Rapid Growth
To build on the company’s modest foundation, Mr. Betzig assembled a group of talented design engineers to begin developing concepts for sophisticated, high-volume machine tools. Sales doubled to more than $12 million in 1987, as Ann Arbor Machine began building a reputation for providing reliable and cost-effective metalcutting machines.
Within eighteen months of its founding, the company had outgrown its original 35,000 square foot building. Three additional buildings were added during the following two years: one to house the expanding engineering department, and two additional assembly bays to accommodate the ever-larger machines which were being built. By 1989, the company’s sales surpassed $21 million. Yet some of the most exciting growth was just on the horizon