Grovtec recently sat down with Chris Holden, owner of KCR Manufacturing in 2016, to discuss the benefits of their collaboration. Read the interview to find out why the two companies were a great fit.
Question (Q):Tell us about your company and the products or industries you serve.
Answer (A): KCR Manufacturing was a small shop I owned and operated in Wood Village that made DOT-approved drip torches and other wildland firefighting equipment, plus job shop machining. We sold to fire caches and forestry suppliers across the country, and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) was our biggest customer, including two five-year contracts.
Q: What challenge or opportunity led you to work with GrovTec?
A: In fall 2016, we hit a capacity wall. We had about 600 drip torches on order and only 19 on the shelf, with a single CNC lathe trying to do everything. We needed the brass torch components (seats, plugs, breather bodies, stems) made outside so we could keep assembling and shipping. We also had a DLA garden hose nozzle order that needed 10,000-piece runs—volumes we couldn’t touch in-house.
Q: What were the biggest risks or concerns you were facing before the project began?
A: Missing government delivery schedules and fire season demand. When your customers are fighting wildfires, a late torch isn’t just an inconvenience.
Q: Why did you choose to partner with GrovTec instead of pursuing another solution?
A: GrovTec was a mile away and acted like a partner instead of a vendor. They had been looking at adding a new lathe for a while, and our work made the timing right for both of us. When we later needed to cut a purchase order from 7,500 pieces per part down to 3,500, they worked with us instead of holding us to the original contract.
Q: How did GrovTec approach the challenge differently than other suppliers or solutions you considered?
A: GrovTec invested in the relationship: purchasing the lathe, flexing on order quantities, and flexing on terms when cash was tight. For a small manufacturer, that matters just as much as machine time.
Q: What results have you seen since working with GrovTec?
A: We shipped. The backlog cleared, DLA deliveries went out on both contracts, and the nozzle order ran at volumes we could never have produced ourselves.
Q: Can you share any measurable improvements or business impact?
A:
Backlog: A roughly 600-unit torch backlog was completely cleared.
Volume: Supported 3,000 to 3,500 torches per year.
Delivery: Successfully delivered a 10,000-piece nozzle order.
Q: Was there a specific moment or example where GrovTec exceeded your expectations?
A: When we were struggling financially, GrovTec committed members of its own leadership team to advise us. Vendors don’t do that—partners do.
Q: How has this partnership helped your business prepare for future growth or ongoing challenges?
A: I sold KCR to WATERAX in 2018—a clean sale of 100 percent of the assets. WATERAX kept all vendors and continued the GrovTec relationship, and GrovTec was extremely supportive in helping the sale go through. A supplier that adds to your company’s value at exit is a rare thing.
Q: If another manufacturer asked you about GrovTec, what would you tell them?
A: Call them before you think you need them. They treat a small shop’s emergency like their own.
Q: If GrovTec hadn’t been available to help, what would likely have happened?
A: We would have missed DLA deliveries during fire season, and the nozzle order likely never happens. The sale story might have looked very different, too.
