As many young children did, Gian Carlo Alonso dutifully shadowed his father to work. But while many kids shun the hard work that their parents put into their business and yearn for something of their own, this Florida base entrepreneur was smitten.
The Alonso blood line runs deep in manufacturing with Gian Carlo’s grandfather running a successful business in Cuba. “It was inspiring, because as a kid, come to the office and you’d have a big warehouse and there would always be a new machine and it would be so cool to go there and watch all these people working there,” Alonso reflected. As he grew up and watched his father forge Amerikooler into one of the restaurant and foodservice industry most iconic brands, young Gian Carlo hungered to someday put his own imprint on the walk-in box manufacturing sector.
He has in fact accomplished that goal of reinventing the process of designing and building refrigerated walk-in boxes since taking over the helm of the family firm. While doing so, Gian Carlo has earned the accolades of Amerikooler’s customer base and with that the industry’s recognition as “Mr. Manufacturing.”
“For over 30 years we’ve been leading our industry with the most reliable walk-ins for the everyday foodservice and retail business,” Alonso noted. “We’ve been able to consistently produce quality construction, the most efficient insulation, the highest quality energy efficient refrigeration system, expedited customer service and the longest running warranties in the industry.”
Mr. Manufacturing’s recipe for success combines a management flair that motivates the Amerikooler team on the plant floor and supports that team with state of the art technology. This has enabled the Hialeah, FL based concern to offer over 400 cooler and freezer walk-in packages. Walk-in sizes range between 6’-12’ wide and 6’-20’ long (in 1’ increments). Foodservice dealers, consultants and the end-user operators they support are able to choose from either a walk-in only or a package with either an Indoor Top Mount Self-Contained Unit or a Remote Refrigeration System.
Amerikooler has learned to carefully listen and respond to the needs of their customer base. By doing so, they offer a full line of many popular walk-in options like a 3rd hinge, in/out kick plates and strip curtains. “We also understand the need to be able to quickly respond to our customer’s needs,” Alonso added. “So, we offer over 70 Dynasty Quick Ship Brand Walk-Ins that ship within 24 to 48 hours.”
Mr. Manufacturing has also learned to think out of the box which has resulted in a vision for expanded marketplaces. “My studies at Harvard Business School, enabled me to solidify many of the ideas I had. The theories were confirmed and taken to a whole different level,” Alonso reflected. “I learned about different businesses and how they financed them from acquisitions to improving cash flow and how to really scale a business.” Armed with that ability, Alonso has created walk-in products that are now creating solutions for convenience stores and even residential walk-in coolers.
Mr. Manufacturing has also been able to blend both operations and branding as he has taken Amerikooler to new levels of success.
“Many industry people compliment me now on the branding but frankly, the operations blow away anything that we’ve done in terms of branding,” Alonso said. “We run a very tight ship and with the support of our team, it continues to get more efficient and productive everyday as we improved every single process. We’ve brought that approach to every aspect of our business. The latest includes our going completely paperless and redefining our sales process.”
Many think that Alonso’s emergence as Mr. Manufacturing has come on the heels of a very different approach to defining ROI. “Technology can be great, but sometimes manufacturing management fall in love with what they see in the operation of the machine without a true test to measure the return. I can’t begin to tell you how easy it is to buy something that you think will increase productivity but it isn’t addressing where the true bottleneck is in your manufacturing process.”
Alonso sees the key to successful manufacturing as being the ability to create balance in the process. “You need to create balance in the factory. Every department must have equal, or balanced capacity so that the overall output is increased, not just the output of a single department.”
As Amerikooler continues to grow, it stands out as a shining example of the potential for rebirth of manufacturing in the US. “We are convinced that the right operational balance in our factory with a smaller work force than our competitors in China or Mexico will enable us to produce a superior product at a competitive price. We have proven that to be true by tripling in size in the last five years,” Alonso concluded.
With that vision and the same sense of adventure he had as a young boy in the family factory, Mr. Manufacturing is even trying to get the Guinness Book of World Records to certify that Amerikooler can build a world class walk-in box faster than any firm in the world.
To learn more about Amerikooler and Mr. Manufacturing, visit their website
