Former type Private Defunct 2009 Headquarters Cleveland Ceased operations 2009 | Industry Manufacturing Founded 1943 Fate Mergers and acquisitions | |
Products Tooling, metal stampings and assemblies | ||
S&Z Metalworks was a Cleveland, Ohio-based producer of tooling, metal stampings, and assemblies for a variety of consumer products manufacturers and the U.S. automotive industry over its 65-year lifespan. The company, known originally as S&Z Tool & Die, was part of a group of companies that became known as Metalworks Worldwide in 2007. These companies also included LJ Metalworks, an assembly operation, and SyZ Metalworks (formerly SyZ Rolmex), based in Guadalajara, Mexico.
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Most recently, the three companies of Metalworks Worldwide operated as tier 2 suppliers of high volume metal stampings and assemblies to the U.S. automotive industry. As the automotive industry crisis of 2008-2009 deepened, Metalworks Worldwide, like many other automotive suppliers, could not remain profitable. The company closed its doors in February 2009. At the time of the closure, S&Z Metalworks and LJ Metalworks employed approximately 125 people. SyZ Metalworks was sold to Grupo Collado in April 2009.
1943–1950s
S&Z Tool & Die began its operations in a small garage on Cleveland’s near west side in 1943. Cleveland was known for its tooling and metalworking expertise and operations in the mid-to-late 20th century. The company’s founders saw an opportunity to provide quality tooling and metal parts, plus some assembly operations, for local manufacturers. Early customers included Cleveland’s Leece-Neville Co., a manufacturer of products for heavy duty trucking, and Westinghouse Electric.
In 1945, the company moved to its permanent location at 3180 Berea Road. The company expanded several times over six decades at this headquarters location. As the nation’s Interstate Highway System was built, Interstate 90 passed by the company directly to the north, and the red S&Z logo became a familiar site to Cleveland’s west side commuters.
Following World War II, pent-up consumer demand created new opportunities for S&Z throughout the 1950s as the company provided components for Cleveland companies such as Radiart, a producer of roof mounted television antennas and Tenna Corporation, producer of electric motors and radio assemblies. S&Z worked with Westinghouse Corporation’s Small Appliance Division in Mansfield, Ohio, providing parts for toasters, washing machines and clothes dryers. The company also provided production parts for both Westinghouse and RCA televisions.
1960s – 1970s
As small appliance work moved offshore in the early 1960s, the company entered the automotive market, developing a relationship with Chrysler Corporation, providing metal components for the company’s trucking and military vehicle operations. Chrysler became the company’s primary customer for nearly a decade, through the late 1970s. When Chrysler entered financial difficulties in the late 1970s, S&Z began to build up business with Ford and General Motors.
S&Z’s laborers organized a union in the mid-1970s, joining the United Auto Workers, Local No. 70. Employment peaked at around 300 in the early 1980s. The company remained unionized until its closure.
1980s
The U. S. automotive industry became more stratified in the early 1980s as the Big Three manufacturers began to subcontract the assemblies for which S&Z was furnishing components. These projects went to tier 1 companies such Tenneco, Johnson Controls, Valeo, Delphi Corporation and Visteon, all of which then became primary S&Z customers. S&Z formed a new company, LJ Tool Specialties, in 1979 to provide wire burning and to be another tooling source and in the mid-1980s perform assembly work on S&Z components for its Tier 1 customers. The company’s overall strategic goal was to remain price competitive while adding significant value to its customers.
1990s
The business became even more cost-competitive throughout the 1990s. Pricing pressures shifted some OEM and tier 1 work to Mexico, and S&Z responded by opening Guadalajara-based SyZ Rolmex in 1996.
2000s - Closure
The company took on the initiative of Lean Manufacturing, an effort that addressed customer service in every facet of operations – material handling, inventory control, scheduling and personnel deployment. It also invested in upgrades to all of its machinery to increase productivity, accuracy and quality. In April 2007, S&Z, LJ Tool Specialties and SyZ Rolmex were rebranded with the “Metalworks” suffix to better reflect their product offerings and combined into the new Metalworks Worldwide. The companies operated under these names until the February 2009 closure of S&Z and LJ Metalworks and April 2009 sale of SyZ Metalworks.