Swanson’s Welding & Fabrication: Building a Manufacturing Business for the Future

After years of service work, Swanson’s Welding & Fabrication is building a new path through manufacturing, new equipment, and its first proprietary product line.

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Swanson’s Welding & Fabrication has been part of the Springdale, Arkansas, manufacturing community since 2009. When Aaron Collins purchased the company in 2021, the business was primarily focused on service work. The team traveled to plants, repaired equipment, and helped customers get their production lines back up and running. Since then, Aaron has been working to change what the company can do.

Swanson’s has gradually shifted from being primarily a service company to becoming a manufacturing operation. Today, the company provides welding, machining, and custom fabrication for customers throughout the food industry, including companies such as Tyson, Fagra, Simmons, and Del. Much of the work involves creating one-off repair and replacement parts for production equipment, often when customers can no longer find the parts they need through traditional suppliers.

That shift has meant investing in new equipment and changing the way the business operates. Swanson’s has added several programmable CNC machines that allow the team to produce specialized wear parts and other components that can be difficult to source, particularly when customers are trying to replace parts that were previously manufactured overseas. For Aaron, the equipment is only one piece of the equation. As the company takes on more manufacturing work, it also needs the right people to operate the machines and keep production moving.

“We’re trying to maximize the capacity we have now and build from there.” - Aaron Collins

Swanson’s currently has 15 employees, with a goal of reaching 20 over the next year and eventually growing to 25. Finding the right employees has been one of the company's biggest challenges. Aaron is approaching that growth carefully, making sure the company has the work, equipment, and capacity to support each new position before adding the next one. At the same time, the company is looking beyond custom jobs and working toward something new: its first proprietary product line for the food industry. Much of Swanson’s current work is based on solving specific problems for individual customers, but years of working directly with food-processing facilities have given the team a strong understanding of the parts and equipment those customers need. Now, Aaron wants to turn some of that experience into products that Swanson’s can develop and sell on its own.

“We want to build something that can grow beyond just doing one-off jobs for customers.” - Aaron Collins

That goal represents an important next step for the company. Swanson’s has spent years learning what customers need, where parts are difficult to find, and how equipment can be repaired or improved. Developing its own products gives the company an opportunity to take that knowledge and build something new. Aaron joined RAMP because he wanted to connect with more of the manufacturing resources available throughout Arkansas and learn from other manufacturers who have already faced some of the decisions Swanson’s is now working through. Knowing when to invest in another machine, when to hire, and how to increase production without creating bottlenecks are all important decisions as the company grows.

The short-term goal is to increase the team to 20 employees, maximize the equipment already in place, and begin developing the company's first proprietary product line. Longer term, Aaron has his sights set on significant growth, but the immediate focus is on building the right foundation to support it.

Swanson’s has already made a major transition since Aaron took ownership in 2021. What was once primarily a service business has become a growing manufacturing operation with welding, machining, fabrication, and CNC capabilities. Now, with a larger team, new equipment, and a new product line on the horizon, the company is continuing to build on that foundation.

Swanson’s Welding & Fabrication has changed the way it does business. Now, Aaron and his team are focused on seeing where that change can take them.