Neufeldt made a decision to start his own business, Neufeldt Welding Service. By September of that year a small building, slightly larger than a two stall garage, was built. Operation was on a part-time basis for one year before a commitment was made to go full-time in November of 1976. At this time a dealership for Ashley wood burning stoves was acquired. Between selling stoves and miscellaneous
welding repairs, the first full year of being an independent businessman was attained. Plans for a building addition began the fall of 1978 with completion early the next year. New customers were coming in and a growing list of steady customers were being added. New equipment purchases were made, among them; a band saw, drill press, air compressor and diesel welder. A portion of the building was rented in 1980 to a sheet metal fabricator to whom we sublet all of the sheet metal work. This proved to be a successful venture and allowed extra time to pursue other areas of work. Millwright projects, including machinery rebuilding and installation, were added to the work load. To accommodate all the phases of this growing business, a name change was needed. On January 1, 1983, Neufeldt Welding Service became Neufeldt Industrial Services, Inc. The business continued to expand and by that fall the sheet metal fabricator was unable to fill all the orders in a timely fashion. The decision was made to employ sheet metal fabricators and invest in sheet metal equipment: a roller, leaf brake and plate shear. Space again became an issue and so designs were drawn to double the working area. The second addition was completed late in 1983 and a large shear and press brake were added to the growing list of equipment. To provide better customer service, Neufeldt Industrial formed a second division, Neufab Specialty Fabricators, in the spring of 1988. This changed allowed Neufab to focus on improving production and manufacturing efficiency and to become identified as a fabricating facility. Neufeldt Industrial could then focus on industrial services and contracting. As the fabricating services continued to grow, the facility was once again expanded to meet these needs. In 1991, Neufab purchased the entire machining business known as Behren’s Machine. Along with the equipment that was acquired, the sole machinist was also hired. Although space had been recently added, this did not provide enough area for an entire machine shop. For this reason space was leased in a building just up the street. Eventually the office in this building provided the needed space required to set up a CAD department. Besides shearing, forming, drilling, sawing and machining, Neufab continued to improve its range of services through the addition of updated equipment. A plasma cutting system allows flame or plasma cutting of multiple piece parts at competitive rates. One water and one air table are utilized in cutting stainless steel, carbon steel or aluminum. A computer program allows accurate cutting of individual or multiple piece parts in material ranging from 30 gauge to 6” thick with minimal clean up required. Programmable welding machines allowed Neufab to expand its welding capabilities and provide consistent weld results based on customer defined parameters on any type of material. Combined with welders certified to AWS, DOT and ASME standards, Neufab is able to provide high quality work on prototypes or production assemblies. Staying breast of technology, our CAD department has been updated to Solidworks 2020. With the addition of a DesignJet printer, it is possible to quickly print detail drawings on vellum or plain paper. Or, DXF files can be emailed directly to us. Neufeldt Industrial also continues to improve and expand the services it can provide customers. With equipment moving, installation and repair being a vital part of this division, additional forklifts and trucks were added to handle the work. Neufeldt has propane forklifts to handle most any type of interior moving. For heavier moving and lifting, a 15-Ton Broderson IC200 Carry deck crane, a 30-Ton boom truck, and 70-Ton crane are available. A semi tractor and 53’ drop deck trailer, tilt bed truck with roll back bed and flat bed truck are able to meet most moving requirements. Along with the lifts and trucks, a full compliment of moving equipment is available including hoists, jacks, and levels. A laser level provides accurate setting and alignment of all equipment. A transport trolley system, we eliminates the concern of plant owners and managers that heavy equipment moved across finished floors will cause scratching and scuffing. The special casters assure no marking, marring or peeling while moving loads. Two independent units can be adjusted to equipment size and allows for maneuverability in tight spaces and around tight corners.
