Published: May 29, 2019 |

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American Mine Door is a global OEM in a niche market, an unusual position that nonetheless has served the century-old company well, said vice president of business development Pete Hallahan.

Incorporated in 1906 as a manufacturer of mechanically operated ventilation doors for underground mines, the Cleveland-based concern’s products have evolved from simple wooden doors to contraptions built with a complex interface of pneumatic air cylinders and hydraulic systems.

Along with custom doors produced at its 100,000-square-foot facility in Slavic Village, AMD builds machines designed to clean the tracks that transport material to and from a mine. The business has also expanded into cable vulcanizer production, while its fabrication division works with steel mills, the building trades and other industries.

As the coal industry waned, owner Daniel Zenisek spread into gold, silver, copper, potash and other minerals. Far from its roots working in coal-rich West Virginia and Pennsylvania, AMD has grown worldwide, mostly into Central and South America, but angling into Asia, Africa and Europe as well.

“As coal flattened, Dan knew we had to diversify,” said Hallahan, who joined AMD in 2014, after a career in industrial gearing and steel. “Any good business is going to think, ‘Hey, where else can my product be better served?’ “

Harnessing its 100 years of industry experience, the manufacturer currently has three projects in Mexico and another three in Chile. AMD’s ventilation doors are fabricated entirely in Cleveland, although it does have global distributor connections in the areas where it operates.

“We’ve built relationships with engineering firms all over the world, because the industry has become so niche and complex as we interface with technology,” Hallahan said. “Mines are outsourcing their ventilation technology to engineering firms.”

NOT A HARD SELL

Mining ventilation control doors work in concert with industrial exhaust fans to provide miners a constant supply of fresh air, a necessity as mines delve deeper into the earth’s surface, Hallahan said. AMD sells two main door designs: its towering high-pressure doors are built for high truck traffic and are able to withstand the strong winds pumped underground by mining operations. Meanwhile, a new low-pressure design is smaller in size and more economically priced. The company also carries an “EcoVent” model for smaller operations or lightly trafficked areas within a mine.

Price points for AMD’s door packages range from under $10,000 for EcoVent to $50,000 for its 20-foot-tall, high-pressure model. Made of heavy- duty steel frames and panels, the doors are controlled by industrial computers, opening and closing like the automatic door at a grocery store.

AMD’s door wings open in opposite directions, equalizing air pressure so the doors won’t slam open or shut. Safety considerations aren’t entirely new to what historically is a dangerous industry, but protecting workers has long been a mainstay of the AMD business model, Hallahan said.

“Our doors are cycling open and closed a certain number of times a day,” he said. “We have one of the most robust door systems in the world, and the safest. That’s the reputation we’ve developed for 100 years.”

Though AMD’s high-pressure doors have been used around the globe for decades, that hasn’t stopped Zenisek — who co-owns the company alongside his wife, Kim — from employing a business model of continuous improvement. AMD designs are patented in the U.S. and South Africa, with company officials going to trade shows to find new customers or get input from those they already have.

“You’ve got to anticipate what your customers’ needs are, but the mines (themselves) are not early adapters,” Hallahan said. “The larger international organizations may own six to 10 mines, and they’re always looking for efficiencies, so you’ve got to pay attention to them.”

During installation, AMD will send a supervisor to a mining site, also using videoconferencing technology to teach mine employees about their new door’s safety components and control systems. In offering a specialty product that lasts decades, AMD has been able to eschew a traditional marketing approach.

“There’s a base of mining customers who know who we are and trust us,” Hallahan said. “We stay in touch with folks we’ve built up relationships with over the years. It’s no hard sell — it’s more about being a good listener and offering up solutions.”

Mining is the bedrock for numerous world economies, a trend AMD leadership expects to balloon further as earthwork and mining operations become the basis for all manner of technologies.

“Think about electric cars, or the rare materials in cellphones that have to be mined,” Hallahan said. “That’s the cool part of this: We’re in an industry supporting these world economies, and that demand will only go up as technology increases.”

By:  Douglas J. Guth, Crain’s Cleveland Business