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27 januari 2006
Insider Peek at Michigan Ladder Company
YPSIDIXIT and an intrepid friend had the privilege this morning of touring the nation's oldest ladder factory, the Michigan Ladder Company on Forest in Depot Town. The affable and peppy ML CEO Thomas Harrison very kindly took time out of his busy day to show Y. and friend the fascinating innards of this 105-year-old company, for which we were grateful. It was an engrossing look at a manufacturing plant that, despite Michigan's bleak economic climate, not only survived but continues to produce ladders of exceptional, above-average quality for use across the nation.
(many pictures inside; please allow a moment to load).
The tour began in Mr. Harrison's tidy office, which contained a large aerial view of the sprawling MI Ladder complex and this evocative 1904 mini extension ladder. During a pleasant chat with Mr. Harrison, we learned that this company invented and, in 1904, patented the catch on extension ladders that prevent them from collapsing, once extended. Ypsidixit has a big wooden extension ladder here at home with just such a safety catch on it. She was fascinated to learn that this common feature of extension ladders was invented right here in bucolic Ypsilanti. The catch on the antique ladder looked to be of cast iron.
The Michigan Ladder Co. originally produced all its ladders by hand and sold them by peddling them via a horse and wagon around the county.
We headed into the factory. Mr. H. handed out safety glasses to Y.'s friend, but it was deemed that Y.'s spectacles served as sufficient protection. The large open factory space held racks of wood planks and a handful of the factory's 15 or so employees (Y. counted the time cards in the timecard-punch rack). Noises of sawing and drilling were heard. It smelled tangily of fresh-cut pine.
Here Mr. H. divulged that the company made the ping pong tables that appear in the movie "Forrest Gump." Michigan Ladder purchased "The Detroiter" table tennis company in the early 1960s, and made (in addition to ladders) ping pong tables that were used by, among many others, the Harlem Globetrotters.
This enormous furnace heated the entire 3,000-foot or so open factory space. It is run on wood scraps left over from cutting wood for ladders. You can ses a bin of scraps bound for the furnace in the foreground. This old leviathan was so hot the front door was glowing red, which mysteriously appears as violet in this photo, for unknown reasons.
The factory is full of antique machinery, some in use. We examined this old bandsaw (?)
Another massive antique machine was this multiple driller. It resembled a big lathe but had multiple adjustable drillheads along its length, so that it could drill up to a dozen holes at once. Y. had never seen such a thing and was fascinated.
We exited the factory and strolled into one of the complex's many warehouses. The company has had no fewer than 25 additions added to its buildings over the years, and is a pleasantly mazelike hodgepodge of adjacent spaces. The warehouse was full of wooden and aluminum ladders ready for shipment.
One jewel in the back warehouse was this old beauty of a truck. Y., old-truck-lover, instantly fell in love with it. The truck is used to this day to transport loads of ladders around the property and get them ready for shipment. It's an ancient Ford.
We crept into the basement and examined this enormous, nearly washing-machine-sized motor that, years ago, drove a huge shaft upstairs in the factory space. This shaft used to have multiple belts coming off it, connected to the various machines. You can see such an arrangement at Greenfield Village. We looked at a subterranean basement water well, and the spot, near a crude fire-alarm device from years ago, where a onetime security guard had died in the night.
Emerging from the basement, we were greeted by this deerhead with a cap rakishly posed on its head.
(Click on photo for larger image).
Ypsidixit emerged from the tour with a respect for the high quality, above-average ladders the company was making. For example, the company uses cast ladder-locks as opposed to weaker extruded locks, it makes an extra-safe shoe for use on the bottom of its fiberglass ladders, and uses sturdier support rods on its extension ladders than its competitors. It also fortifies its extension ladders with truss blocks, which other ladder makers don't even bother with.
High quality seems to be a tradition here: in this vintage photo, you can see 3 men seated on one big wooden ladder. No splintering or breaking here. The middle man holds a sign that reads "16-Ft. Morney (?) Pine." Morney pine? What does that mean? Am I misreading it? Is it Norney, or Normey? Hard for the myopic Y. to see.
It was a morning of exploration, pleasure at meeting such a pleasant person as Mr. H., and examination of an ancient factory whose long history was evident in the 19th-century brickwork, old machines, and sturdy original beams. What a pleasure.
Posted by ypsidixit at 27 januari 2006 22:38
Comments
Incidentally, they'll sell you a ladder if you'd like one. The company sells lots of ladders to locals, in addition to making shipments of ladders for sale elsewhere. Just peruse their catalog to see what you'd like and stop by the door on the northern side of the building near the western side.
Posted by: Laura at 28 januari 2006 00:23
Norway pine?
Great post, lots of lovely details. It's cool to know they're still using all that old equipment. Just as it should be.
Years ago my dad used to work as a buyer for the UK equivalent of Lowes/Home Depot, and ladders were one of his lines. I wonder if he ever imported from the US, and if so, Ypsi?
Posted by: Matt Blackcustard at 28 januari 2006 08:44
What impressed me was that they used scrap wood to heat the plant. Great example of old-fashioned thrift.
Posted by: tom at 28 januari 2006 10:30
Matt: Thank you for your nice comment. I apologize for the muddiness of some of the photos. My flash takes time to warm up between photos, and we were on the move, so I went without it by and large. Anyway, the pix give one a rough idea.
That is interesting about your dad. The Michigan ladder Co. also makes a line of ladders called the Carolina line, for shipment to the Southeast. (If that rings any bells).
"Norway" is a great suggestion. I never thought of that. Could be. Gosh, the letters are hard to make out. I am peering at the back of the catalog, from whence I scanned the image, and I just can't figure out if that first letter is an N or an M. Also, the fifth letter looks awfully like an e....phooey.
Posted by: Laura at 28 januari 2006 11:17
Tom: That impressed me, too. But those were some awfully nice scraps, I must say. I was looking at them and the quality of the wood was so high that I was thinking, "Dang!--I could make some planters out of those..."
Even the scraps are first-rate. :)
Posted by: Laura at 28 januari 2006 11:20
One more thing that impressed me was the with-it nature of Mr. H. He was full of energy and purpose, and cared about the long history of the plant. One came away from meeting him with the conviction that the business is in able hands.
An Ypsilanti success story.
Posted by: Laura at 28 januari 2006 11:26
OK, one more comment...in the first photo, from the 1920s apparently, you can see one giant ladder extending upwards from the building.
We were told that this amusing decoration was sometimes climbed by visitors "just for fun" (eek!)
Posted by: Laura at 28 januari 2006 11:38
One more comment. The more I think about it, the more I think that the mini extension ladder was made expressly as a sample, to demonstrate the then-new satety catch. The company patented the catch in 1904, and that's when the (sample) ladder was apparently made.
This mini ladder probably made the rounds around the county in the back of a horse-drawn wagon, for demonstrations of the (novel) safety catch to area farmers.
Posted by: Laura at 28 januari 2006 11:49
Very interesting. I have wondered what the factory is like since my regular walking path takes me past there every weekend. One question: is there a union for the workers?
Posted by: Ingrid at 28 januari 2006 14:23
Ingrid: I don't know. But the folks there seemed in good spirits, waved to us as we passed by. Cars in the parking lot were nice and reasonably recent, not broken-down or beaters or anything. I got the (surface) impression it was a good place to work.
Posted by: Laura at 28 januari 2006 14:56
I'm shocked and disgusted to see a factory in ypsilanti that isn't abandoned or demolished. Don't they understand that cutting edge photographers need urban decay for subject matter?
I'm calling the city manager first thing in the morning. There must be an out-of-state developer that could put some crappy apartments on that spot.
But in all seriousness, it's great you were able to get inside and recieve a tour. You must be important. One could almost say that you're climbing a social...umm...climbing device of some sort.
Posted by: brett* at 28 januari 2006 17:36
Brett*: Nah. I'm the least important of people. Merely a grain of sand on the infinite beach that is human history. The reason we got a tour is not due to any importance of mine, but solely due to the kindness of Mr. H. He could have blown us off without a second thought, but considerately took time out of his day to give us the fun tour. Kudos to him.
Posted by: Laura at 28 januari 2006 18:09
I remeber piles of scraps in back. And people being able to load some up for kindling. Maybe they had more scrap or added the furnace. As I never see piles of pine scraps anymore.
Posted by: Anonymous at 29 januari 2006 10:27
The new Aquarius moon and the crowd of celestial visitors near it in the sky bodes well for friendly connections -- especially of an oddball, awkward and downright strange variety. People meeting for the first time hit it off like bosom buddies from way back. In fact, the more casual the connection, the more familiar it feels.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Events that seem arbitrary are not. Instead, they are direct consequences of an agreement you have made either with yourself or someone else, consciously or unconsciously. Take back the power.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Someone who is key to your life's work enters the picture this week. To be sure you're in the right frame of mind to accept and even follow this person, spend today in some grateful, thoughtful way.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). If life is a stage, you are a master at improvisation, quickly becoming the exact "character" you need to be in order to turn the current plot into a delightfully romantic tale.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). What is socially acceptable varies from family to family, job to job, person to person. You'll be privy to someone else's version of the rules today. Comedy strikes after 3 p.m. -- quick, startling comedy.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). No relationship is perfect. Dealing with the imperfections of a relationship in a generous, lionhearted way could transform the broken little thing into a majestic force in your life.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You're already adept at making things work and making them beautiful. Now, relate your creativity to humanity. This means risking rejection. You're ready.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The things that make your home feel cozy make you feel more confident. Add some strong colors (try magenta or red) in the form of a wall hanging, shelves or new linens. You'll feel revitalized just to look at them.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Flirting takes various forms. What looks to others like warfare is nothing but friendly banter to you. Partners you choose this weekend complement you nicely. Singles tip: Let someone work for your phone number.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your every thought seems geared toward success. Even if you're doing it right, dreaming of a particular outcome is tricky business. To get what you want, keep the "what" in mind and let go of the "how."
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You can motivate someone stubborn by using a variation of the carrot-and-stick approach. Of course, in the end, you should always give up the carrot -- otherwise, it's too cruel.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Being around people who believe in you and encourage you affects your attitude, which monitors your talent, which determines your productivity. Try a Leo and a Sagittarius.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Chances are, the so-called "enemy" is an unconscious attitude or belief that you're not ready to let go of. The stars give you flashes of insight that let you know what others are thinking. This helps you gain perspective.
FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: There's a planetary party going on in Aquarius this week. The moon, sun, Mercury and Neptune are dancing like hippies through the sign of the water bearer. If you're quiet, you can almost hear the celestial music thumping the "Hair" classic: "This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius ... " In the modern world, where relatively clean water comes out of the taps or can be bought in a bottle at the local convenience store for a dollar, we tend to take H2O for granted. That is, until something catastrophic happens, as it did so many times last year, to remind us how fragile humankind really is. We can live without food for over a month, but without clean water, we can be goners in less than 100 hours. These insights are key to understanding the Aquarius energy, which aims to generously bring what is needed to the party. This friendly energy has less to do with social nicety and popularity than it does with the fact that humans need one another. Without contact, just like without water, they perish. Use this week's overriding Aquarian energy to reach out and give in any way that feels right.
Posted by: Oracle at 29 januari 2006 10:31
Dearest Oracle, thank you for the bonus of weekend guidance. "Awkward" is spot-on. This was not a stellar weekend for this pussy cat. Still, I got to look at a picture-book on Hiroshige's fish paintings, so it wasn't a total loss.
Posted by: Laura at 30 januari 2006 00:37
If you haven't yet decided what you're doing this year to help out your fellow humans, the Aquarius moon provides new incentive to commit to a philanthropic course. It's a kind of cosmic "matching" system as the universe will double up on your efforts. Any gesture brings good fortune. However, the best luck goes to the anonymous giver. ARIES (March 21-April 19). The planets find you in a gullible mood. Believing the wrong people will slow progress to a grinding halt, so give your intuition a workout. Help people tell you the truth by making sure you are willing to hear it.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The stars open your eyes to the intangibles that make your life great. You have clutched a portion of the rainbow, and nobody but you knows how beautiful it really is.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Negotiations are featured. Share something personal. It makes you more human, and it's difficult to say no to you once people realize what an interesting individual you are.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). There is a marvelous structure to your home life -- one that you take for granted. When an outsider sees your domestic situation, you get a glimpse at the wonderful way it works.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). There's no need to hide or change. You're enough as is. In fact, without much effort at all, you'll make a first-rate contribution to what your partner is working on, and in doing so, you can help this person get ahead.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). What is already complex only gets more complicated when you have to explain it. On days like today, it's better to drop it and move on to something else. Every conversation has its perfect time, and this isn't it.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Today is like a jigsaw puzzle: It doesn't make sense until you put a few pieces together. So, do some work in your little corner of the world, and soon, others thank you for defragging the universe.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There is nothing sadder than what could have been. Intuitively, you know this, and so you're on top of your potential, making your life into all it can be and should be.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Important people work at building friendships, and you're that kind of important person. Take initiative, even if you think a potential friend is out of your league. There is no such thing!
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It's hard for you to say no. But it's the very word that will magically make your life better now. Say no to the loved one who takes too much and gives back so little.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Try not to see your work as an endless system of rewards and punishments but as a spine-tingling journey. In the end, rewards can be punishing, and so-called punishments can have clear benefits.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It doesn't take a brain surgeon to keep business running well (unless, of course, you are actually in the business of brain surgery). Cater to the obvious needs. By doing so, you prevent more complex issues from surfacing.
Posted by: Monday Monday at 30 januari 2006 08:10
Thank you, dearest Oracle. I always value your kind words of wisdom. Virgo is the accurate one today. At any rate.
Posted by: Laura at 30 januari 2006 09:32
Hi everyone! I think your site is very interesting and useful. I always bookmarked it.
Posted by: osru at 11 mei 2006 18:16
I worked for this company for a brief period. The people there are great. The work enviroment is stellar. There's nothing like working with your hands and the satisfaction that comes with a job well done. Given the chance, I would be honored at a second go round with this company. I highly recommend it!
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