The belief at Dorner Manufacturing is to move fast and move smart. The company has lived up to its belief system.

Dorner has grown leaps and bounds since it opened for business on January 14, 1966 as a tool and die shop. Since then, Dorner has grown into a successful business of designing and building low profile conveyor platforms. This year, the company is commemorating 50 years in business with three days of activities. On Wednesday a tour of the Hartland headquarters was given by Bob Garcia, production manager. A 25,000 square-foot expansion to its manufacturing area was completed last year to meet future production goals and anticipated growth. There were also expansions to its conveyor lines such as AquaPruf sanitary, SmartFlex and 2200 series platforms. Garcia noted an accomplishment was decreasing the amount of time to build a product from 14 days to three days.

“The success is from us taking control of our material and parts. Also having quality and process control to turn over the parts quickly,” he said.

Read more: A golden business anniversary