In 1981, the Switzerland-based global giant Phoenix Mecano established a United States subsidiary, Phoenix Mecano Inc. Over the past 40 years, Phoenix Mecano Inc. has grown into one of the top players in the enclosures and industrial components segments marketplace from its prime American base in Frederick, MD.
Phoenix Mecano North America’s President and CEO Philip Brown points to several reasons for the company’s longevity and sustained success over the past four decades. “Locating our US operations primarily in Frederick was a strategic decision that has yielded excellent results for the company,” says Brown. “Frederick is an extremely desirable area that offers quick access to Baltimore, Washington, DC, and three international airports. It also serves as a gateway to Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia– all beautiful and diverse areas with excellent educational standards and other opportunities at a relatively accessible cost of living.”
According to Brown, the attractiveness and resources of the quad-state area, with Frederick as its hub, has presented Phoenix Mecano Inc. with a tremendous employment pool, allowing the company to hire a first-rate workforce. And it’s this workforce, says Brown, that has helped Phoenix Mecano Inc. grow and thrive over the past 40 years more than any other factor.
“We’re a global technology company with more than 60 locations on six continents,” says Brown. “So I think it goes without saying that we produce innovative, quality products…and we’re proud of those, and the value they provide to our customers. But we are even prouder of the people behind those products. We have a workforce that continuously and reliably comes to work every day, determined to do the best job they can because their fellow employees, the company, and our customers are counting on them.”
Many businesses were able to reinvent themselves with a remote workforce when the COVID-19 pandemic forced lockdowns in the US last April and May, says Brown. Phoenix Mecano Inc, however, needed its machinists and other essential staff to continue working physically on site to meet production schedules and delivery dates.
“Even during that very frightening time, out of a tremendous loyalty to our customers, to this company, and to each other, our employees kept showing up,” says Brown. “Of course we put cleanliness and safety protocols in place to minimize their risk, but still—to have that degree of support and loyalty at such a challenging time from the people who work with you is outstanding. It’s also just one example out of hundreds of how our employees have always been—and are absolutely still—our most important asset.”
