Universal Acoustic & Emission Technologies received the prestigious 2014 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Special Award in the Employee Development & Commitment category at the program’s sold-out awards ceremony on Thursday evening at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.
 
Universal AET provides standard and customized engineered acoustic, emissions, and filtration solutions to the power generation, oil & gas, industrial processing, data center, and locomotive markets. Headquartered in Stoughton, WI, Universal is a global manufacturer with facilities in Muscoda, WI, Beloit, WI, and San Luis Potosi, Mexico. It has additional offices located in Houston, India, Singapore, and the U.K.
 
Universal was selected for the award because of its strong growth and commitment to training employees for Wisconsin’s technology-forward workforce. It has added more than 50 jobs in the past year at a growth rate of more than 20 percent in Wisconsin. The company started Universal University, which provides training in all areas of the company and demonstrates a corporate commitment toward employee growth in workforce development. Universal received a State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s Fast Forward program in January to train supervisors at the company’s facilities in Beloit, Muscoda and
Stoughton. Together with Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Universal AET created a customized Quality and Supervisory Management training program to educate more than 50 supervisors. Universal also implemented a growth program in which high-potential employees are identified and go through a mentoring program with upper management in conjunction with external leadership training. The goal is to develop and prepare future company leaders.
 
In addition to its employee training and mentoring program, Universal AET’s manufacturing and distribution growth throughout the last decade has allowed the company to expand into new territory as it creates jobs. In 2013, Universal opened its Center of Excellence in the Beloit Ironworks business district. The center houses a dedicated team of engineers, designers, business staff, and manufacturing specialists under one roof so all who work in the various stages of product development can better communicate. In 2014, Universal opened an office in Houston’s Energy Corridor to better serve its customers in the oil & gas, power generation and chemical processing markets in TX, Mexico, Central America, and South America.  
 
“We’re extremely honored to be chosen for the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year distinction,” said Universal president and chief operating officer Dick Strojinc. “We’re proud of our long history of serving a diverse customer base that has changed and grown with the evolution of our products, solutions, and technologies, and we’re committed to leading
Wisconsin’s charge as it becomes a model state for supporting the manufacturing industry.”
 
Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year award winners were selected by an independent panel of judges representing industry, education, and the public sector.
 
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