Mohawk Technology Celebrates 10 Years; Sees Continued Growth Ahead

Mohawk, Mich.— Mohawk Technology is a process controls, automation, and mechatronics company, with 40 employees, serving the US from four locations in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

The company just this week celebrated its 10th year in business and from humble beginnings, has grown to help engineer and construct some of the largest dairy operations in the world.

Founder Jay Isaacson started Mohawk Technology in 2013 after working for nearly a decade at Advanced Process Technologies (APT) in the company’s process control group.

“I had a great experience at APT, working and learning the industry with great people,” Isaacson said. “I expanded my knowledge at a time when APT was growing very quickly. It was great fun to be a part of that group.”

For Isaacson, starting a new company was simply about wanting to go back to his childhood hometown of Mohawk, MI.

“I was looking to specialize my skills, slow down a little, focus what I really wanted to do, which was automation,” he said.

Mohawk’s early work specialized on process control systems. “As a young company, projects that would be considered small by company standards today, were enough to keep us busy” he said.

After successfully completing enough projects, Isaacson’s interactions with customers regarding worker needs and other in-plant challenges opened the door to other automation projects.

“Having good controls is key to having a well-run, efficient process,” Isaacson said. “You can say our success is built off that belief. We have expanded our company but that belief is still underneath it all.”

Building The Mohawk Team

When Isaacson first laid out his goals, he knew they were going to be built off the back of his controls experience.

The goal from the very beginning was to get to complete process systems, Isaacson said. To do that, the company would need to diversify, adding a Process Engineering and Installation team in 2015 led by Lars Peterson.

The Process Group has grown to execute start-to-finish process projects, as well as install and integrate equipment, Isaacson said.

“Lars was a key part. The Process Group’s current capability improved tremendously after he joined us.”

Other hires like Randy Carlson, who handles the installation crew; Keith “Skeeter” White, who produces the fabricated equipment coming out of the manufacturing shop, have streamlined the on-site work, as well as reduced factory downtime for customers.

“I was able to grow the business from a company of one,” Isaacson said. “It’s been up to everyone else who has chosen to join us that makes it what we are today.”

In 2019, led by Randy Keranen, Mohawk expanded again adding a Mechatronics Group and integrating robotics engineering.

“Our success in these fields is about how our Mohawk Tech employees can deliver for our customers in the cheese industry,” Isaacson said.

The key to the company’s success is the way Mohawk employees listen to their customers, he continued.

“We try to find a few key things that the customer is looking for, identifying the four or five things that they really want a system to do and then within that standard system, come up with good engineering ideas and ways to accomplish those things. Our engineers look at those key requirements and then come up with a solution that reduces labor intensity, solves the shortage of workers they may have, reduces cost, automates functions, or controls the process.”

Future Of Robotics & Automation In The Industry

Isaacson believes that automation can be placed anywhere there is a payback inside a plant.

Due to employee shortages or employee safety issues, Isaacson believes the industry must look at implementing automation wherever operations can, and wherever it makes sense, cost-wise.

“It just seems like, things never get less automated. So now what you are seeing is, ‘Where can we apply automation’.”

It feels like the process side of the industry is being automated pretty well, Isaacson said. But he thinks more can be done on the sanitary side.

“When I think of the projects we are doing, we are solving problems,” Isaacson said. “Our Process Group has grown steadily and it is exciting to see our Mechatronics Group with similar growth opportunities.”

“The back end of plants is an area where there will be more automation,” Isaacson continued. “By taking that automation that traditionally has not been sanitary and putting it into a sanitary environment. ”

“The back end of plants is an area where there will be more automation,” Isaacson continued. “By taking that automation that traditionally has not been sanitary and putting it into a sanitary environment. ”

There are many companies out there that can solve the robot part of the equation, he said. But there is a difference between that and a creatively blended process of engineering, which is what is needed to really solve customer problems.

Mohawk’s Future

Isaacson said the company has a tremendous track record of working with customers more than once and in different areas of their operations.

“We have worked with large -scale operations and, because of the way we kind of got started, we enjoy working with smaller operations as well. We have been very fortunate and grateful.”

Isaacson sees a lot of continued growth ahead.

“We are happy to be growing with the cheese industry. We recently finished a new Mechatronics shop, have started an expansion of our Northern Minnesota facility, and we are working on a new Process shop in Wisconsin. We are constantly upgrading our services to the industry.”

https://www.cheesereporter.com/CR/August%204,%202023.pdf#page=24