Matt Lindstedt is not afraid to fail. The president of Advanced Plating Technologies in Milwaukee learned that from his father, CEO John Lindstedt, who also had the same attitude he inherited from his father, John H. Lindstedt.
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James, Matt and John Lindstedt at a recent trade show.“We are about getting better every hour, day, month, and year,” Matt says. “We are not afraid to fail if we learn something and can apply it to the next application.”
APT excels in the coating of parts in the medical, electronics, automotive/electric vehicle, defense, ammunition, and firearms. They specialize in gold and silver precious metals plating in rack, barrel, and vibratory barrel methods. They also specialize in commercial tin, nickel, and electroless nickel plating, as well as highly cosmetic or selective powder coating services.
Planning and Design Asset for Customers
The shop takes a unique position in finishing operations as APT works to align itself as a planning and design asset for their customers when they prototype parts or work to improve existing ones.
“For our customers, we aim to be a finishing resource and extension of their engineering department by providing surface engineering expertise to support their products and designs,” says James M. Lindstedt, the APT Engineering Manager, who is John’s son and Matt’s brother.
APT has doubled its capacity in silver and increased capacity in Tacti-black, an electroless nickel process it developed to meet the growing demand of their customer base.
Matt Lindstedt says APT also introduced a new trucking operation that runs what he calls “weekly milk runs” through southeast Wisconsin and the Chicagoland area to help reduce logistical hurdles for their customers.
“With the increase in manufacturing, freight costs, and operating costs, strains on supply chains are growing, business are now being tasked to find reliable companies they can work with,” Matt says.
Increasing Capacity in Primary Interconnect/Electronics Finishes
“Our future plans are to further increase capacity in our primary interconnect/electronics finishes,” John says. “That includes hard and soft gold, sulfamate nickel, and electroless nickel.”
APT is a fourth-generation veteran and family-owned family business; in fact, all four generations have served in the military. It was originally founded in 1948 as Artistic Plating Company by James H. Lindstedt, Harry C. Lindstedt, and Earl Herrington.
James had begun plating after graduating high school in 1939 prior to enlisting in the Navy after Pearl Harbor. Upon returning from the Pacific campaign in 1946, he reconnected with his previous employer only to find that the ownership had changed generational hands, and he did not like the direction the business was headed. Being an entrepreneur at heart, James convinced his father and an additional investor to start their own business and purchased some basic equipment at an auction in Chicago, and Artistic Plating was born.
The company began as a simple job shop welcoming retail refinishing work, as well as the smallest of production orders. As the company grew in finishing capabilities and engineering expertise, the strategic focus shifted into more technical markets where years of metal finishing experience could be leveraged to provide metal finishing solutions.
Change to Advanced Plating Technologies
In 2013 — when Matt joined the company after his military service — the name of the company was changed to Advanced Plating Technologies to reflect the forward direction of the company and technical industries serviced.
Matt, James, and Plant Manager Erik Probasco have fully reinvented their customer base and industry focus since the 1990s, moving completely away from decorative finishing. We believe in Milwaukee and support local charities such as the Milwaukee Rescue Mission and partner with local school-choice schools like Milwaukee Lutheran to help raise awareness of opportunities in manufacturing.
With 70 employees working across two shifts, Matt says they drive the business by seeking out customers in industries that they feel are well-aligned with them through various marketing efforts.
“We secure and retain business by putting quality first no matter what,” he says. “We do that by being honest with our customers and communicating with them at all stages — from the initial quote to the completed order. “
High Level of Engineering Involvement with Customers
The shop takes a unique position in finishing operations as APT works to align itself as a planning and design asset for their customers when they prototype parts or work to improve existing ones.APT also introduced a new trucking operation that runs what he calls “weekly milk runs” through southeast Wisconsin and the Chicagoland area to help reduce logistical hurdles for their customers.James says APT has a high level of engineering involvement with their customers, which builds a stronger relationship with their clients.
“We start from the initial sales contact,” he says. “It goes all the way through samples, first articles, and then into full production. “
APT is successful in several partnerships with several suppliers, including Hardwood Line, which Matt says they consider a strategic partner. They also work closely with Coventya, Technic, John Schneider and Associates, and EPI.
Continuing to Invest in Technologies
Matt says he sees APT continuing to invest in technologies and suppliers that help them get better.
“That includes more automation and electronic controls, more advanced IT hardware/software, improved chemistries, and tighter chemical controls,” Matt says. “Better training and education opportunities are ongoing at all levels of the company, too.”
With his sons now ready to take over operation of APT as a new generation moves in, John says he still gets energized each day as their team works to figure out how to barrel plate a tough part, develop a new racking technology or technique, and figure out how to get coverage down a tough blind hole.
“It’s all about helping a customer solve a tough design issue or plating problem from a previous supplier,” John says. “Those are interesting problems to solve which make for great days.”
