MURPHYTOWN -- One of West Virginia's best-kept secrets could be a family-owned sheet metal fabrication shop in Wood County.

For the past 72 years, Danser Inc. has made a name for itself around the country and in other parts of the world, said Christopher Pfeiffer, executive vice president. Although few of Danser's customers are in the Mountain State, the company's owners and employees are committed to West Virginia.

"Less than 5 percent of our business is within 100 miles of this facility," he said. "We're bringing fresh money into the state."

Family Business

When it was founded, Danser was much like any other sheet metal fabricator at the time, Pfeiffer said.

"In 1936, we started out as a sheet metal company that did roofing and siding -- the typical stuff sheet metal companies do," he said. "We did that into the '40s."

Then, after World War II, the company had an opportunity to do some work on the kilns at the Corning glass plant in Parkersburg, Pfeiffer said. That project changed the company's focus.

"We started working on high-temperature kilns all over the world," he said. "That's one of our specialties. ... We do no (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) work, roofing or siding."

Today, Danser remains a family-owned operation, Pfeiffer said. He is part of the fourth generation that has run the company.

"I think that one-tenth of 1 percent of family-owned businesses make it to the fourth generation," he said.

The reason for the company's success is the people with whom he has surrounded himself, Pfeiffer said.

"To run a company, you have to be the dumbest guy at the table," he said. "You have to hire smart people -- the best candidate for each position."

Those people include the engineering staff, welders and others, Pfeiffer said. Today, Danser employs about 140. That is double what it was just three years ago.

The number of employees increased because sales increased, he said. Today, the company has worked on projects across the country and has exported or installed systems in Canada, China, Egypt, Iran, Vietnam and other counties.

"We've worked in Saudi Arabia," he said. "We sent a foreman there to install a system. When we did a job in South Africa, we sent a crew and their families there for three or four months."

Some of the company's work is closer to home. Some of Danser's largest customers are brick kilns located across the country, Pfeiffer said. And the company has completed projects at DuPont's Washington Works just south of Parkersburg.

Danser manufactures a wide range of products, including recirculating air systems, pollution control systems and spiral-wound ductwork. The company has patented a process called Vacuduct, which is a method for producing vacuum-formed duct insulation.

Lean Shop

Pfeiffer credits a new management philosophy for the recent growth spurt. He first was exposed to the "lean manufacturing" while working for a Japanese auto parts supplier.

"It's the Toyota manufacturing model," Pfeiffer said. "It's the Japanese model efficiency in manufacturing."

The "lean philosophy" is aimed at reducing wasted time and energy in the manufacturing process, Pfeiffer said. Basically, shops that use the lean system keep each piece moving until it is completed.

At first, Pfeiffer didn't believe the lean model would work in a custom sheet metal shop. A friend convinced him otherwise.

"We were spending 96 percent of our time on other things: ordering, receiving and moving a project," he said. "Our customers don't want to pay for that."

After deciding to give the new philosophy a try, the company made two promises to its workers, Pfeiffer said. The first was that there would be no job cuts. The second was that they weren't going to implement the new system then sell the company.

"A lot of them were skeptical," he said. "But as they saw production increase, they became believers."

A key part of "lean" is communicating with workers, Pfeiffer said. The company regularly posts information about sales, production and safety on the shop floor.

Continuous Improvement

Although production and sales have increased because of "lean," Pfeiffer said the company still has a long way to go.

"Toyota is the best in the world at it," he said. "Last year, they were at 50 percent (time spent on other things). We've gotten to maybe about 90 percent. We have a long, long, long way to go. We've seen continuous improvement. We're constantly evaluating ourselves."

Because of the success Danser has had with the lean principles, Pfeiffer is eager to let other companies know how it's done.

"(In Parkersburg) we have the Mid-Ohio Valley Safety Council," he said. "I'd like to see a Lean Manufacturing Council. We could learn from each other."

Since Danser found success with the lean philosophy, it would have been easy for the company to pick up and relocate to another state or even another country, Pfeiffer said. That option was never considered, however.

"Our goal is to make something that is sustainable and something that is part of this state," he said.

Danser recently had a "Believe in America" campaign, which has increased pride in the company and the country, said Emily Klodowski, director of marketing.

"This group is proud to be here," she said. "They believe in American companies."

The lean ideals could lead to a revolution for American manufacturing, Pfeiffer said.

"I really believe we're engaged in the next American industrial revolution," he said. "I really believe our greatest days are yet to come."