
“We’ve established ourselves as an innovator of different products,” said Dave Krendl, co-owner of the Van Wert company. “We lead the field when it comes to innovation.”
In its 32,000-square-foot facility at 740 Fox Road, Van Wert, about 18 employees design, assemble and test different products.
Most of the company’s business is insulation blowing machines, but it also has a part in a bevy of other “cool machines,” including an earth block machine, transition mowers, track vacuums and more.
It works with the special effects industry and converted an insulation blowing machine to blow bits of soap, paper, cardboard and other matter to create movie scenes. It has also created “winter wonderland” scenes in places that don’t get snow.
The desert scene in “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” has “sand” blown from one of Cool Machine’s blowing machines, Krendl said.
“Any airborne particles, these machines will blow it,” Krendl said. “You can’t do snow scenes any other way.”
The company doesn’t do its own fabricating, but instead designs its products and parts and has other companies make them and send them back. Once they’re back in Van Wert, Cool Machines employees put the machines together and make sure they’re running correctly, Krendl said.
There are several different models and sizes of insulation blowing machines, and the company makes about 400 machines a year, along with the support materials around them, he said.
Everyone from a do-it-yourselfer picking up a machine at Lowe’s or Menards to weekend warriors to professionals who use truck spray systems and more may be using Cool Machine products.
“The whole machine is very adaptable to many different industries,” Krendl said. “I can customize anything you want.”
Many people come to the company with problems, and Krendl and the other co-owner, Andy Schulte, work within the parameters to bring the solution “to life.”
For example, a prototype sitting in the warehouse area of the Van Wert facility can deploy a solidifying solution on oil spills so it’s easier to clean up the mess, Krendl said.
The company has also made two prototypes of earth block machines, which can build houses out of earth using dirt solid blocks that have hardened for a month or two, Krendl said.
The employees do the work mostly by hand, and Cool Machines relies on its workers’ skills, he said.
Amanda Wortman, of Columbus Grove, works in electrical at the company and has been employed there for about seven years. She likes working at Cool Machines and would recommend it to others.
“It’s a real family-oriented place. They’re great to work for,” she said. “They’re just real flexible with family … You can talk to them about anything.”
Employees who work on the floor often come from Vantage Career Center but can also come in with just a high school diploma or equivalent and get trained for three to six months. Positions vary from general assembly, electrical assembly, repair and more.
The company will always take resumes and is looking for people who understand its system well so they can help provide tech support over the phone.
The company pays its employees a range of $9 to $16 an hour, Krendl said, though the range may vary depending on education level, training and positions.
Cool Machines started an outdoor product line this past fall and is looking to move into making five or six custom-made things customers want, such as mowers that the company can service and do maintenance on, Krendl said.
The company now also services and maintains a fleet of 150 asphalt machines for a company out of state.
What sets it apart is the fact that Cool Machines listens “to the customer and really tries to improve our products to make it better for customers,” Schulte said.
The company began in 2004 in New Haven, Indiana, and moved to Van Wert in 2006, said Krendl, a Delphos resident. In 2014, the company purchased the building it is in now, with room to grow.
“No matter what we do, our intention is to grow,” Krendl said.
Pearl Schnipke works on a electrical panel box at Cool Machines in Van Wert. The company makes insulation blowing machines but branched out to other “cool machines,” including special effects for movies.
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Pearl Schnipke works on a electrical panel box at Cool Machines in Van Wert. The company makes insulation blowing machines but branched out to other “cool machines,” including special effects for movies.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
Dave Krendl, owner of Cool Machines in Van Wert, talks about a turbo shredder inside a blower.
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Dave Krendl, owner of Cool Machines in Van Wert, talks about a turbo shredder inside a blower.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
Dave Krendl, owner of Cool Machines in Van Wert, shows the inner workings of an asphalt machine, which is used to add material to road asphalt.
http://limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Cool_Machines_04co.jpg
Dave Krendl, owner of Cool Machines in Van Wert, shows the inner workings of an asphalt machine, which is used to add material to road asphalt.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
WHAT THEY DO: Cool Machines
By Danae King
dking@civitasmedia.com
WHAT THEY DO
The Lima News profiles local manufacturing companies every other Sunday on the Business page. If you have an idea on a business to profile, email info@limanews.com.
WHAT COOL MACHINES DOES
Cool Machines in Van Wert makes insulation blowing machines and various other products.
Reach Danae King at 567-242-0511 or on Twitter @DanaeKing.
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Cool Machines
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