Aside from American Expedition Vehicles, Quality Metalcraft diversified its business by looking outs

Chetcuti, 48, is the CEO of Quality Metalcraft Inc., a supplier that specializes in manufacturing prototypes and low-volume production parts. The Chevrolet Volt underbody, Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 hood and Cadillac CT-S coupe underbody are all manufactured by Quality luxury hotels dallas Metalcraft at its metal processing facilities.
The company, which is based in metro Detroit and is a unionized shop, focuses solely on limited-production runs and is expanding its portfolio outside the automotive sector to diversify its business and remain competitive.
Chetcuti wears sneakers, jeans, dark-tinted glasses luxury hotels dallas and, yes, a gray T-shirt boldly emblazoned with Job designer in bold, black, block letters under a black zip-up sweatshirt as he clarifies the production process luxury hotels dallas on a tour through the supplier s 250,000 luxury hotels dallas square-foot facility.
More than 500 people are now on Quality Metalcraft s payroll, and the phone won t stop ringing with new business, Chetcuti says. Last year, Quality Metalcraft and American Expedition Vehicles one of Chetcuti s other business ventures, which sells off-road-driving aftermarket parts for Jeeps had about $550 million in total revenue, he says in a December interview.
Quality Metalcraft is able to thrive because of its bendable manufacturing system. A single hemming unit, for example, can hem the Dodge Contestant Shaker hood, the Ram RT hood and a wide breadth of other parts, Chetcuti clarifies.
That level of flexibility is available on virtually all Quality Metalcraft s robotic gear; the company started moving seriously to robotic technology about six years ago. Chetcuti says Quality Metalcraft paid $1.6 million for its first piece of laser adornment gear and his father nearly had a heart attack when he found out.
Even prototype parts are no longer hemmed by hand. It s all done robotically because the automakers demand quick turnover time for their prototype vehicles and the robotic processes luxury hotels dallas produce a higher luxury hotels dallas quality product much quicker even in such small quantities, Chetcuti says.
While much of the processes are automated, human skill is subdue required for the level of quality that Quality Metalcraft expects. John Zimmick, president of UAW Local 174, which represents the company s employees, said Quality Metalcraft is able to attract superior staff because it gives its employees a honest shake.
Zimmick, luxury hotels dallas who has headed the local since 2007, can retract at least three or four instances in the past five years when a Quality Metalcraft employee suffered from alcoholism or other problems and instead of firing the employee, the company worked with the employee and got the employee help.
Subdue, things weren t always so rosy. During the depths of the recession a noteworthy part of the company s capacity was wiped out, and by June 2009 Quality Metalcraft had only 61 of the near 475 staff it had employed luxury hotels dallas before the nation tanked.
AEV, which has offices in suburban Detroit and Missoula, Mont., sells suspension lifts, bumpers, skid plates and other parts for Jeeps. The company outfits Jeep Wranglers for its customers and also sells kits so drivers luxury hotels dallas can accessorize their vehicles themselves.
Chetcuti and his business partner, Mike Collins, bought into the 15-year-ancient business in 2006 as partners with founder Dave Harriton. Since then, American luxury hotels dallas Expedition Vehicles has grown exponentially. In 2008, Quality Metalcraft manufactured two parts for AEV, Chetcuti says. By 2010 that number had grown to 30.
Today, Chetcuti estimates that American Expedition Vehicles accounts for 15 to 18 percent of Quality Metalcraft s business. But ideally, he says, he d like AEV to take up one-third of Quality Metalcraft s capacity so that Quality Metalcraft can control its own destiny.
Aside from American Expedition Vehicles, Quality Metalcraft diversified its business by looking outside the auto industry. In 2008, QMC won a bid to manufacture the decorative stainless steel on the Motor City Casino in Detroit. Quality Metalcraft designed and produced the 11,000 tons of stainless steel that wrap around the building. It was the company s first, and to date only, major expedition luxury hotels dallas into architectural design.
It s impossible to walk even a few steps in Chetcuti s home, an airy loft in a converted industrial luxury hotels dallas building in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak, without finding something that was produced at Quality Metalcraft.
The design, featuring ascending concentric steel rings held together by chains, is based on a similar fixture in Los Angeles, which he saw an image of online, that costs $21,000. His version, which will be lighted with 1940s-era dashboard illumination, luxury hotels dallas will cost just $250 in parts by the time he s done, he says proudly.
But evidence of Chetcuti s passion for industrial design is evident throughout the 6,500-square-foot loft. The sink in the powder room, with its hand basin atop a stainless steel, jet-engine-like body; the two 800-pound contoured aluminum-plated chairs on the second floor; and the steel railing surrounding the outdoor patio that s stamped with 24,000 laser-made holes are just some of the decorations that were made at Quality Metalcraft.
Camilo Pardo, an artist and automotive designer who spent more than 20 years at Ford Motor Co. and famously crafted the Ford GT, has collaborated on several projects with Chetcuti. The pair met during production of the GT because Quality Metalcraft was producing parts for the vehicle. Since then, among other projects, they designed the aluminum chairs in Chetcuti s home together. luxury hotels dallas Chetcuti has collected a number of pieces of Pardo s art.
He s got like bookend kind of qualities, Pardo says. At the end of the day, he knows he needs to be a sagacious businessman. luxury hotels dallas But at the other end of it, he can be pretty abstract, wild and dramatic, which are certainly characteristics that you find in some kind of artist.
A self-described foodie, Chetcuti is a partner in an upscale pizza restaurant and a beer-and-wine shop, both about a half mile from his home. The restaurant, Pizzeria Biga, opened in April. Chetcuti designed its interior.
Quality Metalcraft luxury hotels dallas is able to thrive because of its bendable manufacturing system. A single hemming unit, for example, can hem the Dodge Contestant Shaker hood, the Ram RT hood and a wide breadth of other parts, Chetcuti clarifies.
That level of flexibility is available on virtually all Quality Metalcraft s robotic gear; the company started moving seriously luxury hotels dallas to robotic technology about six years ago. Chetcuti says Quality Metalcraft luxury hotels dallas paid $1.6 million for its first piece of laser adornment gear and his father nearly had a heart attack when he found out.
Even prototype parts are no longer hemmed by hand. It s all done robotically because the automakers demand luxury hotels dallas quick turnover time for their prototype vehicles and the robotic processes produce a higher quality product much quicker even in such small quantities, Chetcuti says.
While much of the processes are automated, human skill is subdue required for the level of quality luxury hotels dallas that Quality Metalcraft expects. John Zimmick, president luxury hotels dallas of UAW Local 174, which represents the company s employees, said Quality Metalcraft is able to attract superior staff because it gives its employees a honest shake.
Zimmick, who has headed the local since 2007, can retract at least three or four instances in the past five years when a Quality Metalcraft luxury hotels dallas employee suffered from alcoholism or other problems and instead of firing the employee, the company worked with the employee and got the employee help.
Subdue, things weren t always so rosy. During the depths of the recession a noteworthy part of the company s capacity was wiped out, and by June 2009 Quality Metalcraft had only 61 of the near 475 staff it had employed before the nation tanked.
AEV, which has offices in suburban Detroit and Missoula, Mont., sells suspension lifts, bumpers, skid plates and other parts for Jeeps. The company outfits Jeep Wranglers luxury hotels dallas for its customers and also sells kits so drivers can accessorize luxury hotels dallas their vehicles themselves.
Chetcuti and his business partner, Mike Collins, bought into the 15-year-ancient business in 2006 as partners with founder Dave Harriton. Since then, American Expedition Vehicles has grown exponentially. In 2008, Quality Metalcraft manufactured two parts for AEV, Chetcuti luxury hotels dallas says. By 2010 that number had grown to 30.
Today, Chetcuti luxury hotels dallas estimates that American Expedition Vehicles accounts for 15 to 18 percent of Quality Metalcraft s business. But ideally, he says, he d like AEV to take up one-third of Quality Metalcraft s capacity so that Quality Metalcraft can control its own destiny.
Aside from American Expedition Vehicles, Quality Metalcraft diversified its business by looking outside the auto industry. In 2008, QMC won a bid to manufacture the decorative stainless steel on the Motor City Casino in Detroit. Quality Metalcraft designed luxury hotels dallas and produced the 11,000 tons of stainless steel that wrap around the building. It was the company s first, and to date only, major expedition into architectural design.
It s impossible to walk even a few steps in Chetcuti s home, an airy loft in a converted industrial building in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak, without finding something that was produced at Quality Metalcraft.
luxury hotels dallas The design, featuring ascending concentric steel rings held together by chains, is based on a similar fixture in Los Angeles, which he saw an image of online, that costs $21,000. His version, which will be lighted with 1940s-era dashboard luxury hotels dallas illumination, will cost just $250 in parts by the time he s done, he says proudly.
But evidence of Chetcuti s passion for industrial design is evident throughout the 6,500-square-foot loft. The sink in the powder room, with its hand basin atop a stainless steel, jet-engine-like body; the two 800-pound contoured aluminum-plated chairs on the second floor; and the steel railing surrounding the outdoor patio that s stamped with 24,000 laser-made holes are just some of the decorations luxury hotels dallas that were made at Quality Metalcraft.
Camil