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Once upon a time...

In 1922, H. P. Axelberg, the son of a Norwegian immigrant, saw opportunity in South Bend, Indiana with the growth of Studebaker Company and the University of Notre Dame. He opened General Sheet Metal Works to serve the industrial sheet metal needs of the thriving community. The company set up shop on South Main Street, where its headquarters remains to this day. In the early years, GSMW designed and built paint booths, dust collectors, and air handling systems for the Studebaker automotive plants. The company also provided ventilation systems and metal roofing for the University of Notre Dame. One such project involved the replacing the gold leaf on the dome of the Administration Building.

Municipal construction projects in the South Bend area helped sustain the company through the Great Depression, as several public schools were built during that time period. With the 1940’s came the United States’ involvement in World War II. While not directly involved in supplying military parts, the company completed numerous projects at Studebaker, as assembly lines were reconfigured to produce equipment for the war effort. After the war, residential construction boomed, while industrial projects tapered off.

In the mid 1950’s, Mr. Axelberg started a separate five-man manufacturing division that provided metal component parts for companies that manufactured finished products. That operation quickly prospered, while opportunities in sheet metal contracting declined. Metal parts fabrication soon became the primary focus, and GSMW became the principal supplier to Wheel Horse, a South Bend company enjoying tremendous success with its line of garden tractors.

“In today’s competitive marketplace, manufacturers need stable, reliable, value-driven suppliers with the expertise and resources to perform predictably and responsively. GSM has the internal and external resources to be a secure, strategic link in your supply chain. ”

– Tom Sesterhenn, Director, Supply Chain Management

The founder’s three sons joined the business in the 1960’s, and eventually became equal partners. They expanded the company’s equipment base of manual stamping presses and mechanical press brakes, and shifted the focus from fabrication to short-run stamping. The 1970’s saw a continuation of the existing business model, under the ownership of the second-generation Axelberg brothers.

By 1984, Jim Axelberg had acquired his two brothers’ interests in the company, and become sole shareholder and president. That same year, current president John Axelberg, a recent graduate of DePauw University, joined General Sheet Metal Works as an estimator and project manager.

With the 1990’s came the increased deployment of technology in the business. The company acquired its first laser in 1997. Progress continued into the new millennium with investments in plant expansion, technology, and education. In 2003, the company acquired a facility adjacent to its South Bend plant, increasing production space by 70,000 square feet. Expanding into Wisconsin in 2006, GSMW opened a plant in Tomah, WI to more effectively serve a key customer’s local plant. Two years later, increases in demand required a doubling of the plant size to 45,000 square feet. Meanwhile, investment in laser technology continued, totaling $6.6 million from 2000 through 2010. The company recognized the role that education, training and collaboration would play in its future success, and invested $250,000 to redevelop an older structure on the South Bend campus into a thoroughly modern training facility.

Back to the future...

The 2009 recession dramatically impacted GSMW. Following a record year in 2008, sales revenue dropped 40% in 2009. The company reduced its workforce out of necessity, but redoubled its efforts to identify and implement improvements that would enable it to find new opportunities. They engaged Purdue University to launch lean manufacturing and leadership development initiatives. Extensive training, begun in 2009, became a regular part of the company’s ongoing operations and continues today, with active Continuous Improvement projects throughout its manufacturing operations.

By 2010, General Sheet Metal had recovered to pre-recession level revenues, with sales topping $30 million. Through increased focus on diversifying its customer base, developing management capabilities, and expanding its offerings, 2011 revenues grew 33% to $40 million, with 2012 revenues increasing another 24% to $49.6 million.

Today, GSMW serves a diverse range of customers including manufacturers of agricultural equipment, power generation and distribution equipment, utility-scale solar power, automotive, military transport, heavy truck and trailer, data center infrastructure, and others. Diversification of its customer base, improved manufacturing efficiency, addition of new capabilities and enhancement of its organizational design will continue to improve prospects for the company.

Based on industry data and customer growth projections, GSMW revenues are expected to exceed $54,000,000 for 2013.

Anticipating further growth, the company is currently pursuing the relocation of its South Bend headquarters and plant, as incremental expansions over the years have been at the expense of optimal overall plant layout, employee comfort, and efficient workflows. Options originally included expansion of the existing facility however engineering studies indicate that a phased construction approach that would enable uninterrupted operations is not feasible. In March 2013, GSMW recently confirmed a commitment to construction of a new facility on acquired land. After a lengthy search and selection process, negotiations for the site are currently underway, the architect and construction management firm have been selected and identification of the manufacturing flow design consultant has begun.

The design of the new facility will include a dedicated education and training center including a fabrication lab for skill development and prototyping activities.

Our Certifications

Company News

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National Manufacturing Day 2019

General Stamping & Metalworks (GSM) welcomed nearly 100 students to our facility on October 4, 2019 for National Manufacturing Day. Students were welcomed by the … Read More

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The Tube & Pipe Journal Spotlights GSM Bending Capabilities

October 2019
General Stamping & Metalworks invests in new tube bending capabilities to proactively gain capacity for new customer demand and increasingly complex components.
Click to read … Read More

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General Stamping & Metalworks Ranks High on Fab 40 List

General Stamping & Metalworks is proud to rank 12th on The Fabricator’s annual FAB 40 list.  This annual ranking is based upon 2018 revenues, 2019 projected … Read More

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GSM Partners with City of South Bend’s On Demand Program

South Bend’s On Demand program supports local employers in helping build skill sets of their employees. Through GSM’s partnership with the City of South … Read More

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AWS Certification earned by 30 GSM Welding Team Members

In the fall of 2018, GSM partnered with one of Northern Indiana’s local community colleges to provide high quality weld training. That training led to … Read More

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Fabricator Article Spotlights General Stamping & Metalworks

December – 2018

The Fabricator recently highlighted the strategic partnership between Trumpf and GSM in their article, “A Deep Dive into Laser Cutting”.  The article focuses … Read More

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National Manufacturing Day At GSM

General Stamping & Metalworks (GSM) hosted nearly 100 students at our facility on October 5, 2018 for National Manufacturing Day. Students … Read More

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Manufacturing Day 2018

 

General Stamping & Metalworks to host Manufacturing Day events

SOUTH BEND, IN – In celebration of Manufacturing Day, General Stamping & Metalworks will open its doors … Read More

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GSM South Bend Facility Receives 2018 FMA/CNA Safety Award

GENERAL STAMPING & METALWORKS OF SOUTH BEND, IN RECEIVES SAFETY AWARD OF MERIT FROM FABRICATORS & MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

ELGIN, Ill., April 23, 2018, South Bend, Ind., May … Read More

GSM Tomah Facility Receives 2018 FMA/CNA Safety Award

GENERAL STAMPING & METALWORKS OF TOMAH, WI RECEIVES SAFETY AWARD OF HONOR FROM FABRICATORS & MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
ELGIN, Ill., April 23, 2018, Tomah, Wis., May 1, 2018 … Read More

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SB Regional Chamber Honors General Stamping & Metalworks with Economic Impact Award

This February, 2017, at The South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual Salute to Business luncheon, General Stamping & Metalworks was presented with The 2017 Economic … Read More

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Succeeding in Change; General Sheet Metal Works Continues to Adapt to Challenges

Excerpted from the South Bend Tribune 7/06/2012.

SOUTH BEND – Now in its third generation of leadership by the Axelberg family who created it, General Sheet … Read More

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A New Business Model, a New Structure – a New Business

Excerpted from the Fabricator 3/26/2014.
Indiana fabricator looks inward to grow
By: Tim Heston, Senior Editor
John Axelberg grew tired of the griping. Year after year the president and … Read More

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New Building Concepts

Original content posted 4/18/2014: From the beginning in 1922, our people have always known that GSMW’s most valuable asset is our customer relationships. As … Read More

GSM on LinkedIn

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Our Promise

General Stamping & Metalworks is committed to meeting customer requirements by engaging every employee in the continual improvement of our process. Contact us to request a quote or for more information.

Contact Us

South Bend Tel: 574-288-0611
South Bend Fax: 574-288-0647
Tomah Tel: 608-374-4769
Tomah Fax: 608-374-4782
E-mail: info@gsmwinc.com

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