Ralph didn’t plan to open a business for himself, either. “But”, he says, “I didn’t want to look back in 30 years working for the same company making the same parts day in and day out. It was this desire that prompted me to start my own
business.” Ralph was a young 25 years old when he first went into business for himself. IPM opened for business nearly 2 decades ago, in 1996. “Fat pigs get slaughtered”, Ralph said. “IPM’s business model is based upon making the best parts for our customers, at the best price possible. We don’t spend costly resources on fancy websites, elaborate conference rooms, or all those extras. When machine shops do this, they are adding cost to their operation that has to be passed on to their customers. We just don’t do that.”
IPM’s customers hear some very unusual feedback from Ralph and the team. Ralph says, “When we price a part for a customer that is based upon very small quantities, and those quantities grow, we come back to them with a price reduction, sometimes even retroactively.” He continued, “Our customers tell us that this just doesn’t happen with most of their suppliers.”
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In Ralph’s words, “IPM was blessed to be awarded business from its customers.” Ralph says, “Early in business, we were awarded business from a company in the oil industry. We performed well, and we were placed on their preferred supplier list. Others in the oil and gas industry, both from different divisions within the company, as well as from some other companies in the industry, heard what we were doing, and our business in this industry grew exponentially. Today, we ship products to the oil and gas industry across the United States, largely into Texas, and our products ship regularly internationally, into Singapore and Dubai.” Ralph and the team at IPM may indeed be blessed, but they are also doing some great things to retain and grow their customer base. “Integrity” is key to their business model. “Do the right things for your customers, and always do it with rigorous honesty”, Ralph says. The company gets report cards, and they are an A+ supplier in quality.
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