Sanderson MacLeod, which specializes in twisted wire brushes, is now able to analyze a customer’s current demand for twisted wire brush parts and implement a formal “pull system”. The company looks at past order history, anticipates possible demand spikes and works with customers to ensure that they only carry the minimum amount of inventory needed to satisfy demand. According to Mark N. Borsari, President of Sanderson MacLeod, “This LEAN manufacturing process creates a sense of teamwork with customers and eliminates the need for either company to risk carrying excess inventory or being unable to adequately support the end user.” Sanderson MacLeod has worked proactively with individual customers involved in the LEAN journey to cooperatively develop this ability to optimize the practice for each situation.

Similarly, Sanderson MacLeod’s internal pull systems have transformed suppliers into true partners with the ability to give suppliers accurate annual forecasts and reduce the possibility of being out of materials when needed. Vendors are held to strict performance expectations, and are tightly monitored to ensure they maintain a 100% on time delivery record. As a result, Sanderson MacLeod is able to quickly adjust to market demand changes for whole sale brushes and minimize exposure to raw material pricing. This is a benefit to customers by reducing product pricing changes and facilitating predictable and minimal pricing adjustments.

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45 Years: Raymond Stockwell
40 Years: Brenda Manning
35 Years: Beverly Raymond, Pamela Sisco, Susan Taylor
30 Years: Aldea Yelle
25 Years: Susan Horton, Charlotte Maxfield, Deborah Pelletier, Jody Sawyer
20 Years: Deborah Palmer, Dee Rice
10 Years: John Arbour, Michael Labossiere
5 Years: Theresa Strobel, William Twining

“We are so fortunate to have such a committed and loyal workforce,” said Eric Sanderson, Owner and CEO, “and it gives us great pleasure to honor our long time employees.”

Mark Borsari, President of Sanderson MacLeod, added: “We are very proud to have so many long term employees. It is rare these days to have the opportunity to honor people who have been serving the same organization for 35, 40 and 45 years. The knowledge, experience and dedication of these individuals are critical to our overall success.”

Sanderson MacLeod is a world leader in the manufacturing of twisted wire brushes. The company was founded in Palmer in 1958 by Ken Sanderson and Bruce MacLeod and now employs more than 100 people in a state-of-the-art facility on South Main Street.

The patent-pending Z-Tip is a revolutionary new way of putting a protective tip on a twisted wire brush. Recognizing that traditional medical brush tips have flaws that lead to scratching, scarring and poor performance, Sanderson MacLeod created a new manufacturing process using high energy fusion welding technologies to melt a pre-constructed core wire section of a twisted wire brush into a consistent, smooth and inseparable brush tip, called the Z-Tip.

According to David C. Parr, Executive Director of the ABMA, “We are delighted to present the 2011 ABMA William Cordes Innovation Excellence Award to Sanderson MacLeod. The “Willie” recognizes outstanding industry innovation and has become quite sought after and prestigious. The award is named after William Cordes, who served as the Association’s first President from 1917 to 1928. This award serves as a constant reminder that all new and exciting endeavors have beginnings that connect with real people.”

The company is currently marketing the Z-Tip to the medical industry for endoscopic cleaning brushes and cytology brushes which must have smooth protective tips in order to protect sensitive and expensive equipment and to ensure proper cell collection and patient safety.

Carlos R. Petzold, Chair of the ABMA’s Public Relations Committee and the Selection Committee for the Award, said, “The ABMA Innovation Award competition is a great opportunity for companies to showcase their innovative products, components and services to the industry and to the larger audience served by customers, users and consumers. It gives the greater industry a wonderful opportunity to see just how innovative, creative and vibrant we are as brushmakers.”

Mark F. Godfrey, ABMA Past President and also a former recipient of the Innovation Excellence Award, added, “In this competitive world economy, innovation is one of the critical keys to success. Being a recipient of this award lifts a company into rarified air and bestows a mantle of accomplishment to drive the company forward.”

“We are honored to win this award,” said Mark N. Borsari, President of Sanderson MacLeod. “We searched beyond the brush industry to solve the problems with traditional medical brush tips and found our answer in material joining science. We knew we had something pretty special, and we are extremely pleased to be recognized by the ABMA for our efforts.”

Sanderson MacLeod is the only brush manufacturer that specializes solely in twisted wire brushes, and for more than 50 years, has been the source of twisted wire brushes for some of the largest companies in the world. The company has a long history of innovation, including the distinction of inventing the first twisted wire mascara brush. Sanderson MacLeod employs more than 100 people in a state-of-the-art facility in Palmer, Massachusetts and utilizes a modern, FDA compliant Quality Control Laboratory to ensure product quality.