• Editor’s Note: At 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, the Kane County Board Jobs Committee will hold a special meeting at the Kane County Government Center to honor 11 companies nominated as 2015 Kane County Manufacturing Champion of the Year. The winning entry will go on to represent Kane County in the 2015 Manufacturing Champion Awards on Oct. 7, hosted by the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing. Featured here are four amazing Kane County nominees.
  

So it turns out we do make things in America, and the stuff that’s made here in Kane County is sweet, clean, gripping and “makes your life easier.”

The four nominees featured on Kane County Connects today are examples of globally recognized businesses that make wonderful products. They include the household cleaners from the nationally and internationally known O-Cedar company that’s so well known for its slogan, “O-Cedar Makes Your Life Easier!®,” a company that makes some of the finest measuring equipment in the world, a company that makes confectionery wrappers for Jolly Roger and other candies we’ve all enjoyed at (near) zero-waste-to-landfill facility and a company recognized for making precision switches and control grips that are used in everything from joysticks to military control grips.

For the record, they’re also good corporate citizens, investing in many Kane County area causes, nonprofits and community service initiatives.

Freudenberg Household Products Division

• Household Products
• 2188 W. Diehl Road, Aurora, IL

FHCS located in Aurora, IL, is a division of the Freudenberg Group headquartered in Weinheim, Germany. The company’s Household Products Division is a leading international manufacturer of branded goods including household cloths, cleaning products and laundry care products, and is the leader in virtually all markets in which it competes.

The Freudenberg Household Products Division employs about 2,300 employees globally and is best known in America for its O-Cedar® brand and signature tagline “O-Cedar Makes Your Life Easier!®”

FHCS is involved in several local community activities throughout the year:

• Rebuild Together Aurora
• Heartland Blood Donation Drives
• Feed My Starving Children
• Toys For Tots
• Sponsor, Aurora Rotary Club annual Festival of Lights Fundraiser

Mitutoyo America Corporation’s Calibration Lab

• Metrology Company
• 965 Corporate Boulevard, Aurora, IL 60502

To say that Mitutoyo America Corporation’s Calibration Lab, located in Aurora, IL, “measures up” would be both a double entendre and an understatement.

Mitutoyo has been called the finest private calibration facility in the country. Only the National Institute of Standards in Technology and Sandvik Labs, both government facilities, can claim to have greater capabilities.

As a result, a large portion of the metrology tools in all of U.S. manufacturing can be traced to Mitutoyo America’s Calibration Lab. Furthermore, Dr. Jim Salsbury, Mitutoyo’s senior manager of metrology and Calibration, is a globally recognized expert in the field of metrology who has participated in the drafting of ISO standards and was a consultant to the U.S. delegation negotiating amendments to international arms export regimes.

Mitutoyo America Corporation has contributed a state-of-the-art metrology lab to the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Crosspointe, VA. CCAM is an applied research facility whose goal is to facilitate the transition of manufacturing research innovation from the laboratory to commercial use.

Mitutoyo is also a member of the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute right here in Chicago. Following a $75 million grant from the federal government, DMDII broke ground this year and is the nation’s flagship research institute for digital manufacturing.

Multifilm Packaging

• Candy and Other Packaging
• 1040 N. McLean Boulevard, Elgin, IL

Multifilm Packaging is a vertically integrated flexible packaging printer and converter.

Multifilm’s focus is on the confectionery industry. Have you ever had a twist-wrapped Jolly Rancher candy? That’s what Multifilm makes. More than half of its business is twist wrap and flow wrap materials for candy. A lot of the films that Multifilm produces and sells are proprietary. They are engineered to run better, protect the candy, and/or cost less than competing materials.

Multifilm is committed to manufacturing as cleanly and efficiently as possible, and Multifilm has won several awards for our Geothermal Process Cooling & HVAC system, including the Governor’s Sustainability Award. Multifilm’s system is unique in North America and has helped reduce energy consumption significantly. Multifilm is also a (near) zero-waste-to-landfill facility.

Multifilm has worked closely with the Elgin Community Crisis Center for many years now, including volunteer hours, collections, and financial contributions.

Multifilm companies are employee owned and operated, and have invested heavily in the company since a management buyout in 2008.

OTTO Controls and OTTO Communications

• Molding, Stamping, Machining
• 2 East Main St., Carpentersville, IL

For more than 50 years, OTTO has been designing and manufacturing a full line of products for unique and demanding applications. Located in Carpentersville, IL, OTTO is recognized worldwide for superior performance and innovative products.

OTTO is a vertically integrated manufacturer with in-house injection molding, stamping, CNC machining, cable assembly and cable overmolding capabilities. Its strong mechanical, electrical and RF Design Engineering capability, world-class test lab and computer controlled production line testing is unmatched in the industry. OTTO markets its products through two divisions, OTTO Controls and OTTO Communications.

OTTO Controls designs and manufactures precision switches and control grips including mechanical switches with up to 1 million cycle life; Hall Effect switches with digital and analog output options; sealed and lighted, high performance, snap action, rocker, pushbutton, toggle and rotary switches, commercial and military control grips and Hall Effect technology joysticks.

Manufacturing Series

• Sept. 4: Meet 4 Nominees for Kane County Manufacturing Champion of the Year
• Today: 4 Kane County Manufacturing Champions Measure Up, ‘Make Your Life Easier’