By DON SHILLING

By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- Roger Jones decided about 10 years ago that it was time to put his company to the test.
Easy-to-make products were out for Fireline. Too many companies could make those and profits were low.
He pointed his company toward the aerospace market, which demands precision products that few companies can make and back up with customer service.
The maker of industrial ceramic shapes passed the test.
Since 1995, sales have increased from less than $5 million a year to $7 million a year. More importantly, profits are up because high-volume, low-profit lines are gone.
Expansion: Business has been so good that Fireline has spent $3 million to expand its Andrews Avenue plant four times since 1996. New equipment has automated production and allowed for more efficient use of space.
It previously operated out of a leased plant on Jones Street with a small production line on Andrews Avenue.
"We have less space than we used to, but we have doubled our capacity," said Jones, who founded the company in his basement in 1967.
Despite increased automation, the company has added 12 workers since 1995 and now employs 67.
Products: Key to the expansion are ceramic liners of various shapes that are used in the making of jet engine parts. Fireline's customers use the liners to transfer molten metal to molds for the parts.
The liners and other Fireline products used to handle molten metal are made of varying combinations of clay, fused silica and alumina oxide. They can withstand high temperatures without cracking and don't contaminate the metal.
It's was a tough business to get into, however, Jones said.
Companies that make jet engine parts are under extreme pressure to have no product failures so they are careful in changing suppliers.
Fireline previously made more standard ceramic shapes, such as those used in making golf clubs.
Jones said Fireline worked hard to convince aerospace companies that it could produce quality products. Not only did it have to be persistent, but it also had to absorb the expense of throwing away products that didn't meet the standards it needed.
Customer service: Now that Fireline has established itself as one of only about five companies that can handle this work, it focuses on customer service, Jones said. If any customer has a problem, a Fireline engineer will be at the plant that day or the next day to help find a solution, even if a Fireline product is not the cause.
Part of working in the aerospace industry includes being able to track each product in case investigators want to review it to determine the cause of a plane crash. Each Fireline product is stamped with information that allows it to be tracked.
Once, investigators were looking at a jet engine as a possible cause for a crash and asked for details on one of Fireline's products.
Using its detailed records, Fireline sent a 12-page report that showed everything about the production history of that product, including when the ceramic liner was made, the mix that was used to make the liner, which kiln was used to heat it and the firing cycle of the kiln.
Jones never heard the results of the investigation, which he said means that his product was eliminated as a cause.
Diversification: Fireline relies in large part on the health of the aerospace industry, but Jones said it has diversified into making products for power-generation equipment. This has allowed Fireline to keep growing despite an aerospace slump.
Fireline last year made about 600,000 ceramic shapes that were used to handle molten metal. It also made about 2.9 million pieces that are made of ceramic fiber.
Instead of being used in the transfer of molten metal, the ceramic fiber pieces are used to insulate objects such as temperature probes from the metal. These pieces are rapidly formed by a machine operator and then dried.
The ceramic shapes are mostly made by new presses that automatically fill molds. After they are dry, workers touch up the pieces by filing and cutting away excess mold. They are then fired in kilns.
The company is completing its fourth expansion, which will allow for the installation of two new presses.
Once these presses are running, Fireline will discontinue its last main production line where molds are filled by hand. Fireline has installed 14 presses in recent years. When the newest presses are added, only molds that are part of small jobs will be hand poured, Jones said.
Employees: He said the plant floor runs without any foremen. Workers, who are members of the United Steelworkers of America, are led by leaders, who train new employees and oversee quality and eqiupment.
The employees are so knowledgable about their work that there are no salaried workers at the plant during the afternoon and night shifts, Jones added.
Workers, who receive incentive pay for the number of parts produced, earn more than $40,000 a year, plus benefits, he said.
After the expansion in recent years, Jones said growth of the company's current business lines is slowing, but a new product could lead to the company's next big growth spurt.
He wouldn't say much except that it would be used in the handling of molten metal and is undergoing testing now.
If the product succeeds, Fireline will have to expand its plant again, he said.
shilling@vindy.com